n i I ft?- THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID lU. ^ v*> VACATION TOURISTS NOTES OF TEAVEL i860. LONDON : K. CLAY, SON, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS, BREAD STREET HILL. VACATION TOURISTS AND NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860 EDITED BY FRANCIS GALTON, M.A. P.E.S. AUTHOR OF " THE ART OF TRAVEL," ETC. MACMILLAN AND CO AND 23, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN 1861 fmt- „.'_1j „^ T.. ,„7-w„V M „.„„ „J 1 vi PREFACE. these travels of 1860 will be of no diminished value because they are concisely written, are bound within one cover, and are presented in a readable form. It depends on the favour of the public, whether or no this volume will be succeeded by others — whether, in fact, " Vaca- tion Tourists " shall become an annual publication. There is abundant space for future writers to occupy : the social and political life of foreign nations offers a wide field and change- ful surface for examination ; newly discovered objects of interest, and fresh openings for the yearly tide of Vacation travellers, are of constant occurrence; scientific tours offer an endless variety of results ; while narratives of adventure never fail to interest. FRANCIS GALTON. March 7, 1861. 42, Rutland Gate, S.W. CONTENTS. AGE I.— NAPLES AND GARIBALDI 1 By W. G. Clark, M.A. F.R.G.S. Tutor of Trinity College, and Public Orator of the University of Cambridge. II.— A TOUR IN CIVIL AND MILITARY CROATIA, AND THROUGH PART OF HUNGARY 76 By George Andrew Spottiswoode. III.— SLAVONIC RACES 100 By R. D. a Former Resident and Recent Traveller among them. IV.— A GOSSIP ON A SUTHERLAND HILL-SIDE 116 By G. H. K. V.— A VISIT TO PERU 176 By C. C. Bowen. VI.— GRAIAN ALPS AND MOUNT ISERAN 239 By J. J. Cowell, F.R.G.S. VII.— THE ALLELEIN-HORN 264 By the Rev. Leslie Stephen, M.A. Fellow and Tutor of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. VIII.— PARTIAL ASCENT OF MONT CERVIN (MATTERHORN) 282 By F. V. Hawkins, M.A. viii CONTENTS. PAGE IX.— FROM LAUTERBRUNNEN TO THE ^EGGISHHORN BY THE LAUWINEN-THOR IN ONE DAY 305 By John Tyndall, F.R.S. X. -JOURNAL OF A YACHT VOYAGE TO THE FAROE ISLANDS AND ICELAND 318 By J. W. Clark, M.A. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. XL— NORWAY 362 By H. F. Tozer, M.A. Fellow and Tutor of Exeter College, Oxford. XII.— A VISIT TO NORTH SPAIN AT THE TIME OF THE ECLIPSE 422 By the Editor. XIII.— SYRIAN TRAVEL, AND SYRIAN TRIBES 455 By the Hon. Roden Noel, M.A. f • VACATION TOURISTS, Ac. IN 1860, 1. NAPLES AND GARIBALDI. BY W. G. CLAEK, M.A. F.RG.S. Through Turin to Naples. — I left London on the 18th of August, for the tour which has become a matter of annual recurrence. It had been my intention to go to Scotland, but the almost incessant rain which spoilt our last summer drove me to seek for sunshine in some southern land, and the interest attaching to Garibaldi's daring enterprise drew me irresistibly to Italy. The route from England to Naples, travelled every year by thousands of our countrymen and not new to myself, would, in ordinary circumstances, be too hackneyed a topic ; and a writer who should suppose that he had anything to say about it which had not been said before — the only justification for writing at all — would show (\^— -great confidence in his own powers of observation. But I saw Naples under circumstances the reverse of ordi- nary — at that critical period when it was the centre of interest to all the nations of Europe ; during the occurrence of events so strange and sudden that they resembled incidents of a romantic melodrama rather than real history. The achieve- ments of Bollo and Bobert Guiscard were repeated before the eyes of men who are never tired of saying that they live in a prosaic age. The interest of these events is scarcely abated, for they involve momentous consequences yet to come. The great captain who is now playing the part of Cincinnatus at B 2 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. Caprera has potentially — like another captain who once en- joyed a temporary repose in the neighbouring Elba — an army at his command. He is one of the great powers, who, though not officially represented, makes his presence felt in all the councils of Europe. I reached Naples two days before the departure of the King. What I saw and heard during the eventful three weeks which followed, will form the main part of my story. I prefer to tell this story (at the risk of occasional repetition) in the words of a journal written on the spot, and at the first leisure hour after the occurrences. In this journal I have corrected nothing but slips of the pen. I have inserted no ex post facto prophecies. I have merely added a note here and there by way of correction or explanation. As the political interest of the time is my only justification for writing at all, I have cut out from my narrative almost all that had not relation to passing events. The excavations at Pompeii and the treasures of the Museo Borbonico have, for the present, lost their interest. Besides, there would be an incongruity in thus mixing contemporary history with anti- Cjuarianism and dilettantism ; nor would the space at my disposal allow me to do so, in any case. I might have touched in passing many such topics, and given conclusions without arguments ; but I remember the warning, " Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio," and I have reason to think that a love of brevity is liable to be mistaken for an affectation of smartness and a tendency to dogmatism. I crossed from Folkestone to Boulogne in a storm of wind and rain. The rain accompanied me to Paris, scarcely abated during the two days of my stay there, chased me in flying showers to Macon ; then, withdrawing for a while, hung in masses of threatening cloud in front and flank as we crossed the plains and wound along the valleys, guarded with bastions of limestone crag on either hand, the first approaches to the great fortress of the Alps, to Culoz, now, alas ! a frontier place no more, thence by the lake of Bourget and Chambery, where we saw skeletons of triumphal arches destined for the recep- W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 3 tion of the new master, to St. Jean de Maurienne, where we exchanged the railway for the diligence. The route of the Mont Cenis is, to my mind, the least picturesque of all the Alpine passes. But what it lacks in scenic beauty it makes up in historical interest, as being the route of Hannibal.* At Lanslebourg the clouds, which I had been comparing to hovering bodies of barbarians hanging on the line of the Car- thaginians' march, burst upon us in a torrent of rain which lasted to Susa. When at length we reached Turin, at one a.m. (about thirty hours after leaving Paris), there was a cloudless sky overhead, and the soft sweet air of summer Italy to breathe and move in. I had been much entertained by one of my companions in the banquette of the diligence — an Englishman going to join Garibaldi. Evidently a gentleman, he had " roughed it " through life with the strangest comrades. He had dug for gold in Australia, had driven an omnibus for six months in Melbourne, &c. &c, and now was about to seek his fortune in Italy. " Not," he said, " that he cared a button for one side or the other ; he wanted if possible to get a commission in the Sardinian army, and meanwhile, at all events, to have a lark." * This is conclusively established in a work entitled, " A Treatise on Han- nibal's Passage of the Alps," by Robert Ellis, B.D. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, 1853. The subsidiary arguments derived from the Peu- tingerian table, the names of places, &c, however ingenious and probable, are less convincing than the main arguments, and tend, on a first reading, rather to invalidate the conclusions. I am disposed to think that Mr. Ellis lays rather too much stress on the fact that the plains of Italy are visible from a point near the summit of the pass. Polybius, from his language, seems to suppose that the plains would be visible, as a matter of course, from the sum- mit of any pass, and he himself probably crossed the Alps only once in the way of business ; and if he had such weather as has always been my fortune in crossing the Mont Cenis, he could not verify the fact. The story of Hannibal's encouraging his men by showing them Italy is, perhaps, after all only a rhetorical figment. Everybody not familiar with Alpine travel would take it for granted that Italy was visible from the summit (not having a clear under- standing of the distinction between " peaks" and "passes"), and the situa- tion, ".Hannibal pointing out Italy to his soldiers," is too striking not to be accepted as true : " ut pueris placeat et declamatio fiat." I doubt, too, whether we have got at the true signification of \evK6ireTpov. However this may be, Mr. Ellis seems to me to have proved his point abundantly. b2 4 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. I fancy that a good many of the volunteers, if they would confess it, were actuated by similar feelings. I stayed nearly a week at Turin, where I found several old friends and acquaintances, several of them Neapolitan exiles, who gave me letters to their friends at home. Among them was Baron Charles Poerio, the gentlest and most inno- cent victim that was ever tortured by tyrant. I observed in him, as well as in others of his fellow-prisoners whom I saw at Naples afterwards, a subdued manner that was infinitely touching. It was as if long imprisonment had crushed their spirit and robbed life of its vitality. Poerio said that, during his short tenure of office, the king affected to treat him as a confidential friend, would offer him a cigar when he went for an audience, and so forth. On the anniversary of the day of his accepting office, he had the chains put on in the court of one of the prisons, the benevolent monarch looking on from a window. I went one day to a charming villa on the " Collina," near Moncalieri, to visit an exile of a different race. I found him playing with his children, as youthful at heart as any of them. No prison had bowed his spirit down, and even eleven years of exile had not sickened his hope of triumphant return. He had not a shadow of doubt that the sword of Garibaldi would open through Venice a road to Hungary. " Shall we meet next year in London ?" I said at parting. " We shall meet next year, if anywhere, at Pesth," was the reply. On the 28th of August I went to Genoa, on the chance of finding a steamer for Livorno or Naples, there being no trustworthy information to be had in Turin. When I arrived there, I found that I had no choice but to wait till the 31st for the French boat. Three days soon passed among the varied sights of Genoa, the most beautiful as well as one of the busiest of the cities of the world. Garibaldi's portrait was in every window, ballad-singers were chanting his praises, and as you passed a group standing in the street or seated at the cafe, you were sure to hear the magic name. I was W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 60. 5 made all the more eager to get to Naples, fearing that he might get there before me. I here insert some leaves of my journal, omitting, as I said, almost all that related merely to the regular "sights" on the way. Aug. 23. — Turin is the most regularly built city in the world. It would have delighted an ancient Greek. Hippo- damus himself might have planned it. Pausanias would have been in ecstasies if he had seen it, all its lines straight and all its angles right-angles. And in his eyes the beauty of the regular city would have been enhanced by contrast with the rough shapeless mountains, glimpses of which you get at the end of the streets that run towards the north and west. Only the Contrada del Po deviates somewhat from the due direction, but this is scarcely appreciable by the eye. The spacious porticoes are thronged with people, notwith- standing that this is the season of the Villegiatura, and there is " nobody in town." I went this morning to call upon a friend at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is modestly lodged in a corner of the Piazza Castello. I was surprised with the quietness of the whole establishment. The porter was dozing at the door ; my friend the employe was not at home, nobody was waiting for an audience, and M. de Cavour was " disengaged" in the inner room. "Did I want to see him?" asked the porter. Having no pretext for an interview with the great man, and having neither invention, nor impudence sufficient to extem- porize one, I was obliged to decline the honour, and I went away wondering at the stillness which reigned at what may be called the central point of European diplomacy. It reminded me of the brain, which, though the source of all sensation, has no sensation itself. Aug. 24. — This morning I had a call from Signor , a ministerial deputy, and an able as well as honest man. He takes a gloomy view of the state of things in Italy. " The 6 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. Ministry is excessively embarrassed by the exigencies of France, on the one hand ; by the remonstrances of the great Powers, on the other; and by the popular enthusiasm for Garibaldi, on the third. (We may suppose an Executive to have three hands, at least : in this case all of them are tied.) Garibaldi is a brave man, but ' a fool ' (sic) ; he is easily led by the people about him, and he is surrounded by the most worthless advisers — as, for example, Crespi. The Mazzini party are taking advantage of the discontent excited by the late measures of the Ministry against the volunteers, and of Garibaldi's easy temper, and hope to proclaim first the Dic- tatorship of Garibaldi, and then the Eepublic in Southern Italy. The ultra-liberals are blind to facts and consequences ; they will not take account of the difficulties in their way ; they menace Eome in spite of France and Yenetia, in spite of Germany (for it is certain that Prussia has agreed to make common cause with Austria). " Things are going from bad to worse, and we may lose all we have gained. Old animosities — la politico, di campanile — are reviving again, and are fanned by the ultra-liberals for their own purposes. The people were humiliated at the loss of Savoy and Nice, but all reasonable men felt that the Government had no choice. The citizens of Turin cared much more for Savoy than Nice, because the change brought the French frontier within sight of their walls. Turin is now a defenceless frontier town, and can never be the capital of Italy." Aug. 25. — I met another gentleman, neither deputy nor ministerial. He was enthusiastic for Garibaldi, " the honest man and great captain." " Cavour," he said, " has lost all his popularity, not so much from the cession of Savoy and Nice — for there was no resisting the armed brigand who took them — but from the way in which it was done. Cavour did it jauntily and unconcernedly, when, in decency, he ought to have worn an air of dejection. To parody what Jean Jacques said of a bishop : ' Quelque vendique qu'on soit, il faut bien mentir quelques fois quand on est diplomate ; ' but Cavour W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 7 lied gratuitously. People have lost all confidence in him since he has sold himself to the devil. " Garibaldi is true as steel ; he will conquer Naples and proclaim the Ee Galantuomo King of Italy, who will then find some honester man than Cavour to be his prime minister." Aug 26. — Notes of a Conversation with . " The fran- chise in Piedmont is given to all who pay forty francs per annum in direct taxes, which, in a country divided into small holdings, is almost equivalent to universal suffrage. But all landholders are conservative, and those of Piedmont Proper exercise it admirably ; they are the mainstay of the consti- tution. "The so-called Tuscan autonomy is not an autonomy in fact ; the word is misapplied. It means in this case that, for the present, the judicial system of Tuscany is maintained intact. For instance, if a dispute arises in Tuscany, it cannot be tried at Turin till they send it for trial. " Ten years ago, I foresaw that the idea of Italian unity was mounting like a flood, and would sweep all before it. The existence of this idea is a great fact which people at home would not see ; I mean, secretaries of state. Naples might have been saved to the king, if he had joined Piedmont. In March, 1859, Lord Malmesbury wanted Sir James Hudson to go to Naples and advise the king to grant a constitution. He said, 'It is no use unless you allow me to advise his sending twenty thousand troops or so, to make a demonstra- tion to the Italian side ; a very small demonstration will suf- fice.' Lord Malmesbury refused ; ' he did not wish Naples to be mixed up in the quarrel between Austria and Prance.' Now the quarrel between Austria and France was 'in the second plan.' The battle of Italian unity was upper- most in men's minds. The great Powers urged the Pied- montese Government to stop the departure of the volunteers as soon as Garibaldi turned his designs on the mainland. Legally, there is no distinction between Sicily and Naples, but morally there is a distinction, because the Sicilians had 8 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. been deluded by the Bourbons. The promise of a consti- tution, made in 1812, was never fulfilled. And, as you remind me, Lord Palmerston said in parliament, apropos of non-intervention, that there was no point of international law which is not liable to exceptions in practice. Farini's cir- cular was the result of this diplomatic pressure. If after that he had not prevented the departure of the volunteers, the power of Minister of the Interior would have been at an end. He could not act otherwise than he did. The papers cry out, but their influence is almost nil, since Parliament has begun to perform its functions regularly. Ten years ago, the press was very powerful. Cavour himself used to write articles. Now each paper is the organ of some little knot of politicians. Like a volcano (as you say) where there are at first a number of little outlets which all cease when a great crater is formed. If Garibaldi is beaten, the Piedmontese Government will see that it must bide its time ; it will still represent the idea of unity, which sooner or later will be realized in fact. The more moderate papers are beginning to see the necessity of waiting for an opportunity of getting Venetia. "If Piedmont receives any further accession of territory, there is a notion afloat that France will demand the island of Sardinia as the price of her assent. The plains are enormously fertile, yielding, they say, forty-fold. A large outlay would be required for draining, &c. to bring land now idle under cultivation. The volcanic rocks and the high mountains which prevent a free current of wind from west to east, are the cause of the unhealthiness of the place. All the island is unhealthy part of the year, and part is unhealthy all the year round. Sardinia is the most retrograde portion of the kingdom, and disaffected because the high taxation has been most felt there. There is an English party and a French party eager for annexation to one or other country, which is rich, and, as they think, would spend money there, but it would not strengthen either. The Bay of La Maddalena was of service to England in the former war, when they were blockading Toulon ; but now that steam-vessels have taken W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN i860. 9 the place of sailing-vessels and can keep the sea in any wind, it will no longer be of service even in war. But politicians at home are governed by traditional views about British interests. That is why we stick to the Ionian Islands, which are no use to us. If we could only get rid of the notion that France is our natural enemy, and that we are bound to keep up posts of possible annoyance to her ! The Ionian Islands are a perpetual sore between England and Greece. With Malta it is different. It is an island-fortress — prize of war — and I am for keeping it as long as we can. It would be ridiculous at Malta, or Gibraltar, to submit the question of ownership to universal suffrage. " The notion prevalent in Germany that the line of the Mincio, or at all events that of the Adige, is necessary to their security in a strategical point of view, is quite unfounded. It has not even the excuse of tradition. Eead Metternich's letters, written at the time of the Congress of Vienna, and you will see that he was unwilling to accept the fatal gift of Northern Italy. But now that they have got the four for- tresses, and that the Germans conceive their honour as well as their safety involved in the Austrian retention of Venetia, they will, keep it as long as they can. "After all, we must submit all questions at last to the inexorable logic of facts (as the French say). " Genoa. Aug. 29. — Walked for an hour after sunset with a French gentleman, whose acquaintance I had made at dinner, up and down the delightful promenade of the Acqua Sola. It occupies an elevated platform on the eastern side of the city, flanked externally by the walls of the inner circle of fortification, and looking over a valley set thick with painted houses and gardens, the sea to the right, and on the left the hills crowned with fortresses. It is planted with rows of ilex, acacia and plane, and in the centre is an oval pond with a fountain, set round with weeping willows. It is well pro- vided with stone seats. As we sat upon one of these, looking towards the sea, still lighted with reflected splendour from 10 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. the west — " It is a shame," said the Frenchman, " to talk politics in so lovely a place, and at such a time. We ought to talk poetry." " It is your restless Emperor," said I, " who forces every- body to think and to talk politics at all places and times." " Maybe so," he replied ; " but his view is the true view, namely, that there will be no secure and lasting peace for Europe until its political system is based upon the principle of nationalities. It may cost us years of disturbance to esta- blish this principle, but it will be the best for peace in the long run. Europe will then be in a position of stable equi- librium (as the mathematicians say). This is the object of French policy. Surely it is nobler and wiser than the hand- to-mouth purblind policy of your Government, which huddles up all quarrels, and has for its object only the adjournment of war in the interest of merchants and fundholders." He spoke as volubly and rapidly as an actor in a Greek comedy delivering the Trvuyos. When at last he paused for breath, I interposed : " Stop ! what do you mean by ' the principle of nationalities V " " What do I mean ! Surely it is clear enough. It is a phrase universally used. Everybody knows it." " But if it has a definite meaning, it is capable of defi- nition." " Well, I suppose we may express it thus : Every nation has a right to belong to itself, and to choose its own form of government, and its own governors." " What do you mean by a nation ?" " Diable ! mon cher Monsieur, comme vous vous posez en Socrate ! The words of which one knows the meaning best are precisely those which one feels it most difficult to define. Of such words no one asks for a definition in good faith, but only for the sake of puzzling you, and in order to divert a question of facts into a question of words." " Don't be angry ! In all good faith, I do not know in what sense you use the word ' nation/ Its etymology — " " Oh, confound etymology — je m'en soucie guere. I use the W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 1 1 word in its modern sense, meaning a people of the same race, speaking the same language, inhabiting the same country." " As for instance?" " The French, the English, the Italians—" " Stay a moment. I doubt whether your instances are to the point. Are the people in Brittany, Lorraine, Alsace, and Gascony, of the same race as the people in the centre of France, and do they speak the same language ? Yet they are integral parts of the French nation. So it is with the Welsh, the Scotch Highlanders, the people in the Channel Islands — they are not of the same race, nor do they speak the same language as the bulk of the English nation, yet they belong to it, inseparably attached. Of Ireland I do not speak — " " No, you would find a difficulty there." "I may find a difficulty in combating the rooted preju- dices existing on the Continent with respect to Ireland, but you must admit — without prejudice to the future rights of King Macmahon — that it forms at present a part of the united kingdom, while two-thirds of the people are of Celtic blood : and a small portion still speak a Celtic tongue. As for Italy, it is inhabited by a multitude of races : Celts and Lombards in the north, Greeks in the south, and a fusion of old Italic tribes in the centre. As to language, a Lombard peasant and a Neapolitan peasant are as mutually unintelligible as an Englishman and a German." " But there is one language for the educated classes. They understand each other." " Yes, but that was not what you meant when you men- tioned ' a people of the same race speaking the same language.' Look at Hungary again. I suppose you would help in the establishment of a separate Hungarian nationality if you could?" " Oh, certainly." " Well, in Hungary there are, I believe, at least four separate races, and four distinct languages, yet all these are. united against the Austrian Government, and desire to form one independent nation. We read in the papers how cor- 12 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. dially they fraternized at Pesth on the feast of St. Stephen, the other day." " I admit, my definition will scarcely apply to actual facts ; it is rather a definition of the beau ideal of a nation. Let me see if I can modify it so as to make it practical. You English can only comprehend what is practical. As the Emperor said, you will never go to war for an idea." " Eor my part, I don't see that the annexation of Savoy is a whit more ideal than the annexation of Scinde, unless the combination of fraud with force in the case of Savoy — " " Ah !" (with a prolonged sneer), " quant a la fraude un fils d' Albion a beau parler." " Allons ! let us not quarrel like a couple of commis- voyageurs, but revenons a nos moutons. By the way, where does that phrase come from ? Is it somewhere in Moliere V " No ; it is in the Avocat-Patelin, where you will find the source of a great many popular sayings." He mentioned several ; and, restored to good humour by this display of eru- dition, he said with a smile, " Ah oui, nos moutons ; ou en etions-nous ? " " You were proposing, I said, to modify your definition of a nation. If you had stuck to it, I would have asked you further what you meant by ' race,' and then what you meant by ' language ;' and each of these words seems to me to be as difficult to define, practically, as 'nation' itself; that is to say, to lay down any rule capable of practical application as to what constitutes identity and what diversity in race and language." " "Well," said the Frenchman, " let us not quibble any more about words, let us come to things. I say then that a people, of whatever race or language, wishing to separate itself from, or join itself to, another people, has a right to do so." " Pardon me, I don't wish to quibble about words ; but in using the term ' people,' you are in fact begging the question as much as if you had said ' nation.' " " You are hard to satisfy. I will say, if you like, instead of * a people,' * a number of persons living together.' " W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN I 8 60. 13 " Therefore, if the city of Bordeaux, for example, thinking its material interests more closely connected with England than with Trance, were to vote for annexing itself to the former country, the French Government would acquiesce V " To say the truth, I don't think it would." " That is to say, that when it found its interest opposed to its principle, it would follow its interest." "No; your reductio ad absurdum is itself absurd. When I said 'a number of persons,' I meant, of course, such a number as might reasonably claim to form a separate nation." " But in the case I put, it was not proposed that Bordeaux should form a separate nation." "It would be ridiculous for Bordeaux to pretend to have a will of its own distinct from that of France, of which it forms perhaps in population the three-hundredth part. We punished, if you remember, a similar insolence on the part of Toulon." " Yes, and you punished a similar insolence on the part of La Yend^e, without any particular reference to the numbers of the revolted population." "That was in time of war, and the necessity of self- preservation imperiously demanded the reconquest of Toulon and La YendeV " If you assist the Hungarians to revolt, will it not be 'time of war' then, and will not the necessity of self-preservation, from an Austrian point of view, demand the reconquest of Hungary ?" " Have you then no sympathy with an oppressed people ? (You will permit me to use the word in this case.) Do you not think that it is the duty of a great and free nation to protect the weak against the strong ?" "Certainly, but then independent states, represented by their respective governments existing for the time being, have their rights. These may be respected, and yet much good done in behalf of what you call oppressed nationalities, by peaceful diplomacy, friendly advice, grave remonstrance, or even formal protest. I doubt whether the principles of 14 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. international law (which, I imagine, knows nothing of your * nationalities '), would sanction a declaration of war in any case." " There are extreme cases in which necessity knows no law, international or other. The state of Italy could not have been remedied last year without war." " I doubt that. In a general congress, Austria, by the threat of war, might have been induced to erect Lombardo- Yenetia into an independent kingdom, with free institutions, under the Archduke Maximilian, who was personally popular. I believe that the state of Italy would have been better than it is now. At all events a congress ought to have been tried. France would have saved 50,000 men and 500,000,000 of francs, but then Louis Napoleon would have missed the glory of commanding in a real battle, and Nice and Savoy would have still belonged to Sardinia. When once you unchain the demon of war, you know not where the end will be. Over and over again peace has been made at last without any reference to the original objects of the war. No evils are comparable to those of war. The English policy to adjourn war as long as possible, seems to me to be the really noble and humane policy. Induce oppressive governments to adopt gentler means of keeping public order, and time may soften down the fiercest antipathies. Alsace and Lorraine, which detested the yoke of France at first, have now become French at heart ; but if Germany had been constantly inciting them to revolt by promises of military support, successive insurrections would have been quenched in blood, and mutual hatred perpetuated for centuries. The policy of your Government towards other nations seems to me the most mischievous possible ; it keeps up discontent among the people, who are perpetually told how much they are oppressed, and it piques the pride of the rulers, who will not relax their system lest it should be said that they do so from fear of France." Surprised that I had not been interrupted during this long speech, and receiving no reply when I paused of my own W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 60. 15 accord, I turned towards my companion. He was, or feigned to be, asleep. Aug. 31. — I sailed from Genoa by one of the French steamers "making the scala," as the coasting voyage from Marseilles to Naples is termed. There was a great crowd of passengers — the Neapolitan and Sardinian boats having been taken up for purposes of war. Next morning we stopped at Leghorn, and the morning after at Civita Yecchia, and remained there six or seven hours, enough to enable a party of American gentlemen to pay their visit to Eome, by aid of the new railway. They returned in triumph, having effected their purpose, and spent, as they said, " fifty minutes, sir, in the E-ternal City ! " A moist scirocco, the prevailing wind during last autumn, brought languor and discomfort to all. We were right glad when about six next morning, September 2, we found our- selves sailing by Capo Miseno, and entering the Bay of Naples. Everything, however, was shrouded in a fog more worthy of England than of Italy. As soon as we came to anchor, we were boarded by large parties of Neapolitans, chiefly in the new uniform of the National Guard, coming to meet their friends. After a very cursory examination of passports and luggage, we drove off to the Hotel Vittoria, where I established myself for the next three weeks, in an upper room, looking over the ilex, acacias, palms, and pepper-trees of the Villa Reale. I kept my eyes and ears open, went diligently wherever there was anything to be seen and heard; taking copiou s notes day by day, and occasionally writing long letters to friends in England. The tomb of Virgil, Cumse, Avernus, Pompeii, the statues and frescoes of the Museum, occupy a considerable space in my note-books. All this I suppress for the reasons before mentioned. 16 VACATION TOVRTSTS, AND [Italy. Extract of a Letter from Naples, dated Tuesday , Sept. A. Naples is officially in a state of siege; practically, there is no Government at all. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes, says what he pleases, writes and prints what he pleases, and acts entirely irrespective of all law, military or civil. For instance, three officers of Garibaldi's army on their way to England, charged with the duty of bringing out the 800 volunteers from Liverpool, landed this morning. Their passports bore no Neapolitan vise, so the police at the custom- house refused them permission to enter the city, whereupon they pushed the said police aside, and walked on in spite of them. A crowd of papers has sprung into existence during the last few weeks. They are all openly for Garibaldi. They record triumphantly the progress of the insurrection, and exhort the citizens of Naples to be ready for action at the right moment. They are sold everywhere in the streets, and as the price is generally one grano (something less than a halfpenny sterling), everybody buys them. At the theatres the audience demand " Garibaldi's hymn," a patriotic composition, which is to the Italians of to-day what "Yankee Doodle" and the "Marseillaise" were respectively to the Americans and French in their time. The hymn is sung ; the audience stand up, join in the chorus, and, at the conclusion, cry out tumultuously, "Viva Garibaldi," "Viva Vittorio Emmanuele," " Viva l'ltalia Unita." I see portraits of Garibaldi and of Victor Emmanuel in every shop ; I have not seen one of Francesco II. The universal opinion here is, that the reign of the Bour- bons is over, and that Garibaldi will enter Naples without the faintest show of resistance. If the King had had, as was sup- posed, any party among his subjects, whether nobles or laz- zaroni,* some manifestation would be made in his favour; * Lazzaroni. There is great doubt even among well-informed Neapolitans as to the existence of an organized body to which this term is specially appro- W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 17 but there are no signs of the existence of a Koyalist party. When the King drives out — as he did daily up to the end of last week— no notice is taken of him. Here and there a spectator, out of pity and courtesy, lifts his hat; but the majority ostentatiously keep theirs on. Numbers of officers in uniform are driving about in hackney cabs, chatting and smoking, evidently in high spirits at the thought that they can turn their backs on the enemy as soon as he appears, and this time without dishonour. All accounts agree, that neither officers nor soldiers mean fighting. There is not one regiment upon whose fidelity the King can rely. There is one man in the army who is said to be faith- ful, viz. Bosco, who commanded at Melazzo : but Bosco is a Neapolitan. The National Guard, just organized, and very conspicuous in their uniform of blue coats and red caps, mount guard at various places in the city. They are to a man in favour of Garibaldi. I am informed, on good authority, that the King has given a promise in writing to the British Minister, and probably to all the foreign Ministers, that he will not in any case order his troops in Sant Elmo and the Castelli to bombard the city. A better security than the promise, written or otherwise, of a Bourbon, is the assurance that the troops would not obey such an order. The bombard- ment of Naples would not save the dynasty, and would eventually entail upon the bombarders certain destruction from popular vengeance. Wherever on the mainland the Neapolitan troops have encountered the Garibaldians, they have fired a few shots, for form's sake, and then surrendered. If such was their conduct when the ultimate result of the priate. In general it is used vaguely to designate the poorest classes. A species of tax called "gamorra " is levied upon cabmen, small greengrocers, fish- mongers, and other tradesmen, by the authority, and for the benefit, of a body of bravoes, called thence gamorristi, who co-opt into their body those who, by strength of arm and skill in the use of the stiletto, may have shown themselves worthy of the distinction. One of Garibaldi's earliest decrees declared this tax to be illegal. The account I have just given was told to me by a secretary of legation, long resident at Naples. This he believed to be the only organiza- tion among what are called " lazzaroni." C 18 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. war was doubtful, how can we expect that they will act other- wise when the Bourbon cause is evidently desperate % If the 14,000 Swiss who served Ferdinand had been still here, they might have made a last stand for his son. Hated as they were by the people, their best security would have been a desperate defence ; but they are disbanded, and, as I before said, the unhappy Francesco has not a regiment upon which he can count. The very soldiers on guard at the gates of the palace seem to be under no discipline and no restraint. I saw them last night lounging in all attitudes, laughing, smoking, and playing at mora, with shouts that rang through the courts and must have reached the ears of the King. As to where Garibaldi is, and when he may be expected here, perhaps you in England know as much as we know. All sorts of reports are circulated. The Cafe d'Europa is crowded all the evening with people circulating the bulletins issued every hour by this or that committee, and telling and hearing news the authenticity of which cannot be tested, and of which one half contradicts the other. " Garibaldi is at Vallo " — " Garibaldi is at Sorrento " — "Garibaldi is at Salerno " — " The King embarked last night " — " The King is going to-morrow " — " The King declares he will stay at Naples " — "The Ministry has resigned" — " The Ministry has fled in a body " — " The King wants to go, but the Ministry will not let him " — and so forth. This much we know for certain, that the insurrection has spread from province to province and from town to town. Even Salerno * has established a Provisional Government and proclaimed Victor Emmanuel ; and Salerno is under the very eyes of the commander-in-chief of the royal army. The least sanguine expect that, within a week at farthest, Victor Emmanuel will be proclaimed at Naples. Meanwhile, the city itself, with the exceptions I have mentioned, wears its ordinary aspect. Business goes on as usual ; all the shops . are open, the streets are crowded with carts and carriages of all sorts. (By the way, Naples is the only Continental capital * This anticipated the truth by two days. W. G. Clakk.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 19 which is liable to " blocks " such as occur in the thoroughfares of London.) Life and property are just as safe under the new police and the Guardia Nazionale as ever they were ; indeed safer, because there are no sbirri to inform against honest men. Almost all the exiles have already returned without permission from Government, but certain that it dares not, and cannot, molest them. I have talked during the last two days with many persons of all ranks — I was about to say, of all opinions — but, in reality, I find only one opinion. All agree that the Bourbon rule is practically at an end — and the sooner it is nominally at an end also, the better. All look forward with joyful hope to the impending change, but there are some who fear that, between the fall of one Government and the installation of another, there may be an interval of anarchy, during which the lowest class may take an oppor- tunity for acts of pillage and private vengeance. In case of this fear being realized, I am told that preparations are made for landing sailors and marines to guard the embassies and consulates, where, if necessary, strangers of the various nations may find refuge. But in this fear I do not share. Naples can never have a weaker Government than it has at this moment, when it is not governed at all ; and yet, as I have said, the thieves and assassins are no busier than at ordinary times. In fact, the lazzaroni are a bugbear, which has long frightened the shopkeepers, and led them to suppose that a rigorous police was necessary to the protection of their goods and chattels. It is a generic term, including all the very ragged men and boys of the city — a class which, in times of revolution, may be terrible enough, but which is no more organized for mischief than the mob of London. The upper and middle classes, including in the latter class all labouring men with regular employment, are in this instance of one accord. Therefore I believe that the change of Government will be made without any disturbance and without any inter- ruption in the ordinary business and social relations of the place. In all likelihood, however, the conquest of Naples will c2 20 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. only be regarded by Garibaldi as a starting point for fresh enterprises much more uncertain and much more arduous. " The end is not yet." Sept. 6. — After spending a long morning at Pompeii, I went with a young English officer by the train at one o'clock, towards Salerno. As soon as the railroad turns away from the Bay of Naples, it traverses a valley which at the farther end narrows into a ravine. Castles crown each peak, towns and villages stretch in white lines along the slopes. The mountains are covered to the top with trees, ilex, elm, chestnut, the lower slopes with vines in festoons, olives, mulberries, maize yellowing to the harvest, cotton with pink and white blossoms, tomatoes golden among the green. At Nocera we saw the Neapolitan sol- diers* in their light blue dresses, crowding the staircase and galleries of the great palace which serves for barracks. There was a citizen of Salerno in the train, who made polite offers of his services there. We got to Vietri in about an hour, and taking a carriage, drove at a furious pace from that village to Salerno, perhaps two miles distant. There we found the place all excitement. That morning a Provisional Government had been installed. Pour officers of the national guard had taken the place of the Intendente nominated by the King. The Intendenza itself was decorated with Italian colours, and the arms of the Bourbon dynasty over the door were similarly concealed. A few of Garibaldi's men in red shirts, the only article of dress which is de rigueuv\ in his army, were walking about the town. One of them told me that he had just received a telegraphic despatch, announcing that the general had left Eboli and would be at Salerno by six. Inquiring of another for General Tiirr, to whom I had an introduction, he took me * They were part of the force which had just evacuated the lines in front of the capital, and were retreating to Capua — the fatal move which cost Francesco his crown. + Even the red shirt, its I afterwards observed, was not indispensable. There was nothing de rigwur in that army. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 3 60. 21 into the Intendenza, and presented me to a white-haired, white bearded old gentleman, who, as I understood, was the general's secretary. He was very civil, but could not or would not give me any information. We then strolled about the town, and went to the cathe- dral, which has an atrium in front, with columns and capitals taken from some Eoman temple. There are a number of sarcophagi under the arches, which had been appropriated by Normans. You may see a knight in armour sculptured rudely, reposing above ; and on the side, a group of Cupids and Bacchantes. Two pulpits and the screen of the choir are beau- tifully preserved specimens of glass mosaic work, such as the tomb of Henry III. at Westminster, long ago defaced * In the crypt below, rich in marbles, is the body of St. Matthew. Eetuming to the beach, we passed one of the King's " Bava- rians," very drunk, wearing a kind of cockade of the Italian colours, crying, as well as he could, "Viva Garibaldi," and supported by sympathizing natives. A bystander informed us with an air of triumph, that two hundred of these Bava- rians had the previous night mutinied at Nocera, killed (am- mazato) one of their generals, and one of their captains, and then fled in various directions, several having come to Salerno to offer their services to Garibaldi. This story was, we found, true in the main, only " the general " was an addition. They had murdered a captain. My companion, as a military man, took a very different view of the feat, which our Italian friends seemed to think meritorious on the whole. As the day declined, the crowd gathered more thickly on the terrace which runs along the shore in front of Salerno. New detachments of tumultuary national guards poured in •from the neighbourhood, armed with guns of all sorts and sizes, and without any pretence to uniformity in dress. A strong wind was blowing from the west, and clouds of dust * Is it our damp climate, or our mischievous nature, which mutilates every monument in England? The mosaics at Salerno look as if they had been wrought last year. 22 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. swept along the terrace, so that I thought if the General delayed his entry much longer, we should have no sight left to see him withal. The sun went down, and left the hills purple against the clear orange and rose of the sky. Still he came not. By-and-by, men set out to meet him with bundles of torches ready for lighting, and the house- holders prepared to illuminate their windows. Bands of music paraded the town, and the crowd kept up a running fire of vivas to pass the time. At last, about half-past seven, a louder and more continuous cheer was heard ; two or three carriages drove in, surrounded with people waving torches. It was he at last. As he stopped at the door of the Inten- denza, the national guard closed in to keep off the crowd, and escorted him up the staircase. A few minutes after, he appeared at the balcony, while some one next him held a moderator lamp so as to throw the light full on his face. He stood bareheaded, fanning himself with his black wide-awake, and looking like anything but the daring freebooter that he is. He has the most benign expression of countenance, and his partial balflness and long beard give him even a venerable look. He might serve as model for the portrait of the most benevolent of ancient philosophers, whoever that may have been * Long after he had retired, the crowd continued to cheer, " disturbedly," as the old stage direction says. In a little while all the town was lighted up. Nothing could be more beautiful than the lines of light spreading along the steep slopes of the hills and flashing in the sea below. By- and-by the moon rose, and touched with cold greenish light the rocky summits of the hills, convents, and castles, and white villas in the slope, bright enough to distinguish the grey rows of olives above from the thicket of lemon and fig trees below, and at last blending with the ruddy splendour that shone upon town and beach and sea. We retired at last to sup and sleep at the Hotel Vittoria (almost the last house on the road to Yietri). * The busts of Euripides, in the Vatican, have a striking resemblance to Garibaldi. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 23 Sept 7. — About half-past nine, we heard the roar of vivas in the street, and coming to the window, saw Garibaldi himself, passing in the direction of Vietri. One of the crowd, while cheering in the most frantic manner, suddenly fell in a kind of convulsive fit. I asked our landlady, a vivacious, black-eyed Calabrese damsel, whether he had not been drinking the General's health. " No," she said ; " it is joy. Ah," in a tone of reproach, "you English, who have been always free, cannot imagine the delight of deliverance." And she made a gesture as if she were about to fly. Beside Garibaldi sat a person with gold lace round his cape, who we were told was General de Suget, commander of the national guard. The question for us was, Whither were they bound? Our landlord assured us that they were going no farther than La Cava : he had it from the best authority — it was certo, certissimo. So we forthwith engaged a carriage to take us to La Cava. Just as we were setting off, came our acquaintance of the railway, in the uniform of a national guard, who told us that Garibaldi was going straight to Naples, and that we might still be in time to catch the special train that was to take him. We drove with all speed to the station at Vietri, which was crowded with carriages outside and people inside. There was no chance of getting through in the regular way ; so climbing up a somewhat steep bank, and getting over a low wall, we gained the railway. The train was not gone. Without asking any one's leave, we got into a third-class carriage, containing already about thirty people, like ourselves, a self-invited escort for the Dictator. We were welcomed with cries of " Viva l'lnghilterra." It seems that the Neapolitan authorities, after the departure of the King, had sent a telegraphic message to General Garibaldi, asking when and where it would be his pleasure to receive a deputation. The answer was: "Immediately, at Salerno." Accordingly, the deputa- tion came early on Friday morning. To their question, when would the General honour Naples with his presence, he answered, " At once," saying that he preferred a spontaneous 24 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. to a prepared welcome. So every one was taken by surprise. We congratulated ourselves upon our good luck in being there to see. During the whole of our journey, the thirty or forty occupants of the carriage where we were did not cease shout- ing and singing. Some were in the uniform of the national guard, and almost all were armed in one way or other. The most conspicuous figure was a priest on the podgy side of forty, in the usual long black gown and broad-brimmed hat, with a musket and wide tricolor scarf. His bass voice was loudest of all in the choruses, and in the cheers as we passed each successive station. In the intervals he was smoking regalias, which he brandished with the left hand, as he brandished the musket with the right. The songs were interminable. Eather, as it was always the same tune and the same chorus, I should call it one song of which the verses were extemporized by one or other of the company. I managed to remember two of these verses, which I give by way of specimen. " Siamo Italiani, Giovani freschi, Contro ai Tedeschi, Vogliamo pugnar. (Chorus.) Viva l'ltalia ! Viva Pnnione ! Viva Garibaldi ! E la liberta ! Morte a Francesco, Del nome secondo, Piu belva nel mondo, Trovar non si pud. (Chorus.) Viva l'ltalia, &c. The tune resembled the ordinary chant of the saints' litany, "Sancte , ora pro nobis," allegro instead of adagio. At every station a mob of curious people were gathered, who exchanged cheers with the occupants of the train, but it was evident that they scarcely believed Garibaldi himself W. G. Ciark.] NOTES OF TRA FEL IN i860. 25 to be present. Events had hastened to their denouement so rapidly, that people could hardly credit the evidence of their senses. We stopped at Nocera, Torre dell' Ammziata, and Portici, for a few minutes. The demonstrations of welcome came from all classes; from the fishermen who left their boats on the beach, from the swarthy fellows, naked to the waist, who were winnowing their corn on the flat house-roofs, as well as from the national guards who crowded round the carriage to see the famous chief. At Naples there was a little delay while the Minister of the Interior, who has transferred his services directly to the Dictator, made a complimentary speech, not a word of which was audible to us. Then Garibaldi got into the carriage which was waiting for him, and drove slowly by the Strada Nuova, the Strada di Porto, and the Largo del Castel Nuovo to the Foresteria. A few carriages followed containing the deputation, and perhaps a dozen of his officers in their red shirts. He himself wore his ordinary costume, red shirt, black wide-awake, black neckcloth, and a coloured silk handkerchief knotted and hanging down his back, to serve, I suppose, on occasion for protection against the sun. A detachment of national guards went before and behind. We elbowed our way among the shouting crowd, and kept close by his carriage all the time. The excitement and enthu- siasm were great, but the crowd was an extemporary crowd, composed of persons who had suddenly left their work at the news. Naples had been taken by surprise. The windows were not filled with expectant faces, the houses were not deco- rated with flags, because no one knew that he was coming. This robbed the event of its beauty as a spectacle, but it threw no doubt on the heartiness of the welcome. Garibaldi sat for the most part apparently unmoved, but from time to time he lifted his hat, and smiled, as it were, with the eyes rather than the lips. One of his men, with red shirt and plaid scarf and plumed hat, well armed, stood behind the carriage at his back, keeping, as I thought, a sharp eye upon all who came near, as if looking for the handle of a 26 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. dagger, or the butt end of a pistol. As we passed the Castel del Carmine, a number of the King's troops, still in garrison there, were looking on. The mob in passing called to them, and, with menacing gestures, demanded that they should cry, "Viva Garibaldi." Some few obeyed, but the majority stood with folded arms and closed lips, notwithstanding the impre- cations of the crowd below. The procession at last reached the great open place (its shape forbids me to call it a square), in front of the palace. Then Garibaldi left his carriage and entered the Foresteria, a large house intended for the reception of foreign guests of distinction. A few minutes afterwards he appeared at an open window on the first floor, and walked along the balcony to the centre of the building. Loud cries, not like the rolling cheers of an English crowd, but confused and inarticulate, greeted his appearance. He leaned with his left arm on the iron framework of the balcony, and waited patiently hat in hand. At last the crowd began to understand that he wanted to speak to them, and gradually the cries and shouts died away into silence, obedient to reiterated " Zitti, zitti," from the quieter spirits. It was to the following effect : — " You have a right to exult in this day, which is the com- mencement of a new epoch not only for you but for all Italy, of which Naples forms the fairest portion. It is, indeed, a glorious day and a holy — that on which a people passes from the yoke of servitude to the rank of a free nation. I thank you for this welcome, not only for myself individually, but in the name of all Italy, which your aid will render free and united."* He spoke with a clear and loud voice, which was heard by all. The phrase " Italia intiera " occurred twice in his speech, and was pronounced with unusual distinctness and emphasis, eliciting cheers of especial meaning. Wearied with dust, heat, and excitement, I went home to bathe and rest, and found that some patriot had picked my pocket. * No newspaper, that I saw, contained a perfectly accurate report of this W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 27 Meanwhile the Dictator went to the cathedral, where a service of some kind was performed, and thence to the Palazzo d'Angri, where he has taken up his abode for the present. About three o'clock I drove up the Toledo, and found the street in front of the Palazzo blocked up by a dense mass of carriages and people on foot, crying " Viva Garibaldi !" at the top of their voices, to bring him to the window. At last one of his men appeared and laid his cheek upon his hand, im- plying that the general had gone to lie down — " his custom always of an afternoon" (as I am told). He gets up about three in the morning and transacts a vast amount of business before the rest of the world is out of bed. Before the day was over, every house, almost every window in the Toledo and Chiaia and main streets of Naples had its flag. There seemed to be considerable difference of opinion as to what the' Italian tricolor was. All were agreed as to the colours, green, white, red ; but whether they should be placed like the French, parallel to the staff, or like the Dutch, at right angles ; and whether the green should come first, or the red, seemed to be a moot point which each householder decided according to his fancy. The white portion of the flag was adorned either with a portrait of Garibaldi, or with a red shield and the white cross of Savoy. At sunset the town was illumi- nated, as the Italians say, a giorno ; crowds of pedestrians and a multitude of carriages paraded the main streets. The noise was indescribable. The hero's name was repeated in all manner of forms, as if it was a declinable noun — Garibaldi, Garibaldo, Garibalda — nay, it was metamorphosed into Galli- bar and Gallipot, and Galliboard ; at last the two first syllables were suppressed, and " Yiva 'Board" was the favourite cry, the sound of the last syllable being prolonged to the utmost. You heard too, " Viva Vittorio Emmanuele," and still more frequently, "Viva l'ltalia unita," which at length was shortened into una, and when people got so hoarse that they could not articulate any longer, they held out the forefinger and shook it as they passed, indicative of their desire for unity. Men, 28 VJ CATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. women, and boys, crowded the carriages and clung to them like swarming bees — I counted thirteen persons in a small vehicle drawn by one horse. Some waved flags, some brandished daggers, holding them occasionally in unpleasant proximity to one's throat, and shrieking with menacing scowls, "Viva Garibaldi!" others danced frantically along, waving torches over their heads. I have never seen such a sight as the Strada di Toledo presented as you looked up it, the long lines of stationary lights converging in the distance, and the flags drooping from the windows, and down below the mad movements of the torches, and the waved banners and gleaming arms. Here and there an excited orator addressed the crowd about him in wild declamation; little bands of enthusiasts, headed sometimes by a priest and sometimes by a woman, went dancing through the streets and burst into the cafes, compelling all present to join in the popular cry. I was forcibly reminded of the scenes of the French Ee volution and Mademoiselle Louise Theroigne. When I was in the Cafe d'Europa a priest rushed in with frantic gestures, with eyes starting from his head, with a banner in one hand and a knife in the other, uttering horrible and inarticulate howlings. Having seen him, I can understand the frenzy of the ancient Bacchantes. A friend of mine saw a young and beautiful girl, belonging apparently to the upper class, who, standing up in a carriage, began to address the crowd quietly at first, but warming gradually into a fury of enthusiasm, the veins in face and neck swollen, and ending with " Morte ai Borboni," shrieked out with the accents and gestures of a Eachel. Sept 8. — The diversion was repeated on this night (and again on Sunday, the 9th), with more vigour and violence and extravagance than ever. An unfortunate man who did not cry "Viva Garibaldi" when he was bidden, was ripped open by one who carried a dagger, and died on the spot. An English officer saw him lying dead. A proclamation next morning from the new minister of police entreated the people to leave their W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TEA FEL IN 1 8 60. 29 arms at home, but it did not appear to have much effect. These people have not been accustomed to official en- treaties. On the afternoon, Garibaldi went to the Church of the Piedigrotta, seeing (as the paper informed us) that it had been the ancient custom of the Neapolitan Sovereigns to pay their devotions to the Madonna of that ilk on the 8th of September. There used to be a great parade of troops on this day, and country people came in from far and near ; but this year it had lost all its usual characteristics. There were no troops and few visitors, and a heavy fall of rain completed the failure. This I heard from others, as I spent the day at Puzzuoli Cumae and Baise. I returned in time for the per- formance at the San Carlo, which the Dictator was present at. The performance was listened to with impatience ; people seemed to care for nothing but shouting "Viva" between the acts. Some English midshipmen, from boxes in the third tier, made themselves very conspicuous, by the energy with which they waved their tricolor. The spectacle was spoilt by the avarice of the managers, who had doubled the prices and consequently halved the audience. The thousand or fifteen hundred who were present did their best to com- pensate for the beggarly account of empty boxes. "Viva Venezia" seemed to be the favourite cry. I saw the Dictator emile . grimly when he heard it. Among the persons who came to pay their respects to him was, as I was told, the very Admiral who had commanded the Neapolitan fleet at Palermo, and also Liborio Eomano, who bowed in the humblest manner, " con illimitato rispetto." The ballet was brought to an untimely end by some one in a shooting-coat rushing on the stage and crying out, "Viva/' &c. in which the whole corps de ballet joined, crowding round the box where the General was and lifting their arms in the theatrical fashion of supplication. A body of national guards, with drawn swords, escorted Garibaldi through the thronged corridors to his carriage. Some one, in loud voice, 30 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. cried " Silenzio nel nome de Garibaldi ! " which was answered by a prolonged shout. Sept. 9. — About ten o'clock, as I was walking by Sta. Lucia, I saw a great crowd gathered round a brightly blazing pile — a curious sight on a summer's morning. Asking a by- stander the meaning of it, I was informed that the pile con- sisted of the furniture, books, and papers of an obnoxious agent of police. He was about to make his escape. Some of the mob being informed of it were on the watch, and as soon as the cart containing his chattels emerged from the door of the fortified place where he lived, they pounced upon it, made a heap of its contents, and set fire to them. They were dancing round the fire in wild excitement. Old women threw up their skinny arms and shrieked, and the children were mad with delight. I saw one man seize a loose sheet of manuscript, which had been blown away from the pile, crumple it in his hand, throw it down, and stamp on it, then fold his arms and " stare with his foot on the prey," in the attitude of Clytemnestra stamping on the corpse of Agamem- non. The Neapolitans, generally speaking, are not handsome in feature nor picturesque in dress — they are common-place when in repose, but when excited with passion their counte- nances and gestures are a study for an actor or a painter. While they were thus engaged, a rumour spread that the owner of the furniture was making his escape by sea. In- stantly the crowd dispersed. Some put off in boats, others clambered round the rocky point and along the sea-wall — all animated with a desire of vengeance. They were, however, disappointed. The obnoxious functionary either was already gone, or else he prudently waited for a more favourable oppor- tunity. It is probably because the officials of the King have been for the most part as prudent as their master, and made their escape in time, that so few acts of violence have been com- mitted during these revolutionary days. It is not for want of will on the part of the people. To-day I read in the paper W. G. Clakk.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN i860. 31 that as Garibaldi was returning from a drive, some one fol- lowed him, crying, " Yiva Francesco II.," when a " Guardiano della Dogana " came up and shot him dead ! The mob wanted to inflict indignities on the corpse (as their wont is), but the Dictator interfered, and ordered that it should be decently- buried. It does not appear that he blamed the slayer for excess of zeal. This afternoon I saw at the Castel Nuovo the King's troops with bag and baggage and arms evacuating the place, and the national guards marching in. A considerable crowd assem- bled, but there was no manifestation of feeling against the soldiers. About 150 of them waited for an hour or more in the street outside. Passers-by talked to them in friendly terms. As far as I could judge from the countenances of the men, they were quite indifferent, and did not seem to care where they went. They were well armed and clothed, and evidently had been well fed. Had they been well led too, things would have taken a very different turn. While they were still waiting for orders, a regiment of Garibaldians came by, marching, it was said, under General Tiirr, to repress a reactionary movement at Ariano. The contrast which these filibusters presented to the royal troops was exceedingly striking. Of the Garibaldians, no two men were armed or clothed alike : some had only one shoe, some no shoes at all ; there were boys of twelve and thirteen years old in the ranks, side by side with grey-bearded veterans ; there were the most bizarre contrasts as to personal stature, such as one has only seen in the army of Bombastes Furioso, and they made no pretence of keeping line or keeping step. Many of them carried loaves stuck on the end of their muskets or bayonets. Yet these are the men before whom a well-appointed army of 150,000 men, with a king's name for a tower of strength, have broken, and fled, and melted into nothing. Apropos of the boys, I was told by one who had seen the battle of Melazzo, that they did excellent service, and showed no sign of fear — laughing and singing, when exposed to a murderous fire, as if their young lives were of no account. 32 VACATION TOURISTS, AND ' [Italy. " If such things be done in the green tree," the kingdom of Italy may in reality be formidable to her neighbours a few- years hence, and justify the alarm which led Louis Napoleon to appropriate Nice and Savoy for the protection of France. Sept. 11. — Now that the shouting is over, we have some leisure for thinking what it means, what realities lie under this surface of triumph. On Wednesday night, Sept. 5th, or rather, early in the morning of Thursday, the King left his palace, committing the town to the care of the general commanding the na- tional guard. The official paper, Constitutional Journal, as it was called, contained on Thursday a proclamation from the King in dignified terms, promising that when it should please the Divine Justice to restore him to his throne, he would still preserve the constitution which he had granted. To this was added a protest, countersigned by the prime minister De Martino, in which Garibaldi is called " un ardito condottiere." The same journal of Friday, changing the title of con- stitutional to that of official, and substituting Naples for the Two Sicilies, contains a proclamation of Garibaldi to the people, dated that morning at Salerno, and a letter from Liborio Eomano to " the most invincible Dictator," announcing the impatience of Naples for the arrival of its "Kedeemer," and professing " to await his further orders with unbounded respect." This man had two days before countersigned the deeds of Francis the Second in his capacity of Minister of the Interior. His ostentatious treason has offended even the Neapolitans. The mode in which the title now borne by Garibaldi was conferred, is singular. Some half-dozen persons, including Liborio, announced that on the invitation of the General they had formed themselves into a provisional Government, and in virtue of the authority so derived they declared General Garibaldi dictator. A curious ruse this for investing the transaction with a semblance of legality. It can only impose upon those who do not see that arguing in a circle proves nothing. By what authority, we may ask, did Garibaldi W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 33 invite the said half-dozen to form a provisional Govern- ment ? The gazettes of Saturday and the two following days are filled with decrees nominating ministers, confirming all sub- ordinate employes, except pluralists, in their posts, recognising the national debt, &c. The ministers named are not in general (as I am told) men of commanding ability, but they are all moderate men, and, as such, give satisfaction to the party represented by the Comitato Unitario, the Cavour party. The party which calls itself the Partito d'Azione, of which Crespi, De Pretis and Bertani (perhaps I should now include Mazzini) are the leaders, is, however, believed to have the Dictator's affections, and in reality to guide his councils. Garibaldi has already alarmed the moderates by the violence of his language more than once. On Friday, in answer to an address, he called Lanio- riciere " a renegade head of a set of ragamuffins without country and without faith." The King of Sardinia (I am told) sent an aide-de-camp to consult about the mode of annexation, to which he replied, " It is not even to be thought of till I get to Eome ;" and this story is confirmed by the proclamation of this morning, September 11th, to the Sicilians, in which he declares his intention of proclaiming Italian unity from the summit of the Quirinal. This audacious boast has dismayed the moderate party exceed- ingly. In a constitutional regime the ministers would all have resigned. In the midst of all these political agitations I have found time to visit many of the permanent " sights " of Naples, and especially the Museo Borbonico, which, like the British, con- tains several museums in one. The picture gallery may, I suppose, be ranked as the sixth in combined excellence and size, after those of the Louvre, Dresden, Madrid, and the two at Florence. It has not so many great pictures as the Vatican, or even perhaps our National Gallery, but they are small galleries. In sculpture, it ranks next to the- Vatican and D 34 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. before the Louvre , in ancient bronzes and mosaics it is facile princeps ; in ancient frescoes it is unique. The frescoes* taken all from Herculaneum and Pompeii, are exceedingly interesting. In point of art, their quality is very various. Some figures are drawn and coloured with a breadth and bold- ness that reminds one of the Venetian school. There is, for example, a brown stalwart Bacchante which Titian might have painted. But in general they recall the style of the earlier naturalists of Florence more than any other modern school The "house -sign -and -ornamental painters" of a country town in the first century had attained a mastery over pencil and brush which, till Masaccio came, the greatest artists of modern times failed to equal. But then the devotional feeling, the divine calm that charms us in Giotto and Era Beato, is altogether wanting. Their conceptions are of the earth, earthy. I suppose, however, that we should have found this devotional element in the works of the best painters contemporary with Phidias. He, at least, believed in the gods he moulded, Zeus and Athene. In these frescoes, even when the drawing is bad, the con- ception is often good, and now and then we meet with a dash of humour, which, coming to us from a long-buried world, is infinitely charming. The idea we derive from our schooldays of the old Eomans is that of a grim, savage, ear- nest people, who were always fighting, marching, sacrificing, making military roads, innumerable laws, and interminable orations, growing by-and-by foully and desperately wicked Nothing brings us so near to them as a glimpse of their capa- city for fun such as we get in the dramatists now and then, in Cicero's letters, or in Suetonius, or in these frescoes from Pompeii. For instance, there is a series of small pictures (absurdly described in the catalogue as signs of shops) repre- senting fat winged Cupids hard at work at various trades. In one they are making boots, very like the modern " Bluchers." I cannot tell why they are comical, but I defy any one to look at them without laughing — which I take to be the best proof that they are comical. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 35 In the centre of the room is a recent addition, quite the reverse of comical — a wax mask found in a tomb at Cumas along with a headless skeleton, from which it is inferred that the person interred had been decapitated. It is, I believe, the only relic of the kind in existence. The chances are im- mensely against the preservation of so fragile an object. In the tomb were found some coins of Diocletian. A few years ago the remains would have been at once assumed to be those of a Christian martyr, and a new saint added to the calendar. I have been to-day, Sept. 12th, with a party of English and Italians to visit the prisons of Naples, in virtue of an order given by I know not what minister. First we saw some dungeons ^at the Prefecture of Police, behind the Largo del Castello — places without light or air, or bed or seat, where we were assured people were kept for a fortnight, or even a month, without trial. One of these, built for a common latrina, had been used, as one of the new officials told us, for a prison, and a man was confined for eight days there, at the end of which time his toes were found to be gnawed to the bone by rats. The sight and smell of the place made two of our party ill for the whole day. Then we went, by steep, narrow, filthy bye-streets, to Sta. Maria Apparente. There the cells had been newly cleansed and whitewashed, so that there was nothing disgusting in their appearance; but the prison system in vogue under Ferdinand was such as to convert the most spacious and airy room into a place of torture. There is also a winding passage cut in the rock, which seems formerly to have been divided into cells. Several unfortunates had carved their names, with the date of their imprisonment. One recorded that he had been buried (sepolto) for four years, 1856 — 1860 ; another added to his name the words, " Eeo senza delitto." After that we climbed up to Sant Elmo, saw its vast sub- terranean galleries tier above tier, with sloping staircase (if that may be so called which has no steps), like the passages in the Mausoleum of Hadrian. There are prisons also in St. r>2 36 r A CATION TOURISTS, AAD [Italy. Elmo, though they have been chiefly used to punish military offenders.* We walked round the ramparts, now sentinelled by Piedmontese troops and by the national guard, and soon, it is said, to be demolished. As a fortress, St. Elmo is for- midable to the town, but of little use against an enemy from without, at all events, if he approached by land, as it is com- pletely commanded by the hill on which the Camaldoli stands. If we may trust the story told us by the officer who was in command of the fortress, the gunners wished to bombard the town on Sunday, and when their officers refused, they shut them up in a guard-room, all but the commandant, who, as he informed us, pretended to be with them in feeling in order to prevent their design. According to his account, he, with the aid of a few soldiers, got a gun in such a position as to com- mand the mutineers, who, not being able to point the guns themselves, at last desisted from their purpose, and went away to their homes or elsewhere. So the officer in question retains his command under the Dictator. When I told this story to an eminent Garibaldian colonel, he said that he did not believe a word of it. The story is, indeed, palpably inconsistent. Why should sixty gunners (for that was their number) not be able to point a gun without their officers ? and how could he get a gun to bear upon all the soldiers within the fortress ? Fancy a man, wearing epaulettes and a sword, telling such a lie with unblushing face ! * A long account of what we saw that day in the prisons was given in a letter published in the Times early in October, by Lord Llanover, who was one of the party. The facts there stated are, of course, strictly correct, but I hesitate to accept some of the inferences drawn or implied. We must remember that the prison at the Prefecture of Police, far the foulest of all, had been recently devoted to the purpose for which it was originally intended, and we had no proof beyond the word of an employe of a few days' standing that it had ever been used for a prison at all. And in the other cases our informants were all men who had just been appointed to their offices by the new Government, who knew nothing of the former system of their own knowledge, but were anxious to blacken the late reign, and could not fail to see that each atrocious detail communicated a thrill of sensation, rather agreeable than otherwise, to their auditors. We have evidence enough, from more trustworthy sources, of the cruelties practised by Ferdinand. But I do not think there is any proof that the prison system at Naples under Francesco II. was at all worse than it was in England under George the Third. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IZV 1 8 60. 