Opening
TWENTY YEARS AROUND THE WORLD.
BY JOHN GUY VASSAR.
NEW YORK: RUDD & CARLETON, 130 GRAND STREET. M DCCC LXI.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-one, by
JOHN GUY VASSAR
In the Clerk’s office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.
R. CRAIGHEAD, Printer, Stereotyper, and Electrotyper, Caxton Building, 81, 83, and 85 Centre Street.
TO
MATTHEW VASSAR, ESQ.,
FOUNDER OF THE VASSAR FEMALE COLLEGE, AT POUGHKEEPSIE,
WHOSE FRIENDSHIP AND COUNSEL
HAVE BEEN AMONG THE CHIEF PLEASURES OF MY LIFE,
These Letters
ARE AFFECTIONATELY AND RESPECTFULLY
DEDICATED.
Preface
Early in life the author of these letters suffered from ill-health, and necessity obliged him to seek more genial climes in order to escape the rigors of our northern winters. Duty towards his only brother and a beloved uncle induced him to sketch his travels, and keep them advised of his movements. His letters passing into the hands of kind friends, for perusal, led to further inquiries; and demands for publication in a weekly paper in his native city, were the result.
He has always hesitated to come before the Public, although constantly solicited and urged by his friends to do so, as a duty he owed to society; at length, through constant importuning, and to avoid the clamors of those he loves and esteems, he has concluded to accede to their wishes. This book is the result.
Travelling becomes a passion with some, and in this instance, a decided one. Necessity at first, with improvement in health, and finding himself better on the move than when quiet, sight-seeing and obtaining general information became more and more desirable.
After having seen every State and Capital in his own country, his desire was to visit every Capital in Europe. After having seen the antiquities and works of art of Italy, Greece, and Turkey, his ambition led him to see the older objects of Egypt and Asia Minor. Then came the desire to visit the Celestial Empire, and the East Indian world.
The West Indian Islands brought a disposition to see those of the Pacific, and those of the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Polynesian, Canary, Cape de Verde, Azores. North America, including the Canadas, having been seen, South America in all parts could not be neglected. Northern Africa, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, and Morocco had been visited; but the western and south-western coast of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, demanded their share of effort and exposure. When in China, he desired to visit Japan, but Commodore Perry had not yet made a treaty. While at Singapore, he wished to embark for Australia; but no opportunity offering during the typhoon season, he was obliged to renounce the idea. Last Spring he made an attempt to get around from the south coast of Africa, but without success. Had he succeeded, his twenty-one years of travel would have probably closed his extended wanderings, as the whole world would have been seen, large portions of it having been repeatedly visited.
He has great reason to be thankful to the Almighty for his preservation of life and health. Surrounded by dangers of every name and nature, while scores of his companions have been swept off by shipwreck, cholera, fever, assassins, and barbarous tribes of savages, or Indians, he has passed unscathed and unharmed. J. G. V.
LETTER PAGE
