Notes by the way-side, on a tour for health and recreation, on the sea, in England, France, and Belgium

Preface

The following pages were written to while away some passing leisure hours, and to preserve the impressions and scenes of a brief journey undertaken for the recovery of health, rather than with any view to enter into critical discussion on the objects which principally attract the traveler's attention, or to make strict inquiry and careful comparisons, as to the matters which naturally present themselves for philosophical investigation.

Almost every traveler writes his book, and many of ability, and some of glowing interest, are constantly being issued from the press ; yet we venture to issue still another, without, we trust, being thought presumptuous or egotistical.

While seeking health, information, and recreation amidst the cities and scenes of Europe, delighted and interested by the novel and changing landscape, the various phases of life, the antiquities, noble edifices, splendid and

VI PREFACE,

immortal works of art, and various other things, the writer of this volume could not refrain from communicating to a few friends the thoughts that were suggested, descriptions of the places and districts he passed through, and of the most interesting objects with which he met. The Letters thus written are now republished with the intention and expectation of preserving cherished reminiscences, and of gratifying a somewhat larger circle of friends, than they could reach without the aid of the press. We do not all see the same things in the same aspect ; and even without hoping to satisfy the critical few, or the mass of general readers, we may still hope to meet with some who may find pleasure, and perchance profit in our humble work.

"We have in these Letters told the simple, plain, unvarnished truth, and endeavored to picture everything as it is. "We tried to see with our own eyes, exclusively, and without prejudice or partiality ; everywhere admiring the beautiful, with our whole hearts, and wishing to look at the pleasant side of things. Yain speculations and extravagant or fulsome adulation, we never indulge in, at home or abroad. Praise, flattery, sneering, denunciation, we have no occasion to employ, and have avoided at all times and in all places ; and nothing of the kind, we hope, has crept into this volume.

Some may wish that more details had been given, and that more technical language had been used in the des-

PREFACE, Vll

criptions of building, pictures, &c. ; but as plainness is always practicable, and we desired to be comprehensible to all our readers, we have avoided these as much as possible, consistently with clearness and truthfulness. There will doubtless be many errors discoverable — these we can only hope may be covered with the mantle of charity.

Most of those who will meet with, and, perhaps from friendly feeling rather than for its own sake, read this book, are aware that we left our much-loved home enfeebled in body, and depressed in mind, by a long and painful illness— disease too literally gnawing at our vitals. "We found no little pleasure in jotting down and sending to our friends this correspondence, and if those for whom it was originally intended were as much pleased, we were amply repaid. If we shall be the means of affording some little amusement or instruction to a few more friendly readers, we shall again be well satisfied with the result of the trouble we have been at in giving this humble production a wider circulation.

If any think that we have put things in too favorable a light, or exaggerated the superiority of Europe in its edifices and works of art, as compared with our country, let them remember that a young republic needs not, and can hardly expect to possess, the splendor and luxury of an old monarchy ; and that though there is in the countries we visited abundant material for the bitterest criticism,

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the object of our journey made us seek what was most agreeable. We should make no excuse, even if convinced that we had depicted in too glowing colors the good qualities of those by whom we were treated with so much kindness and cordiality.

The obligations of writer and reader should be mutual, and may we not be permitted to hope that both may find some pleasure and benefit in the acquaintance here commenced ?

THE WRITER.

Ottawa, November, 1857>

Letter I

Author's reasons for traveling — New York Bay — Daily speed of the Persia — Cape Race — No Icebergs — Phosphorescence of the surface of the Ocean — The Church of England Service read on board on Sunday — The reproach and inconsistency of American Slavery — An awkward subject for the American Traveler — Amusements.

Letter II

Feelings in mid-ocean — The Table, miscellaneousness of the Company, good fellowship, &c. on board — Anticipations — " The merry homes of England "— " A Whale !"— First sight of land— The Isle of Man — At anchor — Liverpool — The shortest passage ever made — Custom House Officers — " The Feathers."

