CONTENTS.
London Letter—April 7, 1882, | |
Trip on the Atlantic—The Steamer Adriatic—Storm onthe Ocean—Chester—English Cathedrals—To Liverpool—Chatsworth—Stratford—The318th Anniversaryof Shakespeare—Oxford—Magdalen College—“Addison’sWalk”—New College—Sir Joshua Reynolds-Window—AtWarwick—Bodlean Library—AshmoleanMuseum—Spofford Brooks and Canon Liddon. | |
London Letter—June 11, 1882, | |
Seeing London—Advantage of being in a great city—Theboarding-house, just for Americans—WindsorPalace—Gray’s grave—Moncure Conway—Canon Farrar—Bostonians—AmericanCousins—From London onthe way to Scotland. | |
From London to Edinburgh—July 4, 1882, | |
Four hours at York—The Nuns of St. Leonard’s Hospital—St.Mary’s Abbey—“The Five Sisters”—New-castle-on-Tyne—Durham—TheCathedral—St. Cuthbert—TheTomb of Bede—The Legend of Bede—Wanderingminstrels—Scenery on the route—The sunset—A Scotchlady—List of tourists. | |
Scotland Letter—July 21, 1882, | |
Edinburgh—Holyrood Palace—Castle with relics of MaryQueen of Scots—Alexander Swift says—Of traveling—Dumfermline—TheAbbey of Robert Bruce—NewbattleAbbey. | |
Heidelberg Letter—August 16, 1882, | |
In Heidelberg—The Neckar—The places I have been—Sketchesover the line of travel—The scenes visitedfrom England to Heidelberg. | |
Heidelberg Letter—September 3, 1882, | |
Heidelberg; this is home—From Nuremberg—The enchantmentand charms of the old city—The streets,buildings, bridges, churches, museums and galleries—Masterpiecesof Durer, Kraft, Stoss and Vischer—Theworks of numerous artists—The lime tree—The lampthat has been lighted since 1326—The crown princess—TheExposition—Going back some day—A day of rest—CapeColony English ladies—My traveling companion. | |
Baden-Baden—September 19, 1882, | |
Heidelberg on the Neckar—The castle, the Jettenbühl—“DasGrosse Fass”—Mapping out Switzerland—Thefloods—In the Gardens—The Black Forest—The Oos—Thetrees on the banks—To Strassburg. | |
Nuremberg—September 27, 1883, | |
From Heidelberg to Nuremberg—Nuremberg the objectivepoint—Ancestors back to 1570—Up the Neckar—Thescenery—Two historic points—Hotels full—GrandExposition—Superb attractions—Old lime tree—Durer’smonument—The princess and family—A wedding—Travelingalone—German lady—At Baden—Friedrichsbad—Thedays at Strassburg. | |
Munich Letter—September 24, 1882, | |
Old and New Schloss—Trinkhalle and its waters—Thegreat Friedrichsbad—Strassburg Cathedral—The wonderfulclock—St. Thomas Church, with monument toMarshal Saxe—The Strassburg specialty, pâtés-de-fois-gras—Theattractive city, Constance—Monastery whereHuss was imprisoned—The place where Jerome sufferedsentence—From Constance to Lindau—The beauty ofcountry and scenery—The Alps again—Words not equalto doing justice—Innumerable places of attraction—München,the capital of little Bavaria. | |
München Letter—October 11, 1882, | |
Visit to royal palace—A woman’s voice in American English—Walksand drives around München—Looking inthe shop windows—Picking up pictures—Call at thebook-store—“The Last Judgment,” largest oil paintingin the world—Other pictures and sketches—Vesperservice—Munich a large city—Neighbors—A Prussianofficer. | |
Munich Letter—November 18, 1882, | |
Letters, letters, letters—An evening with friends—Myhusband and early childhood—Happy days—Dear hills,beautiful hills, sacred hills—Youthful days—The housewhere I was born—“The Point”—That “exuberantset”—Another Mrs. C.—Bavarian officer—Anticipationof seeing the Alps—A concert—Booth—Letters. | |
München Letter—November 20, 1882, | |
A homesick heart—The leaf from a tree—Views about theold homestead—The royal family at church—Royaldames—One of the princesses, a beautiful woman—Theking—The music—The church—My religion. | |
Munich Letter—December 12, 1882, | |
Repetition—Letter of the “altogethery type”—My style—Love,late in life—Indian summer—“That vale of Aberdeen”—Beautifulold ladies—That singular death-bedspeech—The divine musician—French books—Dutchreading—The epic, Nibelungenlied—The king’s palace. | |
Munich Letter—December 22, 1882, | |
My counterfeit presentment—The crayon portrait—“Paintme as I am”—About my pictures—The home of mychildhood—“The Place of Roses”—Les Petites Miseresde la vie Conjugale—Christmas coming—What Johndid—Christmas, Christmas. | |
