UNITED STATES OF AMJERICA, WINTER JAUNT THROUGH HISTORIC LANDS. EMBRACING SCOTLAND, ENGLAND, BELGIUM, FRANCE, SWITZ- ERLAND, ITALY, GREECE, EGYPT, AND THE HOLY LAND, TOGETHER WITH PERSONAL INCIDENTS AND OBSERVATIONS. BY ^ REV. MILTON H: STINE, A. M., TV AUTHOR OF LETTERS ON HOLY LAND AND " STUDIES ON THE RELIGIOUS PROBLEM OF OUR COUNTRY." ,*\ fAM 19 :nn PHIIvADEIvPHIA, PA.: LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 1890. LIBRARY CONGRESS IWASHINGTON Copyright, 1890. BY MILTON H. STINE. TO MY WIFE, WHO TEN YEARS AGO JOINED ME ON THE WAY TO THE "BETTER I.AND," AND WHO HAS BEEN MY I^OVING AND FAITHFUI^ '•COMPANION" EVER SINCE, THIS VOIvUME IS MOST AEEECTIONATEI.Y DEDICATED. ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Monument of John Knox 41 Westminster Abbey 48 Tower of London 52 Scenery on Lake Luzerne 63 MiivAN Cathedrai, 91 FivORENCE 97 St. Peter's Cathedrai, 121 Cairo 141 Sphinx and Pyramids . 159 jERUSAIvEM, FROM Ol^IVET 208 The Dead Sea 261 The Jordan 264 Bethi^Ehem , . 276 Abraham's Oak 281 Damascus 285 ATHENS • • 293 (iv) INTRODUCTION. ''Another book on travel! Is it possible to say anything that has not been said many times in the countless books on this subject?" My answer is, Read and see for yourself. Scientists say, no two persons see the same object precisely the same: way. So too, no two persons say the same of what they have seen and heard. For this reason there: is always something- new in books on travel. The chapters in this little volume all describe old places; but what they contain will be new so long as people study history or love to travel. Whilst they may not teach much that is new, they may beguile tedious hours and create a desire to learn more of the persons, place and times of which they speak. I did not travel as an explorer, a specialist, or a scientist. I traveled to see, to learn as much as possible of the places renowned and sites made sacred by hallowed associations. The book, how- ever, contains the account of the most recent dis- coveries in the historic lands of which it speaks. As it is ever true that ''Books are made from (v) Vi INTRODUCTION. books," I wish to add that I have read ** Bur- ied Cities Recovered," "Journeyings in the Old World," ^'A New Path Across an Old Field," etc. These, together with my notes during my jaunt, have aided me in preparing this volume. It will be seen that a number of pages were contributed by my friends and fellow-travelers, Rev. Prof. C. B. McAfee, of Park College, Mo., and Dr. Harvey M. Kirk, of Columbus, O. These honored friends will hereby accept my thanks for their valued con- tributions. Hoping that this volume may be as kindly received as the one from my pen two years ago, I herewith send it on its mission, trusting that many may open it with expectation and close it with profit. THE AUTHOR. Lebanon y Pa., December, i8go. CONTENTS. PART FIRST. EUROPE. CHAPTER I. PAGE Desire to travel— Preparation— Good-by— Steamer— Cargo— Company —Miss Dunn— A Storm— Entertainment on Board— Sight of I^and —Bill of Fare 11-20 CHAPTER II. Coming up the Scheldt— Irrigation— Quays— Antwerp— Walk in City —Hotel— Milk Carts— St. Jacques and Rubens— Wood-carving— Cathedral— St. Andrew's— St. Paul's— Charles V.— Brussels— Old and New— St. Guide— Hotel de Ville— Alva and Egmont— Museum — Belgium, size of ... 21-30 CHAPTER III. Glasgow— Third City in U. Kingdom— The Clyde— Description of City —University— Cathedral— Water supply— Edinburgh— In Scotch history— University— Persecution— " Bluidy Mackenzie"— Castle- Chapel of Margaret— Mons Meg— Palace— Crown-room-Cathedral —John Knox— Streets in New Town— Scott Monument— Sight by Night 31-43 CHAPTER IV. London, on Road to— Sabbatic quiet— Spurgeon's— St. Paul's— West- minster Abbey— Parliament Buildings— The Tower— British Mu- seum—Bank of England— Drive— St. James' Palace, etc.— Albert Memorial— Bridges— Concluding remarks 44-6i CHAPTER V. J?rom Brussels to Luzerne— The country and houses— Luzerne— Lake- Bridges— Cathedral— The Lion— Rigi and Pilatus— Luzerne to Mi- lan—Grand sceneries— St. Gothard— Into Italy— Change of Scen- ery ^^-^8 (vii) Vlll CONTENTS. - . PAGE CHAPTER VI. Paris— Situation and size— Boulevards— Catacombs— Bois de Boulogne Madeleine— lyouvre— Palais Royal— Hotel des Invalides— Tomb of Napoleon— Cathedral-I^a St. Chapelle— Pantheon— St. Jacques— Bourse— Place de la Concorde— Versailles— lyocation — Royal palace — Rooms of Marie Antoinette — Mirror — Museum — Paintings — Gardens— I^yons— Manufactories— Cathedral— Marseilles— Quays»~ Streets— Cathedral— Rain and the President 69-90^ CHAPTER VII. Milan— Age— Cathedral— Spire— Nail of "True Cross"— Tomb of Bor- romeo— St. Ambrose— The " Brazen Serpent"—" The I^ast Supper by Da Vinci "—Other buildings— Florence— Scenery— Pitti Palace and Vecchio—Duomo— Campanile— Santa Croce— Amerigo Ves- pucci 9i_iox CHAPTER VIII. Rome— Scenery on way to— The Corso— Peasants going to town— Pop- ulation and Ruins— The Forum— Arch of Titus— Mamertine Prison —Paul in Rome— Capitoline Hill— Tarpeia— Nero's palace and gardens — Baths— Fountains— Colosseum— Anecdote— Pantheon— Catacombs— Churches— St. Angelo 102-121 CHAPTER IX. Naples— I^ocation— Relics of Antiquity— Churches— The People— Mac- aroni— Funeral— Pompeii— How to get there— History— Pavement —Ruins and Population— Bodies found— Advancement in arts- Cafe of Diomede— On board the "Ortigia "—Sicily— Buildings, etc. —Sailing on the Mediterranean— In Africa .122-131 PART SECOND. AFRICA AND ASIA. CHAPTER X. Alexandria— "Pharos"— Pilot-boats— Crowd— "Hotel Abbat"— His- tory of City— "Pompey's Pillar "—Ubraries— Christianity— Drive- Home of Antoniades— Square— Population— Merchants— Moham- medan Women— Donkeys— Scenes on the way to Cairo 132-140 CHAPTER XI. Cairo— A donkey ride— Mosques— Slippers— Alabaster Mosque-Cita- del— View— Mamelukes— " Well of Joseph "—University— " Danc- ing Dervishes "—Bazaars— Hotels— The street scenes— Backsheesh —Blindness and flies— Missions— The Copts 141-152 CONTENTS. ix PAGE CHAPTER XII. Boulak Museum— Arab Market— Old Statue— Raphsapha — Jewelry —Mummies of the Pharaohs— Value of these discoveries— Road to the P5^ramids— Arabs and recommendations— Sphinx— Size — As- cent of Cheops— Scenery— Dimensions— Chamber in the Pyramid — Who built Cheops— Memphis — Nilometer — Antiquity of Mem- phis—Arab village and Arab farming— Statutes of Rameses II.— Necropolis of Egypt— Mummies of First-born— Oldest monuments — Serapeum— Tomb of Tih — Frescoes— Way home 153-170 CHAPTER XIII. Heliopolis — Temple— Phoenix — School of Philosophy— Obelisks- Spring-" Virgin's Tree"— Garden of Cleopatra— Ruins at I,uxor, etc.— Addenda by Dr. Kirk— Ride up the Nile— The Nile— Asyoot —Blindness and flies— Water lifts— Abydos— Columns— I^uxor— Thebes— Karnak— Avenue of Sphinxes— Halls— Nautch dance- Tombs of the Pharaohs — View — Traveling on Nile— Ride through the desert— Suez Canal— Port Said— Reflections 171-196 CHAPTER XIV. Joppa— Our Arrival— Rolla Floyd— " House by the seaside "—Arme- nian Convent— The school of Miss Arnot— Orange Groves— I,uth- eran Colony— Tropical garden— On the Road to Jerusalem— Who went this road— Flowers— Farming— Going to market— Ramleh — Tower— Funeral— Dinner— View from the mountains— Abou Gosch — Ain Karin— First view of Jerusalem 197-207 CHAPTER XV. In the Holy City— First view— Temple plateau— Mosque of Omar— Sa- cred rock, etc.— Elaksa-'- Solomon's stables"— Via Dolorosa— Convent and Orphanage— Hospice of the Knights of St. John- Church of Holy Sepulchre— Anointing slab— Where Mary stood— Sepulchre— Place of the Crosses, etc.— House of Caiaphas— Where the "cock crew"— Supper room— Tomb of David— Church of St. Anne— Bethesda— General description of city 208-225 CHAPTER XVI. A walk about Zion— View from Olivet— Mosque of the Ascension— "Czar's Church "—Gethsemane— Virgin's Tomb— The Kedron— Absalom's Pillar— Other tombs — Enrogel— Pools of Gihon— Quar- ries of Solomon— Golgotha— Church of St. Stephen— Tomb of the Kings— Tomb of the Judges— King's Wine-presses— I,and of Won- ders 226-237 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVII. Fulfillment of Prophecy — Spirit of improvement in the city — Indus- trial school— Jeremiah xxxii. 38-40— The New Jerusalem— Zech. xiv. lo— Characteristics of the new town— Conversion of the Jews. 238-246 CHAPTE;r XVIII. I,epers— "Where seen— Cries— Story of ^. Daughan — Ancient mode of teaching lepers— Modern I^eper Home — Aim of Fritz Miller— Cause Contagion . , 246-253 CHAPTER XIX. Road to Jericho— Bethany — House of Simon, the leper — Tomb of lyaz- arus— Arab guide— Road, dangers of— View — Arab road-makers — "Apostles' Fountain" — launch — Dangers — View — Monastery — Brook Cherith — Modern Jericho— Jericho of Herod — Kahn— Ride to Dead Sea— On its shores— Driftwood— I^ife— Cities of the Plain — The ride to the Jordan— The River— Pilgrims— Bathing— The re- turn ride— Gilgal — Ancient Jericho— Ruins— Mount of Temptation — Monasteries— Reflections 254-270 CHAPTER XX. Hebron— Road and associations— Field of Boaz— Episode— Bethlehem — Church of the Nativity— St. Jerome — Plain of the Shepherds— "Well of David" — Memories — The people and indu.stries — Tomb of Rachel — Giloh — "Pools of Solomon " — Aqueduct — Gardens — Cave of Adullam — Amos — Resting place — "Oak of Abraham" — View— Hebron— Age— Cave of Machpelah— Return to Jerusalem . . . .271-284 CHAPTER XXI. Damascus — Description— History— Paul in Damascus— Bazaars— Rugs — Silks — Blades — Great Mosque — John of Damascus, tomb of— Saladin, tomb of— Private houses— Christian Missions 284-292 CHAPTER XXII. Athens— Drive to the city— A soldier — lyanguage- Goods and prices — Museums— The Acropolis— The Odeon— Temple of Theseus— Of Jupiter— The Citadel-gates— The Parthenon—" Unwinged Vic- tory"— Mars Hill 293-304 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS, CHAPTER I. Desire to Travel — Preparation— Good-by — Steamer — Cargo — Company— Miss Dunn— A Storm— Entertainments on Board —Sight of Land— Bill of Fare. I NKVKR knew the time that! did not have a desire to travel. In my school and college days I made many pledges to go with certain of my school-mates to the Old World. The time for carrying out the plans of my childhood and early manhood came at last. At the request of a friend, Dr. C. F. Thomas of Philadelphia sent me an itinerary of a tour through Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land. After con- sulting with my wife and church council on the feasibility of my leaving home and work for three months, and carrying the matter to the Lord in prayer, I decided to go. This was three months before the time set tor my departure. It gave me ample time to read and (II) 12 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC IvANDS. re-read the itinerary, and to acquaint myself with many of the places I was about to visit. In mak- ing a journey of twelve thousand miles, many things must be attended to. The time was not too long, and soon the day set for my departure was painfully nigh. Had I known that it would cause those who have brought so much sunshine to my home so many anxious hours, I might have aban- doned my purpose. The arrangements were now made, and it was inconvenient for many reasons to withdraw. I said most of my good-byes from a distance, and made as little of my departure as possible. We left Jersey City at ii a. m. February 12th. It was a delightful morning, and we had soon passed the Statue of lyiberty, the Forks, and Sandy Hook, and were out at sea. We sailed on the Noordland^ of the Red Star line. This was her fifty-second voyage. Though the Noordland is not one of the very largest trans-Atlantic steamers, she is a very fine boat. She is a good strong ship, 415 feet in length. The depth of her hold is 37^ feet, and her breadth is 47 feet. Her crew num- bers no men. It costs $750 per day to pay her crew and provide all things necessary to run her. Unlike many of the large boats, she does not de- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 3 pend wholly on steam to run her. She has four masts, each 128 feet high. On this trip her cargo consisted of 60,000 bushels of wheat. She is cap- able of carrying 100,000 bushels. Th.& Noordland^ though so large and comfortable, is by no means the queen of ocean steamers. Shortly after the accident to the City of Paris ^ an article in the New York Sun gave some interesting facts concerning this great ship, a few of which we subjoin, believ- ing them of interest to those who may read this book. * *In the busy season the City of Paris carries about 550 first cabin, 250 second cabin, and 650 steerage passengers. There are 400 in the ship's company, including doctors, printers, boiler-makers, 6 bakers, 3 butchers, 17 cooks, hydraulic, elec- trical and other engineers to the number of 32, 148 stewards and 8 stewardesses. So there may be about 1,850 aboard. Notwithstanding the fact that many of the passengers are sea-sick from the time they pass Sandy Hook until Fastnet is sighted, they manage to consume in one trip something like 13,000 pounds of fresh beef, 3,000 pounds of corned beef, 4,000 pounds of mutton, 1,000 pounds of lamb, 2,000 pounds of veal and pork, 15,000 pounds of bacon, 500 pounds of liver, tripe and sausages, 200 hams, 300 pounds of fish, 20,000 eggs, 17 tons of potatoes, 3 tons of other vegetables, 3,600 pounds of butter, 600 pounds of cheese, 600 pounds of coffee, 350 pounds of tea, 100 pounds of icing sugar, 150 pounds of powdered sugar, 670 pounds of loaf sugar, 3,000 pounds of moist sugar, 700 pounds 14 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I^ANDS. Our company consisted of fifteen ministers of the Gospel, belonging to six different denomina- tions, twelve laymen, among whom were lawyers, doctors and merchants, and fourteen ladies. One of the ladies. Miss Dunn of Pittsburg, was on her way to Jerusalem as a missionary. The career of Miss Dunn is somewhat remarkable, hence a w^ord with regard to her may be of interest. My attention was called to this lady at Jersey of salt, 200 pounds of nuts, 560 pounds of dried fruit, 20 barrels of apples, 3,600 lemons, 20 cases of oranges — and other green fruit in season — 300 bottles of pickles, 150 bottleg of ketchup, sauce, and horse radish, and 150 cans of preserves. There are also quantities of poultry, oysters, sardines, canned vegetables, and soups, vinegar, pepper, mustard, curry, rice, tapioca, sago, hominy, oatmeal, molasses, condensed milk, "tinned" Boston beans, confectionery and ice cream. Fifty pounds of ice cream are served at a single meal in the first cabin. Thirty tons of ice are required to keep the great storerooms cool. Bight barrels of flour are used daily. The bakers are busy from dawn of day. They make 4,000 delicious Parker House rolls for breakfast every morning. Thirty eight-pound loaves of white bread and one hundred pounds of brown bread are baked each day ; also, pies, puddings, cakes, etc. Bight barrels of common crackers and a hundred tins of fancy crackers are stowed away in the storeroom, together with 100 pounds of wine and plum cake, not a crumb of which is A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 5 City, about an hour before the boat left her pier. On hearing the voice of song on the starboard, my wife and a friend, together with others, went over to hear the music, and to see the persons who sang. We found a company of men and women engaged in a solemn and impressive farewell to their sister in Christ. On the second day out, I obtained an introduction to her, when she gave me the following account of her life: left when Iviverpool is reached. Six thousand bottles of ale and porter, 4,200 bottles of mineral waters, 4,500 bottles of wine, and more or less ardent spirits, are drunk inside of six days by the guests of this huge floating hotel. About 3,000 cigars are sold [on board, but many more are smoked. Two hundred pounds of toilet soap are supplied by the steamship company. One of the odd sights to be seen on the double-decked Inman pier soon after the arrival of the "queen of the ocean grey- hounds " is the great stacks of soiled linen which are being assorted by about a dozen stewards. Here is the wash-list for a single trip: Napkins, 8,300; tablecloths, 180; sheets, 3,600; pillow-cases, 4,400; towels, 16,200, and dozens of blankets and counterpanes. Although the list is very short, it requires four large two-horse trucks to carry the wash to the Inman Com- pany's steam laundry in Jersey City. In less than a week it is back in the lockers of the linen rooms, which are in charge of a regular linen-keeper. There is no washing done aboard. Many of the ship's company have their washing done in New York, but the greater number have it done in Iviverpool. 1 6 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. She was born in Pittsburg, Pa., was educated and became a teacher. On her conversion she re- solved to become a missionary; but on being ex- amined by the physician, it was found that her lungs were badly diseased. She became worse, and her life was despaired of. She herself now confided her health to the Lord. She was fully resolved to live or die, as the Master should see fit. She had no sooner done this than she 'resolved to rise from her bed. In a month from this time she went to her parents' home, where she steadily gained in health. ^ Christ seemed more precious to her now than ever before, and she once more consecrated herself to the service of Foreign Missions. But she was without means and without friends. The Lord, however, opened the way for her, and she went to a training school in New York City. She worked hard, and at the end of the first year stood first in the class, winning all the prizes. A position was offered her during her summer vacation in the Berachah Orphanage in New York City, an insti- tution which supports 200 orphans. This home has no endowment, but like the homes founded by George Miiller, depends upon voluntary contribu- tions, which always come in answer to prayer. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 7 When her vacation was over, she was offered a permanent position in the Home. She was anx- ious to return to school, but her funds were ex- hausted, so she asked time for consideration. A few days afterwards she received a letter from an acquaintance who did not believe in foreign mis- sions; but he said he felt it a duty to support her one year in school. The offer was accepted, and at the end of the year Miss Dunn graduated. She now became the matron in the Berachah Orphan- age, where she remained one year. During the year she resolved to go to Jerusalem to work among the Jews. This resolution she is now in the act of carrying into effect. She goes inde- pendent of any Society, relying wholly upon the Lord for support. She did not know until within a few weeks, where she might find a home in Pal- estine. Some one who is interested in the work at Bethany, on hearing of Miss Dunn's purpose, offered her a home in this historical village until the Lord directs her farther. The first three days of our voyage were beautiful and warm as May. The ocean was "calm as a cradled child in dreamless slumber bound." Fri- day was the loveliest St. Valentine any of us ever saw, but as the morning mail did not arrive, l8 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. we received no valentines. Saturday the wind was from the south, and sailing was not so pleasant as it had been. Sunday it was still worse. The weather became more unpleasant until February i8, when the wind blew a gale from the northwest. The heaviest storm the Noordland had experi- enced in this winter of storms was now upon us. "How the giant element leaped with delirious bound!" The sea and sky seemed to sweep in one awful mass toward the boat. The rain and hail fell in torrents. The waves seemed to mount high above the vessel, and then of a sudden they would raise her in their mighty arms and toss her as you would a child. Again they would dash upon the main deck, having swept the port-holes with a roar and a frightful whirl. They deluged the main deck, and dashed the spray into the face of the watch on the bridges. The mighty ship groaned as she now tunneled or mounted the billows. The storm roared and the top yard broke from its fasten- ings. This caused the sail to fly to and fro with the noise of thunder. A dozen sailors in the rain and storm climbed with the agility of cats up the rope-ladders, and with herculean effort succeeded in furling the sail. In the ship men and women A WINTER JAUNT IN HiSTOkiC LANDS. 1§ staggered to and fro. They could not sit unless they held on with might and main. When they lay down they rolled to and fro like balls. At the table at dinner all was in commotion. The few who were well enough to eat emptied soup-dishes into their laps. Water-bottles slipped hither and thither, knives and forks jingled, and nothing re- mained where you put it. But the storm was soom over. For the last four days of our eleven days^" voyage the sea was again comparatively calm.- On the morning of the tenth day we sighted Point: Lizard, All of us were glad to see the land, tot it was thirty-six hours before we put our fett on shore at Antwerp. Notwithstanding the storm and sea-sickness we did not have the dreary time on board one might suppose. We had an almost constant flow of wit and wisdom. Every evening we had an enter- tainment. Some of the passengers who had been abroad before read accounts of their trips, others, gave us select readings, instrumental and vocal music. Of course, we had a daily prayer-meeting whenever practicable. A sea- voyage, therefore, is not monotonous — al- though beyond seeing a sail now and then, and viewing the sun rise and set, there is nothing to 20 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. attract attention. I saw the sun rise^ene morning before the storm. First^ there was a crescent of fire in the sea; this grew rapidly until it became a sphere, when it elongated into a balloon of fire with the basket hidden in the sea; then it became the full orb of day, as we have it on land. We have always had plenty so eat, but not a few were unable to come to the saloon for a great part of the voyage. I missed only one meal in the saloon. I subjoin the bill of fare for one dinner: "Mock turtle soup, bon din of bologna with crafiles, boiled salmon trout, Dutch sauce, braized brisket of beef flamande, fricassee of chicken, veal .cutlets with tomato sauce, roast leg of mutton, red currant jelly, spinach, larded sweetbreads, roast pigeon compote, plum pudding, brandy sauce, strawberry ice cream, fruits assorted, coffee." CHAPTER II. Coming up Scheldt — Irrigation — Quays — Antwerp — Walk in — Hotel — Milk Carts — St. Jacques and Rubens — Wood Carving —Cathedral— St. Andrews— St. Paul's— Charles V.— Brussels Old and New— St. Guide— Hotel de Ville— Alva and Egmont Museum — Belgium, Size, etc.