Random sketches and notes of European travel in 1856

Preface

No apology is offered for this book of Travels. It is not published at the solicitation of friends, nor because there is any apparent need for such a publication. But I choose to publish it. The public will decide whether it shall, or shall not find readers. Some will read it; many will not. This is true of a very large number of books of far higher merit than this claims to be.

It is not true that everybody who goes abroad writes a book. Not one in a thousand does this, and yet every one has a right to do so if he chooses. It is true, nevertheless, that many books of travel are written and published, and, as a general thing, most of them find a wide circulation, and are extensively read. This volume pretends to nothing beyond what is indicated on the titlepage. It contains mere random sketches and surface views, all of which were written in the midst of the scenes described, and while the impressions from the objects mentioned were fresh upon the mind. It is descriptive to a very considerable extent, and the design has been to conduct the reader over the whole route of travel, and show him what I have seen, and to make him feel, as far as I might be able to do so, as though he himself had witnessed what I have described.

The book will be found unequal in some of its parts. Portions of it are merely made up of notes, which it was my original purpose to expand on my return home, but this I have declined doing for several reasons; mainly because it would render the work too large ; and

4 PREFACE.

I preferred, on reflection, that the reader should have it just as I wrote it out on the spot. Much of it was written late at night when I was weary and fatigued ; I scarcely ever allow^ed a day to pass without writing up my journal so as to prevent the intervention of new scenes and circumstances modifying, or clouding first impressions.

This work is not historical — not scientific — not philosophical, nor does it pretend to anything in a literary way. Professor Silliman, Hillard, Olin, Fisk, Durbin, Jarvis, and others, have met this demand to the fullest extent. This book claims to be accurate in its statements, and to have been written during my travels, and not to have been composed in the quietness of my study at home, from notes taken while away. I carried a book in my pocket and often sat down amid the ruins of old palaces, and ivy-mantled castle-walls, and imder the shadow of crumbling arches, or by the side of time worn columns, or in the midst of beautiful grounds, as well as by the wayside — on the mountains and in the valleys, and on the roofs of vast cathedrals, and in the solemn aisles of magnificent churches — by the shores of beautiful lakes, and upon the vessel's deck, and wrote out my impressions of what was before me. Since my return I have merely revised my sketches and notes, md now submit them to the public with no other solicitude than that which is felt by a man who desires that his work may so far meet with popular favor as to result in a reasonable pecuniary return to the author. I think I may safely say of my book what quacks often say of their nostrums — if it does no good, it will do no harm, and this is more than can be said of a great many popular publications of the day.

Petersburg, Virginia, April 1, 1857.

Chapter I. From New York To Liverpool

Departure from New York. — Night upon the Ocean. — Reasons for my Voyage. — Companions in Travel. — Life upon the Ocean. — Passengers.— Gambling. — Religious Services on Board. — A Gale. — Sight of Land. — St. George's Channel. — Take a Pilot. — Arrival at Liverpool page 13

CHAPTER IL

LONDON.

Arrival in London. —The Novelty. — Review of the Trip from Liverpool.— St. Paul's Church. — Service. — Humed Round of Sights in the Great Metropolis. — Westminster Abbey. — The New Parliament Buildings. — Vernon Picture-Gallery. — The Queen's Stables. 34

Chapter III. A Few Days In Paris

From London to Paris. — Grand Hotel du Louvre. — French Coffee. — Preparations for Travel. — Learning to Speak French. — An Amusing Incident. — French Politeness. — Surface Views. — A Day's Work in Sight-Seeing. — The Morgue. — Notre Dame. — The Louvre.

— Its Paintings and Museums. — Bois de Boulogne. — Stroll through the Gardens of the Tuileries. — Sunday in Paris. — The Madeleine.