Letter III

Apparently unprotected situation of Liverpool — The Docks — The "U < S. Steam-frigate Niagara taking the Cable on board — Singular names of Hotels — Origin of the name of Liverpool — Dingy appearance of the City — Amount of population — General appearance of the People — Absence of the ruddiness of Complexion for which the English have the credit — The plan and streets of the City' — Surprising number of drinking houses — Misery and drunkenness met with in the streets — Neal Dow expected; much wanted — Public buildings of the city — Capacity and magnificence of the Liverpool Docks — Quantity of shipping and extent of the commerce of the City — The Exchange — The Post Office — Seaman's Home — St. George's Hall — Railway Depot — The Town Hall — Zoological Gardens — Mortality and sanitary condition of the population of Liverpool — Rapid growth of the City — Comparison with New York — Appearance of the country — The live hedges- Abundance of trees.

LETTER IY.

From Liverpool to London — Beautiful appearance of the country passed through — Smithfield — Fine statue to Stevenson the railroad engineer — Visit to St. Paul's Cathedral — Tombs, monuments, statues there — Moral value of such memorials — The Tower of London — The Traitor's Gate — Bloody Tower — White Tower — Collection of arms of all kinds and periods — Dungeons — Relics — Effigies in ancient armor — Beauchamp's Tower — The.Crown Jewels — The Royal Exchange — The Bank of England — Mansion House — London Bridge — The Thames — Its size, shipping, traffic — Kew Botanical Gardens — Visit to a wheatfield — The English farmers.

CONTENTS. XI

Letter V

The Surrey Zoological Gardens — Julien and his band of one hundred and fifty performers — Fire-works — Good order — Visit to the Foundling Hospital — Dr. Cummings — Windsor Palace — Ceesar's Tower — The Queen's Audience Chamber — The Ball Room — Van Dyke Room — Drawing Room — The Waterloo Chamber — St. George's Hall— The Terraces — St. George's Chapel — The beautiful Cenotaph to the Princess Charlotte — The Round Tower — The magnificent view from its summit — The Royal Stables — Windsor Park — The Long Walk — a little Yankee guessing — Prince Albert's farming operations — Madame Tussaud's Historical Wax-work Gallery in London — A surprising and interesting Exhibition — Its numerous figures — Relics — Chamber of Horrors, &c.

LETTER YI.

The Bridges over the Thames — Somerset House — The New Houses of Parliament — The Victoria Tower — Large Bell — The House of Commons — A Debate — The House of Lords — Westminster Abbey — Monuments, ancient Tombs, venerable and impressive appearance — The Lungs of London — St. James's Park — Buckingham Palace — Green Park — Hyde Park — St. James's Palace — The W'est End — National Monuments — Regent's Park — The Regent's Zoological Gardens — Grand Concert for the benefit of a colored lady, Mrs. Seacole — " God save the Queen"— A London Cattle Market — The Prices— Covent Garden Market — The Crystal Palace at Sydenham— Grandeur and variety of the exhibition — The Beautiful Gardens of the Palace.

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Letter VII

London from the Dome of St. Paul's — The Brewers' Horses — Carriage Horses — Clumsiness of the London vehicles — London Bridge — London fogs — Taste of the London atmosphere — Climate — Cost of living in London — Health of the population constantly improving — Exclusiveness tof Society — The Poor — Begging — Dodges — Training Thieves and Pickpockets for the profession — Historical Associations— The Great Eastern (now the Leviathan) — Greenwich Hospital — Anglo-Saxondom — English superciliousness and self-importance — The united Anglo-Saxon race irresistible.

Letter VIII

Delightfulness of the landscape in Kent and Surrey — Ramsgate, the favorite Watering-place — The Downs — The Goodwin Sands — The original Bleak House — The Parks of the Nobility — Habit of secluding residences from public observation as much as practicable — Love of home and retirement — The Fens of Lincolnshire — The city of Lincoln — The Cathedral — Glorious Architecture of the Dark Ages — Stained glass Windows — The moderns inferior in the art of staining glass — Specimen of the Mosaic Pavement of the Romans — Lincoln Castle — Roman remains and road — St. Mary's Stowe — Cost of living in the country in Lincolnshire — Appearance of the country people — Sheffield — The manufacturing districts — Manchester — Appearance of the City — The Manchester Exhibition of the " Art Treasures of Great Britain."