^ In coming up the Scheldt one is impressed with the fact that he is sailing on a body of water that is really higher than the surrounding landscape. Immense dykes keep the sea from encroaching on the land. The country is irrigated by ditches which extend from the streams through well culti- vated fields. Such a thorough irrigation prevents the crops from suffering in a drought. As the ves- sel went up; the stream, girls in short skirts, big wooden shoes, and with their heads tied up in shawds, came out of low stone houses to look at us and welcome us by the waving of handkerchiefs. The magnificent quays along the shore are, to a large extent, the work of Napoleon I. Many of the fine docks were demolished in 1814; but two great basins were preserved. These have been converted into docks, and are now lined with ware- (21) 22 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. houses. Antwerp itself is a very old city, having been founded in the seventh century. In the fif- teenth and sixteenth centuries it had attained the zenith of its prosperity. From this time to the close of the long wars with Spain and France and the Netherlands, the city declined in population and commerce. At present it is the principal sea- port of Belgium, if not of the continent. It has a population of 176,000. It was quite dark on the Sabbath of February 23d when we landed. After passing the Custom House officers, which was readily done^ we drove to the beautiful hotel St. Antoine. This hotel is built after the manner of most hotels in Europe and the East, in the shape of a square with an open centre. A marble pave- ment surrounds the court. This pavement is pro- tected from the weather by a glass casement The dining rooms are large and very pretty. There are open fire-places in the sleeping rooms, but the fires are extra. It was already late in the evening, after we had dinner, but a number of us took a walk. We walked both to see the town and to try the novelty of walking on shore after having been on the sea more than eleven days. It was Sunday evening, and the close of the Carnival. This may account for the fact that we passed several drunken A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 23 men, a brass band and a company of masqueraders. We were so very tired that our walk was short. Early on Monday morning we were ready for sight-seeing. The first objects of interest were the milk carts and small wagons drawn by dogs fol- lowed by a peasant, a woman usually, with her great wooden shoes, short skirts and bare head. These women assist their dogs by pushing the cart from behind. The men generally take the more easy part by following the carts at some distance, leisurely smoking their pipes. One sees few wagons in Belgium. The hauling is done mostly with carts, to which a horse or dog is attached. The horses here, as in France and England, are large, fine brutes. There are a number of places of interest in Antwerp. We first visited the grave of Rubens, in the church of St. Jacques. Rubens, though a German by birth, spent much of his time in Ant- werp. Here are his earliest, and according to most critics, his masterpieces. The ' ' Descent from the Cross ' ' is the finest painting that ever came from his brush. This is in the cathedral in this city. Rubens was a hard worker. He painted, with the assistance of his students 1,800 pictures, an average of one per week throughout his entire career. He 24 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. died in Antwerp, in Ma}^, 1640, in the sixty-third year of his age, the greatest master of the Flemish schooh The church of St. Jacques is old, and is famous only as the burial place of Rubens. It contains a window made of beautiful stained glass of the first half of the seventeenth century. It likewise has several grand altars. The Jesuits' chapel, not far from St. Jacques, is famous for its wood-carvings by Von Brunt. There is nothing in the world in this art which excels the rich wood-carvings in Antwerp and Brussels. St. Jacques belonged to the monastery which still stands close by. The building is Gothic, the arches resting on immense stone pillars. Of all churches in Antwerp the cathedral is the most famous, first, because it is the finest Gothic edifice in Europe, and secondly, because it contains the masterpieces of Rubens. This church was finished a century before the discovery of America, but the tooth of time has had little effect on its great massive walls. The stone floors are worn by the footsteps of the thousands who have been in the habit of coming to the grand old church during all these years. The spire is 403 feet high. The work on the tower is so delicate that it looks like lace from the street below. Napoleon, it is said, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 25 was SO impressed with its beauty that he said the whole ought to be covered with a glass case. The view from the top of this tower is superb. Its chimes are among the finest in the world. The principal paintings in the church are the ''Descent from the Cross," the "Elevation of the Cross," "The Assumption," and "The Resurrection." In the "Elevation" Rubens has painted a picture of himself in armor. He frequently painted pic- tures of his wife to represent the Virgin. The pic- ture of "The Assumption" was painted in sixteen days. He received $640 for the work. ' ' The De- scent" was, stolen by Napoleon I., but, like most of the Emperor's stolen property, was afterwards returned. There is also a picture entitled "Christ in the Temple" in the Cathedral, but it is not famous. Of all paintings in Antwerp the "Descent from the Cross" impressed me most. There is the gaping spear-wound in the side, the blood still oozing out. So natural does it seem that one feels a strong impulse to spring forward and hold his handkerchief over the wound whilst the lifeless body is being lowered. The whole is so realistic that to see the picture is to remember it forever. The seats in the Cathedral, as in all the cathedrals of Europe, are movable. They consist mainly of 26 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. splint chairs, with a little shelf attached to the rear for the person on the seat behind to support his hymn-book. These chairs are readily moved from one altar to another, inasmuch as mass is cele- brated before the various altars at different times. The church of St. Andrews has the finest pulpit in the world. It is a rich piece of oak carving. The Master walks upon the sea. Andrew and Peter are in the boat. Behind them is a back- ground, also carved, to represent a rocky coast, with the trunk of a tree in the foreground. Above these there is a canopy, on the one side of which are cherubs holding a tapestry in graceful folds. Two other cherubs are holding upright a St. An- drew's cross. It must be remembered that all this is carved out of solid oak. The art gallery not far from the Cathedral has many fine paintings, prin- cipally by Rubens, Vandyke and Keiser. This museum of art belongs to the city. The managers recently published two portraits exhibited in Paris last summer, for which they paid the neat sum of #35^000- The Church of St. Paul is also worthy of a visit. The confessionals in this church are beautiful carvings in oak. On the outside of the church there is a representation of Calvary. The walk A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 2/ which leads to the mount on the side of the church is skirted by stone walls. On these walls are statues of the Apostles. Adjacent to the church is the representation of Christ in the tomb, which is very realistic. Above this Mary holds the dead Christ on her knees. Others are standing near, their faces wearing expressions of the deepest sym- pathy. Still higher stands the cross with Christ upon it. The large stones placed at intervals in the walks were brought from Jerusalem. The mansion of Charles V. faces an open square in the most beautiful part of the city. It is a building six stories high, standing like a ghost to personate that king's cunning, cruelty and treach- ery. The building is now used as a warehouse. Among other places of interest in the historical old city are the public library, the botanical and zoological gardens, the bourse, the bank, the home of Rubens, the monuments and the public parks. One can well spend weeks in Antwerp without tiring. From Antwerp we went to Brussels. The two cities are only twenty-nine miles apart. The ride is through a beautiful country, well cultivated. In fifty-nine minutes we had made the distance and were safely landed in Brussels. There is a new 28 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC IvANDS. and an old town. The former contains the royal palaces, the finest park in the city, the public prom- enade, the palace of justice, the libraries, and the museums. The principal church is the St. Guide. It is a large edifice with two high towers. The choir and transept were finished in 1273. The whole exterior was restored in 1843. I'his church is famous for its rich stained glass-windows. The pulpit is a fine specimen of oak carving, and by some believed superior to that in St. Andrews in Antwerp. There are statues of the twelve Apos- tles, and many costly monuments erected in mem- ory of the Duke of Brabant. The Hotel de Ville dates its beginning to that of the fifteenth century, and is one of the finest build- ings in Brussels. The tower is very fine, and rises to the height of 364 feet. The vane on the tower is a figure of St. Michael in gilded copper, and is seventeen feet high. In the same square upon which the Hotel de Ville is situated is the building in which Count Egmont spent his last night on earth. Where he met his death his statue and that of the Count of Horn now stand. These ever remind the reader of the account of the perfidy of the Duke of Alva, who after having promised Kg- mont protection, and having received his presents, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 29 basely condemned him to death, and watched the tragedy from a window overlooking the whole scene. Brussels has a public library containing 25,000 volumes and 20,000 MSS. The collection of paint- ings in the museum, once the residence of the Spanish and Austrian governors, are famous. The paintings are all the work of one man, who is said to have been partly demented. There is a scene from Homer's Iliad. Another represents the soul leaving the body, in three scenes — first, a human form, then the soul leaving the form, then the form a corpse and the soul a shadow at its side. An- other painting represents Napoleon in hell. He is met by the widows whose husbands he destroyed. Next come the husbands and brothers whom he slew [in battle; their fists are clenched and their faces wear bitter scowls. The scene is horrible. There is another, of a man raising the lid from the coffin in which he was placed before he was actu- ally dead. To see the cadaverous face with its ex- pression of horror is to remember it forever. Brussels in the newer part is noted for its clean wide streets and its fine buildings. As a manu- facturing city it excels in the making of fine lace, leather, linen and woolen goods, earthenware, 30 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC IvANDS. chemicals, carriages, and steam engines. In short,, it takes rank among the first cities in Europe in its manufactories. The whole kingdom of Bel- gium is a little more than one-fourth as large as the State of Pennsylvania, but it sustains a popu- lation nearly twice as large. It has played an im- portant part in the history of Europe. French is the language of the educated. Most of the peas- antry speak Flemish. The country is not distin- guished for its natural scenery. It is level and well cultivated. We left Belgium at 7 a. m. on February 25th, for Switzerland and Italy, well pleased with what we had seen of the first country we visited in Europe. CHAPTER III. Gi^ASGOW — Third City in United Kingdom — The Clyde — De- scription of City — University — Cathedral-^ Water Supply. Edinburgh — In Scotch History — The University — Persecutions — "Bluidy Mackenzie" — The Castle — Chapel of Margaret — Mons Meg — The Palace — The Crown-room — The Cathedral — John Knox — Streets in New Town — Scott Monument — Sight by Night. I HAD a good jaunt through the great commer- cial city of Scotland just before I embarked for America, having come from Alexandria in Egypt by way of Messina and Corsica to Marseilles, and from thence to Paris, London and Edinburgh. For evident reasons I prefer to speak of these cities before I take the reader to France, Italy, Egypt and Syria. Glasgow is the third city in the United King- dom, and has a population of nearly one million souls. The ship-building interests on the Clyde are the most extensive in the world. The river Clyde is a narrow stream, and is always filled with great ships, which come from every country in the world. We came near having a collision on our (31) 32 A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. way down the stream. How collisions can be avoided in this crowded stream is a mystery to me. The residences of Glasgow are very fine. Th e old part of the town lies along the river, but the newer and finer part of the city stretches np to the rolling ground. Here are fine parks surrounding wealthy gentlemen's houses. Near the centre of the city is George's Square. Here is an equestrian statue of Queen Victoria, statues of Walter Scott, the poet Campbell, Sir John Moore, Lord Clyde and others also adorn the square. The university, established in i868j is an immense structure, covering six. acres of ground. It has ninety-eight departments of in- struction, and is destined to become one of the finest institutions of learning in Europe. The Cathedral is the most interesting structure in this city. Its foundations were laid nearly 800 years ago, upon the site occupied by a church built by St. Mungo five hundred years earlier. Originally it was a Roman Catholic place of worship; then it became the property of the Episcopalians. When the Presbyterian church became the established church, her ministers preached in this edifice. There are many famous tombs within its sacred walls. The city receives its water supply from Lake Katrine, immortalized by Sir Walter Scott. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 33 This water is of an excellent quality. There are many fine stores on the long, broad street. The people are polite, hardy and industrious. From Glasgow to Edinburgh is a pleasant two hours' ride by express train through a delightful country. Edinburgh is an old, and to the Scotch a sacred city. It has been called the Athens and the Jerusalem of Scotland. It has been noted for its culture and its bravery for many centuries. There are few cities in Europe where there is more to ad- mire and to interest than in the capital of Scotland. "Nothing can state its infinite variety, and what- ever the tastes of the individual are — whether anti- quarian, romantic, picturesque or scholarly — they can all be satiated within a stone's throw of the castle-crowned crag that towers monarch -like over the city." One can spend days of profit and of pleasure in its palaces, its churches, and its histor- ical places. Some of the oldest institutions in this historic city are by no means mere relics for the antiquar- ian. They have the progressive spirit of the nine- teenth century. Among these is the University, which now has more than one thousand students. i It was chartered by James VI. of Scotland in 1582. It is one of the finest institutions of learning in the 3 34 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I^ANDS. world. Its library is one of the most select and perfect in Europe. Besides the university, Edin- burgh has a High-school which cost $250,000. In this city was fought many a battle for the faith. It was the scene of martyrdom for the cause of Christ. From 1661, in which year Argyle was beheaded, to February, 1688, there were destroyed 18,000 people. Of these, about 100 were killed in Edinburgh. These people were true to their country's highest good. They were true to their faith, preferring death rather than worshipping God contrary to the dictates of their consciences. In the antiquarian museum the guillotine with which the Covenanters were beheaded is still to be seen. There are the thumb-screws by means of which they extorted confession from their hapless victims. By browbeating and torture, James Duke of York, Dalziel and Graham of Claverhouse tried the passive heroism of the confessors. Sir George Mackenzie, as the king's advocate, was so zealous in persecuting those who were apprehended that he received the ignoble title of "bluidy Mackenzie." For many years after his death the boys went to his tomb and called into the keyhole *' Bliiidy Mackenzie, come out if ye daur, Lift the sneck and draw the bar." A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 35 The population of Edinburgh is at present about 250,000. For centuries it was a little town consist- ing of a few straw-thatched huts occupying a part of the middle ridge of the three hills upon which the modern city is built. Then in the days of Mary of Guise it consisted of a "dense array of tall stone fabrics extending along the top of the hill to the palace of Holyrood, more than a mile in. length." The tall piles, the lofty spires and the grand old rock gave it an impressive appearance. Among the prominent objects of interest to-da}^ is the old castle. This huge stone pile is perched on the summit of a rock 443 feet high. Upon this rock men lived long before the authentic records of Scotland began. Previous to the siege of 1573 the eastern front of the fortress must have been pictur- esque in the extreme. Mr. W. Chambers, in de- scribing the castle as it then was, says: "The principal and central object was a donjon or keep, rising 60 feet above the summit of the rock, and known by the name of David's Tower, having been erected by David IT. between 1367 and 1371. From the palace, a curtain wall extended north- ward along the front of the rock to this tower, from which it again passed on in the same direction to a somewhat smaller tower, the remains of which still 36 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. exist embedded in the present half-moon battery; Onward from this smaller one the wall went north- wards till it reached another tower of greater im- portance, called the Constable's Tower, being the residence of that officer, and which rose 50 feet high from the rocky platform, exactly over the site of the present portcullis gate, and accessible by a stair ascending the face of the rock, which formed the sole means of reaching the citadel or upper platform of the castle. In the siege above referred to, five batteries played for nine days upon the eastern front, and wrought such ruin that David's Tower and the Constable's being wholly beaten down, all passage out or in was debarred by the mass of debris ; and the gallant Kirkcaldy and his brave companions, when they surrendeded, had to be let down over the front by a rope. The whole of the present eastern front was constructed by the Regent Morton immediately after the siege." On this hill is the chapel of Queen Margaret. It was built in the eleventh century. It is the smallest and the oldest chapel in Scotland, meas- uring only 16/2 feet by io>^ feet. It is interest- ing with its single window and its rough walls of mighty stone, because it teaches us what priva- tions even kings and queens endured in those days A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 37 in their public and private life. The old gun Mons Meg is quite a curiosity. Some say it was ** forged at Mons, in Belgium, in 1476, while others assert that it was fabricated in Galloway, and used by James II. at the siege of Thrieve Castle in 1455. But however that may be, it is known to have been employed by James IV. at the siege of Dumbarton in 1489, and at that of Nor- hani Castle, on the Borders, in 1497. It burst when firing a salute in honor of the Duke of York in 1682; was removed to the tower of London in 1754; but was restored to Scotland (mainly at the intercession of Sir Walter Scott) by command of King George IV. in 1829. 'I^his large cannon is formed of long pieces of malleable iron, held together by strong hoops of the same material. It is 13 feet long, 20 inches in diameter."* On this same hill is the ancient palace which for centuries formed the home and stronghold of the kings and queens of Scotland. The room in which James II. of England was born is pointed out on the ground floor. The original ceiling of the room is still to be seen. On the wall is the royal arms. Beneath is the following: * * ' Guide to Edinburgh. ' ' . 38 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. "Lord Jesu Christ, that crounit was with Thornse, Preserve the Birth, quhais Badgie heir is borne. And send Hir Sonne successione, to Reign stille, Long in this Realm, if that it be thy will. Als grant, O Lord, quhat ever of Hir proceed, Be to Thy Honer, and Praise, sobied. 19th IVNII, 1566." The crown room contains the crown with which the kings of the reahn were crowned. The sceptre is of solid silver. It is 34 inches long, and is sur- mounted by statues of the Virgin, St. Andrew and St. James. Here too is a sword which Pope Julius II. presented to James IV. A ruby ring set with diamonds and worn by Charles I. at his coro- nation is also shown in this room. All these royal relics are under a glass case. Everybody who goes to Edinburgh visits Holy- rood House, where once the kings of Scotland lived. It is now "a deserted palace, where no monarch dwells. ' ' The picture gallery is a large room, and contains imaginary portraits of kings of Scotland, real and fictitious. These portraits were painted 200 years ago. The most interesting apartments in the palace are the rooms of Queen Mary, the beautiful, the blameworthy, and the un- fortunate queen of the Scots. Her furniture is still there. Even the moth-eaten and decayed curtains, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 39 once of the richest damask silk, are on the fasten- ings as the servants of the queen left them. In the small closet adjoining the bed chamber David Rizzio was murdered. Darnley and his co-con- spirators gained access by a secret stairway. As we look upon these rooms we can only exclaim, "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth ever gave. Await alike the inevitable hour ; The paths of glory lead but to the grave." The chapel royal or Abbey of Holy rood was founded in 11 28. It is now a ruin. Here Mary was married to Darnley. Kings and queens were crowned here, but its glory has departed. It is eloquent in its ruins. Another place of interest is the Cathedral. A church is said to have stood here as early as the ninth century. In 1466, at which time there wese forty altars within its walls, together with an arm- bone of St. Giles (after whom the church is named), James III. made it a collegiate church. At the Reformation the building was divided into four separate places of worship. The section east of the transept, now known as High Church, was made the parish church of the city, and John 40 A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC 1.ANDS. Knox was appointed pastor. It was here, in July 1565, that he delivered the bold speech against Mary's marriage with Darnley, whom Randolph, an English ambassador, calls ' ' an intolerable fool, ' ' and who was a libertine and unworthy of the beautiful and unfortunate Mary queen of Scots. At that time this bold preacher denounced the nobles and others for their inactivity in the matter. ''I see," said he, suddenly stretching out his arms, as if he would leap from the pulpit and ar- rest the passing vision, "I see before me your beleaguered camp. I hear the tramp of the horse- men as they charge you in the streets," — and in a strain of lofty and sustained eloquence he de- nounced, exhorted, and warned his hearers, with such vehemence, says Melvil, that "he was like to ding [dash] the pulpit in blads [splinters] and flee out of it!" * Knox was for ten years a priest. He was in England four years, but Scotland gave him his fame. He was a mighty champion of the truth. The old pulpit from which he spoke with such power is still to be seen in the antiquarian museum. Between the Cathedral and Parliament buildings there is a brown stone about a foot and * "Guide to i^dinburgh." MONUMENT OF JOHN KNOX, EDINBURGH. Page 41 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 41 a half square, with the following in brass raised letters, I. K. 1572. Here it is said repose the mortal remains of the great reformer of Scotland. At the head of the street called Canongate still stands the house in which Knox lived. It consists of three rooms, a study, a sitting-room and a bed- room. The second story is reached by a flight of steps on the outside. Running across the whole width of the building, above the door of the lower story, is the following: ^'Lufe, God. Abufe, Al. And Yi Nychtbour, iVs, Yi Self." From Calton Hill, off Princess Street, one has a magnificent view of Prince Arthur's Seat, of the city and the new bridge across the Frith of Forth, twelve miles away. There are monuments of Burns, Playfair, Dugald Stewart and Nelson on this hill; also an unfinished structure which is in- tended to commemorate the Scotch who fell in the battles consequent to the French Revolution. Edinburgh consists of a new and old part. It is with regard to the new town that I wish now to speak. The railroad runs between the two towns, 42 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. SO called. For quite a distance on both sides of the railroad is a deep ravine. In this ravine and on the slopes on either side there are fine trees, beautiful walks, and flower-plots tastily arranged. In this park, on the Princess Street side, is the monument of Sir Walter Scott. It was erected in 1840-44 at a cost of $75,000. It is in the form of an open crucial Gothic spire, supported on four grand early English arches, which serve as a canopy to the statue, and is about 200 feet high. A stair- case in the interior of one of the columns leads to a series of galleries, to which visitors are admitted on payment of two-pence. Under the central base- ment arch is a marble statue, by Steell, of Sir Wal- ter, with a figure of his favorite dog Maida at his feet; it v/as inaugurated in 1846, and cost ;^2000. In the niches above the several arches are figures of some of the leading characters in his works. The architect was a self-taught genius named George Meikle Kemp, the son of a shepherd at Newhall, on the southern slope of the Pentland Hills, near Edinburgh, who was accidentally drowned in the Union Canal before the work was completed. Immediately to the west is a bronze statue, the work of Mr. Hutchinson, R. S. A., erected to the memory of Adam Black, Lord Pro- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 43 vost and M. P. for the city, and publisher of the Encyclopcedia Britannica. * Princess Street is one of the finest streets not only in Edinburgh, but in all England. In fact, all the streets of the new town are wide, well paved and clean. The buildings are massive stone struc- tures. There is a uniformity in the buildings of different blocks which is carried out in the minutest detail. From my hotel (the Royal) I had a beau- tiful view of the old town. The streets there rise in terraces. At night when the whole hill is illu- minated by lights on the streets and in the build- ings, the effect is very pretty. On the hill there, some of the most momentous events in Scotch his- tory occurred. Events there transpired which are as brilliant in the galaxy of the histories of nations as the hillside with its myriad lights in the night time. May the sons and daughters continue to prize what was purchased at so great a cost, is the wish of the author of this little volume. *" Guide to Edinburgh." CHAPTER IV. London, on Road to — Sabbatic Quiet — Spurgeon's— St. Paul's — Westminster Abbey — Parliament Buildings — The Tower- British Museum — Bank of England — Drive — St. James' Pal- ace — Albert Memorial — Bridges — Concluding Remarks. From Edinburgh to Eondon is an eight hours' ride on one of the best-equipped roads in the United Kingdom, if not in the world. The cars are wide and comfortable when compared with some in which I have ridden in Egypt and the Continent. The time made by the Flying Dutchman, the Flying Irishman, and the Flying Scotchman, as the three express trains on the Eondon Northwest- ern are called, is excellent, and so well are these trains managed that one scarcely ever hears of an accident. It was Sunday morning when we arrived in Eon- don. The sky was clear; for once there was no fog either in the city or its environments. We in- stinctively felt that we were really in God's coun- try. Everywhere in the country and the small towns outside the great city people neatly attired, with hymn-books in their hands, were on their (44) A WINTER JAIJNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 45 way to church. Soon after a good breakfast at the "Covent Garden" hotel we started for Spurgeon's tabernacle. In the yard we were handed an en- velope, into which we put a small contribution and deposited it in a box, also in the yard. We entered the church by a side door. It is an immense structure, one hundred and thirty-six feet long. It has four aisles and three rows of seats, and two gal- leries which run entirely around the house. Take an Qgg and cut down a bit of its side, place it on this side, then put two galleries around it; put the rostrum on a level with the first gallery at the nar- rower end of it, and you have a good idea of the interior of Spurgeon's tabernacle. The usher puts you on a side seat until ten minutes before the be- ginning of the service, when all pews not filled by the regular renters are at the service of the public. The deacons are very polite, and have a word and hand-shake for everybody. Promptly on time the great preacher enters. There is nothing very marked about him — ponderous, red-faced, kind- looking. I knew him from his picture when I saw him speaking to one of his deacons in the aisle. The service was opened by a short, irnpress- ive prayer; then a hymn was announced. A man at Spurgeon's side led the song. There is no choir. 