37 Sept. 13. — The same party which had visited the prisons of Naples went to that of Ischia in a despatch-boat, com- manded by Captain Marryatt, a son of the novelist, and kindly placed at our disposal by Admiral Mundy. On our landing we were assailed by a crowd of natives offering donkeys and figs, three donkeys at least to each man, and more figs than one could eat in a month, clamouring in all tones from howls of exultation to whines of distress, till the poor stranger became so bewildered that he did not know whether he was expected to mount the figs and eat the donkeys or vice versa. The prison we were to see is in the Castle of Ischia, which Stanfield's picture has made familiar to English eyes. Only as we saw. it the sea was rippling quietly about the base of the breakwater in the foreground, not tumbling in wild billows over it. Some difficulty was made about our admission ; but the combined authority and eloquence of Lord LI and Mr. Edwin J , aided by the fact that we had come in a ship of war, triumphed over all obstacles. The prisons here were tenanted only by fleas. They were not particularly dark or dirty, or in any way horrible. We asked in vain for the torture-chamber and the thumb- screws, and on the whole could not but feel disappointed at the result of our inquiry. We were shown the room where Poerio was confined during some of his ten years of durance. There were four rooms en suite so arranged that an inspector could look on from a window in his chamber above, and see what was doing in any of them. The wooden tressels on which the prisoners slept and some fragments of their clothing still remained. They had the liberty of walking in a small walled courtyard. The Tschian prisons were under the charge of the same keepers as before, old soldiers chiefly, who were very much alarmed at our visit and our questions, and as anxious to dissemble the rigours of the former Government as the new keepers of the Neapolitan prisons had been to exaggerate them. 38 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. Sept. 15. — I went by railway to Castellamare, and thence, with a carriage, in an hour and a quarter to Sorrento. The Neapolitan coachmen drive like Jehu the son of Nimshi. Even when one takes them by the hour they scarcely abate their ordinary pace, which is very different from the snail-like motion of a London or Paris cabman under similar conditions. One of Dr. Johnson's immortal truths was communicated to Mr. Boswell in these words : " Sir, there is something very exhilarating in the rapid motion of a post-chaise ; " and I fancy that the Neapolitan driver feels the pleasure so intensely that he cannot forego it for the sake of sparing his cattle or spinning out the time, even when to him time is money. The drive to Sorrento is one of the most beautiful in the world. The road at first follows the coast-line, winding into each cove and rounding each headland, then strikes across the valley where Vico is situated, crossing the gorge by a noble viaduct, doubles the next promontory, and, by a gradual descent, comes to the comparatively level plain of Sorrento. This plain is composed of a couche of tufa perhaps three hundred feet deep at the base of the hills, and sloping gently down to the water's edge, where it breaks away in an abrupt precipice, varying from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet in height. This tufa has been deposited in the hollows of the limestone hills by some pre-historic volcano. It has been cut into deep gorges by mountain torrents many ages ago by slow degrees, for the channel is not sensibly deeper than it was two thousand years since, as may be seen by the substructions of Eoman bridges, cellars, &c. still apparent. The plain is of wonderful fertility, and, except where there is a street, a house, or a lane sunk between high walls, it is like a continuous garden, " a contiguity of shade," fruit trees of all kinds oranges, lemons, figs, pomegranates, and trellised vines, where you may walk under a roof of matted leaves and pendent clusters. On the amphitheatre of hills which shelters the plain on east, south, and west, you see terrace above terrace, partly artificial and partly the natural formation of the white limestone rock, sprinkled with grey olives, relieved by t the W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 39 brighter green of carob-tree, or fig, or vine, up to the foot of the steep crag, or the verge of the native forest. No wonder that the Eomans were fond of such a place. The beauty of Baiae must have been in great part artificial, even before its neighbourhood was altered and spoiled by the eruptions of the Solfatara and the Monte Nuovo, and now it presents a somewhat bare hill-side cumbered with shapeless ruins. Baiae, too, must always have been much hotter than Sorrento, for the former looks towards the south-east, the latter due north* When the poet said, " Nullus in orbe sinus Baiis praelucet amcenis," he meant an especial stress to be laid on " amcenis," and referred not to the natural beauty only, but to the society and various artificial agrSmens of the place. If people ever read Statius now-a-days, they would find that even among the Eomans there were some who preferred Sorrento. Perhaps the eruption of Vesuvius in '79, which half-suffocated the people at Baiae, but so far as we know did not affect Surrentum, may have contributed to establish the latter in popular favour. Certain it is, that the ground there was so valuable they they built villas below the cliff on foundations laid in the sea itself. Large blocks of lava in a regular line may be seen below the water from the Hotel della Sirena, and to reach the shore you descend through galleries still covered with stucco, and showing traces of colour. The face of the rock, is filled with artificial niches and caves, evidently belonging to Eoman houses. On either side of the city is a deep ravine, offering at every step the most lovely combinations of tufa rock and ruins and luxuriant creepers. Eound the city is a mediaeval wall of great strength once, but now crumbling and ruinous. In the centre is the Cathedral, an ancient church with an open atrium like that of Salerno, but thoroughly modernized. Outside there are some columns * The modern Sorrentines maintain the superiority of their town to Naples in amenity and healthiness. They have a couplet, the produce of a native genius, which they quote with as much pride as if he had succeeded in making it rhyme : — " Napoli bella, Sorrento civile ; Chi venga ammalato a Sorrento si sana." 40 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. of costly marble fitted with capitals not originally belonging to them, the spoils probably of one or more ancient temples. Near the Cathedral is a remarkable loggia, open on two sides, like the Portico of Orcagna, only on a smaller scale. The arches are round, and the capitals are carved in the flat manner characteristic of Italian Gothic. It is called the " Settina dei cavalieri," but I was not fortunate enough to find any one who could give me an intelligible account of its destination. I rode in the afternoon of Saturday to the Deserto, a convent now abandoned, and situated on the crest of a hill south-west of Sorrento, commanding a view of the bay of Salerno as well as the bay of Naples. The place was tenanted only by a peasant (a " colon " they call him, still retaining the Latin word,) and his family. The cells were fast going to ruin, and so was the wall which had inclosed round the convent an irregular space of perhaps a hundred acres. Though the wind was "proprio scirocco," there was a delicious coolness about it as I stood on the convent roof. My guide, a good-humoured and in his way intelligent fellow, had been employed with others by the Count of Syracuse to excavate an ancient cemetery close by, which, from his mention of the gold ornaments and other relics found, I suppose may have been the burying-place of Theorica, a Greek city, supposed to have occupied the site of the neigh- bouring village of Torca. "This campo santo," said my guide, "was two centuries (due secoli) old ; before the world." " Before the world ?" I asked. " How could that be ?" " I mean," he said, " before this world ; in the time of another world, which was destroyed by a deluge." " And that," I asked, "was two secoli ago ?" " Precisamente, eccelenza." " And how many years are there in a secolo ? " " A hundred, or thereabouts." "Well," said I, with the air of an inquirer thirsting for information, " what happened about the deluge ? " W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 41 " The flood was sent, eccelenza, because the world was full of bad people ; but there was a signore called Noe, who was good. Dunque," he proceeded, putting his finger alongside of his nose, as their manner is when coming to the point of a story, " Jesus Christ, made a great ship, and put Noe in it ;" and so he went on with the narrative. I have given the man's exact words. I tell the incident, as it seems to me characteristic of the amount of education of an ordinary Neapolitan of that class. There is no point in the story except this — that it is a fact, I have always noticed that genuine tradition has a tendency to diminish the interval of time which has elapsed since the event of which it preserves the memory. I remember asking a farmer, who lived on the field of battle near Nbrdlingen, whether he had ever heard of such a battle. " ! yes," he said, " he had often heard his father speak of it, and his father, who had seen it, told him." The remotest event is always supposed to be "in my grandfather's time." This is characteristic of genuine tradition. Forgery, on the other hand, has a ten- dency to magnify a nation's antiquity, and may sometimes be detected and distinguished by this mark. Sept. 16. — I learn that, last night, a commissary of police, accompanied by some gens d'armes, arrested the Archbishop of Sorrento and carried him off to Naples. He had been the King's tutor, and so, I suppose, was suspected very naturally of favouring the Eoyal cause. He is much respected, they say, by the people, and is a good man. Surely it is a mistake for a Government which has just proclaimed liberty to tread in the steps of the old tyranny. What harm could an aged priest do if left alone ? Though the Palermitan monks, and Father Gavazzi, and a few priests have declared loudly for Garibaldi, and though some have even joined the Neapolitan volunteers, the great majority are evidently for the King. The spirit of Garibaldi's movement is thoroughly anti-Papal. Attempts are being made by the clergy to enlist the super- stitious feelings of the people in favour of the King. It was 42 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy- reported that, on the day of the King's departure, the Virgin of Santa Lucia wept tears of blood. The church was crowded with persons who went to see next day. My informant saw the streaks which the tears had left. Last Sunday, too, I have heard vaguely that a friar preaching somewhere appealed suddenly to an image in the church, and asked whose emissary Garibaldi was, and the image answered distinctly " Satan's." We shall see whether Saint Januarius's displeasure will be shown in the non-liquefaction of the blood next Wednesday. And in that case, will Garibaldi adopt the plan of the French general in command at Naples, who threatened to shoot the officiating minister unless the miracle were immediately per- formed ? Sept. 17. — In company with an English friend, I took a boat from Sorrento to Capri. A steady scirocco carried us in an hour and a half to the entrance of the Blue Grotto, where a smaller boat from the little port of Capri met us. In this we entered the low mouth of the cave with some difficulty, as there was a swell rolling in. One has a natural aversion to hackneyed sights which you are bound to see because "everybody" sees them, and I went to this grotto prepared to find it unworthy of its fame ; but I was compelled to admit the contrary. It is like a scene of enchantment, or the dream of some Eastern tale-teller — a cave with a floor of liquid turquoise and a roof of frosted silver. How is it that the same effect is not repeated in other instances? There are caves enough in other shores. How is it that Capri alone is favoured with two exhibiting this wonderful appearance, and why is one a " blue" and the other a "green" grotto ? The colour of the sea outside the cave was a mixture of dark purple and indigo — such a colour as I have only seen when a strong wind was blowing; and the sky was rather veiled than clouded — as is the case generally during a scirocco. We remembered the oivoira ttovtov, "the wine-like sea" of W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 43 Homer, but it is not likely that the familiar epithet which is as frequently applied to the sea as "swift-footed" is to Achilles, should have been suggested by a rare and exceptional pheno- menon. The phrase probably came down to Homer from earlier and ruder poets, who would observe nature as the author of " Chevy Chase " observed it, but would not scruti- nize it like Wordsworth. They saw that gold was red, and woods were green, and they needed no other epithet even for variety's sake. I believe that oivoyfr simply meant coloured, like wine, as distinguished from the bright transparent water of a fountain (a/yAaov), and from the dark black water of a well (jieXav). In this sense, the epithet is always appli- cable to the sea, whether it be calm or troubled, whether it be blue, or green or purple. We landed at Marina, a little village lining the beach at the only point where there is a beach. Elsewhere a wall of steep rock rises abruptly from the sea. We rode on donkeys through the vineyards and olive-grounds, to the little town of Capri, perched along a ridge, and thence up to what are supposed to be the remains of one of Tiberius' villas. It was a festival at Capri, so we saw all the belles of the island, plump brunettes, with dark eyes and hair, tight-laced black bodices, and white muslin handkerchiefs thrown over their shoulders. Capri is famous, we were told, for the industry and morality of its inhabitants, which, we will hope, is the reason why so many of our countrymen have chosen this island for the site of their hermitage. Or does the gloomy spirit of Tiberius still dwell there as the genius loci, attracting kindred spirits? Lest this should offend any one, let me hasten to say that I do not consider the stories told by Suetonius and even Tacitus as worthy of belief. Court scandal is the most easily invented of all scandals, it is the most readily credited, and the most difficult of disproof. The memoirs of hangers-on about a Court are always to be received with suspicion, be they even written by a Due de Saint Simon, or a Lord Hervey, much more when they are written by some nameless lackey who has no 44 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. honour to tarnish, and is therefore quite irresponsible for his statements. Suetonius and Tacitus probably derived their Court gossip from a similar source, for it is very rarely that they give authority for their assertions. They only reject a story when it is palpably inconsistent with some other story they have heard. When two memoir-writers had told the same tale, they accept it and endorse it without a suspicion that both may be lying. The medals which are supposed to confirm the worst charges against Tiberius are found, to the disgrace of the ancient world, at many other places besides Capri. The story told by Suetonius about Tiberius throwing criminals down from a precipitous rock for his amusement, is probably a fiction. But it is likely enough that the tre- mendous precipice shown as the Salto di Tiberio (or Timperio, as the Capriotes call him) may have been in Suetonius' mind when he repeated or made the tale. The peculiarity just alluded to in the Capriote dialect reminded me of a cognate fact — that the modern Greeks express the sound of b by m and p. For instance, they spell tobacco, " tampakko." One bourgeois, a Corsican, has opened a little restaurant at the Salto di Tiberio. He has bad wine, worse water, and makes exorbitant charges. I am sorry to say this of an old soldier decorated with the St. Helena medal. He has put up an announcement at the Marina in the following terms (I give it literatim et punctuatim) : " Avis au Salto Tiberio onna ovver un restaurant de ce lo calon guii de la vue du golfe de Salerno et Pesto." * Apropos, I noticed at Pompeii a jocular recommendation of the Hotel de Diomede, printed by the landlord, beginning, " Je ne suis pas ce terrible Diomede qui faisait tant de peur aux Troyens et Caesar." The " et Caesar " is admirable. A name at which the world grew pale is always good for rounding a sentence. * The interpretation is this : — " Avis : au Salto de Tiberio on a ouvert un restaurant. De ce local on jouit de la vue," &c. W. G. Clark ] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 6c . 45 Extract of a Letter, dated Naples, Sept. 18th. Naples has passed from the government of the King to that of the Dictator with more ease and with less disturbance of public order than any one could have anticipated. Business has not been suspended for a single day, and, but for the noisy demonstrations of delight which continued for three days after the entry of Garibaldi, a stranger might have lived in Naples without knowing that there had been a change of masters. The newspapers will have given you fully detailed accounts of Garibaldi's facile conquest, and of the tumultuous joy with which it was hailed at Naples. I have been through- out an amused and interested looker-on ; but I need not tell a tale with which you are already familiar. I will merely mention summarily the successive events in order to add a touch here and there from personal observation. Up to the last moment there were some who believed that the King would not abandon Naples without a struggle. On the after- noon of Wednesday, Sept. 5, it was known that his troops had received orders to fall back from Salerno, and it was supposed that they would occupy La Cava and Nocera, and defend a pass which is so well calculated for defence. But later in the day we heard that they were abandoning all their positions in front of Naples, and were marching by way of Nola to Capua. It was obvious that the King had given up the game for lost, and that he himself must follow his troops and abandon his capital. All that night there was an unusual stir about the Palace ; every window was lighted, and hurrying shadows flitted past within ; crowds waited round the gates in the vain hope of seeing the departure of the Court, their motive being, as I gathered, not loyalty, but curiosity. Carts loaded with furniture passed out from time to time, the property, I suppose, of Goldsticks, and Chamber- lains, and Lords-in-waiting. " The rats are leaving," said one of the crowd. A Council of Ministers was held in the Palace, 46 • VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. which did not separate (it is said) till three in the morning. They were engaged in "redacting" the two proclamations which appeared in the Gazette of next day, in the second of which, countersigned by D. Martino, Garibaldi was called " un ardito condottiere." At the breaking up of the Council, the King went on board ship for Gaeta, the Ministers dis- persed to their homes, except Liborio Eomano, who hastened to offer his services to the Dictator. The conduct of this Eomano is universally condemned. While Minister of the King he was in correspondence with Garibaldi, and, instead of defending the interests of the Crown, he did all in his power to thwart them. He wrote, immediately after the retirement of the Sovereign, a letter to Garibaldi, couched in the most fulsome and abject language. A man must be morbo proditor to be proud of his treason,- as Eomano seems to be. On Thursday, September 6th, I went to Salerno, saw Gari- baldi's entry there, and returned with him to Naples. In some respects his reception at Salerno was more striking than that at Naples. The people of Salerno had been expecting him for some hours, and had had time to make preparations , the people of Naples were taken by surprise, and the crowds that gathered hastily all along the line of his passage through the city were evidently half-incredulous, and doubted whether it were he or not. There were no flags on the houses. This was all Garibaldi's doing, who said he preferred a spontaneous welcome. The square in front of the Foresteria, from a bal- cony of which he addressed the people, was not a quarter full. The demonstrations, however, on that and the two following nights were the most noisy and tumultuous scenes that I have ever witnessed. As far as I could judge, the makers of the noise, in very few instances, belonged to the lower classes. The shriekers, the spouters, the torch-bearers, the wavers of flags, and the brandishers of daggers, were persons from the well-fed, well-dressed orders. The lazzaroni are, I believe, quite passive and indifferent ; the priests and peasantry Eoyalist— but the priests are naturally timid, and the pea- santry only feel keenly on a question of cheap bread and W. G. Clakk.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 47 cheap fruit. A Masaniello must appeal to this sentiment to have success either with peasants or lazzaroni. The process by which a show of decency and order was given to Garibaldi's nomination as Dictator was curious. First half-a-dozen individuals, with Eomano among them, constituted themselves a Provisional Government on the in- vitation of the Dictator of Sicily, and then, by virtue of their authority as Provisional Government, they nominated him Dictator of the Two Sicilies. His first acts gave satisfaction. He chose his Ministers from the Moderate party — the party (that is) which follows the inspirations of Cavour. And for a few days " all was for the best, under the best of all possible " dictatorships. But latterly, the acts and words of the Dictator have given great alarm. In his proclamation to the people of Palermo he spoke of the miserable men who counselled im- mediate annexation, and declared that he would proclaim Italian unity on the top of the Quirinal. Then, in an order of the day apropos of the death of De Flotte, he alluded sar- castically to the Government of Louis Napoleon. Finally, in a letter to one Brusco, he contradicted a rumour that he had been reconciled to Cavour, and said that he could never be friends with "men who had humiliated the national dignity and sold an Italian province " — which seemed even to include Victor Emmanuel. People here are aghast at his imprudence. They ask themselves, Is this a game which he is playing with the secret connivance of the French Emperor, whose heart is with Italy, though he is obliged, as the eldest son of the Church, to keep up a show of opposition ? Or is the Emperor bribing Garibaldi's counsellors to urge him on a path that must lead to his ruin ? Is Victor Emmanuel consulted, and, if so, does he approve? The telegraph is, of course, interrupted at Gaeta, and we only heard, yesterday, of Victor Emmanuel's entry into the Eoman provinces. Is thi5 step taken in conjunction with Garibaldi, or is it intended to anticipate and in a measure thwart him ? These questions may be answered before you receive this letter. At present, every one seems lost in un- 48 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. certainty. I have spoken of the Moderate party, which includes, I suppose, the vast majority of educated men above twenty-five years old. The other party — the party of action — consists of Bertani, Crespi, and, of course, Mazzini, and boys in general. The latter party seems to have lost its head in the intoxication of success. They talk of marching to Eome as one talks of taking a drive along the Chiaia. Father Gavazzi * is the prophet of the party. His somewhat common- place declamation has had great success. He preaches every alternate evening in the square of San Francesco di Paola. To hear democracy lauded in the front of a Bourbon palace is a fact sufficiently piquant to give a zest to the most ordinary oratory, just as the mildest jest becomes irresistibly comical in church. Several other decrees of the Dictator have given great dis- satisfaction, as, for instance, that appointing Alexander Dumas *f" Director of the National Museum, and commissioning him to prepare a great work on the antiquities of Naples and the neighbourhood. The Neapolitans are justly indignant at having a vagabond foreigner, of abandoned character and no knowledge of antiquities or of art, set over the heads of so many persons infinitely his superiors. The Dictator's weakness is said to be his submission to favourites. Any one may lead him by the nose, if he takes hold the right way. Bertani is, according to the " Moderates," his evil genius. Meanwhile, with the growing discontent of the Moderates, we hear from time to time of reactionary movements at Avellino, and other places. Forty peasants were brought in yesterday, tied together with * A mistake. I heard the Father once afterwards, and read other discourses, printed from shorthand writers' notes. He always counsels moderation, and disbelieves in unity without monarchy. t The pranks of this man, while dressed in his brief authority, were incredible. I saw him one night paradiig Naples in fantastic costume, attended by a score of men waving flags. At each station of the National Guard they stopped, formed a ring round Dumas, and cheered. He wrote to Admiral Mundy requesting arms and ammunition for his body guard, and when his letter was returned to him byway of answer, he- applied- to the French Admiral, whose reply was as decided, and still less flattering. . G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 49 ropes — a sight of ill omen for the new Government. On Saturday, the Archbishop of Sorrento, the King's tutor, was arrested, and brought to Naples. Last night, there was a general alarm and anticipation of reactionary movement among the lazzaroni in Naples itself. The national guard was under arms all night, but nothing happened. My impres- sion is, that things are getting rapidly worse, both here and in Sicily, and that Garibaldi will not be able much longer to govern the country. The sooner the annexation takes place and a regular Government established, the better for all parties. Sept. 18. — I went with Mr. D to Sta. Maria Maggiore, at present the head-quarters of the revolutionary army. Finding that we were too late for the ten o'clock train, we engaged a large-wheeled single-horse vehicle, something like the now extinct English taxed cart, and in little more than two hours reached Sta. Maria. The road passes through Aversa, and lies for the most part over a perfectly flat and exuberantly fertile country, called par excellence Terra di Lavoro, for every yard is under cultivation. On the way, we fell inwith a party of Neapolitan soldiers wearing their side- arms. They were making their way across country to join the royal troops at Capua, or where best they could. We had some difficulty in finding our way into Sta. Maria, owing to the barricades which defended the entrance of the principal streets. Happening to ask some question of a portly gentle- man whom we saw in the street, he volunteered to show us over the town, escorted us to the amphitheatre, and offered us the shelter of his house, which he said was not magnificent, but entirely at our disposal, such as it was. The last offer we declined for want of time, but it was made in all sincerity. This is one instance of many within my experience of the especial favour with which we English are regarded at the present time by the Liberal party. Our new friend gave us to understand that he was one of the principal legal functionaries of the place, whether as judge or advocate we did not know, E 50 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. and the frequent respectful greetings that he received attested the truth of his pretension. He was an ardent Garibaldian, and anti-Papal to the uttermost. As a boy, he had been educated by the Jesuits at the Collegio Komano, but the oppression under which he had suffered with his countrymen had completely effaced the lessons of the fathers, and had inclined the tree in the opposite direction to that in which the twig had been bent. He told us that Ferdinand, who lived hard by at Caserta, regarded Sta. Maria with peculiar aversion, and kept it under police regulations of extra strictness. He used to say, " Whenever I go through Sta. Maria, I tread on republican stones." The employment of Lamoriciere's mer- cenaries by the Pope had alienated, as our friend said, the firmest of his Holiness's friends. Italy was now virtually a Protestant country. The amphitheatre is still a magnificent ruin. The two walls which formed the outermost corridors of the ellipse were unluckily built of hewn stone, decorated with marble columns at the entrance. These, therefore, were pulled down to furnish materials for the palace at Caserta, and probably also for earlier buildings. The brick and rubble work remains nearly intact. The amphitheatre of Capua, when entire, was, except the Coliseum, the largest of all. It served as a model for that of Puteoli. The subterranean constructions are on the same plan. The chambers and passages were lighted by a large longitudinal opening along the major axis of the ellipse, and by square openings all round. At the time of the exhibitions, of course, beams were laid over them, and the whole area strewn with a thick covering of sand. One may see the places where the beams rested. The vast space underground did not serve merely, as we are told in the guide-books, for prisons of criminals and dens of wild beasts, but it was the residence of the gladiators. There are plenty of conduits, wells, and drains for carrying off the rain water, so as to keep the place always dry and habitable. The stone seats for spectators have shared the fate of the outer walls, and been carried off. I observed, that in some of the W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 51 corridors arches of brickwork had been added subsequently to the erection of the building, in order to strengthen the supports of the cavea. Eeturning to the town, we took leave of our volunteer cicerone, and went to pay a visit to the General commanding in the absence of Garibaldi, Hieper, or Eber, as his name is variously spelt. I had been acquainted with him when dis- charging a more peaceful mission at Constantinople some years ago. The palazzo to which we were directed is a charming residence, with large lofty rooms painted somewhat in the Pompeian style, and polished floors deliciously cool, with a garden of lemon and orange-trees behind. First came a ruddy-bearded aide-de-camp to ask our busi- ness. I begged him to aver la bonta, &c. &c. "Sprechen Sie Deutsch, mein Herr?" he said. I answered in the affirmative, and said that I supposed he was a Hungarian, like the General. No, he was "Echt Deutsch aus dem grossherzogthum Baden." There were many Germans, he told us, in the army, even Bavarians and Austrians, who looked forward to making " ein Deutschland," after they had made Italia una. Meanwhile they must, I should think, have to exercise all their pro- verbial national patience, hearing, as they do, perpetually repeated cries of " Morte ai Tedeschi I" We found the General suffering from a fever caught in the marshes of Cosenza, and scarcely able to walk. However, the politeness of a true gen- tleman never fails. He got up from the sofa, and gave us a kind welcome, though he must have wished us at — the head- quarters of Francesco II. He gave us a written permission to visit the outposts, of which we availed ourselves at once. In the streets at intervals we found bodies of the Gari- baldians with piled arms, sitting or lying on heaps of straw strewn on the shady side ; some sleeping, some smoking, some mending their clothes, some cheapening figs — (although, without cheapening, you get for a halfpenny as many as one could eat in a day), all apparently in high spirits and good health, more like "jolly beggars" than a regular army. A E 2 52 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. barricade of boughs is placed across the brick arch of Koman work which formed the gate of old Capua, and is on the road to the new — distant about two miles. Half a mile beyond is the line of infantry sentries, who stand at irregular intervals, from fifty to one hundred yards apart. They take their work easily, leaning against a vine-clad poplar in any attitude they may fancy. Provided they do their work, Garibaldi and his officers do not seem to care how they do it. A martinet would be sorely out of place here. A quarter of a mile far- ther in advance, four poplar trees have been felled, and lie across the road. In front of them is a sentry on horseback. We asked him if we could see the Neapolitan outposts. " yes," he said, " come along with me, and I'll show you them. When we go forward, they always come out to look at us." When we had gone about a hundred yards, they did come out accordingly, two on horseback and four on foot, about a quarter of a mile off. Having satisfied our curiosity, we returned, in obedience to the advice of the General, who had warned us not to go too far, as they were in the habit of picking up stragglers. What earthly good it would have done them to pick us up, I cannot conceive. If they had taken a fancy to pick us off, it would not have been so pleasant. Our expedition terminated without the shadow of an ad- venture, but it was interesting as the only glimpse I had ever had of a state of war. Evidently it is not in Garibaldi's army that one must look for " pride, pomp, and circumstance." We returned by railway. As we passed the splendid Palace of Caserta, we saw the great square in front filled with troops. They are under the command of General Tiirr. At night, I am told, they sleep inside and outside of the palace, as they best may. This is the result of Ferdinand's policy. His army is scattered, and revolutionary soldiers occupy every corner of his favourite abode. It is reported that he had no misgivings and no remorse, and that almost his last words were that "he died with the consciousness of having done his duty." He sowed the wind, and his son has reaped the whirlwind. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 860. 53 Sept. 19. — I have just returned from San Gennaro, where I have witnessed the far-famed miracle. I went about half- past eight and found the Cathedral partially filled, and a dense crowd in and about the chapel of San Gennaro — a spacious octagon on the south side of the nave. National guards were keeping the door. At a quarter before nine, a loud shout rose from the crowd within. It was a greeting to the saint, whose image in silver gilt had just been placed on the altar. The shout was renewed as the priest adjusted the mitre and cope with which the image was clothed, and again, as an attendant lighted candle after candle beside it. An aged priest, standing within the altar rails, then raised aloft the vessel containing the sacred blood, and at once a forest of waving arms rose above the crowd, and the building rang with frenzied exclamations. Some other priests and assistants now appeared in the organ loft ready to lead the Te Deum when- ever the miracle should be achieved ; meanwhile, the old man continued to hand round the vessel to let all the bystanders see that there was no deception, that the blood was really solid. The vessel in question is a kind of monstrance, round, with glass on each side, and two handles, one above, one below. It is more like a carriage-lamp than anything else I can think of. Inside, are two small phials containing an opaque sub- stance, the blood of the saint. In order to show that it was solid, the priest turned the monstrance upside down, holding a lighted candle behind it, and showed it, round to the spec- tators just as a conjuror does before commencing his perform- ance. All this time the crowd kept shrieking and screaming ■ — the old women especially were frantic in their cries and gestures, moaning, and sobbing, and stretching out hands in nervous tension. Some men even were affected with this hysterical passion, and wept and moaned like the women. The confusion of endlessly reiterated prayers, uttered in such tones that they resembled imprecations, reminded me of the chorus of the priests of Baal in the Elijah; only here the trebles preponderate over the basses. Mendelssohn may have witnessed some such scene; but, so far as I know, 54 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. the like is only to be seen at Naples, and in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem on Easter Sunday. Tor any other parallel, one must go among fetish-worshipping savages. The priest then turned his back on the audience, and the agitation of the crowd reached a point where it could no longer be expressed in articulate cries, for nothing was heard but sobs and groans. A very few minutes had elapsed, when the priest suddenly turned round and exhibited the blood liquid ! A wild howl of exultation rose up ; flowers were thrown towards the saint, and, strange to say, a number of birds let loose * which the spectators had brought with them for the purpose. Never had the miracle been performed so soon. All were agreed on this, and eager discussions were going on in all parts of the church as to the exact time it had taken. Was it three minutes or four, or four minutes and a half? The old women were wild with joy. It was clear that San Gennaro was in the best of tempers towards his dear clients, and not at all displeased with them for turning out their king. Two of Garibaldi's red-shirted soldiers, who were making their way out of the chapel, were the objects of tenderly affectionate demonstrations ; old women held up their hands to bless them, others patted them on the back and smiled approvingly. As soon as the shout that greeted the miracle had ceased, the men in the organ loft began the Te Deum, and the spectators joined in fervent chorus. Above the din we heard the guns of all the forts thundering out their joy. (There must be some means of telegraphic communication with the forts, as very few minutes elapsed before the cannon was heard.) By-and-by the sacred vessel was carried to the high altar, and successive bodies of worshippers were admitted within a railed space to kneel and kiss it, having first assured * This, I afterwards learned, is the custom at all the great festivals of the Church, and symbolizes the soul's joy when delivered from the sins and sorrows of earth. It is a literal rendering of that passage in the Psalms, " My soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. The snare is broken, and we are delivered." W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 55 themselves by means of the candle that the liquefaction had taken place. Some of the crowd near us were very anxious that we should do the like. " Make way," they said, " for the English Signori. Sergeant," to the officer of the national guard who was keeping the wicket, "admit the English Signori." But we declined the honour, and waited till the priest — the same who had officiated in the chapel — brought it round. As there was no candle placed behind it for our benefit, and as the outer glass was dimmed with the kisses it had received, we were not able to ascertain the fact of the liquefaction. But all who have seen it before and after with the aid of the light, agree that the blood, if blood it be, is certainly solid first and liquid afterwards. There is no deception so far. But admitting that, I cannot but remember that I have seen the Wizard of the North and Wiljalba Frikell do as much, and more, with their enchantments. It is certain that the belief of the crowd in the chapel was genuine and profound. This crowd consisted of persons of all ranks, though the poorer classes preponderated. It would scarcely have been prudent for Garibaldi, in presence of this intense and deeply-seated superstition, to forbid the miracle as the Times hoped he would. An entente might have been the consequence. "Paris vaut bien une messe," said Henri Quatre. Gari- baldi may say, " Naples vaut bien un miracle. " Some days ago I was expressing to a Neapolitan my wish to see the liquefaction. " Do not mention it," he said ; " it fills me with shame." I cannot doubt that this is the general feeling of most educated men, but it is not universal, for among the weepers and the kissers to-day I saw several who, from their dress and bearing, certainly ought to belong to that class. One young priest, of rather attractive countenance, came out of the chapel, his eyes red and his cheeks swollen with weeping, but most of his order seemed impassive and did not attempt even to counterfeit devotion. The venerable old man in rose-coloured robes, who officiated, showed no feeling what- ever. Probably perfect self-possession, with a little manual 56 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy dexterity, is the quality most requisite in the officiating minister.* Sept. 19. — This evening our dinner was enlivened by ani- mated accounts of a battle which had taken place in the morning, and at which half a dozen of the guests of the hotel had had the luck to be present. They had to tell of hairbreadth escapes, exemplary coolness under first fire, the cowardice of the Garibaldian troops, and their own courage. England had nearly lost an eminent barrister and an eminent artist by a grape-shot, which carried away part of their carriage, a third had arrested the flight of a regiment with his umbrella, a fourth had parried a cannon-ball with his walking-stick. The real facts, as far as I have been able to gather them by subsequent inquiries, are these : General Hieper and Colonel Eoskow, commanding the centre and left, had orders to make a feigned attack upon Capua, while Garibaldi and Tiirr were to cross the Volturno a few miles up the river and cut off a body of the enemy, occupying a plain on the other bank. Eoskow, however, mistaking his instructions, attempted a real attack. As soon as he advanced into an open space in front of the gate of Capua, and within reach of the artillery having no artillery himself, his men were cut down by the fire from the bastions, and refused to advance. As soon as a body of royal cavalry showed itself, they fled precipitately, the officers being the first to set the example. Such was the panic that they rushed through Sta. Maria, and did not stop till they had passed the town, and saw at last that there was no man pursuing. One of my informants saw with his own eyes two of Garibaldi's officers crouching under a haystack to strip off their red shirts, lest they should be recognised. A more disgraceful panic was never seen. The good folks of Sta. Maria, that republican city, made haste to take all the tricolor flags from their windows. Even that which floated * The secret is known only to the priests of San Gennaro and Mr. R. Monck- ton Milnes, who tells me that he has not merely witnessed, but once performed the miracle. W. G. Clabk.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 57 from the windows of the house which was General Hieper's head-quarters disappeared. The national guards stripped off their uniforms, and all was prepared for the return of his Majesty. Had the royal army had a leader, they might have marched to Naples unopposed. Meanwhile, Hieper had nothing to do, and did it. Tiirr and Garibaldi, on the right wing, found their road barred by a fire of artillery which they could not face, and finally retreated to Caserta. The number of killed and wounded in the revolutionary army amounts, according to the best informed statements, to about one hundred and fifty. The varying accounts of this engagement illustrate the propensity of Italians in general, and Neapolitans in particu- lar, to invention and credulity combined. The Lampo for instance, a Garibaldian organ, had the audacity to affirm that the royalist losses amounted to eight thousand in killed and wounded, whereas they could not, by the nature of the case, have exceeded twenty or thirty. But invention is not confined to the Neapolitans. On the authority of one of Garibaldi's generals, it was asserted that the possession of Chaiazzo was the object which the General had in view in making his attack, and that that object had been attained. Military men not connected with either party affirmed that it would be impossible to hold Chaiazzo, being a position quite isolated on the other side of the river, and that no one would have thought of making such an attempt. Up to the day I left Naples, September 22d, it was a matter of doubt whether it had really been taken or not. The last news I heard before leaving was that it been retaken by the royal troops ; but it was doubted whether this, too, was not an invention to cover the other lie, and account for the fact that it was in the pos- session of the Garibaldians no longer. One lives at Naples in an atmosphere charged with falsehood, and it is impossible to get a breath of native truth. From the evidence of independent witnesses, it is certain that the Gari- baldians met with a severe check, the moral effect of which has been very great, and more than counterbalances the mani- festation of San Gennaro's favour in the morning. 58 VACATION TOURISTS, AM) [Italy. Sept. 20. — Hearing that it was probable the battle would be renewed this morning, I went, in company with Colonel B (who had seen the engagement of the previous day), an English officer, and another friend, to Sta. Maria, whence, finding all tranquil, we proceeded to St. Angelo, a village about three miles off, above which is a hill commanding a wide view of the scene of war. Leaving our carriage at the village, we climbed through oak coppice to the sharp edge of the hill. In ascending, we had a good bird's-eye view of the plain of Capua, and of some 2,500 cavalry occupying it. From the ridge we looked over the winding Volturnus, on the farther bank of which is another plain, divided by a low range of hills from that of Capua, and also occupied by the royal troops. There were two regiments of cavalry and three or four of infantry ; double sentries, at short intervals, lining the bank of the river. We were so near that we heard the words of command, and, occasionally, one man calling to another. As we were some time examining them with our glasses, we at last attracted their attention, and a little knot of men gathered on the bank and fired about twenty shots at us, without hitting or coming near us. A tremendous thunderstorm, which had been threatening for some time and at last broke, was much more effectual in dis- lodging us from our position. We crept behind an overhang- ing rock, hoping that the rain would cease. From our lair, looking south, we had a prospect of bare, peaked hills, with castles on the top, and agreed, that if we had been transported there in sleep, we should, on waking, have thought ourselves in Ehine-land. But close round us were growing shrubs that never clothe the bleak northern hills — dwarf ilex, and myrtle, and the judas tree. As we descended we were caught in a still more violent shower, and took refuge in the crater of an extinct lime-kiln, where we found a dozen or more peasants and Garibaldini already housed. One was a captain of artil- lery, who gave us rum and tobacco, and in the course of half an hour communicated, unasked, the story of his life. He told us of his innamorata, showed us her picture and hand- W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 59 writing, and said that he had joined Garibaldi that he might have an opportunity of doing some heroic deed, and might say on his return to the lady of his love (here he threw open his arms), " Ecco-mi ! son degno di te ! " Sept. 21. — On going out after breakfast, instead of being assailed by half a dozen cabmen shouting in my ears, crack- ing their whips in my eyes, and driving across my path, the wheels just missing my toes, I found the stand deserted. It was the same at another stand. There was not a cab to be had. On inquiry, I found that the Government had pressed such carriages, public and private, as they could lay hold off, and sent them to Santa Maria for the conveyance of wounded men. The other cabmen had made off directly, and hid them- selves and their horses. Everybody inferred that a great battle was expected, so I immediately walked off to the rail- way station, where I arrived just as the train was starting. (At these times a ticket is a needless formality — quite an unnecessary expense. You are never asked for your ticket, nor expected to pay anything except a small gratuity to the official who gets you a seat. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Even a time of war has its advantages.) When I reached Santa Maria, I found that I had again come on a false alarm. The carriages had been impressed to bring back to Caserta those who had been wounded on the previous Wed- nesday — such of them, that is, as were capable of removal. I went to see those who remained in one of the hospitals at Santa Maria. The wards were tolerably clean and airy, and the wants of the poor sufferers seemed as well attended to as circumstances permitted ; but it was a sad sight. In one case the ball had entered the eye and gone out in the neck — a ter- rible wound ; but the surgeon said he had hopes of saving the man's life. In another case the ball had carried away part of the lower jaw and all the teeth. The saddest case of all was that of a poor child of ten years old, who, with his father, was driving a cart on the day of the battle. They were compelled to come into the field to help in moving the wounded. While so engaged, a grape-shot killed the father and carried 60 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy, off the son's leg. Amputation had been performed, and he was, they said, " doing well." Doing well ! When I saw him, he seemed to be asleep. It was piteous to see his sad, pale face, rosy with health but two days ago, now showing sorrow and suffering even in sleep. No one had been to see him or inquire after him. Poor child ! I suppose, then, he has no mother, and is an orphan indeed. What a sorrowful begin- ning of life for him ! Perhaps he was the eldest of the family, proud of having in charge his motherless brothers and sisters, and being able to work for them. Think of those little ones in their cottage, waiting and wondering why father and brother do not come home at sunset. How war scatters its miseries, farther and wider than its grape-shot, over the quiet happy fields ! There was one man in hospital the bones of whose hand had been splintered by a bullet. He looked as vivacious as if nothing had happened to him. He was a Venetian, had escaped to Piedmont, entered the service there, was disgusted at not having the medal for the war of '59, and so deserted to join Garibaldi and fight for the liberation of his native town. He said that his only regret was, that he had not had a chance of killing one of the enemy before he was wounded himself, and of washing his hands in his blood. And he said the terrible words, " Lavar mi le mani nel suo sangue,". with the sweetest of smiles, as when a gourmet speaks of some favourite dainty. While I was there, Colonel da Porta, a Sicilian com- manding his battalion, came in, and filled the man with delight by announcing his nomination as sottotenente (ensign). The field ambulance of this strange army is under the direc- tion of a Piedmontese lady, the Contessa della T., who attracted great attention in Naples (which, without being uncharitable, one may suppose was not displeasing to her) by the singu- larity of her manners, language, and costume. She was dressed in a white braided hussar tunic, trousers, and boots outside, with spurs, and a Spanish hat with plumes, and a sword which clanked as she walked in an alarming way. She was attended by three or four Calabrians, dressed like the conven- W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 61 tional brigands of the stage, who served as her body-guard. She talked in all languages, and somewhat took off the grace of her charitable deeds by blowing a trumpet so loudly before her.* In returning, we visited the palace of Caserta. No one was permitted to enter the gardens without an order, which we had some difficulty in procuring. I was referred from one general to another, all royally lodged in the palace ; at last General Medici was good enough to let us pass through his apartments on the ground floor. The arrangement of the gardens resembles that of the gardens at La Granja in Spain, only on a much larger scale. An aqueduct conveys a copious stream of water to the side of a steep ilex-clothed hill about two miles off, at the back of the palace. Thence it descends first in a natural waterfall over rough rocks, and afterwards in small cascades alternating with still pools, to the plain. From the foot of the waterfall to the palace the distance is 3100 yards. Avenues of ilex and other trees bound the terraces on either side, and there is an abundance of statues, gods, men, dolphins, monsters, and grottoes. At the foot of the waterfall are two groups in marble, representing on one side Diana and her nymphs, on the other, Actseon torn by his hounds, all reflected in the dark deep water. The rocks about are clothed with acacia, oleander, and aloe. In the largest pool was a shoal of old carp and one stately swan, which, accustomed to be fed by royal hands, came sailing up to ask for biscuit of the intruders. From the highest terrace is a beautiful and singular view. You look over the palace and the densely wooded level plain in which it lies, like a dark green sea, beyond the rim of which rise the highlands of Capri, and the Punta di Sorrento. The palace itself is more than 200 yards square,*f- if my * When a lady chooses to dress and behave like a man, she forfeits the immunities of her sex, and it is no longer ungallant to criticise her actions. t Vanvitelli, the architect, published a description of the palace in 1756, from which it appears that the outer sides measure respectively 920 and 720 Neapolitan palms. A copy of this rare work is found— as, indeed, what rare book is not ? — in the library at Keir. 62 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. rough measurement be right, and is divided into four courts, with an open arcade occupying the ground floor from gate to gata A broad staircase, lined with costly marbles, leads to a great octagon hall occupying the centre of the pile, with four windows at the angles looking each into a separate court. The octagon is supported by pillars of African marble taken from the temple of Serapis at Puzzuoli. All the palaces I have ever seen yield in magnificence to this ; Versailles is rnesquin in comparison. What would Ferdinand have said had he lived to see it occupied by a rabble of revolutionary troops, lighting camp fires in the centre of his courts, cooking, playing cards, smoking, and singing Garibaldi's hymn ? I can easily conceive that the generals who are enjoying royal luxuries, and exercising among them more than royal power, are not anxious for the arrival of Victor Emmanuel, who would relegate them to some less sumptuous abode, and to some inferior position. When I reached the railway-station, I found a train of empty trucks and cattle waggons just starting. A number of the red-shirted gentry demanded that a carriage should be attached to it for their use. The station-master declared he had none, whereupon they threatened, hustled, and collared him, and finally carried him off to the palace, to answer to some one for his contumacy. This is one instance among many of the insolence which has made the liberators more unpopular at Naples than ever were its former masters. The train started without waiting for the issue of the dispute. I got upon a truck with a number of common soldiers (Garibaldians), whose behaviour presented a very favourable contrast to that of their officers. One provided me with an inverted basket to sit upon, another compelled me to accept a cigar (very bad, it is true, but the best he had), a third insisted upon my taking a cartridge as a keepsake. One of them had been an artist, he told me, and had abandoned his easel at Milan to carry a musket in Calabria. Never, surely, was there such a motley army as this. It W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 63 contains men of all ranks, and of all characters ; there are men of high birth and gentle breeding, there are also outcasts and vagabonds ; there are generous and chivalrous enthusiasts, there are also charlatans and impostors, and unhappily it is not always the former who fill the highest places. I have seldom seen any earthly object arrayed in such glory as was Vesuvius in the splendour of that calm evening. Through vistas of vine-clad poplars we saw the cone all ruddy purple, every furrow in the outer shell of the mountain dis- tinctly marked with blue shadows, which deepened towards its base into the richest ultramarine. The more recent lava- streams were (like the cone) of a bright purple, and looked, to my fancy, like piles of grapes poured out, waiting for the winepress that should extract from them the famous Yesuvian product — Lacryma Christi. The name Lacryma Christi, by the way, which shocks English ears, at least when translated, is an instance of the familiarity, and, as it seems to us, irreverence with which Italians treat sacred persons and things. I remember to have read a lecture of Dr. Newman's, in which he maintained the thesis, that the profane and blasphemous oaths habitually used by the people in Italy, proved that the objects of de- votion were always present to their minds in whatever aspect, and that the state of mind of an Italian was far preferable to the apathy and indifference of the lower orders in England. To this one might reply on behalf of our countrymen, that their favourite expletive, by the same reasoning, proves the thought of eternal salvation to be always present to their minds. Again, Dr. Newman's proposition would lead to the further inference that a man is religious at heart in proportion to the profanity of his language, " which is absurd," as Euclid says. Again, many of the Italian oaths are obscene. Dr, Newman would find it difficult to -twist this fact into an argument for their purity of mind. In some, too, which he who has once heard would gladly forget, profanity and 64 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. obscenity are combined to form a result which outrages every good feeling. Eemembering these, one can only think of Dr. Newman's argument with disgust, as something more than disingenuous. All men of education in Southern Italy disclaim any sym- pathy with the religion of the lower orders, which is mere paganism disguised under new names, and consists in the worship of a number of local deities. The Madonna of one shrine is, in the popular imagination — for it is not definite enough to be called a creed — quite a different person from the Madonna of another. The friar who tends the little chapel at the entrance of the Grotto of Puzzuoli begged one day of a passing stranger, " for the Madonna." " La Eeina degli Angeli e ricca abbastanza," said the stranger. " Ah ! bah ! " said the friar, " non a mica la Eeina degli Angeli ! e la povera Madonna della Grotta, che le manca anche per pagare l'olio" (she has not enough to pay for the oil to light the lamps of the tunnel). A friend among many good stories told me one, hen trovato, if not vero, which illustrates the primitive simplicity of their faith. A woman at Naples, praying the Madonna to come and heal her son, took care to give her address — "Vieni, Maria, vieni, numero tredici, vicolo della Scrofa, terzo piano, seconda porta a man destra." Nowhere, probably, in the world is the separation so great between the well-to-do classes and the poor as it is in South Italy. They are quite distinct in religion, thought, and feeling. Between the highest and the lowest there is, indeed, outwardly a familiarity of manner which, at first sight, would point to an opposite conclusion. We see none of the hauteur on the one side, or the servility on the other, which is so common in England ; but the familiarity is only superficial and apparent. There is a deep unfathomed gulf fixed between those who have something and those who have nothing to lose. A householder or shopkeeper at Naples speaks of the lazzaroni as a Hindoo living beside a jungle might speak of the tigers. So there is probably no country W. G. Ciark.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 860. 65 in the world where the opinion of the middle and upper classes is so fallacious a test of the popular opinion. The newspaper controversies and the theatre-riots of Naples only indicate the division of opinion in the middle and upper ranks — some holding with Victor Emmanuel, some with Mazzini, some with Cavour, some with Garibaldi — but they tell us nothing of the sentiments of the masses. The mob of the towns, the priests and the peasantry, are probably more inclined, by this time, to the old than to the new Government. If you asked a contadino his opinion early in September, the answer was always to the same effect : " Be Vittorio, Be Giuseppe, Ee Francesco," it is all one provided he gives us " da mangiare a buon mercato." And when they find that prices are enhanced instead of lowered, under the new reign, they will be sure to throw the blame on the Government. I do not doubt that if universal suffrage were honestly applied to test the opinion of Southern Italy, a large majority would be found for Francesco II., at least in the Abruzzi and the provinces adjacent to the capital. Cavour threw a slur on his master's cause, and made a flaw in his claim, by resting it on a successful repetition of that French juggling imposture, which is as discreditable to statesmen as the miracle of San Gennaro is to priests. The intelligence of a country should rule it and determine its destinies ; and if all the intelligence be, as in South Italy, centred in one class, that class should alone be called upon to give its suffrage. Sept. 22. — The last news I heard before leaving Naples was, that Garibaldi's " moderate " Ministry had resigned in a body, and that a set of Eed Eepublicans had succeeded them. People are beginning to fear that in his heart the General wishes for a republic, and that he will play Victor Emmanuel false. After the use he made of the King's name, which has indeed been a tower of strength to him, this would be an act of perfidy without parallel in history. The confi- dence felt in Garibaldi has, however, been so much shaken, that it is looked upon as a possible contingency. It is re- ported, that to an aide-de-camp whom the King sent to him F ffi VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy- two days ago, he said, " Tell your master that if a republic should be necessary, I will do my best to make him Dicta- tor." This doubt of Garibaldi's intentions was evidently felt by the Ministry, who a few days ago insisted upon taking the oath of allegiance to Victor Emmanuel. The Dictator did not take it, probably on the plea that he was already his subject. In three weeks I have seen the extinction of a popularity that seemed boundless. The people who were wild with delight at the arrival of Garibaldi would now be equally delighted to get rid of him. The reasons for this change are obvious. His refusal to declare at once the annexation of Southern Italy to Northern has alienated the moderate party, and generated suspicion of his intentions, which his violent language on several occasions has tended to confirm. In his proclamation to the Palermitans, he said that he would pro- claim Italian unity from the top of the Quirinal only — thus menacing even France. In an order of the day lamenting the death of one of his officers, he praised him for being a true democrat ; in a letter to one Brusco, published in the official journal, he proclaimed his irreconcileable hostility to the men who had humiliated the national dignity and sold an Italian province. All this has created a feeling that he is dragging Naples on, not towards a peaceful union with the rest of Italy, but towards an abyss of anarchy and war. Again, many of the decrees issued by him far outstep the limits of a confessedly tem- porary and transitional power. He declares the royal property to be nationa] property — he banishes the Jesuits and confiscates their goods — he does the like to the most eminent prelates — he abolishes State lotteries — he forbids the payment of gamorra — he concedes the right of fishing in the ports — all which may be useful measures, but not necessary to be done at once (unless the banishment of the prelates be regarded as a measure of security). These and a number of other measures might be left to the consideration of the regular Government. His nomination of Alexander Dumas to be director of the national museum, offended all men of education. The offence was increased by the summary dismissal, without compen- W.G.Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. QJ sation, of all the employes of the museum, and by a paper issued by the new director full of insolence and arrogance, in which he told the Neapolitans that want of education had degraded them to the level of brutes, and that he was about to raise them by showing them all that was great in politics and beautiful in art. If this offended the upper classes, the seizing of the carriages yesterday was a measure which has still more deeply offended the lower — not the owners and drivers alone, but others who see that their rights of property may be any day similarly invaded. Add to these causes of complaint, the bullying and insolent demeanour of many of Garibaldi's officers, and the natural reaction and discouragement which could not but follow such a fever of excitement, and we shall see enough to account for the decline of his popularity. " I'll make you a bet," said a Neapolitan to me, "that his power will not last as ong as Masaniello's." "Que venga il Ee Vittorio Emmanuele e venga subito, con venti mila soldati per cacciarci da Napoli questa canaglia ! " was the fervid exclamation of another who had made himself hoarse with shouting " Viva Garibaldi " on the 7th of September. Garibaldi's character was thus summed up by a friend of mine at Turin : " He is a brave soldier, but a great fool/' using the phrase (I suppose) in the sense of " un grand fou." I thought it harsh at the time, but my Neapolitan friends, chiefly belonging to the "moderate" party, were agreed in thinking it not so far from the truth. He was of course the chief topic of conversation during my stay at Naples. I give, in as few words as I can, the residuum of much talk. As a soldier, he is of undaunted courage and a master of the " dodges " (passez-moi le mot) which are required in guerilla war, but he has no conception of a general's duties in the field ; he is ignorant of the very rudiments of tactics, and incapable of organization on a large scale. He is kind and gentle in his manners, and reluctant to hurt any one's feelings, while he is reckless of their lives. His bravery and gentleness, his generosity and disinterestedness, secure him the personal affection of all around him, and that constitutes f2 68 VACATION T0URI8TS, AND [Italy. his great merit as a commander. He pushes his love of simplicity to a point bordering on affectation, and is almost ostentatious in his dislike of pomp. He is illogical, pre- judiced, and obstinate to a degree never before combined. He thinks cavalry useless, and has a profound contempt for cannon. He is perfectly certain that he has only to appear before the walls of Eome, and the French will leave it, taking with them the Holy Father. " What if they don't?" it was urged. " 0, but they will !" was the answer, in the tone of a man who admits no further discussion. He thinks that the walls of Mantua and Yerona will fall, like those of Jericho, at a shout. He is very easily imposed on, and believes in all those who are about him. Familiarity breeds respect, and no proof will convince him of the dishonesty of any one whom he has once trusted. He has not the moral courage to say " No " to a request of any of these favourites. His ignorance is such that the smallest show of knowledge completely im- poses upon him. He thinks Crespi a statesman, and Dumas a scholar. However, in forming an estimate of him, as of other extraordinary characters in history, we ought to be on our guard against the tendency natural to men to reduce emi- nence to the ordinary level by discovering a number of small failings. And when all abatements are made, there remain the great facts. His achievements are to be accounted for. He alone had gauged correctly the real weakness of the Neapolitan power, and the strength of his own seemingly feeble means, and he had the courage to test practically the truth of his conclusions. His life-long devotion to one great idea, and his strength of will, have made him " a king of men," and distinguish him from the crowd, who are always, on their own showing, victims to " circumstances over which they have no control." I left Naples for Civita Yecchia on the afternoon of this day. On board the steamer I met General Bosco. He was prevented by illness from following the army to Capua, and was in Naples when Garibaldi arrived. The latter W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 69 has required or advised him to leave the country for a while : he is therefore going to Paris. He says that all the arrange- ments for the equipment and feeding of the Neapolitan troops are very good ; that, in general, the material order of the army is excellent, but that the late King ruined its morale by introducing a system of promotion which has neither the advantages of the Austrian nor of the French system. The officers are not, as in the Austrian army, taken from the upper classes in society, and who therefore command the respect of the soldiers, and have, or ought to have, a nice sense of per- sonal honour ; neither are they, as in the French army, chosen in great measure from among the bravest and most intelligent men in the ranks ; but they are men without either social rank or individual merit. As far as I could understand, pro- motion is made by seniority, and is excessively slow. There were some men, he said, still lieutenants at fifty. Most of these old officers are married men and very poor, having little or nothing but their pay to live on, so that their interests and anxieties are with their families and not with the regiment, and thus ces peres de famille are capable of any treason or baseness if only they can avoid exposing lives so valuable at home. In the higher grades, of course, exceptions are made. General Bosco's own case is an instance. He was only a major at the accession of the present King — if I may still call Francesco II. " the present King." Between the police-office, the custom-house, and the rail- way-station, a traveller's patience is sorely tried at Civita Vecchia, as might be expected, seeing that there is in prescribing formalities a most elaborate system, and in exe- cuting them no system at all. One who knows Eome well tells me that utter confusion reigns in all the depart- ments of administration, from the highest to the lowest. In their normal state, the Government offices are like what they were in England, in the days when Samuel Pepys was at the Admiralty ; just now they are in the condition which the said offices must have been in after the news of William's landing 70 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy at Torbay had reached the metropolis. In the best of times -every official pilfers quietly, in proportion to his rank ; now there is a general scramble. I was eager to see Rome in this supreme crisis of its fortunes. I find that the crisis is like that of a fever, through which the patient passes in unconsciousness. It is said that there is a committee, or committees, somewhere, in communication with the revolutionists at Genoa and Naples ; but no one seems to know or care anything about it. At Naples, in the last days of Francesco, the committees kept issuing, three or four times a day, bulletins of news and in- flammatory placards ; here I see nothing of the kind. People in the cafes talk about the movements of the Piedmontese without fear or restraint ; but also, as it seems to me, with- out interest or sympathy. I see " Viva Garibaldi !" " Viva Vittorio Emmanuele !" scribbled on the walls ; but these inscrip- tions are apparently of old date, and the police have not taken the trouble to efface them — perhaps the most effectual way of neutralising their effect, just as the Irish denunciations of English tyranny are perpetually contradicted by the fact that they are allowed to be expressed. I see no groups, as at Naples, gathered round some one who has the latest news to tell. We are in complete ignorance as to what is going on at Ancona or Capua. We do not even know for certain where the nearest outposts of the Piedmontese army lie. All com^ munications are interrupted, and the latest intelligence is conveyed in private letters from Turin or Paris. If, however, the people here were not indifferent, we should surely hear a great deal of false news and reports, originating in excited imaginations. The Giornale di Roma — the only paper allowed to be printed — gives us news from Shanghai, and a discussion as to whether the Matilda of Dante was an Italian Princess or a German Saint, but contains not a word of news respecting the invading army. It was so with the Government organ a,t Naples in the last days of Francesco. Meanwhile, every one believes that the days of the Pope's "reign, as a temporal . W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 71 sovereign, are numbered. The denouement is certain, in whatever way it may be brought about. We who look on are like the reader of a novel who has peeped at the last page and seen that it ends happily, so that he goes through the book with diminished interest, but with some curiosity nevertheless to see by what ingenious process the author will extricate his characters from their embarrassment. The conduct of the plot is no doubt all settled between the great collaborateurs at Turin and Paris. The Eomans, in the meantime, are not at all sorry to let other people play their game, and give effect to their wishes, without being involved in the risk and worry of an insurrection : " If fate will have me king, why fate may crown me Without my stir." When a man can lie at his ease while other people climb the tree to shake the ripe fruit down to the ground within his reach, who can wonder at his acquiescence in so comfort- able an arrangement? The Holy Father, it is said, remains at the Vatican, freed from most of the cares of government; eating heartily and sleeping soundly, cheerfully preparing himself for the scaffold or the stake, thus enjoying by anticipation all the glories of martyrdom, together with a comfortable assurance that he will not be called upon to endure the pain thereof. An ardent Protestant asked the English clergyman the other day, " What arrangements he had made in the event of the fall of the Papacy V expecting, I suppose, that he would put on his surplice and bands, and, followed by his clerk proceed to read himself in at St. Peter's according to the form prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer. There is a very general idea prevalent, both among the foes and the friends of the Pope, that the destruction of his temporal will entail the ruin of his spiritual power. Among Protestants the wish is father to the thought, and the im- patient interpreters of prophecy find no warrant in their texts for breaking the fall of Antichrist half-wav down, 72 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italy. Among devout Eomanists the notion arises from their attach- ment to the tradition of their Church, which holds the two powers to be inseparable, and which clutches at the sub- stantial patrimony of St. Peter with as much tenacity as his metaphorical keys. In reality, I doubt whether ardent anti-Komanists are wise in advocating the abolition of the temporal power. The notorious scandals of the Papal administration tend to throw a slur upon his spiritual pretensions. If a man know not how to rule his own house- hold, how shall he rule the Church of Christ ? How can the worst of temporal sovereigns be the best of spiritual fathers ? I believe that his position as spiritual sovereign would be strengthened by the abolition of the temporal power. It is a reform as urgently needed as the reforms which were brought about within the Eoman Church after Luther's secession. Prom those reforms the Church derived new strength and a fresh lease of existence. That lease is now run out, and can only be renewed on condition of parting with the temporal power. The world is not yet ripe for the destruction of the spiritual domination, and till then the powers of Napoleon, and Victor Emmanuel, and Garibaldi all united will not prevail against it. Not martyr flames nor trenchant swords shall do away that ancient institution. Sept. 23. — The gardens of the French Academy on the Pin- cian, open to the public this (Sunday) afternoon, are planted in a manner rather unusual now-a-days. Narrow walks intersect each other at right angles, bordered on each side by tall hedges of box overtopped by ilex and bay (here meriting its name of laurus nobilis), with generally at each angle a cypress or pine. Such a garden, delightfully cool and plea- sant beneath this Italian sun, would be damp, and chill, and mouldy in England. Nevertheless the lieges of Elizabeth used to love "pleached alleys," and I could fancy that Shakespeare planted for himself some such "trim plea- saunce " at New Place. I wonder if there was more sunshine in England in those days. In Spenser and Shakespeare it is almost always sunshine — a notable storm now and then W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA FEL IN 1 8 60. 73 — but sunshine as a rule. Is there any truth in the fancy of all old people that the weather used to be warmer and finer when they were young? Or is it that nature has kindly provided for men, whether poets or not, that only the sunny hours of life shall make a lasting impression on the memory, like the dial that says, " Horas non numero nisi serenas ? " In sight of the stone bench where I am sitting are a group of children, from twelve to fifteen years old, playing with a heartiness which we are accustomed to think a special characteristic of English children. It is a sunny hour for them. Their game is called Ladri e Sbirri. The first thing they do is to stand round in a ring. Each holds out three fingers. The biggest boy counts, beginning from his left hand, three, six, nine, &c. up to twenty-one, after which he goes on counting each boy as one till he gets to thirty-one, and number thirty-one is the Capo Sbirro. This elaborate device is to prevent cheating in the choice of a leader. The Capo Ladro is chosen in the same way. The head spy and the head robber then choose their men alternately. The Sbirri tie a handkerchief for distinction round the left arm, and start in chase of the robbers. Some of the stone seats are supposed, "by making believe very much," to be caves, where they are secure. If the robbers succeed in escaping all to the same cave, they win the game. It was curious to observe how, even in the ardour of the game, the slow, trainant, distinct enunciation of the Eomans was preserved. A strange contrast to the confused gibberish of the Neapolitans. Sept. 25. — The Pope had ordered solemn prayers for three days — a triduo is the name still in use, adopted like so many others from Pagan Eome — to be offered for the success of his arms. These were repeated for three successive evenings at vesper time, in one of the chapels of St. Peter's. Swiss guards lined each side of the chapel, and the Holy Father himself, in scarlet cope, knelt in front of the altar, and once during the ceremony offered incense. The persons present — five or six 74 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Italt. hundred in number — joined in the chanting with great appa- rent fervour, but before the service was over, a large part had scurried off, and taken their place in a double line leading to the door, by which his Holiness was to pass on the way to the Vatican. The Pope looked placid and benignant as ever, and showed no trace of care or trouble in face or figure. People dropped on their knees to receive his benediction. An Englishman, whose Protestantism has been intensified by residence in Eome, to whom I spoke of the effective per- formance I had just witnessed, said, "Yes, they are consum- mate actors, but I have long felt that the play has lost its attractiveness by too much repetition, and now it is more dreary to me than ever, for I know that there is no money to renew the dresses and decorations, or to pay the wages of the scene-shifters and candle-snuff ers." Early in October I returned by way of Marseilles and Paris* All the Frenchmen I talked with on the steamer and in the railway carriage showed great irritation against Italians in general, and Garibaldi in particular. They were very sore about Castelfidardo, and the fate of the Pope's French volun- teers, who had fought like lions " un contre cent" and before succumbing to numbers had annihilated a whole regiment of Piedmontese. If their opinion could be taken as an index of the general feeling of France, the Emperor would be taking a popular course if he were to restore the status quo in Italy by force of arms, leaving only Lombardy to Piedmont, as a com- pensation for Savoy and Nice. It was agreed that the posi- tion of Austria in Venice was intolerable. " Que f aire?" My suggestion that Austria should sell it was ridiculed as " une idee vraiment Anglaise"* they not seeming to remember that the great Napoleon netted a good round sum by a similar transaction with regard to Louisiana. These same Frenchmen showed, I am sorry to say, no good will towards England. They spoke out their sentiments with * Now (December, 1860), this very plan is recommended by several journals in France, as the only solution of the difficulty. W. G. Clark.] NOTES OF TRA VEL Itf 1 860. 75 that complete disregard of a stranger's feelings which dis- tinguishes them from all other nations, and makes them essentially the rndest nation in Europe. They told me that every one knew the great ultimate purpose of the Emperor's policy was the humiliation of England ; that in less than ten years he would take Gibraltar from us, and give it to Spain, he would take the Ionian Islands and give them to Greece, thus making allies for himself everywhere at our expense ; that he would seize Egypt, and cut us off from India, &c. &c. A countryman whom I met at Paris had been the object of similar polite attentions in crossing France. One of his fellow- travellers, rejoicing in the prospect of a speedy war, rubbed his hands and said with a cheerful smile, " Oui, Monsieur, nous vous mangerons les entrailles." The French say, and by constantly affirming it have half- persuaded themselves, that they are stronger than we, and would, in the event of a war, be certainly victorious, but beneath their boasting lurks a feeling of distrustful fear, which will give them pause, and make them reflect that they may find a cheaper and safer way of gratifying their national vanity by continuing to brag of what they will do than by trying to do it. 76 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. 2. A TOUR IN CIVIL AND MILITARY CROATIA, AND PART OF HUNGARY. BY GEORGE ANDREW SPOTTISWOODE. At the end of October last, our party, consisting of my brother and sister, myself, and the courier, found ourselves at Trieste. A somewhat erratic course had brought us from Innsbruck by Salzburg and Ischl, through Styria to Brack, where we joined the Vienna and Trieste railway. We had been well rewarded for devoting one day to Adelsberg, where we had spent some hours in exploring the intricacies and beauties of its caves ; and were now making preparations for continuing our journey farther south. Utterly abjuring steamboats, both on general grounds and also on account of a too recent experience of them by some of our party in the Mediterranean, we had intended to pro- ceed by land. The lateness of the season warned us to push on without visiting Pola or the other places of interest in Istria. We accordingly took the direct route to Fiume, which begins to ascend the mountains behind Trieste, immediately after quitting the town ; and then striking off from the road to Laibach, continues along a high ridge overlooking, on the left, the desolate region called the Karst. Here the eye ranges over an immense tract of stony country, without catching a trace of vegetation except here and there a wretched stick of a tree, bearing the few twigs which the bitter north-east wind allows to grow. But though no vegetation meets the eye, there is a pecu- liarity about this district which considerably modifies its apparent sterility. The surface is honeycombed throughout G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 8 60. JJ with circular, funnel-shaped holes, twenty, fifty, or a hundred feet or more in diameter, and at the bottom of these funnels is always a little spot of rich black mould, in every case showing marks of diligent culture. Until these are dis- covered, the traveller is at a loss to understand whence the population of the large whitewashed villages, scattered at distant intervals over this region, derives its subsistence. A little beyond Castelnuovo, we first catch sight of the country sloping towards Fiume. A steep hill descends at our feet to a sea of tumbled rocks at the bottom, and some miles in front rises a wall of bare stony mountains, gorgeous with the pink and orange hues of sunset. A purple slumber gradually steals over them, followed by the grey twilight, which at last hides them from our eyes. Fiume is a pretty town of ten or twelve thousand inha- bitants. As you look out of the hotel-window over the quay, the mountains of Istria on the right and some islands in front inclose a fine harbour, the great drawback to which is the difficulty of access. Here, as everywhere, the hotel was half occupied by the officers of the garrison, there being in the town nearly as many soldiers as inhabitants. The intelligence of the new constitutions which were to be granted to the different Austrian states had been received very coldly by the people of Fiume. The studiously vague terms in which the announcement was conveyed, left them in doubt of the point on which their anxiety chiefly centred ; namely, whether they were in future to form a part of Hun- gary or of Croatia. They much preferred the former country ; as, being the richer of the two, they thought it would be able to do the most for the encouragement of their free port. But whatever hopes they may have allowed themselves to entertain on the subject have been disappointed ; for Fiume has since been declared to belong to the kingdom of Croatia, and Hungary Proper remains without a port of its own. They were also full of complaints of the favour shown by the Government to their rival, Trieste, while they themselves were burdened with duties and taxes which disabled them 78 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. from entering into a fair competition with that city. The increase in the taxes during the last twelve years is extra- ordinary : a house which at the former period was rated at eighteen shillings, now pays fifteen pounds. During the short hour of liberty in 1848, the trade of Fiume showed some signs of vigour, but since the re- establishment of arbitrary government in the Austrian states it has languished. Open spaces along the shore in the neighbourhood of the town, with remains of timber lying about, were once occupied by shipbuilders, but are now deserted and forlorn. A large and profitable trade in staves for beer-barrels has, however, lately been opened with England ; and under the freer institutions now promised, Fiume may regain some of her former prosperity. A remarkable sort of timber used to be a remunerative article of export in former times. It had the appearance of oak, but when sawed up, it was found to be full of circular chambers filled with cigar-shaped preparations of tobacco. The forests where this timber was grown were not indicated to us : our informant, who had evidently made a good deal of money by some trade or other, loudly regretted the dis- appearance of the good old days, and the prying disposition of the custom-house officials. The want of communication with the interior is another great drawback to Fiume. The railway from Vienna to the Adriatic was originally intended to pass through part of Hungary, and to reach Trieste by way of Fiume ; but it has been constructed along the present line, at great additional expense, in order to punish the Hungarians for their share in the events of 1848. An Englishman, who was in the neigh- bourhood of Fiume last autumn, has, I understand, since been endeavouring to take steps for the formation of a railway from Sissek to Fiume, in connexion with which a line of steamers is proposed between that port and England. The only communication at present between Fiume and the forests and corn-producing plains of Hungary is the Luisenstrasse — a good road, but the tolls on it are so heavy as to make it in G. A. Sfottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 79 a commercial point of view comparatively useless. The reader will perhaps gain some idea of the disadvantages under which this part of Europe lies from want of means of transport, when he learns that it is cheaper, as well as more certain, as regards time, to import corn to Fiume from Kussia by- Odessa, than from Hungary. We received great kindness during our stay at Fiume from Mr. Hill, the English vice-consul, and Mr. Francovich, a timber-merchant, to whom we had a letter of introduction. The former amused us much with stories of persons he had met with in the course of his official residence in the town. The incidents related in the following story, which was told us by Mr. Hill, occurred to a gentleman with whom I am well acquainted, and who, after serving with distinction in the army, had at the period of their occurrence lately taken holy orders. In the middle of the night, one summer, some three and twenty years ago, Mr. Hill was called up by a messenger, who had ridden in hot haste from a village about eighteen miles inland, and who said that an English gentleman and his son were in trouble, and had been ill-treated and placed in con- finement by some peasants, with whom they had had the misfortune to quarrel. It was a matter of a few minutes for Mr. Hill to present himself at the house of the governor, of whom he demanded the services of a surgeon and a lawyer. With these companions he set off for the village indicated, where he found Mr. and his son, a boy of about fourteen, in a peasant's cabin, wounded and handcuffed. Leaving the surgeon to administer what relief he could, Mr. Hill and the lawyer hastened to the house where the trial (as it was called) was proceeding. At the centre of a table sat the Giudice dei Nobili, on his right the judge of the peasants, and on his left the Eoman Catholic priest of the village. After some discussion, in which Mr. Hill defended his clients from various accusations, the judge objected that the passport was a forged one ; for, having been issued at the commencement of her present Majesty's reign, King William's 80 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. name had been erased, and that of Queen Victoria substituted. This difficulty was scarcely explained away, when the judge objected again that Mr. was described as a lieutenant- colonel. " And why not ? " said Mr. Hill. "Well," answered the judge, "he may be a lieutenant- colonel, but a little way further on he is described as a gentleman ! What can you say to that ? " The idea of a lieutenant-colonel being also a gentleman was beyond the imagination of an Austrian official. Beaten out of this position, however, he renewed the attack ; and, taking up a visiting card, showed that Mr. was described as the Eev. . This did appear rather staggering ; but Mr. Hill was equal to the occasion. Knowing nothing of the circumstances of this particular case, he rushed into a general explanation of English manners. " Oh, that's only your ignorance. In England, livings belong to private persons, and when their sons are not old enough to take them, they put in some one to keep them for a time. Meanwhile, the son goes to college, and then he puts on a red coat and goes into the army (they don't allow him to go into the navy, because sailors swear, and soldiers are not allowed to swear), and then, after a time, he leaves the army and takes orders." " But," interrupted the priest, " he can't be really a priest, for he has his son with him." "Are we not in a Greek village?" inquired Mr. Hill ; "and has not the Greek priest a wife and children \ And though the Greek priest can only marry one wife, an English priest may marry as many as he pleases, in succession." " But I'm sure he is an impostor/' persisted the priest, " for he says he knows Latin, and I can't understand him." Mr. Hill reminded the Court of the difference in the mode of pronunciation of Latin among different nations, and claimed that Mr. should be brought in to answer for himself. The surgeon had by this time produced a great change in his appearance, and Mr. Hill insisted on the irons being G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 81 taken off before the examination was proceeded with. On a trial in writing, Mr. 