I. HAVANA, 1 II. MATANZAS, 3 III. BALIZE, 6 IV. MOBILE, 8 V. TRIP FROM ALABAMA THROUGH FLORIDA AND GEORGIA, 11 VI. TRIP FROM AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, TO NEW YORK, 13 VII. A TRIP TO EUROPE, 17 VIII. NAPLES, 22 IX. MESSINA, 24 X. CATANIA, 27 XI. ROME, 30 XII. VIENNA, 35 XIII. PESTH, 38 XIV. PRAGUE, 41 XV. DRESDEN, 45 XVI. WITTEMBERG, 49 XVII. BERLIN, 51 XVIII. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE, 55 XIX. COLOGNE, 59 XX. AMSTERDAM, 63 XXI. ROTTERDAM, 68 XXII. MILAN, 72 XXIII. TRIESTE, 76 XXIV. ATHENS, 80 XXV. ATHENS, 85 XXVI. CONSTANTINOPLE, 90 XXVII. SMYRNA, 94 XXVIII. ALEXANDRIA, 98 XXIX. GRAND CAIRO, 101 XXX. THEBES, 106 XXXI. DJIRJEH, 110 XXXII. AFRICAN DESERT, 115 XXXIII. GAZA, 120 XXXIV. JERUSALEM, 125 XXXV. JAFFA, 129 XXXVI. VALETTA, 135 XXXVII. SUMMER TRIP, 1842, 139 XXXVIII. ROME, 148 XXXIX. GENEVA, 151 XL. MUNICH, 155 XLI. FRANKFORT, 160 XLII. BATHS OF EMS, 164 XLIII. COPENHAGEN, 167 XLIV. CHRISTIANIA, 173 XLV. STOCKHOLM, 175 XLVI. ST. PETERSBURG, 179 XLVII. MOSCOW, 184 XLVIII. CRACOW, 189 XLIX. ISLAND OF ST. THOMAS, 193 L. CARACAS, 197 L*. ISLAND OF BEATTI, 202 LI. JACMEL, 207 LII. HAVANA, 212 LIII. HAVANA, 216 LIV. TRIP TO CALIFORNIA, 220 LV. TRIPS TO BENECIA, SACRAMENTO, &c., 226 LVI. OREGON TERRITORY, 229 LVII. SAN FRANCISCO, 232 LVIII. LAHAINA, 234 LIX. HONOLULU, 236 LX. HONOLULU, 239 LXI. LADRONE ISLANDS, 242 LXII. CANTON, 245 LXIII. HONG KONG, 249 LXIV. SINGAPORE, 252 LXV. KANDY, 254 LXVI. KANDY, 258 LXVII. CALCUTTA, 261 LXVIII. FOR BOMBAY, 265 LXIX. BOMBAY, 267 LXX. ALEXANDRIA, 271 LXXI. ISLAND OF TENERIFFE, 274 LXXII. BAHIA, 277 LXXIII. RIO JANEIRO, 280 LXXIV. MONTE VIDEO, 284 LXXV. BUENOS AYRES, 286 LXXVI. OFF MONTE VIDEO, 289 LXXVII. PACIFIC COAST, 291 LXXVIII. SANTIAGO, 295 LXXIX. LIMA, 299 LXXX. QUITO, 304 LXXXI. PARIS, 309 LXXXII. BARCELONA, 313 LXXXIII. PALMA, 317 LXXXIV. VALENCIA, 321 LXXXV. MURCIA, 325 LXXXVI. MADRID, 328 LXXXVII. THE ESCORIAL, 333 LXXXVIII. VALLADOLID, 337 LXXXIX. SAN SEBASTIAN, 341 XC. PARIS, 346 XCI. MARSEILLES, 351 XCII. AJACCIO, 356 XCIII. BASTIA, 361 XCIV. SIENNA, 365 XCV. ROME, 369 XCVI. NAPLES, 373 XCVII. TURIN, 377 XCVIII. PARIS, 381 XCIX. AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, 385 C. BATH OF EMS, 389 CI. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE 393 CII. HANOVER, 397 CIII. BREMEN, 399 CIV. HANOVER, 401 CV. BRAUNSCHWEIG, 402 CVI. BERLIN, 405 CVII. PRAGUE, 407 CVIII. VIENNA, 410 CIX. PESTII, 413 CX. SALTZBURG, 416 CXI. WIESBADEN, 425 CXII. PARIS, 428 CXIII. FLORENCE, 431 CXIV. BOLOGNA, 435 CXV. VENICE, 439 CXVI. COMO, 442 CXVII. ZURICH, 444 CXVIII. WIESBADEN, 448 CXIX. HANOVER, 451 CXX. BERLIN, 453 CXXI. BRESLAU, 456 CXXII. VIENNA, 458 CXXIII. TRIESTE, 460 CXXIV. VENICE, 464 CXXV. LUZERNE, 467 CXXVI. BATHS OF EMS, 469 CXXVII. MARSEILLES, 472 CXXVIII. ALGIERS, 474 CXXIX. MEDEAH, 477 CXXX. CONSTANTINE, 480 CXXXI. TUNIS, 484 CXXXII. TRIPOLI, 488 CXXXIII. GRAND CAIRO, 491 CXXXIV. CONSTANTINOPLE, 495 CXXXV. SEBASTOPOL, 498 CXXXVI. YALTA, 502 CXXXVII. TIFLIS, 507 CXXXVIII. PIATIGORSE, 511 CXXXIX. STAVERPOOL, 515 CXL. TAGANROG, 518 CXLI. ODESSA, 521 CXLII. BADEN, 525 CXLIII. BATHS OF TÖPLITE, 528 CXLIV. MARIENBAD, 531 CXLV. COPENHAGEN, 533 CXLVI. SWINEMUNDE, 537 CXLVII. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-ODER, 540 CXLVIII. HAMBURG, 543 CXLIX. HANOVER, 546 CL. BERLIN, 549 CLI. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE, 552 CLII. FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE, 555 CLIII. PARIS, 559 CLIV. TETUAN, 562 CLV. MOGADORE, 565 CLVI. BATHURST, 570 CLVII. SIERRA LEONE, 573 CLVIII. CAPE COAST CASTLE, 576 CLIX. WEST COAT OF AFRICA, 579 CLX. BONNY RIVER, 583 CLXI. MAYUMBA, 586 CLXII. ST. PAUL DE LOANDO, 589 CLXIII. PROVINCE OF ANGOLA, 592 CLXIV. ISLAND OF SAN MIGUEL, 596