Munich Letter—January 2, 1883, | |
Preparations for Christmas—Bavaria and its kings—Thepublic buildings—Music—The house of Wittelsbachdates from 1110—The Maximilians—The king on hisdeath-bed—The present king, Ludwig II—His character—Hisroyal palaces—The Gallery of Ancestors—Theking a poet—His refined taste—The king’s spotlessreputation—Of the kings. | |
München Letter—January 15, 1883, | |
Christmas and New Years—The scathingest tongue—Christmastree—The Nibelungenlied in German—Churchservices—German New Year’s Eve—Our frau’sbanquet. | |
Munich Letter—October 4, 1886, | |
Of writing letters—Ingenious sophism—The little girlthat prayed—The readable letter with a secret—Hisage—Miss B——’s letter—A grand gala day—Sundaythe open day—The king—Royal family—Royal personages—Officersof state—A four o’clock tea. | |
Paris Letter—February 4, 1883, | |
At last in Paradise—From Munich to Paris—The journeya dream—One’s own vernacular—View from my privatebalcony—In sight of the Mackey’s palace—GraceGreenwood in Paris—What an enchantment to knowplaces by sight—The street scenes—Vast concourse ofseething humanity—The weather—The flowers. | |
Paris Letter—February 8, 1883, | |
To begin—Figures—Not writing for fame or filthy lucre—“Twoin one existence”—From Munich to Paris alone—Theexperience of cold—The German cars comfortable—Fallenin love—Paris, London and Munich Compared—Manufactoryof the Gobelins—Pompeian palace—Viewingart—Language—Night—Solitude—To Italyfrom Paris. | |
Paris Letter—September 1, 1883, | |
In Paris again after six months—Good intentions—Feminineinterruption—A flash of inspiration—The lion ofsandstone carved in a grotto—Trip to the glaciers—Firstmule ride—Return from the sublime spectacle—The descentmore difficult than the ascent—English ladies—FromInterlaken to Bern—Lake Leman—The Gardenin which Gibbon wrote the conclusion of his greatwork—Chillon—Passage to Chamony—All the way toGeneva—That book—The Pension—The Madame. | |
Paris Letter—January 1, 1884, | |
Letter—Verses—Christmas Eve—Tree party—My hostessand myself—Salutatory an impromptu poem—The evening’sentertainment—Twelfth Night—I shun sleep—“Characteristics”—Sendingthe book—A letter fromMiss B.—The article on Burns—Finis and reflections. | |
Paris Letter—April 1, 1884, | |
Enjoying Paris in fair weather—President Grevy—Thenumerous entertainments—There is no hostess—Themusical side of Paris—A pleasant American family—Sundayafternoon concert—The music—The audience—Tothe Luxembourg with an American girl. | |
Paris Letter—December 6, 1885, | |
Letter acknowledged—I am again a wandering star—Thedelights of travel—The poor king who lost his head—Thomasa Becket—Whitehall—Government buildings—SawGladstone’s and Salisbury’s seats—Went to TempleBar—Old clocks—The cathedral—Vespers at Little St.Martin’s—Crossed the Channel—Sight-seeing—Cuvierand Humboldt—Experiences, drives and sights—Pleasantpeople we met. | |
Paris Letter—December 13, 1886, | |
Return delayed by storms—Miss B—— came from Sweden—Proposedtrip on the Nile—A line from under oldCheops. | |
Paris Letter—March 8, 1887, | |
Disappointed about the Jerusalem trip—Contributionsfrom every grand division—No date for sailing—Ladiesfrom Louisville, Ky.—The title of the little book—Madamegives a house-warming—Bloom and beauty. | |
Paris Letter—April 26, 1887, | |
Birthday anniversary—Dispensations of conscientiousness—Howthe days go—The sight-seeing never comes to anend—The “Salon” open for the Annual Exposition—Atthe Exposition—Numerous pictures—“Theodora,”Sara Bernhardt’s great character—Two French ladies—Themusical entertainment given me—Paris in themonth of May. | |
Paris Letter—May 29, 1887, | |
The letter and the book—Figures and a woman’s age—Pictures—Millet’s“L’Angelus”—Subjects and characterof paintings—“The little book”—The drive—ChampsElysées as a fashionable resort—The enchantmentof the scenes—“The little book” again, andagain. | |
Venice Letter—June 8, 1883, | |
The letter in fancy from Florence—No rules from theflight of imagination—Longfellow says it for me—Venicein June—Drifting about in a gondola—TheGrand Canal—The dazzling glory of the scene—Atrance; a dream; perfect, perfect Venice!—Allusion toa story of life—A book to come forth—If I am to dieto-morrow ...—The ideal woman and friend—Kentuckygossip—Oh! oh! oh! perfect, perfect Venice! | |