— Wesleyan Chapel. — Champs Elysees. — Champs de Mars. — Hotel de Invalides. — Abattoires. — P6re la Chaise. — Jardin des Plantes. — Baby Clothes 51

Chapter IV. From Paris To Rome

From Paris to Marseilles. — Marseilles. — Notre Dame de la Garde. — Environs. — Drive. — Leave for Civita Vecchia. — Genoa.— Streets.— Curiosities.— Churclics.—Wci'sliip.— Departure for Leghorn.— Le^- b CONTENTS.

hoqj. — Shops. — Beggars — Civita Vecchia. — Hide to Rome. — Diflficulty of obtaining Lodging. — Ileflections late at Night page 74

Chapter V. Rome — Passion -week

No Letters. — Bewildered. — Tower. — View. — Topography of Rome. — Seven Hills. — Forum. — Coliseum. — Miserere at the Sistine Chapel. — Saint Peter's. — Back to my Hotel — Thursday in Holy Week. — High Mass, Pope blesses the People. — Ceremony of washing Feet. — Churches without Seats. — Vatican. — Library. — Saint Peter's. — Dimensions. — Ascent of the Dome. — Subterranean Apartments. — Capitol Galleries. — Church, Ara Cccli 99

Chapter VI. Easter Sunday In Rome

Day ushered in with Cannon. — Saint Peter's. — Procession. — Celebration of High Mass by the Pope. — Music. — Splendid Pageant. — Pope blesses the People from the Balcony of Saint Peter's. — Crowd of Persons. — The Pope. — Cardinal's Carriages. — People's Hatred of the High Church Dignitaries 119

Chapter VII. Rome — Notes

Illumination of Saint Peter's. — Sunday in Rome. — Pantheon. — Campana Villa. — Sacred Stairway, — Albani Villa. — Fireworks, Monday Night. — Churches. — Santa Maria della Vittoria. — Baths of Diocletian. — Santa Maria degli Angeli. — Old Basilica, San Lorenzo, outside the City. — Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. — Saint John Lateran. — Santa Maria Maggiore. — Pincian Hill. — Pope's Palace and the Quirinal Gai'dens. — Rospigliosi Palace. — Guido's Aurora.-— Barbarina Palace. — Beatrice Cenci. — Private Studios 125

Chapter VIII. Rome

Borghese Palace. — Galleries of Paintings. — Studios of Artists. — Mechanical Piirt of Sculpture. — Mosaic and Cameo Manufactures. — Visit to the Catacombs. — Priests at their Devotions. — Return to the City. — Churches. — Protestant Burying-Ground. — Saint Paul's beyond the Tiber. — Music. — Baths of Caracalla. — Tomb of the Scipios. — Domine quo vadis. — Columbaria. — Sciarri Palace. — Colonn.a Palace. — Gardens. --Pontifical Palace. — Borghese Villa. • — Ladies 138

Chapter IX. Kome

Protestant Religious Service. — Mr. Cass. — Vespers at Saint Peter's.

— Peace Treaty at Paris. — How received in Rome. — A Day's Work in Rome. — San Pietro in Vincoli. — Baths of Titus. — Coliseum. — Palace of the Caesars. — Views and Incidents. — Marmetine Prisons.

— Traditions in Relation to Peter and Paul. — Tarpeian Rock. — The Vatican. — Stroll upon the Pincian Hill at Sunset page 150

Chapter X. Excursion To Tivoli

Delightful Drive.— Things by the Way. — Hadrian's Villa.— Tivoli.— Cascades. — Sights about Town. — Return to Rome. — A pretty Girl on the Mountains. — Hail Columbia. — Preparations to leave Rome.

— Brief Review. — The Music of the Fountain 159

Chapter XI. Fkom Rome To Naples

Departure from Rome. — Albano. — A Donkey Ride. — Night at Cisterna. — Pontine Marshes. — Terracina. — Fondi. — Customhouse. — Orange Groves and Scenery. — Cicero's Tomb. — Mola di Gaeta. — Beggars. — Condition of Females. — Fine Agricultural District. — Mount Vesuvius. — Arrival in Naples. — First Impressions 169

Chapter XII. Naples And Its Environs

The Royal Museum. — A Day at Herculaneum and Pompeii. — Excavations.— Amphitheatre. — Beggars. — Mount Vesuvius 183

Chapter XIII. More About Naples And Its Environs

Departure from Naples, — Delay in Starting. — View from the Deck of the Steamer, on leaving the Bay. — Sea-sickness. — Visit to the Protestant Cemetery. — Mrs. Olin's Grave. — New and Old Campo Santo. — Modes of Burial. — The Monks. — The King's Suburban Palace on Capo di Monte. — Population. — Manners and Morals. — Climate of Italy. — Soil. — Weather 1 95

Chapter XIV. Leghorn, Pisa, And Florence

Rough Night on the Mediterranean. — Customhouse Annoyances. — Leghorn. — Leannig Tower, Cathedral, Baptistry, and Campo Santo.