's Latin was found to be superior to the priest's, so that difficulty was disposed of. But the priest was not beaten yet. " Well, at any rate, I am sure he is a bad man, for he has got a devil's machine with him." "A devil's machine ! How do you know it is a devil's machine ? " " Oh, I'm sure it is. Look here ! " And he produced, with an air of triumph, a number of rods tied together, and a book containing a collection of the most frightful-looking little imps, with which poor Mr. was supposed to make his incantations. Unfortunately for the priest, this horrible apparatus turned out to be nothing but a fishing-rod and fly-book. Mr. Hill conquered, but was glad to carry off his charge as fast as he could to Fiume. Before starting, however, Mr. was taken to a window of the house, from which he was shown the peasants who had maltreated him, being flogged all round. On his arrival at Fiume, he represented his case to the higher authorities, objecting to the punish- ment being put off on the least guilty parties, and insisting that the judges, and not the peasants, should be punished. The correspondence was kept up in the ordinary official form for a twelvemonth ; and the Austrian authorities at last made an end of the matter, by leaving the magistrates in their offices, but flogging the peasants all round a second time. Bare rocks, and steep mountains, almost destitute of vegeta- tion, were the chief features of the country after leaving Fiume. On the southern slopes of the hills, however, vines are culti- vated, and trained over the stones which abound everywhere, in order to catch as many of the sun's rays as possible. At the little village inn of JSTovi, where we slept, we were warned to beware of the great scourge of this district, the Bora. This wind blows with such violence from the north- east, that it is often impossible for man or beast to stand against it. The whole country lying on the north and north- G 82 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Ceoatia. east of the Adriatic is afflicted with it. Its visits are rare in summer, but increase in frequency towards winter, when it often rages uninterruptedly for three weeks. It was a bright cold morning when we left Nbvi for Zengg (or Segna). Our road is on the slope of the bare mountains of the mainland, which sweep upwards to our left, and on our right the equally bare hills of Isola Yeglia confine the sea within a narrow channel. A strange-looking streak of foam and spray, which crosses the water at one spot a little before us, attracts our attention. Before long, we know that this is the point where the Bora first strikes the sea. Presently another and another streak appears, and soon the whole surface of the sea is covered with white foam, and clouds of rainbow-coloured spray chasing one another furiously in every direction, the wind meanwhile raging without intermission, bitter and icy. The sun blazing in the cloudless sky seemed to mock at the sea, and the bare motionless rocks looked on helpless as the wind made long furrows on her surface. Without a murmur she suffered, yet neither sun nor moun- tains werer ashamed. The road, after the fashion of country-roads, runs high or low, now near the sea, now mounting the face of the rock, without any intelligible purpose. With its usual judgment, it chooses the most exposed point of the most exposed moun- tain for one of these displays of engineering. Mala Draga is the appropriate name of the place. We had got out of the carriage, and were holding our own with difficulty against the wind, when we suddenly saw seat-cushions, books, and plaids neatly lifted out by the wind, and making their way rapidly up the hill. A general chase ensued, ending in the capture of the greater part of our property, which we prudently packed into the bottom of- the carriage, with myself spread out on the top of all to prevent further accident. Zengg is the head-quarters, or, in the imaginative language of the inhabitants, the birthplace, of the Bora. The town, a seaport, lies at the mouth of a rocky gorge, down which the G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 83 wind blows in one steady, pitiless storm for nearly six months in the year. It is rather picturesque, half Italian in some of its features ; and an old mediaeval castle frowns over it. The port shares with Fiume the trade in timber from the interior, and is frequently visited by English vessels, which import the Manchester cotton prints, crockery, and Sheffield ware, which are met with in every town and village along this coast. An amusing account of the Uscoc pirates, the former inhabitants of Zengg, and of their misdeeds and final removal to the mountains which still bear their name in the neigh- bourhood of Karlstadt, will be found in Sir Gardiner Wilkinson's work on Dalmatia and Montenegro. It would appear that the climate has not deteriorated since their time, for in 1607, when the Austrian Government, in order to satisfy the Vene- tians, commanded the Uscocs to desist from all "hostilities against the Turks/' as their piracies were called in polite language, they " despatched one of their voivodas to the Imperial Court to represent the impossibility of living at Segna without piracy, and to pray that the taxes levied on certain Morlacchi villages [in Dalmatia] might be assigned for their maintenance." The delays incident to posting through a country not often visited by tourists, promised to increase as we advanced farther. We decided, therefore, to strike up to the north- east through Croatia into Hungary. There is but one road into and one road out of Zengg, so that our route was not affected by this change of plan till we reached the first post station, Xuta Loqua. As we get away from the neighbour- hood of the town some symptoms of vegetation appear, and in one place vines are cultivated. The ascent is tolerably rapid, and in the upper part the road is carried through oak woods, with beautiful views of the Adriatic with its islands, and occasionally Zengg, crowned by its old castle. At the summit we pass through a new wooden gate, behind which we discover a picquet of Austrian soldiers, with a hastily built guard-house ; and above our heads two cannon are planted, commanding the pass. All the hamlets on this g2 84 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia, side the mountain swarm with soldiers. The fear of Gari- baldi and his Hungarian legion has called up these locusts, which, wherever we went, were devouring the land. So great is the alarm his name inspired into the authorities, that not long before our visit, all the Austrian lighthouses in the Adriatic were extinguished for some time. Even the town clock at Fiume was not allowed to shine, lest it should light some Garibaldian vessel to its harbour. The result of this measure was, however, that Austrian and neutral vessels could no more reach Trieste than Garibaldian ships of war. This quite unexpected inconvenience, combined with the raising of the insurance on vessels proceeding to these ports, at last made the Austrian Government rescind this absurd order. From Xuta Loqua the Dalmatian road turns off to the right, and passing through Ottochacz, crosses the Velebich mountains, and descends thence to Knin, near which place the roads to Zara, Sebenico and Spalato diverge. Travellers visiting Dalmatia almost invariably make use of the steamers which proceed either from Trieste or Fiume, and touch only at the principal towns on the coast. Much of the interest arising from a tour in an unfrequented country is thereby lost. As, however, it is five or six days' land journey from Trieste to Zara, any one whose time is limited would probably do well to profit by the steamer as far as the latter place, and then make his way onwards, either in the light carriages of the country, or, perhaps better, on horseback. We were unable to gain any certain intelligence as to the organization of the post beyond Zara. The road between Xuta Loqua and Jezerana passes over a wild country, and about a mile beyond the latter place crosses the Kapella mountain, a part of the Julian Alps, from the summit of which there is a fine view, closed by the range of mountains overhanging Zengg. The descent of the Kapella on the north-east side is through a forest of pines, which has suffered much from storms ; and the road winds its way round the funnel-shaped holes which here, as in the Karst men- tioned above, are the distinguishing feature of the country. G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 60. 85 Karlstadt is a town of some seven thousand inhabitants ; the older part of it is inclosed by strong fortifications, but beyond the glacis which surrounds them are large suburbs. The young poplars which have just been planted here, replace those removed by order of the military authorities during the Italian war of 1859. The Government were so terrified at the successes of the Franco-Italian army that they did not feel safe even here. It may be doubted, however, whether the mass of the people in these parts are not still in ignorance of the real character of at least some of the engagements which took place during that campaign ; for we frequently saw prints at country inns representing incidents of the battles of Magenta and Solferino, and it was hinted to us that these were circu- lated by authority, and that innkeepers and others were " invited " to purchase them. The natural conclusion on the part of the people is, of course, that these battles were Austrian victories. From Karlstadt there is water communication with the Danube by means of the Kulpa and the Save, and good roads lead to the ports of Fiume and Zengg, and into Dalmatia ; but the tolls on the road to Fiume are very heavy, and the navigation of the Kulpa is difficult and tedious, on account of the alternate floods and want of water. Yet, notwithstanding these disadvantages, Karlstadt is the centre of a considerable trade, especially in corn, tobacco, and wood. Sissek, at the junction of the Save and Kulpa, is the great depot where is collected the timber of Bosnia, and the other neighbouring districts. It is conveyed thence in barges up the Kulpa, to Karlstadt, from which place it is taken to Fiume or Zengg in the little waggons of the country. A peasant, generally accompanied by his wife or son, occupies four or five days in the journey ; his cart contains about five pounds' worth of wood, and he receives about thirty shillings for its transport. The wood is principally exported to England in the form of staves ; and the forests of Bosnia bid fair to attract to them- selves a large portion of the commerce which used to be 86 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. almost monopolized by Norway. It is hoped, also, that the Admiralty will make use of the timber of this country for ship-building ; and the Austrian Government is stated to be willing to facilitate this commercial intercourse with us, as it is at this moment very desirous of cultivating friendly relations with England. A gentleman, who owns some forests on the other side of the Turkish frontier, and who held contracts from the English Government during the Crimean war, hearing that we were in Karlstadt, offered to take us an excursion of two or three days, to see his forests. We gladly availed ourselves of this opportunity, and Mr. having shown our passports to the Commandant at Karlstadt, and obtained permission for us to enter the Military Erontier, we started by daybreak one morning, though the weather looked unpropitious, for the snow was beginning to fall slowly and steadily. When we drove into the back yard of the post-station at Vojnich, about twenty miles from Karlstadt, the carriage was full of snow, and the post-master would give us no horses, as the road by which we were to proceed was not a post-road. The accommodation of the inn did not at that time seem very inviting ; but, on our return a few days afterwards, we thought it almost luxurious. A broad entry, with a floor of earth, divided the house into two parts. On one side was the kitchen, and a room for the usual frequenters of the place ; drovers, carters, and soldiers. On the other side, two low rooms, with an arch between them, contained two or three beds each. A universal bedroom upstairs completed the establishment. After some delay we arranged with the peasants for four horses to take us on to Maljevacz, a fort on the border, whence we were to cross, snow permitting, into the Turkish terri- tory. A wild-looking man, with a red Turkish cloak, and something between a cap and an extempore turban, drove the wheelers, while his companion acted as postilion for the leaders. The fare as well as the accommodation of Maljevacz being considered questionable, we packed up some bread, a G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN i860. 87 small cask of wine, and a piece of beef, which we bought of the landlord, who was also a butcher. It was growing dusk when, after a laborious journey in the snow, we drove through the black and yellow striped gates of Maljevacz. The fort consists of a single two-storied building, from the central portion of which three arms pro- ject in different directions ; the whole being surrounded by a loopholed wall. The present building occupies the site of one which was burned down by the Turks in 1819. Accommo- dation is provided on the ground -floor for the soldiers, and on the first-floor for the director or quarantine-officer, the doua- nier, and the priest. We were received with great hospitality ; for each of the three gave up a room, so that at last we were all housed. Having brought provisions to so dreary a spot, we thought it selfish to consume them by ourselves ; we therefore invited the commandant and the other officers to supper. The courier, in the meantime, foraged about, and collected chickens and turkeys, the staple food of the country, and by dint of great exertions, a supper, magnificent for such a place, was at last got ready. It is true that the chickens and turkeys were stringy and tough, and that the soup ap- peared in a wash-hand basin which we had lately used, and which was made available several times during the repast ; its last use being to contain a salad, composed principally of cold potatoes and onions with oil and vinegar. But every one took everything in good part, and the priest superintended the succession of the courses, changed the plates, wiped the knives and forks, and was always at hand whenever any attention could be shown to any one. By the help of five languages — English, French, German, Italian, and Slavonic — all of which were talked simultaneously, and of which most of the company understood two, we made ourselves very happy, and interchanged ideas on all sorts of subjects — the snow, the forest, the frontier, the Turks, and even the Volunteers. The cries of the sentinels every quarter of an hour during the night were anything but cheerful. One of them was stationed just opposite my window, and as I unclosed my 88 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. shutter in the morning, I saw him open the cloak which he had put over his head, howl for the last time, and then stand, the picture of misery, with the snow deepening round him, till he was relieved. There was no getting away from the place that day, as it was necessary to construct a sledge for the carriage ; and even so simple a machine as two logs of wood, hewn moderately square and placed under the wheels, could not be put together in less than a day. Even the wood itself had to be fetched from the Turkish side. As we are now fairly in Military Croatia, the following outline of the peculiar constitution of this border land may not be uninteresting. The Military Frontier of Austria is a long strip of territory intervening between the Austrian dominions and Turkey, extending from Dalmatia to Tran- sylvania, which latter district, though under a somewhat similar form of government, does not form part of the military frontier strictly so called. The country is divided into fifteen districts, fourteen of which furnish each a regiment of infantry; the fifteenth maintaining a battalion of river artillery. Commencing from the boundary of Dalmatia, the regiments with their head-quarters are as follow : — KARLSTADT DISTRICT. Regiment. Head-Quarters. Lika Gospich. Ottocha Ottochacz. Ogulin Ogulin. Szluin Karlstadt. BANAT DISTRICT. 1st Banat Regt. . . Glina. 2nd do Petrinia. WARASDIN DISTRICT. Warasdin Kreuz . . . ) t>,^„„„ St. George .... Belovar - SLAVONIAN DISTRICT. Regiment. Head-Quarters. Gradiska .... Neu Gradiska. Brod Vincovcze. SYRMIAN DISTRICT. Peterwardein . . . Mitrovicz. Tschaikist Battalion. Tittel. BANAT FRONTIER. German Banat . . Pancsova. Illyrian Banat . . Weisskirchen. Roman Banat. . . Karansebes. Transylvania furnishes four regiments of infantry, two Szekler and two Wallachian, and one regiment of Szekler hussars. G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN I 8 60. 89 Scattered military colonies had been formed on the frontiers of Hungary from a very early period, but the present syste- matic organization of extensive districts dates from the period when Hungary was added to the other dominions of the house of Hapsburg. A bulwark against the Turkish power was desirable and even necessary in days gone by, and a sanitary cordon as a protection from the plague may have mitigated the ravages of this scourge in Eastern Europe ; but the rulers of the heterogeneous mass of states swayed by the sceptre of Austria were wise in their own generation when they projected a system which gave them a numerous force of hardy soldiers, sympathising with none of the neighbouring nationalities, untroubled by regret for the loss of or aspira- tions after political rights, and knowing scarcely any other life than that of the rude camp in which they were nurtured. It is interesting to watch the slow but steady progress by which this system has been advanced, from its commencement in the west to its present limits eastward. The Karlstadt and Warasdin districts were formed at the end of the six- teenth century, and placed under the immediate authority of the Austrian war-office. The Banat Border District was formed in the seventeenth century, and is so called from its being under the jurisdiction of the Ban of Croatia. The Slavonian District was not formed till the beginning of the eighteenth century, and was at first of much greater extent ; but the Hungarians, by this time seeing the true object of these encroachments by the military power, succeeded in effecting a considerable reduction in its extent, for it is now the narrowest part of the military frontier. In the latter half of the eighteenth century, a district at the confluence of the Theiss and the Danube was assigned to the Tschaikist battalion of gunboats, which had been originally raised at Komorn during the wars with Frederic the Great. A little later in the same century the Banat frontier (of Temesvar) was constituted, and the modified military system, which at present obtains in Transylvania, was established. The whole southern frontier of the Austrian states, from the 90 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. shores of the Adriatic to the eastern limit ot Transylvania, is thus under military government. The system has not been extended northwards from this point, and it is to be hoped that it never may be. It is a system which, whatever reason may have existed for it in former times, is now of use only to extinguish the efforts of the different provinces to regain the freedom of which they have been stealthily but steadily despoiled by Austria. It is to be hoped that Hungary, of which country these districts are in some degree dependencies, may under the new regime develop some plan for removing at least the most objectionable features of their constitution. It remains to notice some of the leading characteristics of the system. The districts mentioned above are again par- celled out into smaller portions ; the male population from the age of sixteen to sixty within each district forms a regi- ment ; the men of the different smaller portions within that district forming the different companies of the regiment. The boundaries of the regiments and of the companies are indi- cated on the principal roads by high posts, carrying iron plates, on which may be seen in raised letters either " Boundary of and Eegiments," or " Eegi- ment, boundary of and Companies." The colonel of each regiment resides at the town or village which is its head- quarters. The captains and other officers have officers' quar- ters provided within the limits of their companies. The officer is also the magistrate within the limit of his military jurisdiction, there being no civil government whatever. Along the whole line of the frontier are placed at intervals forts or stations like that at Maljevacz. Between these forts there is a chain of buildings called chardaks, in each of which a certain number of soldiers are stationed to prevent persons from crossing the border at any unauthorized place or time. These chardaks are square buildings of two floors, the upper one surrounded by a gallery in which the sentinel keeps watch, the whole being covered by a high roof. The garrison is changed on the Monday in each week. For this weekly term of duty, which recurs several times in the year, G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRJ VEL IN 1 8 60. 91 and which with going and returning sometimes occupies him one-third of the year, the soldier receives no pay, and has to provide his own food. In the event of being called out of the country, to which he is at all times liable, he receives five kreuzers (about 2d.) a day, and half a loaf of black bread. Each family receives a portion of land to cultivate. The portion allotted to each is sufficient for its support, but the occupants have little time to cultivate it. This land is the property of the State, and inalienable. A glance at the houses and their inhabitants as they swarm out of their dark smoky cabins is sufficient to show the result of this system. Every man (or rather boy,) is compelled by law to marry at seven- teen, in order to keep up the supply of soldiers for the State. Although the soil is good, the inhabitants have to purchase many articles of subsistence from the Turks. A market is held at Maljevacz every Monday; at the two markets pre- ceding our visit, no business had been done, as the borderers had no produce to exchange, and what little money they had was useless, for the Turks will not take Austrian paper, except at a ruinous discount. Improvement is impossible under the present system. No manufactures are permitted in the country. No one would be allowed to settle in it, even if disposed to do so ; neither may any of the present inhabitants leave it. Erom these military districts Austria can raise a force of 140,000 men, ready at any moment to march into a disaffected province, and assist, as they did in Hungary in 1848, in exter- minating all symptoms of rebellion. The last morning of our stay at Maljevacz was occupied in bargaining for some specimens of the work of the Croat women. These consisted of aprons, curiously woven and em- broidered with heavy fringe round them, and of girdles and socks of the same kind of work. The news, that we were inquiring about such things, spread rapidly through the village ; and we had women of all ages eagerly offering aprons, old and new, and everything else they could think of. Sharp dealing must be an "innate idea" in the human race ; for these people, who had no trade in their work, and 92 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Croatia. evidently knew nothing of what it was worth, at once asked a high price, and stuck to it manfully. A sharp skirmish was carried on with each in turn, for we could do nothing when they were all in our room at the same time ; and I must confess that we often had the worst of it. One little girl in a Greek costume battled hard, and when we got her to abate one florin in a very long price, retired temporarily from the field ; but returned in half an hour to say that her papa would not let the work go for less than the sum originally asked. She would have done honour to New York. Herr Direktor was a great man, in his own estimation, in this establishment. He was, on the present occasion, the possessor of a sledge, which we coveted greatly. The other officers interceded in turn that we might be allowed to use it, but without effect ; so a deputation of us went, and by some means managed to soften him. He was a little man, with a screwed-up face and big spectacles, and would never talk anything but French to us. The power he exercised over that language was extraordinary. Conjugations and termi- nations of all kinds he dispensed with as unnecessary; and his rather slender vocabulary, which we soon learnt by heart, came out time after time in its well-known order, solemn and stately, with decent intervals between the words. We were quite sorry to part from the kind, open-hearted old priest, who "gave all that he had from his heart," and who had exerted himself so much for our comfort. Under some pretence or other, we managed to get each one of the officers to accept some recompense for the trouble we had given them. The new silver money w^hich we had with us, and which some of them had never even seen, was very welcome. The incipient thaw delayed our sledge nearly six hours on the nineteen miles of road to Yojnich, and the carriage which followed at a little interval, with a multitude of horses and men, was ten hours on the road. A good road leads from Yojnich by Glina to Petrinia and Sissek. There is also a pretty road from Maljevacz to Petri- nia, down the river Glina, passing through Topusca, where G. A. Spottiswoodb.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 93 there are remains of Eoman baths of Diocletian's time. All such excursions were, however, impossible for us, and we hurried back as soon as we could to Karlstadt and thence to Agram. This place is the capital of Croatia, but is not an interest- ing town. The cathedral is a fine gothic building, well cared for, and the Bishop appears to be a botanist. The sights are mentioned in Murray, but are not bewildering, either in num- ber or variety. It being Sunday when we were there, we had a good opportunity of seeing the costumes of the peasants who came into the market in the morning to sell their farm produce. As for the men, some of them wore great white cloaks, like blankets, with quaint devices on them ; others, brown felt jackets, embroidered at the sides, and broad- brimmed hats with artificial flowers round the crown ; others, again, wore coats or jackets of sheepskin, with the fur inside, some white and some brown, with gorgeous conventional flowers or other patterns on the back and sleeves. All their legs were encased in felt hose, and on their feet they had clumsy low shoes, fastened with long sandals round the ankle. But how shall I describe the costume of the female popu- lation? They wear folded handkerchiefs, of a somewhat Eoman character, on their heads. Their bodies are encased in sheepskin jackets, or waistcoats, ornamented like those of the men, and, like theirs, apparently worn for life. Under this is a very scanty piece of unbleached drapery, which descends nearly to the knees, with a pretty red stripe near the lower edge ; and the costume is completed by a pair of Wellington boots. Voila la paysanne Croate. The town population, however, are quite different in their dress, are well up in the last fashions, and wear crinoline and steel-petticoats of gigantic proportions. The latter part of the road to Warasdin is through pretty forest scenery. The town itself is in the middle of a marshy plain ; the houses are low and irregular, and the streets im- passable on account of the mud. The railway from Mahr- burg, on the Vienna and Trieste line, along the soutt side 94 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Hungary. of the Platten See to Stuhlweissenburg, and Buda (Pest), was to be opened on the 1st of January, 1861. At the time of our visit, trains only ran to Gross Kanizsa — a world's end sort of place, with streets deep in mud. The arrival of an English party excited the liveliest interest in the hotel at Kanizsa. The servants looked through our keyholes to catch a glimpse of the lions ; and the daughter of the house, though dressed for a hall, put on an apron and enacted supernumerary housemaid, in order to gain admit- tance to our rooms. The ball was being given in the hotel in honour of a Jewish wedding. The people goodnaturedly asked us to join them ; and after making what preparation we could, we were soon engaged in the waltz or polka, taking first one partner, then another, one turn round the room. In- troductions and conversation were equally unnecessary, and, in some cases, equally impossible, for none of our party could speak a word of Hungarian, and several of the natives spoke nothing else. We were by this time in Hungary, and though the country was beginning to be much agitated, and the Hungarians count all Englishmen as friends, the presence of two white-coated Austrian officers effectually checked any allusion to political affairs. The band serenaded us at night, and in the morning we counted sixty people collected at the hotel-door to witness our departure. A general doffing of hats on all sides, with cries of " gliickliche reise" takes place, and then we drive out into the street. Arrived there, we go bump, bump, into the holes, which lie concealed deep below the surface of the mud. We hope it will be better when we get out of the town ; but in vain. For fifteen or sixteen miles we had to tumble out of one hole into another. The road, though marked out with a neat ditch on each side, had never had a stone laid on it, and was left in its native state. A passage wide enough for one, and sometimes two, carriages, had been cleared in the snow, which was, in one place, eight feet deep. At one time we gave up the road and fairly took to the forest, which was a good deal better. Towards the end of this day's journey, some innovating proprietor had conceived G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 60. 95 the idea of laying down stones, but had not proceeded further than leaving large heaps of them in the centre of the road. But with all these drawbacks, the horses took us at the rate of six miles an hour. Kesthely is prettily placed on a rising ground, overlooking one end of the Platten See. There is a School of Agriculture here, and the superior style of cultivation adopted as one approaches the town shows the good influence it has had on the neighbourhood. We lionized the gardens of the country house of some noble at the northern end of the town. In one part of the grounds vras a summer-theatre, the walls of which were formed of a high beech hedge, cut out into hollows for the boxes. A low hedge screened the orchestra, behind which was a raised stage, backed by a continuation of the beech hedge, which surrounded the theatre. Another curiosity was a sundial, of which the index was a fir-tree, and the hour figures were traced in box. The country inns in Hungary are usually considered to be almost intolerable ; but our experience of them was, on the whole, favourable. Certainly nothing can exceed the dirt of the archway by which you drive in, or of the back yard by which you frequently approach the house. Nor does the appearance of the stairs by which you invariably ascend to the rooms for guests, reassure the doubting traveller. But once arrived at the long passage on the first floor, at one end of which is always the saloon or the billiard-room, the prospect brightens. A row of long, narrow rooms, with one or two windows at one end, the door at the other, a stove in one corner, and generally three beds, is the usual plan of the upper part of the house. It was, of course, often difficult to make the people understand that three gentlemen and a lady could not well sleep in one room ; but this point settled, we met with nothing but readiness on the part of every one to do their best for their guests. The floors are, of course, dirty; but the same may be said of those of most continental inns. The view of a bay of the Platten See, near which the road from Kesthely runs for some distance, with the conical, flat- 96 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Hungary . headed hills in front, is one of the prettiest that we saw in our journey across Hungary. The hills and sloping ground are all covered with vines, and there is an air of neatness and comfort about the neighbourhood which one usually looks for in vain. Two roads lead from Tapolcza to Veszpre'm : one, direct, inland ; the other, more or less by the shore, passing near the baths of Fured. We chose the latter, as we were told it was passable ; but we were soon planted in a snow- drift, fifty or sixty yards long, higher than the carriage, through which a narrow winding passage had been cut wide enough for country carts, but scarcely so for a carriage. A pull all together extricated us at last ; and as night closed in we were driving across the fields leading to the baths of Fured. The place consists of several large hotels, which looked gaunt enough with their closed, unlighted windows. Hardly expecting to find any one in the place, we were surprised to hear that we could not be accommodated on account of all the rooms being occupied. Summer rooms, without stoves, were out of the question at this season, and the remainder were taken by gentlemen of the neighbourhood, who had come to attend a sort of county meeting about enlarging the baths. Through the kindness of the Director, however, we at last got rooms, and were much interested during dinner, which we had in the restaurateurs own apartment, by his graphic account of the sufferings of himself and his family during the bombardment of Pest by the Austrians in 1848. Here, we found, the Hungarians did not think it necessary to conceal their sentiments, and those persons with whom we had an opportunity of conversing, openly avowed their wish to separate from Austria. The arbitrary system of taxation pursued by the Austrian Government appeared to me to be one main cause of the disaffection of their Hungarian and Croat subjects. According to the accounts given to us, each proprietor was assessed arbitrarily, on the principle that, if he was not worth a certain sum, he ought to be ; no explana- tion from the taxpayer being required or allowed. To take an instance, which occurred just before our visit, and which was G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN I § 60. 97 mentioned to ns at the time. A butcher at Fiume had contracted for a monopoly of the supply of meat to that town for a year. At the end of that time he lost money ; but the Austrian authorities considered that he ought to have made a handsome profit, and taxed him accordingly. It was in vain that the poor contractor offered to show his books, or give any explanation. He ought to have made a profit ; there- fore he did so ; therefore he must be taxed proportionably : an example of a priori reasoning more satisfactory to the Government than the contractor. The sights of Fured itself are soon exhausted. They consist of the pump-room and theatre ; a row of baths out in the lake, and a steamboat pier. The steamboat itself is a great resource to the frequenters of the baths in summer, and is perpetually steaming up and down the lake. At the time we saw it, it was under repair in anticipation of next summer, when probably one of its principal occupations will be to convey visitors from the railway-station on the opposite side of the lake. A great increase in the number of visitors is expected next year, as Fured will then be within a few hours of Pest by the railway. The great attraction of Fured, however, in summer must he the never-failing spring of Sauerwasser, which tastes like Selzer water, and is slightly tonic. Add to this, the strains of the gipsy band, excursions among the woods and vineyards of the neighbourhood, on the lake, or to the promontory of Tihany, and you have the means of passing a few summer weeks very agreeably : at least, if you are fond, as all Hun- garians are, of life at a watering-place. Tihany was snowed up, so we could not see it. For the benefit, however, of the British paterfamilias, by whom this part of the world has not been much visited, I may mention that it is a remarkable promontory stretching almost across the lake. A miniature copy of the Platten See, inclosed in a crater-like basin, one of the oldest monasteries in Hungary, with views over the lake, and caves with an echo and unaccountable fossils, are the sights of Tihany, as H 98 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Hungary. detailed by Murray, whose account is confirmed by the natives. Veszprem is about two hours' drive from Eured ; its streets are as dirty as those of other Hungarian towns, but its situation is rather more picturesque than usual. The road between this and Stuhlweissenburg is in very bad order, and as dreary as can well be imagined. Usually flat, it sometimes crosses low ridges, from the summit of which the eye ranges over an expanse of utter monotony. The driver, however, does his best to minimize the dulness of the journey by completing the distance of twenty-eight English miles, without drawing rein, in three hours, through a heavy sea of mud and half-melted snow. Although Stuhlweissenburg was a great city in the old days of the Hungarian monarchy, and is the resting-place of St. Stephen, we did not summon courage to wade through the deep mud which held possession of the streets, but contented ourselves with what we saw of its heavy-looking renaissance buildings on our way to the hotel. We are glad, at no great distance from Pest, to catch our first sight of the Danube, here rolling its heavy waters south- wards through the interminable plain. Before long, we descry the Blocksberg. Passing under its crags, with the river to our right, we have a full view of the Palatine's palace on the heights of Buda. Turning to the right, we cross the suspen- sion-bridge, and are in Pest. Pest is in a state of ferment. All man-kind is in the national costume. " Pork-pie " hats with streaming ribbons, or perhaps fur caps surmounted by a tall white feather ; in either case, with the arms of Hungary in a little medallion in front ; long, straight, fur-trimmed coats, with cords and tassels thrown back over the shoulders ; tight breeches and Hessian boots : such is the costume in which every Hungarian gen- tleman now makes a point of appearing. Grave political events pass, unheard of, over the head of a traveller in most continental countries, and he usually receives the first intelligence of their occurrence through the columns ot the English newspapers, which await him from time to G. A. Spottiswoode.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN i860. 99 time at the post-office of some capital. All that a hasty- traveller can hope for, is to watch the little indications which catch his eye as he runs through a country. These, if he is wise, afterwards serve to correct his judgment on, or give him an insight into, events which he would otherwise have mis- understood, or not have comprehended. The sin which so easily hesets a tourist, is that of generalizing on the scanty data within his reach. What a man saw, if truly related, is always worth something ; what he thought about it, is probably worth very little. I have told the reader as shortly as I can what I saw, and I spare him my reflections thereon. H2 100 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic 3. SLAVONIC RACES. BY A FORMER RESIDENT AND RECENT TRAVELLER AMONG THEM. The populations of the Slavonic race in Europe comprise about eighty-seven millions of souls, and speak languages differing scarcely more from each other than some of the dia- lects of the ancient Greek. The large majority belong to a common form of religion ; and a considerable proportion look beyond their own frontiers, to the protection of a great foreign power. Desiring rather to sketch what is common to these nation- alities, than to dwell at tedious length on their minute differ- ences, which constitute the charm and delight of ethnological inquiry in the schools of Agram and Prague, I propose in the following pages to make a few general remarks upon the various branches of the Slave family of nations. My sum- mary pretends to be little more than an abridgment of — indeed, is frequently a literal translation from — the researches of Grimm, Yuk, and Schafgarik, yet I hope it may contribute to attract notice towards a subject on which, perhaps, less attention than it merits has hitherto been directed in this country. Nor is the present moment inopportune for such an inquiry — whether we look to the great social problems in solution in Russia,* or to the efforts which Austria is making to com- bine the existence of an ancient monarchy with an imperious demand for local franchises, or to the progress of the Turkish * In addition to the numerous pamphlets on the Serf Question, see "Le Raskol ; Essai Historique et Critique sur les Sectes Religieuses en Russie." Paris, 1859. (Raskol, from the Russian verb raskolot, to separate ; raskol, schism ; raskolnek, schismatic.) Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 101 Government in carrying out the reform of Selim and Mah- moud. In order to comprehend the affinities and mutual sympa- thies of the Slave races, it is necessary to touch on their early history, and we must at once go a long way back, even to the sixth and seventh centuries of our era. At that epoch, nearly the whole space between the Adriatic, Black, and Baltic seas was occupied by tribes of Slave race, who filled the space left vacant by successive migrations of the Teutons, southward. The formation of a Slavonic empire, which might otherwise have been possible, was then prevented by an invasion of Hungarians, who, in the tenth century, after carrying the terror of their ravages from the free marts of Bremen to the " golden gate " of Byzantium, from Eheims in the east to Eome on the south, were finally driven back by a coalition of Germany under Otho, and effected a lasting lodgment in the very centre of the Slavonic tribes. It is not, however, Vienna, it is hardly Pest or Presburg, but it is Debreczin, with its houses scattered like the tents of the first Tartar encampment, which is now the characteristic home of the Magyar. To this day the great plains of Central Hungary are occupied by a population who live in the saddle ;* who speak a language differing completely from the Slave or the German, but akin to that of their old opponents, the Osmanlis. They had driven them across the Balkan, at Nissa (1443), but had succumbed to their terrible artillery at Mohacs (1526), "funestum clade Ludovici Eegis Hungarise locum." They were a race who engrafted on an Eastern stock the institutions of chivalry with much of the haughty freedom of Western feudalism, and who despised the "misera contri- buens plebs" — the Slave, the Wallach, and the Saxon, as " captives of the bowf and the spear." * "Lora termett a Magyar" -Hungarian proverb, "The Hungarian is born a horseman ; " literally, " on horseback." t " Oh, save and deliver us from the arrows of the Hungarians ! "—Litany of the middle ages. " Misera contribuens plebs."— Statutes of the Hung. Diet. 102 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic The central plains of Hungary, namely, those which are watered by the Maros, the Szamos, and the Theiss, are sur- rounded by people of Slavonic race. To the north-west are the Slovaks, the Moravians and the Bohemians : to the north- east are the Eussians : to the south-west the Slovenes, the Croats, the Dalmatians and the Bosnians ; while to the south are the Servians. However, this circle of Slave nationalities is not completely unbroken. To the south-west a German offshoot separates Moravia from Illyria ; while to the east, in Transylvania, Wal- lachia and Moldavia, are the Eumans, half Latin and half Slave. These Slave populations are subjects, respectively, of Eussia, Austria, Turkey, Prussia, and Saxony. As to Eussia ; the Slave element constitutes a great majority of the population of Eussia in Europe ; and appa- rently nearly eleven-thirteenths * of the whole population of the empire. In Prussia and Saxony, the Slave element is weak ; being, in the former kingdom, about one-eighth of the population, and in the latter about one per cent. In the Austrian Empire, since the cession of Lombardy, the Slaves probably form a numerical majority. Lastly, in Turkey in Europe, they nearly equal the aggregate of all the other populations, including the Ottoman Turks. But the importance of the Slave eminent in each state does not depend wholly upon its numerical proportion. It depends largely upon its unity and cohesion. In Eussia, the Slave population forms a compact mass ; but in Austria it is split into six or seven distinct nationalities, the most numerous of which, the Chechians, amount to above 6,000,000 ; while the German element in the empire is represented by nearly 8,000,000 ; and the Magyar by about 5,000,000. In Turkey, the Slave element is weakened, relatively to its numbers, by its division into Mussulman and Christian. * See, for Russia, the statistics of M. de Koeppen ; for Austria, von Czornig ; and for Turkey, Van Reden ; also Heuschling's " Empire de Turquie." Brussels, 1860. Races.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 103 Let us, at the risk of some tedium, trace the ramifications * of their two great stems, the Eastern and the Western. I. The Eastern Slaves comprehend the Russians, the Servo- Illyrians, and the Bulgarians. 1. The Russian branch is divided into — (a) The Eussians proper, who form the bulk of the popula- tion of the middle provinces of Eussia in Europe ; numerous Slaves scattered throughout Asiatic Eussia are of the same race : they all belong to the Greek Church, and their numbers are about 37,000,000. (b) The Eussniaks, Euthenians, Eussinians, or Malo-f*- Eussians, who are found in Southern Eussia, the South of Poland, Galicia, Lodomeria or Eed Eussia, in the north- eastern part of Hungary, and are scattered over Moldavia and Wallachia. The Zaporoyne Cossacks belong chiefly to this race, the Cossacks of the Don are more mixed with pure Eussians ; their numbers are given at 15,000,000 ; they principally belong to the Greek Church, but a portion of them are United Greek Catholics, acknowledging the Pope of Eome as head of their Church. 2. The Rlyrico- Servian branch comprises — (a) The Illyrico-Servians proper, with five subdivisions : (a) the Servians lying between the rivers Timok, Drina, Save, Danube, and the Balkan ; their numbers are about 1,500,000. In earlier times, and especially towards the end of the seven- teenth century, many of their race emigrated to Hungary, where they now number about 750,000, exclusive of their relatives, the Slavonians in the so-called kingdom of Sla- vonia : they belong almost entirely to the Greek Church. (ft) The Bosnians ; between the Balkan mountains and the rivers Drina, Verbas, and Save. Their numbers are about 1,200,000 ; they belong to the Greek Church, except about 100,000, who are Moslems. (7) The Montenegrins (Czerno- * This is principally taken from " The Languages and Literature of the Slavic Nations." New York, 1850 ; following Schafgarik. t "Malo (Russian), "little :" the southern provinces, of which Kiewwas the capital, were called " Little Russia."— See Gibbon, chap. xxx. 104 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic Gortzi). These have spread themselves from Bosnia to Antiorri, on the sea-coast, and have never been thoroughly^ subjugated by the Turks ; they enjoy a sort of military republican freedom : their chief was, till lately, the Yladika, or military Bishop, and they are at this moment governed by a prince of the same family. They amount to nearly 120,000 souls, and belong to the Greek Church. (S) The Slavonians. These are the inhabitants of the Austrian king- dom of Slavonia, and the duchy of Syrmia, between Hungary on the north, and Bosnia on the south. Their numbers are about 300,000, and they belong, except a small minority, to the Greek Church. (e) The strip of country along the Adriatic, between Croatia and Albania, which, together with the adjacent islands, is called the kingdom ofDalmatia, and belongs to the Austrians; it has about 400,000 inhabitants, all of whom, except 15,000 Italians, belong to the Slave race ; they are all Eoman Catholics, with the exception of about 80,000, who belong to the Greek Church. (b) The Austrian kingdom of Croatia of our time, with the Croatians in Hungary, Carniola, and Istria, and the inhabitants of the Turkish Sandjak Banialouka, contains about 1,500,000 souls ; of these, very few belong to the Greek Church ; some are Moslems, the rest are Boman Catholics. The Croats are divided, in respect to their language, into two parts ; one of them bearing affiirity to the Servians and Dalma- tians ; the other, to the Slovenes of Carniola and Carinthia. (c) The Slovenes comprise the Slavic inhabitants of the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Gorz, with parts of Carniola, Istria, and Venetia ; they also extend to the banks of the rivers Baab and Muhr in Hungary : they number above 1,000,000, and, with the exception of a few Erotestants, they are all Boman Catholics ; they call themselves Slovenes, but are known locally as Wendes, in Styria, Carinthia, and Venetia ; as Krainer, in Carniola ; as Vandals, in Western Hungary, &c. 3. The Bulgarian* branch : the Bulgarians occupy Bulgaria, * Some ethnologists have thrown doubt on the Slavonic origin of the Bui- Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 105 large portions of Bumelia and Macedonia, with small part of S.Servia, Albania, and even Thessaly. They are about 5,000,000 in number, and are the remnant of a great nation : about 80,000 more are scattered throughout Bessarabia, and 25,000 live in the Banat and Transylvania. Most of them belong to the Greek Church, but 1,500,000 of those in Turkey are Mussulmen. II. The Western Slaves comprise the Chechians, the Polish or LecMan, and the Sorbian Wendish branches. 1. The Chechians are divided into — (a) The Bohemians and Moravians. These are the Slavic inhabitants of the kingdom of Bohemia and the Margravate of Moravia, both belonging to the Austrian Empire. They are about 4,000,000 in number, of whom about 100,000 are Protestants, the rest Catholics. Schafgarick includes also 44,000 of the Slavic inhabitants of Prussian Silesia in this race. (b) The Slovaks. Almost all the northern part of Hungary is inhabited by Slovaks ; besides this, they are scattered through the rest of that country, and speak different dialects. They are reckoned at about two millions. 2. The Polish-Lekhian branch : this comprises the inhabit- ants of the present kingdom of Poland ; of what, since 1772, are called the Eusso-Polish provinces of the duchy of Posen ; and of Galicia and Lodomeria : the bulk of the people in this latter country are Eussniaks, or Euthenians. The peasantry are Eussians and Eussniaks, in the provinces which were formerly called White Eussia, Black Eussia, and Eed Eussia, and which were conquered by the Poles in former times ; in Lithuania, the peasantry are Lithuanians or Let- tones — a race of a different family of nations. In all these countries, only the inhabitants of the cities are Poles, or Slaves of the Lekhian race. To the same race belongs also the Polish population of Silesia, and an isolated tribe in the garians ; but as it is admitted that, even if of the same family of nations as the Finns and the Magyars, their distinctive nationality became early lost, they are here considered as a Slave people.— See Karamsin, Klaproth. Ritter. 106 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic Eussian province of Pomerania called Cassubes or Slovines. The Slaves of the Lekhian race hardly amount to the number of 10,500,000 ; in Eussia, 6,500,000 ; in Austria, 2,000,000 ; in Prussia, 2,000,000 : all are Catholics, with the exception of 500,000 Protestants. 3. The Sorabian ( WendisK) branch. These are remnants of the old Sorabae, and several other Slavic races in Lusatia. Their number is about 150,000, and they are chiefly Protestants. There is no doubt that, besides the races here enumerated, other Slavic tribes — inconsiderable in numbers — are scattered through Germany, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia, and even through the whole of Turkey and Greece : thus, for instance, the Tchachonic dialect, spoken in the eastern part of Ancient Sparta, and the dialects of some of the Greek islands, have been proved to be of Slavic origin.* As to their history. That of the eastern slaves is partly the history of Eussia and Poland ; too extensive a subject, and too well known, to dwell on here. The Illyrian slaves were early divided into small states, amongst which the trading Eepublic of Eagusa deserves mention. The local situation of most of these western states made them dependent on Hungary ; thus, Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, sometimes under the title of kingdoms and sometimes as dukedoms, became at length provinces of the larger kingdom, and ulti- mately of the Austrian Empire. Bosnia and the Herzegovine are, to this day, divided in religion and language. The early history of Servia — which country has always been considered by the southern Slaves as the centre of their nationality — requires a few words of further explanation. Materials, perhaps, exist in national sources f as yet imper- fectly examined ; but, amidst a maze of confusion, little has yet been discerned beyond a qualified acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Eastern Empire, with a government under chiefs elected by the people, accounts of encroachments on * See Leake's " Morea." t See Ranke's " Servia," chap. i. note. Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 10J the part of Constantinople, and of successful resistance on that of the Servians. At a very early period, numerous dukes, princes, and bans, separate, and almost independent of monarchical authority, exercised sway in the country now called Servia, and in the adjoining provinces : Bosnia and the Herzegovine being frequently detached from, and as fre- quently united to, Servia Proper. The authority of the provincial chiefs, then called Grand Shupans* was con- solidated by the defeat of the army of Monomachus in 1043. The power of Servia next became consolidated under a single ruler, and reached its acme in the fourteenth century under Duschan; for then the sway of the "Macedonian Christ- loving Tzar" — such being the proud title assumed by the Servian monarch — extended from the Danube to the Adriatic, and seemed likely to dispute with the rising power of the Ottoman the possession of Constantinople itself. A mythical period follows, in which the adventures of Krai Marco fill almost the same position, with a curious resemblance in some of the details of the legend to those of King Arthur, of our own story ; for Krai Marco casts his good sword into an enchanted mere, and awaits, in an enchanted cave, the independence of the Servian nation. Marco is, however, taken in bondage, and serves the Sultan. The Ottoman power now gains ground; then follows the fatal defeat of Kossova (1389) ; a momentary hope from the victories of Hunyad (1443) : further on, we hear of religious dissensions ; then, of a Servian princess offering the country as a fief to Eome : next, the Servians throw open their fortresses to the Ottomans; then, the great Hungarian and Turkish wars, and the yearly passage of Ottoman hosts. For a few years Servia becomes subject to Austria (1718-39); then, the Servians join Austria, allied with Eussia, against the Porte (1788). It is not worth while to extend these * Shupans, " Lords of the Sunny South : " " shupa," terra aprica, the coast of the Adriatic. (Vuk's Servian Dictionary. Vienna, 1852.) In that curious mixture of Slave and Latin, the modern Rouman, jupan is now the term employed in addressing a respectable servant or mechanic. 108 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic fragmentary notes, nor to continue them to the present time, by describing, at length, the details of the Servian war of inde- pendence ; nor how, under her two chieftains, Kara-George and Milosch, she has succeeded in establishing for herself a position of quasi-independence. Eeference has been already made to the semi-independent existence of Montenegro. The language of these various populations divides itself into two principal idioms : each of these into three where the difference is less.* Of the Southern dialect are the Slovaks, the Serfs, and Bulgarians ; of the northern, the Bohemians, Poles, and Eussians. The northern had a wider expanse; the southern was " shut in between the sea, the Hungarians and the Turks." f The Slaves who came over the Danube into Moesia, Mace- donia, Thessaly, and Epirus, and subsequently formed alli- ances with the still powerful Greek Empire, adopted the faith of the Eastern Church : so, too, the Southern Slaves ; and, later, the Bulgarians and Servians. Croatia and Bulgaria were converted to Christianity in the seventh century, by Italian priests, and Carinthia in the ninth, if not the eighth century. About the same time the southern portion of the Moravian Pannonian slaves were baptized. Under Swatopulk, during whose reign Moravia nourished, the Pannonians sent a Christian Embassy to Constantinople : in 862, the Emperor Michael sent them Methodius and Constantine (Cyril), Greeks by birth, from Thessalonia, but skilled in the Slavonic tongues, and they began a translation of the Scriptures into the Slavonic idiom. The Bohemians were converted about the end of the ninth century, their rulers made open profes- sion of Christianity in the tenth : the North- Western Slaves were the last converted. The Greek rite made considerable progress among the Moravians and Poles, and Eussia com- pletely adopted the faith of the Greek Church about the end of the tenth century. This difference of ritual has facilitated foreign influence and produced enmities between peoples of the same race. * Grimm. t Ibid. Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 109 The populations of the Greek rite suffered the hardest lot : the Northern through the invasions of the Mongols ; the Southern, as the fortunes of Byzantium waned and fell, through the Ottomans, against whom the Servians had vali- antly striven. Soon followed the apostasy of the Southern Slaves * The Eussian Church gradually withdrew itself from the no longer independent Patriarch of Constantinople, and another portion acknowledged the Archbishop of Carlo- witz. Various institutions and forms of life have fallen under our observation in Slave countries, the traces of which might, perhaps, by a broader inquiry, be detected as existing in all. A difference in the tenure of land is observable in Eastern and Western Europe. In most of the countries which we have been considering, the relation of proprietor and culti- vator is very different from that to which we ourselves are accustomed. In Eussia the serf seems to possess a sort of right to his cottage and plot of ground ; in Moldavia and Wallachia (where it will be remembered there is a strong Slavonic element in the population), much the same state of things exists. Turnbull and Paget mention the prevalence of somewhat similar customary rights, in the zone of the Aus- trian Empire occupied by Slave populations : and although in Servia the division of the land, formerly held by the Turkish conquerors, has rendered almost every peasant a pro- prietor, the recognition of a sort of lien of the cultivator on the soil may be traced in the circumstance that, when a family becomes too numerous to subsist on the portion of ground belonging to it, its members are considered entitled to receive unoccupied land belonging to the commune. The communal organization in Slave countries is strong, and, it may be added, has many good points. This is the case * An interesting account of the apostasy of the Albanians and Bosnians (derived from reports of Roman Ecclesiastics to the Pope and Propaganda) is to be found at the end of Ranke's " Letzen Unruhen in Bosmien, 1820-32." A similar apostasy took place in Georgia. — See " Chardin," vol. ii. p. 44. 110 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic in Eussia * In Servia the commune existed throughout the Turkish times, for it was ever the principle of the Ottoman conquerors to interfere as little as might be with the internal affairs of the Christian races subjected to their sway. Its present condition is curious ; whether in regard to problems of self-government or to those of national prosperity. A commune in Servia is composed of two or three neighbouring villages, or a single village if sufficiently large may be of itself a commune. At the principal village reside the kmet (mayor) and the priest ; the church of the commune and the school are usually situated there ; each commune has a communal chest; the land belonging to the commune is cultivated each year for the communal account. The rent of the inn (mehana), where one exists, and that from pasture- ground and oak-woods, are the principal sources of the communal funds : moreover, the communal capital, being lent at a moderate interest to the members of the commune, increases yearly. The building and repairs of the church, school, residence of the kmet, and mehana are defrayed from the communal funds, and the commune has the sole control of its property ; but must render a yearly statement of its employment to the Government. The members of the com- mune elect their chief (kmet), who is removable in a few specified cases. In each commune there is a petty court, composed of the kmet, as president, and two assessors : in civil matters, its decision is final in claims not exceeding two hundred Turkish piastres (about 11 14s.) ; in criminal matters it can inflict three days' imprisonment or ten blows. A tax, proportionate to the number of adult males, is payable yearly by the commune to the Government, but the commune subdivides the amount among families, according to their means ; similarly as to other Government charges. The pro- portion of taxes paid by each adult male to the Government, * " Et d'abord il faut conserver le mode d'adrainistration des communes russes par les assemblies communales (mirskie skhody). Tout le monde en Russie est d'accord la dessus." — TourguenefF, "Emancipation des Serfs," p. 44. Paris, 1860. Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. \ \\\ and including a yearly payment of six shillings to the priest, one shilling and fourpence to the schoolmaster, and eight- pence to the kmet, amounts to from twenty-four shillings to twenty-seven shillings yearly. The communes have lately established a pension fund for widows of priests and school- masters. The prefect of the district, head of the arrondisse- ment, and Government engineer receive rations and forage for their horses when they visit the commune on public business. In the mountain districts, taking a general average, a commune consists of from seventy- five to eighty-five houses, containing each one or more families (see the next paragraph, upon the Sadruga), and amounting, in the whole, to about 500 to 560 souls ; among whom there may be from ninety to ninety-six taxpayers. Each household possesses, on an average, about twenty head of cattle, sixty sheep, two or three horses, fifty goats, twenty-five pigs. In the plain, a commune comprises about 120 houses, 900 to 1000 souls, and 140 taxpayers. Here, each household possesses four or six oxen (few are so poor as to have only two), twenty to twenty-five sheep, sixty pigs, scarcely any goats, and about the same number of horses as on the mountain. Another remarkable institution, peculiar* perhaps to the southern Slaves, is the Sadruga : curious, as a practical illus- tration of theories which have, of late years, much occupied a certain school of political economists. It consists of an association of persons, occupying either one or adjoining dwellings ; taking their meals together ; holding and managing their property in common. In the larger towns, the Sadruga is now scarcely met with ; but in the country districts, and especially on the frontier, it still subsists. Each of these communities has a head-man (Starjeschina), who directs its affairs, and distributes the household duties. All property acquired by a member belongs to the community, except a * Haxthausen, " Transcaucasia," mentions a somewhat similar institution as existing among the " Ossetes." 1 12 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic few articles, as clothes, the embroidered dresses of the women, arms, &c, which are considered personal property. At the death of the father, the children remain members of the Sadruga ; and, as they reach the age of fifteen, acquire a participation in the profits : the Starjeschina is the natural guardian of children left orphans. The widow of a member continues to enjoy the same benefits as her husband, but must take her share in the household duties of the community. Till of late years, the law opposed great difficulties to the dissolution of such a partnership ; but these provisions have been relaxed, and the institution is gradually disappearing. In Servia, the members of a Sadruga must be relations by blood, or according to the church canons (as godfather and godson) ; but the original idea of the institution — common to the Austrian and Turkish Slavonic races — is to be probably sought in the facilities it afforded for defence in an unsettled state of society.* Extract from " Civil Code of the Principality of Servia." Part II. chap. xv. " § 507. Zadrouga est la communaute de la vie et des biens, basee sur la parente ou l'adoption. Zadrouga s'appelle aussi la maison commune pour difference de la vie separee. " § 508. Les biens et les possessions de la Zadrouga appartiennent a tous ceux qui participent a la communaute ; les acquisitions des Zadrougas sont communes. " § 509. Les effets exclusivement appartenant a quelqu'un des Zadrougas, sont sa propriete, comrae par exemple : les habits, l'argent, servant comme decoration (nakit) des femmes, le lit, les chemises, &c. &c. " § 510. On ne peut pas disposer de la propriete commune sans l'accord de toutes les personnes du sexe male qui sont majeurs et maries. Le Starje- china (le commandant de la Zadrouga) dirige la maison commune, mais il ne peut pas aliener quelque chose sans le consentement prealable des Zadrougas ; neanmoins les dispositions du Starjechina sont valables si les Zadrougas ne protestent pas pendant une annee contre ses arrangements. " § 512. Qui se separe et prend son partage, quoique restant dans la maison, est regarde comme eloigne de la Zadrouga. " § 523. Les veuves de la Zadrouga restent dans la communaute et jouissent du partage de leurs maris ; mais elles doivent travailler." * See also Vuk's German Dictionary, Sadruga. Races.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 113 The General Assembly of the nation occurs in the early- history of nearly all the Slaves. When those of the eastern branch were, as has been above described, under the sway of a number of independent rulers, the Shupan, or chief of each province, seems to have governed with the assistance of a permanent assembly called the Sabor. Nor does this state of things appear to have been substantially altered, even when the government of these petty states was concentrated in a single hand ; for we find the Tsar Duschan, though limiting the attributions of the Sabor considerably, in the laws which bear his name, yet established those laws in " An Assembly of our Orthodox Council, composed of the Patriarch Joaniki, and of all the Arch-priests and Ecclesiastics, small and great, of myself the pious Stephen, and all the notables of the empire, small and great." In Servia, even throughout the Turkish times, the Turks were in the habit of assembling the rayahs, to fix amongst themselves the incidence of taxation, and other questions of administration ; and the elders of those assemblies held a sort of conference with the Turkish governors. As the people threw off the Turkish yoke, such assemblies claimed wider attributions ; and this is the germ of the Skouptschina (or National Assembly), which, though not mentioned in, or implicitly recognised by, the Fundamental Statute (Ustaw) of 1838, has continued to be convoked from time to time in the country. The third chapter of Ranke's History of Servia contains a curious account (principally drawn from Vuk) of the Servian national superstitions, showing the extent to which pagan rites have become intermingled with Christian ceremonies among the southern Slaves. Such are the immediate references of every act in life to the Deity : the belief in supernatural agencies ; the Vampyre ; the Veda, who bears the plague ; and the Yili, who watches over the heroes of the nation. Eanke mentions the great Servian festival in honour of the dead ; while the " new Code of Montenegro" — for even Monte- negro has now its Code — refers (Art. 87) to the " barbarous custom prevailing among men and women, of, when any 1 114 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Slavonic one dies, cutting the hair," &c, and prohibits this under pain of a " fine of two ducats of gold, whether the offender be a man or a woman." As to the " Otescha," or forcible abduc- tion of the bride, it existed till very late years, and was only put an end to by Prince Milosch. The Slave element is almost exclusively to be sought among the classes attached to the cultivation of the soil. In making this broad statement, we speak of Christian Europe, for it is otherwise in Bosnia, and we also put out of the question Eussia and Poland, where the state of things is different, and Servia and Montenegro, where only one class, that of a small proprietary, can be said to exist. In Bohemia, in Moravia, in Galicia, Hungary, and Croatia, the bourgeoisie are of German, Italian, or Jewish origin ; and, if it be objected that in the Banat and Wallachia a considerable retail trade is in the hands of the Servians, these, we may reply, are all Austrian Slaves, of the south of Hungary, who form an exception to the general rule. Accordingly, the literati of the southern Slaves are not to be found among a higher class than the village clergy, and masters of village-schools. Dobrowsky, and Kollar, Schaffgarik, Schour Yuk Karadjoitch, all belong to this, or even a lower class. With the exception of their beautiful ballads,* and an attempt to note down and dwell on what is peculiar to the Slave peoples, there is little of origi- nality in their literature. " Toutes les productions litteraires des Slaves occidentaux sont des imitations des modeles Strangers ; ou si elles visent a l'originalit^, ce n'est qu'une originality de forme qu'ils empruntent a la poesie ou a la langue populaire, sans que la conception ou les idees y portent le cachet de la liberty et de la puissance cr^atrice." t Not only is this the case with the western Slaves, but to a certain degree with the northern Slaves also ; for, with the exception in Poland of the brilliant but fanciful Mickievicz and his * A list of the principal collections of Slave ballads (Russian/ Servian, and Illyrian) will be found at p. 61 of the " Essai sur la Philologie Slave," men- tioned above. t " Les Slaves Occidentaux," p. 61. Baces.] NOTES OF TBA VEL IN 1 8 60. 115 school, and some well-known authors of repute in Kussia, their literature contains little that is remarkable. But from their national songs, and periodical publications, and alma- nacks, much out-of-the-way information as to the traditions, superstitions, customs, and aspirations of the Slaves is to be gleaned. We would especially call attention to the Servian Dictionary of Vuk, so often referred to in this paper ; many of the articles of which would well repay translation. When I use the word " aspirations," I do not wish to convey an exaggerated idea of future danger and disturbance, such as is occasionally apprehended. Among a comparatively educated population, as the Austrian Slaves and the Bul- garians, ideas of a Slave nationality may have some exist- ence ; while it would be a matter of reasonable doubt how far these ideas could ever be conceived or shared by (for example) the Servian swineherd or the rayah of Bosnia however much the former may prize, and the latter envy, the concessions which two generations of freemen have extorted from the reluctant but politic Sultans. i2 116 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutheeland. 4. A GOSSIP ON A SUTHEELAND HILL-SIDE. Half-past five ! The rain pattering against the window- panes, and the birches ontside swishing and rasping against the walls, with a vehemence that tells of a rattling south- wester. Dark grey mist driving past, only permitting us to see some fifty yards of the lake — lead-coloured, flecked with foam, and long white waving streaks like a tideway. To dress or not to dress ? To turn out and drive seven miles in the teeth of the storm, and find our horizon capable of being touched with the point of a ramrod when we reach the stalking-ground, or to turn in under the warm bedclothes again, to wake at nine o'clock, with a guilty conscience, to the reality of a glorious morning, so clear and bright after the rain that I can almost count the stones on the top of Ben- Clebric — to be told that the household is aweary of mutton and languishes for venison — to find the river in full spate and salmon impossibilities — to have one's health tenderly inquired after by Donald ? Never ! Tub — sleep-dispeller, welcome ! and to breakfast at six with a Sutherland appetite. Before the terminal gooseberry jam is attained, the sharp sound of wheels on the wet gravel announces the arrival of Donald, kindest-hearted and keenest of stalkers, and his cheery inquiries as to my state of preparation are promptly answered by my appearance at the door. We are going to go whatever the weather may be, but we go through the ceremony of discussing whether there is a chance of its being worth the while, and after an interchange of prophecies, believed in by neither of the prophets, we climb into the dog-cart, and turn down sharp by that wonderful post-office, whose master is a " Mairchaunt," and where you Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. \{J can buy, or at least order, everything, from a red hackle to a reaping-machine. How deliciously the fresh breeze sweeps round the corner, inflating our lungs to their innermost cell, and how the waves lap and jump under it ! A wild night last night, judging from those piles of foam along the shore, but those great straggling rifts are beginning to show patches of the cold blue northern sky beyond. Nothing, after all, but a sea-fog ! Whether the weather be wet or dry, wet we shall be on the hill, and those rifts will let light enough through to show' us deer, if the worst comes to the worst. Trundle along powney, through the stone-inclosed patches of oats, trying to look ripe and failing most dismally in the attempt ; past little fields, half arable, half pasture, where the cow feeds tended by the bit, bareleggit lassie, wet through already, but caring nothing for wet now, whatever she may do when she finds herself a wrinkled crone at forty, bent double with rheumatism. Then through the fresh sweet birch cop- pice, where the " Ladies of the wood" are tossing their lithe arms, and sprinkling sweet odours and sparkling raindrop gems on every side ; where the blackcock whirrs up and sails away on his strong-beating wings, and the daintily tripping roe crosses the road shyly, seeking her cozy lair, amongst the sweet bog myrtle and warm tussock grass, after her night's marauding amongst the oats. — Then a moment's pause to pick up Jeemie the gillie, and Clebric the muckle deer hound, and out on to the great brown moor. Something like the character of the people, serious and cheerful at once ; quiet and reserved in general tone, but with bright patches of vivid green and bits of rarely-scented shrub here and there ; lighted up with little eyes of water moist and gleaming as those of a girl who has been crying for sheer happiness, and breaks into a smile amidst her tears. Light and shade, rigid fanaticism and wild poetical fervour alterna- ting in fitful gleams : the light at any rate predominating amongst those slim well-grown lasses and lither lads rattling on before us at a hand gallop, going to gather in their marsh 118 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. hay. Pass them we cannot, nor does Donald seem particu- larly anxious to do so. We would we "had our Gaelic" to understand the chaff that passes ! It must have some fun in it to cause bright eyes to sparkle brighter, and some wit to produce such a severe struggle for instant rejoinder ! Poor down-trodden Sutherland highlanders ! who to see you gal- loping along in that fashion would ever suppose that you had all been transported to the uttermost parts of the earth years ago? We are told so in "prent buiks," and so it must be true, but still it is rather puzzling to make out why there are so many more of you now than there were before you were deported in thousands. Verily, if all is true that is said about you, you must be a wonderfully prolific people ! Expound unto me, Donald, how it happens that there are so many more people in Sutherland now than there used to be? " 'Deed Sir, I cannot say, except because the old Duchess- Countess moved the people down from the hills, where they were starving, to the sea, where they get the fishing, and a chance of getting in their crops oftener than once in three years, which is about the average in the higher glens." " Ah ! well. I should not wonder either ; but another cause is the discontinuance of your good old custom of cutting each other's throats. When you left off that, you became too nume- rous for the land, as it used to be. If old Sir Eobert Gordon is to be trusted, there never were such a set of people for sticking dirks into each other's weams, as you Sutherlanders used to be in the old time, friend Donald." " Hoot toot ! 'Deed Sir, no ! It was not the Sutherland folks, it was thae fallows from Assynt, and Edderachillies and Strathnaver, who were aye coming over the marches, and lifting cows and raising blood-feuds that were hard to quell. The Sutherland lads were aye decent people — except some of the clans, maybe." " Well, I believe that you really were, as you are, better than your neighbours, but there is many a broad blood-spot in your country — even in the fair gardens of Dunrobin. Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 119 But we won't quarrel about that now : what is that heap of stones by the loch-side ? it looks like a Pictish tower." " Aye, 'deed is it ; and there is another on the Island, and another, and another on the other side. Do you know what they were made for, sir ? The old wives say, some that they were built by the Pechts, and some by the Feen : they must have been gay small folk that lived inside them." " Not I, Donald ! I used to think that the Pechts got into the chambers, and put a big stone at the entrance to keep the enemy out, and built them hour-glass fashion to prevent the said enemy scrambling into them; but when I considered that an able-bodied man, with a bit of burnt stick, could pick the whole affair down in no very long time, the Pechts inside being as utterly unable to prevent it as a rabbit is being dug out of his burrow, I doubted. As they seem always to have been built within sight of each other, some people have supposed that they were watch-towers, and those on the coast may have answered the purpose well enough. Most of the inland ones do not, however, seem situated on very good look-out points, and in old times, when the country was covered with wood, must have been useless for that purpose ; unless, indeed, they were there before the woods. When the minister of Keay amused himself by pulling them to pieces, about a hundred years ago, he found nothing in them but wee querns, and deers' bones and antlers. He gives drawings of them, with rude stone roofs, with a small hole in the top ; but I suspect that he confounded those mysterious slab-built Uags with the real hour-glass tower. The Bishop of Ossory, who was antiquity-hunting in Sutherland about the same time, found many of them entire : I wish I could now." " Weel, sir, some do say that they kept their corn in them, and the old folks say that the good people are veiy fond of being about them, but I cannot say much about that. If you want to see a good one you must go to Dun-Dornadilla, on the road to Loch Hope." " Aye ! that's the best of them now. The one built by King Cole in Strath-dhu is, I hear, very tumble-down. I 120 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. have seen very perfect chambers in the one in Golspie Glen, and have wormed my way from one to the other in great wonderment ; but the quaintest of them all for situation is that at Store Point, which is connected with the mainland by a natural arch, and where Thorkill, the Orkney chief, concealed his lady-love." Clattering on past curious mounds of gravel, which look very like glacial moraines, our attendant carts suddenly diverge across the moss and plunge into the swollen stream, the very ponies seeming to enjoy the fun, and, half swimming, half scrambling, with shouts and screams, and ringing laughter from the haymakers, they gain the wet fields on the other side, where the coarse marsh-grass, rich mottled brown, like the hair on an old stag's neck, is piled up in vast cocks. " Farewell, lassies ! " " Gude day, and a muckle hart for you, sir ! " We must confess that we are not very well off for houses along the road, and that the gaps between them are consi- derably longer than those between the Villas of Highgate Hill, but we can see three at once, and that is three more than one can see in the same distance on many a better frequented highland road. The shepherds are scattered about in their bothies, and make but a small show. You must go to the richer straths and the borders of the sea, if you want society in Sutherland. There is some comfort, however, in thinking that the inns are placed with judicious care, and that there is no fear of your being unable to get from one to the other in an easy day's march ; and when you reach them, can you not take your ease in them? — most comfortable of hostelries ! It is hardly fair to blame the proprietor for not building more, or enlarging those already built. Those already exist- ing are absolutely empty two-thirds of the year, and are let at the magnificent rent of ten pounds a year. As every one of them has been built at the expense of the present duke and his father, the tourist owes, I think, a considerable debt of gratitude to the family ; had their erection depended on Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 121 private speculation, they would never have existed at all. They would doubtless hold more tourists if they were larger, but whether if they were larger they would have more people in them is another matter. One great comfort is, that express care is taken to prevent their being occupied exclusively by resident sportsmen, a common nuisance in the Highlands, but often the only means by which the host can make money. If the Sutherland inn is full — and, with the exception of the one at Lairg, I never found one so — you can always get a bed somewhere, often at the manse, as you do in the Tyrol. Any- body who wishes to speculate in the innkeeping line would be received with open arms by the duke's agents, I am pretty sure ; but unless he is actuated by the purest philanthropy, and is prepared to wait till the "Anti-condensation of Atlantic mist" Company is in full play, he must not expect a quick return for his outlay. The Reay family, to the end of their reign, always stopped and dined at a green knoll near the Crask still called Lord Reay's Table : now you have a good inn. By-the-bye, I remember an anecdote of this same road before it was made, worth the recording. When the father of the last Lord Reay who possessed the estate changed his residence from Skibo to Tongue, his son was put into a creel on one side of a pony, and counterbalanced by his younger brother, the admiral, in another ; the old lord being a great lord, and not easily counterbalanced, had his opposite creel filled with big stones. Remember, this is not so very many years ago. The only house we need trouble ourselves about just now stands clear and white on the brown moor, like a target, with a black window for a bull's-eye, the habitation of shepherd Rory. Trundle on, powney, you shall soon be up to your hocks in the warm heather in his stable. At last, the last bridge, and the last torrent, and the house we have seen so long is reached. A real two-storied house, well built, and warm, and if not comfortable and clean, the fault is the holder's ; for a head shepherd is no unimportant personage, and must be well treated. In many cases, he is 122 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. the real money-winner of the concern, and in all a most important agent in increasing the balance at the Golspri bank. " How are ye the day, Eory ?" " Brawly, thank you. How's yersel' ? Will ye na come ben the hoose, and tak a drink o' milk, or ye tak the hill?" " Aye, deed will I ; for though I cannot say that it is a potation I am much addicted to, I know that you will be hurt if I refuse your hospitality, and I also know that the sma' still whiskey-days have departed from Sutherland, thank heaven!" The pony is unharnessed, the dog-cart drawn to the side of the road, and Donald disappears with Eory to hold a solemn confabulation on things in general, and deer in par- ticular ; and escaping from Mrs. Eory's hot room, that makes one steam like a Geyser, I will go and sit on the parapet of the bridge and moralize. The hills I am going to stalk are under sheep, like the greatest part of Sutherland, and the shepherds wandering about the hills see a good deal of deer life, and can give most valuable information concerning them. More, indeed, than one desires, as if he has seen the deer, the chances are that the deer have seen him. Oh, happy, black cattle times, when the forester had the right and the power of impounding every beast that strayed beyond its appointed limits, and when two-thirds of Sutherland was one wild unmolested deer forest, well watched and well tenanted ! Only sixty years ago ! Blessed times ! when the foresters had a legal amount of judicial and executive power which would make the Anti- preservation-of-anything Society of our own days open their eyes very wide indeed. All swept away by those wretched cheviots, who, indeed, do clothe the naked and feed the hungry, but give no sport, unless the double system of manoeuvring which has to be practised to keep clear of them, and get near the deer, may be considered in that light. Now that the greater part of Sutherland is disforested (though the Suthebland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 123 map-makers persist in scrawling Dirrie-more * and Dirrie- chatf over the country to tantalize us), there are but few peaks left clear, where the scattered remnants of the great deer herds can repose in security. The deer, indeed, rather like the sheep than not, as they save the hinds a great deal of look-out duty, and a flock scampering about three or four miles off is instantly seen and commentated on by them. But the shepherds and the collies ! I must give the shepherd the credit of trying to prevent himself spoiling a sport which he loves in his heart of hearts (and I suspect takes a turn at himself, whiles) as much as he can, more particularly when he is treated with consideration, and a tip ; but still he cannot help the hinds sniffing him out a mile off and retreating into the distance with their antlered lords. Of course, three tourists per diem blundering across the moss would put off every deer for miles, and the grand sport of deerstalking would soon become a mere matter of tradition ; a consummation which would not very much please even the non-deerstalking population of Sutherland. Independently of the number of men employed as gillies and keepers, the renters of these shootings spend large sums of money every year in parts of the country where no reasonable being would willingly pass four-and-twenty hours without a stronger in- ducement than looking at sceneiy, which he very probably might not see the whole of the season after all. Eemember, tourist ! that many a barren mountain top, which under no other circumstances could produce a penny a year, either to peasant or proprietor, becomes a valuable source of income to both, if it be but left undisturbed. From the remotest antiquity this Sutherland has been essentially a country of deer, protected by the sharpest laws. I fancy that it was a conquered country, and that the conquerors imposed forest laws on the conquered, as the Normans did in England. At any rate, never at any period of its history have the deer been less protected than at present. Sir Eobert Gordon, who wrote a book in the seven- * " The great deer-forest." t " The deer-forest of the Clan Chattan." 124 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. teenth century, which I think has been prevented from obtaining popularity by being described as " A Genealogical History of the Earls of Sutherland," being in reality the most wonderful collection of legends and stirring highland tales in existence, positively boils over with excitement when he touches on the " vert and venaison " of his native country. "All these forests and schases are verie profitable for feeding of bestiall, and delectable for hunting. They are full of reid deer and roes, woulffs, foxes, wyld catts, brocks, skuyrells, whittrets, weasels, otters, martrixes, hares, and foumarts. In these fforests, and in all this province, ther is great store of partridges, pluviers, capercaleys, blackwaks, mure-fowls, heth-hens, swanes, bewters, turtledoves, herons, dowes, steares or stairlings, lair-igig or knag (which is a foull like unto a paroket or parret, which makes place for her nest with her beck in the oak tree), duke, draig, widgeon, teale, wildgoose, rin goose, gouls, wharps, shot wharps, woodcock, larkes, sparrowes, snyps, blackbuirds, and all other kinds of wildfowl and birds which are to be had in any pairt of this kingdom." Well put in, that last, Sir Eobert, or we should have had to transcribe the index to Yarrell's birds, for even to this day, Sutherland is a most marvellous country for " fowl ; " north enough to be the breeding-place of the wild-goose and the widgeon, and the winter resting-place of innumerable rare Arctic birds, and yet warm enough, thanks to the gulf-stream, to suit the roller and the Bohemian waxwing. Some indi- viduals in Sir Eobert's list have disappeared, as, for example, the Capercailzie, probably from the destruction of the woods ; and no one, I fancy, who knows him, grieves much at his absence, for two or three birds, the size of turkeys, to the square mile, affording no sport themselves, and not permitting any sport-affording bird to approach their haunts, and, more- over, rather apt to taste like particularly tough old black- cocks, stuffed with blacking-brushes, and a dash of turpentine, can hardly be worth the keeping. If the naturalist wishes to Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 125 study him, let him go to the " Shramstein " in the Saxon Switzerland, and make the most of him. That curious fowl, the " Lair-igig, or Knag," has also dis- appeared with the oaks into which she used to dig her bill — a strange cross between a woodpecker and a puffin ; if, indeed, she be not the latter, who loves to breed in rabbit holes, and might have made herself comfortable enough in a rotten oak- tree. If not a puffin, goodness and Sir Eobert only knew what she was — she is gone like the Dinornis, and must remain in abeyance — " To the Platonic year, and wait her time, And happy hour to be revived again "— by Professor Owen. As far as I can make them out, all the birds named by Sir Eobert, with the above-named exceptions, and scores of others, fly, fish, scream, trumpet, and whistle, in Sutherland and the bordering sea, to this day. True it is, that if you have bad luck, you may drive all round Sutherland without seeing anything more rare than a chance grouse or an accidental blackcock, just as you may do, barring the two named, on a Devonshire or Derbyshire moor. But wander through the wilds, and peer cautiously at the lakes, and above all, paddle off the mouth of the "Little Ferry," in the beginning of November, when the sea is black with birds, and the air resonant with the cry of Haroldus Glacialis and his Arctic friends, and then count the number of strange birds you have seen. Any given day in the year, woodcocks may be flushed in the coverts, and snipes on the moor. Wild geese breed plentifully about some of the lakes, and the young are pinioned and reared by the farmers ; so, tourist! if you find a few swimming on Loch Shin, do not capture them and bring them to Lairg, as did certain young gentlemen last year, or your triumph in your woodcraft will be dashed by the laughter of the gillies, and the blas- phemy of the proprietor — as was theirs. The IVTeganser breeds on Loch Beannach, as I know to my sorrow, for I once slew a 126 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. whole brood of three at a shot, unwitting what they were ; and he who fishes up Loch Shin without hearing the hoarse cry of the black-throated diver, warning her young against his approach, must be unlucky indeed. The greater number of Sutherland birds belong to classes that love the wild moor, and the silent, rarely visited loch, and when you see them, it is nine times out of ten when you are looking for something else, and seldom do they show themselves to the passing traveller who rattles round the country in the mail cart. The golden eagles were de- stroyed by the farmers because they killed their lambs, and the foxes more deservingly for the same reason, and the osprey was exterminated to supply the tourist market with herself and eggs, much to the Duke's annoyance. However, the eagles have it all their own way now. It has been found that the destruction of the golden eagle has caused the increase of the blue hare to a formidable extent, and the only way to keep him down will be to let his own adversary have full swing again. I do not regret the coming fate of Lepus variabilis, I like to see him now and then, as he frisks among the stones, or walks about on his hind toes, like a cross between a kan- garoo and a dancing dog, but he is an awfu' plague both to the sheep-farmer, the deer-stalker, and the grouse-shooter, when he becomes too numerous — spoiling ten times as much grass as his head is worth, ten times told, putting up the deer in his idiot terror, and seeming to delight in running up hill, and seating himself on the sky-line, so that the whole world may see that he has seen something alarming, and pestering your pointers and setters with his sneaky draws, and foolishly astute meanderings. The Osprey, too, may come back when she likes, and we will gladly pay a tribute of grilse to her ladyship ; indeed, she has come back, and was seen last summer floating and peering about, and speculating whether she might trust herself and her family on Loch Assynt again. e What particular kind of weasel a " whittret " (?whitethroat) was, I don't know, but all the other quadrupeds, with the Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 127 exception of the wolf, may be had now for the seeking. That British tiger — the wild-cat, is now very scarce, but two kit- tens were seen, and one killed last year. I fancy they will soon follow their old comrade the wolf, and the sooner the better, for of all snarling, ill-conditioned, game-destroying brutes in the world, the wild-cat is the worst, and no one can hear their demoniacal caterwaulings at night, without being seized with an instant and intense desire to extirpate the race there and then. The wolves were the pest of Sutherland down to the end of the seventeenth century, the last one having been destroyed about 1700. One Timothy Pont, who travelled through Sutherland about 1650, speaks of it thus in his MSS. in the Advocate's Library : — " It is exceedinglie weel stored with fishes, both from the sea and its own rivers, as also dear, roe, and dyvers kinds of wild beasts, specially heir never lack wolves, more than are expedient ; it is weel stored with wood also." I am in the habit of taking something readable with me to the hill, to pass away the time when I am waiting for the deer to rise — a habit strongly reprobated by Donald, who assures me that some day a scart of wind will snatch the paper out of my hand, and " birl it o'er the hill like a ghaist," to the terrification of all the deer ; but still I do it ; and having by chance the account of the destruction of the last wolves in Scotland in my pocket, you shall hear it, though you may have heard it before — mine is, I assure you, taken from the original MSS., and I would not alter a word for the world, for it is evidently taken direct from the Gaelic, by the author. " There is a solitary moorland lake near the march between the parishes of Farr and Eeay, called Loch Soivy,* which has an island reputed, in former ages, as a place of resort and shelter for wolves. At the period referred to, about the close of the seventeenth century, one of the tenants of Trantle- more in Halladale, named Eric-Bain Mackay, is said to have * Soivy is synonymous with Foick ; both Gaelic words signify the unclean bed or den of a fox, wolf, or similar wild animal. The words, especially Foick, are sarcastically applied to a filthy or neglected habitation or apartment. 128 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutheeland. wandered alone in search of a wolf, which, in consequence of depredations committed on his farm, he believed to be lurk- ing in his neighbourhood. The reputed shelter afforded to animals of prey by the wild grounds around Loch Soivy, induced him to approach the Loch, and in his eagerness to make a complete search in that suspicious neighbourhood, he swam to the island, and contrived to carry his gun along with him ; he there discovered marks of a wolf having been recently on the island, and afterwards found its den in which were two young cubs. He instantly killed them, and carried them homewards along with him, as evidence of his success, although the danger of meeting the dam, and being exposed to the well-known desperate fierceness of a she-wolf deprived of her young, occurred to him, and induced him to retreat as speedily as possible. He knew that the old wolf would not be long absent from her den ; and during his hur- ried progress towards the strath in which he lived, he cast many an anxious look towards the loch and along the wide moor over which he was hastening. When about half across the uninhabited hill-grounds, he observed an animal at a dis- tance following his footsteps, and soon discovered, from its peculiar howl, that it was the old wolf he dreaded to meet while carrying off its young, and which, no doubt, had visited her deserted den after he left it. His speed was redoubled ; but his exasperated and formidable pursuer was quickly gain- ing ground on him, and he therefore cast aside the dead whelps, and stood coolly to meet the fierce attack with which he was threatened, and, when within gunshot, he took a deliberate aim, and fortunately succeeded in shooting the advancing woE Without awaiting to reload his gun, he con- tinued to run homewards at his fleetest pace, and although one of the best runners in the district, he only succeeded in gaining the descent of the hill, at the foot of which his house was situated, before another, a male or dog wolf, was noticed in full chase after him. Mackay arrived with great difficulty at a rude enclosure near his house, which separated the infolds from the outfolds of his small farm, before the close Sutherland,] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 130 approach of this second and equally infuriated wolf; and having managed to reload his gun, and ensured a certain aim by resting it on the wall behind which he stood, he shot this old dog wolf also. After this long-remembered slaugh- ter in one day, by a single individual, of two full grown and two young wolves, there has not been another found in that district of country. " The death of the last wolf and her cubs in the forests con- nected with the east coast of Sutherland, was attended with circumstances still more remarkable. For several years before their complete extirpation, the wolves were decreasing in number, and at a time when it was supposed that they had been all destroyed, some nocturnal ravages amongst the flocks in the parish of Loth, gave indication that one or more wolves still survived in the neighbourhood. A great body of the inhabitants met together in order to scour the hilly parts of the parish of any of these ravenous animals that might be lurking in the district ; but after a careful and laborious search, no wolf could be found. In a few days afterwards, a person of the name of Poison, who resided at Wester-Helms- dale, followed up the previous more general search by minutely examining one of the wildest recesses in the neigh- bourhood of Glen Loth, which he thought had not been thoroughly ransacked by the former party. On this occa- sion he was accompanied by only two young lads — one of them his son, and the other an active herd-boy. Poison was an expert hunter, and had much experience in tracing and destroying wolves, foxes, and other predatory animals ; and being well acquainted with the localities, proceeded directly to the wild and rugged ground that surrounds the rocky and nearly inaccessible mountain-gully through which the upper part of the Burn of Sledale runs towards Glen Loth. " After attentively looking for such marks of the animal he was in search of as his experience had taught him to distin- guish as such, Poison discovered a narrow opening or fissure, in the midst of large pieces of fallen rock, which he felt certain led to a larger opening or cavern below, and which it K 130 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. was very probable a wolf or a fox had been in the habit of frequenting. Stones were thrown in, and other means taken to rouse any animal that might be lurking within the opening, and then the two young lads contrived to force themselves through this hole in order to examine the interior parts of it, while Poison remained on the outside. The boys soon disco- vered that the cavern into which the passage conducted them was a wolfs den, bestrewn with the bones and horns of animals, feathers and eggshells, and enlivened by five or six active wolf-cubs. This intelligence being communicated to Poison, he directed his son to destroy the cubs with all possible haste, and to return up again ; but in his anxiety to give these directions, and, if possible, to see the interior of the cavern, he looked down into the passage, and his head thus deprived the persons below of the faint light afforded by the open mouth of the den. They therefore directed him not to ob- struct the light, and Poison thereupon stepped a few paces aside. In an instant thereafter he heard the feeble howl of the young whelps as they were attacked below, and, to his great horror, saw at the same time a furious full-grown wolf, evidently the dam, and mad with rage occasioned by the cries of her young, close to the mouth of the cavern, which she approached unob- served among the rocky inequalities of the place, and which she attempted to enter at one bound, from the spot where she was first seen, before Poison could reflect how he should act in this emergency. He instinctively threw himself forward after the wolf, and succeeded in catching a firm hold of the animal's long and bushy tail, just as the fore part of the body was within the narrow entrance to the cavern, and her hind legs still on the outside of it. In the extreme hurry into which Poison was thrown, he omitted to take up his gun, which he had placed against a rock when aiding the boys to enter the Opening, and probably he could not have used it with effect at the moment, if it had been in his hands. Without apprising the persons in the cavern of the danger to which they were exposed, Poison kept a firm hold of the wolf's tail, which he rolled round his left arm, and while the animal pulled, and Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 131 pressed, and scrambled, and twisted, in order to get down to the rescue of her cubs, Poison managed, but with great diffi- culty, and by pulling the tail towards him with all his strength, to keep her from going forward. This struggle con- tinued for a few moments, Poison, getting the command in his right hand of a large knife or dirk which he carried with him, wounded the wolf with it in the most vital parts he could reach. She made another vigorous effort to move forward, but Poison's strength, and his secure hold of her tail, kept her back. This was succeeded by a desperate struggle to retreat backwards, but the hole in which her head and the fore part of her body were ensconced was too narrow to admit her to turn round in it, and when Poison found her pressing back- wards, he squeezed her forwards, and thus kept her stationary in the narrow mouth of the cavern, while he continued to plunge his dirk as rapidly as the struggle would permit of, into the wolfs side. All this occurred in total silence, the wolf being mute notwithstanding the wounds she received, and Poison being also silent, in consequence either of the engrossing nature of his exertions, or of being unwilling to alarm the young persons in the cavern. They, however, although not aware of what was passing at the entrance of the den, were surprised to find it again shut up, and the light excluded from them. This obstruction having continued sufficiently long to annoy the boys, Poison's son complained in a loud voice "of the continued darkness ; and while the father happened to be pulling the wolf backwards with all his strength, his son asked in an abrupt tone, 'What is keeping the light from us V and was directly answered by the father, 'If the root of the tail breaks, you will soon know that.' Poison having succeeded in mortally wounding his ferocious prisoner, dragged her out of the hole in which he so fortunately got her secured, and then easily killed her ; and she and her dead whelps were brought home by him as trophies of his singular rencounter and victory. " The anecdote soon became known throughout the whole country, and the singularity of Poison's answer (which tells k2 ]32 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. better in Gaelic, the language in which it was spoken) while uncertain of success in a struggle on which his son's life depended, joined with the fact that the wolf killed under such peculiar circumstances was the last seen in Sutherland, gave great celebrity to this exploit, and has preserved the present traditional account of the occurrence among some of the country people to the present day/' * Mr. Taylor took great pains to make out the time when Mackay and Poison lived, respectively at Helmsdale and Trantlemore, and the time of their deaths, and he decides that these occurrences took place between 1690 and 1700. It gives one a lively hint as to the state of the country — this wolf hunting within ten miles of Dunrobin ! The boar had probably departed long before the wolf ; and I know no other mention of him than that contained in the sad and really beautiful tradition of " Dermid the Pure and the Boar with the Poisoned Bristles," of which Mr. Scrope has given an imperfect condensation from the Taylor MSS. When you are at Tongue, and see the castellated crags of Ben Loyal standing out black and sharp against the sky, you may, if you are sentimentally inclined, croon to yourself : — " Now were seen in their wounds the son of O'Duin, the excellent, the bloody horseman of Fingal's people, and the lovely branch of the twining lochs (Grana) extended on the hill, beneath the sun at noon. That hill which when we approached we beheld green, red was its hue for one duration of time with the blood of the hero of the musical voice. With the father of the wild sow, they buried on the hill beautiful Grana, the daughter of Cuchullin, and his two white dogs along with Dermid. The hue of blood covers the field. The son of Duin is on the other side. I grieve that thou art laid by the side of the boar under the sloping banks of yonder hillocks, son of O'Duin ; great is the misfortune that thou hast fallen by the jealousy of my wife. Her breast * There is no doubt but that this is the original of Hogg's wild boar story. He most probably obtained it from some Sutherland drover, and, as was his wont, appropriated it. Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 133 was fairer than the sun, her lips were redder than crimson blossoms," &c. &c. ad infinitum. This tradition held its own, not improbably by the right of truth, even to our own times. I quote a good authority when I record, that the spot where Dermid and Grana were buried (Ault-na-torc, the burn of the boar), marked by the usual grey cairn, is, or at least was very lately, held in reverence by the neighbouring inhabitants, and to injure or destroy the only remaining tree that shaded Dermid's resting-place, was held to be so extremely unlucky that even cattle were prevented from approaching it. One of the branches was lopped off by a countryman, several years ago, and some mis- fortunes that subsequently befel him and his family were attributed to the rash act. I quote from the original MSS. of 1837, and old Eoss, of Tongue, has whispered the same legends into mine own ears, long since then. But here's Eory. " Well, what deer are there on the hill, Eory ? " " 'Deed ye ken that better than mysel, for I heard ye were after venaison, and no one has been on the hill since I brought the sheep down last week. 'Deed there were deer on Corrie Venchinch, and I heard your shot yestere'en, and heard it tell ; and there were fine staigs about the muckle rock. Ye canna' fail o' sport ; but 'deed it looks gay moist." Gay moist, indeed ! and the burn, high in spate, not only rattles harshly at our feet, but the swish of the wind brings other murmurs with it that tell of water falling over rocks too rarely covered to be rounded by its action. " It's moist up there, Eory, no doubt, though the less we say about its gaiety the better." A wet walk and a weary we shall have amongst the old moss-hags before we gain the spurs of Ben-Clebric ; with no excitement to keep us going, nothing but work to be done to gain an end, which, like most of our ends, may turn out worthless when gained. Up along the burn we go, following the narrow sheep-track, deeply indented in the black bank, crossing the sharp, slaty rocks again and again, till it turns out of our course, and we have to take to the splashy moor, too 134 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. wet to grow heather or to breed grouse, covered with tufts of coarse tussock grass, where the blue hare bounces up and squatters through the plashes like some strange water-work, and where little brown moorland birds spring up every few yards, whistle a few cheery notes, and then settle down into their damp beds again. Then unto the burn again, now grown smaller, running black and quiet in its channel, deeply cut in the gravel, with an edging of bright green turf, and rushes here and there, and walls of black peat, eight or ten feet high, a little wider to the right and left — telling a story of old, old times, and the hard work the little burn has had to make its way in the world. Quite a little sheltered valley, warm and cozy in this stormy day, perfect in itself, with little streams, little meadows, and little black Alps protecting it. It would be a perfect miniature, even to its close little sky of mist, were the effect not injured by the roots and stumps of ancient birch trees sticking out from the boglike bones from a sea-washed churchyard. " How is it, Donald, that the stumps of these birches show such evident marks of having been burnt down ? " "'Deed, sir, I cannot say. They do say that the great witch of Clebric burnt the woods down about some quarrel with a hunter who did not give her venaison ; and others do say, that the Danes burnt them down to drive out the Pechts, in the old time ; but 'deed I do not know." You may take which explanation you like, or invent a new one for yourselves ; but burnt down the trees about here have been, plainly enough. How a wood of growing trees could have been burnt to the stumps, is hard to understand : were the woods old and dead, and hung about with what the Tyrolese call "baum-haar," long, hanging, grey mosses ? Had they done their work, and got as much out of the soil as they could, rendering it incapable of supporting them any longer, and so died as they stood, making it fit for new comers, like the Pechts and the Feen ? I don't know ; there are the burnt stumps, testifying, to this day, of their burning, with three or four feet of turf above them. Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 135 Old Sir Eobert's list of birds and beasts evidently indicates a country far more wooded than Sutherland is now, as late as the middle of the seventeenth century. Probably the firs came to an end simultaneously, and soon buried themselves in the peat produced by their decay ; the stumps being full of turpentine, resisted the process, and remained as they are now. Peat grows fast, and the fathers of young men tell me that they remember groves of pines on the south side of Lairg bridge, where they now dig their winter fuel. The old birch woods still linger here and there in all their pristine beauty, though diminished in size. On the lower Shin, about Scriberscross, and fringing many a sparkling loch and wild hillside, may the sweet-scented gleaming-leaved birch be found, growing on a soil knee deep in vegetable mould, or perched on the top of a moss-grown boulder, that gives it an uncertain foothold for the time, and then betrays it to the first great blast that sweeps from the sea. It is curious that the great destructive agent of so northern a tree should be snow; thousands of birches are destroyed whenever snow falls early enough to find the leaf on the tree ; and as far south as Sussex I have seen the tops of innumerable birches snapped off by its weight, even in winter time. Struck down by wind or snow, the birch lies for a time perfect in form and colour, but crumbling to dust internally when touched by the foot ; and in the powdery humus the long rich moss finds a fit nidus for its spores, and in a short time all is covered with a green soft carpet, dying at the bottom, growing at the top, the dead part furnishing food for the new generation, and so the peat moss grows : getting gradually dry enough for heather, and maybe even for pasture. The idea of the first canoe must have been taken from a birch in the state one so often sees it in the north. Long after the interior has crumbled to dust, the silver bark retains its form and colour, and the noble savage who stumbled over it had nothing to do but to stitch the two ends together with a sinew, dab on a bit of gum, and learn to sit steady in it. In Sutherland the birches were too small, and the rivers too wild 136 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. to induce even the Pechts to take to this form of boat-build- ing ; being a pastoral people, an ox's hide stretched over a basket was probably their sea and lake going machine. The oak in which the Lair-igig delighted to dig her bill has vanished altogether, except about Dunrobin, and I could never hear of or see any in the bogs, so that I expect that even in the old times they were strictly localized. Another old world tree, the alder, is plentiful enough, and I think larger than I have ever seen it elsewhere, but it seldom leaves the river's edge, where the cattle love to shelter themselves under its opaque dark green leaves, and browse on the rich rank grass that springs beneath its shade. Oh, happy trees ! Hieronymus Cardanus, that learned Theban, says that you live longer than animals, because you never stir from your places ; and much I wish that I might attain to length of days by remaining in this sheltered burn a little longer, but there is no help for it — scramble up, and out into the storm. Just as we reach the top of the first low ridge, Donald drops like a stone in the heather, and I drop with him as if we had both been shot with one ball. " 'Deed, sir, there are deer ; but I'm thinking they're just the Loch au Fureloch hinds ; tak out your glass and see if ye ken them." Aye, 'deed do I, Donald, as well as I know the pattern of the nails in your shoe soles, and I have studied that often enough as I crawled after you. There are the sixteen of them, walking daintily about, nibbling at the coarse grass, shaking the wet off their hides, with a vehemence which surrounds them with a halo of spray, holding a good deal of communication with each other, and — there — as usual ! quarrelling and fighting, rising perfectly upright on their hind legs, ears well laid back, and striking at each other with their sharp fore hoofs. What vixens ! They are an odd little sept, these Loch au Fureloch hinds ; always to be seen about the same spot on the lower grounds : so used to the shepherd that they do not move Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 137 off when they can see him clearly, and watch what he is about; and never by any chance is there a stag in their company, except possibly some effeminate hobbledehoy of a pricket, too weak-minded to take the risks of the hill- side. It must, however, be understood that these hinds are Amazons, not vestals, as is evident from the number of calves trotting about amongst them ; unless, indeed, they are the lady-superintendents of an educational institution for young stags. My own belief is, that they quietly shirk all respon- sibility as regards the safety and comfort of their lords, and have formed themselves into a society of emancipated and strong-minded hinds ; a most detestable state of things, which, were it not for the sake of the calves, I would alter with a rifle-bullet. As it is, we show ourselves just enough to cause them to move off quietly, and avoid giving them the wind, as, if they suspect anything, and have no facts what- ever to go upon, they will form a theory of their own, and make as much mischief on the hillside as they possibly can — " like Christians," as Donald would say. Up across the moss we splash, towards the great outlying buttress of Ben-Clebric, a brown ridge some seven or eight miles long, streaked with meandering strips of bright green, marking where the mountain torrents, cutting deeply into the moss, drain the soil sufficiently to permit the Alpine grasses to flourish. The little valleys in which these patches lie are the corries where the deer love to feed, and about which they are apt to lie after feeding, particularly early in the day, before they draw up to the more prominent points of the hill for their afternoon's siesta. Every corrie — and there are scores of them — has its name ; and the forester and shep- herd know them as well as a London cabman does the streets. All this hillside has to be spied most carefully, as, although the wind is in the wrong airt for stags to be on it, there may be a hind or two, who, if disturbed, will go over the ridge and scare the deer on the other side. Before our work is fairly 138 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland/ done, the mist rolls down the face of the hill, wave after wave, till not more than a hundred feet of the base is left clear, and that becomes of a strange lurid reddish-purple from the shadow on the heather, — a mighty pleasant prospect for a deer-stalker ! However, it is barely ten o'clock, and no one knows what may happen till the mystic hour of twelve, when it is the established creed of the hill that the great crisis of the weather takes place. Scrambling upwards along the bed of the burn, startling the grousecock from so near our feet that he almost chokes himself with his own crow as he vanishes in the mist, we reach the bothy where one of shepherd Eory's deputies lives, for week after week, in a solitude as complete as ever hermit enjoyed. Indeed, what with the solitude and his enforced temperance, living as he does on oatmeal and water, with an occasional trout, Donald Dhu would be on a par with any anchorite of them all, did he not destroy the virtue of the thing by being a useful man instead of an idle one, counting his sheep instead of his beads. A wild life they live on the hill, these shepherds, but, being for the most part men of reflection and observation, it is by no means without its pleasures. Wondrous combinations of cloud and sunshine, that would be denounced as ravings by a southern connois- seur if faithfully reproduced on canvas, reward his early rising. Not once or twice a year only is he on the higher peaks before sunrise, but day by day for weeks together he sees the marvels of the northern sun sweeping round the horizon, and till evening closes in he is face to face with nature, studying every shift of wind and swirl of vapour, and gaining a practical knowledge of meteorology which would astonish an astronomer from a royal observatory. Donald Dhu's only companion on the hills is his colly dog, as wise and reflective in his way as his master ; understanding his every word and gesture, and executing his commands with a zeal, intelligence, and determination perfectly marvel- lous. He is not a demonstrative dog ; he will hardly give you a wag of his tail for your most insinuating advances ; his Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 139 master loves him next the wife and bairns : but there is no patting and caressing or good-dogging, no trying to wheedle or natter, or assumption of superiority on his part, or cringing and finger-licking on that of colly, but a real strong male friendship between them. The dog is a good hardworking dog, who knows his business as well as his master, and is perfectly aware of the fact ; grave and reserved, perfectly conscious of his own importance, he would scorn to posture for a mouthful of oatmeal were he starving. If you stop and talk to Donald Dhu, colly folds himself up, puts his head between his paws, and watches the sheep intently, evidently saying to himself, "Poor fellow, he must have his crack, I suppose, but somebody must attend to business." A word, a sign, and he is jumping from one woolly back to another, intent on singling out the one which has been indicated to him by a gesture so slight as to be almost imperceptible to a human by-stander, and let woolly-back turn and twist and wedge himself into the huddling mass as he may, out he has to come, and be snipped, or clipped^ or touched up in some unpleasant way or another, in spite of his teeth. But the sight of sights is to watch two shepherds sorting out their respective sheep when their flocks have become mixed toge- ther; and when this takes place on a hillside, where blue hares are numerous, colly-dogs' shrieking struggle between duty and inclination is a study for a moralist ! All books are full of the marvels of colly-dogism, and from what I have myself seen, even Mr. Jesse cannot tell me a story that I will not try to believe. Colly dog's early training is a rude one, but I think that it is mutual, and that the shepherd picks up a good deal of doj during the process. He is too wise to waste his breath in reproving any little outbreak of juvenile impetuosity ; but quietly fills his plaid-neuk full of chucky-stones, with which he peebles the peccant colly, with a force and accuracy that sends him off on three legs, filling the air with penitent howls. Mark, tourist, when six colly dogs burst out upon you from the shepherd's door; "mak' as if" you were going 140 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. to pick up a stone, and see how they will extend from the centre, and take cover behind the turf-stack, popping their heads round for an instant to fire a bark at you, and then dodge back like riflemen. Neither Donald Dhu nor the collies being at home, we take the liberty of inspecting his habitation. The bothy is some twelve or fourteen feet long, and about four feet high in front, strongly built of stone, and nestled well under the bank, which almost touches the heather roof in the rear, making one speculate curiously as to how the summer thunder-storms treat his floor, and whether he goes out and sits on the roof for the sake of comparative dryness when the whole sheet of heather behind is running in a broad stream. There is a pad- lock on the door ; but more for show than use, for the key is rusted tightly into it, and all power of locking has long since departed from the springs ; still the thing looks well, and might, probably, prevent a particularly conscientious bur- glar from breaking in. Bending low through the doorway, we see the secrets of Donald's domestic economy laid bare. A rude bed on one side, across which lay a pair of well-patched and well-soaked breeks ; a table, consisting of a broad flat stone, miraculously balanced on divers bits of bogwood ; a shelf, from which depends a worsted stocking with a needle sticking across a vast rent, Donald's last effort at mending himsel' given up in despair, with a stern determination to propose to the pretty lassie at Lairg next Sabbath ; a tin plate, a fork, stuck into the shelf to facilitate finding, a basin, with a little dried porridge stick- ing about it, and a well blacked crock, are all we discover in the semi-darkness until we stumble over something which proves to be a stump of bogwood with the roots whittled off to sufficient evenness to permit of your sitting upon it with- out being tilted into the fire, that is, if you understand it, and are very careful. Window there is none ; the hole in the roof, through which some of the smoke makes its exit when the fire is lighted, does double duty ; and as we become accustomed to the twilight which fringes the perpendicular Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 141 ray passing down it, we become aware of a few cast antlers, well gnawed by the hinds, a brown pan, filled with water, in which lie soaking a couple of dozen split trout, red as sal- mon, twice as large as I can ever catch — confound that otter ! and in a particularly dark corner, a couple of black bottles, which ought to contain whisky of the smallest still, but which on examination hold nothing but in the one case a driblet of sour milk, and in the other, some tarry abomina- tion used for doctoring the sheep ; that little parcel wrapped up in a pocket-napkin, is Donald's well-thumbed Bible, and many a tough bit of grace and free-will does Donald puzzle over when his work is done, lighted by those splinters of bog- wood in the corner, which burn more brightly than wax — by-the-bye, the best thumbed side of Donald's Bible is the Old Testament. If you have imagination enough to double the length of Donald's bothy, without increasing its breadth or height, to turn the addition into a cow-house, of the foulest description — carefully avoid putting up any partition, as that would diminish the warmth, both of yourself and the cow, and make the whole affair ten times more filthy and uncomfortable than it is, and place a sea of liquid manure before the door, just high enough to permit every shower to wash a fair amount of it into the hut — you will get a veiy tolerable idea of a superior description of that happy home of the western highlander — the black hut — from which he has been so ruthlessly torn. If you doubt it, go and see for your- self, on the west coast, and more particularly on the islands. Suppose a man and his wife, and half-a-dozen children, with, in all probability, one if not two grandfathers and grand- mothers, living in such a hovel, depending entirely on the miserable crops of oats or potatoes, without the remotest chance of a paid day's work from one year's end to the other, and you have the sort of existence Donald Dhu would have led in the good old times. "I suppose he is not very much overpaid now, is he, Donald?" " 'Deed, sir, he's no that ill off ; he gets good wages, a 142 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. certain number of sheep to himself, lives rent-free, finds himself in oatmeal for two or three shillings a week, and gets plenty of Braxy. " What is Braxy ? dead sheep, is it not ? " Well, it is dead sheep ; but only sheep that die from rapid inflammation at certain times of the year. It is questionable whether it is particularly wholesome, but at any rate the shepherds do pretty well on it. It requires preparation, however ; salting and pressing, and other little manipulations, which, when carefully described by an enthu- siast in the art, are quite enough to make one certain that it is what Juliana Dame Berners would call " an ill meat for a queasy stomach," and to make one especially shy of pallid salt mutton in highland districts. Swish ! what a drive of cold wind and rain as we put our heads out of the bothy door. Never mind, we will get to the top of the ridge, perch ourselves like a couple of scarts to the leeward of a big stone, and wait for the clearing. Under this mass of gray gneiss let us sit down, and gossip confidentially in a low voice, for there is no knowing what may hear us. Few sounds do we hear but the whispering of the wind amongst the wet bents. Now and then the croak of the ravens waiting about the stag we killed yester- day, floats down the wind, and the imperative " cr-u-u-u-uck- go-back-go-back " of the old cock grouse, hints that we are not entirely unnoticed in the mist : and there on a stone sits a golden plover, piping out the saddest and wildest of bird music ; what has he done to make himself so unutterably miserable? There he sits in the mist, wilfully solitary for the time, giving utterance to a note which has an expres- sion of the most intense broken-heartedness, perfectly in- describable ; I know of no inflection of the human voice so unutterably mournful. He must have lived with the Pechts, and be grieving over their downfall. Throw a stone at him, Donald; if I listen to him for five minutes more, I shall begin to believe that highland improvements are a delusion, and that it is never going to stop raining. Stjtheeland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 143 To make a small bull, I never heard a complete silence in the open-air world yet. The two most silent situations I know, are an Alp above the snow line, and a gorse common, baking in the summer sun ; but even there we have the grinding of ice and the swish of falling snow in the one case, and the crackling of the gorse-buds in the other, to tell us that Nature never sleeps. I wonder, by-the-bye, whether Jeemie is asleep ? he ought to be up by this time ; and putting the stag on the pony would warm us. " 'Deed, sir, no ; it's hard work bringing up the old powney this weather, and all the burns in spate ; and he knows that we shall not move till it clears, for fear of doing mischief ; and now it wants a quarter of eleven. Hoot ! how it rains ; it's very hard I can never gae out for a day's pleasure without getting my claes spoiled, as the old wine said when it rained at her husband's burying. Weel, weel, we must bide where we are till the mist rises, and then, if there are no fit staigs about the head of Brora, we must go over toward Clebric." " By-the-bye, Donald, Mr. Scrope, who was a great hand at deer-driving in Blair Athol Forest in old times, tells a story about a savage individual of the name of Chisholm, who lived for years in a cave on Ben Clebric ; do you know any- thing about him ? " " Aye, 'deed, sir, I mind the name well enough, but he was not a wild man at all, but a decent body from Eogart, and he only stopped in the cave for a day or two, and glad enough he was to get out o't." " How ? " " 'Deed, sir, there was a great fox-hunting at Lairg, and Chisholm, who lived at Bogart, brought over a dog to run against the Guns of Lairg; they were all Guns in those days. Well ! they found a fox up by Loch Craigie, and ran him down to Lairg ; and a gran' run they had o't. Well ! there was no bridge over the Shin in those days, nor for many a day after : 'deed, I remember when the folks did not cross the water of Shin for months together. So the fox swam the lower end of the Loch where the grilse lie whiles, and where 144 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. we saw the mouldiwarp swim across, and one of the Guns' dogs and Chisholm's after him, and they foregathered with him on the far side and pit him down, and then, as they wer'n't well acquainted, they girned at each other and fell a fighting over him, and when Chisholm and the Guns had waded and swum across, there was a rare tussle between them. Now whether, in the hurry of pairting the dogs, one of the Guns gave him a blow by chance, or whether from vexation it was given on purpose, I cannot well say, but out came Chisholm's Skean dhu, and three or four of them were lying on the heather in as many blows. When Chisholm saw the red bluid bubbling over the plaids, he jealoused it was time to be off, and he ran up the side of the loch and slipped in, and swam to the little island at the head of the lower loch, and then made as if he were going to swim off to the other side, where the birches are now as they were then ; but when he took the water, he made a stroke or two, and then dived back and just kept his nose out of water like a hurt wild duck. The Guns all crossed the water again, thinking to catch him as he made for Eogart, and spread out across the way to Strathfleet, and thought they had him sure. Weel ! when he raised his head out of the water and had marked them down well, he slipped down again and swam like an otter up to where the big boat- house is, and up along thae sandy bits by the loch-side where we killed sae many sarpents last year, keeping well under the wood, and when he put his feet on the heather he never stinted or stayed till he got to Clebric, where there was a cave he knew well amongst the craigs by Cairn Vadue. Well, the Guns they swat, and the Guns they swore, and were wud for his heart's bluid, but they could get no guess of him, and all the while he kept the hill, and saw them plowthering about in the moss hags as if they had been looking for a wounded stag ; when they came too near he just slipped into his hole like a brock, and waited till they were gone. Well! they went on like this till most of the Guns were tired of looking, and thought that Chisholm had slipped back to Eogart by Stra-na-shalg, till one day two men on the brow yonder, Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 145 which we cannot see, de'il tak' the mist ! saw a man standing on the grey craigs above Loch Furon and jealoused it was Chisholm ; so they stepped back and stalked him like a stag. They had no need to mind the wind, for his nose was no' so sharp as an old hind's, and so they got close up to him before he was well aware — so close that he saw it was too late to mak 5 out, and so he stood steady on the craig. By luck they neither of them knew Chisholm by sight, and so did not like to dirk him at once, and may be they did na' like the chance of a dig of a dirk in their ain weams ; so when they got up to him one said, 'It's a fine day!' ''Deed is it,' said Chisholm, 'a nice saft day.' 'Ye have na' seen Chisholm?' said one of the Guns. ' No, indeed I have not !' said Chisholm ; and I'm thinking it was nae lie, for there was nae wale 0' looking glasses in the cave. ' We are looking after him over the muir, and cannot forgeither with him.' ' What will ye gi'e me if I pit a wrist 0' his into each of your hands?' 'All the white silver in our pouches, and as much more as you will from clan Gun, for we hae bluid-feud with him, and his blood we'll ha'e.' 'Weel then, tak' you this wrist and tak' you this y'ane, for I'm Chisholm !' And when they gripped his wrists he kept his arms clenchit, and just made a jerk forward and sent the pair o' them over the craigs towards Loch Furon, but whether they reached it whole I dinna ken. But Chisholm went back to his cave and said to himself — " ' Weel, I hae keepit my promise ; but deil burst me, if I didna forget to tak' the siller ! ' " Well, it so happened that some other Guns who were out on the moss saw the three together on the craigs, and saw the two men thrown over, and thought sure that Chisholm had a hand in the business, so they followed him so sharp and close, that they saw him enter the cave, and thought, ' Now we have him as safe as a salmon in a cruive.' Just as Chisholm was going into his cave, he turned round and saw the men coming in a straight line towards him, and thought he would break out, but there were over many of them, and L 146 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. so lie stepped into the cave, and they followed ; and he went further and further toward the end, and heard them aye groping after him, till he got to the bare rock, and couldna get further. Well, he thought it was all over with him, but he stretched out his hands to feel whether there was any way to win further, and he felt the edge of a rock over his head, and he gripped it and drew himself up, and found a shelf where he could lay himself along, about seven feet up the side of the cave. Well, the Guns they came on, stumbling and banning, and breaking their shins in the darkness, for it was as mirk as a wolf's mouth, and stooping down to feel their way, for they didna ken how high the roof was, and they were fearful of breaking their heads. Well, the first Gun ran his head against the end of the cave, and cried out, ' Hoot, lads, I hae him !' for he thought that Chisholm had hit him in the head, and that he had him a' safe, but he hadna, and they groped, and they felt, and they glowered into the darkness, till their eyes shone like wild cats, but deil a thing could they feel, only when one caught the ither by the pow, and gied him a rug : 'tis a wonder they hadna dirked each other in the dark ! and all the time Chisholm lay along his shelf, and grinned to himself at the clangamfrey they were keeping below him, and he within reach of their hands. Well, what with ane thing, and what with another, a great fear came on them in the dark cave, and they thought Chisholm must be a warlock, and so they burst out and ran back to Lairg as fast as their feet could carry them. Well, Chisholm waited till they were all gone, and gloaming was come, and then he slipped down to Lairg, where there was an old woman, his foster-sister's aunt's second cousin, who was married on a Gun, and he said, 'Elsie, I'll gie you all the white siller in my pouch ' — and they thought more of the white siller then than they do of the red gold now — 'if you will do what I wish.' ' Aye, 'deed will I,' said the old carline, blinking her eyes at the siller — ' 'deed will I for ane so near a kin.' ' Well, then, you ken that the Guns are all red-wud at not catching me, and they are all drinking together. Now, when they are fou, slip Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 147 you down ben the house, and tak' a shoe and a stocking off one, and a shoe and a stocking off another, and put them in a heap in the road j ust where the sharp stones are, and then come back to me.' So the old body went, and she found that they who were not very fou had put off their clothes before they went to bed, so she wan them easily enough ; and they who were blin fou — and that was the maist of them — never fashed their thumbs about her rugging at their shanks, and so brought out the hose and the brogues, and turned them over with a fork, as if she were mixing a midden. Well, when they were all well mixed, Chisholm went before the house where the Guns were lying, and cried with a loud voice, ' Are ye seeking Chisholm? I hae gotten him here.' When they heard that, out they toumelt outright glad, the fou y'anes without their hose and shoon, and the very fou y'anes with a hose and a shoe on the fane fit, and nane on t'ither, and they all cried out, ' Whar is he ? ' and he stood and said, ' Here he is, ye may hae him for the houding ; ' and when they gat near him, he started up the burn by the blacksmith's smiddy, and made play for Strathfleet like a hunted roe. Weel, the Guns went after him well enough at first, but it was long before the good duke — God bless him ! — made the roads, and never a track was there from Lairg into Strathfleet, but the Burn that falls into the Loch by the Posi^ofnce, and he with his good brogues sped up it fast enough, but they that had but one brogue, and they that had none, made but a bad race of it : 'deed, the ones that had ane made the worst, for the ane brogue made them bould with the ane fut, and they bounced the ither gay hard against the sclate stones, whilst the ithers went hirpling on tenderly on their ten-taes. Well, they soon saw that it was of no use for men with ane brogue, and men with nane, to tak' the hill against a man with two, so they ran back to Lairg to look for their gear, and they saw the heap in the road, and set to work to fit themselves. 'That's mine, Donald ! ' ' Gie me my brogue, Eory ! ' ' What are ye to walk off wi' my hose, Eurich ? ' and so at last they went wild to think that Chisholm was going over the hill all the time, and l2 148 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. they could not suit themselves without breaking the com- mandment, and taking their neighbour's goods, and the bluid got hot, and the skean-dhus lap out, and sixty and six Guns lay in the white moonlight with the red bluid bubbling out of them. Sair broken was the clan for many a day — and that's the story of the fox-hunt o' Lairg." " Well, Donald, I can weel believe it, but that is a very different version of the story of Chisholm of Cairn Vaduc, to the one I have generally heard. But the Clan Gun took a deal of breaking ; they seem to have fluctuated in the oddest manner between Sutherland and Caithness ; when times were tolerably quiet, they put themselves under the protection of the Earl of Caithness, and cultivated their oats and kail in peace ; but the moment there was any chance of a row, they went over to the Earl of Sutherland, and fought for him through thick and thin. The consequence of this trimming policy was, that whenever there was a good understanding between the two Earls, which happened about once in a generation, and never lasted much over eight and forty hours, they combined their forces, and offered up as many of the luckless Guns as they could catch, on the altar of reconcilia- tion. Perhaps the cause of their peculiar position may be found in their own tradition, that they were Norwegians, and took the name of Gun, possibly connected with Gunther, from the son of the King of Denmark, who settled in Caithness." "Well, sir, it may be, but they were sometimes called Clan Cruner, from one Cruner, who was their chief. But, indeed, the earls did not always finish them so easily, for they caught them once on Ben Graem, and shot their arrows too soon, and the Guns took them at short range and beat them off, and then went away south, to Loch Broom, where they were attacked again, and sair harried." " Well, Donald, to cap your story, I will tell you another, which shows that the Guns were not always as sharp as their neighbours. They had been long at feud with the Karnes, and at last a reconciliation was proposed. It was agreed Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 149 that each party were to send twelve horse to the chapel of Saint Tayre, near Girnigo, to arrange the matter. The Guns sent their twelve horse, and when they reached the chapel, the twelve riders, like pious lads, went in to hear mass ; whilst they were inside, the Karnes arrived with their twelve horse, as agreed, but they had taken the liberty of putting two men on each horse, and they overpowered the Guns, and dirked every man of them. Old Sir Eobert says, that he saw the blood on the walls more than a hundred and fifty years afterwards. But hang the Guns ! let us think of the rifles ; see how the mist is lifting, and how pleasantly the north- wester begins to breathe on our faces." Gently and gradually our tiny horizon increases in dia- meter, and light puffs of wind come up from a quarter oppo- site to that from which the rain has been pattering so unmercifully upon us, sharp as needles, cold as ice ; the white fog begins to boil and seethe, and at last is caught up bodily and carried away in the arms of the strong fresh breeze. Stronger and stronger comes the wind, rolling the mist up into great balls, and driving them against the hill- side with a force that scatters them into nothingness. Swell after swell, and peak after peak, stand out bold and clear, the mist hanging round to leeward of them for a moment, cowering under the shelter, till the conqueror brushes off the last trace of the conquered, and the great central basin of Sutherland lies clear at our feet. " And now for deer — what are you spying down there for, Donald ? we must have given the wind to every thing as we came up." " 'Deed, sir, I'm looking for Jeemie and the powney ; he cannot get the staig on his back by himself, and I cannot make out the creature." " What are the sheep galloping for, down there ? — there ! they wheel round in a mass and face towards the burn. Aye, there is the white powney, and Jeemie, and Clebric, the brute, rugging his arm off to get at the blue hares. They will not be up here this half-hour, so we may as well spread ourselves 150 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. and our plaids out to dry on the top of the big stone and wait till they do come." If you look at your map, you will find the word " Suther- land " written over across a far larger tract than is encased within the hills that bound our horizon, but for all that a large proportion of Sutherland proper is visible from our station on the shoulder of Ben Clebric. In old times Strathnaver was really independent of Sutherland, though the Earl of that ilk was the feudal chief of the Lords of Eeay, and had forest rights in the Eeay country. Sutherland was the land south, not only of Caithness but of Strathnaver. Besides Strathnaver, there were the districts of Edderachillies and Assynt, quite distinct from Sutherland, inhabited by different races, and governed by their own chiefs ; the latter, indeed, belonged more to the " Lord of the Isles " than to Scotland proper : the great county of Sutherland was only welded into its present form in very recent times. I cannot now, sitting up here on a big stone, with the wind blowing clean through me, giving me the sensation of being clothed in a fishing-net of more than legal mesh, attempt to unravel the tangled web of the ancient history of Caithness and Sutherland; which was first peopled, and why every little province was at eternal war with its neighbours. Even Sir Bobert Gordon, who spent his whole life in rummaging out the traditions of the country, becomes puzzled and puzzling on the subject. He believes that Caithness should be read Catti-ness, and yet abuses the Catti of that ilk on every occasion, and exalts the Sutherland Catti beyond all cess. Even the name of the Clan-Chattan is a stumbling- block to him ; and he is by no means clear whether they are so called from the name of their original German sept, or from the fact of their chief having literally whipped his weight in wild cats on his first arrival in the country of his adoption. This great fight took place A.D. 91. Don't be afraid, Donald, I will hold it tight. " The catti and usepii were expelled from Germany for killing of a Boman generall with his legions. At their first Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 151 arrival at Cony Vale, in the river of Unes (a commanding haven in that country), their captaine went to the shore to recreate himself and spy the land, when he was suddentlie invaded by a company of monstrous big wild catts, that much endomaged and molested the country. The fight between them was cruell, and continued long ; yet in the end (very grievouslie wounded in severall places of his bodie) he killed them all, with great danger of his lyff. From thence the Thanes and Erles of Cattey, or Sutherland, even unto this day, do carie on their crest or bage, abowe their armes, a catt sitting with one of his feett upward, readie to catch his prey. Some do think that from this adventure this country was first called cattey, for catt in old Scottish (or Irish language) signifieth a catt. But I do rather incline to their opinion who think that as Murrayland was so called from the Murrays, even so was this people which at this time did arryve ther, called catti." A cat's a cat, Sir Eobert, no doubt ; and I suspect that, although you are too true a clansman to confess it openly, you sniffed a little taint of " punning heraldry " in your " crest or bage." From the prevalence of the name of Morray, or Murray, in some parts of Sutherland proper, it is not improbable that all the in- habitants of the most north-eastern side of the highlands are of the same original race. In an old charter, even the Earl of Sutherland is called " Moriff conies Sutherlandise." Whether the present inhabitants be the descendants of Scandinavian settlers, or of Celtic tribes driven out of their own country by increasing waves of pure Scandinavianism, the former visited the country often enough, and left their names on many a sculptured stone, and on the more endurable monuments of valleys and rivers. Does not Helms-dale sound like a name in an Edda ? and is not Lax-fiord, the bay of the salmon, the paradise of the salmon-fisher to this day ? If Sir Thomas Brown is correct in stating that a brass Jews'-harp, richly gilded, was found in an ancient Norwegian urn, Sutherland may be indebted to the Norwegians for its favourite, I had almost said national, instrument. The bag- 152 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. pipe is no more the national instrument of Scotland than the hurdy-gurdy. Down to the seventeenth century every parish in England had a noise of "bagpipes, and every miller could play upon them as certainly as every highland smith now thinks he can. Sir Eohert Gordon mentions the Earl of Sutherland's harper in the seventeenth century, and oddly enough records that he died from drinking whiskey, " a fainting liquor in travel," but gives no hint of the pipes. The Jews' or jaws'-harp is but little appreciated by us southerns, except by the youthful population, who find it an excellent accompaniment to the whitey-brown paper ^and small-tooth comb; but a few years ago it was very popular in Sutherland as a means of producing dance music. It has rather gone out of fashion lately ; but last summer I heard a succession of old Gaelic airs played upon it with an amount of tenderness of feeling, clearness of tone, and perfection of time which electrified me. No instrument could have ren- dered the rapid inflections and changes of the wild old airs more perfectly, and, listening to it, one was inclined to think that it must be older than the pipes, and closely connected with the old metallic stringed chairshoes, so perfectly was it adapted to the spirit of the music. When I leant back, and closed my eyes, it required no very great stretch of the imagination to make believe that I was listening to some strange old-world fairy music, distant yet clear, ringing up from far below some green hillock. It is the oddest sound, soft but metallic, coming and going, as if borne on the fitful waves of the night wind, that ever I heard. So long did the recollection of the Danes linger in Suther- land, that when the country was being surveyed by the Government engineers, in 1819, the people of the west took it into their heads that they were a detachment sent by the King of Denmark to survey the country, previous to his making an attack on Lord Eeay (the then proprietor), in order to avenge an old feud existing between the chief of the Mackays and the crown of Denmark. The foun- dation for this delicious theory being the fact of the Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 153 trigonometrical adepts wearing military-looking foraging- caps. We have no right to be surprised at these old-world fancies having lingered so long in Sutherland, for it was the last part of Great Britain, if not of Western Europe, in which the feudal system had full sway. In the old times, not so very long ago, the tacks -men, who were generally cadets de famille — half-pay officers — paid their rent in great part by furnishing men to the family regiment, over which the chief had absolute command, and their sons and relations were promoted according to the number of men they furnished. Of course the chief made it pay in some way or another ; his regiment was so much political capital, and the more men he could offer to the Government of the time, the more likely he was to get tolerable pickings out of the public purse. In those days, when the crops failed and the cattle starved, the people were kept alive by the chief, like hounds that must be fed though the frost prevented them hunting. This system continued, more or less modified, until the highland family regiments were incorporated into the Line and recruited for in the usual way — a woeful change for the men who had been accustomed to return home on half-pay, take a farm, and pay the rent, and support themselves by making bond-slaves of the cotters, forcing them to return meal and eggs and hens, and an indefinite quantity of work, as rent for their miserable crops. I once saw a " rent-roll," if I may call it so, of a farm under the old system, as late as 1811, and it is certainly a most wonderful document ! By no means the least curious part of it is the number of hens to be furnished to the tacks-man ; and that gave me the key to the old story of the highland laird, who gave his guests " ilk a' ane a hen boiled in broth," that we have all heard of. Money there was little or none, a few hundred half-starved stots were sent south every year, and kelp was manufactured to some extent ; and at one time a "coal-heugh" was worked at Brora, and salt made ; but the coal was a mere small oolitic basin, and soon became exhausted. These were the only 154 .VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. sources of revenue of the whole country sixty or seventy years ago. The cattle never did well: they were too heavy- hoofed to cross the deep morasses to gain the best mountain pasturage, and had they succeeded in doing so, would have been impounded by the enraged forester to a dead certainty ; there was no winter food for them, and the Sutherland people had as much idea of growing roots or artificial grasses as the Terra del Fuegians ; the consequence of which naturally was, that in hard winters the cattle died by hundreds and thousands. The regular practice was to kill every second calf, and even with this restriction of stock, there died in the parish of Kildonan, during the spring of 1807, two hundred cows, five hundred head of cattle, and more than two hundred ponies, of sheer starvation. It is a positive fact that not sixty years ago the wretched people had occasionally to support life by bleeding the cattle, and mixing the blood with meal into a loathsome sort of black pudding. When the military system was changed, the drain of able- bodied men ceased, for no earthly power but the authority of the chief could induce the highlander to enter the army for a lengthened period (his horror of foreign service was intense : the shameful way in which the highland regiments had to be trepanned into going abroad is a matter of history), and the whole system broke hopelessly down. The country became filled with able-bodied men, who looked on manual labour with the most intense scorn, and left all the hard work to the women with an assumption of superiority worthy a Eed Indian or a Prussian : in the beginning of the nine- teenth century they deserved the reproach which had been cast upon their neighbours in the seventeenth, by their own clansman — "The people of that country are so far naturally given to idleness that they cannot apply themselves to labour, which they deem a disparagement and derogation unto their gentilitie." The way in which land was let in townships, instead of to individuals, being afterwards subdivided amongst the small Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 155 tenants, the community being answerable for the rent, was an admirable arrangement for these gentry, as any individual might loaf about as indolently as he liked, without the slightest necessity of his raising more than was sufficient for his own immediate consumption, his rent being paid for him by the more industrious part of the little community ; an admirable encouragement for industry, truly ! On this system the whole country became absolutely useless to the community at large, and a burden on the proprietor ; exporting nothing, importing nothing, and starving regularly once in three years in good times, and every other year in bad ones. If a Sutherland man had advertised for a place in those times, he would have expressed his desires somewhat in the following manner : — "Wanted by a Highland Gentleman, used to habits of idleness, and who can do nothing, a place where there is nothing to do. Salary not so much an object as oatmeal." It was to remedy this state of things that Sir William Alexander endeavoured to induce his countrymen to emigrate in 1620. The men in those times were principally used up in the Polish service; "they haunt Pole with the extreme of drudgery," he says himself ; and complains bitterly of the misery caused in Scotland by an edict of the French king preventing Scotchmen from enlisting in his guards. This sort of system continued longer on the estate of the Sutherland family than in those of the other landowners of the country ; as, having other sources of revenue, it was able to spend large sums on the starving population. Lord Eeay, and others, saw early that their only chance of doing any permanent good was to move the people from the hills, where the crops were almost certain to be mildewed, down to the good arable land by the seashore, and to devote the hills to sheep ; and they did so. I was rather amused the other day by reading a com- parison between Lord Eeay and the present Duke of Suther^ land, containing a half-concealed laudation of the former for leaving his tenants as they were, and keeping up the family 156 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutheeiand. regiment, preferring men to sheep ; the real fact being that he moved his people years before anything of the sort was done on the Sutherland estate, and still longer before the Eeay country came into the possession of the Duke of Sutherland's father. This lagging behind in the race of improvement caused serious embarrassment when the new system was finally determined on ; hundreds of squatters from the neighbouring parts of Sutherland and Eoss had eagerly resorted to a country which permitted them to exist in all their beloved laziness and squalor ; and every patch of ground that could possibly be cultivated was eagerly seized upon to grow oats and potatoes enough to live on if they did well ; if not, the Morfear-chatt would not let them starve. Another cause of the steady demoralization of the country was the enormous quantity of illicit distillation carried on — almost the only means by which money could be obtained. At length even the purse of the Sutherland family began to show symptoms of exhaustion, and it was very clear that not only must the proprietor be ruined, but that two-thirds of the population must starve unless some change was made ; and had it not been made, there is not the slightest doubt that Sutherland would long ere this have suffered the fate of Skibbereen, and from precisely the same causes. Then, though tardily, Sutherland followed the rest of Scotland, and the great Sutherland shifting took place, concerning which such wild and ridiculous statements have been made. One really hardly knows whether to laugh or swear, when one reads how this old matter has been raked up with new and original embellishments, and used as a means of annoyance to the present duke, who had as much to do with it as the great Cham of Tartary, the whole affair having been carried out in his father's time, and indeed before there was a Duke of Sutherland in existence. The measure simply consisted in moving the people from the hills and the wilder straths down to the productive borders of the sea, where they not only had good land, but fish at their doors, enough both for their own support, for sale, and even for manure. Each Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 157 person who was removed had long warning given ; every one had a plot of ground allotted to him before he removed, and received a sum of money sufficient to start him in his new position, and he was even paid for the miserable sticks which supported his turf roof, and which the highlanders were in the habit of carrying about with them whenever they shifted their bothies, and which, from the difficulty of procuring them, they regarded with a species of veneration. That the poor people, nursed in sloth and idleness, and profoundly ignorant and superstitious, looked with horror at the pro- jected change, and used every art which semi-savage and illiterate cunning could invent, to prevent their removal, is most true ; and wild was the lament and intense the horror at the prospect of being located on the " wild, black Dornoch moors." When you go to Sutherland, just take a look at these " wild, black Dornoch moors " now, and if you can point me out a brighter specimen of cotter prosperity in the north, more luxuriant crops, more productive potatoes and yellow oats, be kind enough to let me know its whereabouts, for I should like to see it. So intense was this terror of the change, that it seemed the same to many of the people whether they went ten miles down the strath, or to America ; and to America some — not many — went. And so strong is the feeling of these emigrants against their old landlord, that a very few years ago, when a relation of the Morfear-chatt visited Nova Scotia, they came sixty miles to see him and were so frightfully excited, that they shook hands with him with the most intense heartiness, and seemed ready to kiss him. Not one of these people need have gone to America had he not wished it ; every hand that would labour was wanted in the country, and many who went into neighbour- ing counties soon returned, and eagerly embraced the advan- tages offered them. The delicious theory that these changes were undertaken in order that the deer might be undisturbed, is, I am grieved to say, incorrect ; there was as much idea of preserving snap- 158 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. ping turtles as deer, when they were made, and many a corrie and wide hillside was disforested to carry them out. Indeed, the old Eeay forest and Stack are almost the only remains of the gigantic deer forests which existed at the close of the last century. But why move all the people at once ? Why not let them linger on and die out on the old hillsides they loved so well ? Surely a few cotters could not have interfered much with the sheep-farmer ? Simply because by so doing you would per- petuate the old mistake, attempting to grow corn crops on land which could only yield a return to the community at large by being kept as a winter feeding. Without the small straths the sheep would fail, as the cattle used to ; your whole hillside would be absolutely unproductive, and the land- owner would have to keep the people. Moreover, let me whisper in your ear. The sheep used to go — goodness knows where — and it was impossible to make the shepherds respon- sible for the flocks under their care. I believe that there does not exist a more thoroughly honest man than the Sutherland highlander, but his every tradition pointed to cattle-lifting as an honourable pursuit, and the difference between sheep and cattle is not so very great to a starving man, and so they went. Now, I believe that sheep-stealing is an unknown crime in the country. The consequence of the " depopulation " of Sutherland, as it is called, is, that there are more people in it at this present than there ever were at any previous period of its history ; and of the turning of arable land into sheep-pastures, that there is now a far greater breadth of land under cultivation than there ever was before, and that not only in the form of large farms, but of cotters' croftings. And the improvement in the art is, I have no hesitation in saying, the most marked that has taken place in any part of Great Britain within the same period. Previously to 1811, the rents of the estate of Sutherland came into the pocket of the landlord; from 1811 to 1833, all the rents were expended on improvements in the country, Suthekland.