46 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. The vast audience of 4000 joined the song. The time was execrable, but the singing was impress- ive. After singing, the great man led in prayer. He literally talked with God. His Scripture read- ing and his prayer impressed me much more than his sermon. He read the account of the healing of the man born blind, and interspersed his reading with frequent and appropriate comments. He preached on the words "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" I for one went away not a little profited. In the afternoon our company attended service in St. Paul's Cathedral. We listened to Canon I A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 49 "The cloud-capped towers, The gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples The great globe, itself, yea All which it inherits. Shall dissolve And like the baseless Fabric of a vision, Leave not a wreck behind." John Gay's tribute is from his own writino^s, "Life is a FEST, and all things show it ; I thought so once, but now I know it." The tribute to the Wesleys consists of a marble slab having upon it the faces of the two brothers and the following: "John Wesley was born June 17th, 1703, died March 2d, 1791. Charles Wesley, born December i8th, 1708, died March 29th, 1788. The best of all, God is with us." Below is a figure of Wesley preaching and the words, ' ' I look upon all the world as my parish. God buries his workmen, but carries on his work." The number of epitaphs and inscriptions is al- most infinite in the grand old edifice. The names of kings, jurists, theologians, reform- ers, philosophers and poets are recorded there in 50 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. every form that can be imagined. The oldest tomb in the abbey is that of King Sebert, dated A. D. 6x6. There is a Roman sarcophagus here which was found under one of the tombs in 1869. The shield and helmet worn by the Black Prince are placed over the chapel of Henry VII. Dean Stan- ley's is one of the latest tombs in this great house of the dead. Our own lyongfellow's name is re- corded in the Poets' Corner. Of this house it may well be said, the very walls are eloquent. The stones in the floor upon which you tread nearly all contain a record of some great name. It is a place in which one might spend months with profit. Close to Westminster Abbey are the new houses of Parliament. These buildings cover an area of eight acres, and contain iioo apartments, 100 stair- cases, and two miles of corridors. The foundation stone of these structures was laid April 27th, 1840. The House of I^ords is one of the finest halls in the world. It contains the throne for the queen. A woolsack (a chair cushioned with wool) in the centre of the hall is the place where the I^ord Chancellor sits. The floor is a pavement of fine mosaics; the ceiling is in gilded panels. The whole is spoiled by the extreme height of the ceiling. The ends of the chamber contain beautiful frescoes. There A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 5 1 are twelve figures in the glass-stained windows, of barons who compelled King John to grant the Magna Charta. The queen's entrance is through the tower bearing her name. The cellars of the building are always examined two hours before the queen's arrival, so that the place may be safe for her majesty. The House of Commons contains- nothing of special note. The outside of the build- ing is blackened by the soot and smoke, which de- face all buildings in lyondon. On the side facing the square are the statues of the kings of England in niches. The stone of this magnificent structure, it is said, is already yielding to the tooth of time. The roof is finely docorated; the great clock in the tower has four dials thirty feet in diameter. The building cost upward of ^20, 000, 000. Everybody who comes to Eondon visits the fam- ous London Tower. This is an old place, dating back to the days of Julius Caesar. Its present buildings cover twelve acres. It includes the bar- racks, the armory containing 60,000 stand of arms, the White Tower, Jewel Tower, Bloody Tower, the Brick Tower, and the Beauchamp Tower. Ever since its erection it has figured prominently in English history. At one time it was the royal residence. Stephen is the first monarch mentioned 52 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. as having resided in this place. When we arrived at the Tower we were compelled to hand our satch- els and parcels to the guard, for fear that their con- tents might be dangerous. The English are ter- ribly afraid of dynamite. The guards here are dressed in the uniform of the Middle Ages, It consists of a big black hat, a coat with a gathered .skirt, and a rosette. We passed the gateway of the Tower of Richard II., known as the traitor's •gate, because traitors were taken through this way lo the place of execution. We passed over the ■stairs underneath which the bones of Edward V. and those of his brother were found, to St. John's chapel, where the king and suite used to worship; then into the banquet hall, where Richard III. con- demned Hastings; then into the council chamber where Guy Fawkes was examined. This room is filled with armor of the sixteenth century. Here we saw the mask of Will Sommers, court jester of Henry VIII. Here too is an exact image of Queen Elizabeth on horseback and of her page, as they appeared when they went to St. Paul's to give thanks at the destruction of the Armada. Near by is the cloak on which Wolfe died at Quebec. We next went into the torture chamber under the Tower, the walls of which are 14 feet in thick- A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 53 iiess. The holes in the floor indicate the place where the rack was located. Opposite the entrance is a small room, "Little Ease," not large enough to lie down in. Here Guy Fawkes was confined seven weeks. Through this chamber we enter the crypt under St. John's chapel, where, without light or comfort, as high as three hundred prisoners were kept at one time. Quitting this, we went where the scaffold for private execution used to be located. Here Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey were executed. After witnessing a drill of red- coats we went to Beauchamp Tower. In this tower many of England's great men and women were imprisoned. Many of these have left inscriptions on the walls of this old place. In making of these they beguiled the weary days and months of their imprisonment. Lady Jane Grey has left the word "Jane" upon the walls. On the left of the last recess is a long and interesting inscription, by Charles Bailly, as follows: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." "I.H.S.X.P.S." "Be friend to one — Be ennemye to none." Anno D. 1571, 10 Sept. "The most vnhappy man in the world is he that is not pacient in adversities ; For men are not killed with the adversities they have, bvt with ye impacience which they svffer." 54 A WINTER JATTNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. '^All who come to attend." "The sighs are the true testimonies of my anguish." Act 29th. Charles Bailly. "Hope to the end, and have pacience." Under Bailly's inscription is one by "Arthur P001.E," consisting of the following: — "IHS. A passage perillus makethe a port pleasant. Ao. 1568. Arthur Poole." On the right of the fire- place is the name of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, who was confined here in 1533. He carved a device consisting of his family cogni- zance, "the lion, and bear and ragged staff," un- derneath which is his name, and the whole is surrounded by a border consisting of oak sprigs, roses, geraniums, and honeysuckles, emblematical of the Christian names of his four brothers, as appears from the unfinished inscription written underneath: " Yow that these beasts do wel behold and se, May deme with ease wherefore here made they be, Withe borders eke wherein 4 brothers' names who list to serche the grovnd." Tliere are many other interesting inscriptions which we can not here reproduce. Leaving the Beauchamp Tower we visited the A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 55 Jewel Tower. This contains the crown jewels and royal regalia, in a circular iron cage. The collec- tion is valued at ^20,000,000. The great Kohinoor diamond, now belonging to Victoria, is among the collection. St. Edward's staff is solid gold orna- mented with jewels. Here is the baptismal bowl from which kings and queens have been baptized. Queen Victoria's crown consists of a cap of purple velvet, enclosed with hoops of silver, surmounted by a ball on which is a cross. The whole is orna- mented with diamonds. Another place of interest is the famous British Museum. It is midway between Regent's Park and Waterloo Bridge. Under the wings and porti- coes of the immense building are Ionic columns. In the entrance hall are beautiful statues and pic- tures. The collections of antiquities are appropri- ately arranged and grouped in different rooms of the great buildings. There is an India room and an Egyptian room in which are the collections from ancient Egypt. Its marble statuary is very fine, comprising the Elgin, Phigalean and Townley collections. The library numbers nearly one million volumes. Besides these, there is a large and very important collection of MSS. We saw letters written by Melanchthon, I^uther, Sir 56 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Thomas Moore, Drake, Walter Raleigh, Cranmer, Newton, and others. Samples of nearly all of England's sovereigns', statesmen's and authors' chirography are preserved here. The last letter ever penned by Charles Dickens is here also. The collections in natural history are the finest in the the world. In the centre of the square surrounded by the Museum is the New Reading Room, a hall covered by a large dome of glass. It accommodates four hundred readers or writers. The seats are all numbered, and radiate from the centre like spokes in a wheel. I did not spend much time in the de- partments which contain the Egyptian Antiquities, inasmuch as I had visited the important and inter- esting Boulak Museum near Cairo. Here is the celebrated Codex Alexandrinus, which was written A. D. 464, and believed to be the oldest dated MS. of the Bible extant. The Bank of England is a plain-looking build- ing, but is very large, covering nearly four acres of ground. This bank, besides managing the great debt of England, does an extensive business. Here are gathered the great brokers, stock-jobbers and men handling money for various firms, companies and exchanges. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 57 One afternoon whilst in the city we took a drive in open barouches; the day was delightful. We drove along Pali-Mall, Trafalgar Square, St. James Place and Marlborough, to the house of the Prince of Wales. The home of the Prince of Wales is a large, cool-looking place. But I am sure I have seen as fine homes and residences in America. In St. James' Palace the sovereigns used to reside pre- vious to Victoria's residence in the Buckingham Palace. St. James' Palace has contained the scene of many a birth and many a death. Queen Mary I. and Henry, son of James L, died here. George IV. and James II. were born here. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were married at St. James, in the chapel. We also drove to Hyde Park, which is one of the finest parks in the world. It covers an area of 500 acres. In it is the beautiful Albert Memorial, erected in 1851 in honor of Prince Albert. At the corners of the elevation on which the monument rests, are groups representing Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Reliefs and frescoes to the number of 169 occupy the space to the winged angels at the top and on the east and south fronts. The central space contains Prince Albert seated under a grand canopy. Of course we visited Regent's Park, which is nearly as large as 58 A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Hyde Park, and just as pretty. It is surrounded by mansions of London's most wealthy people. There are zoological and botanical gardens in this park. St. James Park resembles in shape a kite. The head is marked by the Horse Guards in the centre, the Admiralty on the right, the Treasury on the left, and Buckingham palace at the tail. Green Park is famous for its entrance from Picca- dilly by a triumphial arch surmounted by a statue of Wellington. It is one of the finest small parks in L/ondon. London has some very fine bridges, among them London Bridge, and Westminster Bridge. The first of these is very old, and figures prominently in story and song. The city has about i,6oo places of worship, and 2,500 including those in suburbs. It has 45 theatres and 400 music halls. The Jews have 25 synagogues. This modern Babylon has 4,500,000 people, but strange to say, of this number only about 30,000 sleep in the city. This is what gives it the deserted appearance on the Sabbath morning, when millions are in their homes in the suburbs. The population is said to increase at the rate of 4,500 annually. London has more Roman Catholics than Rome, more Jews than Palestine, and more Irish than Belfast. Its streets placed A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 59 end to end would extend from Glasgow to New York. This enormous population and visitors consume 16,000,000 bushels of wheat annually. They eat 800,000 oxen, 4,000,000 sheep, 9,000,000 poultry, and 131,000 tons of fish. The amount of liquids necessary to slake the thirst of this vast population is almost incredible. It is said 150,- 000,000 of gallons of water are used daily. In addition to this, 180,000,000 quarts of beer and 31,000,000 quarts of wine are drunk annually. To move this vast number of people 13,000 cab- men are employed, and the railroads measure 800 miles in the city alone. Many of the streets are of historical interest. In Charing Cross, not far from the Cockpit, lived Oliver Cromwell, and the poet Spenser died; at Lincoln's Inn Fields, Russell was beheaded. On Tower Hill, some of England's most eminent men were guillotined. Near Whitehall, Charles I. was executed. The writings of Chaucer, Dickens, Fielding and others, have immortalized whole streets and districts. None can walk Fleet street or the Strand without thinking of Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith and Boswell. In this brief visit it is impossible even to men- tion half the places of interest. Enough has how- 6o A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. ever been said to convince the reader that of all the cities in Europe, I^ondon is one of the most instructive and interesting. CHAPTER V. From Brussels to lyuzeme — The Country and the Houses — Lu- zerne — Lake — Bridges — Cathedral — The Lion — Rigi and Pil- atus — Luzerne to Milan — Grand Sceneries — St. Gothard — Into Italy — Change of Scenery. On the twenty-fifth of January, before it was daylight, we were on our way to the railway depot. At that hour already we met many peasants who had come from the country with their dog-carts loaded with vegetables for the markets of Brussels. By daylight we were in an express train bound for Luzerne. We went by way of Strassburg, Metz and Basel, a distance of 500 miles over the " Cen- tral Railroad of Belgium," 'Wilhelm, L/Uxembourg and Alsace -Lorraine," and "Switzerland" rail- roads. These roads take the traveler through well-cultivated districts in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. The wagon roads everywhere are piked and well kept. The houses of the peasants are constructed of stone. The stable occupies the ground floor, or the one end of what otherwise look like comfortable homes. The manure pile before the front door is a substitute for serpentine (61) 62 A winte:r jaunt in historic lands. walks and choice flower plots in our country. Here for the first time I saw women carrying immense bundles of wood on their heads. They wear great wooden shoes, short skirts, and generally have bare heads. Notwithstanding their life of drudgery and their apparently uncomfortable clothing, they seem content and happy. We had a pleasant all- day journey, with a good warm lunch neatly packed in a little basket. At eight o'clock we arrived in lyuzerne, very tired and very hungry. We were soon around a bounteous dinner table in the large and beautiful hotel ' ' Sweitzerhof. ' ' Early the next day we were ready to see the beautiful town. lyuzerne is on both sides of a crystal lake of the same name. This lake is four miles long, and ft)r the most part twelve hundred feet deep. The town receives its name from the light-house which stood here many years ago to guide boatmen on the lake and river Reuss. It has a wall on the land side which dates its beginning to feudal times. Three old bridges span the river, the oldest of which was built at the beginning of the fourteenth century. This bridge contains seventy-five pictures illustrative of Swiss history. The Muhlenbriicke, built in 1625, ^^^ a series of paintings called the *' Dance of Death. '^ A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 63 The pictures represent human beings engaged in almost every work and pastime from the cradle to the grave. In every one of these scenes is a pic- ture of death. The Cathedral is a large building, and is noted for its organ, which is said to be the finest in the world. In the northern part of the town is a high rock into which is cut the figure of a lion dying upon a shield, in commemoration of the death of the Swiss guards who died in defence of the Tuileries, August loth, 1792. The model was designed by Thor- waldsen. Standing upon the shore of Lake Luzerne one has a splendid view of Mount Rigi, ten miles away. The grand old mountain is clad in a gar- ment of eternal white. Close to the town is Pi- latus, towering to the height of 7000 foet. This is the mount, tradition says, which Pilate touched with his feet when he' was borne by invisible hands from Jerusalem after delivering Christ to be cruci- fied. Two springs of pure water mark the spot where his feet touched. A hotel is situated near the springs. It must be a delightful spot, up there among the clouds where the scorching heat is never felt. Of course nobody believes the tradition. After visiting the shores and making a thorough tour of the old town, we were again on the wing. 64 A WINTER JAUNl' IN HISTORI^ LANDS. From Luzerne to Milan in Italy the scenery is sublime. For the first ten miles after leaving I^u- zerne the traveler passes through a well cultivated country. There are pleasant homes, large apple orchards, and plenty of wood on the hillsides. After passing I^ake Zug we begin to enter a veri- table wonderland. There in the distance is old Rigi with its snow-capped summit looking like a mountain of burnished silver! The train passes rapidly onward. The scenery changes. Slowly, majestically, the great mountains come into view. The clouds hover along the sides of these great giant peaks, half way up their naked outlines, as if nature tried to cast a drapery around her grand handiwork, lest the soul of the beholder be rav- ished with the sublimity of the scene. The glist- ening snows and ice on those mighty summits are the resplendent light-houses lighting the soul heavenward from nature to nature's God. What mean those rapturous heart-throbs as she beholds these sublime scenes! Does not the soul by thus beating against its fetters of clay teach that she is destined to be free, to soar higher than these sub- lime peaks to a world more perfect in loveliness, and more pure because unstained by sin? A short distance from Brunnen a o;reat rock more than one A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I^ANDS. 65 hundred feet high shoots out of the water as if pushed upward by a mighty giant. This is called "Schillerstein." After passing this natural mon- ument the traveler enters St. Gothard's pass. The ascent is gradual. Erst Feld station is surrounded by peaks sheer up a thousand feet. "Round their hreasts the rolling clouds are spread, Kternal sunshine settles on tketr head." People build huge stone fences to keep the slid- ing earth and snows from crushing their growing crops and obliterating their little homes. In the ravines the railroad engineers have erected huge walls of solid masonry to prevent the rocks from tumbling on the tracks. We now pass through one tunnel after another; soon there are railroads far above and far beneath us. Over those above we will soon pass; over those below we have just come. We go up, up, until we are 7000 feet above the level of the sea. The ascent has been so gradual, so quiet, and the air so clear, the scenery so sulplime that the ride is voted the grandest of our lives. God built in St. Gothard a mighty monument, and Mr. Brunell, the engineer of this railroad, has carved the inscription of what man can do in this great achievement. I saw on 66 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. the summit of the mountain near the restaurant a sample of American enterprise. In white letters upon a great rock, a countryman has written, "Use American Chocolate-drops." We took our lunch in cloud-land, in a restaurant built up there. The table was well supplied with everything calculated to satisfy a hungry man's appetite. The sides of the room of the restaurant are ornamented with large lettered mottoes. The following are some of them: "Trank und Speis starkt zur Reis," " Aufrechtigkeit ist die beste List,'' "First think, then drink." Before we speak of the descent it is well to note that St. Gothard's tunnel is nine and a quarter miles long, which is 2930 yards longer than Mt. Cenis. Express trains pass through it in twenty minutes. It was opened May 22, 1882, after working upon it ten years. The average number of men employed was 2500. At times as high as 3400 were at work. The line has fifty-six tunnels, twenty-five and a half miles long. It also has thirty-two large and twenty-four smaller bridges, and ten viaducts. The work cost $11,- 000,000. Soon after lunch we heard "All aboard !" and then we went toward Italy. The descent begins ; soon we look down into little valleys — A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 6j "Through the parting clouds onl}- The earth can be seen, Far down neath the vapor The meadow of green . ' ' Soon we are on the borders of sunny Italy. We pass the lakes Lugano and Maggiore, with their magnificent sceneries. We have come to the edge of Como, with its precipitous mountain banks two or three thousand feet high. Along the shore are handsome mansions, the summer residences of the wealthy. We feel that we have come to sum- mer-land. The weather is pleasantly warm. It begins to rain. This causes the Italians along the road to put on their overcoats. With their hoods drawn over their heads, their dark features look quite savage. The houses we now see are stone, like those elsewhere; but they have a neglected air, which contrasts strangely with the beautiful valleys and hillsides with which the flying train has displaced the deep ravines and towering cliffs. We realize that we are in a Roman Catholic coun- try. There are numerous shrines along the road, before which pious Catholics bow for a moment's prayer. There are acres of vines which in the summer are laden with luscious grapes. Finally darkness closes upon the scene. After passing a 68 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. number of towns in the darkness, we at length enter a large depot. We have arrived at Milan. After some delay, occasioned by a desire of the officious custom-house officers to review our bag- gage, which had already been done "when we en- tered Italy, we were permitted to proceed on our way to the hotel. A good dinner at ten o'clock, a short walk afterwards, and I was off to bed. CHAPTER VI. Paris — Situation and Size — Boulevards — Catacombs — Bois de Boulogne — Madeleine— Louvre— Palais Royal — Hotel des In- valides — Tomb of Napoleon — Cathedral — La St. Chapelle — Pantheon — St. Jacques — Bourse — Place de la Concorde. VERSAII.I.ES — Location — Royal Palace — Rooms of Marie Antoinette — Mirror— Museum— Paintings— Gardens — Lyons — Manufactures — Cathedral — Marseilles — Quays — Streets — Ca- thedral — Rain and the President. Paris is the second city in Europe in point or size, and the first in beauty. Its population is about one-half of that of London. It is situated in the centre of northern France. It is an old city, and formed a part of Caesar's dominion, B. C. 56. It was small then, having an area of only thirty-seven acres. At present its area is more than 20,000 acres, or thirty square miles. The city is sur- rounded by a wall broken by 57 gates, besides the numerous entrances of the railroads. Paris is sur- rounded by low hills which are almost entirely covered by flower gardens, from which come the beautiful flowers w^hich fill the great markets and decorate the thousands of homes and churches. Immediately inside of the defences is one of the (69) 70 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. great boulevards called the Military street. This street entirely surrounds Paris and is known un- der different names in different parts of its course. Another set of boulevards forms a circle around the centre of the city. When Louis Philippe was on the throne the city was greatly improved. It was then these boulevards were laid out where the old city ramparts once stood. These streets are the finest in Paris, and are filled from morning until late at night with persons bent on shopping and sigfht-seeinof. That which makes these streets so beautiful is their width, their green trees, and their magnificent buildings of light stone. This stone is nearly as white as marble. Much of it was taken from quarries which existed over one-eighth of the area beneath th'e city. It is estimated that 324,- 000,000 cubic feet of stone have been taken out of these now exhausted quarries. The stone when first brought to the light of day is so soft that it can be cut with a plane. The ornamentation is done after the stones are in position in the wall. One of the most beautiful drives in the world is through the Bois de Boulogne. This is the princi- pal park in Paris. The most fashionable entrance is along the Champs Elysees. This park is nearly three times as laro^e as Central Park. It has A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 7 1 beautiful flower-beds, elegant walks, large hand- some trees, an immense aquarium, and