— Arrival at Florence. — Eambles through the City. — Uffizii Gall©- ries. — Santa Croce. — Pitti Palace. — Gardens. — Views. — Santa Maria Novello. — The Duomo. — A Beautiful Sunset in Florence PAGE 203

Chapter XV. Florence

A drive to Fiesole. — Splendid View. — Return to the City. — Museum.— Galileo's Temple. — Powers' Studio. — Mr. Powers and his Works. — Mr. Hart's Studio. — His Sculptometer. — Mr. Barbee's Studio. — His Fisher-Girl. — Sunday in Florence. — Churches. — Episcopal Church Service. — An Incident. — The Cascine. — Church of San Lorenzo. — Michael Angelo's Statuary. — His Genius. — The Medician Chapel. — Florentine Mosaic Manufactory. — Laurentian Library. — Academy of Fine Arts. — Visit to the Cathedral. — Preparations to leave Florence 214

CHAPTER XVL

FROM FLORENCE TO VENICE.

Departure from Florence. — Diligence Travelling. — Crossing the Apennines.— Arrival at Bologna. — A Day in Bologna. — Churches.

— University. — Physiological Museum. — Leaning Towers of Bologna.— Revolutionary Spirit. — Morals of the City. — Blind Musicians. — A Sweet and Lovely Evening 226

Chapter XVII. Venice — From Venice To Verona

Arrival in Venice. — From Bologna to Ferrara. — Ferrara. — Tasso's Prison. — Cross the Po. — Customhouse on entering Lorabardy. — Ride by Rovigo to Padua. — Padua. — Giotti Chapel. — University.

— Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia. — Piazzo della Regione. — By Rail to Venice. — Venice. — Strolls about the City. — Piazzo San Marco. — Bridge of Sighs. — San Marco. — Manfrini Palace. — House occupied by Lord Byron. — Lunatic Asylum. — Armenian Convent.

— Ducal Palace. — Prisons. — Bridge of Sighs. — Venice. — Gondolas and Gondoliers. — Churches. — Rialto. — Campanile. — Sunday in Venice. — State of Religion. — Protestant Episcopal Wor ship, &c. — Departure from Venice. — Troubles at the Customhouse.

— Arrival at Verona 237

Chapter XVIII. Verona And Milan

Rainy Morning. — Catholic Church. — Two Young Ladies. — Veronese Veils. — Visit to the Tomb of Juliet. — Amphitheatre. — Verona. — From Verona to Milan. — Face of the Country. — Arrival at Milan. — First Visit to the Cathedral. — San Carlo Borromeo. — Second Visit to the Cathedral. — Music. — View fiom the Octagon Tower. — Dimensions of the Cathedral. — Brera Gallery. — City of Milan. — Drive around the Boulevards.. — Arena. — Arch of Peace. — Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. — Ambrosian Library.

— Last Visit to the Cathedral. — Sunset View from the Roof and Tower page 255

C HAPTER XIX.

FROM JULAN TO GENEVA.

Lake Como. — Excursion. — Scenery on the Lake. — Ride to Varese.

— Processions of Roman Catholics. — A Pony Ride to a Convent. — Lake Maggiore. — Pallanza. — Diligence to Domo d'Osolo. — Fme Singing by Peasant-Girls. — Ascent of the Alps. — Bi-eig. — Diligence down the Valley of the Rhone. — Face of the Country. — Population.— Culture. — Martigny. — Appi-oach to Lake Geneva. — Castle of ChiUon. — Vevay 273

Chapter XX. Geneva

The Lake. — European Scenery Compared with American. — Approach to Geneva. — Hotel. — Rainy Weather. — Dr. Merle d'Aubigne. — His Influence. — Marmfacture of Watches and Jewelry. — Singing Bird. — Visit to Dr. Merle d'Aubigne at his Villa La Graveline. — Theological Schools. — Strolls about Geneva. — View from the Hills. — Calvin. — Servetus. — Rousseau. — Picture Gallery. — Disappointment. — Swans. — Lausanne. — Hotel Gibbon. — Lord Byron's Prisoner of Chillon 289

Chapter XXI. From Lausanne To Baden-baden

Drive from Lausanne to Freyburg. — Suspension Bridges. — The great Organ of Freyburg. — Liberty Tree.— ^Freyburg Itself. — Berne. — Curious Clock. — Bears. — New Capitol. — Country around Berne.