CONTENTS. Xlll

Letter IX

The Manchester Exhibition — English Railways and Locomotives — Dover — France — Calais — Number of military men — Different appearance of the country in France from that of England — Absence of hedges and fences — Planting the roadsides with trees — The rural population gathered into villages, not scattered as in England and America — Women and Children at work in the field and towing canal boats — Fields of the sugar beet — Windmills — Paris — Prepossessing appearance of the City— The Rue Rivoli— The Palace of the Tuileries— The Palace Gardens — Surpassing magnificence of some of the saloons of the Palace— Triumphal Arch— The Hotel de Ville— Notre Dame — Columns and roof of a Cathedral papered — High Mass in Notre Dame— The Madeline— Cheerful appearance of Paris— Fondness of the people for being out of doors — The Cafes and Restaurants — The Boulevards — Soldiers everywhere — Cheapness and habitual use of wine — Horse meat

Letter X

The Place Vendome — Noble Triumphal Column of the metal of captured cannon — The Pantheon — Tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau — The Jardin des Plantes — Palace of the Luxembourg — The Chamber of Peers — The magnificence of the Salle du Trone — The Galleries of Paintings — Palace Garden — Scene of the infamous execution of Marshal Ney— The Tomb of Napoleon— Hotel des Invalides— No Memorial of Josephine — Evening scenes in Paris — The Champs Elysees — Place de la Concorde — Site of the Guillotine — The Boulevards of

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p ar i s — Boulevard des Italiens at night — The Column of July — Rivo li — Church of St. Roche — Admirable Painting of the Crucifixion —The Magnificent Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile— The Bois de Boulogne — Military School — Church of St. Sulpice.

Letter XI

Visit to the Louvre — Gallery of Paintings over thirteen hundred feet in length — Value of some of the pictures — Murillo's ^Immaculate Conception of the Virgin — Relics and Antiquities — The Bourse — The Gobelin Manufactory — Surprising Tapestry Work — Palais du Justice — Scenes famous in the Reign of Terror — Visit to Versailles — A Deserted City. — The Palace a national exhibition of French works of art — Picture of the Retreat from Russia — The surprise of the Arab Camp, by Horace Vernet, one hundred feet in length — Curious Clocks Splendid apartment — Gallery devoted to pictures of battles — Salle Napoleon — An instance of the popularity of the Anglo-French Alliance — Six miles of Galleries and Saloons — The Grounds and Gardens of the Palace — Incredible cost of forming and ornamenting them — Efficiency of the Paris Police — Omnipresence of the Secret Police — Regulation of the Public Vehicles — Few beggars — Apparent happiness and contentment of the Parisians.

Letter XII

Brussels — The country roads lined with fine trees — Opposite characteristics of the English and French— English love of seclusion — French love of display — The Cathedral at Brussels — Grand representation of the Judgment on stained glass — The Boulevards of Brussels

CONTENTS. XV

finer than those of Paris — Parliament Houses — Statues and Fountains — Character of the population of Brussels — The Hotel de Ville — Surprising number of beggars — Lace Manufactures — Verses from Byron — Visit to the Field of Waterloo — Sergeant Munday — A fair field — Strategy of Wellington — La Haye Sainte — The Imperial Guard — The Highlanders — "Up, Guards, and at them!" — Hogoumont — Wellington's Position — The red walls mistaken for red coats — The British Lion — Museum of Relics — Reflections on the battle — Beggar Children — Abundance of soldiers — Fine appearance of the men — Visit to Antwerp — Fortifications of that city — The celebrated Cathedral of Antwerp — Statues and paintings — Great pictures by Rubens of the Descent from the Cross, and the Elevation of the Cross — Museum — Statue of Van Dyke — Church of St. Jerome — Church of St. Jaques — Monuments of Rubens and his Daughter — Surprising Sculpture of the Crucifixion — Antwerp Exchange — Markets — Ghent — Appearance of the country — Field work mostly done by women and children — Anomalies — Disregard of the Sabbath — Comfort and prosperity of the people of Belgium. *