Young Americans Abroad Part 8

Letter 22.

LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

No one comes to London without being told by every one to go and see the parks; so we have been to see these fine breathing places. Hyde Park is about four hundred acres, and has as many as half a dozen great entrances. Its position is high, and it is the great drive of the people of fas.h.i.+on. If you want to see London, you must come here on a fine summer day in June, at about four o'clock, and you will gaze on the finest and gayest equipages of England. A very pretty piece of water is in this park, which is called "the Serpentine River." The best skating of London is to be seen here, we are told, in hard winters. The entrance from Piccadilly is by a fine threefold arch. Here is the great Achilles of bronze, in honor of Wellington, made out of the cannon which the duke captured in Spain. St. James's and the Green Park: this is the oldest in London, and was made by Henry VIII. A fine arch affords entrance from Piccadilly, having a bronze colossal equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington. You get grand views of the Abbey towers, Buckingham Palace, the York Column, and other objects of interest. The two parks are about one hundred and fifty acres. Regent's Park is one of the most attractive spots in this great city. Here are villas of the finest kind.

Some of the prettiest terraces and rows of houses about London are here to be seen. This park contains nearly five hundred acres, and, among other attractions, the Botanical and Zoological Gardens, and the Coliseum. Victoria Park, near Bethnal Green, is a new one, of about three hundred acres; but we did not visit it.

Besides these, there are more than thirty squares, some of which are very beautiful, and are finely planted and adorned. Belgrave Square is exceedingly rich in its appearance; the houses are built in the Corinthian order.

Northumberland House, at Charing Cross, is the city residence of the Duke of Northumberland. This, externally, has no great beauty, but is surmounted by the lion of the Percy family. It was built in 1605. This n.o.ble mansion has been politely opened by its proprietor to the visits of the foreigners who are here at the exhibition. It is a princely mansion; and, although we had recently been to Windsor, and seen the royal residence, yet we thought this palace home almost regal in its splendor. The staircase is splendid, and the apartments are very magnificent. The hall and drawing-rooms are quite equal, in decorations and paintings, to the rooms at Windsor. We were much pleased with two large pictures--a fox and deer hunt, by Snyders; but there were so many, that it is difficult to single out those we admired. There are some beautiful paintings of Napoleon, and exquisite carvings in ivory.

In one of the saloons we were all struck with a large Sevres china vase, presented to the Duke of Northumberland by Charles X., at his coronation, at which occasion the duke was present as amba.s.sador extraordinary, and made a most astonis.h.i.+ng display of English wealth and liberality.

Sion House, near Brentford, is another palace belonging to the duke.

This n.o.ble mansion is on the banks of the Thames, and is composed of freestone. It is very gorgeously furnished, and the hothouses and conservatories are not much, if any, inferior to Chatsworth. This mansion has also, been opened to visitors from abroad, and we received orders from the minister.

One of the sweetest features about the metropolis, to my taste, is the vast number of charming villages that surround it. Go where you may, you fall in with cottages, villas, and mansions, that convey to the mind the ideas of comfort, elegance, and wealth.

I find from Weld that he forgot to tell you that we went to St.

Margaret's Church, which stands only a few yards off from Westminster Abbey. This is a very old building, and said to be of the days of Edward I. In this very building the celebrated fast-day sermons of the Long Parliament were preached, and I felt much interest in thinking how often Cromwell, Pym, Peters, and Harrison had wors.h.i.+pped G.o.d in that house. In this church, too, the a.s.sembly of Divines wors.h.i.+pped, and also the Scotch commissioners, and took the covenant. This church boasts a painted window of exquisite beauty, which came as a present, from Holland, to Henry VII.; and the historical a.s.sociations of this window are very curious, and well worth your reading about. The monuments of this sanctuary are far from being devoid of interest. I may name, among others, those to Caxton, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir James Harrington, author of the great book, "Oceana," the wife of Milton, the mother of Cromwell, all of whom are here interred.