many other attractions. The principal avenue is one hundred yards wide and extends a distance of ten miles. All along this beautiful avenue are side walks for pedestrians, a road for horseback riding, and a car- riage drive. There are other parks in and near Paris but the only fine exterior one besides the Boisde Boulogne is the Bois de Vincennes. Many of the squares throughout the city have small parks. To describe all the places of interest on this magnificent city is beyond the province of this vol- ume. We will visit some of those which are most famous. The finest specimen of Greek architec- ture in the world is the Madeleine (St. Mary Mag- dalene). It is a hundred and fifty feet broad and a hundred feet high. It is surrounded by a line of fifty-two Corinthian columns, forty-nine feet high. The church has bronze doors over thirty feet high. They are covered with Old Testament scenes illus- trating the Ten Commandments. Over the front pillars on the pediment is a scene of the Judgment which is indeed beautiful as a work of art, and im- pressive, inasmuch as it illustrates one of the most awful scenes of which Revelation speaks. The 72 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. sides within and the floors are of the finest marble. There are grand pieces of sculpture in this church. There were two weddings in progress when I was in this magnificent building. The scene was quite different from what it was in 1871, when upwards of 300 insurgents who had sought refuge here were put to the sword. One of the most interesting places in this city is the Louvre. This is the depository of vast treas- ures of art. It was begun in 1541, and was for- merly the residence of the kings of France. "The collections in the Louvre comprise Assyrian an- tiquities, Egyptian antiquities, Algerian discover- ies, sculptures of the Renaissance, modern sculp- tures, marble antiques, paintings of the Italian school, paintings of the Spanish school, paintings of the German school, paintings of the Flemish school, paintings of the Dutch school, museum of jewelery, museum of Hebrew antiquities, museum of the Kings, museum of Mediaeval art, museum of Designs, museum of the Navy, museum of Eth- nography, and American museum." Here are the sword of Napoleon I., with its diamond handle, and two crowns adorned with diamonds and precious stones. It was only last summer that a large diamond shown at the Paris A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 73 Exhibition was purchased and added to this collec- tion. In this collection are many of the gems and crystal ware, once the property of royalty. One is impressed with the fact that the possession of all this wealth and splendor is but transient. Those who once prized these treasures as their own per- sonal property are gone to the land where wealth of this world has no power. Besides the almost innumerable paintings and the crown jewels, there is a museum of Egyptian antiquities, illustrating the domestic and the re- ligious life of these ancient people. One can al- most imagine himself in the Boulak Museum as he goes from one object of interest to the other in this stupendous collection. There is likewise an As- syrian collection, which gives one an excellent idea of this ancient civilization. It must be admitted that the collection of sculp- ture is not as fine as that of Florence or that in the Vatican, but it is by no means to be despised. The famous Venus of Milo is in a room by itself. The figure is armless, but the expression of the face, the graceful attitude and the life-like form, make up this deficiency. We cannot give even an idea of all to be seen in these vast halls and saloons of magnificence. Neither could a study of months 74 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. fully master a history of these paintings, nor enter into the spirit of genius displayed on every side. These works are many of them the product of genius tinctured by feeling wrought by the events of the times. The new opera house is the finest in the world. It covers nearly three acres of ground. The en- trances are through sculptured arches. The in- terior is magnificent, with its statuary, its mosaics, and reliefs. The grand staircase consists of white marble steps, with balustrades and hand-rails of precious stones. Fifty people can stand abreast on one of the steps below the division. The stage is nearly two hundred feet long and seventy-five feet deep. There is a huge mirror at the end of the lobby which makes the building appear of unlim- ited length. The grandeur of this great playhouse can scarcely be appreciated, even when seen: much less can it be described. The Palais Royal is frequented by visitors to Paris. The elegance of its jewelry stores, the splendor of its restaurants, and the many people wandering through and along its beautiful avenues, make it a place worthy of many visits. This pal- ace was built by Cardinal Richelieu. He died in 1642. From that time until the Commune in I A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 75 1871 it was occupied by royalty and members of the royal family. This magnificent pile of build- ings suffered not a little at the hands of the Revo- lutionists in 1848. There is a small cannon which is so arranged that the rays of the sun are concen- trated about the fuse with sufficient power to fire it off, thus telling the Parisians when it is high noon. After having taken a drive to the Exposition buildings and viewed the grounds and the famous Eiffel tower, we visited the Hotel des Invalides. This magnificent soldiers' home was begun by Louis XIV., and finished in 1674. "In the gar- dens is a battery of artillery called the 'Triumphal Battery,' composed of guns taken in the wars of the First Empire, in the Crimea, in Algeria, and in China. Above the entrance to the building ap- pears a fine bas-relief representing Louis XIV. on horseback, with Justice and Prudence. Behind the fagade are five Courts of Honor, and arcades containing mural paintings illustrative of the military glories of France; a statue of Napoleon I. ; and the Museum of Artillery. The dining-halls, kitchens and dormitories of the pensioners may be visited, as well as the Council Chamber (portrait of Napoleon I.) and library of 60,000 volumes."* * Official Guide. 76 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. The last soldier who fought under Napoleon I. died two years ago. The church adjoining the soldiers' home is worthy of notice. It at one time contained all the battle-flags taken in the wars of Napoleon I., to the number of 3,000. It has a magnificent paint- ing of Christ in the tomb. But what distinguishes it most is the tomb of Napoleon I. In the central part of the church is this magnificent tomb, where the body of Napoleon I. rests since 1840, when it was brought from St. Helena. The church itself is a square building 198 feet in breadth. It is sur- mounted by a dome 344 feet high ; this dome is 86 feet in diameter. Immediately beneath this dome is the crypt, in the form of a basin, with walls of polished granite. In the centre of this basin is a sarcophagus of Finland granite. This rests upon a block of green granite. The gallery which sur- rounds the crypt is ornamented with bas-reliefs illustrating the achievements of the great man. Twelve statues under this gallery and around the sarcophagus represent the warrior's twelve princi- pal victories. Here there repose the ashes of the man who once made tyrants tremble. At his hand his countrymen suffered much and gained much. If he was a whip of scorpions in the hands of the A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. ^'J Almighty, his chastisements were attended with many reformations. He was ambitious, but "Who knows but He whose hand the lightning forms, Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms, Pours fierce ambition in a Caesar's mind?" Charity says ^^Requiescat hi pace P^ The chapel of Louis XIV. is noted for its beau- ful stained-glass windows of the eleventh century. We have already spoken of the Madeleine, but this is only one of the many churches of Paris. The cathedral of Notre Dame stands on the spot which was occupied by a Roman temple. A church, dedicated to St. Stephen, stood here as early as 360. The first stone of the present edi- fice was laid three and a quarter centuries before America was discovered. The glass stained win- dows are famous, especially the "Catherine WhelP' window on the north front. The carvings, col- umns and arches in the building are very pretty. The oro^an is one of the finest in the world. In this church are a "part of the true cross and crown of thorns" brought from Palestine by St. Louis. On the one tower is a bell brought from Sebasto- pol, on the other is the great Bourdon, one of the largest bells in the world. There are many await- 78 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. iiig the archangel's trump at the resurrection morn in the large vaults beneath. When I was there the priests were chanting mass at a coffin about to be placed with the great majority. Here is a painting illustrative of the dream of the wife of Prince Harcourt. She dreamed that her husband was buried before he was dead. She had him exhumed, and found her dream true. There is an angel representing marriage and a man coming out of the tomb before the Duchess in kneeling posture. Near by the Cathedral rises the arrow-like spire of La Saint Chapelle. This church was built in three years (1245-8) by St. Ivouis, to receive the part of the true cross and crown of thorns which are now in Notre Dame. For many years this church lay in partial ruin, but it was thoroughly restored from 1837 to 1867. '*It now presents the complet- est, perhaps the finest, specimen of religious archi- tecture of the thirteenth century." The Pantheon (or St. Genevieve's) is in the form of a Greek cross. The four aisles unite under a dome 66 feet in diameter and 258 feet high. Madame Pompadour was the instigator of the building of this church, to replace an edifice which had been dedicated to St. Genevieve, the I A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 79 patron saint of the city. It was made a church in 1822, became a Pantheon again in 1831, and in 1853 ^^ again became a church. In 1848 the inter- ior was damaged by cannon-shots fired at the in- surgents who had taken refuge there. The Com- munists were about to visit a worse fate upon it in 1871. They had already stored gunpowder and petroleum in it with which to blow it up, but they were driven out before their nefarious work could be accomplished. The crypt contains tombs of some of those who with Madame Pompadour helped to plunge the French people into sin and infidelity. There is a beautiful painting illustrating scenes in the life of Joan d'Arc in this building. The first scene represents her as a shepherdess receiving inspiration from an angel, who is in the attitude of whispering into her ear. The next scene repre- sents her with sword in hand leading the army to victory. Again she stands behind the king as he is crowned. A smile of peace lights up her coun- tenance. The last scene represents her kissing the cross when she is already tied to the stake. We went all through the crypts beneath the church. They are marvels of solid masonry. We next visited the Palais du L/Uxembourg. The build- 8o A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. ing dates from 1615. It has been the residence of princes, a prison in the Revolution, Chamber of Peers in the time of Louis Philippe, a senate house, etc. Now it contains paintings from the great French painters now living and a hall adorned with beautiful statuary. The ceiling of the gallery is adorned with paintings representing the Zodiac. The chapel adjoining is of the six- teenth century. On the Rue de Rivoli stands the tower of St. Jacques. The church was pulled down by the revolutionists. It is centrally located, and affords from its top a fine view of the city. The bridges over the Seine, the windings of the river, the parks and the great buildings, lie as on a map at your feet. We saw the Morgue, the dead house where unidentified persons found in the city limits are brought. There was rather a hard-looking crowd standing about the doors and in the narrow room in which, separated from the crowd of visitors by a glass casing, the dead are exposed to view. Here on a chair, as if ready to be shaved, a poor rather debauched body reclined. As soon as they are identified the bodies are covered and then removed. If they are not identified within three days they A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I^ANDS. 8 1 are interred at the public expense. We visited the Bourse, or stock exchange. The building has been compared with the Temple of Vespasian in the Forum at Rome. The inside is surrounded by a gallery from which a good view is had of the shrieking "bulls and bears" in the vast room be- neath. Here it is that fortunes are made and lost. Many have gone there light-hearted and have come away in despair. Stock gambling in Paris and everywhere else should be branded as what it really is, a lottery and a crime. Between the Jardin des Tuileries and the Champs Klysees is the famous Place de la Concorde. It is the finest square in any city in Europe, if not in the world. "In the centre stands the Obelisk of Luxor, a monolith of red granite, 72 feet high, brought from the ruins of Thebes, and erected in 1836. It is a sister of Cleopatra's Needle, and was presented to the French Government by Mehemet AH ; the cost of bringing it from Egypt was two million francs. A person standing close to the Obelisk can see the Arc de Triomphe, the Made- leine, the Louvre, the Chambre des Deputes, and other public buildings. On the north and south sides are fine fountains, adorned with tritons, nere- ides, and various allegorical statues ; one of the 6 82 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. fountains represents River Navigation and the other Sea Navigation. The actual Place is bounded by eight colossal statues typical of the chief towns of France, namely: Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brest, Lille, and Strasburg. The last-named town was lost to France in 1870, but the statue is cherished and visited on National Fete Day by crowdsof Alsatian-Lorraines, w^ho lit- erally cover it with immortelles to the memory of those who fell in the great battles fought in the annexed provinces." * In this square morQ blood has been shed and more awful scenes have been enacted than upon, any piece of ground of its size in the world. When Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. were married, they discharged fireworks on this great square, when a panic ensued, in which no less than 1000 persons were killed, and many more were injured. Here began the conflict between royalty and the people which resulted in the destruction of the Bastile. Here nearly 3000 people in less than a year and a half were beheaded. Among them were the King and Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, >Danton, Robespierre, and others who were great in '' that strange spell, a name." Some * Official Guide. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 83 of them were good and innocent. At night the myriads of gas-lights give the whole scene a splen- dor which must be seen to be appreciated. The great revolving light in the Eiffel tower, beheld from this square, looks like a beautiful ever chang- ing star as it flashes in contrast, and far down the brilliant scene in the square. I can not in this little volume speak of Paris churches, clubs, col- umns and conservatories, of its fortifications, its fountains, its fine houses, homes, hotels, its mark- ets, its museums, its towers and its people. Suf- fice to say it has every splendor and beauty to make it merit its name, "Beautiful Paris." It has con- veniences for rich and poor as no other city has; but then it has its hideous vices and its many crimes to justly entitle it to the opproprious name of "Wicked Paris." Everybody who visits Paris should also see Ver- sailles. The drive to this historic town is very pretty. The road passes by the Mongso Park, which in the spring and summer is very beautiful. Further on the tourist passes the little historic town of St. Cloud where Marie Antoinette once re- sided, and in later years, was the home of Napol- eon First. During the Franco- Prussian war the French themselves destroyed the palace. 84 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. It was a wet, cold morning in April when I wished to go to Versailles, so to save time and avoid the rain I took the train at Saint-Lazare. We rode on top of the cars, which are especially arranged for the conveninence of tourists. Versailles was once a city of one hundred and fifty thousand or more people; now the population does not reach one-third that number. The streets are beautifully laid out with mathematical precis- ion. The principal and only real attraction is the joyal palace. The palace is built in a hollow square, with the side toward the city open. Here is the court- yard, adorned with sixteen statutes taken from the bridge La Co7icorde in Paris. They represent six- teen of France's great warriors. The palace it- self was originally a hunting lodge. It is said a mill was here located, and that Louis XIII. took refuge in it during a shower of rain. He was pleased with the location so he built a hunter's lodge. Louis XIV. determined to make it the most beautiful royal residence in the world. After working upon it twelve years, and expending $200,000,000 upon it, the monarch moved into it in 1670. He lived in it forty-five years. In one of the rooms the old king used to sit by the win- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 85 dow, and when a carriage of state entered con- taining any one the monarch did not wish to see, he would hide in a closet near by. Here he would conceal himself to listen to what his courtiers said of him. I stood by the window where Louis XIV. sat when he died. There is a picture in tapestry of this monarch in the palace, upon which the artist worked fourteen years, and which cost a fortune. It was in one of the rooms of this pal- ace that Marie Antoinette heard the fiends come to drag her to prison. She escaped by a secret stairway in her night-clothes (October 5, 1789), only to be apprehended a few days afterwards. Her Swiss guards, faithful to the end, perished in their attempt to defend their mistress. She died four years and eleven days after that eventful night, on the guillotine. In one of this beautiful queen's rooms is a mirror which when one stands in a cer- tain position, shows the body without a head. It is said as soon as the queen saw this mirror she said it was a prophecy of the death she would eventually die. The room in which Peter the Great slept in 1777 is very prettily furnished, the bed on which he reposed is still to be seen. After the death of Louis 'XVI., this grand palace remained unoccupied for many years. Louis 86 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Philippe converted it into a vast museum of all "the glories^' of France. There are whole acres of canvas in the many rooms, some of the paint- ings having been specially made for the place. In the historical museum there are eleven rooms filled with paintings, illustrating the history of France from the year 511 to Louis XIV. in 1700. Besides these there are many rooms illustrating the more modern history of France, and besides these there are ten rooms illustrating chiefly the military glories of Napoleon and the First Empire. Then, too, there is the Galerie de V Empire^ consisting of fourteen rooms, illustrating the campaigns from the year 1796 to 1810. Besides all these, there are rooms filled with portraits. The chapel in the palace is the place where roy- alty worshiped. It is very pretty. Its organ is one of the finest in Europe. In this chapel Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were married. The fres- coing on the ceiling is very fine. An angel's limb is so frescoed that it seems pending. The decep- tion is complete. The theatre, once the place where wealth and beauty assembled, is seldom used now. It was here the Garde du Corps as- sembled at the memorable banquet of 1789. Here, too, the Queen of England banqueted August 25, 1855. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 87 The grounds surrounding the palace are in keep- ing with the magnificence within. There are beautiful fountains, artificial lakes, and serpentine walks. There are three principal divisions of the Gar- dens — the Parterre d'Eau, facing the centre of the Palace, the Parterre du Nord, facing the north wing, and the Parterre du Midi, facing the south wing of the Palace. The Parterre d'Eau possesses two basins, with fountains rising in the form of a basket. Twenty-four bronze statues surround these, typifying the chief rivers of France, and eight statues of water-nymphs and eight groups of children complete the environment. The terrace is flanked by two grand fountains, the Fontaine de Diane, on the right, the Fontaine du Point Jour, on the left ; they are adorned with groups of animals fighting. The traveler, in passing from Paris to Marseilles, has a view of the country which in many places is of interest, but there is nothing striking about it, so as to make a description of the rural scenery of special importance. A little more than half way between Paris and Marseilles is I^yons. It is situ- ated at the junction of the Saone and Rhone, and is the largest manufacturing city in France. Many 88 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC IvANDS. of the houses in the older part of the city are seven to nine stories high. Where the streets are narrow and crooked, the light of day has difficulty in find- ing its way to the ground between these high buildings. There are, however, some very fine streets with beautiful houses in the city. There are over fifty squares in the town. A few of them are very fine. Lyons produces the finest silks in the world. There are manufactories of cotton and woolen goods, hats, chemicals, drugs, liquors and earthenware. Next to Paris, it excels all other European cities in the manufacture of sham jew- elry. It has fine quays at the junctions of the two rivers. There are few buildings worthy of note in this city. The Hotel de Ville or City Hall is finer than that in Paris. The opera house and Palais St. Pierre, once a convent, now an institute for science and literature, and museum of sculpture, archaeol- ogy and natural history, are on the great square called the Terreaux. The Cathedral, Notre Dame de Fourvieres, dates its beginning to the ninth cen- tury. It is called de Fourvieres because it is said to stand on the site of an old Roman forum. It has a figure of the Virgin on the top of the tower, 400 feet above the street below. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 89 The distance from Lyons to Marseilles is 175 miles. This is the great seaport of France. Upon its streets may be seen people from every part of the world. An extensive trade is carried on by this city with all Mediterranean ports. The harbor of Marseilles is very fine. The town is protected by three fortified islands, having light-houses to guide the many vessels which pass between these islands on their way to the harbor. Outside of the city are the great docks, having warehouses which cover nearly a hundred acres. Altogether, the harbor of the city has an area of nearly 500 acres and over four miles of dockage. In summer-time the people seek relief from the oppressive heat in boats on the bay. Many of the streets of the city are wide, clean, and well-paved. Large stone structures, in which are the principal business places, line these thor- oughfares. When I was in Marseilles, the streets were decorated with flags and buntings and greens in honor of the newly-elected President, who was then on a tour through the principal cities of France. The holiday attire and the grand proces- sions may have enhanced the beauty of the city, but notwithstanding, Marseilles is a pretty town at all times. 90 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. Of course Marseilles has a Cathedral. It stands where the Massilian citadel stood when it was be- sieged by Caesar. Before the citadel occupied the place, a temple of Diana was there ; and before that, an altar dedicated to Baal. Near the port is the Bourse, with a Corinthian portico. The in- terior is very handsome, and is conceded to be finer than the Bourse at Paris. The Chamber of Com- merce is decorated with paintings and gildings. It is the finest room in the building. The Palace of Arts was built about twenty years ago. It has two wings and three towers. The centre tower is the largest, and beautifully ornamented with stat- uary. Immediately below this tower is a fountain from which the water spouts high into the air. On account of the rain, which fell in great torrents when we were in this beautiful seaport, our sight- seeing was cut short. It was the first European city we saw after returning from Palestine. There were few Arabs to be seen — most of the few we had brought with us as steerage passengers on the ^'Gerunda." To be among Europeans, and not to see everywhere a crowd of turbaned, half-naked men, pushing and. jostling each other, and calling for backsheash^ was in itself a relief. We could ap- preciate our brief stay in Marseilles, notwithstand- ing the rain. MII,AN CATHKDRAr,. CHAPTER VII. Milan, Age — Cathedral — Spire — Nail of "True Cross" — Tomb of Borromeo — St. Ambrose — The "Brazen Serpent" — The Last Supper, by Da Vinci — Other Buildings — Florence — Scenery on Way, etc. — Pitti Palace and Palace Vecchio — Duomo — Campanile — Santa Croce — Amerigo Vespucci. Milan is an ancient city. It was old already when Christ was born. In the twelfth century, Frederic Barbarossa nearly entirely destroyed it, but it was soon rebuilt. It has been besieged many times in the centuries which have elapsed since its foundations were laid. In 1576, it was desolated by the plague. It has recovered from all its misfortunes, and to-day it is the cleanest and most prosperous city in Italy. Some streets are narrow and winding, but they are well paved and clean. The great centre of attraction in Milan is the Cathedral. It was begun in 1387, and is unfinished to this day. In fret-work, carving and statuary, it is said to excel all other churches in the world. It is the second largest church in Europe. The inside measurements are 477 feet by 183 feet. The (91) 92 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. tower rises to the height of 360 feet. We ascended to the roof before breakfast. We went up by 200 marble steps. It is quite an undertaking before the morning meal. From the roof we had a grand view of the city and the distant mountains. From the tower the view is superb. On the roof the tourist is surrounded by a world of beauty. It is adorned with ninety Gothic turrets. Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa can be distinctly seen, whilst far beyond them towers the Matterhorn with its ice- covered summits, like peaks of silver in the morning sunlight. The exterior of the building is white marble. In the niches and on the pin- nacle there is room for 4500 statues, of which about 3500 are in position. Nearly everybody who is of any note in the Bible or in Italian and Christian history has a statue on this cathedral. The wealth of beauty is perfectly bewildering. The whole exterior in fact is so vast, yet so deli- cate and beautiful is the work, that one feels that it is too nice to be out of doors. Within, the floor is in mosaic of red, blue and white marble. Fifty- two pillars, eighty feet high, support the roof. In the nave, marked by a light which glistens like a diamond far above the floor, the visitor is shown *'a nail of the true cross.'' A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 93 More wonderful than this is the tomb of St. Carlo Borromeo, in a crypt beneath the hig^h altar. The body reposes in a marble tomb, the whole front of which is moved by machinery. Inside the marble is a glass case which contains the body. It is shrunken by age, but the features are well preserved. Jewels and precious stones of every description, to the value of more than a million dollars, have been heaped upon the corpse by those who have come here to worship from every part of the world. As I gazed upon this wealth I could not help thinking that if he were able, the man who in his life had given his personal fortune and even the works of art and the ornaments of his palace for the relief of the poor, would certainly not tolerate this idolatry. He would speedily turn the useless wealth on his ashes into bread for those who go hungry under the very shadow of the cathedral towers. The traveler is loth to leave the interior of this majestic building. The fifty- two marble pillars which support the roof are ninety feet in height. Its noble and costly altars, its grand old Gothic arches, its matchless stained-glass windows, its his- toric tombs, and even its worn floors, impress the soul and fill it with indescribable emotions. 94 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. Another quite remarkable church in Milan is that of St. Ambrose. It is buik on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Bacchus. The doors are covered with chiseled bronze, which was on the doors through which Theodosius wished to pass (in the fourth century) after he returned from the massacre at Thessalonica. St. Ambrose, whose name the church bears, was born at Treves in Gaul, in A. D. 340, and died here in 397. He is interred in this church. Here he preached, and in this city he labored until the Master took him from the Church militant to the Church triumphant. The pulpit from which he used to preach is still shown here. So also are some of the letters penned by his hand. There is an illuminated MS. of the Te laudamiis written for him. In this church the tomb of Pepin, father of Charlemagne, is located. There are frescoes on the wall of the second and third centuries. The visitor is shown a column surmounted by a serpent said to be the "brazen serpent" which Moses raised in the wil- derness. It cannot speak for itself, and there is no mark upon it to establish its identity, so I cannot say whether the legend with regard to it is true or not. It certainly is very old. The refectory of the ancient Dominican convent, now the church of A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 95 Santa Maria delle Grazie, contains the celebrated fresco of the " I^ast Supper," by Leonardo da Vinci. Although blackened by age and defaced by those who knew not how to appreciate it, it still shows the inspiration and skill of the master hand that placed it there. It alone is worth a visit to Milan. It is said Milan has charities which possess up- wards of $40,000,000 of property. There is a hospital here founded in the fifteenth century which is nearly 1000 feet long and 360 feet in depth. The treasury, the palace of justice, the palace of science, the mint, and the public loan bank, are all fine buildings. The railroad depots here, as in other Italian cities, contain fine fres- coes. There are also fine stores in Milan. The "Galleria Vittorio Emanuele" is the great centre around which whole armies of shoppers, both from the city and from other places, hover entranced, I may say, by the pretty wares of every description. It is an immense arcade; the roof is glass, and at one place, 180 feet above the marble floor. The building is lighted by a myriad of gas-jets, giving the whole an appearance of brilliancy, wealth and gayety which must be seen to be appreciated. The people of Milan are the finest and most polite in all Italy. 96 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. From Milan we took the noon train for Florence. It is 216 miles by rail from Milan to Florence. In Switzerland we were in a climate as cold as at home ; now it is warm as May. The trees are in blossom, although it is the 27th of February. The country south of Milan is beautiful and very fer- tile. Every foot is historical, some of the most momentous events in Roman history having trans- pired here. We cross high, long bridges, but there is no water. The channel is dry. When the snows on the mountains melt, these dry chan- nels are filled to overflowing. The buildings in the country and the small towns, look, as they really are, very old. The cattle in the fields are large and in good condition. The carriage roads here, as elsewhere in Europe, are nicely graded and in good repair. Several hours before we arrive in Florence we cross the Apennines. The scenery is not near so grand as in the Alps, al- though there are some very pretty views. Tun- nels are numerous and built of the most enduring masonry. It was some time after the shadows of night had enveloped the quiet valleys when we arrived at Florence. After a ten o'clock dinner we took a little stroll and then retired. We stop at the hotel A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 97 Washington. The Arno flows on the other side of the street. The outlook is pretty in the extreme. Many of the hotels in Italian cities are old palaces once inhabited by princes. We had arisen early, and after a breakfast of eggs, rolls and chocolate, we went sight-seeing. The chief beauty of Flor- ence is not in fine buildings, although some are very grand ; it lies in her priceless treasures of art. The principal depositories of art are the Pitti Pal- ace and the Palace Vecchio, the old capital of the republic and afterwards the home of Cosmo. It is public property now. The foundations of the building were laid two centuries before America was discovered. The Pitti Palace contains the finest paintings in Europe. Here are the original masterpieces from which copies and chromos are made and sent through the world. They are the works of Michael Angelo, Murillo, Rubens, and other masters. The Pitti Palace and Palace Vec- chio are connected by a bridge over the Arno. This is in itself a storehouse of art. Among the statues in the room called the Tribune in the Uffizi Gallery, are the Dancing Faun, the famous Venus de Medici, seventeen centuries old. Another room contains jewels valued at $20,000,000. The most beautiful ware of rock crystal adorns the cases. 7 98 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. Ill another room is a table of Florentine mosaics valued at $150,000. It took fourteen people twenty-five years to make it. There is another in another room which cost $200,000, and fifteen years were consumed in its manufacture. As I looked on these treasures I could not help thinking of those who once called them their own. Where are the spirits of those who once feasted, their eyes upon these gems, and the hands that once held these costly wares? Here their souls were filled with anxieties and fears of which we can form no estimate. Once the beauty of their bodies was enhanced by these glittering gems. Do crowns imperishable rest upon their brows in the other world? These rooms have much to tell us of wealth and beauty, of kings and sceptres. We may well say, '^Can wealth give happiness?'^ Look round and see. What gay distress, what splendid misery, these gems and paintings commemorate ! But I have not told you half. One gallery has a series of busts of Roman emperors. Another has portraits of the most famous painters, executed for the most part by themselves. To describe all that is con- tained in these galleries would require a volume larger than this one. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 99 Florence has 172 churches, not a few of which are large and beautiful structures. Of these the Duomo or Cathedral is the largest, and in archi- tectural grandeur is surpassed only by St. Peter's at Rome. It was begun in 1294, and was not completed until the middle of the last century. Black, red and white marble in variegated figures covers the sides. The dome of this church (which is the largest in the world) served Michael Angelo as a model for St. Peter's. Among the statues in the church the unfinished group representing the entombment of Christ, by Michael Angelo, is the most famous. The Campanile or belfry near the Cathedral is 550 years old, and is an elegant sample of Italian Gothic style of architecture. Charles V. used to say of this what Napoleon I. said of the tower of the Antwerp Cathedral — it deserved to be put be- neath a glass case. To my eyes the one at Ant- werp far excels the former. In 1604, Ferdinand I., grand-duke of Tuscany, began a mausoleum for his family. It is not finished yet, but it has already cost $17,000,000. It is an octagon ninety- four feet in diameter and two hundred feet high, and is lined with lapis lazuli, jasper, onyx, and other precious stones. The acoustic properties of lOO A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. this mausoleum are wonderful. Standing along the wall and singing the scale produces the sweet- est music, echoed and re-echoed from the sides and dome. The church of Santa Croce is the Westminster Abbey of Florence. It contains the tomb of that greatest of painters and sculptors the modern world has produced, the immortal Angelo. There too tepose the ashes of Galileo, the great astronomer, and lyconardo Aretino, the greatest Italian writer of the fifteenth century. Here too is the splendid monument of Dante, but his ashes are at Ravenna. Not far from the banks of the Arno the old home of Amerigo Vespucci is still to be seen. Not far from the home once owned by the man after whom America was named is the old mansion of Dante. The houses, although renewed and repaired, show the marks of great age. Galileo lived on the hill- side from which he could overlook the city and sweep the skies with his rude telescope, which dis- closed to his astonished gaze the individual, sparkling mosaics in that grand pavement of light, the Milky Way. In this city, close to the Palazzo Vecchio, is the fountain of Neptune and Triton, on the very spot where in May, 1498, Savonarola was burnt at the A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 10 1 stake. On that day a fierce mob clamored for his death as he was led out from his prison, but for two hundred and fifty years afterwards pious hands strewed flowers on the spot from which the heroic soul went to heaven. "The memory of the just is blessed." Every one of the mob is long since forgotten, but the name of Savonarola still lives. He was one of the torches with which the hand of God kindled the light of the Reformation in the century following. The view from the Michael Angelo's square, in the sQUtheast of the city, is very beautiful. One sees the mansions nestling on the quiet hillsides around it. To the south is Michael Angelo's tower from which he looked upon the city which delighted to do him honor. To the north and west is the city with its houses having gray walls and red-tiled roofs. The city does not look pretty. It looks old and gray, but the view is exceedingly picturesque. The man- sions are strongly built. They were erected and first nhabited in troublous times, when it was necessary that every man's house be his castle. Remains of the old Roman wall are still to be seen. Taking it all in all, Florence is rich in art and history, beau- tiful for situation, and picturesque in appearance. We think of the grand old city with pleasure. CHAPTER VIII. Rome, Scenery- on way to — The Corso — Peasants going to town — Population and Ruins — The Forum — Arch of Titus — Mamertine Prison — Paul in Rome — Capitoline Hill — Tarpeia — Nero's Palace and Gardens — Baths — Fountains — Colosseum — Anecdote — Pantheon — Catacombs — Churches — St. Angelo. We left Florence for Rome at 7:15 a. m. We made the distance of one hundred and sixl^y-two miles in five and one-half hours. For the first hundred miles of the journey the scenery is little different from what it is at Florence. The country is rolling. Old towns and old castles crown the summits of the hills. Some of these castles are as old as the religion of Christ. It was a cold, rough morning, snow was seen on the hillsides — a sight rarely witnessed here — but the grass looked green. The olive trees were cov- ered with minute white blossoms somewhat re- sembling our cherry blossoms. Shepherds watch- ing their flocks, accompanied by large black dogs, could be seen on the hillsides. There are no fences. The landmarks are stones and trees and ( 102 ) A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 103 ditches. About seventy miles from Rome tHe train enters the wooded valley of the Tiber. The road runs along the gravel beds formed by the Tiber, which here is a mere creek. The small branches are cut from the trees and trimmed and arranged in large piles near the railroad; here they are loaded on cars and sent to Rome. Wood is scarce and dear in Italy. Everywhere the hotel keepers charge twenty cents for a mere armful, which is not sufficient to warm a room for more than an hour. As one comes nearer to the Eternal City, the soil becomes more fertile. Great herds of magnificent cattle are seen in the fields. The val- ley is broad, and not unlike our own valleys. One sees few vehicles on the roads. Ox-carts are fre- quent. Oxen are used in plowing. They seem to be real quick in their movements. As you ap- proach the city, the ground becomes very marshy. The eucalyptus tree is planted in great rows to counteract the malarious influence of the marshes. The houses, which were not so numerous, are now more thickly built in the valley. Soon the dome of St. Peter's appears to the right of the swiftly-mov- ing train. A few minutes more and the cars sweep through the old walls, and we are ere long at the railroad depot in the city, great in historic associ- ations, great in religion, and great in crime. I04 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Rome at present contains a population of about 300,000. Twelve years ago it was 285,000. In the time of Vespasian (A. D. 9-79) the city contained a population of nearly 2,000,000 people, of whom -not less than half were slaves, which had been brought from every known country. Now there are no slaves in Rome, save the slaves of supersti- tion. The ancient city was built upon seven hills. Three of these, the Aventine, Palatine and Caelian, are now desolate. Much of the old city lies beneath the new. In some places vineyards occupy the sites of ancient palaces. So much has the city changed that it is with difficulty that the ancient hills are traced. The Tiber still flows through the city, as turbid as in the days of Horace. New and beautiful bridges are being erected over this ancient stream. The channel is being cleaned, and Rome, the eter- nal city, seems to be awakening out of her sleep of superstition and indolence. The streets of the present city are narrow and circuitous. The prin- cipal street is the Corso. It is wide, well paved, and lined with the finest buildings in the city. The crowd here is simply enormous. It is the Broadway of Rome. The sidewalks of this street, as of all others in Rome, are narrow. The street is occupied by pedestrians who dodge about to keep A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 105 from being run down. The peasants nearly all ride in carts. In carts drawn by a horse or donkey they bring their produce and their familes. These carts make a grotesque appearance when they con- tain three to six children together with the father and mother. They seem uncomfortably full. At every gate of the city there are several soldiers who, with long swords, examine the carts laden with produce as they come into town from the country. The Italian peasant must pay duty on many of his farm products. Taxes are heavy, and the condition of the peasantry is not an enviable one. In this city of so many historical sites, such ex- tensive ruins, such massive buildings, the traveler scarcely knows where to go first. We first visited the old city. Every reader of Latin classics knows the story of Romulus and Remus. Two wolves are still kept in an iron cage at the top of the steps leading to the Palatine, in commemoration of the legend that the two brothers were suckled by a wolf. From the Palatine the visitor looks down upon the great Forum. Here once sounded the eloquence of the most renowned orators of the Roman empire. It was in this Forum that the body of Julius Caesar lay when Mark Antony pro- I06 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. nounced his funeral oration. The Forum itself is twenty-five feet below the level of the present street. The site is covered with broken columns, the wrecks of its ancient glory. The Forum of Trajan, close to that of Augustus, was built at the beginning of the second century. This was the most magnificent Forum in Rome. Near by is Trajan's Column. This is a marble column 147 feet high and 11 feet in diameter at the base. A spiral band surrounds it, filled with illustrations carved in marble from Trajan's war. A statue of Trajan once surmounted it. Now St. Peter's fig- ure stands there, as if watching the bones of the emperor beneath. At the foot of the Palatine stands the arch of Titus, which was erected by him after he returned from his conquests in Palestine. The arch con- tains a representation in relief of captive Jews, and of what Titus found in the precincts of Herod's temple at Jerusalem. Though the arch is nearly tw^enty centuries old, the representations are distinct. From this arch we went to the street above, not far from which is a place of the deepest interest to all Christians. It is the Mamertine prison. Here Paul was confined in a damp cell for how long no one knows. There are two chambers, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 107 one beneath the other. A round hole in the mid- dle of the floor leads to the lower chamber. It was in this chamber that Jugurtha the Numidian king perished of hunger and cold. From the chambers a subterranean pass leads into the Forum. Along this passage prisoners were taken to judgment. There is a spring in the upper cell which tradition says sprang from the rocks at the command of Peter. There is likewise an impression of the face of Peter on the wall, which was made by a Roman soldier thrusting the apostle's head against it. It is doubtful whether Peter ever was in Rome, so that these traditions are without support. That Paul was martyred in Rome every one admits. For the space of about two years Paul lived, wrote, and preached here. The Appii Forum and the Three Taverns, were the brethren met Paul as he went to Rome, are still known. Three Taverns is a place 33 miles southeast of Rome, and 10 miles from Appii Forum. On the Via Lata there is a small church which is said to occupy the site where Paul's *'own hired house" stood, in which *'he received all that came unto him." The pyramid di Cats Cestio near the gate St. Paolo is as it was in the days of the apostle. This was the last structure still remainingf which Paul beheld on I08 A WINTER JATTNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. his way to execution beyond the walls. Not far from the city tradition points out the site where Paul was beheaded. The precise spot may not be known, but it was without the gate which now bears his name that Paul's great heroic soul went up to the Master to receive its well-merited reward. Though Nero lived in a golden palace, Paul was richer than he. Though the wicked tyrant had the power to condemn Paul to death, he thereby only liberated him from his bonds. From the Forum it is not far to the Capitoline Hill. This hill was largely covered with public edifices when Rome was in the height of her an- cient glory. The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus was somewhere on this hill. The exact site is not known. Here is the Tarpeian rock, named after Tarpeia, a Roman maiden, who commanded the citadel when the Sabines invaded the city. She opened the city on condition that the Sabines would give her what they wore on "their left arm," meaning their bracelets; but they wore their shields there too, so they threw those upon her as they passed in at the gate, and crushed her. She was buried at the Tarpeian rock. Afterwards those condemned to death were hurled from this rock. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. IO9 The palace of the Caesars on the Palatine Hill is one of the most extensive ruins in Rome. Each successive emperor raised new buildings, until the entire hill was covered. In the eastern part of this palace is the saloon of household gods. The broken statuary and the beautiful mosaic floors proclaim the magnificence and wealth of the place. The throne room is 117 feet by 157 feet. The re- ception rooms, the dining rooms, and many others, the use of which is not known, speak of the glory long since departed. Along the edge of the hill are the arched rooms in which the slaves had their quarters. The pictures in these rooms, together with the frescoes in the rooms of Nero's palace, are still fresh and pretty. The buildings, gardens and pleasure grounds of Nero after the great fire (A. D. 64) extended over three of Rome's seven hills. It was in these gardens that the tyrant burnt as torches innocent men and women. Ves- pasian destroyed the greater part of Nero's palace. Behind the palace of the emperors, in the valley Via de Cerchi^ is the Circus Maximus, the place where races, games, etc., were held. It was a vast structure, which held 500,000 people. In the time of Julius Csesar, it was not so large. It was destroyed by Nero's fire, and rebuilt by Trajan. no A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. The baths of ancient Rome are interesting. The baths of Caracalla had accommodations for 2,300 bathers at once, whilst those of Diocletian could contain 3,000. The baths of Caracalla are beyond the city walls. One day a farmer was plowing when his plow struck a piece of marble which was attached to what seemed a huge block. This inci- dent led to an excavation which revealed the Far- nesian Bull. The work was continued until the baths of Caracalla were laid bare. This vast struc- ture furnished steam baths, hot and cold baths. Besides the apartments for bathing there were pub- lic halls, libraries, porticoes for lounging, and places for athletic exercises. The floors are of the finest mosaics, which would make splendid relics if the guards did not watch so closely. In spite of them a Methodist D. D. succeeded in getting a pretty mosaic. I was no less fortunate. In this place the poet Shelley used|to sit among the ruins and write poetry. Rome has beautiful fountains which were an ornament to public places before the foundations of St. Peter's were laid. Whoever drinks of the waters of the Fontana di Trevi will come to Rome a second time. The Fontana Bernini is very old. The waters are brought from a great distance in A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Ill pipes. Everybody who comes to Rome goes to see the Colosseum, the most impressive ruin in Eu- rope if not in the world. It dates its origin with the first century of the Christian era. It is a vast structure, elliptical in shape, covering five acres of ground. It is nearly one-third of a mile in cir- cumference. The outside of the walls is formed of huge square blocks of stone; they rise to the height of 156 feet. This vast structure was capable of seating 87,000 people; at the same time it afforded standing room for 15,000 more. The name Colos- seum is derived from a colossal statue of Nero, which stood in front of it. The building was erected by captive Jews. It had no roof; the peo- ple found shelter beneath movable canvas. The dedicatory services lasted one hundred days, and five thousand beasts were slaughtered. The seats were raised in tiers. There are four rows. Each row has its own means of ingress and egress. It could be emptied of its vast multitudes in fifteen minutes. I stood where the emperor used to sit. Close to him sat the Vestal virgins. In this arena trained gladiators fought for the amusement of Rome's cruel and bloodthirsty inhabitants. Here pious men and women, youths and maidens, of whom heathen Rome was not worthy, offered their 112 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. lives a willing sacrifice for the gospel of Christ. St. Ignatius was martyred here. There is one pleasing anecdote in the history of this ancient building. It is said that a jeweler sold a lady brass for gold. She accused him to the emperor, who decreed he should be torn in the amphitheatre. On the day appointed the jeweler stood pale and trembling before the multitude, awaiting the lion. Finally a trap-door beneath the sand of the arena lifted and a lamb came forth. The lady again complained, when the emperor said, "You were deceived, and so was he; be satisfied." Some of our company visited it by moonlight. The scene is impressive. One thinks of the many who here listened to the roaring of the wild beasts in the dens beneath the arena, knowing that they would soon feast upon their life-blood. God grant that no more in the history of the world such awful scenes may transpire as were witnessed here for ages. The Pantheon is another monument of ancient Rome's greatness. This, as the name implies, was dedicated to all the gods. Its walls are twenty feet thick, and the portico is over one hundred feet wide and forty-two feet deep. Sixteen Corin- thian columns of granite, four feet four inches in A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. II 3 diameter and thirty-nine feet high, support the portico. The dome is a grand triumph of ancient architecture. The circumference of this dome is exactly the same as its height. It is open in the center; the opening served as a ventilator and for the transmission of light. In the wall are still to be seen the niches in which the images of heathen gods once stood. The inscription over the portico tells the visitor that this magnificent temple was built by Agrippa. It is therefore older than the Chriltian era. The earthquakes of nineteen cen- turies have failed to hurl it to the ground. Pope Boniface IV. consecrated it as a Christian church more than twelve centuries ago. The ashes of Raphael, and those of Victor Emanuel, sleep in this wonderful building. Everybody has heard of the Catacombs. Most people think they were excavated by the early Christians. They are really the quarries from which the stone was taken for the construction of f the magnificent buildings in Ancient Rome. It is asserted that some of them are older than the days of Romulus. It is said that every one of the seven hills is "perforated and honey-combed by passages, dark galleries, low corridors, and vaulted halls, where the sun never enters.'