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 860. 159 and in addition 60,0002. was transmitted from England for the same purpose, and with the following results : — Previously to 1811, there was not a carriage-road in the country, and only one bridge at Brora, and a small one at Dornoch. Between 1811 and 1845, above 4.30 miles of road were made, and many more have since been opened. There is not a turnpike-gate in the country. Previously to 1811, there was scarcely a cart in Suther- land, the property of the people, the carriage of the country being conducted on the backs of ponies. In 1845, the tenants paying less than \0l. a year rent had 890 carts ; the larger farmers, 240. Previous to 1811, the cultivation in the interior and on the west coast was carried on by means of the crass-crom — a crooked stick shod with iron, with a small projecting bar to rest the foot upon. In 1845, the smaller tenants owned 569 ploughs; the farmers, 139. Previous to 1811, there was hardly a shop in Sutherland, except at Dornoch, one in Brora, and one near Helmsdale. In 1831, there were 46 grocery shops, and, oddly enough, one of the first symptoms of the cotters making money was the demand for Hacking, a thing unheard of in the good old times. Previously to 1811, the town of Helmsdale did not exist; in 1840, it exported 37,594 barrels of herrings. Shall I go on ? No, you will fancy that I am talking of America instead of Scotland, though that would be unfair, for no part of America can show a greater advance than Sutherland has made within the last fifty years, and that at the expense of one private family. I do not happen to have any hard figures to throw at you of a later date than 1845, but there is no question whatever that the country has im- proved immensely in all respects since that time. I am sure that I hope it will continue to do so, as sincerely as I believe it will, for I never met a peasantry in any part of Europe 160 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland who were more deserving of prosperity than the kind-hearted, warm-hearted, intelligent Sutherland highlanders. Not only- have we not lost soldiers, but we have gained sailors, by the great Sutherland changes, from the enormous increase of the fisheries, now of the highest importance. It is true that the people are much too well off to take the sergeant's shilling readily, but that there is plenty of military spirit in the country will be pretty evident to him who watches the Gol- spie Volunteers in their steady determination to master the difficult problem of knowing their " east legs" from their "wast legs." No reason to cry out against Sutherland sheep- farming for destroying the source from which the defenders of the country may have to be drawn. There they are, soldiers and sailors, ready and willing when wanted, not only in greater numbers than ever they were, but every one of them intrinsically worth three of the old hill men who had to be cheated and bribed into a service they hated. If the brown moors of Sutherland bore you, go somewhere else, but do not anathematize them as barren and unpro- ductive wastes. They bear sheep to the utmost of their power, and every year shows some improvement in the pas^ turage. Ask the West Eiding folks whether they consider Sutherland a productive country or not ? and how much wool they get off those moors ? And ask — but no, don't ask the sheep-farmers how many sheep they feed, for they will regard you with a grim and defiant countenance, and shut the portals of their mouth with a snap like a fox-trap ; not that they have any Jewish superstition against numbering their woolly folk, but as they are only permitted to keep a certain number by their leases, to prevent overstocking the land, they regard the question as doubt thrown on their honesty. I wonder the ingenious tourist has never complained that more than 32,000 acres of Sutherland are kept under water for the purpose of producing salmon and trout, but this is a subject I cannot be cross upon, for the glory of Sutherland is her lakes and her rivers ; and old Sir Eobert says most truly, that " there is not one strype in all these forests that Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 161 wants trout, and other sorts of fishes." Though the salmon in some of the rivers may not reach the average size of their cousins of the south, their number, beauty, and powers of fighting compensate well for the loss of a pound or two when brought to scale. Of course, the gentle tourist need not expect to have salmon-fishing for the asking for it. A salmon river is far too valuable a piece of property to be left open to the world ; and if it were, who is to pay for the pre- serving 1 and without water-bailiffs, who must be paid, how many salmon would there be left for anybody? Just the exact number to be found by the said anybody in the open Welsh rivers, a quantity very easily ascertained by any one who tries them. The rivers are let, some for sport, some for profit, many for both, in all cases employing a considerable number of men, and furnishing large quantities of valuable food. If you want salmon-fishing, put money in thy pouch, and having that, you may indeed get fishing worth the paying for ; that is to say, if you are content to wait till one of the present renters is gaffed by grim Gilly Death, for nothing but his interference, or a hopeless bankruptcy, would ever make the renter of a Sutherland river give it up to any one else. There are, however, two or three rivers where salmon-fishing may be had by the day ; and amongst these is the beautiful lower Shin. This river has one great advan- tage — you are sure to have a pleasant way of spending your Sunday afternoon, which, if you are neither "free" nor " established," may chance to hang a little heavy on your hands in a highland inn without books. If you can enjoy a quiet study of natural beauty, you have merely to walk up to the salmon-leap at the Falls of the Shin, one of the prettiest bits of white foam, black swirl, grey rock, and feathery birch, that ever gladdened an artist's eye ; and on Sunday after- noon, when the " Slaps" are open, the bright silver bars, springing up at the falling sheet of liquid amber, give a life and spirit to the scene which no mere tumble of water can ever possess. You may sit there musing happily hour after hour, till the red sunbeams stream horizontally through the M 162 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. silver-stemmed birch, and the cold damp reek of the cauldron warns you home ; and as you go, you may, if you are roman- tically given, ponder on the fact, that Ossian began life as a herd-boy in Glen Shin. In these enlightened days it is perhaps necessary to men- tion, that salmon do not put their tails in their mouths preparatory to making a leap ; they give a series of sharp sculling strokes with their broad helms, which sends them sheer out of the water, four feet and more. If their sharp noses strike the sheet of falling water, they penetrate into it, and, continuing the original sculling motion, force themselves upwards in the most marvellous fashion ; but the least turn to either side exposes a slight surface to the rush of water, and then down they go ignominiously into the black swirl again. If you are very much in want of a fish, you can go and sit close to the edge of the fall, armed with a gaff, and strike the fish that alight on the rock before they wriggle back, but it is not a course I can advise you to pursue, unless you are anxious to inspect the interior of Dornoch gaol. It is true, that that establishment is clean and well kept, but the diet is coarse, and the pursuits monotonous; so, on the whole, you had better go to Mr. Young, take out a ticket, and try a fly. The Sutherland lakes are beyond all count. I remember being taken to a spot whence I was told I could see a hun- dred at once (which I did not, for the mist was up to my feet) : and their products in the shape of trout are as various in shape, colour, and size, as the lakes themselves. From the little black tarn, twice the size of a blanket, high up on the hill, to the freshwater seas of Loch Shin and Loch Hope, they all are, or rather were, swarming with trout. Up in the tarns you may catch endless dozens of things, which a person of lively imagination might class as trout, but which look more like tadpoles, which have gone on growing as such, lacking the strength of mind or strength of constitution to develop themselves into frogs. The larger lakes used to Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 163 furnish trout of a size, colour, and flavour not to be surpassed by Hampshire itself. For the last two or three years the trout in some of the lakes have been infested with tapeworm, which, I am told, was first observed about the time the grouse were attacked by a similar parasite. I do not suppose that they are identical, though the brutes have so many different forms, that one hardly knows where to have them ; they have both done mischief enough. Of course, the increase of fishermen has had a vast influence on the sport ; the very best loch in Sutherland has been entirely destroyed, as far as fishing is concerned, from its having had the misfortune of having a name, and being within reach of an inn, and those who go to Loch-Beannach, on the strength of tradition, will find themselves woefully disappointed. In old times it was a famous loch for trout, they reeled out like salmon, and were the very Apollos of their race. The bottom of the loch is principally composed of clean primary gravel, and, from some cause or other, the Phrygania which were bred in it were twice the size of those which generally flutter over highland waters. Another cause of the excellence of its fish I disco- vered whilst examining one of them for entomological pur- poses, and that is the existence of quantities of "stickle-backs ;" I cannot say that the prickly one does not exist in other lochs lying as high as Loch-Beannach, but I never saw a trace of him ; and it may be worth the while of some Lairg- visiting naturalist to examine whether this sub-alpine form of the Sticklebagulus Choak-perchius of our southern streams may or may not deserve to be elevated into a new species, to be called Sticklebagulus Beannachius. One cause of the diminution of sport in the Sutherland lochs belongs to bygone times, and is worth mentioning for the sake of the tradition. The old people tell me that in the days of black cattle, they (the cattle) were driven up to the hill in summer, and the lassies used to live in sheilings and tend them — an arrangement which produced a great deal of poetry and feeling, just as it does amongst the "Senn-Hute- rinn" of the Tyrol to this day. The cattle being teased with M 2 164 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. midges, took to the lochs, and stamped and plunged in the mud, turning out all kinds of larvae and affording a fine nidus for the nidification of infinite beetles. Fine living there was for the trout ; beetles in abundance, maggots for the taking, and drowned flies in infinity. When the wind was in the right airt and the planetary aspects were in other respects benign, the plough-woman dropped her cras-crom in the scratch that did duty for a furrow, the turf-cutter left her divots unturned, the piper left the last screech to be blown out of his bag by atmospheric pressure, and all rushed to Loch Beannach to catch trout. Unless the old people "romance," which very probably they do, there used to be trouts enough taken in two or three hours to keep the takers in fish for weeks. To keep them, they merely split them and hung them on the cabers of their wigwams, and the creosote distilled from the peat soon rendered the fish as safe from decay as it did the eaters of them. I make this last comparison because certain learned pundits have been lately poking about for a cause for the increase of consumption among the northern highlanders, and they aver that it is the loss of the peat-reek and its creo- sote, which now goes up the grand stone chimney. However, old authors say, that we English never knew the " quack or pose/' those mediaeval influenzas, till we started Lums, and we still manage to exist ; so let us hope that John Sutherland may take to himself a pocket-napkin and do well yet. But minished and brought low, as the trout are, the gentle tourist who likes to spend a warm gleamy day, with a rustling south-westerly wind, in a boat, with a big trout spinning over the stern of the boat for Salmo Ferox, and the beloved of his heart and a sprinkling of children, well protected against midges, flogging the water right and left, may yet have the chance to bring home a tea-tray full of trout, though, I confess, not often. The trout in the lochs he is likely to frequent have had their noses scratched too often to rise freely ; and, I am sorry to say, that certain Philistines have increased the mischief by permitting their gillies to use the otter where their own arts failed, and have returned triumphant with a Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 165 basket of fish, at the expense of spoiling the bay for the rest of the season. Do not permit it, tourist, for your own sake ; if the gilly otters for you, he will for himself ; you will not gain credit long, for in the vanity of his heart he will be cer- tain to peach, and you will have to pay for your short-lived glory by having spoilt your own sport, and made a poacher of a decent laddie. There exist fishes in some lochs that I should like to know more about. So far north are we that char are caught with a fly in lochs but a few feet above the level of the sea ; and old Eoss of Tongue, who is not given to romance, assures me that he has caught what he calls trout- char, weighing from half a pound to a pound and a half, on the fly, in the lochs of Ben Hope. What are they \ In Assynt, the lakes are in number infinite, and in variety endless. From noble Loch Assynt, with its islands and woods, down to the little rock-set basin not ten yards across, with its circular wreath of water-lilies, and its smooth, grey, ice-worn, gneiss banks, dashed with strips of purple heather, they meet you at every turn. There you may launch your boat twenty times a day without going far from the road ; and if you find the trout in one wee lochie too small or too shy, walk or drive over the bank and find another and another loch, till you come to one that suits you. I do not care much for loch-fishing, myself ; but I am of so fishy and webby a nature, that I take to the water at once, or I should have told you to look at the rocks instead of the lakes ; but what should I have profited if I had ? for are not the mountain wonders of Assynt and the west coast indescribable, and would you not have looked at them at once on arriving there, without being told to do so, that is if you could see them ? Unfortunately for the passing tourist, these western mountains are very coy of discovering their charms, and are much given to the shrouding them for weeks at a time in thick veils of Atlantic mist. But however long you have to wait at Loch Inver, wait patiently, rise early and go to bed late, for an} moment may disclose one of the most marvellously strange and beautiful bits of scenery in Europe. That peak of red- 166 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. sandstone, rising between 1,500 and 1,600 feet in one bold pinnacle, even more precipitous than the form from which it takes its name, standing out clear and distinct from the sur- rounding mountains, with a boldness and freedom of outline perfectly indescribable, is certainly worth any trouble, waiting, or expense to see. It is hard to say whether the " Sugar-loaf" is grander on a bright day, which brings out its outline clear and sharp, and bathes it in a glorious red glow at sunset ; or on a cloudy one, when the summit is shrouded in mist, which throws a deep purple gloom round its base, and removes the background into infinite distance, lurid and mysterious. Alas ! I once spent a week at Loch Inver without once seeing it in either state. If you are an artist in search of a subject, and happen to be at Loch Inver at the time the herring boats are starting for the east coast, I strongly advise you to go to the little fiord, a mile or two to the north, and study what you will see there. That little rocky basin of a bay, the few black huts, with tiny scraps of yellow oats struggling to ripen in the grey gneiss rock — the broad brown boats, sharp fore and aft., with their sturdy crews sorely suffering at the leave-taking, but trying to look stout and cheerful ; and the women turning homewards with moist eye and quivering lip, to turn and turn again as the bread-winners disappear round the point — may give you a hint for a picture worth the painting. When the highlanders lived far up in the inland straths, they never dreamt of the riches of the sea ; and you might as well have endeavoured to persuade a starving cock-robin that he had nothing to do but to dive into a salmon-pool to procure an abundance of food, as induce any one of them to take to the salt water. Now the case is altered ; living by the sea, they have become accustomed to it, and stretch away to the east- ward for herrings manfully. Pity it is that they cannot be induced to take to the deep-sea fishing on their own coast, so well protected by the great breakwater of Harris and Lewis. The only fishing I have seen on the west coast is that Suthekland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 167 mentioned by an old pamphleteer of 1597, as obtaining in his own time in the opposite island. " People of all sorts and ages sit on the rocks thereof (Harris) with hooke and lyne, taking innumerable quantity of all kinds of hshes." And so they do now in Assynt, and quaint are the figures one sees perched on the projecting rocks fishing for their supper. Most frequently it is an old woman with her knees drawn up to her chin, with her voluminous mutch flapping about in the wind, fishing for coal-fish with a short rod and half a dozen flies, made of a white duck's feather, which she does not deign to withdraw from the water till each hook has its green and silver victim attached to it. I never saw them catch anything else ; but if you, tourist, will go and spin a butter -fish for Lythe — Merlangus Pollachius — you will there first discover what sport trolling can be. The people are to a certain extent right in keeping to the little Merlangus Carbonarius, for they can be caught to any amount, and are easily dried for winter store. Deep-sea fishing is not an art to be learned in a day ; but as soon as Glascow wants more cod and ling, she will certainly gfet them. If you care neither for painting nor fishing, you may get legend am. history enough on the west coast to amuse you well. Of course you will hear how Macleod of Assynt betrayed Montrose ; but do not believe them when they tell you that his only reward was a few boles of meal ; he got twenty thousand "gude punds Scots," and the captainship of the garrison of Strathnaver for that little piece of business. He was, it is true, sent to Edinboro' as a prisoner at the Eesto- ration, but he made light of it — so light indeed that his levities called down the anathemas of Bishop Burnet, who is indignant that the great entertainments he gave in prison should have made him friends enough amongst the great to permit of his escape, untried and unpunished. The fact is, that certainly down to the latter part of the seven- teenth century, and, I suspect, very much later, there was no such thing as " law " in the west and north of Sutherland. 168 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland- Every semi-savage who had brutality enough to conceive ingenious plans of murder, and strength enough to carry them out, might do so with impunity, as far as law was concerned, and he would always find men enough to back him. The history of that castle whose ruins you see at the head of Loch Assynt, is but one continuous succession of parricides and fratricides. I have a dim recollection of one Macleod, who possessed it, having died quietly in his bed, after being turned out of it by his relations ; and he is specially recorded as having been " impotent of ane leg." Either the impotency of his leg prevented his pressing forward in the fray, or his consciousness that his means of escape were imperfect caused him to beat an early retreat, but he is the only member of the family who was served with a writ of ejectment without having its efficacy secured by a dirk. When you go to Durness, you will see the tomb of an excellent specimen of the west country highlander of the seventeenth century — one Mac-Murshoo, vic-ean-Mohr., who, determined that posterity should appreciate his character to its full value, composed the following epitaph on himself, which is still to be seen (I quote from memory) : — " Donald Mak-Murshov Hier lyis lo, Vas ill to his Friend, var to his Fo ; True to his maister, in veird and vo." I have much matter in my head against this Donald, but you may read the principal traditions of him, taken from the Taylor MSS., in Mr. Scrope's book on Deerstalking. He died in 1623, and was as brutal a ruffian as ever dis- graced humanity ; he raised murder to the rank of one of the fine arts, and murdered from pure thirst for blood ; and yet was permitted to hold his own, unchallenged, probably being useful to his " Maister," who was either the Lord Keay of the time, or the deviL After reading his own epitaph on himself, one has a right to believe anything of him, and so I give willing ear to the legend that he built a house without a door or window, which he entered through a hole in the roof. Certain curious persons who visited this strange Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. J 69 den, and asked the reason of its peculiar style of architecture, received a pointed reply in the shape of an arrow ; notwith- standing this pretty strong hint, others ventured on a similar visit, and one got killed. " Sarve him right ! " should certainly have been the verdict. This chapel at Durness is a most curious old-world place : so old, that the earth has grown high up against the walls from the addition of generations of highlanders, and you go down steps into it. When I saw it a few years ago, it was only partially dismantled ; part of the roof and the pews were still standing, and knocking about on the floor was a particularly thick and ill-favoured skull, with a tremendous " blash " across it, from which, however, the recipient had probably recovered, as there was a quantity of new bone thrown out around the cut. It was just such a brain-pan as one would imagine Donald Mac-Corrachy to have possessed, and may, indeed, have held his most abomin- able brains. He had something to love him, however ; for when his tomb was opened many years ago, a female skeleton was found beside the bones of the old freebooter. Though the innumerable cairns in Sutherland hint pretty strongly at the old value set on human life, they must not all be taken as proofs of actual bloodshed. They were sometimes erected to commemorate the better part of valour, as in the case of Cairn Teaghie, or the cairn of flight, on Ben Gream, which perpetuates the memory of the bolting of the Caithness men from the Sutherland men, and the bloodless recovery of their cows by the latter. Many of these cairns may, I think, fairly be put down to the account of the Danes, and where the groups are very numerous, were probably raised over the victims of their raids by the survivors. The skirmishes amongst the highlanders themselves seldom resulted in the slaughter of any great number on either side, though a great deal of " vaunting" and heroical speechifying, after the manner of the Homeric heroes, took place ; but ill words break no bones, and seldom require cairns. The Northmen had a custom of burying their slain heroes hurriedly, and then returning for their remains afterwards, trusting to the good 170 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. feeling of the people to find them untouched ; so the tourist who amuses himself by pulling the cairns to pieces must not be surprised if he find nothing. I know of three enormous cairns in Sutherland, which have been arranged on a sort of " pea and thimble " principle. Open the right one, and you are a made man ; open either of the wrong, and you are a dead one. I decline to point out their exact situation, as I may some day be driven to take the fearful bet myself. " Do you think I should hit the right one, Donald?" " 'Deed, sir, I don't think it's right to meddle with a cairn ; it's the same as a grave in a kirkyard, and there may be a bonnie lad lying under it, who wadna wish his bones to be moved till he was called for at the judgment. They tell wild old stories about the evil that fell on men who moved them ; but I think they were no that very gude and likely to prosper before they tried it. But, 'deed it's no wonder that the old folks were supersteecious, for there were awfu' things in the forests ; things like men, that lived with the deer, and sucked the hinds and eat grass, and went on all fours like the beasts. There was one seen, and there's no doubt aboot it, about a hundred years ago. " The first time it was seen it came to a shepherd's house in Kildonen, and was naked almost, only a clout or two about it, and it scared the shepherd's wife and bairns out of their wits, as it stood girning and making as if it could not speak. The wife thought it was hunger that moved it, and gave it a cog of milk ; and it took it from her, and set it down on the ground, and lapped it like a dog. When the shepherd came home, and saw the awfu' beast on the floor, he went almost off his head for fear, and felt a motion in his heart to attack it, as if it had been a wolf, and the dogs snarled, and yelled, and bristled up their backs, as if they saw something uncanny ; and their snarling so startled the thing, that it sprang up and fled over the moor like a stag. " Another time, a forester met it, or another one, on Morven, and talked to it. The creature told him that it fed on grass, Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 171 like the deer, and that it had kept the forest since it had killed a herd boy in Dunrobin Glen, and that it believed it would never go to heaven. The last one that was seen gave old John Pope, the forester, a sair fleg.* He and another had gone to sleep on a bit bothy, on Ben Ormin, and were awakened by an awful yell outside, and a screeching voice saying, in Gaelic, ' My bed ! my bed ! ' and then the door opened, and something came in. John Pope was not to be daunted by man nor de'il, and so he grappled with it, and a sair tussle they had, for though John was the strongest man in Sutherland, the thing was as strong as the iron, and as hard as Brora stone under his fingers. The ither forester took up a gun, but could not put out, for it was as mirk as pick, and he only knew where the two were by the noise they made ; at last he grappit the thing, and he and John had strength enough to put it out at the door, when it raised a long, long, sad screeching wail, and again called out in Gaelic, 'My bed ! my bed ! ' and then all was silent. They never saw what it was like, either of them, but John Pope said it left a powerfu' smell o' brimstone." " Donald ! Donald ! keep out of the regions of Bogledom, and tell me how much longer I am to wait here. What with being wet, and what with being dried, I am getting as stiff as Jack's father." " I can weel believe it, sir ; but how stiff was Jack's father?" "Listen, and I will tell you." " Jacke (quoth his father), how shall I ease take ; If I stand, my legs ache, and if I kneele, My knees ache, and if I goe then my feet ache ; If I lie, my back acheth, and if I sit, I feel My hips ache ; and leane I never so weel, My elbows ache." " Sir (quoth Jack), pain to exile, Since all these ease not, best ye hang awhile ! " " 'Deed, did he ! and an ill raised laddie he must have been ; though it would have been safe advice enough here, * This took place in 1746. 172 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. with no tree nearer than Lairg. But we must be off. There's Jeemie standing and thinking, and Clebric pulling and snuff- ing, just up the corrie. He's a sharp laddie, Jeemie, and understands what he is told ; not like that big donnart we had last year, who came up to corrie Venchnich, and plow- thered about all day, and then came back without the deer, and he within twenty yards o't. Aye ! he sees the ravens, and is going up. We'll be off and raise the stag, and then see what is on the hill." Twenty minutes' run brings us up to Jeemie and the white powney, the former staring admiringly, and the latter snuffing complacently at our stag, whilst three pair of ravens croak, and hop, and whet their bills on the stones a few yards off. I should very much like to see how ravens dispose of " Gral- loch," particularly when they are tolerably numerous, but that is a business as mysterious as the birds themselves ; we left plenty yesterday, and now the heather is clean, and had we not sunk the poch-a-bui (I don't pretend to spell Gaelic, be it clearly understood) with its contained treasures, in the burn, they would have cleared off that too. One pair, evidently young, dance wildly on a stone, under the impres- sion that we are interfering unjustly with their future meals, but the old ones sit solemnly and croak gloomily and re- provingly, as if to say, " Stupid young creatures ! don't you know yet, that they always get the best of everything.'' Never mind what they say ; let us look at the stag for a moment, and think whether the long curved antlers, springing so boldly out of the purple heather, look as large and have as many points as we fancied last night, when we packed him up. " 'Deed it's a bonny staig ! and look at his broo antlers, and his dags, and the spread of his cabers." Up with him, Jeemie, though you never killed a stag in your life, you are as keen about them and as much interested in every point as if you stalked every day for your dinner. Like every man, woman, and child, in broad Sutherland. It is no light business to get our big stag — for he is a big one, a real Sutherland hart — on the deer saddle : and Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 173 intricate is the combination of knots which keep him there. What a noble beast it is ! and how the old poney turns his head round to snuff at him ; he has carried them till he has positively become fond of the rich aromatic smell of the deer — that Esau smell, recognised long ago. How well the pair look as they go over the sky-line ; and how fondly we watch them till the broad antlers have disappeared ! Now, friend Donald, for another and a bigger ! Why try to describe a " stalk ? " Unless the ground is known, the description would be as dull and flat as that of a run with foxhounds to a man who knew not the country : more so, indeed, for even in the reading of a great run some faint echo of the pattering thunder of the hoofs over the turf reaches the heart of the reader, but in the stalk all is silent and patient skill. When one thinks of it, this same stalking is a very wonderful thing : there, two miles off, are lying deer, a score or more, on ground chosen with the hereditary skill and experience of ages ; with powers of sight and scent of the most marvellous keenness ; all bare around them : apparently not a tuft of rushes high enough to conceal a ramrod within yards of them, pickets of keen eyed and keener scented hinds thrown out in every direction, sentinels who never slumber or sleep, but keep every nerve on the stretch to preserve their great lord from harm. How can we hope to slay him in the very centre of his court ? " They'r as wise as Christians — 'deed, they'r wiser ! but we'll do it," says Donald, as he softly closes his prospect, and he does it ; how, I should like to tell you in this particular case, which was a miracle of stalking, but I cannot. Dream out a stalk for yourself : suppose the wind gained, and every difficulty overcome, and remember the throbbing of your heart when you raised your head, gently — gently — over the heather — what a thicket of antlers ! Wait patiently till they rise. What is that clashing, as if a company of Life Guards- men had simultaneously begun backsword play ? The young stags fighting. Venture another peep. — Horror ! is that a young six-pointer staring steadily at us? Believe it not, noble 174 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Sutherland. youth ! We are but two grey stones ! Still the antlers of the master-hart are steady above the heather ; one after another the younger stags feed down towards the burn ; the hinds follow, turning back to invite their great lord to follow. See those two or three determined tossings of the mighty antlers : he is going to rise — he is up ! Steady, for a moment, for a broadside — now, whilst he is curving his back, and stretching himself out like a lion. Now ! — crack ! —slap ! — Up into the bauk ! There are the hinds and young stags, huddled together. Where is he ? Trotting slowly and pain- fully round the swell. Again — crack! — slap! — what a stumble ! He is our own, try as he may, he can never win up the brae. See, how the hinds sniff and start aside as they scent the blood, and how the young stags turn and turn again, to ask his guidance. In vain ! one staggering effort to cross the burn, and then down with a crashing stumble — never to rise again ! " Another and a bigger, indeed, Donald. Ten points, and as fat as an ox ! " " Aye, sir ! he's none of our deer, he's up from the woods." " See, if he has a forked tail, Donald. Perhaps he is an Arkle deer." " Hoot-toot, sir ! you don't believe in such old wives' stories, I know ! " " 'Deed, I don't know, Donald. I laughed at the fancy till I found an explanation of it worth the recording. The tail of the Arkle deer was not exactly forked, but from its root depended a tuft of coarse hair ; and in warm weather, or when the stag was heated in the chase, this tuft became matted together, and produced the semblance of a forked tail, thick and broad at the root, and divided into two parts at its termination, the hair forming one division and the real tail the other." " I can weel believe it, sir ; but we must hurry with the gralloch, or it will be dark before we put up the stag." Dark, indeed, with sheets of rain and driving mist. Let us race across the wilderness at full trot. Sutherland.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. \J5 " A dark night, a wearied wight, and a welsome way. God be the guide," as Huntly said, when he was escaping from Morpeth. A glimpse of Eory's bright turf fire, with the collies lying round it each in his appointed place — and then Lairg- wards, ho ! " Good-night, Eory ! Good-night, everybody!" 176 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. 5. A VISIT TO PERU. BY CHAKLES CHKISTOPHER BOWEN On the morning of the 12th of February, 1860, under the sultry heat of a nearly vertical sun, the vessel in which I had taken my passage from New Zealand lay becalmed off the island of San Lorenzo. The summer trade- winds had been light along the coast, and the heavy mist that generally hangs over the mountains and the rainless shores of Peru destroyed all hope of a view of the Cordillera from the sea ; but towards noon a breeze sprang up, and the dense curtain rose a little as we rounded the island, and entered the beau- tiful bay of Callao. Momentary glimpses of the Andes served rather to raise than to satisfy expectation. The harbour was filled with shipping of every size and build, sailing under the flags of all nations. Most of these ships were under charter to carry away cargoes of guano, the great present staple of export from the coast ; the Government compelling them to enter inwards at Callao before they proceed to load at the Chincha Islands, and to return to the same port to clear out when their cargoes are on board. If not an enlight- ened, it is a popular policy to tax foreign shipping for the benefit of the ship-chandlers and crimps of Callao. As we sailed up the bay, myriads of penguins, divers, and other sea-birds moved lazily along the water out of the way of the ship. The sea was literally alive with them, as they waged their ceaseless war against the fish with which these waters teem. It was nearly six o'clock when we came to anchor; and as there is nothing on first arrival to invite a stay in the post-town of Callao, I determined to get up to Lima at once. The master of the barque accompanied me, and we landed at a wooden pier close to the railway-station, C. C.Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 177 just as the signal was given for the departure of the last train for Lima. My luggage was dragged out of the boat by two or three negroes, and carried off to the station amid the shouts and gesticulations of a very mixed-looking population, with a strong preponderance of negro physiognomy. We hurried after the portmanteaus, and the scene at the station was very characteristic of the manner in which business is done here. An imperturbable clerk declined to give us tickets, on the ground that it was too late ; the negroes did not mind him, but rushed through the office, and as the train was moving off, we pitched the portmanteaus into the bag- gage-waggon, and jumped in on the top of them. There were no porters or other officials to assist or to obstruct us, as the porterage of the station is left to the negroes in a strictly free-trade spirit, and the mulatto guards in the waggon looked on in the helpless and sleepy manner that appeared habitual among the employes. When the train had been in motion for about five minutes, one of them roused himself slowly to ask us for our fares, and on receiving the money, relapsed into an apathetic state. The railway consists of a single line, of rude construction, running alongside of the usual horse-road, through a sandy desert. As you approach Lima, which is situated about seven miles from the sea, you pass between gardens of bana- nas, oranges, and chirimoyas, oases reclaimed from the waste, and enclosed by walls of adobes, or large sun-dried bricks. Of this material have been constructed most of the buildings, both of the modern and ancient towns, in the valleys of the coast. The entrance to the city itself by railway is not pre- possessing. The line passes through a straggling suburb, and in the large doorways of the houses on each side, crowds of idle, dissipated-looking men, women, and children, of very hybrid breed, stare listlessly at the train as it comes slowly in. No respectable citizen would venture alone on foot and unarmed into that locality at any time of the day or night. On arrival at the terminus, a couple of negroes, who appear to be the self-constituted porters of the station, seized the luggage, N 178 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. and trotted off with it at a rate which made it difficult to keep up with them in the narrow and crowded streets. It was Sunday evening, and every one seemed bent on amusement. Almost all the shops were closed, except those of the very numerous tobacconists, who were driving a large trade all along the principal streets. (Nearly every one you meet in Lima has a cigar or cigarette in his mouth, or is rolling one of the latter in his fingers.) It was so dark when we reached the hotel, that we could not judge of the appearance of the plaza; but it is smaller than I had been led to expect from the importance of the old Ciudad de los Reyes. The sound of water from a laxge fountain in the centre fell gratefully on the ear, and the crowds sauntering about under the portals or piazzas that run round two sides of the square, were enjoy- ing the fresh air in this central lung of the metropolis. Morin's hotel is situated in the Plaza, opposite the cathedral, and is one of the best and most conveniently situated : it is as clean as any other in the town ; only strangers expect to escape fleas anywhere in Lima. The style of the building is peculiar, and a description of it may answer, with some slight modification, for that of most of the other large hotels. The entrance from the portal is by a large gateway, on each side of which shops extend along the frontage of the hotel. Below-stairs, round the open patio, or court, are the coffee- room, billiard-rooms, and bar. A broad unroofed staircase leads up to unroofed corridors, on which open the bed-rooms, and the sola, or large dining-room. The rooms below-stairs are a sort of lounge for a number of well-dressed inhabitants. This is the club where they meet to talk over the troubled politics of the place, the last scandal, or the last petty war ; and to indulge in gambling, the favourite vice of the country. After dinner we took a lounge through the narrow gas-lit streets ; and though it was too late to form a just impression of the place, I could not fail to be struck by the mediaeval appearance of one of the oldest European towns on the American Continent. The miserable looking Indian soldiers, that are met constantly marching or rather straggling to C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 179 relieve guard, told a tale of the absurd and wicked wars for ever raging among these pestilent little South-American republics ; and the number of dissolute, ill-looking priests confirmed by their appearance the universal testimony borne to the corruption of the Peruvian clergy. As our eyes were attracted by the varied figures of the passers, the " pacing" horses, and the horsemen in mediaeval saddles and bright- coloured ponchos, we wandered farther into the suburbs than we should have ventured unarmed, had we known the present state of the police, and the lawless character of the outlying districts of Lima. On our return to the hotel, we heard enough and to spare on this subject. In his glowing description of the " Ciudad de los Reyes," I think that Prescott has been rather led away by the ex- aggerations of the old Spanish chroniclers. Lima cannot be called a beautiful city, and it has as much pretension to beauty now as it ever had. But the thoroughfares were considered wide at the time that Pizarro laid the foundations of his capital, and convenience was far more studied than in most towns of that period. The streets run at right angles to each other, and the water of the Eimac is conducted down the middle of those running parallel with the river, in open azequias, or drains, which are a nuisance in the populous neighbourhoods. The authorities are now covering the azequias in some of the main thoroughfares. The inhabitants of a street running out of the plaza, were so proud of having their drain covered in, that they formally opened the new carriage-way with music and flags, and gun-firing, and a procession, in which the government and military figured. The river Eimac (to a corruption of which word the name " Lima" owes its origin) flows through the town, and is spanned by a stone bridge, commonly called after Pizarro. It was really built at great expense in 1613, on the site of the one made by the conqueror, and has resisted the frequent shocks of earthquake that have tried its stability. All the churches and other public buildings which adorn the town, were built in the time of the Viceroys : the Republican n2 180 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. Government has scarcely done anything in the way of im- provement. When a public building is wanted now for any purpose, a church or a monastery is taken possession of by the authorities. Part of the extensive monastery of the Franciscans, which once contained one thousand monks, is used as a barrack, and the number of the brotherhood is reduced to about thirty. The college of St. Mark, once the boast of Lima, has been closed, and the chapel appro- priated for the sessions of the House of ^Representatives. The Council of State sits in the once infamous hall of the Inquisition. The Lima terminus of the Callao Eailway, was once the convent of San Juan de Dios. There is, however, a great public building now in course of erection in the Suburb, on the road to Chorillos, which will reflect credit rather on one individual than on the Govern- ment of Peru. A wretched and loathsome prison, the Casas Matas of Callao, has hitherto been the only place of con- finement for prisoners. Here, both in the Spanish and Eepublican times, many an unfortunate has suffered a long-drawn-out death. Senor Paz Soldan examined and reported upon the prison discipline of the United States, and has persisted in his scheme of ameliorating that of Peru, until he obtained funds for the splendid stone building which he is now erecting on principles suggested by modern experience. Only those who know something of the government and legislature of Peru, will appreciate the enterprise of the man who has succeeded in diverting public money into so philan- thropic a channel. With this single exception, all public and private buildings in Lima are of adobes. The churches, of nondescript style of architecture, gaudy, occasionally picturesque, with quaint towers of lath and plaster, and painted facades, are very numerous ; but their shrines are not as wealthy as they were in the days of Spanish rule. The necessities of temporary chiefs of the Republic, and the avarice of unscrupulous priests, have gone far to denude the altars, on which, in many cases, ornaments of less value have taken the place of the silver C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 181 gifts of devotees. No place in Lima is sacred enough to ensure its immunity in these days of anarchy, robbery, and corruption. The exterior of the private houses gives little promise of the comfort of the interior. A large gateway, with shops on each side, extending along the front of the house, leads into a spa- cious patio, or courtyard ; sometimes the sola is immediately opposite the gateway ; sometimes a handsome flight of stone steps leads to a corridor on which the reception rooms open. The principal visiting hour is about eight o'clock in the even- ing ; after that hour all the drawing-rooms of Lima are open to visitors, and you may meet in the streets ladies in evening- dress, with shawls thrown over their heads, walking from one house to another. The Limenians are most hospitable ; — the ladies have a well-merited reputation for their social qualities and a considerable share of beauty ; but the vice of gambling prevalent among the men is calculated to unhinge society. It pervades all classes ; — the President and the shopkeeper, the soldier and the priest, are alike addicted to it. Business wears a gambling aspect. The Governments and would-be Governments gamble in the issue of paper ; merchants gamble in the purchase of these public vales, or bonds, which are often depreciated to an incredible extent ; there is no public confidence or public faith ; and the con- sequence of all this, together with the abundance of silver, is that ordinary commodities bear a fictitious price. In Lima a dollar goes about as far as a shilling would in England. A man who wins and loses a thousand dollars in a night, does not care what he gives for the necessaries of life. Many of the leading merchants are English and German, and the best shops are kept by Frenchmen and Italians ; each one intent on making all he can in the shortest possible time with a view to returning to his own country. This is not a place to enter upon a disquisition on the Government, or rather Anarchy, of Peru. But there are some prominent facts which force themselves on the attention of the traveller. In the first place, he must dismiss from his 182 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. mind any notion he may have formed that the Peruvian independence was won in the same way as that of the United States of America. The intolerable rule of Spain broke down the spirit of the governed and destroyed their self-reliance. Columbian troops and foreign officers* were chiefly instru- mental in giving freedom to the Peruvians. As they did not win their independence for themselves, they did not know how to profit by it. They have not yet attained to a thorough national feeling. By blood, the ruling classes are as much Indian as Spanish : few, if any, can boast of the Sangre Azul of Gallicia. The Government for the time being is that of the strongest body of brigands in the country ; powerful to rob and oppress, but powerless to protect life and property. The rural Indian population, decimated and degraded as it has been by the cruel oppression of the Spaniards, is still peaceable, orderly, and hospitable. But the mongrel popu- lation around Lima produces the worst characters. Bands of robbers, chiefly negroes, mulattoes, and men of mixed Indian and negro blood,f infest the neighbourhood and laugh at the police. Of this crew the negroes, and those with negro blood in their veins, are by far the worst. To an Englishman belongs the disgrace of having first introduced negro slaves on * The world knows now pretty well the return that some of these men have received from the Spanish republics. Lord Dundonald's case will recur to the minds of most readers. But I cannot refrain from noticing that of a distin- guished man who has spent the best part of his life in the arduous struggle for South American independence. General Miller (to whom the Peruvians owe more than to any other man, except Lord Cochrane), after the victory was won, and after in vain attempting to maintain the cause of Constitutional government, was obliged to retire into banishment, poor, and crippled by many severe wounds. It is doubtful whether the Peruvians even respected the principle which had kept him poor in commands which had enriched so many others. For twenty years, during which he held the office of British Consul- General in the Sandwich Islands, he was ignored by Peru ; and though lately restored by the present Government to his rank as Grand-Marshal, they decline to admit the undoubted claims which he has upon the country. It must be grief enough to those who have spent their lives for the freedom of such a country, to see what a country and what a freedom now exists. t It is calculated that there are more than twenty different strains of blood in the population of the Lima suburbs, from the intermixture of white men, Indians, and negroes. To these may be added, of late, Chinese. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 183 this coast. The famous John Hawkins of Queen Elizabeth's time began the traffic, and for some time it was an English monopoly. When the Eepublic was established, a wise and beneficent law was passed, providing for gradual emancipation. It was enacted that all existing slaves should remain so for life ; that at the age of fifty their children should be free ; and that their grandchildren should be born free. But in the year 1855, the present President suddenly issued a decree, summarily emancipating all slaves. So rash a step cannot even lay claim to the credit of good intention ; it was merely one of the many devices illegally adopted by military leaders to secure adherents. Eew would be prepared to maintain, that the reparation of a great social evil is to be effected by a coup-de-main. And nothing strikes me as much more wicked than to cast loose on society, without warning or preparation, a body of men destitute of training to benefit themselves or to respect the rights of others. What might have been expected has happened in Peru ; and the quondam slaves around Lima are now a curse to themselves and to the country. The infamous Chinese Coolie Trade that has sprung up, and is encouraged, exceeds in atrocity the old trade in negro slaves : a tolerably good proof (if any were needed) that the decree of 1855 was not dictated by conscientious scruples. Almost the first thing I heard on landing, was the news of a sad tragedy which had happened only the week before. Capt. Lambert, Commander of H. M. S. "Vixen," lying in Callao harbour, had gone down alone to bathe in the river below Lima early in the afternoon, and the same evening his body was found on the river bank, half undressed, with marks of violence on his head and arms. A profound sensation was created in the town, owing to the rank of the unfortunate gentleman, and the service to which he belonged, but the authorities were either unable or afraid to make proper inquiries into the matter. The district near which the tragedy occurred, has always had a bad reputation ; I certainly never saw a more villanous-looking population than that which I passed 184 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. through when visiting the spot with a friend of Captain Lambert, who was anxious to make a plan of the localities. This gentleman has at considerable personal risk followed up every clue, to obtain some trace of the murderers, and gives no peace to the apathetic government. It is easy to see that the authorities hope to get rid of an unpleasant topic by pro- crastination, as the sensation produced at first died rapidly away. When the murder was committed, it was eagerly asked in all the foreign shops, "What will the English Government do?" But soon people said, "The English Government did nothing when their late Minister was shot in this town in broad daylight, and the murderer was allowed to escape ; they will do nothing now." This has the very worst effect ; and it is to be hoped that the Peruvian Government will not be allowed to pass over this unhappy tragedy so quietly.* As France and America have both serious questions pending with this wretched little republic, it is quite time that these two powers and England should unite, in the interests of humanity, to dictate to the Peruvian Government some necessary steps for the prevention of out- rages on foreigners. For one of these powers alone to take vindictive steps against so small a state would be objection- able ; but surely it is the duty of great civilized powers to insist on the observance of the common laws of civilization. The Peruvian Government has now a splendid revenue, chiefly arising from the sale of guano. About 500,000 tons of this valuable manure are exported annually, and it is calculated that even in the wasteful and unbusiness-like manner in which they farm it out to foreign merchants, the * Some time has elapsed since I wrote the above, and to all appearance the English Government will allow the matter to pass over. In the meantime, no adequate steps have been taken by the Peruvian authorities to discover the murderer. It is pleasant for Englishmen to reflect that on the South American coast the lives and properties of their countrymen are less secure than those of Frenchmen and Americans, whose cruisers make prompt appear- ance to demand satisfaction for any injury done to French or American citizens. If England is to get any return for the millions she spends to keep her cruisers in every sea, it ought to be in increased security for the lives and properties of her subjects all over the world. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 185 Government net thirty dollars, or about six pounds per ton. No young state ever had such an opportunity of commencing a career of improvement. With this extraordinary revenue (for the ordinary revenue is sufficient to cover all necessary expenses of government), a system of great public works, rivalling those of the Incas, might have been initiated, to enlarge incalculably the resources of the country ; and public institutions might have been founded to give a permanent character to the civilization of the republic. But the waste and corruption to which this temporary source of wealth has given rise, is almost incredible. The guano islands, which in the days of the Incas were a blessing to the careful agriculturists of the neighbouring coasts, have been the curse of the modern republicans. By means of the income derived from them, ten ships of war have been bought and fitted up, and an army of from 15,000 to 20,000 men is kept on foot, to furnish military tyrants, to depopulate the country by wicked wars, and to take the place of the terrible mita of Spanish times. The poor Indian is dragged from his friends and home by a system of irregular impressment that no despotism in the civilized world would tolerate ; and leaving his fields untilled, he is forced to fight in quarrels about which he knows nothing, and cares nothing. These little Indian soldiers, wretched as they look, are very brave and enduring, performing incredible marches over deserts and sierras, with a little parched corn for food, and coca for stimulant, and fighting stoutly if their officers don't run away. The poor fellows have been known on such occasions to embrace each other, so little heart have they for the quarrels of their superiors. Some of the senior officers of the army are men of ability, though many are stained by gross perfidy; but latterly the officers are drawn from an inferior and often uneducated class, the army has got into disrepute, and the military spirit is not of a high order. As the supreme power depends on the command of the army, and as after a revolution the new President lavishes public money and promotion, a ruler requires a firm hand to 186 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. hold the reins long. A Peruvian president holds office like the priest of Aricia — " The priest who slew the slayer, And shall himself be slain," that is, he may be slain ; he certainly will be violently torn from his seat as soon as a large portion of the army have convinced themselves that a successor is able to reward their treason. Eehenique, the predecessor of the present president, squandered the revenue on his friends and favourites without stint, and allowed them to rob the public with impunity. This robber fell at last, but "uno avulso non deficit alter aureus;" and General Castilla now spends on bayonets as much as his predecessor squandered through ministers and favourites. Castilla, who has a large proportion of Indian blood in his veins, and who can barely write his name, has held power for some time, both before and after Echenique's tenure of office, chiefly because he never runs away in battle ; and he is consequently very much feared.* The farce of election, both for President and House of Eepresentatives, is sometimes gone through, but the joke is not countenanced by the respectable classes. In June 1859, after voting supplies, the House of Eepresentatives ventured to ask for accounts, which had not been produced by Government for three years. This was too audacious a proceeding, so Castilla forbade their meeting any more, put a guard at the door of the council chamber, and threw five members who attempted to disobey, into prison. Some persons who are inclined to imagine that representative institutions are the glory of South America, and that Bolivar was to the Spanish South, what Washington was to the Anglo-Saxon States of the North, will be glad to know that a fine equestrian statue of the former hero has, within the last year, been put up opposite the building from which the representatives were so unceremoniously ejected. On the pedestal of the monument is a bas-relief of the battle of Ayacucho, at which Bolivar was not present. * Several attempts have been made on Castilla's life. Two since the date of these notes. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 187 The amiable old President having thns disposed of internal difficulties, proceeded northwards to Guayaquil to prosecute a war with the neighbouring state of Ecuador, where he was when I arrived at Lima. As Ecuador was convulsed by civil feuds, he contented himself with subsidising the chief of one party ; and when this worthy appeared to be in a fair way to succeed,* Castilla returned in triumph to Peru, to brood over an expedition against Bolivia, in which republic his predecessor Echenique had taken shelter. It is scarcely possible to speak or to think of such move- ments as matter for history ; but it is evident that while these republics claim the status of civilized powers, they must learn to respect and to protect the lives and property of foreigners. There is one simple plan of calling Peru to account. If the three great powers I have mentioned unite in taking tem- porary possession of the Chincha Islands, the Government must attend to their remonstrances ; and a step of this sort taken in unison and deliberately, would obviate any suspicion of aggressive or interested motives. Carnival time is approaching, and a great portion of the fashionable world of Lima is at Chorillos, a favourite bathing place a few miles south of Lima. A railway of the same description as that from Callao, takes you to this little town, with its narrow dirty streets, sandy environs, and bad but expensive accommodations ; where the Lima people are fond of spending some portion of the«ummer months. The occu- pations of the ladies in this retreat are chiefly visiting and bathing, those of the gentlemen bathing and gambling. I need scarcely add the occupation common to both sexes at watering places all over the world — flirting. It is not to be wondered at that the families who are fortunate enough to obtain the ranchos fronting the sea, are glad to exchange the heat of Lima for the cool breezes that sweep through their broad verandahs. It used to be the fashion to live at Chorillos in a very primitive style. But the houses no longer deserve * The Peruvian President's pet has since been defeated, and turned out of Ecuador. 188 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peeu. the name of ranchos or huts, as they are still called ; and they are improving every day. The unpleasant old Spanish fashion, by virtue of which people drench each other with water at Carnival time, is in full vogue at Lima. The ladies and the gentlemen wage war in the streets with great vigour. The ladies throw water at the passers-by from the windows and the verandahs ; the gentlemen return the compliment by flinging coloured eggs filled with water at the ladies. Sometimes a party of gentle- men attack a house, with the inmates of which they are acquainted, and getting in, carry on the war with scented water, whereon a regular romp ensues. In the evening, parties of gentlemen go about masked, and enter the houses of acquaintances, where the ladies are assembled to dance. Each party of masks elects a captain, and, on entering, this captain steps into a side-room with the master of the house and unmasks ; he is responsible for the party he brings with him. The fun, of course, consists in the mistakes made as to the identity of partners. There are people who think the Carnival a nuisance, especially as now and then a great brawny negro woman amuses herself by throwing a bucket of water, clean or unclean, over any well-dressed person who may pass near the window where she is stationed. At Chorillos the " play," as it is called, is chiefly among friends, so those who don't admire Lima " play," prefer being at the former town during the three days of saturnalia. There were two or three Englishmen besides myself at Lima who intended to pay a visit to the ruins of Pachacamac, and we determined to start on the second day of Carnival, as we did not find the watery amusements of the season attractive enough to detain us. I was glad to push on, for I had but a short time to devote to visiting the interesting Indian ruins of the country. Before the railway was opened, the road to Chorillos was a favourite beat of the robbers of the neighbourhood. Eew, but foreigners, or gringos, as they are called, resisted them, and the brigands have, it is said, a wholesome dread of English- men and Americans (U.S.) The Peruvian gambler, on his C. C. Bowen.J NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 189 way to or from Chorillos with money, was rich and easy prey. The railroad cut up this source of profit ; but lately the robbers have become very daring, and three times within the last month large stones have been placed on the line to upset the train ; a body of armed ruffians lurking in the neighbourhood, to take advantage of the expected catastrophe. Fortunately the obstruction was seen in time, as the train works very slowly along this treacherous line. Of course nothing was done in the way of apprehending the culprits. As we had to take our horses to Chorillos for the trip to Pachacamac, two of us rode down in the evening — I need not say, well armed ; but we were not molested. We stayed on the Sunday at Chorillos, where I met with the same kindness and hospitality which is so pleasant a feature of Lima society ; and on Monday morning we set out, a party of four, for the ruins. On leaving Chorillos, we passed several ruined huacas, or ancient • burial-places, built up in huge mounds of adobes. These huacas are generally surrounded by ruins like those of a village ; the best conjecture I have met with as to their origin is that of Mr. Markham (one of our present party), who had visited them before. He thinks that " although these were doubtless partly used as burial-places, it is pro- bable that they answered a far more extensive purpose ; that they were intended to afford protection against their enemies to the feudal lords of the valley, and to serve as a place of retreat to their retainers." * The whole valley of the Eimac is covered with these artificial hills. On emerging from a little wood of acacias, the road passes near a sandy hill, the northern side of which is white for two or three miles with the skulls and bones of men and women who were buried there, in the days of the Incas. This was a burial-place for the lower classes, and the dryness of the soil has preserved the remains so wonderfully, that the hair is still to be seen on many of the skulls, and the skin clings to the fleshless bones. The extent of this crowded cemetery * " Cuzco and Lima," by C. R. Markham. 190 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. bears witness to the immense population of the coast valleys under the kindly though stern rule of the Incas. If Spain had founded a noble empire in the place of the one she destroyed, we should perhaps have been less inclined to do justice to a ruined dynasty and an injured race ; but no one can travel through Peru without a feeling of anger and con- tempt for the Goths of America, who conquered but to plunder and to destroy ; who under the banner of the Cross committed atrocities that would have made all heathendom shudder; and who, from the very commencement of their career, have left a tale of jealousies, and treasons, and bar- barities, and lies, unequalled in the history of the so-called civilized world. Tacitus has immortalized a tribe of bar- barians in one pregnant sentence ; on this desert, populous with the dead, I felt the force of the description : — " Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant." A little beyond this burial-place is a large sugar estate, or hacienda, called Villa, formerly worked by negro slaves, but now by free negroes, and Chinese, imported since the Emancipation in 1854. This hacienda is separated from the desert of San Juan by a few swampy lakes, the favourite resort of wild ducks. The whole coast of Peru is of the same character. The traveller does not reach the grassy country till he has pene- trated into the Sierra. The coast consists of deserts and dreary, sandy hills, broken at greater or lesser intervals by fertile valleys, which owe their wealth to small rivers, flowing down from the mountains. Under the Incas, large tracts of desert land were reclaimed, by an elaborate system of irriga- tion, which spread the waters of these streams over a great extent of country. These reclaimed lands have never be^n extended, and have often fallen back into desert since the time of the Spaniards. We kept down along the sea-coast for a few miles, where the sand was harder and less trying to our horses, till we reached the farm of Mama-Conas, which in old times belonged to the lady-abbess of a convent of Virgins-of-the-Sun, Mama- C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 191 Cona signifying matron, in the Quichua language. This farm is a small oasis just under the ruins of Pachacamac, and surrounding a spring of sweet water. The Indians living here, grow bananas, grapes, and] water-melons, the latter of which fruits we saw growing apparently in the sand. While we stopped to rest our horses and search our saddle- bags for eatables, two Indian women from the village of Chilca, many miles to the southward, came in with their donkeys for water-melons, having passed on their way through the fertile valley of Lurin. On a hill, partly natural and partly artificial, to the sea- ward of the old town of Pachacamac, rose the great temple of the Deity. Leaving the ruins of the city to our left, we rode up from one broken terrace to another, till we stood upon the summit of the sacred hill. Around us were the gigantic works of a race that had passed away, at our feet lay the city of the dead. To the dryness of a climate in which rain never falls, is attributable the preservation of the sun-dried bricks of which the temple and the town were built, even where the walls have been torn down by the Spanish con- querors. Although the temple itself has been destroyed, enough remains to give an idea of its grandeur in the days preceding the establishment of the Inca empire, when Pacha- chamac was the Delphi of Peru. The retaining walls of the terraces still stand, built up as they are above the natural height of the hill ; and on the western face the paint on the plaster is as fresh as if it had been laid on only a few years back. At an angle from the terraces, walls of adobes run down to the plain below, enclosing sandy tracts that once bloomed with the many-coloured fruits and flowers of the temple-gardens. The walls of the terraces were built on foun- dations of rough stone. A broad inclined terrace on the northern side, which was the approach to the sanctuary, is still almost perfect. Up this approach, the long priestly pro- cession, and the royal cortege ascended to the temple, in sight of the city below. Up this approach marched Hernando Pizarro and his daring followers, when, in sight of the whole 192 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. population, they tore down the idol and dashed it to pieces ; and on this spot the rude soldier preached the tenets of a faith belied by every act of himself and his blood-stained brethren-in-arms. From the summit of the hill the contrast between the sandy desert and the rich green valley of Lurin is very striking. The ruins are on the northern bank of the river, which is the boundary between sterility and verdure. The towns of the Inca Indians, on the coast, were always built on the edge of the desert immediately adjoining the reclaimed and cultivated districts, but never encroached on them ; another proof of the density of the population and the careful economy by which plenty was secured. This econo- mical custom has been particularly pointed out by Mr. Markham* "We rode down the broad northern terrace to the ruins of the city, passing by the temple of the sun, which was situated on a hill beneath the great temple of the tutelary deity. There is nothing remarkable about this ruin ; but the remains of the palace used on the occasion of a royal visit to the great sanctuary of the coast, give some idea of the state in which an Inca Emperor travelled. I stepped the great hall, the walls of which still stand. It is 70 paces in length, by 30 in breadth; that is, about 210 feet by 90. At the end of the hall, and extending beyond the space thus roughly mea- sured, are ruins of what appear to have been rows of seats, one above another. Such an enclosed space near a mediaeval ruin, in Europe, might be taken for a tilting-ground. The secret of such great size, of course, is, that there was no roof to support ; a sort of awning of thatch, or some very light material, warding off the rays of the sun. There are ruins of an upper story of small rooms at one end of the palace ; and in all the apartments, both above and below, there are niches in the wall, at regular intervals. It is thought by some, that in these niches were placed the canopas, or house- hold gods. This theory is unsatisfactory, both from the * " Cuzco and Lima," p. 12. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 193 number and shape of these cavities. They are broader than they are high, and, putting my arm in, I found that some of them were higher inside than they appeared, and that they were regularly roofed. A narrow street between the palace wall and some other buildings, still exists. It must have been gloomy, as there is no trace of windows in the side walls of the houses on either side. Emerging from this street, we rode through a labyrinth of ruined houses, in many of which skulls, bones, and even clothes used as shrouds, may be seen, preserved in the dry soil. The mortal remains of the upper classes were often buried under their own houses. How little did they think who died and were buried in the holy city, that their bones would lie bleaching in the sun under the ruined walls of the temple of the oracle ; that a city of strangers in a neigh- bouring valley would eclipse the glory of Pachacamac, and that the civilization around them, based apparently on such sure foundations, would ere long be destroyed for ever. Crossing the suspension bridge that spans the muddy torrent of Lurin, we left the desert behind us, and rode along a narrow road shaded by noble willows, somewhat resembling at a distance, our English weeping-willows, but stronger and less fragile-looking ; on either side of the road were fields of sugar-cane and other tropical products growing in rich luxuriance. A little beyond a hacienda, called San Pedro, we found the little town or rather village of Lurin, embosomed in trees, and on entering the plaza, saw preparations for Carnival festivities. Around the plaza are the church and the principal houses, built of adobes ; the rest of the town consists of narrow lanes of huts built of bamboo and clay, and tenanted by a mixed population, chiefly of negroes and zambos (half Indian, half negro). We rode up to the door of one of the principal houses at the corner of the plaza, belonging to the schoolmaster, where, although the house was in great disorder, we were favourably received ; the horses were put into the coral, or yard, at the back of the house, and o 194 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. having ordered a chupS * to be made for us, we went off to look for a place to bathe. I regret to say that the lady of the house where we proposed to sleep, and most of the inmates, were more or less under the influence of ypisco (a white spirit made from the grape). When we returned from our bath, barricades had been put up at the different ap- proaches to the plaza, thereby converting it into a temporary bull-ring. The bull-fight was not to be a Voutrance; but the young bulls were to be tried or " played," as they call it. We had scarcely begun to eat our chupe, when we heard a scream of delight from the women at the door, who were pushing in to close it. The first bull they said was muy bravo, and was coming round towards them. We ran to the door in time to see an unfortunate horse severely gored, and led away, bleeding profusely. The rest of the performance was as mean, cruel, and cowardly an amusement as could have been invented. A number of young bulls were turned into the square one after the other, and excited by red clothes and spear- thrusts ; but it would not do, the poor brutes only tried to make their escape, and we were glad that darkness soon obliged the gentle villagers to give up their sport. We then went across the plaza to call on the cura, but were told that he had gone out to amuse himself. We had seen his reverence on a balcony with some friends enjoying the bull- fight, and as he probably intended to make a night of it, did not disturb him. Masks and dances at one of the houses were the next amusement, and a good deal of pisco went round, till at last our venerable hostess appeared inclined to return home, to our great delight. This wonderful old woman had certainly drunk more pisco than any one else ; she had pre- viously put her son, the schoolmaster, to bed in a helpless state, and she was still brisk, though somewhat tipsy. She * A chupe is a nondescript sort of stew, made of a little meat, and what- ever vegetables are within reach (no great variety generally). This dish is flavoured with coarse cheese, and made pungent with ahi, the Peruvian pepper. When eggs are put into it, it is tolerably eatable ; and even without eggs, and in out-of-the-way places, is not always nasty. But sheer hunger is the only inducement to swallow the chupe made by the Indians in the Sierra. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 195 found us a sheet and a bench each, and then getting hold of our saddle bags, sat down beside us, and proceeded deli- berately to eat an enormous supper from their contents. We lay on our benches screaming with laughter, as we saw our ham and cheese vanish, while a stolid little Indian boy stood before her holding a light. It was a ludicrous scene, especially as she came round to each of us in turn to pledge us in pisco, and then wept because she was not allowed to get at the sherry bottle which W took possession of, and kept doggedly between his knees, turning a deaf ear to the entreaties and tears of the old lady. At last she went away to bed, on being allowed to take half the cheese with her. Not- withstanding all this, she was the first up in the morning, and got iced-water for her drunken son, and hot water to make our tea. An officer of police from Lima, who was on a visit to the house during Carnival time, informed us that he knew of several brigands who lived in Lurin and robbed travellers to Chilca ; but that he could do nothing ! He said he was ashamed of the state of lawlessness around Lima, and that if by letting blood out of the veins of his arm he could cease to be a Peruvian, he would do so. After this brave and patriotic sentiment, who could accuse him of neglect of duty ? We put fresh caps on our pistols, and gladly rode out of the town of Lurin. It is possibly more inviting at any other time ; it certainly does not show to advantage during Carnival. Following a beautiful road a few miles up the valley, we reached the pretty village of modern Pachacamac. It is almost entirely inhabited by Indians, and the house in the plaza where we got a chwpS was clean and tidy. The cooking was unusually nice, and the people civil and well-looking. A village belle was just going off, with silver-mounted bridle, and in holiday trim, to " play " carnival at Lurin. We wished her joy. After waiting at this village till the mid-day heat was past, we turned our horses' heads northwards ; and, ford- ing the river many miles above the bridge, rode back across the desert to Chorillos. The sea-bathing at this fashionable watering-place is carried o2 196 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peku on in the most sociable manner. There are a collection of bamboo ranchos by the sea-side, where you are furnished with a bathing-dress, towels, &c. Ladies and gentlemen make up bathing parties together, and at favourite hours great numbers of people meet in the water. The dress consists of blue serge shirt and trowsers, a straw hat, and a pair of canvas shoes, — not a very convenient costume to swim in. It is rather odd to find yourself in the water, saluting a damp limp-looking nymph, whom you saw but the night before in all the glory of crinoline and flounces. Quantum mutata ! It is a marvel to me that the ladies of Lima, who are so fond of dress, and so careful of their personal appearance, should venture upon such a metamorphosis ; but fashion is all-powerful. Before we left Chorillos for Pachacamac, we had heard two salutes of twenty guns (the royal salute here) from the direction of Callao ; and on our return, we heard that the President, or as he is irreverently called by the English, " Old Boots," had arrived from Ecuador, and had immediately come down to Chorillos, where he bathed with the pomp of the King of the Cannibal Islands. First in procession came the band, then the staff, then the President, and then some sky-rockets. The music subsided into a plaintive air, while His Excellency retired beneath the envious shade of the rancho, but burst out again in triumphant strains as he emerged in his blue bathing-dress, and splashed about in the water among the delighted spectators. The staff looked on respectfully from the beach. After the bath, the virtuous old republican retires to gamble ; an amusement which he nomi- nally forbids his subjects to indulge in. From Lima, M was bound for the interior, on a scien- tific expedition. Mrs. M was to go as far as Arequipa, and to remain there while he pursued his journey into the Montana. M and I agreed to travel together to Lake Titicaca, the reputed cradle of Inca civilization. From that point our routes would diverge ; he striking into the Caravaya valley, and I turning towards Cuzco, the once famous and now seldom visited city of the Incas.. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 197 On Tuesday, the 28th February, we left Callao in one of the fine steamers of the English Company, which has a monopoly of the traffic along the coast from Panama to Val- paraiso. There is no greater sign of the debility of the South American race than the fact that almost every enterprise in the country of any moment has been undertaken by foreigners. If the English Steam-packet Company now has a monopoly on the western coast of South- America, it is the fault of the inhabitants of the country ; and when they grumble at the very high prices * consequent on monopoly, they should re- member that there would be no steam communication at all, if they were left to their own resources. Should competition arise, the Americans (U. S.) will furnish the competing steamers ; there is some talk already of an American Company. In the meantime, the Peruvians enjoy punctuality, good accommodation, and cleanliness ; and the occasional traveller is glad to pay any price for the only comfortable means of travelling to be met with in that part of the world. Leaving to the left the now half-dismantled fort of Callao, from under the guns of which Lord Cochrane cut out the " Esmeralda" in 1820, we steamed out of the harbour by what is called the Bucaroon passage, between a reef running out from the main land and the southern end of the Island of San Lo- renzo. The evening was very fine, and we had a beautiful view of the Valley of the Eimac, with Lima in the middle distance, and the cloud-capped Cordillera in the background. From this point of view the best idea can be obtained of the valley, and of the natural advantages which induced Pizarro to select it as the site for the Capital town of the new Government. Early the next morning we reached the Chincha Islands, creeping slowly up through the heavy mist that generally hangs along the coast in the mornings. Several times the engines were stopped ; then the paddles moved slowly round in the calm water, while captain and officers strained their eyes to get a glimpse of the island. Suddenly the mist rose, * The fare from Callao to Islay, two and a half days, is sixty dollars, equal, in the depreciated state of the currency, to about lit. 198 VACATION TOURISVS, AND [Peru. and discovered within about half a mile of the steamer a most wonderful sight. Sixty or seventy vessels, of all sizes, lay at anchor under these barren rocks, from which they were to bear to every part of the civilized world a wealth greater than that of the mines of Potosi. On the shore we could see the deep cuttings in the guano, which lies in depths ranging from thirty to a hundred and twenty feet on the surface of the rock. From these cuttings, which from a distance have the appearance of quarries, a tramway takes the guano down to a pier, at the end of which it is poured through canvas shoots into launches lying alongside. At the cuttings, as well as at the shoots, clouds of dust arise, from which the unfortunate workmen must suffer severely. The ammonia is very penetrating, and although it is said to produce no immediately unhealthy consequences, yet it causes sufficient suffering among the men incessantly employed, to make the labour very unpopular. Some Chinese have been imported lately as labourers, but suicide, by jumping over the cliff, has been common among them. I have already spoken of the large and misused revenue derived from these islands, the prize for which revolutionary parties struggle. We saw a squad of soldiers drilling on one of the points, and the inevitable boat-full of officials boarded us as we lay off the landing-place for half an hour. The great ambition of a Peruvian is to obtain a place under Government, whereby to enrich himself. It was only the second and third in command with their satellites who came off to us from this little rock in the boat of the captain of the port. About an hour's steaming brought us to the roadstead of Pisco, where the anchor was dropped for a couple of hours. We went ashore in one of the boats which found the steamer out through the heavy mist, and after a pull of about half-a- mile landed on a fine iron pier, built for the Government by an American contractor. I was wondering at and admiring the employment of public money on so useful a work, when we were informed by a gentleman connected with the con- tractor himself, that the work was a job. The contractor C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 199 urged the selection of a site about six miles further south, where there is calm water ; but local influences prevailed, and the jetty is built where it is comparatively useless for shipping. We had not time to go up as far as the town of Pisco, six or seven miles inland, so we amused ourselves for the time we were on shore, in watching the negro surf-men loading boats with the huge earthen pitchers, in which the spirit called pisco is exported to different parts of the coast. The boat lies outside the surf, and each man shouldering a pitcher, and assisted by a strong stick, makes his way through the breakers till he is obliged to turn his back to a wave that breaks almost over him, and then pushes on afresh, till the swell again warns him to turn round. From Pisco to Islay the country presents few objects of interest. I think it is not generally understood in Europe that a great portion of Peru is a desert — a very dreary desert, studded here and there with rich but slovenly gardens re- claimed from the waste around. Whenever water can be introduced this desert may be made fruitful. During the season in which rain falls on the low hills which run from the sierra towards the coast south of Pisco, they are covered with grass and flowers, and the cattle from the interior are sent down to relieve the upland pastures. On Friday morning we anchored off Islay, a little wooden town perched on a desert promontory, and serving as a port town for Arequipa, and a large tract of country in the inte- rior. On landing, we had to send up for mules to Arequipa by the propio, who was just starting with the mails. The mules did not arrive till Tuesday, so that we were not able to leave Islay till Wednesday morning. Lima is the only town in Peru where there are hotels ; elsewhere the stranger is indebted to private hospitality, as we were here. During our stay, droves of mules and asses were constantly arriving from the interior with loads of wool and silver, and returning with foreign merchandise, and guano for the maize crops of the valley of Arequipa. Islay itself is wholly dependent on other places for everything. Not a blade of grass will grow 200 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. there ; and a scanty supply of water for the use of the town was till lately brought down on mules from the gullies of the neighbouring hills. Pipes were laid down about nine years ago, under the direction of an English engineer, and they are now taken care of by an Irishman, who goes by the name of " Juan de la pila" or John of the Fountain. A difficult post he has between the muleteers who break the pipes to water their mules, and the local authorities who try to keep back his pay. However, John is master of the position ; as he could cut off the water, he generally manages to obtain justice. During Vivanco's last revolution, Castilla's army was camped a little above the town, and cut off the water ; fortunately the British Consul's family, and the foreign merchants got an opportune supply from an English ship of war. When we arrived, the country was in a very disturbed state, as an attempted revolution had just been summarily put down at Arequipa. There were still rumours of coming troubles, and the little town of Islay was crowded with soldiers ; it was thought that the President might be down at any moment to join the army assembled at Puno, near the frontier of Bolivia. It is curious to observe the mixed feelings with which Don Eamon (as Castilla is com- monly called) is looked upon. By a large majority of the upper classes he is feared more than liked, though there is an impression that he can rule Peru better than other pretenders. He is fearless, and not cruel ; but he is a rough, uncouth soldier, muy bruto, with few scruples when his authority is in danger. By the lower classes he is generally liked, and from the ranks of the army he has lately chosen his officers. Under Vivanco and Echenique, who are men of education, the officers were chosen from a higher rank in society; but however much they excelled their successors in polish, they certainly could not be exceeded by the latter in corruption and want of military honour. Yet on the whole, the more I and hear of the country and the people, the more I am in- clined to think that " Old Boots " would be a loss at present. The climate at Islay is delightful for those who are fond of C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 201 rather hot weather ; but it tends more or less to enervate the inhabitants. The mornings and evenings are cool, and M and I took advantage of the sea-breeze before breakfast to walk up to the valleys in the neighbouring hills, from which the supply of water is drawn. The season had been unusually wet, so that there was still a little verdure left in the hollows, where a few olives and fig-trees bore evidence to former culti- vation. The sources of the water-springs are scanty enough. Near the shore, a little to the south of Islay, are two large circular chasms, divided from the sea by a narrow ledge of rock. The sea has bored through the hard cliff, and pene- trating to a looser soil behind, has gradually torn it away, the retreating tide drawing back the wreck through the holes beneath. This, at least, appeared to us sufficient cause for the formation of the tinajones, or " large pans," as they are called ; although it certainly is strange that two cavities of similar shape should have been formed close to each other. But as we looked down into these deep caverns, and heard the tide roaring below as if waiting to swallow up the masses that were even then detaching themselves from the cliff, we could see no necessity for attributing the formation to volcanic action. It is, however, the opinion of many that such was their origin. On Tuesday, our mules arrived, and we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of one arriero, a man who in any other country would be considered a consummate liar, but who in his native land is looked on as a very respectable man. Indeed, I believe it to be true that he was the best of the arrieros who frequented that route. And here I cannot but observe, that the vice of lying — there is no use in mincing words — is prevalent among all classes of society in this country, from the highest officer to the poorest peon. And however much the Peruvian may hate the Gringo, he is far more ready to believe him and to trust him than his own countrymen. If I dwell now on our arriero's delinquencies, it is in order to impress on any intending travellers in Peru the lesson I learned early, viz., not to believe anything your 202 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. muleteer may say ; to see his animals put into a corral within your own ken at night; and when en route, to keep him before you, and not to let him fall behind on any pretext. The route over the desert from Islay to Arequipa is com- monly reputed to be about ninety miles in length ; while the direct distance from the sea-coast is not more than about sixty miles. As Mrs. M was coming as far as Arequipa, some trouble had been taken to make the journey as com- fortable as possible. The arriero had made solemn promises to be ready early in the morning, and to push on with the light luggage, so that immediate necessaries should reach Arequipa as soon as we did ourselves. In the morning, however, our gentleman was selling potatoes that he had brought down to Islay on a private speculation, and the heat of the day had already set in when we started with a man whom the muleteer sent with us. When we had gone about nine miles on our way up the long sandy quebrada that leads through the hills to the elevated pampas above, the mozo wanted us to stop, on the pretext of getting water for the mules. We refused, and proceeded to the Cruz de Garreros, where there is a tambo or post-house at the top of the ravine. Here we were to halt during the heat of the day. We had, unfortunately, trusted the mozo with the saddle-bags contain- ing the eatables, and waited for some time expecting him to come up. At last I rode back in high dudgeon, thinking that the fellow had stopped to get drunk at the tambo, where he had wanted us to stop. As I rode down the hot quebrada again, my wrath increased, and I was rejoicing in the idea of bringing away his mule with the alforjas, leaving him to follow on foot, when I met a man who told me he had met our friend posting back towards Islay. It had been preconcerted that we were to be detained at the tambo till it suited the convenience of Senor Munoz to join us. Soon after my return with this news, Munoz himself appeared with his mule brutally spurred; and he seemed to consider the state of his steed a sufficient apology for his misdeeds. The sangfroid of these indolent rascals would enrage a saint. C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 203 Near this spot, at the entrance of the ravine, a curious incident of the civil war occurred in 1836. General Miller, in his pursuit of the fugitive revolutionary chief Salaverry, found himself here with about fifteen men, when two hundred of the enemy's horse made their appearance on their way to Tslay, where a couple of ships were lying in the hands of Salaverry's partisans. General Miller, with a happy audacity, placed his few men behind a hill, with the exception of two or three who were posted like sentinels, and then galloping up to the edge of the ravine called on the cavalry to lay down their arms. His military reputation was such, that the moment he was recognised, the troops were seized with a panic, and they flung their arms at his feet with cries of " Viva General Miller." The next day Salaverry, who had lost himself in the desert with a few followers, came in very much exhausted, and surrendered. A little further on in the desert is buried one of Salaverry's soldiers, who, tradition says, had been flogged to death because he was too much exhausted to march any further. The poor fellow's corpse is scantily covered with sand, a portion of which the passer-by removes to wonder at the perfect preservation of the body in that dry desert soil. In the centre of the pampa, the tambo of La Joya, kept by an Englishman, is a decided improvement on the native post-houses. Here are obtainable clean beds and a good ckupS. As we left La Joya at dawn the next morning the view of the snowy peaks of the Cordillera was magnificent, but they were soon enveloped in mist again. At this season of the year it is only in the early morning that you can get an unclouded view of the highest mountains. In misty weather the desert is very treacherous. Many persons, even arrieros, who are accustomed to the route, have lost their way and perished ; — many have been reduced to the last extremity before they were providentially saved. But in this part of the waste there are remarkable guides for those who know how to use them. On the red-coloured surface of the plain are scattered large heaps of the lighter stone-grey sand, raised by the wind. These heaps, called medanos, are all of one shape, 204 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. like a moon in the first quarter ; and owing to the prevailing wind, their horns always point to the north-west, thereby- affording a natural compass to the traveller. The medanos, which are always travelling in a north-westerly direction, are the most curious phenomena of the desert. After a few hours' ride, we commenced the hot and weary ascent of the hills that separate the pampas from the valley of Arequipa. The route is by a long sandy quebrada, succeeded by monotonous hills and hollows, rocky and arid, as weari- some to the rider as to the unhappy mules. The bones of their departed brethren greet these poor animals at every step in the toilsome ascent and descent. The fact that no road has been made from Arequipa to the coast, is a disgrace to the Spaniards, who for nearly three hundred years drew so much wealth from the country in this direction. Their miserable policy was not to open up Peru for fear of encourag- ing intercourse with foreigners. And now that the republic has put an end to this policy, — now that foreign houses monopolize the trade of the country, — there is little chance that the Governments that succeed each other in rapid and ignoble succession, will devote public money to so useful a purpose as road-making. It may be asserted that, with the exception of the short bits of railway from Lima to Callao and Chorillos, no such thing as a road exists in Peru at this time. And yet more than four hundred years ago the Incas had made and maintained post-roads throughout the length and breadth of the country. But this was before the introduction of Spanish civilization, and Spanish Christianity. From the top of the hills the first view of the campina of Arequipa is a relief to eyes wearied by the glare of the sun on the desert sands. As we approached the valley, the clouds were low on the mountains, hiding the volcano and the peak of Chacani, which rise about 20,000 and 21,000 feet respec- tively above the level of the sea. These characteristic features of Arequipa are clear from morning till night for the greater part of the year, but during the rainy season (which was just drawing to a close) the clouds descend over them in C. C. Bowen. J NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 205 the afternoon. On emerging from the passes of the hills, the shortest route would have been across the river and through the little village of Tiavaya. But the stream was unfor- tunately too much swollen to allow us to ford it ; we had to cross by a bridge some miles lower down, and to traverse a sandy pampa to the westward of the town ; — so it was late before we reached our destination. Our baggage did not arrive till two days after us ; during the interval our most respectable arriero quite distinguished himself by his fertility in the art of lying. Arequipa, the second Spanish city founded by Pizarro, and now the second in importance in Peru, is par excellence the revolutionary city. Here most of the recent revolutions have originated, and the country around has been the scene of many a battle between contending factions. It would be wearisome to a person who knew nothing of the country to wade through an account of these kite and crow wars ; it is painful to any one to think of the wicked folly that is the constant cause of bloodshed here. Sometimes the details are sufficiently ludicrous. An officer of the army, perhaps, in consequence of some disgust, determines " to make a revolu- tion." He receives from an exile in a neighbouring state a thousand dollars, to spend in chicha, a sort of bad beer made of maize. He distributes this favourite beverage among the turbulent classes, and a revolution breaks out. A few barri- cades are thrown up, and the populace "descends into the streets," as they say in Paris. Nobody knows when the row commences, whether it will be an emeute put down in a few hours, or whether it will spread over the country till a new " Supreme Chief," or " Liberator of the country," or " Eegene- rator of Peru" seizes the reins. The revolution that had been put down just before we arrived, was a very slight affair ; but three years ago Arequipa was the scene of a bloody struggle, when Vivanco, an old rival of the present ruler, attempted to dispossess Castilla of the supreme power. The majority of the Arequipanians were friends of Vivanco, but this leader, plausible and educated as he is, was no match for 206 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the fearless, iron-framed " Old Boots." The latter besieged the town, a long resistance was offered, but in the end Castilla entered in triumph, surprising some of the posts, and carrying others after a vigorous assault. Vivanco fled — indeed Castilla winked at his escape. (It is to be regretted that no punish- ment now overtakes revolutionary intriguers, who are prac- tically wholesale murderers.) The Arequipanians are very proud of their lengthened stand against so resolute and un- tiring a foe as Castilla, and it is amusing to hear the names they have given to the different points of defence. A house in the suburbs, which is much battered, goes by the name of the " Malakoff," and the defenders are fully of opinion that they rivalled, if they did not surpass, the deeds of the Crimean war. One of the combatants asked a Frenchman who was in the town whether an equal number of his country- men would have conducted the assault as well as Castilla's troops. The doughty son of Gaul replied by a vaunt less polite than it was probably truthful. " So many French soldiers," said he, " would have driven Castilla and his troops into the town, and then have driven both parties out at the other side." The Arequipanian naturally put him down as an ignorant rude man. While on the subject of revolutions, it is right to say that old residents bear witness to the good behaviour of the general population in these times of anarchy. The race is very different from the mongrel breed around Lima, as there is no negro element, and Indian blood pre- dominates among the lower classes. The foreign houses are always respected, and money is often brought to the English merchants for safe custody. The population of Arequipa is estimated at about 40,000 souls. The town is built of a white pumice stone, soft when cut from the quarry, but becoming very hard when exposed to the air. The houses are built with walls of great thickness, and vaulted roofs to withstand the constant shocks of earthquake for which the valley is famous. The streets are at right angles to each other, of tolerable width considering the age of the town, and roughly paved. Open azequias run down the C. C. Eowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 207 middle of the streets, making them quite impracticable for carts or carriages. Indeed, except in half a dozen streets of Lima, no one dreams of driving a wheeled vehicle of any sort anywhere in Pern. Portals, like those at Lima, run round three sides of the plaza, while a large new cathedral occupies the fourth. This building, like all the churches of Peru, is of a nondescript style of architecture, and certainly seems more suited for secular than ecclesiastical purposes. It possesses the great desideratum — strength to resist earthquakes. Some of the churches in Arequipa have very elaborately carved facades ; the softness of the stone when first hewn, affording great facility for this kind of ornament. Over the gateways of many of the best houses are carved the coats of arms of old Spanish families. Some of these old houses are very large, with two or three patios, one behind the other, round which the rooms extend over a great deal of ground. There is something very characteristic about this town of Arequipa. Here you first meet with Peru as it has been since the time of the early Spanish colonist. The view of the Plaza from the top of the cathedral is most striking. Market- women moving about in the gaudy colours, yellow and red, in which Indians delight ; droves of mules driven by men mounted in mediaeval fashion, and brilliant with many-coloured ponchos ; and troops of llamas standing patiently waiting for their loads ; — all is new and picturesque. It is here for the first time in Peru that the llama is seen, recalling, with its patient Indian driver, recollections of the days when it was the only beast of burden in the country of the Incas. The animal and his driver are very well suited to each other. The Indian does not value time ; and he starts from the interior with his herd of llamas laden with wool, utterly regardless of the number of days he may be on the road. The llama will not allow itself to be overloaded or over-driven, but will travel great distances, slowly, with a fair load, picking up its own food by the way. Every one is familiar, by pictures at least, with the appearance of this animal, with its long graceful neck and patient eye, and broad thick-woolled back, — the link between 208 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the camel and the sheep. The wool on the back, which is never cut, serves as a saddle, on which two small bales of wool, weighing altogether about 120 pounds, are secured by a rope. With no further gear, herds of llamas are constantly carrying their loads by easy stages over the Sierra to Are- quipa, where the wool is transferred to the backs of asses and mules. An ass's load is the same as that of the llama, but he travels twice the journey ; the mule's load is double that of the ass ; unfortunately for them the poor mules and donkeys do not understand the passive resistance which the llama opposes to mal-treatment, and the countless bones bleaching on the desert tracks tell how often they are worked till they die under their burdens. But the Indian knows that, if the llama is overloaded or over-driven, he will lie down and refuse to move, and that bullying is of no use, as he will die rather than yield under ill-usage : — coaxing is the Indian's art, and with the Indian the llama is at home. It is curious to observe the love of brilliant colours even in the decoration of these animals. The wool of many of them is stained vermilion, and favourites are often conspicuous by the quaint painting of their finely-pointed ears. As you approach nearer to the scene that has pleased you from the top of the Cathedral, and walk through the streets of Arequipa, the charm in a great measure vanishes. The dirty habits of the people, the pervading smells in the streets, and the miscellaneous uses to which the azequia water is put, are rather sickening. As in history, so in reality, bar- barism has its picturesque side when seen from a distance, but it is barbarism still. It is a relief to escape from the crowded streets into the green Campina, overlooked by the beautiful cone of the Volcano, and the snowy peak of Chacani. There are several pleasant rides in the cultivated valley of Arequipa. A favourite one is to the village of Sabandia, where a clear spring runs through large square baths built in the open air : a great resort of the Arequipanians during the bathing season. As water is an element too sparingly C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 209 used in the usual domestic life of the Peruvians, so strange theories prevail as to its proper application when they go in for a dose during the season. The virtue is believed to exist in a stated number of baths, taken never mind when, or how. For instance, a person goes to Sabandia with the intention of setting him or her self up for the year by means of fifty baths. If time is limited, the patient will take three in the day, and thus get through the prescribed penance rapidly. Of course, there are many who enjoy the fun, and the baths are a sort of lounge for ladies and gentlemen, bathers and non-bathers ; some looking on, while others splash about in dresses like those worn at Chorillos. One day, M and I rode over to visit some mineral springs in a valley called Yura, about eighteen or twenty miles to the north-west of Arequipa. The road, or rather the track, is very bad, over a sandy pampa broken by rocky quebradas ; of course no attempt has been made to improve it. In a narrow ravine, iron and sulphur springs of different tem- peratures rise close to each other, and over them a bath- house has been built. Just above the bath-house, quaint stone cells and a little chapel have been erected by a pious Spaniard for the benefit of invalids who might resort to the place for the use of the waters. While our arriero was getting a chupe, we walked down to the little village of Calera, which is picturesquely situated, overlooking the narrow green valley of the Yura. On the opposite side of the valley rise bold stratified mountains, abounding in coal ; but the Arequipanians have not availed themselves of it, notwith- standing the scarcity of fuel. On our return to our quarters we dined in the little portal, where we sat till late enjoying the beauty of the evening. In the room behind, a long, dark, stone-vaulted cell, our beds were made of our pillons and blankets. When the door was shut, and the cell was lighted by a long dip, which the arriero produced, we could have fancied ourselves in a prison. In the morning, we tried the different springs ; the house was in a very dirty state. The bottom of the baths was knee-deep in mud, and the floor of p 210 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the bath-room at least ankle deep. This mud had been washed in during the late rains, and the mayor-domo had been too lazy to have the place cleaned. Two or three dirty invalided soldiers were the only visitors : although the baths are considered very salubrious, the accommodations are not likely to tempt more fastidious patients. By far the most striking view near Arequipa is from a point about two or three miles up the river. From the quarries near this spot, the stone used in building the town has been conveyed for more than three hundred years on the backs of mules and asses, and will probably be so conveyed for three hundred years more, should the country remain so long in the hands of its present inhabitants. Yet the way to the town from this place is on a gently inclined plane ! From the high bank above the river the view is beautiful. Cultivation is carried down to the level of the water by terraces, probably as old as the days of the Incas, and watered by azequias fed from the stream above. Looking up the river you see the gorge opening between the volcano and the mountains beyond, while on the other side the white city stands out in beautiful contrast to the background of green. As Arequipa is upwards of 7,000 feet above the level of the sea, the climate is very different from that on the coast. The mornings and evenings are cool, and the air is peculiarly dry, and sometimes parching. However hot the sun may be, scarcely any amount of exercise will induce perspiration. In March and April, immediately after the rainy season, the weather is most pleasant ; but even then strangers sometimes feel the change to an atmosphere considerably rarefied. It is, however, an undoubtedly healthy place, and the people would be healthier still, if they were cleaner. It is curious to observe the extent to which even in this remote spot English manufactures are to be found, adapted to the wants and tastes of the customers. The yellow and red baize garments on that Indian woman are English ; the gaudy poncho on that arriero was made at Halifax, and the huge brass spurs on his heels at Birmingham ; but he wears them C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 211 in happy ignorance of where they came from. A good deal of coarse clothing is still manufactured in the country, as well as some of the fine ponchos of the valuable Vicuna wool ; but there is no such thing as systematic industry. A plough is not much more than a couple of cross pieces of stick ; corn is trodden out by bullocks in a round stone inclosure attached to the farm ; and modern improvements are uncared for and unknown. The only energetic attempt to keep up with the civilized world in modern arts is made by the ladies ; they devote thought and time ungrudgingly to the subject of dress. Paris fashions find their way here, while European science is at a discount. In few parts of the world, perhaps, would be needed the warning — " Let never maiden think, however fair, She is not fairer in new clothes than old ;" but nowhere is dress more criticised than in Peru. It is to be hoped that in process of time the necessities of personal adornment may be understood to extend beyond mere show, and that the abominable and most slovenly morning dishabille may be dropped, even at the expense of a little of the evening splendour. The love of show breaks out in everything Peruvian ; in the action of their horses as well as in the style of their dress. To an English eye there is little to admire in the majority of Peruvian horses. Many of the most showy animals are got up to look pretty, especially about the head and tail, but very few excel in the points to which we should look for beauty or utility. At the same time, a high-spirited horse is taught to throw his legs about in a manner perfectly unen- durable, knocking them to pieces with a high flashy action, while progressing at the rate of two or three miles an hour. A Peruvian cavallero, riding up the street with cruel bit, cruel spurs, and splendidly useless mediaeval trappings, presents an admirable picture of Spanish life ; all show and no progress. All the best horses are taught to pace, a style of going which promotes the ease of the rider, but destroys p2 212 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the natural action of the horse. The pleasure of controlling by skill, with a light bit and a light hand, the free vigorous action of a high-mettled horse, would be unappreciated here. One morning M and I sallied out to purchase the accou- trements necessary for our Sierra journey, an occupation that consumed the whole day. If you buy a bit at one shop, you must buy the head-stall at another, and the bridle at another ; and it is not at all likely that you will get both saddle and stirrups at the same place. Everything is very dear ; and as it is almost impossible to find out the real value of any- thing, a stranger is sure to pay too much. The custom is to ask an exorbitant sum, and then to request you to make an offer. As an Englishman has seldom the time or patience generally devoted to bargaining by a native, he is looked on as very good prey by the shopkeepers; and if he is not very careful, he is further mulcted by means of the current coin of the State. No Peruvian coinage is now current ; as it was purer than that of the neighbouring republics, it was exported rapidly, and the present President won't coin any more. There is little gold in the country, very little small silver, and no copper. If you are going to make any pur- chases, you must drag about with you a bag of Bolivian half-dollars, or four-real pieces, which are accepted by the Government as legal tender. This Government sanction does not prevent the Minister of Finance from playing strange tricks now and then. The man now in office is a Colonel Salcedo, appointed by Castilla without the slightest regard to his financial knowledge. This worthy issues decrees from time to time, arbitrarily depreciating the current coin without notice. For instance, at the end of the last year, after the introduction into Peru of a large portion of the Bolivian coinage of that year, a decree appeared, suddenly declaring the four-real pieces of 1859 to be only worth three reals. A foreigner who innocently takes the coinage of 1859 in change, is astonished to find that he cannot pass it again without con- siderable loss. The Brazilian silver coinage is very bad, it is true ; but it is not pretended that the issue of 1859 was C. G. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 213 worse than that of other years, which passes current with the sanction of the Peruvian Government. The notions enter- tained by the authorities, as to the laws of supply and demand, may be gathered from the fact, that one of the apologies for Castilla's projected war against Bolivia is, that Bolivian money continues to find its way into Peru. Wherever Spain has ruled, she has left that invincible ignorance that will not be taught. Although the country is now open to foreigners, there still exists the old traditional dislike to learning anything from them. It remains to be seen what effect an increasing love of travel will have on the next generation of Peruvians ; it may do something, but a large infusion of foreign blood would do still more. It is wonderful how little is known of the progress of modern civilization in the secondary towns of Peru — what strange ideas of history and geography are held even by men in high positions. A foreign nation is generally respected in pro- portion to the number of ships and guns that she displays upon the coast. The existence of any lands not thus repre- sented appears very immaterial to the powers that be. It is not merely with respect to foreign countries that there is a want of inquiry and knowledge. Scarcely any one whom I asked at Arequipa could tell me anything about Cuzco. The antiquities of the country would not tempt a Peruvian across the Sierra. It is only from a native of the place, or from some one who may have been brought there by serious business, military or civil, that a stranger is likely to gather any information as to the ancient capital. As for the rich montana beyond, comprising more than two- thirds of the finest land in Peru, it is still unexplored, except by some adventurous foreigner who now and then penetrates into the primaeval forest. Meanwhile the revenue is gambled away at Lima, and the labour of the country exhausted in disgraceful revolutions, and more disgraceful wars. On the afternoon of the 22nd March, we left Arequipa accompanied by a gardener who was going into the montana witL M . As the latter had to take a good deal of extra 214 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. baggage for his expedition, we had a little troop of mules with us, driven by the arriero and his mozo. As the outfit for a journey in the Sierra is rather old-fashioned, I may as well describe the accoutrements of mule and man. First, as to the mule : — To an enormous bit is attached a heavy plaited bridle, with a thong at the end of it to serve as a whip. The saddle (like a chair, with very high pommel, and round high cantel) is perched upon a heap of saddle-clothes most un- scientifically piled one upon another ; on the saddle, again, is put a woollen pillon, or housing, covered in its turn by a leathern sobre-pillon ; making, altogether, a tolerably easy seat. A crupper and breeching like those of a pack-horse are the necessary accompaniments of such an erection. Before you mount, you equip yourself in a picturesque, but, to an English eye, a somewhat outrageous fashion. A poncho of many colours ; leggings red and green, or yellow ; a brilliant woollen comforter ; and a pair of brass spurs, with rowels an inch and a half in diameter, gave every man of the party somewhat the appearance of a Peruvian muleteer. W > a steady Scotch gardener, was gorgeous with a poncho of red' green, and yellow stripes. Warm clothing is very necessary in the lofty passes of the Andes. With regret we bade farewell to Arequipa, where we had met with great hospitality ; and, leaving the volcano to the left, we reached the post-house of Cangallo in the evening. It is situated about twelve miles from Arequipa, in a little valley about 9,650 feet above the level of the sea. The accommodation at all the post-houses in the Despoblado is very bad. On this, the most frequented pass to Bolivia, there is not a hut with a decent floor to lay a bed on. I speak from experience when I say that I had rather sleep in the hut of a New Zealand savage, than in most Peruvian post-houses. In the morning we commenced a rapid ascent, winding slowly round the volcano, till we passed over the shoulder of that mountain at an elevation of about 12,600 feet, the beautiful cone rising above us about 6,000 feet higher. It was still covered with snow, for rain and snow C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 215 were falling in the Sierra, and our journey was, consequently, less easy than it would have been a little later in the year. After losing sight of the volcano, the route lies over a very bleak tract of country. Still ascending, we reached Apo in the evening, not before the rain began to fall heavily. This is a post-house about twenty-four miles from Cangallo, and upwards of 14,000 feet above the level of the sea. The next morning we started at four o'clock, and after crossing several times the feeders of the river of Arequipa, we reached, before midday, the post-house of Pati, on a little green swampy plateau, just below a steep ascent. This place was so dis- gustingly dirty, that even the arriero suggested our camping outside, which we accordingly did, while a chupe was prepared for us in the house. M , who was not very well at starting, had been attacked by the sorochi at Apo. The symptoms of this illness, which seizes a traveller at great heights, in con- sequence of the rarefication of the air, are a pressure on the temples, and a feeling somewhat akin to incipient sea-sickness. However, we had a long day's journey before us, and started again at about two o'clock. As we began the ascent, a violent storm of thunder, lightning, and hail overtook us. The effect of the storm, as it rolled over the wild sea of peaks, was more magnificent than pleasant, especially when it settled down into a thick fall of snow, as we reached the pampa which stretches to the foot of the Toledo pass. On this dreary pampa we saw a herd of vicunas feeding. Although untameable, they did not appear very shy, for we passed them within gunshot. The Alto de Toledo rises gradually out of the pampas ; the ground was rotten from the effects of the snow, and sleet was falling thick ; the peaks around were bleak and mo- notonous. Altogether it would be impossible to imagine a more dreary scene. As we reached the summit of the pass (about 15,600 feet above the -level of the sea) I felt a slight touch of sorochi, and was very glad to descend rapidly on the other side, towards the post-house of Cuevillas. The snow had changed into a drizzling rain, and night had set in, as the 216 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. sure-footed mules threaded their way along the edge of a torrent, into the valley below. Fortunately the loads on the baggage-mules had been well coated with snow on the heights, and the muleteers were thus able to distinguish them in the darkness. But before long it was found that a spare mule which accompanied them was missing. We insisted on push- ing on to the post-house, which we reached late. We had ridden about fifty miles up and down rough and precipitous tracks, having been about seventeen hours in the saddle ; and were disgusted to find that the post-house was even worse than usual. The clay floor was wet and dirty ; and the only tolerably dry places were two little ledges, one on each side of the room. M: and I rolled ourselves up on a mattress on one of these ledges, and W occupied the other. We got nothing to eat that night ; and as we heard something about cows, we waited next morning till they drove in one, and milked it for us. It was after much trouble that the stolid Indians were persuaded to add this luxury to a very nasty chupe, which they gave us for breakfast. From this place begin the upland grass valleys, stretching down the eastern slopes of the maritime Andes, on which flocks of merinos and alpacas are kept. Cows are to be found in the neighbourhood of some of the post-houses ; but if you ask for milk, you are sure to be met with the favourite answer of the indolent people, " No hai senor, no hat nada." By dint of importunity it may be sometimes got at, and M who knew the ways of the country, amused me by the pertinacity with which he insisted on its being produced. It rained till late that morning, so it was near ten o'clock when we got away. Before long we began a tedious ascent over swampy and broken ground till we reached the summit of the pass of Laquinillas. Descending, we passed between two sad, silent lakes, and skirting round the eastern one, followed the course of the stream that flows from it as far as the post-house of Compuerta. Here we stopped for the night, as the baggage mules had fallen behind, and it had begun to rain heavily. From La Compuerta the valleys are better grassed, and the sides of the C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 217 mountains are covered with the ruins of the Andeneria, or terraced cultivations of the days of the Incas. These ruined terraces, that may be seen on every available mountain in the Andes, are silent witnesses to the density of the popu- lation that was once industriously employed in cultivating every habitable part of the country. Half-way between Com- puerta and Vilque we began to meet with slovenly culti- vations, and a few miles farther on passed through a poor looking Indian village. From thence, after crossing the low hills, the route to Vilque lies over a swampy plain, difficult to cross at this time of the year. In the middle of this plain stands a large hacienda, very much out of repair, which once belonged to the Jesuits. The energy, both spiritual and temporal, of this untiring but dangerous order, is to be traced in all parts of Peru. As we approached Vilque, we heard the ominous military band, which warned us that the best accommodations would be pre-occupied. Here was stationed part of the frontier army that threatened Bolivia. Of all the filthy little towns I ever was in, I should unhesitatingly give the palm to Vilque, at least at this time of the year. As we rode up the narrow dirty streets, between the decayed mud and rubble houses, our mules sank to their hocks in the mud-holes. We had not expected good accommodations, but the room we got was worse than we could have imagined. Fancy a den without a window, with a dirty mud floor, damp, crumbling walls, and a filthy smell ; the door of which den opened on a muddy, wet yard. It snowed hard in the night. In such a temperature, nearly 13,000 feet above the level of the sea, there was not the alternative of camping out, so we had to make the best of our lodging. The troops appeared to have eaten everything. We got some milk and bad bread by dint of bullying, the answer "no hai" being in full vogue at Vilque. This is the town where the great annual fair is held, at which there is a strange gathering of all sorts of people. Merchants from the coast meet the bark-hunters of the Montana, and the muleteers of the Sierra buy their stock from the breeders of the Argentine provinces. Unfor- 218 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. tunately it was too early in the year for us to hope to see this gathering, the only interesting sight about Vilque ; and it was with great pleasure that we started for Puno the next morning. The end of the plain we had now to cross, was worse than the beginning. It was wonderful to see the mules drag themselves and their loads through the swampy streams that they had to pass every few yards. After leaving the plain we rode over a series of monotonous hills, where the shy biscaches were playing hide and seek among the rocks, till we were suddenly brought to a stand-still by the river Tortorini, at most times an insignificant stream, but now swelled into an impassable torrent. Eiding down the river to look for a bridge, we came upon a beautiful waterfall, which the arrieros had never seen. We dismounted to get a better view, and our friends thought that the best way to get out of the present difficulty was to go to sleep, which they accordingly did. We soon roused them up, and from the brow of the hill below the waterfall, M discovered a narrow bridge near a hacienda in the valley below. Eiding down the steep descent over the walls of ruined Andener ia to the cultivations beneath, we got a fine view of the waterfall from the little bridge. The first fall can scarcely be less than one hundred feet in depth, and from the ledge against which the water first strikes, the whitened stream rushes in beautiful rapids to the valley. After a rather long ascent over bare hills we came in sight of Lake Titicaca. But a small portion of this magnificent inland sea can be seen from one spot, the shores are so irregular, and the view is so much intercepted by barren islands. The surrounding mountains give it a wild and picturesque appear- ance, although the want of trees, and almost of vegetation, makes the shores wild and dreary. The softer beauties of a landscape cannot be looked for round a lake whose surface is 12,850 feet above the level of the sea. The bed of a natural watercourse forms the approach to the little town of Puno, and a rough approach it is to a provincial chief town. The rain began to fall heavily as we clattered up the narrow white streets, and we were glad to arrive at the house of a Peruvian C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 219 gentleman, to whom we had brought letters, and who received us with the usual hospitality of the Sierra of Peru. The town of Puno, containing about 8,000 inhabitants, rises on the sloping ground that encircles a small bay of the great inland sea of Titicaca. The houses, roofed either with thatch or red tiles, are for the most part poor, when compared with those of Arequipa, but the streets are cleaner and better kept than those of that city. It is a mournful-looking place, with little society, the majority of the population being Indian. A considerable traffic passes through the town both in wool and in the products of the Montana. No boats of more modern construction than the balsa float on these waters. The Indian balsa is the same as that used in the time of the Incas, being made of bundles of reeds tied together ; very much like the moki used by the New Zealanders for crossing rivers. As we floated on the lake of Titicaca, with a stolid, coca-chewing Indian in the stern, guiltless of Spanish, the ruined Andeneria on the hills above were not needed to remind us that this was the cradle of Inca civilization. From the shores of this lake came the founders of the wise and powerful dynasty who have left such gigantic records of their rule ; who, while they studied the interests of the indolent Indian, knew how to make him work for himself and for the state ; and whose fall was a death-blow to the progress of a race which has dete- riorated under Spanish tyranny, and is deteriorating even more under the misrule of the Peruvian republic. But sailing in a balsa on Lake Titicaca, though pleasant enough while the sun shines, soon becomes cold work. In truth, the climate here, although healthy, is very unpleasant. The air is so highly rarefied that fires are not used ; and in the cold houses people sit with hats on always, and cloaks very often. In the middle of the day it is cold in the shade, and out of it, the rays of the tropical sun strike down with unpleasant force. A gentleman who now superintends the working of the Manto silver mine offered to show us what was to be seen there. Although not a league from the town, no one, except 220 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the Indians, ever dreams of walking so far, as the breath is unpleasantly caught in ascending any height ; and when riding up the hill to the mouth of the upper mine, we stopped repeatedly to breathe the mules. The mines of Manto have a curious and tragical history. The first man who worked the vein, Salcedo, grew enormously rich ; reason enough, in his day, for his being accused of treason on various trumped up charges ; and in 1 670, he was judicially murdered by the Viceroy, Count of Lemos. A signal instance of retributive justice has been found in the fact, that the vein which had enriched Salcedo was never found again. It was probably worked out. The mines never assumed a prosperous condition again till Mr. Begg, an Englishman, began to work them in 1827. However, in 1840, the men in power made the place too hot for him, and he left it, and died soon afterwards. Since Mr. Begg's death the works have languished year by year ; and now the upper mine is worked as of old by Indians carrying up the stone and metal in baskets on their backs. The great works undertaken by the enterprise of Mr. Begg are at a stand-still, and the " English " works are shown rather as a monument of what has been than as a proof of what might be done. Mr. Begg got out a steam-engine, and built all the necessary apparatus for smelting the silver. He converted a subterranean drain into a canal half-a-mile long into the bowels of the hill ; from the place where the canal terminates he laid down an iron tramway for another mile into the heart of the mountain, and the ore was carried on foot to the tram- way from excavations extending 500 yards farther in. An Indian baled out a fast-decaying iron boat, in which we were conveyed underground to the first loch on the subterranean canal. A dismal navigation it is into the bowels of the earth ; by the light of a torch in the bows, we could see when it was necessary to dip our heads low, as the boat was pushed along by the Indian under the vaulted roof of varying height, while the gunwales grated against the rocky sides of the narrow canal. Our Indian guide looked a very Charon, and no poet ever imagined a more doleful Styx. Many a rich C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 221 freight of silver has been carried down this dark passage, and many a one may yet come down, provided foreigners interfere to inspire renewed enterprise and public confidence. San Eoman, a Grand Marshal of Peru, rather celebrated for treachery and running away in action, commands the army of the frontier, and has his head-quarters at Puno. The absurd pomp of the little military dignitaries of Peru seems to have attractions for the otherwise apathetic popula- tion ; and whenever San Eoman takes it into his head to burn gunpowder in honour of himself or his patron saint, the narrow streets are thronged by admiring spectators. He payed us a ceremonious visit, bringing with him an aide-de- camp, who dared not sit down without express leave from his chief. We heard from him some interesting details of the siege of Puno, in the last great Indian insurrection, previous to the war of independence. Two or three people at Puno talked more of the history of the country than any other people whom I met with in the Sierra. We went down every evening after dinner to take coffee at the house of an old gentleman, where it had become an established custom of our host and three or four other persons to meet at that time ; and the conversation often turned on the historical associa- tions of the neighbouring plateaus. I was pleased one night to hear an appreciation of the good qualities of the brave, cruel, faithful old rebel Carbajal, one of the very few Spaniards of the days of the conquest who stood firmly by a falling cause. Wicked and cruel as the old fellow was, this exceptional virtue deserves to be remembered. Senor C quoted, with a sort of affectionate regard, the favourite couplet of the ironical old soldier : — " Estos mis cabellitos, madre Dos a dos me los llevan en ayre." This Senor C , who is one of the most enterprising men in Peru, greatly lamented the want of energy and public faith which prevented the formation of a company to navigate the lake of Titicaca. It is a really wonderful apathy that neglects 222 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. such a magnificent high-road, in a mountainous region, where every necessary of life is transported on mule-back by long and painful journeys. When steaming, a few months later, across one of the great lakes of North America, I could scarcely help thinking of Titicaca and its Indian balsas as a dream of a previous state of existence. Very bad accounts reached Puno as to the state of the country between that town and Cuzco, owing to the incessant rains, which were compared, here as at Islay, to those of 1819. The rivers were out, and I was recommended to wait a little time at Puno for finer weather. But time pressed, and I determined to start at once. Unfortunately the weather and the state of the country prevented a visit to the ruins on an island at the southern end of the lake. At this time of the year, such a visit would have detained me too long. At Puno, M and I parted, as he had to take the route for the Caravy valley. It was a dreary place for two English- men to part company in a semi-barbarous country. On the 31st March I left Puno in light marching order, with four mules ; one I rode myself, one the arriero rode, the third carried bed and baggage, and a spare mule for change trotted along with the others. I did not get away till ten o'clock, thanks to my arriero, who made his appearance with different mules from those he had sworn to produce. Our route lay for four days along the high table-lands at the northern extremity of the lake between the two great ranges into which the Andes are here divided. The country was, indeed, as we had been told, frightfully wet, and a great part of the day's work was wading through mud and water, and swamp. There was nothing for it but to harden our hearts and use our spurs. We had not gone far when I discovered that my arriero, Mariano by name, had never been on this route before, although he had declared solemnly that he knew every foot of it, so I was obliged to hire Indians from place to place to run with us as guides. The Indian postilion will run all day with no other refresh- ment than chewing coca leaves,- which he carries in a small C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 223 pouch, tied round his neck. I may say, parenthetically, that I had by this time got over feeling any surprise at a lie more or less in the day's work. Mariano was a highly respected citizen of Arequipa ; but he looked on the epithet mentiroso as a term of endearment ; and, as he constantly deserved it, he was kind enough not to mind it in the least. The only thing he really did mind was a plan I adopted later, of making him get up an hour earlier to saddle the mules, when he had indulged the day before in any lie more mischievous than usual. This plan afforded the double satisfaction of punishing him and of expediting the journey. It would be but a monotonous repetition to describe the various miserable pueblos through which we passed. A grass-grown plaza with a church on one side of it, and houses of adobes more or less ruinous on the other, with dirty streets, or rather lanes, leading from this centre ; such are the leading features of a small Peruvian town. The crops in this part of the country looked very cold and wet. There was no attempt at drainage or fencing, and in many places the only thing grown was quinua, a small grain some- thing like millet, which grows at an astonishing elevation ; but, as the soil got drier, potatoes and barley were to be seen here and there. I slept the first night at Juliaca, where the tambo was a little better than usual, the clay floor being matted ; but the people were very dirty and indolent, and I started at seven o'clock the next morning without getting anything to eat. The look of the country improved till we reached a river that we had to cross on balsas, our mules swimming. Many Indians, both men and women, were crossing the river, kneeling one behind the other, in the narrow balsas ; and the little boats with their freights looked picturesque enough, as they shot down the stream towards the opposite bank. These Indians appeared to be of a superior race to those nearer the coast ; the men were intelli- gent and well-built, and the clothes of both sexes were warm and comfortable. The men wore long, thick woollen jackets, and strong black breeches open at the knee. The 224 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peeu. women, coloured bodices, with petticoats of a sort of thick warm baize, reaching below the knee, and stout mantles of the same material. The low cloth hats of both men and women from this to Cuzco, are round and broad-brimmed ; whereas at Puno they were square-topped: those of the women are often ornamented with gold and silver lace. Swampy plains succeed the pretty valley through which the river runs. At the top of one of these plains, on the slope of a hill, lies the town of Lampas. It was full of soldiers, the third division of the army of the frontier being quartered here. The plaza was alive with market-women and soldiers, and sentries were posted at every corner of the square. On inquiry, I heard that the poor Indian lads who composed the rank and file were turned into the plaza under guard for four hours every day ; and that they were locked up in barracks for the rest of the twenty-four hours. Desertion had been frequent among these kidnapped recruits, and the severest measures were taken to put a stop to it. Everywhere there are the same complaints of the roads and the weather. A Spanish merchant, whom M and I left at Cangallo, had reached this place without his mules, and he had heard nothing of them for ten days. On the evening I was at Lampas, one of his muleteers appeared to inform him that they had been obliged to leave some of the mules, and to unload others. No wonder foreign luxuries are scarce and dear in the Sierra. The Government of Peru, such as it is, is a pure centralism. Prefects and sub-prefects exercise a delegated authority in provinces and districts ; and under them again the chief man in a village or small town receives a commission as Governor. This dignitary is generally very illiterate, and sometimes tyrannical. He is, perhaps, proud of having a little more " white" blood in his veins than most of the villagers, for nowhere is there a more distinctly organized aristocracy of colour than in the Sierra. A man of very doubtful caste thinks himself quite justified in striking or otherwise mal-treating w un Indio," a mere Indian. There is a second authority in the C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 225 village, the " alcalde," who is chosen from among the Indians, and acts as a magistrate in Indian affairs. As far as I could judge, he is in most cases a mere tool and servant of the Governor. At Pucara the alcalde waited upon me as a sort of uncivilized "boots," by order of the big man of the village, at whose house I slept one night. The alcalde carries a staff of office, adorned by silver' rings, which denote by their number the length of time he has held his appointment. I must for the rest of the route confine myself to extracts from my notes. The reader will understand from previous details the general style of accommodation and food, and the obstructions occasioned by arrieros and others. To travel fast, a certain amount of coercion is necessary. Early Start from Pucara. — By dint of perseverance I got Mariano up by three o'clock, and started with an Indian guide to show us the way out. If it had not been for the intense cold, these early rides in the Sierra would have been most enjoyable. At no time is the imagination more excited than when riding up an unknown valley, as the first streak of dawn appears in the eastern sky ; when the dark outlines of the mysterious mountains are struggling into light, one by one, out of the darker mass of peaks behind. But the cold at such an altitude, before the sun rises, is very severe, so that the first rays of the tropical sun are gladly welcomed in a scene of almost Arctic desolation. Pass of Aqua Caliente. — It was a delightful prospect, to exchange those dreary uplands, with their ruinous villages and miserable-looking inhabitants, for the traditionally beau- tiful valley beyond them. By the first streak of dawn we were in the saddle, and reached the summit of the pass by a winding defile, eighteen miles long. The still, snow- capped mountains rose on either hand in wild and desolate beauty. The pass bore that utterly sad and lonely appear- ance which characterises the heights of the Andes above those of all other mountains I have ever seen. Down by another defile like that by which we ascended, — past a ruined hacienda, near which the hot spring that gives a name Q 226 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. to the pass bursts out of the ground, and at last, towards evening, the first cultivations are reached, and the glory of the valley of Yilca-mayu first breaks on the eye. The Temple and Palace of Viracocha. — The part still stand- ing, consists of a massive wall, with a portion of another at right-angles to it at the upper end. These walls are built of stone, to the height of eight or nine feet, and above that height, of adobes. The main wall is about five feet and a half thick, and must have been at least 300 feet long, and 40 feet high. One pillar of the same construction stands at one side of this wall, at the lower end of the building, and the foundation of another at the other side. It was evidently a magnificent pile that was built by the prophet Inca in his favourite retreat. Standing there, with the history of the unhappy Indian race fresh in my mind, — with one of them beside me, looking depressed and mournful as usual, — I could not but compare the sad prescience that haunted Viracocha, and the subsequent fulfilment of his dreams, to the artistic development of a Greek tragedy. But no legend of an angry Apollo, — no poetical phantoms come between us and the Cassandra-like seer, as he mourned the approaching servitude of his countrymen, with the bitter, hopeless feeling of the Trojan prophetess : — " Das Verhangte muss geschehen, Das Gefiirchtete muss nahn." Checacupi to Urcos. — The next fifteen miles of the journey is through the same exquisite scenery. Every step in this valley, every turn in the mountain-hemmed river, introduces some fresh beauty. Droves of mules and llamas laden with merchandise for Cuzco, and Indians driving down their cows by precipitous tracks on the mountain-side, give life to the picture. For the first time in Peru, I understood the rapture with which some travellers have spoken of Peruvian scenery. At Quiquihana, the river is crossed by a good stone bridge, and immediately below the village plunges into a narrow gorge which I shall not easily forget. For some distance C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 227 there is again only room for the narrow track and the foam- ing river, while as the gorge opens, the molle and the willow, interspersed with the fantastic cactus, fringe the path. After following many windings, and passing some small villages, we turned off at Urcos from the main valley. Here the track cuts off a bend of the river, by going over a hill to the little village of Huaruc, about a mile distant from Urcos. In this little town of Urcos, Almagro rested his shattered army on his return from Chili, previous to his seizure of Cuzco. And into the little lake between Urcos and Huaruc, tradition says that the famous Inca chain was thrown, to conceal it from the Spaniards. As I rode by the gloomy tarn, my arriero solemnly told me how, on every Good Friday, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the chain appears to the Indians, though no white man is permitted to see it. Cuzco. — The traveller approaches Cuzco by a gradual ascent, in the course of which the scene becomes more and more bleak. He first comes in sight of the city at a distance of about five miles, as it stands at the head of the valley, and at the foot of the surrounding mountains. With what different feelings men have reached this spot on their march from the valleys below. Sovereign Incas, or their generals, returning in triumph with their conquering armies from the south and east, home to the royal city; Spaniards eagerly engaged in their manifold intestine feuds, marching upon the capital; and saddest approach of all, Tupac Amaru, the last worthy descendant of a kingly race, borne along, bound hand and foot, to suffer death in the city of his ancestors. Cuzco is on the whole the most melancholy city that I can conceive to be in the whole world. Numbering, according to the Spanish chronicle, 200,000 inhabitants at the time of the Conquest, it now does not contain more than 20,000 : the streets are dirty, the plazas are grass-grown, and the still beautiful cloisters of La Merced are falling into premature decay. Still, to the antiquary, few cities present so many monuments of a state of society wholly passed away. The Q2 228 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Pertj. sad-looking Indian, in his old-fashioned, picturesque dress, stares at a European riding up the street, as though he had dropped from the moon ; while the latter gazes just as curiously at the masonry of old Inca palaces and temples that form the foundations of more modern buildings. Besides the colossal masonry still standing in many of the narrow streets of the city, the principal objects of interest are the church of Santo Domingo, and the ruins on the hill of Sacsahuaman. In the church of Santo Domingo the stones of the old temple of the sun reach about twelve feet from the ground, and above this the Spanish masonry provokes invidious comparisons. Although the European used mortar, and the Indian none, nowhere in Peru can modern masonry bear comparison with the beautifully fitted work of the ancients. To this day the engineer is puzzled to account for the power of the Indians in dealing with immense masses. We know of no machinery adequate to the purpose in use by them ; the conquerors have left no hint of such appliances. The Inca historian, Garcilasso de la Vega, is silent on the subject, and yet in many places are seen traces of stonework which might reasonably be supposed too large to have been put together by unassisted human strength. Almost the first work of the Spaniards after the capture of Cuzco, was to convert the temple of the sun into a church, and thus to this day the sacred building of the Incas is still held sacred by their descendants, and those of their conquerors. But by far the most striking feature of the ancient capital is the hill Sacsahuaman, on which once stood the fortress defended against the assaults of the Spaniards with such devoted courage. The gigantic, closely-fitted stones of the zig-zag defences are still unmoved, and the summit of the hill is crowned by traces of the great stronghold. The hill itself is a very remarkable one, rising as it does preci- pitously out of the valley, and commanding an excellent bird's-eye view of Cuzco and its neighbourhood. Looking up from the grand plaza, in which the Spaniards were camped during the attack on the fortress, one can easily C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 229 appreciate the absolute necessity for reducing a citadel that hung so directly over the town. Wherever you walk through the city, you are reminded of the past; never is there a trace of hope for its future. On one side of the plaza, the Cathedral stands on the site of the palace of Inca Viracocha, on the other side stands the house said to have been inhabited by Almagro ; half-way up the hill of the fortress are the ruins of the palace of Huanco Capac, and higher up are seats cut out of the rocks in times immemorial. But Cuzco is situated where no modern ruler would have built a city ; war and persecution, and slavery and plague, have reduced the inhabitants from time to time ; and if it were not for a few foreigners, and a very few studious men in the venerable cloisters, the memory of its local traditions would pass away for ever. The so- called museum is a disgrace to the authorities. Most of the valuable antiquities have been stolen, and the rooms are filled with rubbish — full-length portraits and other memorials of modern celebrities, robbers more or less successful of the free and independent republic. Prescott, who, in his description of a country that he never saw, is astonishingly accurate, has, I think, in his account of the former magnificence of Cuzco, been somewhat led away by the first glowing descriptions of the Spaniards. The masonry of the low and gloomy buildings was doubtless very fine, and the interiors blazed with gold ; but the low, thatched roofs, the windowless walls, and the narrow streets, or rather lanes, must have destroyed the effect of the massive architecture. Both at Pachacamac, and in Cuzco, wherever any traces of Inca building are found on both sides of the street, it struck me how gloomy the thoroughfares must have been in the most palmy days of old Peruvian cities. The Sierra rains had not ceased when I arrived at Cuzco, and the climate was cold and comfortless in the extreme. The houses are all built as if for a tropical climate, in a town more than 11,000 feet above the level of the sea, with dark rooms opening on patios or on balconies running round and 230 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peett. overlooking them. Fireplaces are unknown, so people sit and shiver in the house with cloaks and hats on, as at Puno, miserable to be seen. There appeared to me to be a positive prejudice against the use of water for purposes of ablution. The most pleasing feature of society at Cuzco is the great civility shown to a stranger. I brought letters to the Prefect and to one or two of the leading persons in the town, and received from them the greatest hospitality and attention during my visit. But there was another feature of Peruvian life that raised my indignation in Cuzco, as it did elsewhere in this wretchedly governed country. The town swarmed with soldiers : aides-de-camp and officers were perpetually hanging about the Prefect's house, and the ancient cloisters of the Jesuits had been turned into barracks, in which the poor Indian soldiers were confined. When I saw something of the conscription, my indignation was redoubled. I knew that it was arbitrary and illegal, and that the Indian ran and hid himself at the sight of a soldier, as in the old days of the Mita he would have fled at the sight of a Spanish official ; but I did not realize the whole villany of the system till I saw it put in force. One morning I was talking to the Prefect in the balcony of the prefecture overlooking the court- yard, when a party of wretched-looking creatures in ragged ponchos were marched bound into the patio, and drawn up for inspection. They were recruits, and the Prefect went down to examine them one by one, while the victims eagerly pointed out any infirmity they might be happy enough to suffer from. While this was going on, I asked the aide-de-camp how they were chosen. He explained that the troops surround the houses of the Indians when they are asleep, and bind and carry off those likely to be fit for service. " Without notice ? " " yes ! without notice ; they hate the service so much, that we should never get any soldiers without surprising them." " Then no Indian when he goes to sleep among his friends knows whether he may be seized or not in the night ? " C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 231 " Not when we want soldiers." "Surely this is not in accordance with the laws of the republic ? " " No ! " (shrugging his shoulders) ; " but the Government must have soldiers." That is to say, that the robber, who for the time being holds supreme power, can use the army as he likes, to oppress the citizens of the republic. And these are the uses to which the independence has been degraded ; the independence for which so many brave men died, and for which the eloquence of Canning enlisted the sympathies of the civilized world. As I was anxious to descend again into the valley of Vilca-mayu to visit Yucay and the remains of the unfinished fortress of Ollantay-tambo, the Prefect furnished me with letters to the governors of the villages through which I was to pass, and allowed one of his aides-de-camp, who was a native of Yucay, to accompany me. Leaving the fortress of Cuzco to the right, we passed over a very wild, bleak country, to the village of Chinchero, where the church is surrounded by the ruined walls of a great Inca palace. The descent from Chinchero, by a precipitous cuesta, into the valley of Yucay is surpassingly beautiful ; but it was not until we had passed the little village of XJrquillos, that I understood the charm that Yucay had for the Inca kings, far beyond that of the royal city, seated in all its splendour on the cold upland. We crossed the river at Huaylabamba by a bridge of sogas, or ropes, made of twisted fibres, brought from the forests below in the Montana, and suspended across the stream : such a bridge as has probably been suspended here since the days of Indian rule. However well calculated for foot-passengers, these bridges are certainly rather dangerous for horses, especially when old and worn as this was. When leading my horse across, he put his foot through the ropes once and stumbled, swinging the crazy bridge most ominously. I let go the rein, and got out of his way, in order to let him go overboard alone ; how- ever, he seemed used to it, and recovered himself without 232 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. being much frightened. A quarter of an hour's ride on the other side of the river brought us to the village of Yucay. Here the Inca sovereigns enjoyed all the beauties and the pleasures of the happy valley of Easselas. Indeed, the scenery is exactly such as I have always imagined to be described in the most poetic vision of the sober Johnson. The bold and precipitous mountains appear to close in on either side of the luxuriant valley ; and yet when the Incas reposed here in state, they received almost hourly communi- cations from the extreme boundaries of the, to them, known world. It was the happy valley without its drawback, and the Easselas was a Ulysses who had seen the manners of many men and their cities. Ollantay Tambo. — The Governor at Urubamba had horses ready for us, and we rode on by moonlight to Ollantay Tambo (road by river). At dawn we went to examine the remains of the fortress, which was as unique in conception, as the history of the Peruvian Incas is unique in the records of the world. To this spot in the valley, where the moun- tains close in on either hand, the rebel Inca, Ollantay, fled, and here determined to make his final stand against the royal house of Cuzco. Ollantay was no mere insurgent, in arms one day, to be put down the next ; the massive works begun here, testify to his having been an avaf avhpcov on a large scale. Here, as elsewhere in Peru, the first question that suggests itself is, " How, even with the help of myriads of slaves, could these stones have been hewn out and raised to their present position ? " On the right bank of the river, the mountain side is built up into a gigantic flight of andenes, or terraces, which serve as the foundation for the fortress destined to frown over the valley. The position, and the massive rocks of which the building is composed, might long bid defiance to modern arms ; how utterly impregnable must the proposed stronghold have appeared in the eyes of the Incarian armies ! When Ollantay was betrayed into the hands of the Inca Yupanqui, the work ceased, but the remains C. C. Bowen.j NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 233 of "the wall lie was raising to last for ever,"* still seem calculated, so far as possible for mortal's work, to defy the ravages of time. The gigantic blocks of granite that are so wonderfully cut out, and fitted together so closely, were brought (let engineers tell us how) from the quarry on the other side of the valley, some five miles down the stream. Two or three similar blocks, called "piedras cansadas" lie carved and fashioned, midway between the quarry and the building, as though the works had but lately been brought to a sudden end. Some of the stones in position are more than twelve feet high, while one of thepiedras cansadas is upwards of twenty feet long by fifteen broad, and nearly four deep. Many half-hewn stones are lying about the building, and one almost expects to find the mason's tools lying beside them. While examining these stones, I found a clue to the manner in which they were patiently wrought into shape. From the bottom of one of them, to the edge of the cliff near which it lies, runs a little stone trough, as though to carry off the water used in rubbing down the surfaces with stone or sand. This must have been slow work, kept up by con- stant relays of patient slaves ; but the direction of these slaves must have been in the hands of enterprising and skilful Engineers. Eemnants of heavy masonry are to be found in the village which is separated from the fortress by the ravine and stream of Marca-cocha. In this ravine are marvellous seats and broad steps cut out in the solid rock : and far above on the mountain side, are remains of what is said to have been a convent of Virgins of the Sun. Near the convent a small tower above a precipice marks the spot whence criminals were hurled in the days of Ollantay. The place is far more suggestive of instant death than the Tarpeian rock of fatal celebrity. * A sketch of a Peruvian drama on this subject, originally written in the Quichua tongue and apparently contemporaneous with the Incas, is given in Mr. Markham's work. Several extracts translated by him, give a high idea of the dramatic capacity of the author. 234 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. On our return, we passed again through Urubamba, the fruit-garden of Cuzco ; and, ascending from the valley, we rode on till darkness compelled us to attempt sleep in an Indian hut. After a few hours, we went on by moonlight, and re-entered Cuzco a little after dawn, in torrents of rain. There were great complaints at Cuzco of the unprecedented continuance of the rainy season. I should certainly advise a traveller to make sure of fine weather in these high regions, by starting a month later than I did. Snow and rain make the mountain travelling unnecessarily severe. Setting out on my return to Arequipa, I went up the valley of Yilca-mayu, as far as Tinta ; and, striking off here, crossed the Despoblado,by the pass of Eumi-huasi. A swampy, dreary country, gradually growing higher and colder, stretches to the foot of the pass. Over these wastes I rode from before dawn till after dark, for two days. A few miles beyond Ocaruru we got post-mules, after some threats (brutum fulmen) as to what I would get the Prefect to do to the post-master. After many solemn asseverations that there were none, they were produced at last, such as they were. The one my arriero rode nearly died in the ascent. The saddle was transferred to one of our own mules, and the poor beast, thus relieved, managed to stagger to the summit of the pass, 17,700 feet above the level of the sea. If it were not a bore to be always repeating that the Peruvian postas are a disgrace to the country, I would draw special attention to the miserable hut on Eumi-huasi, the highest habitation in the world. On the top of this pass we were half blinded by a heavy fall of snow that drove directly in our faces. The descent is more gradual than the ascent on the other side. The Volcano of Arequipa again. — Since yesterday the beautiful cone of the volcano of Arequipa and the range of Chacani had been in sight from time to time, appearing and disappearing as I passed from height to hollow. They were like old friends, and certainly no other mountains in that C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 235 part of the Andes which I had traversed equals in beauty the volcano of Arequipa. From whatever point of view you see it, the cone is perfect, and stands out in fine contrast to the rugged summits of its neighbour, Chacani. As a general rule the mountain scenery in Peru is on too gigantic a scale to enable one to appreciate it. You have to travel over vast wastes before you come upon the lovely spots that nestle in the recesses of the great Sierra. Putting aside such limited scenes as those in the valley of Yilca-mayu, or the campirla of Arequipa, the most striking general view of the mountains that I can recollect, is from the middle of the desert of Islay. But let no one expect in a tropical climate the more varied effects of European mountain scenery. Out of the temperate zones is found no Monte Eosa, " hanging there," — " Faintly flushing, phantom fair, A thousand shadowy pencilled valleys And snowy dells in a golden air." The traveller rises so gradually towards what appears to be the base of the gigantic range, that without being aware of it, he has already passed out of the region of the most beautiful vegetation, and the scene has become bare, and cold, and desolate ; whereas, among mountains on a smaller scale, you can approach their boldest passes before you have bid farewell to tree, and flower, and grass. But what is lost in beauty is gained in a conception of grandeur and vastness. Never till you have travelled painfully day after day over some small portion of the far-stretching Andes will you understand what a barrier they are ; on what a scale the mountain masses are piled together ; or that the vast and desolate pampas over which you have been riding, are simply the dreary gradients to mountain tops that roll away as far as you can see. And as you ascend the highest passes, still far above you rise the snow-capped peaks untrodden and perhaps unapproachable for ever. I spent a couple of days in Arequipa, and enjoyed especially 236 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. the walk down along the river, through the rich cultivations towards the village of Tingo. An Italian opera in the quaint roofless theatre was an unexpected luxury. The singing was very good, and the strange old theatre, with its temporary roof of canvas, looked wonderfully well, and did wonderful justice to the singers. The inhabitants of Arequipa, as well as of Lima, are very fond of music ; and this taste they are prepared to gratify at any cost. A little after noon, on the 21st of April, I started for Islay, and riding through the night, with a pause of three or four hours at the tambo of La Joya, in the middle of the desert, reached Islay at daybreak the next morning. It was strange enough to be avoiding, as much as possible, the parching heat of a tropical desert, when only a week before, on Kumi-huasi, no clothing would keep out the penetrating cold of rain and snow in a rarefied atmosphere. Now that the journey was over, my arriero Mariano had become won- derfully well pleased with himself and with me. He came on to Islay, and after great professions of friendship, carried off the alforjas I forgot to take off the mule, and then asked me to give him as a keepsake my esjpuelitas (little spurs) ; a curious use, by-the-bye, of the diminutive, seeing that the said spurs had rowels about an inch and a half in diameter. But the use of the diminutive is very frequent, and often very childish. Every lady, never mind her age, is senorita, never senora, unless, indeed, for a year or two after marriage, as a distinction. No one is ever going to do a thing in a moment, momentito is the largest portion of time any one will keep you ; and hasta cada momentito is an exaggeratedly polite form of leave-taking. If I told Mariano at a village to try to get some caldo, or broth (made with eggs, sometimes the food easiest procured), he would make a request for caldito, as if that in some way lessened or softened the demand. If a thing was to be done early, they would say tempranito, not temprano; in order not to shock their lazy nerves, I suppose. And in the same way, when possible, a diminutive is substi- tuted for the vulgar whole. I do not now allude to affectionate C. C. Bowen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 237 diminutives in family life ; these are often very pretty ; and the flexibility of the Spanish language in forming pet names is very graceful. But it is strange how Peruvians try to take the edge off a downright statement. On the morning of the 22nd, the fine English mail-steamer, with a punctuality that told of another race, put in at Islay ; and after a pleasant passage along the coast on a smooth sea, I reached Callao on the evening of the 25th. The population of Lima was just beginning to recover from a most desperate fright. Some severe shocks of earthquake had shaken down several houses, and cracked and rendered dangerous many others. A large proportion of the inhabitants had spent two or three nights in the open air, and the days in going in procession to the shrines of all the saints who were expected to interfere in the matter of earthquakes. These processions, I was told, were very efficacious, as the earth- quakes had ceased ; whereby the reputation of the one or two particular saints was greatly increased. I spent a couple of days in Lima very pleasantly, and was about to leave for Callao on the 27th, to join the steamer for the north, when I was detained for a while by an event very charac- teristic of the country. I was talking to a friend at his hotel, when a loud explosion was heard in the street, which in an instant was filled by a curious crowd. We first thought that a revolution had broken out, — this would have been a natural occurrence, — but heard directly afterwards that an attempt had been made to blow up the house of a wealthy citizen with a sort of clumsy infernal machine. The crime of the proposed victim was the possession of wealth, and the immediate cause of this attempt was, that he had not answered threatening letters requiring him to send money to places named. The would-be assassin knew that, if taken, nothing very serious would happen to him. (The republic of Peru is so much in advance of its age, that its legislature abolished capital punishment. This was one of the sentimental steps which has been considered more useful than practical progress. I would invite the attention of English philanthropists to the 238 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Peru. remarkable success of the Peruvian experiment.) But as it was necessary that a show of zeal should be made by the authorities, and as in a South American republic, the conve- nience of peaceable citizens need not be consulted, a guard was placed at the door of each of the hotels, with orders to let no one out. Thus a double purpose was served. A fuss was made in the town, and every reasonable chance of escape was given to the criminal, who was not likely to be at any of the hotels. After keeping the inmates of the hotels prisoners during pleasure, the authorities took the guards off, and I was enabled to catch the train to Callao, and the steamer for the north. In the evening we sailed for Guayaquil en route for Panama. J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 860. 