— From Berne, by Basle to Strasburg. — Cathedral and Clock of Strasburg. — House of the Architect. — Church of Saint Thomas. — Protestantism 302

CHAPTER XXIL

BADEN-BADEN, HEIDELBERG, FRANKFORT, AND WIESBADEN.

Baden-Baden and its Environs. — Hot Springs. — Rouge-et-Noir. — Females Gambling. — New Castle. — A Hot Bath. — Old Castle on

r the Mountains. — From Baden-Baden to Heidelberg. — Ride up the

Neckar. — Wolfs Spring. — Heidelberg Castle. — Views. — From

Heidelberg to Frankfort. — Face of the Country. — Drives about

■ Frankfort. — Sights. — From Frankfort to Wiesbaden. — Gambling.

— Hot Springs. — Grounds. — Splendid Mausoleum of the Wife of the Duke of Nassau page 31 7

Chapter XXIII. Cologne — Antwerp — Brussels

Biebrich. — Palace and Gardens. — Passage down the Rhine. — Scenery. — Cathedral in Cologne. — The City. — Paintings. — Eau de Cologne.— Bridge of Boats. — From Cologne to Antwerp. — Face of the Country. — Aix la Chapelle. — Customhouse. — Railroad. — Scenery by the Way. — Liege. — Manufactures. — Sir Walter Scott's Quentin Durward. — Louvain, — Antwerp. — Cathedral. — Rubens' Descent from the Cross. — Saint Paul's. — Calvary. — Museum. — Artists. — From Antwerp to Brussels. — Mechlin. — Vilvorde. — Brussels. — Visit to Battle-Fields of Waterloo. — Anecdotes of Sergeant Mundy. — Cathedral in Brussels. — Zoological Gardens. — Mr L'xitlier de Wiertz the Artist. — Brussels Lace. — Pi'ocess of Manufacture. — Value 333

Chapter XXIV. Paris Again

Pai'is. — Its Influence. — Religious Aspects. — Amusements. — The Sabbath. — Sevres. — Porcelain. — Versailles. — Gardens. — Le Grand Trianon. — Le Petit Trianon. — Queen Antoinette's Apartments. — Villa Grounds. — Palace. — Galleries of Paintings. — Grand Review on the Champs de Mars by the Emperor in Person. — Saint Denis.

— Drive to vSaint Cloud through the Bois de Bologne. — Palace of the Luxembourg. — Paintings. -r- Hotel de Cluny. — Its Curiosities.

— French Habits and Customs. — Champs Elysees. — Sports and Amusements. — Public Gardens. — Chateau des Fleurs. — Jardin Mabille. — Jardin d'Hiver. — Excursion to Fontainebleau. — Its Palace and Forests. — Jardin des Plantes. — Palais de I'lndustrie. — Cattle Show. — Pantheon. — Parisian Politeness.- — Review on leaving Paris 356

Chapter XXV. Return To London

From Paris to Southampton by Rouen and Havre. — Day spent on tho Isle of Wight. — Cowes. — Newport. — Carisbrooke Castle. — Arreton. — Dairyman's Daughter's Grave. — The Dairyman's Cottage.

— Brading. — Parkhurst Prison. — From Southampton to London. — Sunday in London. — Dr. John Camming. — ^Old City Koad Wesleyan Chapel. — Cemetery. — Tower of London. — London Docks.

— Tunnel. — Visit to Greenwich. — Return to London on the Thames page 372

Chapter XXVI. London And Its Vicinity

Zoological Gardens. — Royal Exchange. — Dr. Melville's Tuesday Lecture.— Sydenham. — Grounds and Palace. — British Museum. — Richmond. — Wesleyan Theological School. — Methodism in Great Britain. — Queen Victoria and the Royal Family. — Ascot Races. — An Evening at Mr. Haldane's. — Dr. Merle d'Aubigne. — Visit to Windsor Castle, Parks, and Lakes. — Cranbrook ToAver 385

CHAPTER XXVII. LONDON, OXFORD, AND STRVrrORD ON AVON

Mr. Binney. — A Visit to the Bank of England. — House of Lords. — House of Commons. — Speck of War. — Parliament Buildings. — Westminster Abbey again. — Excursion to Oxford. — Its Colleges. — Leamington. — Warwick Castle. — Stratford on Avon. — The House in which Shakespeare was born. — The Church in which he and his Wife are entombed. — Return to London 405

Chapter XXVIII. Birmingham — Sheffield York Lefds And Manchester

Leave London. — Leamington. — Kenilworth Castle. — Guy's Cliff.