While I am speaking of churches, let me tell you that, close by our hotel, is a very fine one, that pleases me exceedingly. It is called St.

Martin's-in-the-Fields, but is at present quite central as it regards the metropolis. I think the portico is to my eye equal to any piece of architecture in London. It was built in 1726. A church stood here for many centuries; and in 1680, Baxter said that forty thousand people of the parish could not get into the church; and he adds that they "lived like Americans, without hearing a sermon for many years." This church has an exquisite chime of bells, and they very much amused me every morning.

Yours affectionately,

JAMES.

Letter 23.

LONDON.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

I have not written you for some time. But today I have seen a number of things which I am sure you would be pleased with, and so I will tell you about them. Early in the morning we went to see the Mansion House. This is the dwelling-house of the lord mayor of London. It is a fine-looking building, but has a queer upper story, with small windows, which look badly, over the n.o.ble pillars and portico. The great room used for public occasions is the Egyptian Hall, for what reason does not appear from any thing about it. Here the lord mayor has his great feasts. I should like to be in London on the 9th of November, which is his day of inauguration; and this is the great day for Londoners. He rides in a large carved gilt carriage. I believe he goes to Westminster by water, in a splendid barge, and comes back in his coach. The salary is eight thousand pounds; but the expenses are beyond this amount, and some persons refuse to serve, and pay a fine of five hundred pounds; but this is a rare case, and enough are ready to pay for the honor. In the city the mayor ranks before the royal family. The t.i.tle of "your lords.h.i.+p" ceases at the expiration of his office.

Our next visit was to the Royal Exchange, a very n.o.ble quadrangle, which was finished in 1844. It stands finely between the Bank of England and the Mansion House, and in front there is a sort of open s.p.a.ce, or widening of the streets. This is the third building which has occupied the same spot--the two earlier ones were both burnt down. The original Exchange was built by Sir Thomas Gresham, and opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1570. It was copied from the famous Burse at Antwerp, which still stands. It is singular that, in the great fires of 1666 and 1838, the statue of Sir Thomas Gresham escaped uninjured. The Exchange is built of Portland stone, and already has acquired, from the smoke of London, a venerable tinge. The portico, I am told, is the largest in the kingdom; but the one at St. Martin's Church I like better. Crossing over the road, we were at the Bank of England. This is a truly immense affair.

The walls measure fourteen hundred and sixty feet. It wad built in 1734, but has had many alterations and additions, and now covers four acres.

We did not go into it.

The docks of London are among the attractions of the place. They are called St. Catharine's, London, East India, West India, Commercial, &c.

These are tar too great an affair for me to describe; and to look at them, and then think of writing an account, is very much like a small boy opening a book of mathematics and trying to understand it. What do you think of the tobacco warehouse, at the docks covering five acres?

Then the tea in bonded warehouses was worth twenty-five millions of dollars; and there are ten millions of pounds of pepper, six millions of gallons of wine, and other things in proportion. I inquired about the s.h.i.+pping, and was told that there were about four thousand seven hundred and fifty vessels, and eighty thousand seamen, employed in the foreign commerce of the city; and beyond all this, twenty-one thousand coasting vessels, averaging five or six men to each craft. Nothing in London amazes us like these docks. Here you see Malays, Turks, Lascars, Chinese, Russians, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Negroes, and men of all nations.

We went several times to walk through Covent Garden Market, and to see it to advantage you must go very early in the morning. The supply of fruits and flowers is perfectly astonis.h.i.+ng, and the perfume is very fine. You little imagine, Charley, the prices that early vegetables and fruits fetch. A cuc.u.mber and onion, wrapped up in grape leaves, will, in February, March, and early part of April, find purchasers at two, three, and four dollars. Strawberries, peaches, and pines are sold in early season at what we should think "awful" prices. The hothouse grapes are very beautiful, and the vegetable productions are more carefully raised, and in greater variety, than with us. If you want to know all about Covent Garden Market, you must read Mayhew on London Labor--a nice book.