239 6. THE GRAIAN ALPS AND MOUNT I SEE AN. BY J. J. COWELL, ESQ. Duking the autumn of 1859, I happened to obtain a very- fine and unclouded view of the mountains to the south of Mont Blanc, and finding that little was known about them, determined to visit them in the following summer. Un- luckily, however, 1860 proved to be, as everybody knows, a bad year for explorers, and I only half-executed my project, owing to repeated interruptions caused by bad weather. Before leaving England, I consulted every available map, provided myself with the new Sardinian Ordnance Maps, and took with me my boiling-point thermometer. Finally, I wrote to my trusty guide, Michel Payot, at Chamouni, to tell him to meet me at Cormayeur, on the 26th of August. It will render the account of our travels more intelligible if I give a general description of the region in which they lay. Its most important feature is, of course, the main range of the Graian Alps, by which the waters are divided ; next in order should be placed the two principal valleys, one on each side of the range, in which the greater part of these waters are collected. They are the valley of the Dora Battea, commonly called the Yal d'Aosta, on the Italian side ; and the Valley of the Isere, on the French side ; and they may both be conceived to descend from the Little St. Bernard, which bounds our part of the chain, to the north. On the French side, the tributary valleys are long, and run parallel to the main range, while on the Italian and steepest side of the range they are short, and abut directly against it ; these 240 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. latter are the Val Grisanche, Val de Khemes, Val Savranche, all opening into the Yal d'Aosta, and the Yal de Ceresole, Val Forno, and two others, opening directly into the plain. An important Col, namely, the Col de la Croix de Mvolet, connects the heads of the Val Savranche and the Val de Ceresole. So much for the Italian side. Now, on the French side, the tributary valleys are only two ; the Val de Tignes, which runs up from the foot of the Little St. Bernard towards the south ; and the Val d'Arc, which runs up from St. Jean de Maurienne, first to the east and then to the north, towards the head of the Val de Tignes, with which it is connected by the Col d'Iseran. The Col d'Iseran is just opposite the Col de la Croix de Mvolet, on the other side of the main range, which is here crossed by the Col de Galese. This is a rough description of the country, but it may, perhaps, prove a better guide than most of the ordinary maps, in which these parts are slurred over. My general plan was to cross by the Col de Galese to Savoy, on which side the slopes of the mountains are more gradual and easy of ascent, and there to climb any high peak that might tempt me, and especially to make trial of the Levanna and Mont Iseran, both of which I had heard were inaccessible ; Mont Iseran being generally described as having a needle-like point that tapers to a height of more than 13,000 feet. On Monday, Sep. 3, we left Villeneuve, and ascended to the head of the Val Savranche, where we spent the following day. When we started on Sep. 5, we were obliged to take a guide as far as the Chalets de Mvolet, because the first part of the road to them, was not included in my sheet of the Ordnance Map, by help of which we usually found our way. We went a little way down the valley, and then turned to the left, up a very steep zig-zag path which led us to the beginning of a long " plateau," called the Plan de Mvolet. This has an elevation of, I should say, nearly 7,000 feet, and is consequently very bare and barren ; but its aspect is improved by a chain of small picturesque lakes which occupy half of its length. J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 241 On that edge of the plateau which overhangs the Val Savranche, stands the cross, or Croix de Mvolet, that gives its name to the Col. Near here, the guide told us his father had been attacked by a highwayman, and had run for his life all the way down the zigzag path, till he reached a house in the valley below ; the robber, he said, was a Piedmontese. Hereupon, both my companions began to revile the Piedmontese in general, and to tell lively stories about their way of murdering, robbing, and so forth. This surprised me ; but I found out that by " Piemontais " they meant only the people of the Val de Ceresole, and the three valleys to the south of it, in oppo- sition to the people of the Val d'Aosta and its tributary valleys, whom they eulogized as " Valaisans," a name which I had never heard applied on that side of the Alps. The guide declared that in the territories of these Piemontais solitary travellers were often waylaid ; and Payot said that some Chamouni men travelling in the Val de Ceresole had been attacked by a gang in the open day. No other accident befell us than that we were benighted ; nevertheless, being benighted on a mountain path is very unpleasant, as one constantly knocks one's feet against the great stones that are sure to be sticking up, and one takes long steps where one ought to take short ones, and vice versd. We found the path overflowed in several places, and our progress was often interrupted : — at length the guide an- nounced he could find the track no longer. The consequence was, that for nearly an hour we went dabbling on over land and water, leaping the pools by help of our alpenstocks, and trusting to luck for a firm footing beyond ; fortunately, I never fell down on any of these occasions, though my knap- sack made me feel very top-heavy. By the time we reached the Chalets de Nivolet, we had had enough, and were glad to dry ourselves before a good fire. I was the least sufferer of the party, as my leather leggings had protected me from wet and mud; and all I had to do was to take off boots and leggings, and put on my slippers, while Payot had to dry his 242 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. legs elaborately before lie could make himself comfortable ; so I unhandsomely took advantage of the opportunity, and preached to him upon the utility of leggings. The chalet belonged to a family of brothers, who received us kindly ; they all spoke French, and I chatted with some of them, learning all I could about the geography of the surrounding district. Their chalet was distant from Villeneuve, in the Val d'Aosta, seven hours and a half; from Ceresole, four; and from Laval, in the Val de Tignes, seven, by the Col de palese, over which one of our hosts agreed to guide us on the following day. When we came in, they were preparing their supper in an immense copper pot, which we found to contain " polenta." Though this compound must be well known to travellers in Italy, it was new to me, and I shall hazard only one remark upon it ; it is not bad when hot, but it is very nasty, and I think unwholesome, when cold. I ate mine with hot milk. Afterwards they took us to a snug-looking stone cottage, close by, where I thought we should sleep — but no 1 it would not be ready till next year, as unfortunately it had no roof. They only wanted to show it to us : we should have to sleep over the cows this year. So we climbed up a ladder into a hay- loft, under which were not only the cows, but the cows bells, which kept up a steady jingle, as their wearers went on placidly munching, all night. Whether cows in general, or whether only these particular cows, remain awake and munch ; or whether they go to sleep and still munch, I do not know ; but I am sure that in some way or another the ringing was constantly maintained. In other respects I was comfortable, by help of hay, of my warm plaid, and of a pair of straps, which last articles I consider essential whenever one sleeps in one's clothes. I was agreeably surprised at finding myself exempt from the attacks of certain objection- able insects that are supposed to abound in hay : there were none in any of the chalets. On Thursday morning, when I started, as usual, in search of the nearest rill, it was snowing, and everything around J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 243 looked so cold and miserable, that only the practice acquired by tubbing in cold water on frosty mornings, could have enabled me to persevere with my toilet under such discourage- ment. When this fearful task was over, I considered what was to be done. Should I try to get to Laval over the Col de Galese ? On the one hand, it was entirely contrary to my principles to attempt a glacier pass in bad weather, as such a proceeding is disagreeable, unprofitable, and frequently dangerous. But I was tired of sleeping on hay ; we had only one day's provisions left ; waiting would be disagreeable ; and as our guide declared the glacier to be as easy as possible, and only half a mile across, I determined to try it, though I saw from the account in Murray that we might meet with some difficulties. We made haste to prepare a breakfast of hot wine and bread — a plan taught me by Payot. We usually took it when we expected hard work or cold. The wine is heated with sugar and cinnamon, and forms a most invigorating beverage, of which the good effects continue for several hours. Soon after eight we started, and came into a small plain, which was the rendezvous of the King and his suite when he came on a hunting expedition two years before. It appears that all this part of his dominions is maintained by the King as a royal preserve for bouquetins and chamois ; but as for this particular little stony plain — with steep rocks on each side, and accessible only by precipitous paths, — I could not imagine how the King's mounted retinue ever got there, or what they did when they arrived. We passed the lakes on our left, and descended rapidly from the Col into the Valley of Ceresole, where we found the weather clearer, and caught glimpses through the clouds of a high steep mountain overhanging the valley on the south, which I set down as La Pointe des Trois Bees, or Levanna. At ten A.M. we reached the Chalet de Surie, — the highest in the valley, — from which we learned a flock of sheep had just started for. the Col de Galese ; this encouraged us, and we followed them, going nearly due west, and climbing up the rugged cliffs that enclose the head of the valley. On the top R2 244 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps' of these lay a slope of snow, beyond which rose a high wall of rock, with its jagged summits faintly outlined through the storm. It was the crest of the Alps, rising two thousand feet above us, and accessible only by a steep narrow gully paved with snow. This gully led us to a deep notch in the ridge, and resembled on a large scale the " Chemin^e " of Mont Brevent at Chamouni. Down the gully swept wind and snow, which we had to face as we plodded upwards ; but presently, when the slope became steeper, so much loose snow slid upon us that we could hardly make any progress ; as one or other of us was frequently swept or blown off his legs. Things did not appear promising, so we held a brief consultation; we had evidently but a choice of evils. I did not like the idea of giving up, and scrambling down those awkward cliffs in order to get back to the hay and to the cows, while Payot pointed out that we were secure against the real danger of losing our way on the glacier on the other side, as we had but to follow the sheep-tracks. We therefore determined to force our way over the pass if possible ; and at once took the necessary precautions. We tied ourselves together, and screwed the axe-head on to Payot's alpenstock ; this plan had been invented by himself, to dispense with the necessity of carrying an axe separately. With this heavy, long-handled instrument he could, at one blow, cut a niche deep enough to afford firm footing. We were now fairly between the two walls of the gully, which narrowed from fifty feet at its mouth up to ten at its head, in a length of five hundred yards ; but so much snow had accu-* mulated in it that it was constantly swept by avalanches. Still, we were encouraged by hearing the sound of the sheep far above us, and the incessant barking of the dog, who, poor fellow ! was very indignant at finding that the sheep got on much better than he in scaling the slippery rocks. The guide told us he was not prepared for such a state of things, as generally there was no snow whatever on our side of the pass. Presently, there came rolling down a lot of stones, J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 245 detached by the sheep above, who maintained an intermittent discharge of these small shot till they were clear on the other side. The stones luckily rolled, and did not bound, so they only struck us on the legs (here again, I may say, my leggings did me good service), until, what with being bothered by the stones, and being half-smothered by the avalanches and the driving storm, and being knee-deep in snow, and, in general, cold and uncomfortable, I began to despair of success, espe- cially when Payot expressed his opinion that before long the gully would be swept from end to end by a large avalanche that we should be unable to withstand. These avalanches must have begun to fall but a short time before — perhaps not till after the passage of the sheep — as the first few were small. It seemed as if we had come just at the time, when the gully could no longer contain the constant accumulations of snow. We had hitherto avoided approaching the sides, because the snow fell over them in regular cascades, collected from the rocks and ledges above ; but I now proposed that we should submit to this inconvenience, in order to evade the greater one ; I argued that, as the gully widened regularly from the top, no avalanche, however large, could ever com- pletely fill it : this proved a good plan, for we escaped both stones and avalanches. At last we came to where the snow ceased, and we had to climb between two faces of rock that met at the bottom, and were coated with clear ice. The shepherds had avoided this " couloir," by passing along a ledge to the left, but the flock had climbed straight up it, for in such a place a sheep would climb with comparatively little difficulty. Unluckily we did not discover the shep- herds' path, and though we were but one hundred yards from the top, we were occupied more than an hour in reaching it. It was almost impossible to secure a footing anywhere : without the axe, we never could have done it ; we had to cut more than a hundred resting-places for the feet, first scratching off the ice from the rocks, and then knocking out a bit of stone here, or chipping off a piece 246 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. there, or tearing up some loose fragments. Sometimes I hitched my alpenstock across the gully for Payot to stand on ; or else we shoved and hustled him up where he could not climb, that he might pull us up after him; and thus we scrambled up to the top at two p.m. having been three hours in doing less than a mile. Here we rested a little, to go through a general rubbing of hands, which were much numbed by constant holding to the frozen rocks. However, we had no time to lose, as the falling snow would soon obliterate the sheep tracks, so we started across the glacier, which was smooth and level. We could see nothing, except that there was a small lake in the ice to our right ; it was not a time for taking observations, so I can only guess at the height of the pass, which I should estimate at a little more than 9,000 feet. The tracks were scarcely visible to me, but my companions made them out readily, and we went along at a rapid trot, till we came to where the glacier terminated, breaking abruptly off at the edge of a cliff; this rather startled us, because there was the edge, and there were the tracks going right up to it ; it seemed as if they had gone over it. The only explanation was that the flock had returned upon its old track, and then struck off again. We then immediately turned back, and sought for the junction of the missing track with the old one, but without success ; we then extended our sphere of search. The other two were to go each on one side of the track about 300 yards, straight away, and then to walk with their faces to the wind — that was westward. I was to remain where I was, and to blow my large fog- whistle every minute ; by this they were to guide themselves until one of them shouted, in which case the other and I were to follow him. We at once untied ourselves, and they both disappeared ; I coiled up the rope, and, sitting down upon it, got out the map and the compass in order to decide what course to take should the track be irrecoverably lost. We had consumed our provisions, we had even eked out our vile supply of brandy by the vile admixture of the con- J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 247 tents of my spirit lamps ; we had been snowed upon for six hours, and the thermometer marked 248 under the hanging flap of my plaid. It was therefore a great relief to me when, after whistling for about ten minutes, I heard Payot's voice in the north-west ; we soon rejoined him, and found that he had lighted upon ^the track at the point where it quitted the glacier. Here, and throughout the rest of the descent, it could easily be traced, as the snow was only a few inches deep, and was all discoloured with the mud and stones that had been stirred up. We followed the track down into the valley — the head of the Val de Tignes, where the weather was clearer, and though the valley was in itself of the most chilling, cheerless aspect, without a tree or bush to be seen, yet to us it was truly wel- come, and a hospitable shelter from the storm. We hastened on, often congratulating ourselves upon being well out of it. Payot attributed our success to " le vin chaud," which alone, he said, enabled us to hold our own against the cold so long ; and no doubt he was right, but I knew that the main element of our success was Payot himself, for without his assistance I never could have got up that most impracticable " couloir." Just before reaching Laval we passed our highly esteemed pioneers, the sheep, who numbered about 250, and we were surprised that the track of so numerous a flock had been so soon effaced. The inn was a most wretched place, but it was comfortable in comparison with a chalet ; we reached it at six p.m. Near Laval three short valleys unite, and form the Val de Tignes; the middle one leads to the Col d'Iseran; the left- hand one to the Col de Galese. We started the next morning for Bonneval, by the Col d'Iseran ; over which we easily found our way by help of the map, and the pyramids which Murray warned us to look for. In respect of Mont Iseran, which I had not yet seen, the hand-book rather confused me, by calling the pass first Col d'Iseran, and then Mont Iseran. The mountain tops were still covered, and we could learn nothing about them at Laval, neither were we the wiser 248 , VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. through what we could see in mounting the Col, which, though usually free of snow, was on that day deeply covered for three miles on each side of the top, as snow was still falling. We found our way at once by help of the pyramids, which are not mere heaps of stones, but regular edifices, some of them twenty-five feet high, with large niches, in which one can conveniently take shelter, as, by some oversight, none of them had been filled with the proper apparatus of dolls, lace, crosses, and pictures. We met several hundreds of good fat sheep coming from Bonneval. It appeared there was a general movement of sheep and cattle from all parts to Bourg St. Maurice, at the foot of the little St. Bernard, where there was a great fair on the day of Saint Grat — whom I was always tempted to call Saint Gras, since these ample supplies were all to centre in him. The top of the Col was reached in three hours from Laval, and there, for the first time since leaving Yal Savranche, we got a view, though Mont Iseran, the long-sought object of my ambition, was still hidden. Towards the south many high mountains and a vast area of glaciers were visible, all at a great distance. At eleven A.M. a bright circular rainbow formed round the sun on a stratum of dark grey cloud less than two thousand feet above us ; it enclosed an immense space having an inner diameter of about 50°, the bow having a breadth of about 5° ; it continued till 11 50 A.M., when the clouds were disturbed by a change of the wind from N.W. to S.W. I watched it with great pleasure, till Payot explained to me that it was an infallible sign of bad weather. We found in descending that a great deal of the winter's snow still lay across the pass ; in some places the whole ravine was choked, the road and the torrent disappearing for the time. There were several chalets by the road at which we tried to get some milk ; but the inhabitants were shy, and discourteous ; they made no objection to their dogs flying at us. In all parts of this valley the same thing took place ; the dogs resembled the Scotch shepherd's dog, and were very J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 860. 249 fierce and spiteful, always flying at passers-by, without in- terference from their masters. They did not seem to care whether we or the dogs got the better, but, like a mob at a prize-fight, were quite content as long as somebody was being hurt. We reached Bonneval at two, and soon found the inn of M. Jean Culets ; he had not much accommodation, but did his best to make us comfortable. He could supply nothing but eggs, and bread and butter, and wine, which last was most excellent. After dinner, I had a long conversation with him about the mountains in the neighbourhood, and we soon came to an understanding about the Levanna ; it had been ascended once by himself, and he would take us up on the first fine day. But about Mont Iseran, to my astonishment, he knew nothing ; declaring positively that there was no mountain at all on the site indicated in the Ordnance Map — he did not care for the map, he had travelled upon these mountains for thirty years, and was ready to swear that the peak existed solely in the imaginations of geographers. This quite con- founded me ; I was not in the least prepared for it, as I no more doubted the existence of Mont Iseran than I did that of Mont Blanc. Every map marked it: in the Pied- montese Ordnance Map, sheet number thirty-seven was named after it, and gave its height as 4,045 metres, or more than 13,000 feet ; the Alpine Club, in their list, marked it 13,271 feet ; and Payot said that he had often seen it from the top of Mont Blanc, while I had seen it, or what I thought was it, from the Col du Gdant and the Cramont. Here, then, was a question of fact of the most elementary kind, decided in one way by a remarkable combination of evidence, and, in the contrary way, by the experience of a man who could not possibly be mistaken. I could only suspend my judgment until I should have examined for myself ; I would go to the very place, and if Mont Iseran did not stand there, I would stand there instead, and testify against him. 250 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. I wanted, of course, to go there the next day, Saturday, September 8th, but was met by two difficulties. In the first place, there was every appearance of bad weather — as foretold by the circular rainbow ; and, secondly, Culets could not come with us, because the day was the property of St. Grat, and it would be necessary to go to mass, which ceremony being unfortunately at eleven o'clock, was incom- patible with mountaineering. With reference to this feeling about Saints' days, Payot told me the following story : — The late fatal accident on the Col du G^ant had happened on August 15th; now this is a Saint's day, and the co- incidence had been much remarked. It appeared, more- over, that the Cure* of Chamouni had, at the beginning of the season, reminded the guides that it was likely to prove unusually dangerous, and exhorted them never to travel on Saints' days without going to the five o'clock mass. On this account, poor Tairraz had been very unwilling to try the Col on August 15th, but had yielded to the natural impatience of the three Englishmen. It was also remembered that, when Tairraz's brother was swept away by an avalanche in 1820, that accident also occurred on a Saint's day. So that, on the whole, the impression made at Chamouni had been such, that no guide would, if he could avoid it, try a dangerous pass or mountain on these occasions. I was interested in the story, and decided that nothing of importance was to be done till the Monday. Hereupon, in order to confirm me in this laudable resolve, old Culets came in with another sad story : a young Sardinian officer of engineers had been killed in a crevasse, while surveying near the Col de Lauteret on the previous Sunday. The next day was stormy, hail and snow falling frequently ; but I succeeded in making some acquaintance with the geo- graphy of the neighbourhood in the intervals of fine weather. In the evening some English gentlemen arrived from Forno, over the Col Girard ; I had not met a soul for a week, and expected some news about Garibaldi, but they knew none, having been for some time, like myself, in unfrequented regionc. J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 251 They had had a dreadful passage over the Col Girard, and, in my opinion, had very narrowly escaped a fatal accident ; the weather had been dreadful on the pass, and the snow on the steep slopes was in a most dangerous state. Both their guides refused to carry anything for them, or even to give them a helping hand, in difficult places ; they would simply show the way and nothing more. One even refused to do that, and followed in the rear, saying he was afraid of cre- vasses ; and it turned out that this fellow was responsible for the accident to the poor surveyor on the Col de Lauteret ; having misled him, and then made little effort to save him. On the Col Girard, he used neither axe nor ropes, and one of the party would, in consequence, have disappeared down a couloir, but that his friend behind adroitly caught him by the arm. Other narrow escapes took place among the dangerous crevasses on the Italian side. This sort of thing constantly happens in the less fre- quented passes of the High Alps, where no one ought to trust himself to unknown guides unless he be himself an experienced mountaineer. There were six fatal accidents in the Alps this year, and, probably, narrow escapes innumer- able — I know the details of half-a-dozen or more — but there need be no cause for surprise, when one sees so many tourists utterly inexperienced, but ready to undertake anything. At Aosta, two gentlemen consulted me as to whether they had better go on the next day over the Col du Gdant, or spend a day in going up the Mont Cervin, which they heard was well worth a visit. On Sunday the weather was rather better, and I walked down to Lanslebourg, for the purpose, imprimis, of getting a good dinner, not having dined to any extent for a week. I wanted also some spirits of wine for my lamp, and a supply of provisions to support us at Bonneval, where one could get nothing but eggs, and very large cabbages, which, with hay and onions, appear to be the sole products of the upper part of the valley. The general character of the mountains near Bonneval is 252 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. very decided ; there are a great many peaks of nearly the same height (about 12,000 feet), sloping up on the west, from vast table-lands covered with glaciers, and presenting tremen- dous precipices towards the east. The glaciers are of immense extent, but of no great thickness, because of the inferior size of the mountains ; they are in consequence crevassed in almost every part, as their surfaces are affected by every little in- equality in the rocks over which they move, while, in the case of a thick glacier, many rents must be made below, which never extend themselves as far as the upper surface. The same cause leads to other important results ; owing to its thinness, the glacier breaks and crumbles over the edge of a precipice, where a thick one would bend down and make an ice-fall. Again, owing to its deficiency of volume, it seldom descends below the snow line, even if not interrupted by the precipices which nearly everywhere bound the table- land. Few, therefore, of the glaciers are accessible, and still fewer practicable, unless one can reach their neves. There is so little bare rock, that moraines are rare, and the summits easy of ascent, if one can but approach them. Although these are not high, yet the general crest of the range much exceeds 10,000 feet, and is nowhere to be crossed without difficulty. These ice-fields cover so large a space, and are so much exposed to every wind, that they render the climate of the adjoining valleys very rigorous. It was dreadfully cold at Bonneval, snow falling frequently and injuring the vege- tation ; no grain would ripen there, and no pines would grow even on the lowest grounds. Many of the inhabitants ap- peared to suffer from rheumatism, and soon after my visit I had myself an attack of that complaint ; Culets said he had long been subject to it through sleeping out on the moun- tains. Tor the present he gave a good report of the weather, and had no doubt of our being able to ascend the Levanna on the morrow. Fortunately, the morning proved very fine. We started at six, ascending the valley, and leaving on the left the road to J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 253 the Col dTseran. The Levanna itself was not visible from Bonneval, and it was not nntil we had been nearly an hour on the march that Payot and I for the first time caught sight of the mountain that we were to climb ; it seemed to be very- distant, as only the summit was visible, but our guide assured us we should be at the top in less than six hours. However, it was soon hidden from sight by the steep mountains at the head of the valley, whose sides appeared more bare and bleak than near Bonneval. Even the birches had disappeared, and a great part of the slopes were covered with dark grey stones. At half-past seven we reached the last inhabited place* a chalet belonging to Culets, and, in a few minutes after, came to the end of the glacier that descends from the Levanna and the Col Girard, — the only one that reaches the valley. We now began to ascend, with the glacier to our right, advancing in a direction parallel to it until we reached the base of the snow-slopes that extended up to the highest ridge, which once more became visible. Here we sat down to breakfast, and I took the opportunity of examining our guide's rifle, which he always carried with him, as he was constantly on the look-out for chamois. It was an old rifle, but appeared still very serviceable ; its chief peculiarity was that it could be fired twice, though it had but one barrel. This was effected by an arrangement that was quite new to me ; first, the rifle was loaded in the usual way, but with a wad above the bullet ; then, above the wad, a fresh charge of powder and a fresh bullet were placed, so that by the help of a second trigger, hammer, and nipple, this charge could be fired off, without disturbing the charge behind it, which was held in reserve for a second shot. The piece was thus as useful as a double-barrelled rifle ; it had killed, in Culets' hands, about a thousand chamois, of which he said half would have escaped him but for his second shot. In a few minutes we started again, mounting steep slopes of snow, on which our guide said he usually found game. He now unslung his rifle, carrying it at the long trail, and 254 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Gkaian Alps. instructed us, in case of seeing a chamois, to throw ourselves flat on the snow. However, the first game we saw was not chamois, but ptarmigan ; a brood of six rose close to us from some stones, among which they had been concealed, and I expected Culets to fire at them, but he would not do so, as he feared to frighten away the chamois, of which we soon afterwards saw three at some distance above us on the slope. I happened to be first, and the moment we had lain down, I heard him say, " You must excuse my firing over you ; " whereupon he laid the barrel over my shoulder and fired, but without effect. He was prevented from making use of his second charge by a curious incident ; the slope of hard snow was so steep, that when we threw ourselves down, we were obliged to use our hands to avoid slipping, but the marksman of course had both his hands occupied, and as he had not secured himself with his feet, it so happened, that the recoil of the piece was suffi- cient to dislodge him. He slid down some way, while I felt the barrel being rapidly drawn over my shoulder, and slip- ping down along my back ; so that at that moment I should have been better satisfied had there been no second charge in the rifle. However, no harm happened, except that before he had recovered himself, the chamois had vanished. "We pre- sently reached the spot where the chamois had been standing, and found that the bullet had struck the snow between his feet. I was struck with the peculiarity of the report, which resembled that of a drawing-room pistol, and was sharp and short ; it was more reduced in power than I should have expected, considering our moderate elevation (less than 11,000 feet) ; the smoke, too, did not rise into the air, but rolled slowly upwards like a small cloud. Soon afterwards the rifle was left behind, there being no chance of finding chamois any higher, because all the region beyond was accessible only by the narrow slope up which we were climbing. This fell away to the right and the left, so that we presently found ourselves upon a narrow arete of rocks and soft snow, up which we scrambled unpleasantly till J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 6o. 255 we reached the side of the highest ridge. This ridge is narrow, and bounded by two precipices that do not meet at the top to form an arete, but are connected by a narrow surface of snow. But the precipice on the eastern or Italian side is much the highest, and also the steepest, therefore this surface slopes sharply down to meet the top of the lower precipice on the Savoy side, where it is cut short, as the sloping roof of a house is cut short by the wall. The ridge extends about 300 yards to the right, where it terminates abruptly, after culminating at its very extremity in a small heap of rocks, which formed the summit of the Levanna. We had to go the whole length along this surface, which required some caution, for it consisted of loose, unfrozen snow, lying upon a hard, smooth slope, which in its steepest part was inclined at an angle of 43°, as measured by my clinometer. We dared not venture near to the higher part, because the surface curled over the precipice below like a cornice, terminating in a thin edge of ice ; nor could we safely pass on the lower side, lest our weight should detach the loose snow, and make it slide away from under us. As the rope would have been of no service in such a case, we did not tie ourselves together, but went each by himself at a considerable distance apart, keeping about half-way up the slope, and so we reached the top without difficulty, at a quarter before twelve. The actual summit is most remarkable ; it consists of a large slab resting upon a heap of loose rocks ; the slab was not horizontal, but sloped away from us towards the Italian side, overhanging the precipice considerably ; its position appeared frightfully insecure to us who proposed mounting on to it, as we half-expected to see it slide off its pinnacle, and sweep down the abyss. We found that it was so coated with clear ice, that we could not stand on it, and that sitting, though possible, would be very unpleasant. But against this, and against any attempt to mount it, both guides protested, and I yielded, half- disappointed, and yet half-pleased at being spared the unnecessary risk and discomfort of so cold and 256 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. slippery a seat. Perhaps the danger may have been more in appearance than in reality ; but I have never quite made np my mind whether our caution was prudent or ridiculous. However, as we could see over the stone, it was no impedi- ment to the view, and we beheld a magnificent spectacle, including almost every high peak in the main range of the Alps. Part of these we had seen during our ascent, for on our side snow-covered peaks were visible in every direction ; to the west and south-west was the knot of high mountains that lie between the Mont Cenis road and the Isere, and whose summits appear to rise from out of a vast table-land of glaciers. Beyond were Mont Tabor, and to the left of it a fine peak that we could not identify, but which Payot remem- bered to have seen from Mont Blanc ; perhaps Mont Pelvoux, if there be such a mountain ; and he professed likewise to make out with the telescope the pointed summit of Monte Viso through the haze on the southern horizon ; however, the view in that direction was in great part bounded by the peaks near Mont Cenis. But when we turned our eyes from the mountains towards the eastern valleys, hoping to discern Turin, Milan, and the Italian plain — there, alas ! neither plain nor city could be seen, for all the lowlands lay hidden by heavy clouds. In the north, no such disappointment awaited us. The whole of the great chain from where we stood, for more than a hundred miles, — the Graian and the Pennine Alps, — lay before us ; the range of Mont Blanc appeared to very great advantage, and Monte Eosa, and all the high peaks about it, were brilliantly visible, except the Weisshorn, which was con- cealed by the Dent Blanche. The Ehaetian Alps were mostly hidden by Monte Eosa, but to its right were the Bernina, Monte Delia Disgrazia, the bare peak of Monte Legnone beyond the Lake of Como, and last of all, the white cone of the Ortler Spitze. But the finest and most striking sight of all was that splendid pair — the Grand Paradis and the Grivola, which, standing apart from the chain, alone and unsupported, yet J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRA VEL IN 1 8 60. 257 rose in front of us to the height of 13;000 feet; the Grand Paradis especially towering grandly above us, — the highest mountain in Italy, and by far the most imposing object in the whole of that magnificent panorama. I was obliged to defer till afterwards my full enjoyment of the scene, in order to attend to what I called "business," or, as Payot used to call it, " les machines." He, poor fellow ! was at first too uncomfortable to interest himself as usual in my operations, as his feet were so cold that we became very uneasy about him ; but he met the difficulty by taking off his dripping shoes and socks, and wrapping his feet tightly up in my plaid. By this means, in about half-an-hour, they were completely revived. It may seem surprising that we should have had the plaid with us, as it was a very decided ad- dition to our "impedimenta ;" but the fact was that we had come to the conclusion that our worst enemy, next to bad weather, had been the severe cold upon the high mountains during that inclement season. Glaciers and precipices could be crossed and surmounted, but the cold could not be so easily disposed of ; some time before, Payot and I having, after a two days' expedition, reached an elevated summit, had been overpowered by the piercing cold, and driven down, after a stay of only four minutes, which were exclusively employed in deciding by mutual consent that it was impossible to stay there. In consequence of this misfortune, we made it a rule always to take the plaid wherever cold was to be apprehended, and*we considered it as much a part of our necessary equip- ment as the axe and rope. On this occasion, had it not been at hand we must have returned at once, for we all knew better than to make light of a frost-bite. Curiously enough, I subsequently heard a report that on this very day, Sept. 10, a guide had been incurably frost-bitten in the feet, by delaying on the ar6te of Monte Eosa, perhaps while I was scrutinizing that very place with the telescope, and while Payot, in his comfortable wrapper, was busying himself with "les machines" under shelter of the rock. 258 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. The flat slab sloping down from ns formed a sort of roof on our side, just high enough to allow of our sitting under it; here we were sheltered from the north-east wind, and had a clear view to the south and west. My first task was the determination of the boiling-point of water; and this, after the usual difficulties with my lamp, was ascertained to be 190 o, 6. Although this measurement could not by itself decide the height, it was sufficient to disappoint my ideas of the grandeur of the Levanna. I almost doubted whether this were the Levanna, as late events had been sufficient to cast suspicion on any mountain, how- ever distinguished ; but I was reassured by seeing all the valleys, where I expected, as agreeing with the map, while at our feet was the Col Girard, on which the track of those who had passed on the 8th was discernible for several miles. Besides, I thought, as I held by the stone and looked over on to the Italian side, it is impossible to mistake this astonishing precipice ; it must be that which we had seen through the clouds from the Val de Ceresole, and which I had wildly estimated at 3,000 feet in height. There were two beautiful mountains to the south, both a little higher than we were, — the Uja* di Ciamarella and the Mont Chardonnet ; the first appeared practicable, and I determined to try it ; but the latter was supported all round on our side by cliffs that seemed to be insurmountable : I believe this mountain to be that which overlooks Susa on the north, but am not quite satisfied about it. At the end of the Val d'Arc we could see the church spire of Lanslebourg,' and to the left the first two zigzags by which the road climbs the Mont Cenis. I bore this in mind when I crossed the pass shortly after, and from this short bit of the road obtained a beautiful view of the Levanna, just illuminated at sunrise. We now saw something being drawn up the pass by two horses and eighteen mules ; I at last made it out to be a heavy gun, probably from Fort Lesseillon, as the Emperor * The local corruption of the word Aiguille is Ouille, which, on the Italian side, appears as Uia or Uja. J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 860. 259 allowed the Piedmontese to withdraw their own artillery from their own forts. I had for some time been conscious that the Mont Iseran of my imagination was " conspicuous only by its absence," and upon a closer examination observed that a ridge lower than ourselves hid the place where it ought to be ; this was, of course, conclusive evidence on the main question, but still I determined to examine the place in person. At last the time came for departure, to my great regret, as I had never been better rewarded for climbing than on that day ; my hour spent on the top was most interesting, and I only wanted to have had a minimum thermometer to leave behind as a memorial of my visit, as I never saw a high peak •so admirably adapted for the reception of that, or any other registering instrument. I took a last look over that most seductive precipice ; it was, indeed, the grandest which I ever had the good fortune to look over. There is a great satis- faction in thus looking over ; it gives one a feeling of triumph at having surmounted such an obstacle by any means. The snow was now much softer, and we went along the ridge very gingerly ; soon afterwards we picked up the rifle, and descended by a different route, more to the right, which led us down a series of the most delightful glissades. Below them lay two small lakes which Culets was anxious to show me, but before reaching them we met with a most agreeable adventure. On our right was a glacier at a little distance, and near the moraine there suddenly appeared a chamois. He saw us, and bounded off among the rocks so rapidly, that I feared Culets would have no chance at him ; but the wary old guide knew better ; he counted upon the chamois' fatal habit of stopping every now and then to look back, and did not fire till the incautious animal half turned round on the very top of the moraine to have a last look at us. The moment he had fired, the poor chamois bounded high into the air, and descended the moraine in one leap ; he made three other wild leaps, and then disappeared among the rocks. We knew he was hit, because a chamois always runs down hill when he is s2 260 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Graian Alps. wounded. Close to where we had lost sight of him he was lying quite dead, shot through the heart ; yet his four leaps had carried him more than 40 yards. We complimented Culets on so excellent a shot at 250 yards, the extreme range of his rifle. I had never seen a chamois killed before, and was very glad to have the opportunity of ascertaining the amount of its vital heat, which I had always believed to be very great, so I wanted to put a thermometer inside his carcase, at once, while it was being cleaned. But no step of this kind could be taken without our having water at hand ; so we carried him over the rough ground, and then sent him down the glissades till we came to water, where the necessary operations were performed. I then gave Culets the thermometer, bid- ding him ensconce it in some warm place. It was left there for five minutes, and the chamois had been dead just half-an- hour when I took it out, and found it standing at 117°. How much heat the body had lost while being pulled about on the snow, with the temperature of the air at 43°, I had not suffi- cient knowledge to estimate, but I should not be surprised if the amount were considerable. Nothing but a great reserve of vital heat could enable the chamois, with its very thin coat, to withstand the rigours of an Alpine winter. The old hunter was determined to show us how he carried his game, and would not let us assist him. He tied the legs together with a strong cord, and then hoisted the body on to his shoulders, putting his head partly between the legs, till it was exactly in the position of a porter's knot. Although so heavily loaded, he easily kept up with us, and we reached the lakes about three o'clock. These were certainly very remarkable ; they were each about half-an-acre in extent, and surrounded by snow reaching down to the water's edge, except where a narrow ridge, about ten feet high, divided them. A glacier stream ran into one, in which the water was consequently quite white, like milk-andr water. In the other it was quite black, like peat- water. Both were exposed to the sun, and of course I expected the black one J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 261 to be the hottest; the white one was partially frozen over, and had some lumps of ice floating in it, while the temperature of the black one was 39°, only 4° colder than the air, though it was above the snow line. I could discover no cause for the black colour ; perhaps both lakes might be black but for the glacier water, for when we reached the point where their two little streams united, I saw that the white colour completely effaced the black. Soon after we struck into our old track, and reached Bonneval before six, after a very easy and suc- cessful day's work. On Tuesday the weather was again as bad as ever, with drizzle and sleet all the morning. In the afternoon we went out fishing in the Arc, and caught a fine trout, which made me an excellent dinner. Two dinners in three days ! I was evidently in luck. Thus fortified, I felt prepared to abide the final issue of the great question which was to be solved, weather permitting, on the morrow. The weather — how I hated the word at last — did give a temporary permission, and we made the most of it. All we had to do was to mount the Col d'Iseran, and go up the little peak to its east. Of course, I had left in me but little belief in Mont Iseran, and before we were half-way up the Col, I perceived the absolute necessity of abandoning all faith in it. I was incensed against the mountainous nothing and vacant habitation that had usurped so splendid a name, and excited so vain an ambition. But I would have my revenge ; I would go to the place ; I would boil water there, and make disparaging observations upon it to the best of my power. The crag was rugged and steep, and more than an hour's scramble above the Col; there was a good deal of snow on it, and a small glacier at the top. The boiling-point there was 192°-9, and on the Col, 195°9 ; the difference in height was therefore 1,580 feet. Towards the east, the peak presented a fine precipice more than 1,000 feet in height, and quite perpendicular. This point, such as it is, stands on the spot usually assigned to Mont Iseran, and so I call it by that 262 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Geaian Alps. name. I may as well mention here the results of some sub- sequent inquiries. These parts had been visited and the popular error ascertained in the previous year by a member of the Alpine Club, but I am not aware whether any parti- cular point was considered worthy to possess the well-known name. Also, in a work entitled, "Memoires de la Soci&e* Acad^mique de Savoie," Tome XL, there appears the follow- ing, as the result of a barometrical measurement by two Canons of Chambery, about the year 1842, 1 believe: — "Mont Iseran (point culminant), 2,481 metres," that is, 8,134 feet ; but whether the Col or a peak is meant, there is nothing to show. I looked in all directions to find a mountain in the neigh- bourhood of size sufficient to account for the popular error, but I could not perfectly satisfy myself with any one. In fact, there is no mountain south of Mont Blanc of the required height, but the most prominent are these three : Le Kocher de la Sassiere, a long ridge, culminating at one end, distant about six miles northwards from our position ; La Pointe des Grands Couloirs, an immense mass, quite flat on the top, about eight and a half westwards ; and Mont Pourri, a very steep -sided sharp peak, about eleven and a half to the north- west. As seen from where we stood, the two former moun- tains had neither of them that needle-like apex which has been supposed to be the distinguishing mark of Mont Iseran, and I am therefore inclined to accept Mont Pourri as most likely to be the proper representative. It seems to be the highest of the three, and accessible but with difficulty. It is very conspicuous from the Cramont, bearing S. by W. On a subsequent day we re-crossed the Col d'Iseran, where I reflected with pleasure that, in spite of my bad luck in regard to weather, I had still been able to satisfy myself that no high mountain existed at the source of the Isere, in the place usurped by Mont Iseran, on the maps. I append a list of my observations on the temperature of boiling water at different places, in which I do not reject those I made at the well-determined altitudes of the Col de Ferret, J. J. Cowell.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 263 Cramont, and Bonneval, since they will serve as a criterion of the amount of dependence to be placed on those of the Grand Paradis, the Levanna, and Mont Iseran. The water I used was snow-water in every case, except at the Chalet du Paradis, at Bonneval, and at the Petit St. Bernard. Place. Date. Hour, P.M. Tempe- rature of Boiling Water. Tempe- rature of Air. Baro- meter at Turin. Tempe- rature at Turin. Deduced Altitude. Col de Ferret Cramont Chalet du Paradis .... Grand Paradis Aug. 29 Aug. 30 Sept. 3 Sept. 5 Sept. 10 Sept. 11 Sept. 12 Sept. 12 Sept. 14 3 1 8 1 1 6 noon 1 3 1970-6 1950-7 197o-6 1880-1 190O-6 201O-5 192o-9 1950-9 1990-3 59o 630 60o 510 430 60o 44o 63o 580 28-782 28-884 29-055 28-977 28*932 28-885 29*100 29-098 29-082 89o 88o 7lo 78o 790 72o 78o 78o 69» 8,030 9,290 8,180 13,700 12,020 5,760 10,880 9,300 7,200 Mont Iseran Col d'Iseran Petit St. Bernard 264 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Hokn. 7. THE ALLELEIN-HORK BY LESLIE STEPHEN, M.A. The season of 1860 was as remarkable in the Alps as else- where for a long continuance of bad weather: Bain, snow, and mist, and, worse than all, bitterly cold arid "violent gales of wind, made summer in the High Alps as severe as an English Christmas. Bad weather, and especially windy weather, is no joke on exposed mountain-ridges ; it almost" destroys the pleasure even of mountain-climbing, to be assaulted by the fierce gales, under which the snow-covered summits may be seen smoking like volcanoes. You are, perhaps, creeping carefully along a kind of knife-edge between two precipices, your fingers freezing to the rocks to which you must cling. Suddenly, a savage gush dashes down upon you, puffs the frozen snow into your face and up your trousers, and seems to whistle through your very bones. It is curious to observe how capricious these assaults are both in duration and place. A perfect storm may be raging on one mountain-top, whilst you may be able to light matches on another within half a mile of it. During an ascent of the Wetterhorn this year, we could see heavy clouds lying motion- less as wool on all the surrounding summits, whilst just over our heads we could hear the wind screaming, and see the mists flying past, and the snow being torn in clouds from the sharp ridge above us. It suddenly lulled into perfect stillness for an hour, during which we made our ascent, and then began again with its former fury. A good Scotch plaid and a pair of thick woollen mits are the best protection ; still L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 265 the experience of many travellers, and of more guides, can testify to the danger of frost-bites on these occasions. In July, 1860, I was at Saas, in company with Mr. Short, of New College, Oxford, with whom I had been trying some prac- tical experiments on the varieties of Alpine bad weather. We had just crossed the Weissthor, blindfolded by a thick driving mist, with the thermometer at 22°, and a powerful gale blow- ing. Next day, in a comparatively agreeable fog, we had hopelessly lost our way on the high snows of the P^e glaciers. "Losing your way" may mean either that you do not know where you are, or that, knowing where you are, you do not know how to get any further. The first of these misfortunes is commoner on a Scotch moor than on the Alps. In the vast snow-fields, however, which lie to the north of Monte Rosa, the small and varying inclination of the slopes in that great moor-like wilderness of snow, and the mono- tonous forms of the huge mounds of neve, make it as hard to find one's way in a mist as on an actual moor. Under such circumstances, it is a matter of some nicety to hit off the exact point where the "arete blanche" joins on to the great range of cliffs above Matmark and Macugnaga. One of our guides had, on a former occasion, walked straight over the edge of these cliffs by mistake, and only saved him- self by the obvious but rather difficult expedient of jumping back again. Warned by this, we went carefully forwards, and making a beautiful shot at the pass, we crossed the ridge without difficulty. Next day we were not so fortunate ; we were on a glacier where none of us had ever been before. We had a general guess as to where the pass ought to be ; and Franz Andermatten, of Saas (one of our guides), said that he should know it if he came to it. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by a light but pertinacious mist, with a bright glare of sunshine through it, which made it perfectly impos- sible to see anything. Looking upwards or downwards, right or left, exactly the same formless glare seemed to dazzle our eyes. The last man in the line could see the first, but the first could see nothing but diffused light, and found it just 266 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Hoen. as difficult to walk straight as if he had been blindfolded. He enjoyed, in fact, much the same kind of view as a fish would in a thick basin of milk-and-water when the sun was shining. At last, guided by some objects which we fancied to be cliffs, but which afterwards turned out to be crevasses, we left our true course, and suddenly found ourselves on the edge of a long and steep snow-slope. We were in a delightful perplexity. One of the guides stoutly maintained that we had reached the Col we were looking for. The other, Franz Andermatteu, whose local knowledge was most to be depended upon, was only certain of one thing, viz., that we were some- where else. My own observations, aided by a map and a compass, showed distinctly that, by descending the slope before us, we should return to the point from which we started. In our complete ignorance of the geography of the glacier it was hopeless to persevere, and we accordingly turned back ; and following our footsteps in the snow as the only clue, soon found ourselves safe on the rocks from which we had started. The highest peaks were still clear, as they had been when we were there before. The valley below was also as clear as at first, but along the ridge we were to pass, a heavy bank of mist lay motionless all day, as impenetrable a barrier as the steepest and most difficult cliffs. We were resolved, however, to try the ascent again next morning, if the weather improved. The pass which we were endeavouring to make out was one which would evidently be the shortest connecting line between Saas and Zermatt, two of the most inexhaustible centres of interest in the Alps. The vast ridge which runs due north from Monte Eosa to divide the valleys of Saas and Zermatt, is at first considerably nearer to the Saas side. The huge Gorner, Findelen, and Tasch glaciers, all descend from this part of the ridge by a long and slow descent to the head of the Zermatt valley. The glaciers on the other side are much shorter and steeper. Across this part of the ridge lie three passes, the Weissthor, the Adler, and the Allelein (the two last of which have been admirably described by Mr. Wills). The end of this portion of the ridge L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 267 is marked by the Allelein-horn, where it suddenly turns due west, and runs towards the valley of Zermatt, forming the northern boundary of the Tasch glacier. At the long flat- topped hummock called the Alphubel, it again turns north- wards, but is now, of course, nearer to the Zermatt than to the Saas valley, from which it is divided by the vast system of the Fee glaciers, whilst the glaciers on the Zermatt side become comparatively insignificant. Now, it will easily be seen by a map, that a line drawn straight from Saas to Zermatt would cross the long mound-like wall, connecting the Allelein-horn and the Alphubel, and running nearly east and west. We knew that, on the Saas or northern side, it descended by tolerably easy snow-slopes to the higher part of the F£e glaciers. If it should prove practicable to descend on its southern side to the margin of the Tasch glacier, it was evident that we should have made the most direct route from Saas to Zermatt, which would have the additional advantage of leading through the magnificent scenery of the F^e gla- ciers, and also of avoiding the detour by the cold and smoky inn at the Matmark See. We were joined in the evening by two gentlemen, Messrs. Jacomb and Fisher, who had just crossed the Allelein pass with old Peter Taugwald and Johann Kroneg of Zermatt. We were glad to join forces, and, as we had already Franz Ander- matten of Saas, and Moritz Anthonmatten of Visp, with us, we formed a strong party. In fact, if the nature of our work had not proved to be such as to make a strong party useful, we should have been rather too many for business. One or two travellers and two guides can go up or over any place in the Alps. Any increase in the numbers is certain to cause delay, and can seldom add to safety or comfort. Not only has the pace of the party to be regulated by that of its slowest member, but at any difficult place every one has to wait till every one else has been separately helped, hauled, or hoisted over his troubles. In a large party, there are often one or two with whom this process is rather a long one. Now, in the Alps, getting up a mountain, especially a new mountain, is generally 268 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Horn. simply a question of time. It is seldom possible or desirable to camp out more than one night. The amount of provisions and coverings necessary to be carried on longer expeditions produces a very severe strain upon men who have to walk a good many miles and do a good deal of hard work in the course of the day. Neither is it pleasant to sleep for many nights together on a bed of rock, with a stream trickling on your nose, nor possible, as a rule, to sleep under any circum- stances, within some 1,000 feet of the highest peaks. Conse- quently, the great object is to get to the nearest habitable place to your mountain, and to make as vigorous a dash at him as one day, or at most two days, will allow. Saving a few minutes, especially a few minutes' fine weather, may easily make the whole difference. A mist may float up at the critical moment, or a slope that has been safe and easy till the sun touched it, may become perilous and difficult to pass an hour afterwards. To save time is the one essential for success ; and there are very few cases in which the largeness of a party is not in direct proportion to the time wasted : one is, when heavy snow-work has to be done, which is often too fatiguing for one man to do alone. Even then two guides are generally enough. I say nothing of the increased chance of your having perfect confidence in the last, and skill of every member of the party, when the party consists of one or two, nor of the possibility of an expedition being totally ruined by the failure of one man. It might, perhaps, be possible, if the size of the party and the quantity of preparations were increased, to spend more nights upon the glaciers. But the practical advantage would be small. All the higher and more enticing peaks are fenced round by walls of rock and snow, and guarded by regions of frost and wind, through which a passage, if made at all, must be made between sunrise and sunset. Early on the 1st of August, I was awakened by the usual report, " Schlechtes Wetter." I interpreted this to Short in the next room, by telling him that he might go to sleep again. As he had been very unwell for the two days past, on each of which L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 86b. 269 we had had long snow walks, he received this intelligence with a certain complacency. Unfortunately for him, he allowed his satisfaction to appear a little too openly. Thank- fulness for bad weather in the Alps is a crime under all circumstances. Accordingly, I watched the clouds with great interest, and at the first gleam of sunlight jumped up, dressed, ran down stairs, and soon succeeded in persuading myself and the guides that it was going to be a fine day. By half-past five, Short having shown the most amiable resignation to his fate, we were already on the march for Fde. The light mists which were driving up the valley hid the mountains, except when the top of the Mittaghorn occasionally looked down upon us through the clouds. Suddenly, some one pointed to what looked like a sheet of silver, gleaming at an almost incredible height through the mists. It is always strange to observe how much the apparent height of a mountain is increased when it is looking over clouds. I should hardly have believed that any mountain in the Alps could rise so high above us as the glaciers, which were now shining down upon us from the mists ; and yet I remembered that, in the summer before, I had stood upon the summit of the Dom, and seen these very glaciers lying almost immediately beneath me at the foot of a sheer precipice some ten thousand of feet high. It is true that, at the same time, we had seen on one side the Lago Maggiore, twenty miles off, lying like a deep green pond below us, and unknown lakes and plains stretching far away beyond it. By turning our heads, we looked upon a purple sheet of haze, which concealed the Lake of Geneva. I had scarcely time to remember this, when, in almost one instant, the mists that had surrounded us were swept away, and, as if by magic, the whole glorious semicircle of peaks, from the Allelein-horn to the Mischabel, sprang up before us. All that unrivalled sweep of glaciers, and every rock and cliff that rise from them, shone out instantaneously, without even a shred of mist to conceal their beauties. I have scarcely ever seen a .more startling effect even in the Alps. It put every one of 270 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Hork. the party into the highest spirits, and we pressed on in a confident hope of a fine day at last. I must take the oppor- tunity of recommending all visitors to Saas to take the trouble of climbing a short way up the lower slopes of the Weissmies, behind the village. It is impossible, from any other position, to realize fully the unapproachable beauty of the great F£e glaciers. Another most beautiful point of view is gained by taking the path, which we now followed up to the summit of the ridge of rock which divides the glacier into two great tongue-like masses, and terminates in the "Gletscher Alp." There is no difficulty in reaching the summit, where you stand, as it were, in an island surrounded in every direc- tion by the magnificent crevasses of the glacier. At this point we had breakfast No. 2, at about nine o'clock, and then started across the snow-fields for the foot of the Allelein-horn, at first almost in the footsteps of the previous day. I afterwards dis- covered that the right track would have been to the foot of the Alphubel, on the south side of which there is a very level col, leading by an easy descent to Zermatt. We soon found ourselves plodding laboriously through a huge snow-field, whose very existence could scarcely have been suspected from below. What looks like a slight wrinkle in the neve below the Alphubel, conceals a level plain of snow, whose apparent size struck me as being about equal to that of Hyde Park. It took us, however, rather longer to get to the end of it, than I hope we should have been in crossing Hyde Park. The snow was exceedingly deep and tiring, and at its farther extremity the inclination became respectable, and the glacier seamed with long and broad crevasses. There is no Alpine work so tiring as this snow-wading, as the guides call it. The deep, half-melting snow above your knees, which will get into your boots and coat-pockets ; the glare from sun and snow all above, and below, and around, which you know will deprive your face of every particle of skin ; and the steady, monotonous plunge with which you flounder along, like a fly in a honey-pot, become rather tiresome. Moreover, we had for some time very little excitement from crevasses. L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 271 The crevasses on a level are, of course, narrow, although some- times deep — deep enough, at any rate, to be dangerous. I shall never forget, one day, stumbling along down the level snow-trough which leads from the Lotsch Saltel to the Aletsch glacier. The burning light and the monotonous motion had produced their usual soporific effect, and we were foolish and lazy enough not to have put on the rope. Suddenly, one of the party all but disappeared. A narrow crevasse had opened beneath him like a trap -door. With his feet wedged against one side, his shoulders against the other, and his back resting upon nothing at all, it was well for him that the crevasse had not been a little broader. The man behind caught him by the collar as he went down, and in a moment he was on his feet again, on sound footing. But the view of the two parallel walls of green ice sinking vertically downwards into utter darkness, has often come back to me since. Somehow, no one even then suggested the rope, and we plodded quietly and sleepily along — fortunately without further accident. I hope, however, that I learnt a lesson as to the propriety of using the rope on such occasions. It is true that a man has in general no business to fall down a crevasse. A concealed crevasse is almost always so narrow that it is rather difficult than otherwise to fall down it without touching either side. If you are carrying your alpenstock " at the trail," so as to form a bridge as you fall, or if you throw yourself well backwards or forwards directly you feel your footing give, you must come upon a firm support. Still, no one has a right to presume so far upon his skill and presence of mind as not to adopt a precaution which secures absolute safety. There have, indeed, been warn- ings enough lately, to impress this upon most people's minds. We plunged on slowly and laboriously, with one or two half-immersions in crevasses, and I found time gradually passing, whilst the Allelein-horn seemed resolutely to keep its distance. The snow perspective is always exceedingly decep- tive ; but when I found that we had had three hours' steady plodding, and the pass was still distant, I began to think it was going too far. I boldly informed my companions, and tried 272 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Horn: to persiiade myself, that another half-hour would take us to the top ; but I secretly felt that I was a humbug. As the snow- fields rose up against the mountain, and became seamed with broader and deeper crevasses, in which it was necessary to seek carefully for a safe snow-bridge, the slowness of our progress became more than ever wearisome. We were tied together in two parties, and took it in turns to go first. Old Peter Taugwald, who led the other party, is a solid, steady-going old fellow, as broad as he is long, and as firm as a rock. The stolid calmness, from which he never wavers, becomes occa- sionally tiresome. He annoyed me now by the extreme deliberation with which he halted every few minutes to munch a great lump of sugar, whose good qualities he delights to expatiate upon, as being an excellent thing on the snow. The day, which had been nearly perfect, was again begin- ning to look doubtful. A light cloud every now and then touched the top of the pass before us, and I began to fear that we might lose our view, and perhaps lose our way too, when we got there. Franz Andermatten, of Saas, was next to me — one of the merriest, strongest, and most willing little guides I ever met with. He had twice before walked with me, and on one of these occasions had resolutely insisted; notwithstanding our protests, on carrying three knapsacks on his own back for two consecutive days of twelve hours apiece.; He is always ready to laugh at the mildest of jokes, and is very fond of quoting and expounding the most elaborate and unintelligible of proverbs, which are probably considered amusing by the natives of Saas. I pathetically remarked to him that, though this was the third season on which we had met, we had never yet had a fine day together. He imme- diately rushed forwards, declaring that "Herr Stiffs" should, at any rate, see something to-day. Away he went, plunging through the deep snow, like a small but infuriated bull. Spurts do not generally answer on these occasions ; but Franz's energy carried us with a rush up to the top of the pass, and not too soon. It was already two o'clock, and we had had five hours of deep snow. But this was not enough for him. L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 273 We were now looking down on to the lower reach of the Tasch glacier. It had been my plan to effect a descent straight to this glacier by the rocks below us. Both Herr Imseng and Franz had, as I understood, declared this to be practicable. But now, to my astonishment, Franz resolutely declared that he knew the rocks to be impassable. The other guides mildly remonstrated, and proposed a trial. But Franz was obstinate : he said that our only course was to ascend the Allelein-horn on our left hand, and, from its summit, to descend to the very head of the Tasch glacier, i. e. to the col of the Allelein Pass. This, it was obvious, would involve a very long circuit, and would ultimately bring us round to the point immediately below us, only by means of first ascending a high mountain, and then going round over a lofty pass. The fact was, however, that the Allelein-horn was a great pet of Andermatten's, who had made the first ascent (which had never since been repeated) in company with Mr. Ames. When I hinted mildly that he was taking us rather out of the way, he skilfully asked me, with an air of astonishment, whether I did not wish to go to the top of the mountain ? Of course, it was impossible exactly to say " No," and before I could expose his sophistry and show the absurdity of calling it a pass to go up a mountain 13,000 feet high on one side and down on the other, I felt the rope tighten round my waist, and Franz was off like a steam- engine, with his small train of travellers and guides panting behind him. The guides do not often study the science of knots, and consequently when the first man in the line is going his best, and the last is disposed to take it easily, the unfortunates in the centre are apt to find their waists growing most unpleasantly small. As Short and I were in this un- fortunate predicament, we complained as pitifully as the small amount of breath left in our bodies would allow. It was of no use. One long slope of snow (fortunately in good order) lay between us and the summit, and straight up that slope we were dragged at our best pace, without halt or hesitation. At half-past two, we were sitting at the top round the little cairn which Franz had previously erected, loosing the ropes, and T 274 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Hokn. allowing our internal arrangements to return to their natural state. The other party followed us more deliberately, and we were soon all seated together, discussing our position and the view. We had lost the best part of the day, and thick clouds were hanging over the Italian plains and over many of the neighbouring heights. But the huge black ridges of rock which form the backbone and the ribs of the Alps rose up only the more grandly through the threatening masses of clouds. The Oberland mountains, of which we had had distant views for some time, were still visible, and occasionally we had glimpses of the green valley of Zermatt. People still sometimes ask (though they have often had it explained to them), What is the use of going up a mountain ? What more do you see at the top than you would at the bottom? Putting out of the question the glorious exercise and excitement of climbing a mountain, it would be well worth any trouble to see such views as those which can only be seen on the highest peaks. No doubt there are many views downstairs more capable of being made into pictures. The vast cloudy panorama stretched below your feet from an Alpine summit makes an impression upon your mind which can be described neither on canvas nor in writing. It gives a most exhilarating sense of unrivalled sublimity, which could no more be given in a painting than one of the scenes in " Paradise Lost." It is the constant presence before your eyes of such impressive though indescribable scenery, which gives to Alpine exercise such absorbing interest. Most people probably pass as much time in thinking about their dinner as they do about the scenery ; but the presence of the scenery, though its beauty may not be so directly a subject of thought or interest during your toils and your hunger, goes for more in producing pleasure than it does even in such pursuits as fishing or shooting, As for the theory that you ought to walk ten miles a day and meditate on the beauties of nature, it may do for pOets or painters, but it is hard doctrine for a man with a fair allowance of stomach and legs. A man can no more feel the true mountain spirit without having been into the very L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 275 heart and up to the very tops of the mountains, than he can know what the sea is like by standing on the shore. It is just as easy to evolve the idea of a mountain-top out of the depths of your moral consciousness as that of a camel. The small patch of glistening white, which you are told is a snow-slope, looks very pretty out of the valley to any one, but it will look very different to a man who has only studied it through an opera-glass, and to one who has had to cut his way up it step by step for hours together. The little knob which your guide-book says is the top of some unpronounceable " Horn" will gain wonderfully in majesty when you have once stood upon it, and felt as if you were alone in the midst of the heavens, with the kingdoms of the earth at your feet ; and if you meditate till doomsday on the beautiful lights and shades and the graceful sweeps of the mountain-ridges, you will not be one bit nearer to the sensation of standing on a knife-like ridge, with the toe of your boot over Italy, and the heel over Switzerland. I make these remarks because I think Alpine travellers are apt to give way too much on this point, and to admit that, because the view from a mountain peak can't be put into a picture, it is not worth looking at. I must admit, however, that, as we sat on a mixture of ice and pebbles round the little stone "man " on the Allelein-horn, our thoughts were irresistibly drawn to the question of getting down again. The prospect which lay close to us was, therefore, decidedly the most interesting. At intervals, in the clouds, we could see the whole of the Tasch glacier, from the col of the Alle- lein Pass to its foot. Its broad level surface of snow was distinctly marked by the track which our companions had made on the previous day. But near and inviting as it looked, the difficulties which intervened seemed rather for- midable. A huge buttress runs south from the Horn to the top of the Allelein Pass. On its western side it descends in long and steep snow-slopes to the Tasch glacier. On the eastern side, the snow, which slopes steeply from its ridge, t2 276 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Hobn. soon terminates at the edge of steep rocky cliffs, which sink, I presume, to the higher level of the Allelein glacier ; as we saw them, they disappeared in a great lake of mist. These cliffs were covered, apparently, with loose stones mixed with fresh snow — a remarkably disagreeable combination. It was along the face of them, however, that Franz had passed with Mr. Ames on the previous ascent, and he now proposed to follow the same route. All our other guides protested against them, and preferred trying to find a way along the higher snow-slopes of the buttress. As they were in a majority, Franz, much to his annoyance, was compelled to give in. He was very eloquent to me afterwards on our folly in not following his advice, and I am disposed to think he was right. As it was, we came in for some varied practice in snow- work. The buttress I have mentioned may be compared to the roof of a church tilted up at a steep angle ; the tiles on either side representing the snow-slopes, which on one side reached only a short way to the edge of the cliffs, and on the other, or western side, stretched much farther to a level and easy glacier. Now, it is generally pretty good going along an ar6te, even though inclined at a considerable angle, so long as you can keep, as it were, on the backbone, and have a slope on each side of you. It is like walking along the ridge of the church roof; but when the roof makes a sudden break in its elevation, as at the joining of the nave and chancel, or when spikes sud- denly protrude and drive you to circumvent them by making a short excursion on the tiles, the difficulty is very much exaggerated. In our case the spikes were represented by sharp spires of impracticable rock, which at once sent us down on to a snow-slope, decidedly steeper and more treacherous than ordinary roofing-tiles. We crept down towards it over a few firm rocks, and Franz, taking a big stone, dropped it quietly on the snow, to try its condition. The snow was old and hard beneath ; but a thick cake of comparatively new snow, a few inches thick, was frozen on to its surface. The stone, as it fell, detached part of this cake from the snow beneath ; the L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 2J7 part detached slid down, dragging more after it, and, in a moment, a broad sheet of it was pouring down with a low hissing sound over the rocks below, leaving bare a surface of hard neVe : where the snow went to I can't say, farther than that it was down a couloir and over a cliff. Of course, if we had rashly trodden upon it, we should have followed its example ; as it was, we had cautiously to stick our feet into the firmer snow beneath, as far as we could ; then driving our alpenstocks vertically down into it a little above our footsteps, we got a secure anchorage in case of an attempt at an avalanche from the snow above. We moved onwards very cautiously and slowly, and being firmly roped together, there was no danger from this cause ; the only thing that an- noyed me was produced by our friends' ingenuity in scrambling along close to the foot of the crest of rocks above. The result of this manoeuvre was occasionally to send big stones down, rota- ting with extreme velocity around their minor axes, and taking playful and irregular bounds down the slopes towards us. This danger is one of the most annoying in the Alps ; and it is one of the disadvantages of a large party that, by scatter- ing, they may give space for the stones to get up their pace in. I once had a very narrow escape from causing a most serious accident in this way. Climbing up the side of the Bietschhorn, I was scrambling up some rocks, when a huge stone, about the size of a large folio volume, gave way as I laid my hand upon it, flew some twenty feet through the air, and bounded off the side of one of my guides down the cliffs below. It very luckily struck him on a knapsack which he was carrying, and beyond disturbing his balance and damaging the knapsack, did no harm. "We managed to avoid the stones which our friends had started, and soon rejoined them on the ridge below the protruding rocks. Here, however, another difficulty met us ; the ridge was now cut off by an abrupt descent, like that to which I have referred between the roof of the chancel and nave of a church. It became impossible to follow it, and we deter- mined, after some dispute, to descend straight down the long 278 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Horn. snow-slopes on the side of the buttress to the Tasch glacier. For some way the descent was tolerably satisfactory. A huge rocky rib ran down the side of the mountain from the point where we stood. A kind of gutter in the ice was formed close to its side. The rock being tolerably sound, gave occasionally good holds for the hands or feet. Cutting a few steps in the gutter, and clinging firmly to the rocks, we were able to make tolerable progress ; one or two of the party holding on firmly in favourable positions till the others had lowered themselves, and were able to give assistance in their turn. By this means we crept carefully down to the end of the rock, and then, perched upon a narrow ledge, began to consider what was to be done next. We were looking down a blank wall of ice, inclined, I should guess, at some 45°, and reaching without intermission to the glacier, at a depth of several hundred feet below. I knew, by very disagreeable experience, that it would probably take several hours to cut steps down to it ; and yet, near us, the ice showed no snow on its surface to help us. It was already late, the sun was near setting, and the mists were getting thicker every moment. Soon, even the glacier below us was entirely concealed. I was making some hasty reflec- tions as to the comfort of passing the night perched like a jackdaw on the side of a cliff, with dinner and coffee some thousands of feet below us. From certain recollections of a night so spent the summer before, I had no desire to repeat the performance ; meanwhile there was no doubt a chance that there might be more snow on the ice farther down, but the question was whether we should be able to get there in time. After a lively discussion between the guides, we adopted the following plan, suggested by the ancient and many- counselled Peter : By fastening our two ropes together we obtained a length of about a hundred feet. Moritz Anthon- matten then tied one end round his waist and was let down by the rest of the party to the full extent of the rope. The ice along which he slid was so steep and so free from snow, that his weight was borne almost entirely by the rope. L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 2J9 When he was let down as far as possible, there was still no foot-hold to be obtained. He quickly cut a couple of steps in the ice, and then freeing himself from the rope, cut a line of steps in a horizontal direction to a part of the slope where the snow seemed to be deeper. Another guide was let down in the same way, and helped to polish up the steps. Then each of the travellers, in succession, was lowered. We felt ourselves perfectly helpless bundles, sliding along the vast sheet of hard ice which sank into the mists at our feet, and in which it was almost impossible to obtain hold enough with the point of one's alpenstock, to serve as the slightest drag. On arriving at the steps, I cast off the rope and hurried to the end of the line. I was delighted to find that the snow was there much deeper, and that it seemed probable that we might soon trust to a glissade. Meanwhile, I turned with some curiosity to see how the last guide, old Peter Taugwald, would descend. After letting down Franz, he drew up the rope, and doubled it, and placed the loop round a projecting point of rock ; then, hanging on to it, and every now and then using a tremendously heavy axe, which he displayed with great pride, as a kind of ice-anchor, he let himself down to the end of the rope. Meanwhile, Franz had rapidly cut some slight steps (not too slight, however, for men accustomed to hold on by their eyelids) upwards to meet him. He unhitched the rope above, descended this perilous staircase, and they overtook the rest of the party in a few seconds along the laborious pathway, which took us long to cut, and a very short time to follow. We had now managed cautiously to descend the snow a few paces without any more " hacken," and by the time we were all together again, it had become tolerably firm and deep. By this manoeuvre we had gained considerably in time in fact, the whole time which would have been necessary to cut a staircase 100 feet long in hard ice, which, as Alpine travellers well know, is something not to be neglected. We had had at intervals one or two looks at what lay below us, and it was fortunate for us that we had ; for by this time the mist was growing thick and firm, and our only prospect 280 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Allelein-Horn. was a few feet of the snow-slope. We now roped ourselves once more ; old Peter sat down in front, with his huge axe held across his knees ; I sat down close behind him, placed my boots on his thighs, and sticking my alpenstock into the snow on one side. The rest of the party took up similar positions, and we formed a compact train, well roped together, and with alpenstocks alternately to the right and left. The word "Vorwarts !" was given, and away we shot, with a general yell, down the soft snow into the gloom before us. We were tolerably certain that there was no bergschrund below, but the descent was rather exciting. Once the lumpiness of the snow disconnected the train, and we pulled up all in con- fusion in a heap of deep snow, with the rope dragging us all kinds of ways. We joined on again, and, with discordant howls of delight, shot away like lightning down the slope. This time we brought up all safe at the foot of the slope, and below the mists, amongst huge lumps of half-melted and half-frozen snow, which had, no doubt, come down the couloir in avalanches. Our boots and pockets were tilled with snow ; we had been bumped, and bruised, and cut, and had scraped the skin off our hands ; but we were all in a state of absurd exhilaration at our sudden escape from our difficulties, and at the smooth plain of snow which now lay before us. We jumped up, gave ourselves a shake, and started across it at the double. It is not exactly usual to cross a glacier at a run, however smooth it may be. We wished, however, to make up for lost time, as it had taken us over four hours from the top of the Allelein-horn, which was still close above us. We were now all in the highest glee, and the pace we went soon brought us to the edge of the snow, on to the Alps, and within sight of chalets, and within sound of the cowbells below. We had still a long, though, as we flattered ourselves, an easy walk before us. We found it rather worse than we had bargained for. The sun had set some time before we had crossed the Alps, and entered the pine forests on the side of the Zermatt Valley. A kind of small aqueduct leads through L. Stephen.