Impressions of a Wanderer in Italy, Switzerland, France, and Spain

Preface

. The fact of the publication of the following Letters in the columns of the Athenæum, and perhaps also, in some degree, the reception they met Avith in that form from the public, have led my publisher to consider them worth reprinting; and I can only hope that others may agree in his appreciation. As to the Letters themselves, a glance will show the reader what they are : the occasional observations and speculations of a wanderer, not traveUing to write, but writing here and there on his travels — only when he fancied, at least, that he had something to say. The wide extent of rambling indicated by the dates of the letters, might well have fur-

PREFACE.

. nished material sufficient to fill many a goodly volume with matter fully as amusing or in teresting as any which the following pages con tain. But I had other pursuits in view during most of the time over which they extend, and wrote them, as I have said, only when and where the fit took me. Nothing, there fore, can be further from my mind than any notion of presenting my jottings as a complete account of any of the places from which they are written. They may, hoAvever, amuse some readers, and they may contain some scraps of information, which it is as well to commit to the safe custody of letter-press : Valeant quantum. Nothing remains for me to add, but my thanks to the conductors of the Athenæum, both for the kindness of their intercourse with me during the course of my correspondence with them, and for their permission to reprint the present volume from their pages. T. Adolphus Trollope. Florence, June, 1850. CONTENTS.

Letter I

— VENICE. The Congresso degli Scienziati Italian. — Affability of the Venician Nobles — Palace of the Doges — Excursion to Vicenza — Public Amusements — Dispersion of the Congress p. 1

LETTER IL

— ROME. The New Birthday of Rome — Pius the Ninth — Institution of a Council of State — Public Rejoicings — Grand Proces sion to St. Peter's — Liberal Tendencies of the Roman People — The Censorship — Illumination . . .14

— FLORENCE. Te Deum at the Cathedral — Popular Fete — The News papers of Florence — Salvagnoli, Lambruschini, and Massari — Public Dinner to the Sicilians — The Minister Bozzelli VI CONTENTS.

Letter VI

— FLORENCE. Successes of the Tuscans over the Austrians — Rumours from the Seat of War — Practice of Placarding the Walls — Gioberti's Work on the Jesuits — Freedom of the Press — Republicans — The Delia Cruscans — Observations of Galileo — Signor Alberi's Discovery . . . . .73

Letter VII

— FLORENCE. Catholic Festival — Procession of the Corpus Domini — The Misericordia — The Grand Duke — Religious Fraternities — Clerical Dandyism — The Tuscan Parliament — Gioberti 88

Letter VIII

— FLORENCE. Charles Albert and the Campaign in Lombardy — St. Martin's Summer — The Golden Oil of Valdarno— The Vintage — The Italian Movement — Seditious Reading-Clubs — The Codini — Anecdote of a Maid-servant — Multiplication of Newspapers ........ 103

Letter IX

— ZURICH. Deserted Appearance of the Cantons — English Travellers —The Host of the "Via Mala"— The Canton of Graubiinden — The Valley of Domlechz — A Councillor — Public Libraries 122

Letter X

— LUCERNE. Picturesque Appearance of the City — The Jesuits — Infatuation of Devotees — Violent Thunder-storm — Mount Pilate — Newspapers .139

LETTER XL

— BERNE. The Gesang Fest — General Holiday — Hospitality of the Citizens — Assembly of Vocalists at the Minster — Distribution of Prizes — The Appenzellers . .154

— BEZIERS. Le Vicomte de Beziere — Tlie Holy Abbot of Citeaux — Montpellier — Antiquities of Nimes — The Mistral — Mrs. Temple, the Narcissa of the " Night Thoughts" — Cette 266

Letter XVIII

— TOULOUSE. Characteristics of the Citizens — The Battle — Wellington and Soult — Visit to the Battle-field — The Mysterious Mur der of Cecille Combettes — The Murderer — The Sights of Toulouse — A Royal Exile — The Story of a Warming pan 279

Letter XIX

— PAU. March of Civilization — English Settlements Abroad — The Pare — Pic du Midi du Pau — The Castle — Henry the Fourth— Abd-el-Kader CONTENTS.

Letter XX

— ORTHEZ. The Records of Beam— The House of Navarre— Marguerite de Valois — Jeanne d'Albret: — Catherine of Navarre — Bearnese Revenge ....... 306

Letter XXI

— ST. SEBASTIAN. Fete-day — Basque Dancers — Climbing the Steeps — Fontarabia — Passages . . . . . . .321

LETTER XXLL

— AZPEITIA. Perilous Travelling — General Evans's Muleteer — A Nobleman's Villa — Attendance at Mass — The Birthplace of Loyola ......... 336

— PANTICOSA. Monastery of San Juan de la Pena — The Last of the Monks — Tombs of the Arragonese Kings — The Miraculous Pebbles —A Mountain Watering-place .... 385