— Birmingham. — Ministers. — Churches. — Manufactures. — From Birmingham to Chatsworth. — Castle, Gardens, etc. — From Chatsworth to Sheffield. — The Town and its Manufactures. — From Sheffield to York. — Cathedral, St, Mary's Abbey, etc. — Leeds. — Manchester. — Liverpool 416

Chapter XXIX

FROM LIVERPOOL TO DUBLIN : DUBLIN AND THE LAKES OF KIL- LABNEY. — BELFAST AND THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY.

From Liverpool to Chester. — From Chester to Bangor. — Conway. — Tubular Bridge. — Holyhead. — Passage across the Channel. — Appearance of the Country. — Dublin. — Saint Patrick's Cathedral. — Filthy District of the City. — Stephen's Green. — Wesleyan Methodist Conference. — Public Monuments. — Streets. — From Dublin to Killarney. — Lakes. — Condition of the People. — Return to Dublin. — Portadown. — Belfjist, — Giant's Causewav 428

Chapter XXX. The Highlands Glasgow — Edinburg — Abbotsford — English

LAKES — LIVERPOOL.

From Belfast to Glasgow. — Excursion on Loch Lomond. — Ascent of Ben Lomond. — Glasgow. — From Glasgow to Edinburg. — The City of Edinburg. — Holyrood Palace. — Edinburg Castle, etc. — Visit to Melrose Abbey and Abbotsford. — English Lakes. — UUeswater. — Wendermere. — The Country around. — Liverpool. page 443

Conclusion

American Tourists in Europe. — Obiects which most Interest them. — Sources of Information. — Natural Scenery Coippared with American Scenery. — Mountain Scenery in Switzerland. — Landscapes in Italy, -r- Skies and Sunsets in Ita^y ooraj)ared with those Presented in America. — English Tourists. — The Fine Arts. — Criticisms, etc. — Night on the Ocean 456

RANDOM SKETCHES.

Chapter I. From New York To Liverpool

Departure from New York. — Night upon the Ocean. — Reasons for my Voyage. — Companions in Travel. — Life upon the Ocean. — Passengers. — Gambling. — Religious Services on board. — A Gale. — Sight of Land. — St. George's Channel. — Take a Pilot. — Arrival at Liverpool.

Feb. 20, 1856. — I took passage to-day, at three o'clock, p. M., on board the new and splendid oceansteamship Persia^ bound from New York to Liverpool. We are just now outside Sandy Hook ; and as the sun sinks behind the blue rim of the horizon, I commence my Random Sketches and Notes of Travel, which I propose keeping up daily, while impressions are strong and vivid upon my mind, during the whole period of my absence from the port which I am now leaving behind.

The last boat which brought passengers out to the Persia from the Cunard docks on the Jersey City side, drew off, thronged with hundreds of persons who ha(^ accompanied tlieir friends on board the great steamer, lying midway between Jersey City and New York ; presently the machinery was in motion, and the majestic ship moved off slowly from her moorings, and, after describing a great circle upon the bosom of the icebound harbor, she stood out toward the sea. The scene was exciting when the signal-guns were fired, and the crowd on the deck of the tender raised a shout that rang out on the cold, wintry air, like the rejoicings of a great multitude, and was responded to right merrily by the passengers on board the departing ship ; while snowy handkerchiefs were waving over hundreds of heads, as the voiceless but expressive farewells between friends who might never meet again.

The sailing of an ocean-steamer, though now almost a daily occurrence, can not fail to excite the deepest interest and awaken the most intense solicitude in many minds. Each departing ship, in its outward-bound voyage, bears persons away in pursuit of either health, pleasure, fame, or wealth, who leave dear ones behind in whose bosoms a trembling and painful anxiety is felt in behalf of the adventurers. And as friends stand upon the boat that has borne the passengers from the shore to the ship in the stream, and with upturned faces and eager eyes pry among the dense throng that crowds the upper deck, to catch a parting glance or token of recognition from a father, a brother, a son, or a partner in business, the loud huzza may ring out from the lips, but it is hard to check the rising tear, or suppress the emotion that swells the heart : —

" When forced to part with those we love, Though sure to meet to-morrow, We yet a kind of anguish prove, And feel a touch of sorrow."