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 281 the woods from the mouth of the Tasch Valley, to irrigate some of the meadows. Along the side of it lies what in broad daylight is a tolerable footpath. The path, however, is not at all particular about being level or smooth. When it meets a big rock, jt turns sharp up hill or down hill, to avoid it. It changes its level every now and then from pure caprice, and thinks nothing of being interrupted by a heap of stones as big as one's head, or having a chevaux de frise of fir branches across it, at the level of a man's eyes. This is all very well in daylight ; but for tired men in the dark it is distressing, and rather trying for the temper. Sprained ankles and black eyes seemed very probable accidents. After an hour or so, stumbling, hobbling, and reeling about to avoid the various half-seen pitfalls with which it was playfully strewed, we were not a little pleased to run in the dark down a slippery grass slope covered with big stones, and to land ourselves without damage in the Zermatt Eoad. We reached M. Seller's most hospitable and pleasant inn at 9.30, ready for supper. A few days afterwards, after an inspection of our path from that most beautiful point of view, the Mittelhorn, I discovered what our true pass should have been. It lies close, not to the Allelein-horn, but to the Alphubel. I as- cended this last with Melchior Anderegg, and we reached a col close to its south-east shoulder, by a secondary glacier which descends from it towards the lower part of the Tasch Valley. There was no difficulty whatever in the ascent to this part, and from it the path down the Fee glaciers to the Gletscher Alp was easily to be traced. It lies veiy near to that which we in fact took, and from which it is separated by a ridge of rocks. 282 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. 8. PARTIAL ASCENT OF THE MATTERHORN. BY F. VAUGHAN HAWKINS, M.A. We summer and autumn of 1860 will long be remembered in Switzerland, as the most ungenial and disastrous season, perhaps, on record ; certainly without a parallel since 1834 The local papers were filled with lamentations over " der ewiger Siid-wind," which overspread the skies with perpetual cloud, and from time to time brought up tremendous storms, the fiercest of which, in the three first days of September, carried away or blocked up for a time, I believe, every pass into Italy except the Bernina. At Andermatt, on the St. Gothard, we were cut off for two days from all communications whatever by water on every side. The whole of the lower Ehone valley was under water. A few weeks later, I found the Splugen, in the gorge above Chiavenna, altogether gone, remains of the old road being just visible here and there, but no more. In the Valteline, I found the Stelvio road in most imminent danger, gangs of men being posted in the courses of the torrents to divert the boulders, which every moment threatened to overwhelm the bridges on the route. A more unlucky year for glacier expeditions, therefore, could hardly be experienced ; and the following pages present in conse- quence only the narrative of an unfinished campaign, which it is the hope of Tyndall and myself to be able to prosecute to a successful conclusion early next August. I had fallen in with Professor Tyndall on the Basle railway, and a joint plan of operations had been partly sketched out between us, to combine to some extent the more especial objects of each — scientific observations on his part ; on mine, F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 283 the exploration of new passes and mountain topography ; but the weather sadly interfered with these designs. After some glacier measurements had been accomplished at Grindelwald, a short spell of fair weather enabled us to effect a passage I had long desired to try, from Lauterbrunnen direct to the iEggisch-horn by the Both-thai, a small and unknown but most striking glacier valley, known to Swiss mythology as the supposed resort of condemned spirits. We scaled, by a seven hours' perpendicular climb, the vast amphitheatre of rock which bounds the Aletsch basin on this side, and had the satisfaction of falsifying the predictions of Ulrich Lauener, who bade us farewell at Grindelwald with the discouraging assertion that he should see us back again, as it was quite impossible to get over where we were going. As we de- scended the long reaches of the Aletsch glacier, rain and mist again gathered over us, giving to the scene the appearance of a vast Polar sea, over the surface of which we were travelling, with no horizon visible anywhere except the distant line of level ice. Arrived at the iEggisch-horn, the weather became worse than ever ; a week elapsed before the measurement of the Aletsch glacier could be completed ; and we reluctantly determined to dismiss Bennen, who was in waiting, considering the season too bad for high ascents, and to push on with Christian Lauener to the glaciers about Zinal. Bennen was in great distress. He and I had the previous summer reconnoitred the Matterhorn from various quarters, and he had arrived at the conclusion that we could in all pro- bability (" ich beinahe behaupte ") reach the top. That year, being only just convalescent from a fever, I had been unable .to make the attempt, and thus an opportunity had been lost which may not speedily recur, for the mountain was then (September, 1859) almost free from snow. Bennen had set his heart on our making the attempt in 1860, and great was his disappointment at our proposed departure for Zinal. At the last moment, however, a change of plans occurred. Lauener was unwilling to proceed with us to Zinal : we resolved to give Bennen his chance ; the theodolite was packed up and 284 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Mattehhoen. despatched to Geneva, and we set off for Breuil, to try the Matterhorn. In order to explain the nature of the operations I am about to describe, I must say a few words as to the exact form of this extraordinary mountain, about which a good deal has been written, and some misconception, I venture to think, still prevails. The accompanying figures will, I hope, assist Fig. 3. my explanations ; they are taken from sketches carefully made by my friend the Eev. F. J. A. Hort, to whose kind- ness I owe them, and their accuracy is to be depended on. Fig. 1 conveys a better idea of the general shape of the moun- tain than any I have seen : it is taken from the top of Altels, very nearly due north, and about thirty miles distant, through a telescope. Fig. 2 is an outline similarly taken from the upper part of the neve* of the Wildstrubel glacier, a little farther to the west than Altels. It will be observed that in both these outlines the right end of the top appears a little, F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 285 but a very little, higher than the left. Fig. 3 gives the outline as seen nearly from the south, from a point 500 or 600 feet above Breuil. The spectator is here rather too much under the mountain to observe its true proportions. The top, as is always the case, is dwarfed ; and the actual form of the west or left-hand side is a good deal obscured by the secondary ridge de. This would have sunk into its proper place, and the top, a b, risen to a much greater height above f, if the view had been taken from a greater distance ; and the outline would then have been very nearly the converse of that from Altels, i.e. that which the latter would present if held up against the light and turned the wrong way. I remember the exact converse of the Altels outline, i.e. as seen from S. instead of N. from a point in the hills above Anthey, in Val Tournanche. The obtrusion of the secondary ridge de, before adverted to, also produces in great measure the apparent descent from d to c, preparatory to the final ascent, which does not appear in the Altels and Wildstrubel outlines. An admirable finished sketch of the mountain from the neigh- bourhood of Breuil, by Mr. George Barnard, is given in " A Lady's Tour round Monte Eosa." Fig. 4 is the well- Fig. 4. known outline seen from the Eiffel hotel ; the central part of the mountain appears correctly as seen from E., nearly in the form of an obelisk, an appearance which more distant views abundantly confirm ; but the part from g to h is somewhat deceptive ; it forms no part of the central mass of the mountain, but is one of several buttresses which radiate 286 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. out from it in a northerly direction, the ground plan of which, as, indeed, of the whole of the mountain, is very ac- curately |laid down in Studer's map, the study of which I recommend to any who feels a difficulty in reconciling the appearances which the mountain presents from different quar- This figure is an outline of Studer's ground plan. M is the Matterhorn ; R, the Dent d'Erin ; Z, Zermatt ; T, the Theodule Pass. The arrow heads show the directions whence the views Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, were severally taken. ters. This somewhat deceptive buttress masks the true form of the peak on one side of it, in all views from Zermatt and its neighbourhood, and gives it the well-known resem- blance to a horse or other couching animal. The reader can now, I hope, form a correct idea of the shape of the actual peak of Mont Cervin, which rises from 4,000 to 5,000 feet on all sides above the elevated plateau or ridge, itself 10,000 feet or more in height, which extends in a semi- circle from the Mischabel to the Weisshorn, and forms the base of all the high peaks in the Zermatt district. The Mat- terhorn, as seen from the north or south, is evidently a tower: the east side is somewhat steeper than the west, but not very greatly so, as may be seen from figs. 1 and 2. The top of the F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 287 tower is a nearly level space of no great extent, the actually highest point being rather nearer the western than the eastern declivity. The eastern base of the tower rests on the ridge which forms the col of the Th^odule : the western on the similar but rather higher ridge which stretches to the Dent d'Erin. If we now move through 90°, and obseive the moun- tain from east or west, we see that the north and south sides of the tower are as steep as the east, but that several but- tresses flank the mountain on the north, of which g h, in fig. 4, is the principal one : we see, also, that the breadth (from north to south) of the top of the tower is so small, that the sides appear almost to meet at the top in a point, and thus the mountain, when seen edgewise (from east or west, that is), may be not incorrectly styled an obelisk, while from north or south, seen lengthwise, it appears as a blunt and precipitous tower : a tower almost, if not quite, " without a stair/' Forbes's description of the Matterhorn, therefore, as "a stupendous and inaccessible obelisk of rock," is by no means an inaccurate one ; and I think that even so accurate and practised an observer as Mr. Euskin, while objecting to this as exaggerated, has himself fallen into several misconceptions about it of a curious kind. Certainly, I was never more surprised than to find Mr. Euskin saying, at p. 57 of the first volume of " Stones of Venice," that " the Matterhorn has been falsely represented as a peak or tower." Mr. Euskin seems, in fact, to have thought that what appeared a peak was only the end of a long wall, extending to the Dent d'Erin, and that the right-hand slope, as seen in the Eiffel view down to g, or nearly so, was so immensely fore-shortened, as to appear a steep slope, while it was in reality horizontal ; and that the actual top of this supposed wall, if top it could be said to have, lay somewhere nearly as low down as g, which would have made the optical delusion, indeed, considerable. I con- fess I was led to doubt whether Mr. Euskin had ever been at Breuil, or seen the mountain from its south-west side, and to suspect that his observations had been made in too close proximity to the deceptive buttress g h. In the fourth volume 288 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matteehorn. of "Modern Painters/' pp. 183, 199, Mr. Buskin has entered into an extended discussion on the subject ; but I scarcely think he even there has seized, or at least conveyed to his readers, the true idea of its form, as a gigantic tower. So, at least, I interpret his confession of being unable, after all, to determine where the top really is : he raises it from near g to a point nearer a, but still does not seem to realize what I take to be the fact, that the real top lies somewhere but a little way behind the apparent top a in the Zermatt outline (certainly it can be no farther than the distance a b, in fig. 3), and that no part of the right-hand slope in the Zermatt out- line is really horizontal, or at all approaching to horizontality. Nor does he, I think, realize the fact, that from the real top, a b, the mountain falls almost sheer for thousands of feet before the ridge is reached which stretches towards the Dent d'Erin. The Matterhorn may certainly in one sense be called a continuation of the latter ridge, inasmuch as it rises from it ; but Monte Eosa might to the same extent be called a con- tinuation of the (so-called) old Weiss-thor. And though the western slope is less steep than the east, yet so tremendous does it appear from a distance, that I know that a party of first- rate Alpine men, who surveyed it this summer with Melchior Anderegg from a considerable height up the Dent Blanche, came to the conclusion that this, the only supposed accessible side, was altogether impracticable. Bennen and myself had sketched out a general plan o attack the year before, based on observations, not only from Breuil, but from points farther to the south and west, from whence the peak could be seen in its true proportions. It had been suggested by some to start from the hut on the top of the Theodule pass, and work round to the south ; but this appeared impossible, and we decided that the only feasible plan was to start from Breuil, and endeavour to reach the point f or h in fig. 3. A party from Val Tournanche had succeeded in reaching the ridge at a point to the west of h ; but we suspected, as the fact turned out to be, that it might be impossible to descend from the ridge at h into the gap F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 289 behind the point f, from whence the actual peak rises, the Matterhorn being thus cut off from the ridge which runs from it to the Dent d'Erin, by an impassable gulf, so that all attempts to scale it either from Zermatt or from Breuil, by gaining that ridge anywhere to the westward of f> must be unavailing. We therefore decided to make directly for the g&ipf, which Bennen declared to be possible, though even this part of the ascent seemed by no means easy : a narrow line of broken and crevassed glacier fell steeply from it, and the rocks on either side appeared from a distance by no means inviting. The gap at / reached, the ascent from / to c, behind the ridge d e, seemed not impracticable : indeed, though some parts appeared difficult, I confess that in 1859, when the ridge was almost free from snow, I was far from foreseeing the obstacles to be encountered all along this part of the route, the vast and rugged crags all along it being diminished by the great scale of the mountain into mere points and undulations on the sky line, as seen from Breuil. The last part of all, from c to b, seemed to me, as it does to most observers, the grand problem ; but Bennen has always de- clared that, provided we do the rest, he is tolerably certain that we can find a way up that ; and I am inclined to believe he is right. The top of a smaller mountain may be rendered inaccessible by a fosse or vertical wall of no great size, but impossible to be surmounted, as is the case with the Biffelhorn on its western side ; but on the Matterhorn everything is on so vast a scale, that such an obstacle can almost always be got round or in some way avoided : while any large perpen- dicular cleft, defending the whole side of the mountain, if such existed, would probably be visible from a distance. Accessible or not, however, the Mont Cervin is assuredly a different sort of affair from Mont Blanc or Monte Bosa, or any other of the thousand and one summits which nature has kindly opened to man, by leaving one side of them a sloping plain of snow, easy of ascent, till the brink of the precipice is reached which descends on the other side. The square massive lines of terraced crags which fence the Matterhorn, u 290 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matteehok stand up on all sides nearly destitute of snow, and where the snow lies thinly on the rocks it soon melts and is hardened again into smooth glassy ice, which covers the granite slabs like a coat of varnish, and bids defiance to the axe. Every step of the way lies between two precipices, and under toppling crags, which may at any moment bring down on the climber the most formidable of Alpine dangers — a fire of falling stones. The mountain too has a sort of prestige of invincibility which is not without its influence on the mind, and almost leads one to expect to encounter some new and unheard of source of peril upon it : hence I suppose it is, that the dwellers at Zermatt and in Yal Tournanche have scarcely been willing to attempt to set foot upon the moun- tain, and have left the honour of doing so to a native of another district, who, as he has been the first mortal to plant foot on the hitherto untrodden peak, so he will, I hope, have the honour which he deserves, of being the first to reach the top. John Joseph Bennen, of Laax, in the Upper Ehine Valley, is a man so remarkable, that I cannot resist the desire (espe- cially as he cannot read English) to say a few words about his character. Born within the limits of the German tongue, and living amidst the mountains and glaciers of the Oberland, he belongs by race and character to a class of men of whom the Laueners, Melchior Anderegg, Bortis, Christian Aimer, Peter Bohren, are also examples — a type of mountain race, having many of the simple heroic qualities which we asso- ciate, whether justly or unjustly, with Teutonic blood, and essentially different from — to my mind, infinitely superior to ■ — the French-speaking, versatile, wily Chamouniard. The names I have mentioned are all those of first-rate men ; but Bennen, as (I believe) he surpasses all the rest in the qualities which fit a man for a leader in hazardous expeditions, com- bining boldness and prudence with an ease and power peculiar to himself, so he has a faculty of conceiving and planning his achievements, a way of concentrating his mind upon an idea, and working out his idea with clearness and decision, which F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 291 I never observed in any man of the kind, and which makes him, in his way, a sort of Garibaldi. Tyndall, on the day of our expedition, said to him, " Sie sind der Garibaldi der fuhrer, Bennen ;" to which he answered in his simple way, "Nicht wahr?" ("Am I not?") an amusing touch of simple vanity, a dash of pardonable bounce, being one of his not least amiable characteristics. Thoroughly sincere and "einfach" in thought and speech, devoted to his friends, without a trace of underhand self-seeking in his relations to his employers, there is an independence about him, a superiority to most of his own class, which makes him, I always fancy, rather an isolated man ; though no one can make more friends where- ever he goes, or be more pleasant and thoroughly cheerful under all circumstances. But he left his native place, Steinen, he told me, the people there not suiting him ; and in Laax, where he now dwells, I guess him to be not perhaps altogether at home. Unmarried, he works quietly most of the year at his trade of a carpenter, unless when he is out alone, or with his friend Bortis (a man seemingly of reserved and uncom- municative disposition, but a splendid mountaineer), in the chase after chamois, of which he is passionately fond, and will tell stories, in his simple and emphatic way, with the greatest enthusiasm. Pious he is, and observant of religious duties, but without a particle of the "mountain gloom," respecting the prevalence of which among the dwellers in the High Alps, Mr. Euskin discourses poetically, but I am myself rather incredulous. A perfect nature's gentleman, he is to me the most delightful of companions ; and though no "theory" defines our reciprocal obligations as guide and employer, I am sure that no precipice will ever engulf me so long as Bennen is within reach, unless he goes into it also — an event which seems impossible — and I think I can say I would, according to the measure of my capacity, do the same by him. But any one who has watched Bennen skim- ming along through the mazes of a crevassed glacier, or running like a chamois along the side of slippery ice-covered crags, axe and foot keeping time together, will think that— u2 292 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matteehorn. as Lauener said of his brother Johann, who perished on the Jungfrau, he could never fall — nothing could bring him to grief but an avalanche.* Delayed in our walk from the iEggisch-horn by the usual severity of the weather, Tyndall, Bennen, and myself reached Breuil on Saturday, the 18th of August, to make our attempt on the Monday. As we approached the mountain, Bennen's countenance fell visibly, and he became somewhat gloomy ; the mountain was almost white with fresh-fallen snow. " Nur die schnee furcht mich," he replied to our inquiries. The change was indeed great from my recollection of the year before ; the well-marked, terrace-like lines along the south face, which are so well given in Mr. Barnard's picture, which I have referred to, were now almost covered up ; through the telescope could be seen distinctly huge icicles depending from the crags, the lines of melting snow, and the dark patches which we hoped might spread a great deal faster than they were likely to, during the space of twenty-four hours. There was nothing for it, although our prospects of success were materially diminished by the snow, but to do the best we could. As far as I was concerned, I felt that I should be perfectly satisfied with getting part of the way up on a first trial, which would make one acquainted with the nature of the rocks, dispel the prestige which seemed to hang over the untrodden mountain, and probably suggest ways of shortening the route on another occasion. We wanted some one to carry the knapsack containing our provisions ; and on the recommendation of the landlord at Breuil, we sent for a man, named Carrel, who, we were told, * As Bennen and Tyndall were going up the Finster-dar-horn once upon a time, the work being severe, Bennen turned round and said to Tyndall, " Ich fuhle mich jetzt ganz wie der Tyroler Einmal," and went to relate a story of the conversation between a priest and an honest Tyrolese, who complained to his father confessor that religion and an extreme passion for the fair sex struggled within him, and neither could expel the other. " Mein Sohn," said the priest, " Frauen zu lieben und in Himmel zu kommen, das geht nicht." " Herr Pfarrer," sagte der Tyroler, " es miiss gehen." " Und so sag' ich jetzt," cried Bennen. " Es miiss gehen " is always his motto. F. Y. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 293 was the best mountaineer in Val Tournanche, and the nephew of M. le Chanoine Carrel, whose acquaintance I once had the honour of making at Aosta. From the latter description I rather expected a young, and perhaps aristocratic-looking personage, and was amused at the entrance of a rough, good- humoured, shaggy-breasted man, between forty and fifty, an ordinary specimen of the peasant class. However, he did his work well, and with great good temper, and seemed ready to go on as long as we chose ; though he told me he expected we should end by passing the night somewhere on the moun- tain, and I don't think his ideas of our success were ever very sanguine. We were to start before 3 A. M. on Monday morning, August 20th ; and the short period for sleep thus left us was somewhat abridged in my own case, not so much by thoughts of the coming expedition, as by the news which had just reached us in a vague, but, unfortunately, only too credible form, of the terrible accident on the Col du Geant a few days before. The account thus reaching us was naturally magni- fied, and we were as yet ignorant of the names. I could not at night shake off the (totally groundless) idea that a certain dear friend of mine was among them, and that I ought at that moment to be hurrying off to Cormayeur, to mourn and to bury him. In the morning, however, these things are for- gotten ; we are off, and Carrel pilots us with a lantern across the little stream which runs by Breuil, and up the hills to the left, where in the darkness we seem from the sound to be in the midst of innumerable rills of water, the effects of the late rains. The dark outline of the Matterhorn is just visible against the sky, and measuring with the eye the distance subtended by the site we have to climb, it seems as if success must be possible : so hard is it to imagine all the ups and downs which lie in that short sky-line. Day soon dawns, and the morning rose-light touches the first peak westward of us ; the air is wonderfully calm and: still, and for to-day, at all events, we have good weather^ without that bitter enemy, the north wind; but a certain 294 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matteehorn. opaque look in the sky, long streaks of cloud radiating from the south-west horizon up towards the zenith, and the too dark purple of the hills south of Aosta, are signs that the good weather will not be lasting. By five we are crossing the first snow-beds, and now Carrel falls back, and the leader of the day conies to the front : all the day he will be cutting steps, but those compact and powerful limbs of his will show no signs of extra exertion, and to-day he is in particularly good spirits. Carpentering, by the way — not fine turning and planing, but rough out-of-doors work, like Bennen's — must be no bad practice to keep hand and eye in training during the dead season. We ascend a narrow edge of snow, a cliff some way to the right : the snow is frozen and hard as rock, and arms and legs are worked vigorously. Tyndall calls out to me, to know whether I recollect the "conditions: " i.e. if your feet slip from the steps, turn in a moment on your face, and dig in hard with alpenstock in both hands under your body ; by this means you will stop yourself if it is possible. Once on your back, it is all over, unless others can save you : you have lost all chance of helping yourself. In a few minutes we stop, and rope all together, in which state we continued the whole day. The prudence of this some may possibly doubt, as there were certainly places where the chances were greater, that if one fell, he would drag down the rest, than that they could assist him ; but we were only four, all tolerably sure-footed, and in point of fact I do not recollect a slip or stumble of consequence made by any one of us. Soon the slope lessens for a while, but in front a wall of snow stretches steeply upwards to the gap f y which we have to r3ach, in a kind of recess, flanked by crags of formidable appearance. We turn to the rocks on the left hand. As, to one walking along miry ways, the opposite side of the path seems ever the most inviting, and he continually shifting his course from side to side, lengthens his journey with small profit : so in ascending a mountain one is always tempted to diverge from snow to rocks, or vice versa. Bennen had intended to mount straight up towards the gap, and it is best F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 295 not to interfere with him ; he yields, however, to our sug- gestions, and we assail the rocks. These, however, are ice- bound, steep, and slippery : hands and knees are at work, and progress is slow. At length, we stop upon a ledge where all can stand together, and Carrel proposes to us (for Bennen and he can only communicate by signs, the one knowing only French, the other German) to go on and see whether an easier way can be found still further to the left. Bennen gives an approving nod : he looks with indulgent pity on Carrel, but snubs all remarks of his as to the route. " Er weisst gar nichts," he says. Carrel takes his axe, and mounts warily, but with good courage ; presently he returns, shaking his head. The event is fortunate, for had we gone further to the left, we should have reached the top of the ridge from which, as we afterwards found, there is no passage to the gap f, and our day's work would probably have ended then and there. Bennen now leads to the right, and moves swiftly up from ledge to ledge. Time is getting on, but at length we emerge over the rocks just in face of the gap, and separated from it by a sort of large snow-crater, overhung on the left by the end of the ridge k, from which stones fall which have scarred the sides of the crater. The sides are steep, but we curve quickly and silently round them. : no stones fall upon us ; and now we have reached the narrow neck of snow which forms the actual gap ; it is half-past eight, and the first part of our work is done. By no means the hardest part, however. We stand upon a broad red granite slab, the lowest step of the actual peak of the Matterhorn : no one has stood there before us. The slab forms one end of the edge of snow, surmounted at the other end by some fifty feet of overhanging rock, the end of the ridge k. On one side of us is the snow-crater, round which we had been winding ; on the other side a scarped and seamed face of snow, drops sheer on the north, to what we know is the Zmutt glacier. Some hopes I had entertained of making a pass by this gap, from Breuil to Zermatt, vanish immediately. Above us rise the towers and pinnacles of the Matterhorn, 296 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. certainly a tremendous array. Actual contact immensely in- creases one's impressions of this, the hardest and strongest of all the mountain masses of the Alps ; its form is more re- markable than that of other mountains, not by chance, but because it is built of more massive and durable materials, and more solidly put together: nowhere have I seen such as- tonishing masonry. The broad gneiss blocks are generally smooth and compact, with little appearance of splintering or weathering. Tons of rock, in the shape of boulders, must fall almost daily down its sides, but the amount of these, even in the course of centuries, is as nothing compared with the mass of the mountain ; the ordinary processes of disintegration can have little or no effect on it. If one were to follow Mr. Euskin, in speculating on the manner in which the Alpine peaks can have assumed their present shape, it seems as if such a mass as this can have been blocked out only while rising from the sea, under the action of waves such as beat against the granite headlands of the Land's End. Once on dry land, it must stand as it does now, apparently for ever. Two lines of ascent offer, between which we have to choose : one along the middle or dividing ridge, the back-bone of the mountain, at the end of which we stand ; the other by an edge some little way to the right (in fact, the northern side of the ridge d e in fig. 3) : a couloir lies between them. We choose the former, or back-bone ridge ; but the other proves to be less serrated, and we shall probably try it on another occasion : both converge near the top about the point c. As we step from our halting-place, Bennen turns round and addresses us in a few words of exhortation, like the generals in Thucydides. He knows us well enough to be sure that we shall not feel afraid, but every footstep must be planted with the utmost precaution : no fear, " wohl immer achtung." Soon our difficulties begin ; but I despair of relating the incidents of this part of our route, so numerous and bewilder- ing were the obstacles along it ; and the details of each have somewhat faded from the memory. We are immersed in a wilderness of blocks, roofed and festooned with huge plates F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 297 and stalactites of ice, so large that one is half disposed to seize hold and clamber up them. Bound, over, and under them we go : often progress seems impossible ; but Bennen, ever in advance, and perched like a bird on some projecting crag, contrives to find a way. Now we crawl singly along a narrow ledge of rock, with a wall on one side, and nothing on the other: there is no hold for hands or alpenstock, and the ledge slopes a little, so that if the nails in our boots hold not, down we shall go : in the middle of it a piece of rock juts out, which we ingeniously duck under, and emerge just under a shower of water, which there is no room to escape from. Presently comes a more extraordinary place : a perfect chimney of rock, cased all over with hard black ice, about an inch thick. The bottom leads out into space, and the top is somewhere in the upper regions : there is absolutely nothing to grasp at, and to this day I cannot understand how a human being could get up or down it unassisted. Bennen, however, rolls up it some- how, like a cat ; he is at the top, and beckons Tyndall to advance ; my turn comes next ; I endeavour to mount by squeezing myself against the sides, but near the top friction suddenly gives way, and down comes my weight upon the rope : — a stout haul from above, and now one knee is upon the edge, and I am safe : Carrel is pulled up after me. After a time, we get off the rocks, and mount a slope of ice, which curves rapidly over for about three yards to our left, and then (apparently) drops at once to the Zmutt glacier. We reach the top of this, and proceed along it, till at last a sort of pinnacle is reached, from which we can survey the line of towers and crags before us as far as c, the part just below the actual top, and we halt to rest a while. Bennen goes on to see whether it be possible to cross over to the other ridge, which seems an easier one. Left to himself, he treads lightly and almost carelessly along. " Geb 'acht, Bennen " (take care of yourself) ! we shout after him, but needlessly ; he stops and moves alternately, peering wistfully about, exactly like a chamois ; but soon he returns, and says there is no passage, and we must keep to the ridge we are on. 298 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. Three hours had not yet elapsed since we left the gap, and from our present station we could survey the route as far as the point c, which concealed from us the actual summit, and could see that the difficulties before us were not greater than we had already passed through, and such as time and per- severance would surely conquer. Nevertheless, there is a tide in the affairs of such expeditions, and the impression had been for some time gaining ground with me that the tide on the present occasion had turned against us, and that the time we could prudently allow was not sufficient for us to reach the top that day. Before trial, I had thought it not improbable that the ascent might turn out either impossible, or com- paratively easy ; it was now tolerably clear that it was neither the one nor the other, but an exceedingly long and hard piece of work, which the unparalleled amount of ice made longer and harder than usual. I asked Bennen if he thought there was time enough to reach the top of all? he was evidently unwilling, however, to give up hopes ; and Tyndall said, he would give no opinion either way ; so we again moved on. At length we came to the base of a mighty knob, huger and uglier than its fellows, to which a little arete of snow served as a sort of draw-bridge. I began to fear lest in the ardour of pursuit we might be carried on too long, and Bennen might forget the paramount object of securing our safe retreat. I called out to him, that I thought I should stop somewhere here, that if he could go faster alone, he might do so, but he must turn in good time. Bennen, however, was already climbing with desperate energy up the sides of the kerb ; Tyndall would not be behind him ; so I loosed the rope and let them go on. Carrel moved back across the little arete, and sat down, and began to smoke : I remained for awhile standing with my back against the knob, and gazed by my- self upon the scene around. As my blood cooled, and the sounds of human footsteps and voices grew fainter, I began to realize the height and the wonderful isolation of our position. The air was preter- F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 299 naturally still ; an occasional gust came eddying round the corner of the mountain, but all else seemed strangely rigid and motionless, and out of keeping with the beating heart and moving limbs, the life and activity of man. Those stones and ice have no mercy in them, no sympathy with human adventure ; they submit passively to what man can do ; but let him go a step too far, let heart or hand fail, mist gather or sun go down, and they will exact the penalty to the uttermost. The feeling of "the sublime" in such cases depends very much, I think, on a certain balance between the forces of nature and man's ability to cope with them : if they are too weak, the scene fails to impress ; if they are too strong for him, what was sublime becomes only terrible. Looking at the Dome du Goute or the Zumstein Spitze full in the evening sun, when they glow with an absolutely unearthly loveliness, like a city in the heavens, I have sometimes thought that, — place but the spectator alone just now upon those shining heights, with escape before night all but im- possible, and he will see no glory in the scene : — only the angry eye of the setting sun fixed on dark rocks and dead- white snow. We had risen seemingly to an immense height above the gap, and the ridge which stretches from the Matterhorn to the Dent d'Erin lay flat below ; but the peak still towered behind me, and measuring our position by the eye along the side of our neighbour of equal height, the Weisshorn, I saw that we must be yet a long way beneath the top. The gap itself and all traces of the way by which we had ascended, were invisible ; I could see only the stone where Carrel sat, and the tops of one or two crags rising from below. The view was, of course, magnificent, and on three sides wholly unimpeded : with one hand I could drop a stone which would descend to Zmutt, with the other to Breuil. In front lay, as in a map, the as yet unexplored peaks to south and west of the Dent d'Erin, the range which separates Val Tournanche from the Valpelline, and the glacier region beyond, called in Ziegler's map Zardezan, over which a pass, perchance, exists 300 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. to Zermatt. An illimitable range of bine hills spread far away into Italy. I walked along the little ar6te, and sat down ; it was only broad enough for the foot, and in perfectly cold blood even this perhaps might have appeared uncomfortable. Turning to look at Tyndall and Bennen, I could not help laughing at the picture of our progress under difficulties. They seemed to have advanced only a few yards. " Have you got no further than that yet?" I called out, for we were all the time within v hearing. Their efforts appeared prodigious : scrambling and sprawling among the huge blocks, one fancied they must be moving along some unseen bale of heavy goods, instead of only the weight of their own bodies. As I looked, an ominous visitant appeared : down came a fragment of rock, the size of a man's body, and dashed past me on the couloir, sending the snow flying. For a moment I thought they might have dislodged it ; but looking again I saw it had passed over their heads, and come from the crags above. Neither of them, I believe, observed the monster ; but Tyndall told me afterwards that a stone, possibly a splinter from it, had hit him in the neck, and nearly choked him. I looked anxiously again, but no more followed. A single shot, as it were, had been fired across our bows ; but the ship's course was already on the point of being put about. Expecting fully that they would not persevere beyond a few minutes longer, I called out to Tyndall to know how soon they meant to be back. " In an hour and a half," he replied, whether in jest or earnest, and they disappeared round a projecting corner. A sudden qualm seized me, and for a few minutes I felt extremely uncomfortable ; — what if the ascent should suddenly become easier, and they should go on, and reach the top without me ? I thought of summoning Carrel, and pursuing them ; but the worthy man sat quietly, and seemed to have had enough of it. My suspense, how- ever, was not long : after two or three minutes the clatter, which had never entirely ceased, became louder, and their forms again appeared : they were evidently descending. In F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 301 fact, Bennen had at length turned, and said to Tyndall, " Ich denke die Zeit ist zu kurz." I was glad that he had gone on as long as he chose, and not been turned back on my responsibility. They had found one part of this last ascent the worst of any, but the way was open thencefor- ward to the farthest visible point, which can be no long way below the actual top. It was now just about mid-day, and ample time for the descent, in all probability, was before us ; but we resolved not to halt for any length of time till we should reach the gap. Descending, unlike ascending, is generally not so bad as it seems ; but in some places here only one can advance at a time, the other carefully holding the rope. " Tenez fortement, Carrel, tenez," is constantly impressed on the man who brings up the rear. " Splendid practice for us, this," exclaims Tyndall exultingly, as each successive difficulty is overcome. At length we reach a place whence no egress is possible ; we look in vain for traces of the way we had come : it is our friend the ice-coated chimney. Bennen gets down first, in the same mysterious fashion as he got up, and assists us down ; presently a shout is heard behind ; Carrel is at- tempting to get down by himself, and has stuck fast ; Bennen has to extricate him. We are now getting rapidly lower ; soon the difficulties diminish ; our gap appears in sight, and once more we reach the broad granite slab beside the narrow col, and breathe more freely. Two hours have brought us down thus far ; but if we are to return by the way we came, three or four hours of hard work are still needed, before we arrive at anything like ordi- nary snow-walking. We hold a consultation. Bennen thinks the rocks, now that the ice is melting in the afternoon sun, will be difficult, and "withal somewhat dangerous" (etwa gefahrlich auch). The reader will remark, that Bennen uses the word "dangerous" in its legitimate sense. A place is dangerous where a good climber cannot be secure of his footing ; a place is not dangerous where a good climber is in no danger of slipping, although to slip might be fatal. We 302 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhoen. determine to see if it be possible to descend the sides of the snow-crater, on the brink of which we now stand. The crater is portentously steep, deeply lined with fresh snow, which glistens and melts in the powerful sun. The experiment is slightly hazardous, but we resolve to try. The crater appears to narrow gradually to a sort of funnel far down below, through which we expect to issue into the glacier beneath. At the sides of the funnel are rocks, which some one suggests might serve to break our fall, should the snow go down with us, but their tender mercies seem to me doubtful. Cautiously, with steady, balanced tread, we commit ourselves to the slope, distributing the weight of the body over as large a space of snow as possible, by fixing in the pole high up, and the feet far apart, for a slip or stumble now will probably dissolve the adhesion of the fresh, not yet compacted mass, and we shall go down to the bottom in an avalanche. Six paces to the right, then again to the left ; we are at the mercy of those overhanging rocks just now, and the recent tracks of stones look rather suspicious ; but all is silent, and soon we gain confidence, and congratulate ourselves on an expedient which has saved us hours of time and toil. Just to our right the snow is sliding by, first slowly, then faster ; keep well out of the track of it, for underneath is a hard polished sur- face, and if your foot chance to light there, off you will pro- bably shoot. The snow travels much faster than we do, or have any desire to do ; we are like a coach travelling along- side of an express train; in popular phrase, we are going side by side with a small avalanche, though a real avalanche is a very different matter. Soon we come somewhat under the lee of the rocks, and now all risk is over, we are through the funnel, and floundering waist-deep, heedless of crevasses in the comparatively level slopes beyond. We plunge securely down now in the deep snow, where care and caution had been requisite in crossing the frozen surface in the morning ; at length we cast off the rope, and are on terra firma. We shall be at Breuil in unexpectedly good time, before F. V. Hawkins.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 303 five o'clock ; but it is well we are off the mountain early, for clouds and mist are already gathering round the peak, and the weather is about to break. Tyndall rushes rapidly down the slopes, and is lost to view ; Bennen and I walk slowly, discussing the results of the day. I am glad to see that he is in high spirits, and confident of our future success. He agrees with me to reach the top will be an exceedingly long day's work, and that we must allow ten hours at least for the actual peak, six to ascend, four to descend ; we must start next time, he says, " ganz, ganz friih," and manage to reach the gap by seven o'clock. Presently we deviate a little from our downward course ; the same thought occupies our minds ; we perceive a long low line of roof on the mountain side, and are not mistaken in supposing that our favourite food will at this hour be found there in abundance. The shepherds on the Italian hills are more hospitable and courteous, I think, than their Swiss brethren : twenty cows are moving their tails contentedly in line under the shed, for Breuil is a rich pasture valley, and in an autumn evening I have counted six herds of from ninety to a hundred each, in separate clusters, like ants, along the stream in the distance. The friendly man, in hoarse but hearty tones, urges us on as we drink ; Bennen puts into his hand forty centimes for us both (for we have disposed of no small quantity) : but he is with difficulty persuaded to accept so large a sum, and calls after us, " C'est trop, c'est trop, messieurs." Long may civilization and half-francs fail of reaching his simple abode ; for, alas ! the great tourist-world is corrupting the primitive chalet-life of the Alps, and the Alpine man returning to his old haunts, finds a rise in the price even of "niedl" and " mascarpa." The day after our expedition, Bennen and myself recrossed the Theodule in a heavy snow-storm. Tyndall started for Chamouni, for the weather was too bad to justify an indefi- nite delay at Breuil in the hope of making another attempt that year, and by waiting till another season, we were sure of 304 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Matterhorn. obtaining less unfavourable conditions of snow and ice upon the mountain. — We had enjoyed an exciting and adventurous day, and I myself was not sorry to have something still left to do, while we had the satisfaction of being the first to set foot on this, the most imposing and mightiest giant of the Alps — the " inaccessible " Mont Cervin. J. Tyndall.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 305 9. FROM LAUTERBRUNNEN TO THE JEGGISCH- HORN BY THE LAUWINEN-THOR. BY JOHN TYNDALL, F.K.S. Let me be excused if I commence this brief article by a few personal references, intended to show why, apart from all scientific considerations, men like myself should highly value a periodic visit to the Alps. For several weeks previous to my release from London, last August, the state of my health had been a frequent source of uneasiness, if not of alarm. Mental exertion, un- wisely persisted in, had brought on a curious kind of giddiness, which became more and more easily excited, until, finally, the writing of a letter, or the reading of a newspaper, suf- ficed to convert my head into a kind of electric battery, from which thrills were sent to my fingers' ends. I had more than once been compelled to pause in directing a note ; fearful lest the effort required to complete the address should produce some terrible catastrophe in my brain. A week's excursion to Killarney proved beneficial, but not permanent in its effects. I longed for the air of the Swiss mountains. In 1859, I thought I had bidden them for a time farewell, purposing in future to steep my thoughts in the tranquillity of English valleys, and confine my mountain- work to occasional excursions in the Scotch Highlands, or amid the Welsh and Cumbrian hills. But in my weariness I felt as if the icy air of the Alps seemed essential to my restoration : the very thought of the snow-peaks and glaciers x 306 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Lawinen-Thor. was a tonic ; and to the Alps, therefore, I resolved once more to go. I wrote to my former guide, Christian Lauener, desiring him to meet me at Than on Saturday the 4th of August ; and on my way thither, I fortunately fell in with Mr. Hawkins. A brief conversation caused us to close like a pair of atoms possessing mutual affinities. We agreed to work together as a binary human compound, sharing for a time the same food and shelter, the same pleasures, and the same toils. Arrived at Thun, Lauener was not to be found. Hawkins halted here, promising to join me next day at Grindelwald, and I crossed the lake alone. In driving from Neuhaus to Interlaken, a chaise met us, and swiftly passed ; within it I could discern the brown visage of my guide. We pulled up and shouted, — the other vehicle stopped, Lauener leaped from it, and came bounding towards me with admirable energy, through the deep and splashing mud. " Gott! wie der Kerl springt/" was the admiring exclamation of my coachman. Lauener is more than six feet high, but mainly a mass of bone ; his legs are out of proportion, longer than his trunk ; and he wears a short-tail coat, which augments the apparent discrepancy. Those massive levers were now plied with extraordinary vigour to project his body through space ; and it was gratifying to be thus assured that the man was in first-rate condition, and fully up to the hardest work. On Sunday, the 5th of August, for the sake of a little training, I ascended the Faulhorn alone. The morning was splendid, but as the day advanced, heavy cloud-wreaths swathed the mountains. This attained a maximum about two, p.m., and afterwards the overladen air cleared itself by intermittent jerks, — revealing at times the blue of heaven, and the peaks of the mountains ; then closing up again, and hiding in its dismal folds the very posts which stood at a distance of ten paces from the hotel door. The effects soon became exceedingly striking, the mutations were so quick and so forcibly antithetical. I lay down upon a seat, and watched the intermittent extinction and generation of the clouds, and J. Tyndall.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN i860. 307 the alternate appearance and disappearance of the moun- tains. More and more the sun swept off the sweltering haze, and the blue sky bent over us in domes of ampler span. At four, p. M., no trace of cloud was visible, and a panorama of the Oberland, such I had no idea that the Faulhorn could com- mand, unfolded itself. There was the grand barrier which separated us from the Yalais ; there were the Jungfrau, Monk and Eiger, the Finsteraarhorn, the Schreckhorn, and the Wetterhorn, lifting their snowy and cloudless crests to heaven, and all so sharp and wildly precipitous, that the bare thought of standing on any one of them made me shudder. London was still in my brain, and the vice of Primrose Hill in my muscles. I disliked the ascent of the Faulhorn exceedingly, having followed a monotonous pony-track up the ugliest of mountains. Once, indeed, I deviated from the road out of pure disgust, and taking a jumping torrent for my guide and colloquist, was led astray. I now resolved to return to Grindelwald by another route. My host at first threw cold water on my desires, but he afterwards relaxed and admitted that the village might be attained in a more direct way than that in which I had ascended. He pointed to some rocks, eminences, and trees, which were to serve as landmarks ; and stretching his arm in the direction of Grindelwald, I took the bearing of the place, and scampered over slopes of snow to the sunny alp beyond them. To my left was a mountain stream making soft music by the explosion of its bubbles .* I was once tempted aside to climb an eminence, which had been sculptured to a * When the smoke of a cigar is projected from the lips, each puft" is usually- accompanied by a little explosion, arising chiefly from the sudden bursting of a film which unites both lips. If an inflated bladder be jumped upon it will emit a sound as loud as a pistol shot, owing to the sudden liberation of the com- pressed air. To a similar cause the sound of breakers and of rippling streams appears to be almost and wholly due ; wherever a ripple is heard, bubbles are sure to be in a state of formation and explosion. The impact of water against water is a comparatively subordinate source of sound, and does not produce the murmur of a brook or the musical roar of the ocean. (See a short paper on this subject in the Philosophical Magazine for February, 1851.) x 2 308 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Lauwinen-Thoe. dome by an ancient glacier, and where I lay for an hour watching the augmenting glory of the mountains. The scene at hand was perfectly pastoral ; green sunny pastures, dotted with chalets, and covered with cows, which filled the air with the incessant tinkle of their bells. Beyond was the majestic architecture of the Alps, with capitals and western bastions flushed with the warm light of the lowering sun. A milder radiance fell upon the eastern wings, while the shaded cor- ridors assumed a depth through which the vision seemed to plunge into the very heart of the Oberland. I do not think I ever enjoyed an hour more. There was health in the air and hope in the mountains. The jelly of my brain was consolidating, and with the consciousness of augmenting vigour I quitted my station, and galloped down the alp. I was soon amid the pinewoods which overhang the valley of Grindelwald, with no guidance save the slope of the mountain, which, at times, was precipitous ; but the roots of the pines grasping the rocks afforded hand and foot such hold as to render the steepest places the pleasantest of all. I often emerged from the gloom of the trees upon lovely bits of pasture — bright emerald gems set in the bosom of the woods — from which glimpses of indescribable beauty were obtained. It appeared to me surprising that nobody had constructed a resting place on this fine slope. With a fraction of the time necessary to reach the top of the Faulhom, a position might be secured, from which the prospect would vie in point of grandeur with almost any in the Alps ; while the ascent from Grindelwald, amid the shade of the festooned trees, would itself be delightful. Hawkins had arrived; our guide had prepared a number of stakes, and on Monday morning we mounted our theodolite and proceeded to the Lower Glacier. With some difficulty we established the instrument upon a site whence the glacier could be seen from edge to edge; and across it was fixed in a straight line a series of twelve stakes. We after- wards ascended the glacier till we touched the avalanche- debris of the Heisse Platte. We wandered amid the moulins J. Tyndall.] NOTES OF TEA VEL IN 1 8 60. 309 and crevasses until evening approached, and thus gradually prepared our muscles for more arduous work. On Tuesday a sleety rain filled the entire air, and the glacier was so laden with fog that there was no possibility of our being able to see across it. On Wednesday, happily, the weather brightened, and we executed our measurements ; finding, as in all other cases, that the glacier was retarded by its bounding walls ; its motion varying from a minimum of thirteen and a half inches to a maximum of twenty-two inches a day. To Hawkins I am indebted both for the fixing of the stakes, and the reduction of the measurements to their diurnal rate. Previous to leaving England I had agreed to join a party of friends at the iEggisch-horn, on Thursday the 9th of August. My plan was, first to measure the motion of the Grindelwald Glacier, and afterwards to cross the mountain- wall which separates the Canton of Berne from that of Valais, so as to pass from Lauterbrunnen to the iEggisch-horn in a single day. How this formidable barrier was to be crossed I knew not, but I did not doubt being able to get over it somehow. On mentioning my wish to Lauener, he agreed to try, and proposed attacking it through the Eoth-thal. In company with his brother Ulrich, he had already spent some time in the Eoth-thal, seeking to scale the Jungfrau from that side. Previous to either Lauener or myself, Hawkins had, I believe, entertained the thought of assailing the same barrier at the very same place. Having completed our measure- ments on Wednesday, we descended to Grindelwald and discharged our bill. We desired to obtain the services of Christian Kaufmann, a guide well acquainted with both the Wetterhorn and the Jungfrau ; but on learning our intentions he expressed fears regarding his lungs, and recommended to us his brother, a powerful young man, who had also under- gone the discipline of the Wetterhorn. Him we accordingly engaged. We arranged with the landlord of the Bear to have the main mass of our luggage sent to the JEggisch-horn by a more easy route. I was loth to part with my theodolite, 310 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Lauwinen-Thor : . but Lauener at first grumbled bard against taking it. It was proposed, however, to confine his load to the head of the in- strument, while Kaufmann should carry the legs, and I should bear my own knapsack. He yielded. Ulrich Lauener was at Grindelwald when we started for Lauterbrunnen, and on bidding us good-bye, he remarked that we were going to attempt an impossibility. He had examined the place which we proposed to assail, and emphatically affirmed that it could not be surmounted. We were both a little chagrined by this gratuitous announcement, and answered him somewhat warmly ; for we knew the moral, or rather immoral effect of such an opinion upon the spirits of our men. The weather became more serene as we approached Lau- terbrunnen. We had a brief evening stroll, but retired to bed before day had quite forsaken the mountains. At two A.M., the candle of Lauener gleams into our bedrooms, and he pronounces the weather fair. We are up at once, dress, despatch our hasty breakfast, strap our things into the smallest possible volume, and between three and four A. M., are on our way. The hidden sun crimsons faintly the eastern sky, but the valleys are all in peaceful shadow. To our right the Staub-bach dangles its hazy veil, while other Backs of minor note also hang from the beetling rocks, but fall to earth too lightly to produce the faintest murmur. After an hour's march we deviate to the left, and wind upward through the woods which here cover the slope of the hill. The air is fresh and pleasant, and the dawn cheerfully unlocks the recesses of the mountains. In front of us the outlines of some of the Ober- land giants are drawn against a cloudless sky. We quit the woods and emerge upon a green Alp, which we breast, regard- less of the path, until we reach the chalets of the Eoth-thal. We do not yet see the particular staircase up which Lauener proposes to lead us, but we inspect minutely the battlements to our right, marking places for future attack in case our present attempt should not be successful. The elastic grass disappears, and rough crag and shingle form alternately our floor. We reach the base of a ridge of debris, and mount it. J. Tyndall.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 31 1 At our right is the glacier of the Eoth-thal, along whose lateral moraine our way now lies. We are soon near the snow, which the morning sunbeams have already reached, and caused to glisten with innumerable reflections. Just as we touch the snow, a spring bubbles from the rocks at our left, spurting its fused crystal over stalagmites of ice. We turn towards it, and have each a refreshing draught. Lauener points out to us the remains of the hut erected by him and his brother when they wished to attempt the Jungfrau, and from which they were driven by adverse weather. We enter an amphitheatre, grand and beautiful this splendid morning, but doubtless in times of tempest a fit residence for the devils whom popular belief has banished to its crags. The snow for a space is as level as a prairie, but in front of us rise the mighty bulwarks which separate us from the neighbouring Canton. To our right are the crags of the Breithorn, to our left the buttresses of the Jungfrau, while between both is an indentation in the mountain-wall, on which all eyes are now fixed. From it downwards hangs a thread of snow, which is to be our leading-string to the top. Though very steep, the aspect of the place is by no means terrible : comparing with it my memory of other gulleys in the Chamouni mountains, I imagine that three hours will place us at the top. In the flush of pleasure which this belief excites, it is proposed that on reaching the top we shall turn to the left, and walk straight to the summit of the Jungfrau. Lauener is hopeful, but not sanguine. We are soon at the foot of the barrier, clambering over mounds of snow. Huge consolidated lumps emerge from the general mass ; the snow is evidently that of avalanches which had been shot down the couloir, kneading themselves into vast balls, and piling themselves in heaps upon the plain. The gradient steepens, the snow is hard, and the axe comes immediately into play. Straight up the couloir seems the most promising route, and we pursue it for an hour, the impression gradually gaining ground that the work will prove heavier than, we had anticipated. We turn our eyes on the rocks to our right, — they seem practicable, though very 312 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Lauwinen-Thor. steep ; we swerve towards them, and work upwards among them for three quarters of an hour. It is very laborious. Hawkins and the guides turn again to the left and regain the snow, leaving me among the crags. They have steps to cut, while I need none, and, consequently, I get considerably above them. The work becomes harder, and real rest is unattainable. I look upwards at the brow of the crag, to the base of which I cling, and feel sure that once the brow is attained, a ledge will appear on which I can sit down and take breath at my ease. I reach the brow ; it rounds off a little to the base of the next cliff, and no sitting-room exists. This occurs half-a-dozen times. At every brow I pause, — legs, abdomen, and breast, are laid against the rough rock, so as to lessen by their friction the strain upon the arms, which are stretched to grasp some protuberance above. Thus I rest, and there I learn that three days' training is not sufficient to dislodge London from one's lungs. As I lie against the rock after each fit of exertion, I pant violently ; the action, however, soon subsides, and I am off again. Meanwhile, my companions are mounting monotonously along the snow. Lauener looks up at me at intervals, and I can clearly mark the expression of his countenance ; it is quite spiritless, while that of his companion bears the print of absolute dismay. Three hours have passed and the summit is not sensibly nearer. The men halt and converse together. Lauener at length calls out to me, "I think it is impossible." The effect of Ulrich's prediction appears to be cropping out ; we expostulate, however, and they move on. After some time they halt again, and reiterate their opinion that the thing cannot be done. They direct our attention to the top of the barrier ; light clouds scud swiftly over it, and snow-dust is scattered at intervals in the air. There is storm on the heights, which our guides affirm has turned the day against us. I cast about in my mind to meet the difficulty, and inquire whether we might not send one of them back with the theodolite, and thus so lighten our burdens as to enable us to proceed. Kaufmann volunteers to take back the theodolite ; but this J. Tyndall.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 313 does not seem to please Lauener. There is a pause ; suddenly Hawkins raises an animating cry of " forward 1" Lauener doggedly strikes his axe into the snow, and resumes the ascent. I continue among the rocks, though with less and less confidence in the wisdom of my choice. My knapsack annoys me excessively ; the straps fray my shoulders, and tie up half my muscles. Once or twice I have to get round a protruding face of rock, and then find my bonds very grievous. At length I come to a peculiar piece of cliff; near its base is an arete of snow, and at a height of about five feet above the latter the rock bulges out, so that a stone dropped from its protuberance falls beyond the arete. The snow is the only thing I have to stand upon. I work cautiously along it, squatting down so as to get under the rock, but soon find myself in difficulty. Had I a fair ledge beneath my feet I should have felt perfectly at ease, but I stood upon a snow- wedge, on the stability of which I dare not calculate. To retreat is dangerous, to advance useless ; for right in front of me is a sheer precipice which completely extinguishes the thought of further rock- work. I examine the place below me, and if my footing yields I see no way of escaping a smash. To loose myself from the crag and attach myself to the snow is so perilous an operation that I do not attempt it ; and, at length, I ignobly call to Lauener to lend me a hand. A gleam of satisfaction crosses his features as he eyes me on my perch. He manifestly enjoys being called to the rescue, but exhorts me to keep quite stilL He works up towards me, and in less than half an hour has hold of one of my legs. " The place is not so bad, after all," he remarks, evidently glad to take me down, in more senses than one. I descend in his steps, and rejoin Hawkins fc upon the snow. From that moment Lauener is a regenerate man ; he is not high-minded, but he does not fear : the despair of his visage vanishes, and I firmly believe that the triumph he enjoyed, by augmenting his self-respect, was the proximate cause of our subsequent success. The couloir is a most singular one ; it is extremely steep, 314 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Latjwinen-Thok. and along it are two great scars, resembling the deep cut channels of a mountain stream. They are, indeed, channels cut by the snow-torrents which rush occasionally from the heights. We scan those heights. The view is bounded by a massive cornice, from which the avalanches are periodically let loose* The cornice seems firm to-day, still we cast about for some piece of rock which might shelter us from the destroyer should he leap from his lair. Apart from the labour of the ascent, which is enormous, the frequency of avalanches will always render this pass a dangerous one. Two p.m. arrives, and the air becomes intensely cold. Hawkins had wisely pocketed a pair of socks, which he now draws over his gloves, and finds them comforting. My leather gloves, being saturated with wet, are very much the reverse. We look aloft at intervals. The wind is high, and as it passes the crest of the Breithorn its moisture is precipitated and afterwards carried away. The clouds thus generated are moulded to the shape of the summit on which they form, and they shine for a time with the lustre of pearls. As they approach the sun they are suddenly flooded with the most splendid dyes. Those chromatic effects of interference to which I have so often referred,! exhibit themselves so finely as to make us forget, in our admiration of them, the storm which wafts them across the sky. At our right is now a vertical wall of brown rock, along the base of which we advance. At times we are sheltered by it, but not always ; for the wind is as fitful as a maniac, and eddying round the corners sometimes shakes us forcibly, chills us to the marrow, and spits frozen dust in our faces. The rock, moreover, has absorbed the solar heat, and melted the mass adjacent, which is refrozen to a steep slope of compact ice. The steps are more than ever difficult, and the footing more insecure. And here I have occasion to admire that coolness of head and firmness of foot which afterwards give me confidence in my * Hence the name which, with the consent of Hawkins, if not at his sug- gestion, I have given to the pass, t In " The Glaciers of the Alps." J. Tykdall.] NOTES OF TRAVEL IN 1 860. 315 comrade on the cliffs of the Matterhorn. We swerve towards the centre of the couloir, and reach some roughly rounded rocks, which show their surfaces through the snow. Over these we must contrive to pass ; they are encrusted with ice, and a rope is exhibited so as to afford assistance to a slipping man. We try at each step to fix the Alpenstock, but mine is coated with an enamel of ice by my wet gloves, and slips through my hands. This startles me, for my staff is my sole trust under such circumstances. The crossing of those rocks is a most awkward piece of work ; a slip is imminent, and the effects of the consequent glissade not to be calculated. We clear them, however, and now observe the gray haze creeping down from the peak of the Breithorn to the point at which we are aiming. This, however, is visibly nearer; for the first time since we commenced to climb Lauener declares that he has good hopes — " Jetzt habe ich gute Hoffnung." Another hour brings us to a place where the gradient slackens suddenly. The real work is done, and ten minutes further wading through the deep snow places us fairly on the summit of the Col. Looked at from the top the pass will seem very formid- able to the best of climbers ; to an ordinary eye it would appear simply terrific. We reached the base of the barrier at nine A. M. ; it is now four P. M., and we have consequently spent seven hours upon that tremendous wall. From our present position the view is limited ; clouds are on all the mountains, and the great Aletsch Glacier is hidden by dense fog. With long swinging strides we go down the slope. The snow is deep, and I again complain of the annoyance of my knapsack. Hawkins counsels me to give it to Kaufmann, who has very little to carry, but this I decline doing for some time. At length I halt, disengage myself from the rope, and transfer my burden to the shoulders of the guide. While we are thus engaged our two companions go forward, without being aware that we have seceded. Lauener marches first, holding the rope in his hand. Suddenly the snow yields under the feet of Hawkins, and he drops between the jaws of 316 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Lauwinen-Thoe. a crevasse. He sees the rope slip through Lauener's hand, but his Alpenstock which he holds transverse to the fissure, checks his descent and probably saves his life. Comment is needless as to this mode of holding the rope. We reattach ourselves and push forward ; several times during our descent the snow coating is perforated, and hidden crevasses are revealed. At length we reach the glacier, and plod along it through the dreary fog. We clear the ice just at night- fall ; pass the Marjalin See, and soon find ourselves in utter darkness on the spurs of the .ZEggisch-horn. We lose the track and wander for a time bewildered. We sit down to rest, and then learn that Lauener is extremely ill. To quell the pangs of toothache he has chewed a cigar, which after his day's exertion is too much for him. He soon recovers, and we endeavour to regain the track. In vain. The guides shout, and after many repetitions we hear a shout in reply. A herdsman approaches, and conducts us to some neighbouring chalets, whence he undertakes the office of guide. After a time he also finds himself in difficulty. We see distant lights, and Lauener once more pierces the air with his tremendous whoop. We are heard. Lights are sent towards us, and an additional half hour places under the roof of Herr Wellig, the active proprietor of the Jungfrau hotel. After this day's journey, which was a very hard one, the tide of health set steadily in the right direction. I have no remembrance of any further exhibition of the symptoms which had driven me to Switzerland. Each day's sub- sequent exercise made both brain and muscles firmer. We remained at the iEggisch-horn for several days, occupying ourselves principally with observations and measurements on the Aletsch Glacier, and joined afterwards in that day's excursion — unparalleled in my experience — which has found in my companion a narrator worthy of its glories. And as we stood upon the savage ledges of the Matterhorn, with the utmost penalty which the laws of falling bodies could inflict at hand, I felt that there were perils at home greater even than those which then surrounded us. Foes, moreover, J. Ttndall.] notes of TRAVEL IN 1 860. 317 which inspire no manhood by their attacks, but shatter alike the architect and his house by the same mean process of dis- integration. After the discipline of the Matterhorn, the fatal slope of the Col du Ge*ant, which I visited soon afterwards, looked less formidable than it otherwise might have done. From Courmayeur I worked round to Chamouni by Chapieu and the Col de Bonhomme. I attempted to get up Mont Blanc to visit the instruments which had been planted on the summit a year previously ; and succeeded during a brief interval of fair weather in reaching the Grands Mulets. But the gleam which tempted me thus far proved but a tem- porary truce to the war of elements, and after remaining twenty hours at the Mulets, I was obliged to beat an in- glorious retreat. The main object of my Swiss expedition was however secured ; I returned to England with a stock of health, which five months constant work of the most trying character has not sensibly affected. For benefits such as this it is natural that I should feel grateful to the Alps. * * As this is partly a medical paper I may be permitted to refer to the question of diet at the higher Alpine hotels. If the authorities of the Alpine Club could be induced to take up this question, they might confer an in- estimable benefit upon climbers. Through the lack of wholesome nutriment, the noblest stations in the Alps are sometimes converted into dens of dys- pepsia, which even the mountain air cannot abolish. The Riffel and the iEggisch-horn, for example, are unrivalled positions, and the, proprietors of the hotels on both are, as far as I know them, intelligent and obliging men. Let thera aim, in all earnestness, at the substitution of wholesome, tender mutton for the wicked tissue which, under this name, is frequently presented to travellers, and they will double the attractiveness of their respective houses. This question touches both physics and morals. A man cannot climb as he ought to do upon woody fibre ; nor can he adore aright, or lift his soul in any becoming way to those regions towards which his beloved mountains aspire, if the coats of his stomach are in a state of irritation. 318 VACATION TOURISTS, AND [Iceland. 10. JOURNAL OF A YACHT VOYAGE TO THE FAROE ISLANDS AND ICELAND. BY J. W. CLAEK, M.A. In the following pages I have confined myself strictly to the record of the observations I myself made in Iceland. It would have been easy to have written a more entertaining account by reference to other works, and by noting the con- clusions which men of science have arrived at respecting the natural phenomena of Iceland. I determined, however, to be as brief as possible, and to state the facts, as nearly as I could, in the words of the journal I kept on the spot. August 3d. We sailed from Stromness the day before yesterday, and to-day the Faroes (Faroerne, the sheep Islands) were in sight early. We saw their lofty precipices looming hazily through the heat all day, but the wind was so light that we were still ten miles distant from them at sundown. Passed through a shoal of several hundred small whales. August 4