^ Horace, in speak- 114 ^ WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. ing of the caverns under the Esquiline hill, says : ^'This was the common sepulchre of the commoA plebeians." Christians and Pagans found tombs in these great caverns. That the Christians fled tO' these places for safety in times of persecution, is not as probable as some assert. These caverns were too well known to the enemy to be much of a refuge. That the same beautiful emblems and in- scriptions are seen in the Catacombs that are so- frequent on our own tombs, is certainly true. In traversing these damp, black galleries, and relding the inscriptions over the different tombs, one sees^ that the same sweet hope of a reunion in the better land cheered the soul of the Christian, that comforts us to-day as we stand at the open grave. The words **I am the resurrection and the life" were as blessed to the persecuted mourner then as they are to us to-day. This brief description of Rome would be entirely too imperfect did we not say a few words with re- gard to the principal churches. In Rome the wor- shiper can hear mass every day of the year, and hear it in a different church every time. Of all the churches not one is dedicated to Christ; only one to the Holy Spirit; the Virgin has eighty-seven dedicated to her. Of all these churches St. Peter's A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. II5 is the largest, and in many respects the grandest. The first one of which I shall write is the church of "All the Angels." This chnrch is famous be- cause it contains the pictures which were at first in St. Peter's. Close to this church is a column erected in honor of the Virgin and her child. The church of Maria Maggiore is a fine structure; the place for this church was indicated by a miraculous fall of snow. The tradition is that here, and no- where else, a snow had fallen; it was the place of which a pious monk had dreamed the night before as being covered by snow. When it was found that the dream was verified, the spot was selected. The tomb of Pope Pius the Ninth is in this church, and a part of the manger in which Christ was born. The church of St. John Lateran has porphyry col- umns brought from the Nile. In the baptistery of this church Constantine the Great was baptized. The church of SL Pietro in vmcoli (Peter in chains) contains Michael Angelo's famous statue of Moses. The figure is in a sitting posture; the long beard comes to the waist; the eyes are piercing, the muscles are prominent, and the whole figure is so life-like that we are not at all surprised that the sculptor said to it: "Speak, Moses, speak.'' A crack in the right knee is said to have resulted Il6 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. from the stroke of Angelo's hammer as he uttered the words, "Speak, Moses, speak/' The church called "Sanctus Sanctorum '' now contains the famous Pilate's Staircase. It consists of a flight of twenty-eight marble steps, now cov- ered with boards, because they had been so worn by worshipers who ascended them on their knees. For every prayer said on these steps, the church grants ten years' absolution. These are the steps Xuther was climbing when the words, "The just :shall live by faith," rushed into his soul, and he arose at once. There are two marble figures at the foot of the stairs called respectively, " Betray* est thou the Son of God with a kiss," and, "The hour is come." There is also a picture of Christ, said to have been begun by St. Luke and finished by an angel. In the monastery of the Capuchins and its church the chief place of interest is the room containing the bones of the deceased brethren. The order in this monastery had formerly but one grave. The last man that, died was put into this, whilst the man who had died before him, if it was only a day, came out and was placed in position in the room containing the bones of all the deceased brethren. In this room I saw the bones of men arranged in A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. II every conceivable shape. Even the chandeliers, with all ornaments and pendants, are bones. It is a ghastly place. The custom is now prohibited by the government. I was to the magnificent church of "St. Paul beyond the walls." This church was founded by Constantine in honor of Paula, a rich Roman lady. It was afterwards dedicated to the Apostle. The original church was burnt. The present is a recent edifice. On the outside are beautiful pictures in mosaics, the ground work of which is gold. Within all is magnificence. The medallions of the popes, and every pope has one, are not frescoes, but mo- saics. The church abounds in alabaster, basalt, black and yellow marble, and porphyry. The ceilings are in white and gilt stucco, the floors are in polished marble. It has four rows of granite columns, eighty in all. The high altar is in the centre section of the arms of the cross, under a rich canopy. It is supported by four alabaster columns. Under this altar is the tomb in which it is §aid the ashes of the great Apostle repose. A chain said to have fettered the hands of Paul at his execution is shown here. It is in a cushioned box, and so highly venerated that the priest will not touch it with bare hands. This church is not finished, but Il8 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. it has already cost upwards of I25, 000,000. It is used only on special occasions. There is but one more of the churches of which we can speak. It is that one of which the poet has said :— "But thou, of temples old or altars uew, Standest alone — with nothing like thee, What could be Of earthly structure in His honor piled Of sublimest aspect? Majesty, Power, glory, strength, and beauty, all are aisled In this eternal ark of worship." St. Peter's, standing where it does, has forever consecrated the Circus of Nero, where so many Christians perished, and where St. Peter is said to have been crucified. Some one has said, "Take all the colossal beauty and strength and masterly proportions of the cathedrals in Europe, and com- bine them in one, and you have a conception of St. Peter's." Everything is so vast, so majestic, that it is only by degrees that the greatness of the work steals upon you. The fagade, with its great pillars, supports 396 statues. These, together with the walls of the church, are blackened by age ; but not so the inside of the vast edifice. The Cathe- dral is 613^ English feet long, the transept, from A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. II9 wall to wall, measures 446 }4 feet, the height of the nave is 152 >^ feet, the circumference of the pillars which support the dome, 253 feet ; the height of the dome to the top of the cross, from the pave- ment below, is 448 feet. The steps leading up are broad, and easy enough to allow a loaded horse to ascend. To get an idea of the magnitude of the dome, we must go beneath and look up into the almost limitless space. As we look around, we see the immense size of everything. Two cherubs, apparently mere babes in size, hold a basin of holy water. We approach, and find that the limb is thicker than the trunk of a man. John the Reve- lator, in the ceiling, is writing with a pen (or quill) six feet long, but it seems scarce six inches. The paintings are all in mosaics. The altars, arches, columns, corridors, railings, and walls, glitter with gold. The high altar, underneath which St. Peter is said to be buried, is almost beyond description. Near the altar is a statue of the Saint in bronze, seated on a marble chair. Here is the toe which every loyal Roman Catholic kisses. It is worn away, not by the kisses, but by the constant wip- ing which everybody does before his kiss is im- pressed upon the great toe. There is a chair be- hind the pulpit of St. Peter, upon which is written, I20 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. ** There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." This chair is a trophy from the Orient. St. Peter's is historical. Amid the Christmas festivities one thousand and eighty-nine years ago Charlemagne was crowned here by Pope L^eo III. The place where the ceremony took place is still seen. One hundred and thirty-two popes are buried here. One could tarry here for weeks and listen to the worship which goes on night and day incessantly. St. Peter's cost $65,000,000. Every year nearly $41,000 are expended in its mainte- nance. There is quite a village of workmen's houses on the roof. The Vatican is the pope's home. It is the most magnificent palace in Rome, ii not in the world. The bishop of Rome in the fifth century had his house on this spot. We first went to the Sistine chapel, in which Michael Angelo achieved most of his deathless reputation. His work is now old and faded, but still glorious. The painting of the Last Judgment occupied him seven years. We visited the different rooms in the Vatican, and gazed like boys at a fair, in wonder and awe, upon its rich treasures of art. More than seventy thousand pieces of statuary have been taken from the ruins of temples and palaces in Rome. Very many have ST. p£;tkr's bridge; and casti^e: of st. ange;i,o. ^*se 121 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 121 been gathered in this building. Here, too, are paintings from the celebrated artists of ancient and modern days. We went through the greater part of the pope's library; we also enjoyed a view of the gardens in which he walks. The largest piece of malachite ever found is in the Vatican. It was presented by the Czar of Russia. We were in the room where the young Prince Napoleon received the pope's benediction before he went to Africa, from whence he never returned. The pope's state carriage is a mediaeval-looking affair, rich in gold. Notwithstanding all this wealth and glory, "State for state with all attendant, Who would change ? Not I." In passing back to the hotel, we go by the tower of St. Angelo, the citadel, the centre of which was the mausoleum of Hadrian. The castle is of little account as a fortress, and is used as a state prison. This was our last visit to any place of interest in Rome. Wherever we went to places of interest subsequently, and wherever we shall yet go, we cannot say to our souls, " Omitte mirari beatae Fumum et opes strepitum que Romae."* * " Cease to admire the smoke, wealth, and noise of Rome." CHAPTER IX. Napi^ES— Location — Relics of Antiquity — Churches — The Peo- ple — Macaroni — Funeral — Pompkii — How to Get There — History — Pavement — Ruins and Population — Bodies Found — Progress in Arts — Cafe of Diomede — On Board " Ortigia " — Sicily — Buildings — Sailing on Mediterranean — In Africa. Naplks is the largest and most beautiful city in Italy. Here it is said the sun shines his brightest and flowers bloom loveliest. Naples, like most Italian cities, is very old. Its origin is lost in the mists of many years before the Christian era. It is generally supposed to have been a Greek city. The name is said to be Greek (Neapolis), signify- ing "new city," in contradistinction from Palae- opolis, the older part of the city. Palseopolis is mentioned in history for having engaged in a war with Rome 330 B. C. The city has a few relics of antiquity. Foremost among them are the temple of Castor and Pollux, the Julian Aqueduct, and the Catacombs, which are more extensive than those of Rome. The only entrance to them is through the church San Gennaro. They were used by the early Christians (122) A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 23 as places for worship and sepulture. St. Januarius (272-305), is buried here. A great many victims of the plague in the middle of the 17th century were heaped into these tombs. There are more than three hundred churches in Naples. The most interesting place, and the one most frequented by visitors, is the Museum. It contains a fine col- lection of curiosities and relics illustrating every department of life in Herculaneum and Pompeii. Far more interesting than all things ancient are the people of Naples themselves. They are the largest crowd of uncombed and unwashed, ragged and filthy people, I ever saw in Europe. The streets are filthy, and the sidewalks are narrow and • crowded by men, women and children, buying and selling, sewing and gossiping, playing and quar- reling. Along the road to the city we saw men working in stone quarries. They loosened great masses of rock, which their wives and daughters carried out of the quarries on their heads. One can see scores of women coming into the city to market with a good one-horse load on their heads. The better-to-do have donkeys hitched to carts or loaded with great baskets made of straw, filled with oranges, lemons, peppers; onions, cauliflower, etc. On top of these poor creatures, sprawled over the 124 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. load, is a woman and child or a lazy man. Naples is the place where they make macaroni. The dish is quite popular, as every one knows, in Amer* ica. I never did like it, now I abhor it. Along the street, especially along the road to Pompeii, one can see long yellow strings where dust and flies are thick. These have been prepared and put there by greasy, dirty-looking men, almost naked* In this country people have strong stomachs. It takes a good-sized cholera to upset them. There are some fine hotels, where the cooking is good^ but I am speaking of the masses. With them a dish of beans and rancid bacon is a luxury* They have a dish called Pizza, made of dough, garlic, rotten cheese, and stale bacon. This they esteetti a feast. We took a drive along the hill overlooking the bay. We could see Vesuvius in the distance, whilst the city itself was at our feet. Above us the hill* side was richly decorated by the most choice flow- ers, filling the air with their sweet perfume. I could not appreciate the meaning of the phrase, **See Naples and die,"* until I had taken this ride * "See Naples and die," no doubt, originates in ** See Naples'* and a town below, the name of which is the Italian word fof "die." A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 25 up the terraces overlooking the bay. In this ride we met a funeral. The hearse and coffin were lit- erally covered with flowers. Pretty young girls, dressed in white, marched next to the hearse, sing- ing a mournful tune, and bearing long tapers in their hands. They were followed by a long line of carriages. Everybody uncovers his head in Italy when he passes a funeral. Sometimes a band of music accompanies the funeral train. These people try to cover their poverty, and even the horrors of death and the grave itself, by an inborn joyousness. Everybody who comes to Naples also goes to Pompeii. There are two ways to go to the exca- vated city — by the railroad, or by taking a coach in Naples. The traveler who wishes to save time goes by rail. The country through which the train passes is not pretty. The houses wear an air of poverty and neglect, which proves the inhabitants neither thrifty nor industrious. The dwelling- houses look more like forts than homes. They are mere stone walls, with roofs of tile, or stones and earth. On arriving at Pompeii, the visitor pays a fee of forty cents; then he can go where he pleases, see- ing the ruins, always followed by a guard, who sees that nothing valuable is taken. 126 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of Vesu- vius on August 24, A. D. 79. For many years it lay buried, undiscovered and almost forgotten. In 1748 statues and other objects were exhumed in the digging of a well. Charles III. of Naples ordered extensive excavations seven years afterwards, and the amphitheater, capable of seating 10,000 specta- tors, was entirely uncovered. From that time ex- cavation has slowly progressed, until now about half the city is uncovered. It had been a summer resort, with a population variously estimated at 2,000 to 20,000, and even fifty thousand. To this place the voluptuous Nero and other beastly Ro- mans came for recreation and debauchery. There is full evidence among the ruins that they had abundant opportunity. By the earthquake the river Sarno was diverted from its course, and the sea, which washed the sands to the walls of the city, is now more than a mile from its excavated ruins. Within the city walls, the first object which attracts attention is the stone pavement, consist- ing of square blocks of stone measuring about a foot. These stones have deep troughs worn into them by the chariot wheels of the ancient Romans. The stone is hard, but the streets are so narrow A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 127 that the wheels always Jwent in one place, hence the ruts. I do not know how the chariots passed each other; I suppose they went up some streets and down others, thus avoiding the difficulty of passing. Some of the ruins are very extensive, proving that the population must have been more than 2000. The amphitheatre has already been men- tioned. The theatre had accommodations for 5000 people. The temples of Fortune, of Isis, and of Neptune, were fine large places. The barracks of troops or gladiators were found located near the great theatre. Sixty-four skeletons were found here. It is supposed they were the guards who remained faithful unto death. Comparatively few skeletons are found, thus proving that the inhabi- tants had warning of their impending doom. In the museum, a small building near the gate, there is the form of a fat man with arms crossed. Here is a maiden with her clothing gathered under her arms, as if for flight from fire. A woman and child were found close together in death. The limbs of some are contorted, as if they had died in agony. Pompeii, the exhumed city, gives the modern world a splendid idea of the domestic economy, the social life, and the arts and sciences of the ancient 128 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. world. There is a house here which evidently was that of a wine merchant. There are earthen jars in it holding a barrel, whilst some hold no more than a quart. There are locks, beds, stoves, and cooking utensils, showing that the people possessed some of the conveniences and comforts of modern life. They had sliding doors, such as we have in our own parlors and larger apartments to-day. They had cut glass, and. silver spoons of what we call the latest style, beautifully ornamented. The word "Welcome," cut in stone, adorned the door steps. Some of the floors are in beautiful mosaics of the finest marble. A room in the house of Dio- mede, evidently the bed-chamber of a maiden, has the representation of a dove picking jewels out of a casket. The whole is in mosaic of white and colored marbles. There was a fountain in the open court on which opened the various apartments. There are frescoes in an excellent state of preserva- tion in red and yellow. The names of the pro- prietors of shops and residents of the homes of many have been discovered from seals and inscrip- tions found in the houses. Fine statuary and val- uable jewels have been excavated. The houses are nearly all of stone, one story high. The upper stories, it is supposed, were of wood, and speedily A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 29 consumed. But as these were used for storerooms and apartments for servants, little of value has perished. After our walk, we went to a cafe for refresh- ments. This is in a lovely spot, surrounded by tropical plants, outside the walls of Pompeii. It bears the high sounding and historical name, "Diomede.'^ Here we had a good lunch. When lunch was nearly finished, two musicians, with harp and violin, came in, and among other airs, played Yankee Doodle for us. Though the day was damp, we went back to Naples well pleased with our visit to Pompeii. At 5:30 the same evening, we boarded the Ital- ian steamer, "Ortigia" for Alexandria. The first part of our voyage on the Mediterranean was any- thing but pleasant. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, being a little more than one-quarter as large as our State. At the northern end of the island is the whirlpool, caused by a current from the Black Sea, and called by the ancients "Charybdis." It was regarded a monster which twice every day gulped down the waters and twice cast them up again. Notwithstanding this wonderful proceeding, the waters are there to this day to make you seasick. 130 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. This island is the home of the mighty ^tua, which rises in solitary grandeur to the height of over ten thousand feet on the eastern coast. The climate is delightful. The thermometer scarcely ever rises above 92^ Fahrenheit, nor falls below 36°. The day we were in the harbor at Messina was warm and wet. We bought delicious oranges, fresh from the trees. Messina rises in the form of an amphitheatre from the waters of the strait. The houses are of dazzling white, whilst the dark mountains in the rear form a lovely background. It has some fine buildings, more than fifty churches, a large hos- pital, two theatres, a custom house, and other large buildings. It is defended by walls, citadels, and forts. Ships from every nation are to be seen in its beautiful harbor. After leaving Sicily, we had very pleasant weather. On Saturday morning (the third day out) we sighted the high hills of ^' Crete," under which the ship sailed in which Paul was being carried a prisoner, and in which he strongly advised the captain to winter. It was now pleasantly warm. Our boat had a very light load, and rolled tremendously, even in a calm sea. In the evening, the moon arose in an unclouded sky, pouring forth a broad flood of sil- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC IvANDS. I3I very light across the sea, which looked like the path to the throne of heaven. On Sunday the wind blew in squalls, the ship rolled, and many of our company were sea-sick. "Oh, B., think of our nice home," said a sea- sick lady to her husband. Then I thought of my nice home, too, and was home-sick. We could not have religious services that day. It was too rough to stand or sit still long enough to preach or listen. At luncheon, the captain said we would land at 4:30 p. M. Four hours afterwards we were afraid we could not land before Monday; but soon after- wards the light-house at the entrance to one of the finest harbors in the world was sighted, and at 6 p. M. we were in Alexandria. A happier company than we were I never saw, as we stepped on terra firma. CHAPTER X. Alexandria — Pharos — Pilot Boats — Crowd — Hotel "Abbat" — History of Alexandria — Pompey's Pillar — Libraries — Chris- tianity — Drive — Houre of Antoniades — Square — Population — Merchants — Mohammedan women — Donkeys — Scenes on the way to Cairo. At the close of the last chapter we were too anx- ious to get ashore to say anything about the strange appearance of Africa along the Mediterranean. The coast seems lower than the sea, and has a gray- ish appearance. The first object which attracts at- tention is the light-house. It was at the entrance to this famous harbor, on an island seven stadia from the land, that Pharos, a light-house 550 feet high, once stood. It was one of the seven wonders of the world, having been erected as a monument for Ptolemy Philadelphus. The king ordered his name to be cut on the pediment, but Sostratus the architect first cut his own in the solid marble block, and placed over it in stucco that of the king. The stucco soon crumbled away, and the name of the architect for centuries greeted the eye of the beholder. This light could be seen for more than A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 33 a hundred miles from the shore. Every vestige of the Pharos has long since disappeared. As we approached the entrance to the harbor, we saw queer looking sail-boats. These were pilot-boats. In the hood drawn over their swarthy heads, they had rather the appearance of pirates, than friends to guide us among the rocks at the en- trance to the truly magnificent harbor. These fel- lows were nude as to the lower portion of their bodies, but they were careful to have their heads well protected. The pilot did not come on deck to the wheel, but kept ahead of the ship with a flag in his hand, which he waved now to one side, and then to the other, thus indicating the course the vessel was to take. I will never forget my first sight of the shriek- ing, jostling crowd of Arabs on the dock. To see them push each other and to hear their hoarse gut- tural cries was anything but inviting to us, the new arrivals. We had however nothing to fear; our company was expected and was met by the genial agent, who placed us in barouches, and just as night had fallen we were whirled past the custom house up one street, then out another, and we were at the hotel *' Abbat." This hotel is built in true Oriental style. Palms and other tropical plants 134 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. adorn the open court upon which the rooms