But our gallant and beautiful ship is hastening on toward the ocean. The lofty steeples and spires of New York are fading away in the distance : we pass the bar, discharge the pilot, snap the last link that binds us to the receding shore, and find ourselves fairly afloat upon the wide domain of waters.

Night is upon the ocean. As the shades of the evening gathered around us, a faint outline of the gradually-sinking mainland was seen on the horizon ; while the beacon-lights along the shore gleamed and twinkled amid the darkness like the lights of hope upon the verge of life. The broad, full moon, occasionally obscured by a passing cloud, rose over the waters of the " darkblue sea," and spread out before us a path of light upon the restless, brilliant, and crested waves, luminous and bright as the gates of glory. But the winter is not yet over. The last seven weeks have been intensely cold. Our rivers, canals, and harbors, are locked up in ice, the like of which, for so long a time, has never been Avituessed by the oldest inhabitant of our country. The Pacific, a fine steamer of the Collins line, now out twenty-eight days from Liverpool, has not been heard from since she sailed. Serious apprehensions are entertained that she is lost. The Persia, which sailed from Liverpool but three days later than the Pacific, encountered large fields of ice, which partially disabled her, and we can not tell what awaits us. But we cast aside gloomy forebodings, and put our trust in God.

Ten o^ clock at Night. — The last hour has been spent upon the upper deck. The prospect is perfectly captivating. It is almost as light as day. The eye can range over a wide expanse of waters, agitated and broken by the wind, and sparkling in the moonbeams. Leaning over the prow of the ship, it was pleasant to listen to the splasli and murmur of the waters, as the wreaths of foam parted and rolled off to the right and left, and dissolved again like the snowflake on the wave. Near me, an old sailor upon the forward watch narrated to my fellow-voyagers some yarns about shipwrecks and sad disasters at sea, in which he, of course, shared and acted a conspicuous and exciting part. He was once wrecked on the coast of Africa, and supported himself for the space of thirty-six hours in the sea, on a small spar of the vessel, swimming first with one hand and then the other, until he got upon a sandbank, and ultimately was saved. In the midst of his narrative the third bell of the watch was struck, and the old weather-beaten tar, in a sort of mechanical way, with a hard, iron voice, cried out, "All's well!" and it was caught up by the men on duty and carried from the forward watch, " All's well !" " All's well !" till it died away at the other end of the ship, which was nearly four hundred feet from us. It is pleasant in the night-watches to hear that sound flung upon the passing winds— "All's well!"

I pause a moment before I lay down my pen to-night to inquire, lohy I am here. Why liave I left my home, and my pastoral charge, and thrown myself upon the ocean at a cold and stormy season of the year ? I think I can say that nothing but the hope of regaining my health, so as to enable me the more effectually to execute my whole mission as a preacher of the gospel, could have induced me, at this time, to leave my family and my church, to encounter the perils of a sea-voyage, and the privations of foreign travel. As much pleasure as I might anticipate in visiting the Old World, and passing a few months among the monumental piles that tell of a past generation, and gazing upon all the magnificence which the present age spreads before the eye of the European traveller, I feel confident that the ruling motive in finally determining my mind in favor of taking the voyage and tour on which I have now entered, and to which I am fully committed, is, the desire to render myself more useful as a pastor and preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May God go with me, and may the end proposed be fully accomplished.

Three highly-esteemed young gentlemen are my companions in travel, forming a most agreeable and pleasant little party, namely, Mr. Amandus N. Walker, of Richmond, Virginia; Mr. John P. Branch, of Petersburg, and Mr. Abram D. Warwick, of Lynchburg. We propose passing directly through England and France on our way to Italy, where we design spending the months of March and April, and then return through Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, and Great Britain. We have allotted but six or seven months to this tour, hoping to get back to the port of New York> at the latest, by the first of September next.