Lucerne Letter—June 26, 1883, | |
The wooden horse of Donatello—Goethe’s palm tree—FromPadua to Verona—Juliet’s tomb—The house ofCapulets—Milan—The cathedral—Grand Victor EmanuelGallery—Pictures in galleries—Visit to libraries—Viewof levées—Italian lakes and scenes—The tropicalbloom—Nightingale songs—The grand climb up theAlps—The glaciers—Snow flower, edelweiss—The ruinsof castles—The moonlight scene—The descent from theAlps—The aching heart, like the dying gladiator. | |
Vienna Letter—October 17, 1883, | |
No end to the beginning—The opera—Letters—The surfaceof things—Below the surface—Knowledge of morebreadth—My hostess—Wagner’s operas—The object ofmy pilgrimage to Vienna—The aurist of Europe—Thespecialist’s quarters—The Imperial Library. | |
Siena Letter—March 4, 1883, | |
Things we saw on the way—Shrine of Petrarch’s Laura—ThePapal palaces—The frescoes—Musée Calvet—VernetGallery and pictures—The moonlight drive to Marseilles—AtCannes—An English lady—Hotel on thesea-front—The moonrise out of the sea—Bishop Littlejohn,of Rhode Island—A tram-drive—Excursion toMonaco and Monte Carlo—Pisa—Geneva—Mt. Blanc. | |
Rome Letter—March 19, 1883, | |
An Ohioan from Granville—Naples and views—Museumsand the palace of Capodimonte—Picture of MichaelAngelo and Vittoria Colonna—Pompeian frescoes—VittoriaColonna’s husband—Vesuvius at night—Longfellow’spoem, “Amalfi”—Paestum—Ideal drive—Museum—Narcissuslistening to Echo—Palm Sunday atSt. Peter’s—The Sistine Chapel—Goethe’s words—Hawthorne’sRome—The Marble Faun—Springtime—Christmasflowers—Christmas souvenirs. | |
Rome Letter—April 4, 1883, | |
Scenes along the coast of Italy—Little villages—Themountains—Monastery of the Capuchins—The macaronifactory—The monastery and monks—Our Paestumday—Vesuvius before the charmed gaze—Birthplace ofTasso—Celebrated places—Second trial of Naples—Tripfrom Naples to Rome—Ancient Capua—MonteCasino, its associations—Rome—Palm Sunday—Variousservices—English lady—Holy Week—Drive on the ViaAppia—The Catacombs and tombs—The grotto—Thetree of Numa’s wisdom. | |
Rome Letter—April 24, 1883, | |
Importance of address in a foreign land—Guercino’sfresco of Aurora—Scene in Imperial Rome—“Romemistress of the world”—Story of Eve—Tasso memorialroom—Swarm of lizards—A view of St. Peter’s—Pompey’sstatue—The Plaza—The Jews’ quarters, calledGhetto—The house of Rienzi—Protestant cemetery—Burialplace of Keats and the heart of Shelley. | |
Rome Letter—May 2, 1883, | |
“While Rome stands, the world stands”—The rounds ofchurches—The galleries and museums—Palaces andshops—“Being in Rome, do as Romans do”—Piazzi diSan Giovanni, the largest in existence—One of theeleven obelisks—Mosaic frescoes—The queen in hercarriage—Church of St. Onafrio, on the Janiculus—Thethree frescoes by Domenichino and Leonardo da Vinci—Tassoburied here—Three churches of the Aventine—Galleries—Artists’quarters—Our Rodgers and Ives—Theirart—Italian artist—Dwight Benton, formerly ofCincinnati, Ohio—Italian scenes. | |
Maiori Letter—April 5, 1886, | |
Apology for delinquent letter—“What a butterfly sheis!”—One of the party sick—On the Mediterranean—Longfellow’spoem—The steep climb—The poor littledonkey—Features of the scene—“The death in life”—Theregion abounds in drives—Talk of Sicily and Africa—Aletter—The sacred few ...—The little book—Blessedbe the potato, henceforth and forever! | |
Naples Letter—May 1, 1886, | |
A drive to Salerno—From there to Paestum—The templeof Neptune—An incident of missing glasses—Return toSalerno—Then to Pompeii—Naples—Friends fromTunis—A steamer for Sicily—Storm at sea—Palermo,its environs—The palaces—The drives and places wevisited—The museum, Metopes, and splendid art—Beautyof the country—The fountain of Arethusa—Romanamphitheater—The quarries—Mt. Etna—Theseven rocks of Cyclops—Messina—That coat of armsof Sicily—The heart-ache of good-byes. | |
Lauterbrunnen Letter—July 29, 1886, | |
Wrought up over letters—“Poaching on your preserves”—Thecause of wit—Friends, their character estimated—Ofwriting—Sojourn in the beautiful valley—TheStaubach—The Jungfrau. | |