of guests front. The reading room, smoking and coffee rooms, are simply recesses under the bal- conies on the one side of the court. Here we re- ceived our first Turkish coffee, very strong and black, in little cups holding a good large mouthful. Before we go out sight-seeing I must tell you something of the history of Alexandria. For many centuries this city was the great centre of learning, wealth and power. Along these streets trium- phant armies marched, and helpless captives were dragged, many centuries before the greatest modern nations had a name. Here the Ptolemies, Cleo- patra, and the Caesars reigned. Few land-marks of ancient Alexandria remain. There is a beauti- ful red granite column, called Pompey's Pillar, standing on the spot where in ancient times the worship of Osiris was conducted. This is the largest monolith in the world. It is one hundred feet high. It was erected by Publius in honor of Diodetian. The greater part of the ancient city lies buried in the sands, and with it are many of the famous relics of that once grand civilization. Of the obelisks that once stood here only one re- mains. One of them is in New York, another in I^ondon, and still another in Paris. Pieces of A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 35 Sphinxes and statuary are to be seen near Pom- pey's Pillar. The people of ancient Alexandria were highly civilized. Books were written here sixteen centu- ries before Christ was born. The city had two li- braries, the Serapeum and the Soter. The latter of these is said to have contained a copy of every known work. Had not Caliph Omar destroyed this valuable collection of 700,000 MSS. in A. D. 641, what light would it now shed upon many events and characters in history at which we can only guess! The destruction of this library was one of the most barbarous and unpardonable acts ever committed. The Christian Theodosius acted equally barbarously when he destroyed the vast treasures and exquisite statuary of the Serapeum. In this city Alexander the Great was buried in splendor, but not a vestige remains to identify the spot. In Alexandria the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek B. C. 280. At that time Greek philosophy and culture were at their height in this city. There were Christian churches in this place when the Druids were still practicing their Pagan rites in England. Here Peter preached, and Mark suffered martyrdom. Origen was con- verted to Christianity here, after he had vainly 136 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. endeavored to combat the doctrines of Christ with his philosophy. Other famous men in the early church, such as Athanasius and Cyril, were edu- cated here. Apollos was born in this city. Two hundred and fifty years after Christ was crucified, the whole of central and upper Egypt were Christianized. To this day there are some pious God-fearing men and women among the Copts, who know and study the New Testament. Such in brief was Alexandria before and for five centuries after Christ. We took a drive through the principal streets of the city, and along the canal which brings the dirty water and the commerce of central Egypt from the Nile. On the banks of the canal we had the pleasure of visiting the mansion and grounds of Antoniades, a wealthy Greek. The servants wore a blue upper garment with white fringe, which gave them a neat appearance. The man- sion itself is pretty, with its mosaic floors, its pictures and tapestries. The grounds are beauti- fied by the tropical foliage and tasteful walks. When the winter winds howl in the Pennsylvania mountains I could reside in this mansion for a month or two, but not always would I live there. The square of Mehemet Ali, with its fountains, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 37 its statue of Mehemet AH, its pretty trees and its large magnificent buildings, is the finest in Africa. One can scarcely realize, as he sees the splendid stores, fine-looking people, luxurious hotels, offices and equipages, that he is in Africa. There are some fine, well-paved, well-lighted and clean streets such as are not to be seen in the great metropolis Cairo; but then there are narrow, filthy and crooked, streets. Alexandria to-day is a great sea-port. The finest ships that sail on the Mediterranean come here. Like all sea-port towns, it has many haunts of vice. As soon as the shadows of night fall these are made brilliant with lights and hilarious with music. The city is rapidly becoming as populous as it was in ancient times. It to-day numbers no less than 200,000 people. There are to be seen on the streets men and women of every race and na- tionality under the sun. Here the traveler for the first time sees the turbaned Turk in his little bazaar, ever anxious to sell to you, and, if possible, to cheat you. These fellows always ask three times what they expect to get for an article. A dealer in pre- cious stones had a real nice stone for sale. He asked twenty-five dollars for it, and was offered five dollars, which he at first laughingly refused, but after considerable bargaining he accepted it. A 138 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. few mornings afterwards he saw the purchaser and began to weep, saying the stone belonged to a dear relative, and that he must have it back or receive five dollars additional. The purchaser then offered him the stone for half what he had paid, but the shrewd seller now went away without saying an- other word. When you make a bargain with a porter or donkey boy he is never satisfied when you pay him. He always wants something additional. In this place you see the veiled Mohammedan women. As long as a girl is not engaged she goes without a veil. When she is engaged she wears a white veil. When married she wears a long black veil, which she never removes in the presence of a man except her husband. These fellows are so jealous that they will not allow their women, of whom they have as many as they can afford, to look at the moon unveiled, lest the man in the moon fall in love with them. In this city the traveler first sees donkeys and donkey boys. For a franc (twenty cents) you can ride for an hour or two, as you wish ; but the driver expects a backsheesh in addition. These donkey boys can trot behind a donkey, pounding the little animal and yelling for an hour, without the slightest inconvenience. They secure their A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 39 animals from running away when not engaged by tying up one of the front legs. The traveler is not long in the Levant before he has great respect for the donkey. He seems to have more sense than any being about him. ' ' I believe the .poor creatures have souls, ' ' said a lady, * ' they seem so patient, so gentle." She afterwards changed her opinion, after she had been thrown in a mud-hole in Jerusalem. As a rule, however, donkeys are gentle, meek and very long-suffering! They have very queer names, such as Yankee Doodle, Tele- graph, Mark Twain, George Washington, etc., etc. After having seen all of Alexandria we cared to see, we started for Cairo. The cars on the road from Alexandria to Cairo are comfortable as any in Europe. The country through which we pass is level, and irrigated from the Nile by means of canals and ditches. The grass is several feet high, and the soil seems very fertile. The plain is cov- ered with grazing sheep, musk oxen, cows and donkeys. Here and there we see the tents of Bedouins, pitched in groups, which give the other- wise peaceful country a weird appearance. The villages are mere mud-houses, one story high, with narrow alleys between them. Here and there is a little mosque about thirty feet high. It is white 140 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. with a red stripe at the base of the dome. It is getting dark. We see shepherds leading their flocks homewards, and we think of the first verse in the Elegy : **The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea; The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me." A few hours after dark we were in Cairo, the largest city of modern Egypt. CHAPTER XL Cairo — A donkey ride — Mosques — Slippers — Alabaster Mosque — Citadel— View — Mamelukes — "Well of Joseph" — Univer- sity — Dancing Dervishes — Bazaars — Hotels — The street scenes — Backsheesh — Blindness and flies — Missions — The Copts. Cairo is the largest and most populous city in Africa, and is second only to Constantinople in the Turkish Empire. It lies on the right bank of the Nile, about a mile from the river, and has a population of nearly half a million of people. The city is seven miles in circumference. The houses of the poor are built of mud and sun-dried bricks, and are mostly only one story high. Those of the richer people are of wood, brick or Mok- katam stone from the hills not far distant. The streets are mostly narrow ; all of them are illy paved, illy lighted, and illy watched. In case of a shower of rain, they become exceedingly muddy. I shall never forget a donkey ride I took after a heavy shower, through some of the principal streets of this truly Eastern city. I was covered with a black mud from head to foot, and looked very (141) 142 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. much like the poor fellows who sleep on the side- walks in Cairo. In such a plight I had not been for many a day. Everybody who comes to Cairo, goes to see some of the principal mosques. There are said to be 400 of these in the city; but only a few of them are of any note. We visited the mosque of Bl Hassan, an old but very commodious structure. The building looks very old from the outside, and almost worse within. The visitor takes his shoes off at the door and puts on miserable slippers, old and filthy from Arab feet. There is a large open court, in the centre of which is a fountain. In this the Arabs wash before worship. To wash is a part of their religion. If they do not pray often they do not wash often. The mosque of Moham- med AH is the finest in the city. It is called "the alabaster mosque," because the inside of the building is lined with this beautiful stone. The courts of the mosque are paved with white marble and enclosed with beautiful columns. It has costly Turkish carpets on the floor, and hundreds of lamps suspended from above. The vaulted domes are overlooked by a clock-tower on the west. This tower is supported by four great piers, and "embraced by four half domes, with four A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 143 smaller domes above the angles." From the ramparts of the citadel, the city of Cairo and the surrounding country are plainly brought to view. "The vastness of the city, as it lies stretched be- low, surprises every one. It looks a perfect wilder- ness of flat roofs, cupolas, minarets, and palm tops, with an open space here and there presenting the complete front of a mosque, and gay troops of dusky-skinned people, and moving camels. " Im- mediately in front are the tombs of the Caliphs. In the court of the citadel the Mamelukes were slaughtered in 1811, by Mohammed Ali. This celebrated cavalry had an immense influence over the army and the country. Mohammed Ali suspected them of certain intrigues, and deter- mined on their extermination. He accomplished this by alluring them into the citadel and then murdering them in cold blood. Only one, Emin Bey, escaped by riding his horse over the dizzy heights. The "Well of Joseph" as it is called, supplies the citadel with water. It is supposed to be the work of the ancient Egyptians. It was discovered by Saladin. He found it filled with sand. It is two hundred and ninety feet deep, and fifteen feet in diameter. It is excavated out of the solid rock. 144 ^ WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. with a spiral stair-case winding around like the thread of an auger to the very bottom. This stair- case is about ten feet wide, making the entire hole in the solid rock about twenty-five feet in diameter. "The water is raised by means of earthen jars fastened to an endless rope passing over a wheel, and kept continually revolving by mules or oxen stationed above and below." The jars come up full, discharge their contents at the top and descend empty. This well is worthy the skill and perse- vering labor of ancient Egypt, and is no doubt very old. Think of the size of the rock which can af- ford such an opening, so deep and so wide, without a break ! After leaving the citadel we went to the Mosque El Azhar and saw the so-called University, which is the largest Mohammedan school in the world. The building itself is very old, very dilapidated, and very dirty. The floors are covered by mats in three to five layers, and from all appearance must swarm with fleas. The dirty boys and men were squatted "Turkish fashion" around their teachers in different parts of the vast building. There are large chambers and courts in the building, and it may be that there are as high as fifteen thousand students in attendance, as is asserted by the offi- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 45 cials. These ' ' students' ' come from every part of the Mohammedan world. Their text-book is chiefly the Koran, which they transcribe on tin slates or tablets with stick and ink. There is apparently no order in the school, the students coming and going at pleasure. These fellows "earn their own living" as a rule whilst at the uni- versity. They "board themselves" by spreading a thin cake of rice or curry and flour on a flat stone, and waiting patiently until the sun dries it. Many beg for their board, and a scant fare it proves to be. Their "rooms" where they have their books, wardrobe, etc., are boxes consisting of apartments about a foot square. The whole affair is a burlesque on the name "university." During my stay in Cairo I went to see the "Dancing Dervishes." These are a sort of monk among the Mohammedans. They live in a mon- astery which has a mosque attached to it. The buildings are dried mud and stone. The court and garden is a cool place, well kept. The monks wear long robes, and the faces of some of them are by no means bad-looking. They live chiefly upon what they can beg in the city, which, from the number of persons engaged in this business in Cairo, can not be very much. They also get fees 10 146 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. from visitors, which are numerous. Their prin- cipal exhibition is given on Friday afternoon, the Mohammedan Sabbath. They assemble in the old mosque. There were fifteen or twenty of them squatted on the floor. Some were quite young, and one of them quite aged. There was an intel- ligent looking boy among them not more than fifteen years old. The man whom I shall call the master of ceremonies, began the performance by reading an extract from the Koran. The whole party now began to nod and grunt, first slowly, then more rapidly, until their heads became indis- tinct with the rapidity of the motion. Suddenly they] stopped, and immediately began to shake their heads from side to side. Thus they went through many motions, now and then varying the performance by singing a doleful air. They ac- companied the motion of the body with grunts all through the "entertainment." Two of them played on a sort of a drum, which was accom- panied by a clarionet in the hands of a third of their number. At length they arose and began a series of motions on their feet. One stepped out from among the rest and began a series of revolu- tions which made the beholder dizzy. He, strange to say, walked back at the end of his gyrations, as A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 147 steady as when he began. The ceremony lasts for three or four hours, and is so silly and yet so wonderful that it must be seen to be appreciated. Of course I visited the Turkish bazaars, which in Cairo are almost infinite in number and variety. Every trade has its own quarter. The manufac- tories of red slippers occupy several squares. The saddlers are also well represented. The jewelers and goldsmiths form an interesting group. Their wares are very pretty. The Turkish rugs, gold- laced jackets for men and women, are very artistic and very fine. The bazaars are in narrow streets into which the light of the sun can never enter. Some of these shops have goods worth thousands of dollars in little stalls in which an American grocer would hesitate to keep his horse. The stalls are old and filthy, and the ^'merchants" ask three times the price they expect to receive for their goods. The tradesmen are not all Turks and Egyptians: many of them are Jews. In these black, sombre-looking streets or lanes the weird music of the wandering minstrel, the plaintive wail of the beggar, the hoarse cry of the water carrier as he rattles his brazen drinking cups, are strangely interspersed. Besides these bazaars, Cairo has some fine stores on the wider and pret- tier streets. These are kept by Europeans. 148 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. The accommodations at the hotels, most of which are fine buildings, are very good. Our hotel had an open court, with a fountain in the centre. At one end were the stone stairs leading to the floors above. At one side of the steps was the ofiice or "bureau" of information. On the other side was the large dining-room, the reading and smoking-rooms. The floors, the stairs, the walls, the roof, are stone. My room communi- cated with a stone balcony, overlooking a fine square. The "chambermaids" are not maids at all: they are Arabs dressed in white. The stone floors are covered with matting, not too clean. The beds are of iron, covered with nettings to pro- tect the sleeping tourist from mosquitoes, etc. There is much of the etc., from which they can- not protect. The streets of Cairo present a grotesque appear- ance, filled as they are with Mohammedan women, in their black veils and draperies, white veiled girls, half-naked boys with long-eared donkeys, turbaned Turks, swarthy Arabs, and easy going Caucasians from almost every country under the sun. The noise is deafening from the vehicles, the braying of donkeys, the hoarse shouts of Arabs as they try to gain your attention. The A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 49 mothers march with stately strides whilst their in- fants are perched in silent majesty astride the mother's shoulder. Now and then the street scene is enlivened by the gay uniforms of a squad of British soldiers and their merry music. Fre- quently a gayly-dressed herald runs in advance of the coaches of the pasha and his attendants, so as to clear the way for the illustrious procession. Of course the water carrier is there, as among the bazaars. He cries aqua buono! (good water) but more frequently he shouts the Arabic word, moya! moya ! Here is a fellow with an immense bundle of sugar cane on his head, which he has brought to town to sell to the hungry street Arab, who lives upon this and a coarse cake. The fellow with the basket on his head mounted with a curious lamp, has the coarse cake or bread first mentioned, which he sells cheap enough. If it has been on his head long enough, the purchaser has a chance to get a little fresh meat with the bread. Many of the great throng of half-dressed, greasy and dirty peo- ple literally live on the street. At night they lie on the sidewalk in great rows, the head of one rest- ing on the feet of his neighbor. They cover their heads; the rest of the body is not so important. 150 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. The condition of the poor people is pitiable in the extreme. The street scenes of Cairo are ludicrous, interesting, and at the same time sad. Men, wo- men and children, sit along the road flat down in the dirt. They have corn, sugar cane, a little fuel, Arab cakes, or something worth very little, for sale. They no sooner see you than they cry for back- sheesh. They are apparently as well satisfied if you give them nothing (that is what we usually gave them) as when you give them something. They never get enough. There are a great many blind people in Egypt. One reason for this total and partial blindness is because the people think it a sin to chase the flies which sit in swarms on. their faces. I have seen babies on the shoulders of their mothers literally covered with flies. The flies really eat the eyes out of the heads of the poor creatures. The ignor- ance, filth and superstition of these people is appal- ling. The United Presbyterian Church has a pros- perous mission in Cairo. It occupies a fine large building in the central part of the city. The building contains a chapel, a school-room, and living rooms for the missionaries and their fami- ■ lies. An English service is held every Sabbath. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 151 I attended prayer-meeting on Thursday evening of my stay in Cairo. We had an interesting meeting held in the parlor of the mission buildings. The audience was composed of Americans, English soldiers, and Arabs. There is quite a contrast between the children who attend the mission school and those who run on the street. The Copts are the most interesting and most civilized people of Egypt. They do not speak the Arabic language; but they have a language which is said to approach, nearer than any other, the lan- guage of the Ancient Egyptians. It has greatly aided in interpreting the monumental inscriptions. The Copts are nominal Christians. They follow the Jacobites in believing that the human and divine natures in Christ constituted one nature, and one will. Their marriage ceremonies are lengthly and elaborate. The bride and groom are crowned, and the bride steps over the blood of a slain lamb at the door of her new home. The Coptic population numbers about 250,000. They are presided over by»a patriarch, who resides in Cairo. We made Cairo the centre from which we took various trips into the country, and villages around the city. These trips, and what we saw, will be 152 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. described in the following chapter. Cairo itself contains, as everybody knows, no antiquities. The city was founded about A. D., 970, and •is there- fore not as old as many cities in Kurope. CHAPTER XII. Boui^AK Museum — Arab Market — Old Statue — Raphsapha — Jewelry — Mummies of the Pharaohs— Value of these discov- eries — Road to Great Pyramid — Arabs and recommendations — Sphinx — Size — Ascent of Cheops — Scenery — Dimensions — Chamber in the Pyramid — Who built Cheops ? Memphis — Nilometer — Antiquity of Memphis — Arab village and Arab farming — Statues of Rameses II — Necropolis of Egypt — Mummies of "first born" — Oldest monument — Sera- peum — Tomb of Tih — Frescoes — Way home. It was a bright spring-like morning in early March, when our party started for the Boulak Museum and the Pyramids of Gizeh. The geo- graphy of my boyhood contained a picture of the largest of these and the Sphinx. I always gazed on this picture with a sort of awe. This feeling was deepened when I caught my first glimpse of the pyramids, immediately after we left Cairo. I said to one of my companions in the barouche, ' ' There are the pyramids !' ' ' ' Oh, ' ' said he, ' ' these are too close to Cairo to be the pyramids of Gizeh." I could only reply, "Wait and see." In going to the pyramids the tourist crosses the Nile over a splendid iron bridge. There is a (153) 154 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. market place immediately beyond the bridge. Here country people, donkeys, camels, flies and lice, sugar cane, oranges, candies, salads, sheep, grass, baskets with eggs, coops of palm-wood con- taining chickens, are indescribably mixed. Some are sitting on the ground around a dish out of which they take their morning meal. We are now well on our way, and soon the drivers enter the gates into extensive shady grounds, in which stand the buildings of the new but already famous Boulak Museum. Formerly this museum, or rather a very small part of it, was located in the city. Now it occupies the palace of Gizeh, about five miles from the heart of the city. It contains the most celebrated and extensive collection of Egyp- tian antiquities in the world. I can only mention a few things of the many I saw there. The most interesting wood carving is a statue; the right arm hangs at the side, the left hand clasps a stick. The features and the style of clothing are perfect. It is estimated that this statue is from thirty to thirty-five centuries old. It was buried for centuries beneath the sands of the desert. It is a remarkable fact that the oldest tombs of Egypt contain wooden coffins and idols, in a high state of preservation. There is also an r A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 55 altar here of the purest alabaster. It was found on the right bank of the Nile, and is supposed to have existed in the days of Moses. There are numerous stone gods here. The statue of Raph- sapha ("the man who follows Cheops") is interest- ing because it was found in the south-east corner of the Great Pyramid. This is a colossal statue which was finished before the foundations of Hebron were laid or Abraham pitched his tent beneath the oak of Mamre. There are figures here, playing the harp and flageolet, which are supposed to be thirty-six centuries old. These prove that these musical instruments were used very early. One of the most interesting exhibits is the col- lection of jewelry which belonged to Queen Aah- holep. She lived in the eighteenth dynasty, that is thirty centuries ago. Many of our "modern styles" of jewelry have evidently been copied from this, and equally ancient specimens. Not far from the collection of jewelry is the mummy-case of this woman. Her picture is on the outside of the case, and shows her to have been a woman of prepossess- ing appearance. I saw some carpenters' and ma- sons' tools close by. The stone plummet is exactly like that of to-day. 156 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. The most interesting part of the collection is the group of mummies of the Pharaohs. "The Tombs of the Kings," so called, are situated among the cliffs, three miles west of Thebes. They contained no mummies when discovered, and it was for a long time a question what had become of them. A few years ago thirty-six mummies of the ancient Pharaohs and their families were discovered in a gal- lery two hundred feet long and thirty feet deep at the base of the Libyan Mountains. They had been brought here ages before, to protect them from the hands of vandalism. A number of these are now in the museum in the palace of Gizeh. These bodies are in a wonderful state of preservation. What is so strange, is that even the flowers which were left with the dead look as fresh as if they had been buried only a few weeks, instead of sev- eral thousand years. The cases in which the mummies were enclosed are richly decorated. One of them is overlaid in gold, and the name of one of these royal personages is set in precious stones. I saw the mummy of Sethi I., whom Joseph is supposed to have served as Governor. I also saw the mummy of Thothmes X., the father of the man who erected the obelisk now in Central Park. I also saw the mummy of the man who erected the A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 57 obelisk. The Pharaoh who ordered the destruction of the Hebrew boys is here. He is noted for the length of his arms and the murderous expression of his countenance. Near by him was found the beautifully embalmed body of a woman. This is no doubt the daughter who rescued Moses from a watery grave. With each body was found the heart of the individual, in a bronze urn or alabaster vase. We are thus permitted to gaze upon the very heart which God hardened so that its possessor would not let His "people go." If in all the realm of poetry or fiction there is any- thing more strange, I have not heard of it. The Rev. C. Cobern, Ph. D., truly says, modern schol- ars are " more accurately informed about the ancient history of Egypt than was the .whole col- lege of Heliopolis in Herodotus' time. To-day Ebur can paint a picture of Thebes in the days of Moses, with more accuracy and detail than Becker could of Rome, or Delitzsch of Jerusalem in the days of Augustus. The whole life of Ancient Egypt is open to us. We have the autographs of the contemporaries of Moses, and know the names of men who must have elbowed him on the street or bowed to him at court. * I began to realize as I * In Homiletic Review for December, 1889. 