We boys had a treat the other day at an autograph collector's. His collection was large and rare, but his prices very high. I have saved a catalogue for you.

To-morrow we are off for the continent, and we are very busy in making our arrangements; so I must close. Our next will be from _La Belle France._

Yours affectionately,

GEORGE.

Letter 24.

PARIS.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

On a fine morning we left London, by rail, for Dover, in company with the Rev. Dr. Murray, of New Jersey, and Dr. Chetwood, who made quite a pleasant addition to our party. On reaching Dover, we were gratified with the commanding position of the castle, which stands upon the white chalky cliffs so celebrated by Shakspeare. The town lies in a charming valley. Dover boasts of high antiquity. The Saxons and Romans both left enduring memorials of their residence. Its importance was felt at a very early day, on account of its being the best and authorized port to carry on intercourse with France. Dover Castle was a strong fortification when William the Conqueror landed. We found a steamer ready to start, and in a few minutes were all on board. The Straits of Dover are but twenty-one miles wide; and yet, in this short pa.s.sage of barely two hours, we all suffered sadly from sea sickness. The boat was small, the pa.s.sengers were numerous, and all were thankful to plant their feet upon the soil of the republic. The examination of our pa.s.sports, and refreshment at the station-house, occupied about half an hour, and we again entered on our journey by the rail. I shall say nothing of the place, at present, as we fully intend to pa.s.s a day here, on our return, to examine this interesting old city. We found the cars good, the railroad excellent but every thing looked strange. No farms laid out in fine fields, and divided off by hedges, as in England; or fences and stone walls, as with us. We every where noticed women working in the field. We pa.s.sed through St. Omer, a fortified town, of twenty thousand inhabitants. This is a town where many English Catholics have been sent for education. We then came to Lille, which looked like a large city. It has about seventy thousand inhabitants. The fortifications look very strong, and were constructed by the great Vauban. This place has been besieged several times--once by the Duke of Marlborough, for three months, when it surrendered under Marshal Boufflers. We were amazed at the vast number of windmills--amounting to hundreds--every where to be seen around the town; and the tall chimneys in the town tell plainly that this is a great manufacturing place. The windmills are employed in preparing flax for linen.

Douai was our next town. It has about eighteen thousand inhabitants, and has a foundery for ordnance. The Theological Seminary here has been famous, and most of the Catholic clergy of England and Ireland were formerly educated here. Arras is a town of about twenty-five thousand population, and is celebrated as the birthplace of Robespierre. It is said to be a very beautiful place, but we saw little of it. The cars next pa.s.sed through Amiens, a city of about fifty thousand inhabitants.

It was at this city that a treaty of peace was made between France and England, in 1802. Clermont is a very neat little town, of about five thousand inhabitants. It has a fine old castle, and every thing looked lively and prosperous. Pontoise, on the River Oise, is a small town; and I should think that, from the upper part of the town, the prospect is very beautiful.

We reached Paris in about eleven hours and a half from London. Really, this seems very strange, that I should breakfast in London and dine at Paris. After having our luggage examined at the station, by the police, we repaired at once to the Hotel Windsor, on the Rue Rivoli. This was the hotel where Dr. C. had his quarters, fifteen years ago; and is it not strange that we have the same suite of rooms that he then occupied?