Egypt Letter—December 30, 1886, | |
Aboard steamer Prince Abbas—On the Nile—“In theteeth of a storm”—Sunrise and sunset on the Mediterranean—Acquaintances,a citizen from the “hub”—AtAlexandria—The seven wonders—To Cairo—Englishofficers—The Pyramids—Pillars at Heliopolis—“TheVirgin’s tree”—The island of Rhodda—Mosques andtombs—The site of Memphis—“Twelve miles of wonderland”—Theair—The flowers—The guests on steamer—Onecan live too much in books. | |
Egypt Letter From Paris—February 10, 1887, | |
Agreeable surprises—Down the Nile—The atmosphereand mysterious influence of scene—Landing of steamer—Ourdonkey ride—The tombs—The imposing magnificenceof the monuments—Rain in Egypt—Reflections—Picturesto help tell the story—The coming book. | |
Cuba Letter—April 7, 1885, | |
The magical isle of Cuba—Tropical vegetation—Sunrisein the harbor of Havana—The trip on the steamer—MoroCastle—Strange scene on landing—The buildings—Thedrive, atmosphere and scenery—The watch incident—Shoppingexpedition—People we met—To Cerro—Sugarplantations and process of sugar-making—Thecaves—The beautiful island, Cuba—The freedom ofslaves—Spanish government. | |
A Vision of Fatigue, |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
| PAGE | |
| Shakespeare’s Birthplace, from below, Stratford, | [11] |
| Room in Shakespeare’s Home, Stratford, | [12] |
| Mary, Queen of Scots, Edinburgh, | [32] |
| Pension and Garden to which Goethe wrote a Poem, Heidelberg, | [38] |
| The Old Kaiser at Historical Window, | [71] |
| Louis II, the Mad King of Bavaria, | [90] |
| Queen Louise, | [126] |
| The Historic Windmill, | [131] |
| The Old Lion, Lucerne, | [147] |
| The Old Lion at the Arsenal, Venice, | [192] |
| Lord Byron’s Palace, Venice, | [196] |
| Pantheon, Rome, | [242] |
| Strada dei Sepolcri (Street of Tombs), Pompeii, | [248] |
| Quirinal, Rome, | [259] |
| Naples, General View, | [281] |
| Peasant Cart, Palermo, | [283] |
| Interior of Museum, Palermo, | [285] |
| Archimedes, | [288] |
| Head of Medusa, Palermo, | [290] |
LETTER FROM ENGLAND.
HERE to begin? That is the question. The ideas, thoughts, feelings, come, not in battalions, but like the hosts of Alexander, or our own, in “the late unpleasantness,” or like the bubbles in the foam on the crests of the waves “a moment here, then gone forever.” I am wishing for the arms of Briareus, with their hundred hands, to help catch and fix them on the page. Such a trip! The Atlantic was never known to exhibit such a peculiar turbulence of waves and water generally. The steamer Adriatic (in which we sailed April 6th) kept up such a lurching and pitching as I never had an idea of before. One day it was impossible for me to keep my feet, and after trying in vain to dress in the morning, I retired to my berth. But it was as much as the sailors could do to keep their feet, and three were badly hurt. How my friends would have laughed, could they have seen my frantic struggles to accomplish a toilette. The two “steamer trunks” and our hand satchels were chasing each other all around me, and knocking wildly from one side to the other, and I in the midst, shooting and slipping, clutching and grabbing, wildly, frantically, at doors, berth and washstand. But I was so glad not to be seasick, I didn’t mind anything else much.
One spectacle of this turbulence in the “r-r-r-rolling forties,” as the chambermaid called our bearing (I wish I could give that whirr of her r s), was of peculiar and extraordinary sublimity and uniqueness. It kept me at my porthole for I know not how long. The steamer was sweeping right along in an immense hollow, or crater as it were, in the ocean, and in which was comparative calm. Afar off the water rose in encircling ranges of vast mountains—“Alps upon Alps”—capped with white foam. From these snowy cones, like the eruptions of volcanoes, burst forth in swift succession great columns of the seething mass that shot upward apparently to the very heavens and exploded.
I did not know at the time that this was unusual, but in speaking of it afterwards found it had not been observed by the other passengers—all or the most of whom were seasick—nor have I since met with any traveler who had ever seen it; nor read any description of it.