Feb. 23. — Much has been said of the monotony of a sea-voyage ; and it must be admitted that there is but little variety in calm, clear skies of unvarying blue ; in a smooth, unruffled sea, unbroken by a billow ; in a succession of days upon the waste of waters, unrelieved by a solitary sail ; in steady breezes from the same point, requiring no change in the canvass of the ship, and in the same uniform round of duties performed by the officers. Indeed, one can scarcely think of a more profound solitude than that which reigns around a merchantvessel, far out at sea, during a long continuance of fair and pleasant weather, with but few passengers on board, and barely wind enough to fill out the sails, and keep the ship upon its course — the sailors hanging listlessly over the bulwarks, with a yacaiit eye upon the sea, or lying upon a coil of ropes in the sunshine, dozing away the idle hours ; the captain with his chart, engaged in some aimless calculation; the subordinate officers carelessly pacing the deck without employment; the imprisoned passengers sighing for the shore, and all —

" As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean."

But it is far different on a splendid ocean-steamer, crowded with passengers, and propelled by a power that drives it forward, alike in calm and storm, and thus breaks the monotony that otherwise makes the sea-voyage irksome, and dull. The motion of the m^acliinery ; the action of the gallant ship bounding beneath the passengers ; the boiling foam, crackling and flashing in the wake of the vessel, and the visible evidences that one is hastening onward to the desired port, all serve to give life and animation to the scene and relieve the tedium of life at sea.

Since we left New York we have enjoyed fine weather. We are now nearly a thousand miles from Sandy Hook. The temperature is about fifty degrees Fahrenheit, and we have the promise of a quick and pleasant voyage. The sea has been so smooth that there has been but little perceptible motion in the ship, and but few have been troubled with sea-sickness. The Persia is a noble and elegant ship; the fare and accommodations are most excellent, and one can be almost as comfortable on shipboard as in a first-class hotel on shore.

We have a large number of passengers, and among them there are representatives of all nations and creeds ; nor is there any grade or type of moral character that may not be found in this diversified crowd of human beings. The voluble Frenchman, the more thoughtful German, the stiff and formal Englishman, the sober-sided Scotchman, the independent Swiss, the indolent Spaniard, the pantomimic Italian, and all sorts of Americans, from the most polished and elegant gentleman to the rudest boor, are in this heterogeneous mass. And the confusion of Babel scarcely split the earth into more languages than strike the ear in the dining-saloon, when a good dinner has put every one in a fine humor, and the sparkling champagne has given exhilaration to the spirits, and volubility to the tongues of the talkative crowd.

The mania for gambling is developing itself among the passengers. The intervals between the meals are devoted to cards, chess, backgammon, and other games, not merely for recreation and amusement, but for gambling purposes, and large amounts of money are constantly changing hands between the parties engaged. Nor is this gambling confined to games of chance, or games that tax the intellect, but men are found who are ready to bet on anything. Parties are betting on the number of days that the Persia will occupy in her present voyage ; betting on the hour of the day she will get into port ; betting on the number of the boat from which the ship will take her pilot ; betting that the Persia will got to Liverpool before the Quaker City which sailed four days before the Persia ; betting that the Pacific is not lost, and on a hundred other things of a similar nature. For some reason the captain of the Persia refuses to post the daily run of the ship. This is a source of very great dissatisfaction to many on board. It is regarded as a foolish and unreasonable innovation upon established usage. It is said, however, that Captain Judkins refuses to do this because of the gambling to which it leads. The prevailing, if not universal custom on the regular ocean-steamers is, to post the run of the ship every day at noon, as soon as the observations are made. As soon as this is done a large number of persons are found who are ready to bet that she will not run as far, or that she will run farther, the next twenty-four hours ; and in this way a large amount of money is won and lost during the voyage. Our good captain, however, I am inclined to think, declines to post the run of his ship, more from a careful regard for the safety of the passengers, and to avoid the suspicion that the officers are implicated in this betting, than from any conscientious scruples on the subject. This abuse of the posting of the run of the ship, has, in this case, cut off the whole of the passengers from the gratification of knowing anything about their distance from the port left behind, or the port of destination ahead, only as it may ]3e ascertained from subordinate officers of the ship, who, in this regard, manifest a more polite attention to the wishes of the passengers than the cold, curt, and snappish captain who replies to a reasonable inquiry with a grunt, and turns away without giving any satisfaction. It is a pleasure to the passengers to know how they are progressing on their voyage, and it is absurd and unreasonable, to deny them this gratification because gamblers will bet on the run of the ship when this is daily communicated to them.