We have a fine drawing-room, a dining-room, and three good chambers. Our hotel is exactly opposite the gardens of the Tuileries, and is in the pleasantest part of the city. James, you know, was once here for three months; and he has quite a knowledge of the city, and seems perfectly at home. We take our breakfast in our apartments or the coffee-room, as suits us best, at about nine o'clock; our dinners in some good _cafe_, in various parts of the city, or at the _table d'hote_, at Meurice's Hotel, which is just next door to us. In calling on one or two persons, we found them in old apartments, but quite n.o.ble rooms, as high up as four and five stories; and we hear that many families live in the same building, and that many very respectable people live in the sixth, and even seventh story. This I should never like. Whenever we go out, we leave our key with the _concierge_ or his wife, who live in a snug little apartment just inside the great gate, which opens into a well-paved court. We have determined not to engage a guide in Paris, because it is often annoying to have a coa.r.s.e, vulgar mind disturbing you, when all you ask is silence and your own reflections. It is quite a mistake to suppose that you cannot get along without a _valet de place_--for in every hotel, and almost every large establishment, there are persons to be found who speak English. We paid our respects to our good friend the consul, and found him very comfortably settled down in his office, and residing in excellent style. A pleasant evening with his family made us all think of our old times on board the Arctic. The day after we arrived was James's birthday, and he was to give us a dinner, and had invited the consul and his son to dine with us. Well, at five we met at the consulate, and we boys walked ahead with Mr. G., Jr., leaving the doctor and the consul to bring up the rear. He supposed that his father understood where he proposed to take us, and so we went on speedily. In the Rue Vivienne they lost sight of us; we arrived at the Cafe Vachette, on the boulevards, and ordered dinner for the party. The gentlemen, however, kept walking the street for two hours. At last they gave up the matter as a bad case, and took refuge for a late dinner by themselves in a neighboring _cafe_. At nine we all met, sadly disappointed. The pleasant occasion had been quite disarranged, and some hard jokes pa.s.sed upon our want of tact in not sending out scouts to search the Rue Vivienne, with the geography of which the doctor declares he is now perfectly acquainted--having tramped it for two hours with the consul. Of course, we all have to take their jokes upon our defrauding them of a fine dinner. We have dined since at the _Trois Freres Provencaux_, which has the reputation of being one of the best _cafes_ in Paris. Our room commanded a perfect view of the quadrangle of the Palais Royal, and the spectacle was highly interesting. The accommodations of the room we occupied were very fine; and nothing could surpa.s.s the beauty of the table linen, plate, &c. We are about to commence the sights of the city in earnest, and are this evening to arrange our plans.

Yours affectionately,

GEORGE.

Letter 25.

PARIS.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

I like this city very much--every one seems so happy out of doors. Not only the poor, but the wealthy, are fond of the open air; and a great deal of time is spent in the gardens and on the boulevards. Every place seems to have provision made for the enjoyment of the people. Ices and lemonade are to be found wherever you go. The appearance of the streets in Paris is much gayer than those of London. You see a much greater number of women walking out, and they are generally very neatly dressed.

But the streets do not look as substantial as they do in London. If there is more that is imposing, there is less that keeps up your wonder.

I do not feel able to think that the people here have much business to do, for every one seems to be engaged in pleasure; and yet there are great concerns going on, and the fine manufactures of this city are only to be done by labor and attention. Nothing, at our first glances at the city, have pleased us more than the profusion of flowers every where to be seen. It is quite common to see men with a rose in the b.u.t.ton hole, or a beautiful carnation. The roses are my admiration. I never saw such beauties before; and whether it is owing to the climate, or to scientific cultivation, I know not, but certainly I never have beheld such variety or perfection. In the flower shops you will find very large bunches of rosebuds, each bunch made up exclusively of buds of one size, from the dimensions of a pea in all gradations up to the diameter of a half dollar--not a leaf opened, simply a bouquet of rosebuds, and the whole embowered in a delicate sheet of white paper. I reckoned the contents of one, and found two hundred and sixty-seven buds not larger than a common pea, and the price was only a franc. The moss roses are beyond all my conceptions of floral beauty; and, go where I may, I find every niche of ground adorned with standard roses of various hues, and the walls and windows are beautified with brilliant geraniums, which are evidently great favorites.

We had a funny affair yesterday. We all went to make a call upon Mr.

D----, and found his residence in a splendid part of the city; but, instead of being ushered into his drawing-room, we were brought into the saloon of no less a personage than the Lord Bishop of Jamaica! He politely directed us to the next apartment, where we spent an agreeable hour with the family, and found that similar mistakes occur almost daily.