158 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. left the museum, that I was now of a truth in Egypt. * ' Egypt ! from whose all dateless tombs arose Forgotten Pharaohs from their long repose." The road to the great pyramid from the museum leads in a direct line for a distance of about five miles, through a most fertile district. The road is shaded on either side by large acacia trees, thus rendering it the most pleasant carriage drive in Egypt. As we approached the pyramids, my friend at my side said, "Well S., I guess you were right; that is Cheops.'' And so it proved. When we were within three miles, we were sure it could not be more than a mile away. When we at last reached the hotel, within two hundred yards of the great pyramid, we were not sure but that it might still be miles away. The air is so clear and the pyramids so vast that distances are very de- ceptive. Half an hour before we got there, Arabs came running towards us with "antiques" for sale. They had little gods, images out of the mummy pits, coins, alabaster, and everything im- maginable. In vain does the visitor tell them that he does not wish to buy. They can keep up a break-neck speed alongside of a barouche for A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 59 hours, without apparent wearying. "Good an- tiques, very good," is their constant cry. "You no buy? Me sell cheap. " One fellow insisted on being our guide. He had what he called "gud recommendazion." It read, "Do not trust 'this fellow; he is the biggest fraud and liar in the whole gang." This paper was duly signed by the name of a man from Chicago. We did not engage him. After taking a luncheon in the Khedive's house, within a stone's throw of the great pyramid, we took a walk. We first went to the Sphinx. There is nothing but sand around this and the Pyramids which makes walking difficult. Some of our party thought they would try camels, but they were glad without an exception to dismount at the Sphinx and walk back. Everybody knows that the Sphinx "has the head of a man and the body of a lion," representing wisdom and strength. The head, neck and a part of the fore legs is all I saw. The shifting sands bury this colossal image as often as it is excavated. It was an idol in the days of Egypt's glory, as is attested by the sanctu- ary in front of the image, and the altar between its paws. A monumental tablet older than the pyramids has recently been discovered by M. l6o A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. Mariette. It contains, in hieroglyphics, a list of all the Egyptian deities. Among them is the Sphinx, known as Hor-em-khoo *'The sun his rest." This huge idol measures one hundred and forty feet, not including the fore paws, which ex- tended about fifty feet in front. The head includ- ing the helmet is one hundred and two feet in cir- cumference, and the body back of the neck forty feet in diameter. For a franc an Arab climbs up one of the fore-legs, walks over the mouth and sits on one ear. The drifting sands of the desert have disfigured this great idol, but the red paint that was put there centuries ago can still be seen. The whole gigantic figure is cut out of the solid lime- stone. When the Sphinx was cut out of eternal rock, and under whose direction the chisels which completed the mighty task were wielded, no one knows. Its origin is shrouded in mystery. After our return from the Sphinx and his temple we were ready to ascend Cheops. Two apparently good-natured Arabs snatched me, and aw^ay we went. The steps or stones protruding from the sides are two, three and four feet thick. The Arabs scramble cat-like up these, and pull you after. They frequently asked whether I was tired. When I did rest they tried to sell me relics "from A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. l6l the doombs." In about fifteen minutes we were up. The scenery is sublime. On the one side the fertile valley of the Nile stretches like a great pic- ture with its villages and the city of Cairo, with the Mokkatam hills in the distance. On the other side are the apparently interminable sands of the mighty desert. After singing "My country, 'tis of thee," we descended. I was preceded by my guides. I jumped from stone to stone, they hold- ing my hands. The next three days I was so stiff I could scarcely ascend or descend the stairs in the hotel. This pyramid is of vast dimensions. It is 764 feet square at the base, and rises at an angle of 52 degrees to the enormous height of 480 feet. It contains ninety million cubic feet of masonry, and covers an area of more than thirteen acres. The stones are nearly all very large. Some of them are twenty to thirty feet long and from three to five feet thick. From it the city of Cairo in Egypt could be built, or the city of Washington, in our own land, with all its public edifices. All of the pyramids have chambers in them. The entrance to the Great Pyramid begins fifty feet above the base. The passage is three feet five inches wide, and three feet eleven high. The 1 63 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. passage ascends at a moderate incline (twenty- seven degrees) a distance of a hundred feet, when it turns to the right, where the visitor is com- pelled to creep through a hole only fourteen inches in diameter; then the passage continues as before, to a gallery which leads to a chamber thirty-four feet long, seventeen wide, and nineteen high. The chamber is in red granite, beautifully pol- ished, and is 350 feet from the outer entrance. There are two chambers. I have described the larger. This room was first entered, so far as we know, in A. D. 850. Nothing was found in it except the large, lidless sarcophagus which stands there to-day. Who built this mighty monument of antiquity will probably forever remain a mys- tery. Josephus believed that many of these pyra- mids were erected by the Hebrews, which is quite probable, inasmuch as some of them are built of sun-dried brick without straw. It is believed by some archaeologists that Joseph built the Great Pyramid with the labor of the peo- ple who were gathered in the city during the famine, and supported from the public store. It may have been erected as a depository for valuable records, and for astronomical purposes, as is as- serted by many. The body of Joseph may have A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 63 originally reposed in the now empty sarcophagus. His brethren, it will be remembered, promised to remove Joseph's body from its resting-place, and carry it with them to the land of promise. What a discovery that would be, if the embalmed body of Joseph would one day be found in a rock-hewn tomb in Palestine ! The hieroglyphics on the Great Pyramid without doubt refer to Joseph. The cartouch found above the king's chamber contain- ing the name Suphis (Joseph), is identical with the one in Wady Magharah, on the way which the Israelites journeyed to the land "flowing with milk and honey." On the thirteenth of March, a number of us boarded a steamer on the historic Nile, for a trip to Memphis, the Noph of Scriptures. On the way to this historic city the traveler passes the Kilo- meter on the island of Rhoda. It is a well eigh- teen feet square, with a pillar in the centre, upon which the rise and fall is indicated by a scale divided into seventeen cubits. A cubit is about twenty-one and a half inches in length. The building surrounding the Nilometer stands in a beautiful garden. This building is covered on the dome and walls with passages from the Koran. It was erected in A. D. 848. It is probable that 164 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Nilometers existed in the time of the Pharaohs. The people were taxed in proportion to the amount of water put on the land. These indicated the amount. Now they are.useful in determining how far the canals for inundating are to be opened and how far to prepare for the overflow. The Nile at Cairo rises as high as twenty-five and twenty-six feet above low water. Egypt is the gift of the Nile. Were it not for the overflow of this wonderful river, Egypt would be one vast desert. Memphis is about twelve miles by steamer south of Cairo. It was founded by the first king of Egypt of whom history gives us any account. It was for a thousand years the capital of Egypt, and the finest and largest city in the land. Here Joseph had his home. Here he was falsely imprisoned, here he was vindicated, and here he rode in the first chariot of the land. Here Moses spent his boyhood, and here he wrought those stupendeous miracles which have continued the wonder of the ages, and the stumbling-block of infidelity. No doubt some if not all of these pyramids which still stand the monuments of misguided am- bition, were erected by the enslaved Hebrews. The embankments which once protected the city from the inundation of the Nile, have been washed A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC I^ANDS. 1 65 away; the overflowings of the river have nearly ob- literated the site of where was once such pomp and glory. There is an Arab village with its stone and mud houses, its narrow alleys, its mud walls, and the filth and squalor that is so characteristic of Arab towns. The place is surrounded by a beauti- ful grove of date-bearing palms. Here was the grand temple of Osiris. Broken columns, mounds of sun-dried bricks and huge blocks of granite, are all that remain of its ancient splendor. Here is a statue of Rameses II, the Pharaoh of the oppression. An outline of his daughter (his wife, some say) is hewn on the lower end of the back of the statue of the king. This statue was one of the two which stood in front of the gateway leading to the mag- nificent temple of Osiris. The face looks young, and the ladies of our party said he was "good looking." At the side of the monument is a cubical block recording a visit to King Hezekiah, in Jerusalem. A little further on we came to a second statue of the same king, representing him when he was forty years old. This statue, it is said, was originally sixty-five feet high. In front of the great temple was a large lake, many acres in extent. It was in this temple that they crowned the Egyptian kings, from Menes to the Ptolemies. 1 66 A WINTKR JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Back of these ruins, I obtained a good idea of Arabian farming. There are of course no fences. Canes placed upright along the path on which we rode, showed where the ground had been planted. Beyond these canes were long rows of onions. Be- tween the rows of onions, cucumbers and salad were planted, ready at that time (March 13) for the table. The soil is very fertile, but the natives carry a fertilizer (black ground from the river) in- land on the backs of camels. Five miles from where we disembarked we struck the lyibyan desert and the Necropolis of Memphis. For miles the country on the edge of the desert seems literally covered with ancient broken pottery, the remains of the old city. This cemetery in the desert is the oldest and largest burying place in the world. It extends from the Pyramids of Gizeh on the north, to those of Dashur on the south, a distance of more than a score of miles. It is estimated that it contains at least 25,000,000 human corpses. The Egyptians embalmed animals, such as birds, cats, etc. Mil- lions of animals are contained in these vast fields of the dead. I saw skulls and the larger bones of bodies which had been placed here three thousand years ago. The Arabs use these remains for fer- A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 67 tilizers. The linen (and it is the finest imagin- able) in which the mummies were wrapped, is exported in vast cargoes to Europe, and even America, for the manufacture of paper. In some of the pits hewn out of the solid limestone, the bodies of the poorer classes are piled one upon another, like pieces of wood in layers, two and three feet deep. These are all as well preserved as the Pharaohs in the Museum, and were no doubt contemporaneous with them. These are the peo- ple who saw Joseph and his brethren in the days when Israel was honored in the land of the Pha- raohs. It is supposed, from the fact of the great rows of mummies hastily embalmed, (all being young persons, not emaciated as if sick for a long time, but round and plump,) I say, that these are the first-born ''from the Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon"* that perished in that awful night when Israel left Egypt. The city of Memphis no doubt took its name from a pyramid here which is built in layers diminishing as they go up. If this is so, this pyramid is the oldest monument in the world ! There are eleven of these pyramids, but this is * Exodus xii. 29. l68 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. evidently the oldest. These are known as the Pyramids of Sakkara. North of this pyramid is the Serapeum or tombs of the sacred bulls. These are the bulls that were worshiped here. They killed these bulls if they did not die before they were twenty-five years old. Then they were dumped into a great well. If they died before being twenty-five, they were buried amid bacchanalian festivities in the Serapeum. When the calf for the making of another god was found, he was kept forty days at Nilopolis, then taken by water to Memphis, where he was at- tended forty days by naked women: then he be- came a god ! From this bull-worship the Hebrews obtained the idea of the golden calf which was erected in the wilderness when Moses was on the mount. Apis, or the bull, was regarded as the incarnation of Osiris, the god of the Nile. The vast tomb is hewn out of the solid rock. Over this tomb the temple of Serapis stood, "where the sacred cubit and other symbols were kept," and funeral ser- vices were held. After lighting tapers we de- scended into the vaults. In the vaults are granite sarcophagi thirteen feet long, eight feet wide and eleven high. Here the embalmed bulls were put. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 69 The granite is polished beautifully. Ten of these monster stone boxes never had anything in them. These sarcophagi weigh sixty tons. They were brought here from immense distances. We also visited the the tomb of Tih, not far from the Serapeum. This tomb dates back to the fifth dynasty, and is more than four thousand years old, yet the walls are as straight and perfect as if finished last year. The covering, and other parts of the passage leading to the tomb, have disap- peared ; but the rest is in an excellent state of preservation. There are three chambers, one lead- ing into the other. These are all filled with fres- coes and sculpture in bas-relief. The fourth is the sepulchral chamber. The frescoes represent scenes in his life. This Tih was a priest in Memphis, and very rich. There are harvest scenes, fishing scenes, and men bringing tithes to Tih, who receives them. In short, the principal acts of the man's life are here delineated. These frescoes lay buried in the sands of the desert for twenty centuries, unknown and unnoted, and yet they rival in perfection of colors the paintings of a Rubens or an Angelo. It seems as if a temple had been built over this tomb and divine honors were paid to Tih. There was a tube from above through 170 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. which his devotees could speak to him in the tomb below. On our way back we passed through a Bedouin camp, and what was more remarkable, a shower of rain. Our backs were well soaked, but they soon dried again in the hot sun. We had scarcely gotten on board our boat before it rained very heavily. After luncheon we sailed back to Cairo, well pleased with what we had seen and learned at Memphis, the Noph of Scripture. CHAPTER XIII. Heliopolis — Temple — Phoenix — School of Philosophy — Obe- lisk — Spring — ** Virgin's Tree " Garden of Cleopatra — Thebes — Temple of Karnak — Of Luxor — Hall of Columns — Addenda by Dr. Kirk— Ride up the Nile— The Nile— Asyoot— Blind- ness and Flies — Water lifts — Abydos — Columns — Luxor — Thebes — Karnak — Avenue of Sphinxes — Halls — Nautch dance — Tombs of the Pharoahs — View — Traveling on Nile — Ismailia — Ride through the Desert — Suez Canal — Port Said — Reflections. One beautiful afternoon in the middle of March about a dozen of us drove to the site of Heliopolis, called in old Egyptian On and Ha-Ra. This was one of the oldest cities in Egypt. It was situ- ated at the head of the Nile Delta, about eight miles north of Cairo. This city was famous for its temple of the sun and its learned priests. This temple was approached through an avenue of marble sphinxes and obelisks. The temple itself stood at one end of an inclosure three miles in cir- cumference. The ruins of these walls can still be traced. Here the Phoenix was consumed. This was a bird of beautiful plumage, about the size of an eagle. It always lived five hundred years. At 172 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. the end of that time it would come to Heliopolis and cast itself into a fire perfumed with spices. This fire a priest in the temple of the sun prepared on an altar for the bird's special benefit. The ashes remained on the altar for two days, when a worm would appear, then on the third day the revivified bird would arise and soar away more beautiful than ever. The priests of this temple were skilled in all the mysteries and the philosophy of Egypt. Here in this celebrated city Plato studied philosophy and astronomy four hundred years before Christ was born. Moses received his training here, and in this city Joseph found a wife among the daughters of the high priest. We have many reasons to sup- pose that the ancient college at Heliopolis far ex- celled anything of that name now to be found in Egypt — the famous university, that burlesque on modern institutions of learning, not excepted. There are few ruins at Heliopolis to-day, to tell its ancient grandeur. An Arab by the name of Abdallatif, living in the twelfth century, speaks of colossal figures in stone, standing and sitting, and some of them more than thirty cubits high. There is one lone obelisk standing here, a single conspic- uous monument of the city's departed greatness. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 73 This obelisk is nearly 5000 years old. It bears the name of Osortasen I, who lived 3000 years be- fore Christ. Two obelisks were removed by the Greeks from this place to Alexandria. One of these is now in New York, and the other in L,on- don. The obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, is also from Heliopolis. It was near this monument that Kleber thrashed the Turks, on the twentieth of March, in the first year of this century. If this lone shaft of granite could remember and speak, what startling facts and momentous events it could rehearse ! It used to stand on an eminence, now the land is low all about it. I was compelled to walk through a pool of water to gain its side. The Nile has drifted millions of tons of soil into the low land. Beneath that soil, I doubt not, lie buried some rich treasures of ancient art and wealth. This place, at present, is famous for the only spring in Egypt. Near the valley of Matareah is a beau- tiful garden, from which we bought very cheap the most delicious oranges I tasted in Egypt Here is the "Virgin's Tree," an old sycamore, underneath whose spreading branches the Holy Family are said to have rested, when they fled from Herod. The Arabs and Copts seem to venerate this tree, but when or how this tradition origina- ted, I cannot tell. 174 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. Near this city was the magnificent garden of that talented and wicked woman, Cleopatra. Here she grew the Balm of Gilead, which she had brought from Judea. The soil is still fertile, and the country is beautiful. When the red sun sank to his burning bed amidst the sands, I could hardly realize that I jwas in the land of Goshen, nearly six thousand miles from home. I have not, as the intelligent reader will know, exhausted the whole vast list of famous remains that have been found along the Nile, upon which was cradled the most ancient recorded civilization. The ruins of Karnak and lyUxor, which once formed a part of "hundred-gated Thebes," are as interesting as any in Egypt I can only mention these in this little volume. Thebes is a very ancient city in Upper Egypt Our earliest reliable history does, however, not date further back than B. C. 1500. A large part of the city was built on an island in the Nile. About all that remains east of the Nile are the famous ruins at Karnak and Luxor, two modern villages near these famous ruins. The temple of Karnak which was dedi- cated to Jupiter Amnon, was connected by a magnificent avenue of statues and sphinxes with the temple at lyuxor. A perfect forest of columns, A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I.ANDS. 1 75 no two of which are alike in sculpture or coloring, adorn these grand temples. The temple area was a square of ninety acres, one-third of which was covered by the building. Four gates, one to each cardinal point, led to the temple. Behind each gate were two others, separated from each other by proper intervals. These intervals or avenues were adorned with sphinxes. These gateways are the grandest ruins in Egypt. The ' ' Hall of Columns, ' ' at Karnak is 329 feet long and 170 wide, and eighty feet in the clear. The stone ceiling rests on stone girders, and is supported by 134 columns, the highest sixty-six feet, and the lowest forty-two feet in length. Here, too, are obelisks and statues, all of which conspire to make this the grandest temple in Egypt, if not in the world. The temple at Luxor is second only to that at Karnak. It dates back to the time of Queen Hatasan, the sup- posed Pharaoh's daughter who adopted Moses, ' ' She built this temple ' ' is the record on the square. The coloring after the lapse of so many centuries in this temple is truly wonderful. The time for us to leave the land of the Pharaohs came all too soon. We took our last look on the Nile, of which Leigh Hunt says : 176 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. *It flows through old hush'd Egypt and its sands, Like some grave mighty thought threading a dream." * 'After a five o'clock dinner, on March 12, 1890, we took carriages for the Ghizeh railroad station, a distance of about three miles from our hotel, the Hotel du Nil, and under the shadow, it almost seemed, of the Pyramids. * The first 230 miles, to Asyoot, was to be made by rail, at night, as we were to return the same way by daylight; the railroad being always in sight of the Nile; In the absence of Pullman sleepers, we were compelled to ensconce ourselves, for a night's rest, as comfort- ably as possible under the circumstances. Six of us occupied a compartment, with two double seats, facing each other, each the width of the car, and with genuine Yankee ingenuity we began to de- vise plans whereby we might best utilize the sleep- ing facilities of our compartment. This resulted in two occupying each double seat, foot to foot, and the other two taking the floor between the seats, the whole operation completed by a systematic dove- tailing scheme. Thus we passed the night. We may have slept, but we cannot declare truthfully * I am indebted to Dr. Harvey M. Kirk, of Columbus, Ohio, for the following account of a trip up the Nile. A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC LANDS. 1 77 that it was delightful repose. The atmosphere, as is usual at night in Egypt, was very chilly, and it was all we could do, with our shawls, or overcoats, wrapped about us, to keep warm. "At about five o'clock the next morning, and just as daylight was breaking, our train suddenly stopped, and we were apprised that we had arrived at Asyoot, the Capital of Upper Egypt. Hastily gathering our effects together, we left the train, and after breakfast we were off on donkeys for Asyoot. "The Nile, the * river of life' of Egypt, has always been a mysterious river — mysterious as to source, annual inundation, and as to flowing the distance of 1,350 miles to the sea, without a tribu- tary. It is referred to several times in Holy Writ. On its bosom, near Cairo, floated the infant Moses; not far distant, on its banks, the Holy Family took refuge in a cave to escape the wrath of an unjust ruler; its waters were turned to blood when the heart of Pharaoh was hardened. "By the annual inundation, a thin layer of ferti- lizing mud is spread over the land, and the canals are filled with the precious water. Seeds and grain, spread broadcast, produce a bountiful harvest. The inundation begins in the latter part of June, 178 A WINTER JAUNT IN HISTORIC I