Chapter C: W. V (11)

From Milan, I took the poste to Sesto Calende, on the Lake Maggiore, where our passports were visé, as we were leaving Austrian territory. The next landing place on the opposite side, in Sardinia, is Arona, near which stands the bronze monument of San Carlo Boromeo, sixty-six feet high, upon a pedestal forty-four feet in height, to the head of which I had once ascended by an inner staircase. The remains of the saint are in a crystal and gold coffin, in the crypt of the Domo of Milan. We soon reached the islands called Isola Madre, Isola Bella, Isola Pescatore, belonging to the same family, and noted for their beauty. The two first are perfect gems. Isola Bella, with its palace, picture galleries, terraced gardens, fountains, tropical vegetation, gold fish, guinea fowls, &c., gives it the air of a little paradise. The length of the lake may be made in five hours, to Mogidorro, where an omnibus conveys you to Bellinzona, from which point the road strikes off over the Splugen Pass to the right, which I took last year from Como. I now passed in to the left, by diligence at the foot of the mountain, to Airolo, where I passed the night. Leaving in the morning, our horses climbed steadily up the zigzag walled roads, until at mid-day we reached the Hospice, a height of six thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight feet above the level of the sea, where we partook of refreshments, and commenced the descent. The height is, you will perceive, seven hundred and sixty-two feet less than that of the location of the convent on the great St. Bernard, the highest habitable point in Europe, once described to you, and which is one thousand feet above the growth of timber. The mountains were snow-capped, the weather was fine, and we suffered but little from cold. The snow banks did not affect the passage. During eight months in the year sleighs are used. Some of the passes, which are subject to avalanches, are protected by long galleries, over which the huge masses slide into the gorges and ravines below. One of these galleries is one hundred and eighty feet long, and twelve feet wide. The melting snow produced beautiful cataracts, and the foaming and rumbling of the waters were at times deafening, particularly near the Teufel’s Brücke, or Devil’s Bridge, over the torrent Reuss, ninety-five feet in height, about four thousand feet above the level of the sea. The dangerous passes, on the verge of precipices hundreds of feet perpendicular, are protected by parapet walls. In two instances, from the encroachment of the snow upon the border of the deep chasms, our wheels were blocked with loaded wagons going in contrary directions, which obliged us to dismount, and caused some delay. The scattered stone houses of the peasantry in the valley, from the lofty eminences, looked like bird-cages, and the cultivated patches in the green fields I could only compare to brown rugs which had been washed and were lying out to bleach upon the grass. The descent in the valley, the wild, romantic scenery of the mountains, the deep greens foliage of the pines and cedars, the neat and airy Swiss villages, the herdsmen, with flocks of goats, the peculiar costumes of the peasants, the roaring of the torrents, and the splashing of cascades, were well calculated to keep up a lively interest, even in one who had traversed most of the mountains of Europe. The village where William Tell was born, and the spot where he is represented as having shot the apple from his son’s head, lent an historical interest to the route.

At Fuelen, the head of the lake, a small steamer was in readiness to conduct us, in two hours and a half, to Luzerne, one of the prettiest positions for a town in Switzerland. I had made the tour of the lake some years since, and was then, as now, struck with its majestic and magnificent scenery. The hotels here are excellent.

At the period alluded to, my health did not permit the ascent of Mount Riga; I have now accomplished it. An hour’s sail, by steamer, takes one to Waggis, where horses and guides are procured, and where the ascent to Riga begins. The mountain lies free on all sides, and stands on one of the most interesting points, in reference to its beautiful views, also its near approach to the great chain of the Alps, and the neighborhood of so many lakes and valleys; I counted eleven of the former. Its height is five thousand five hundred feet. Its extensive view, not only over north, east, and west Switzerland, but also over a part of Germany, well repays the tourist, if he be fortunate enough to have clear weather, in which one is often disappointed. The road or path is good, but it is laborious on foot, and places for rest and refreshment are found. The better way is, for ladies and gentlemen not accustomed to climbing, to take horses; in three hours the ascent is made. A cold water cure establishment is found half way up. The Stafelwirthshaus is about a mile from the summit, and on the extreme top is the hotel called Riga Kulm, where we passed the night. We were favored with a fine sunset, after which the horn sounded for dinner, which our party enjoyed under the bracing atmosphere. The sky was serene, and the moon in the full. We retired early, and the echo of the morning horn saluted us a half hour before the sun rose on this grand and imposing spectacle, whose beauties cannot be described with the pen. Cloaks and overcoats were in requisition, a warm breakfast enjoyable, and we descended by another route to the village of Kussnacht, where a vehicle was chartered to convey us to Luzerne. My next may be from north Switzerland, or from the banks of the Rhine.

CXXVI.

BATHS OF EMS, DUCHY OF NASSAU, _July 14, 1857_.

About the time I left Luzerne, in Switzerland, the sympathies and anxieties of the public were highly excited by the report of fire and explosion in the railroad tunnel, which is to intersect that city with Basle. Twelve persons, who had volunteered in the rescue of upwards of forty workmen who were thus suddenly cut off, had perished in the attempt. When our passengers took the diligence to cross the mountain, in the depths of which the accident occurred, three of our number took a short cut across, hoping to obtain some information of the sufferers. It was melancholy to reflect that so many human beings were probably suffering the agonies of death under our very feet, without our being able to relieve them. I learned subsequently that thirty-three corpses had been taken out and interred. A horse was found slaughtered, but not eaten.

The Swiss cars are constructed after our American model; passengers see the scenery of the country better from them than from the coach cars generally in use in Europe.

A railway ride of three and a half hours, by express train from Basle, brings one to Baden-Baden, upon the west slope of the Black Forest, in one of the most beautiful valleys of Germany.

A few days’ sojourn, and I proceeded to Homburg, which is much frequented; but neither that place nor Baden-Baden was as full as I found them last year.

At Wiesbaden, however, I found larger multitudes than I had ever met there on my former visits. This I attribute in part to the facilities for play, newly granted by the Bank.

Having detailed to you, on former occasions, the baths, qualities and uses of the waters, amusements and excursions, it will be needless to go into repetition.

In addition to the plebeian movement, it would seem that royalty has turned out in every direction. The King of Bavaria and ex-Empress of Russia were at Baden-Baden; the Emperor and Empress of Russia are at Kissengen; the Grand Duchess Constantine and her suite live opposite to me, occupying the entire building called the Panorama, belonging to the Ducal Kurhaus, where I am lodging. Having seen all these imperial and royal personages in their own territories, my curiosity is not excited; but it is a curious spectacle for an American to witness the sycophancy and idolatry of the masses for crowned heads; and one naturally asks himself, “Are such people capable of enjoying any other institutions than those they have been educated to adore?”

Those who remain at Ems, do so ostensibly for health; and no waters in Europe are so valuable for bronchial diseases, incipient pulmonary disease, nervous complaints, and many other difficulties; the fair sex predominate.

The Russians have the privilege of travelling since the treaty of peace; the presence of the wife of the Grand Admiral Constantine has brought large numbers here. The other evening, on the occasion of her birthday, the Duke of Nassau gave a grand celebration. In the middle of the little river Lahn, which flows through the valley, opposite the quarters of the Grand Duchess of Constantine was an illuminated barge, with thirty musicians. The Swiss Cottage Restaurant, upon the hill-side, was brilliantly lighted; and on the opposite mountain-ridge was a display of Bengal lights, and other fireworks, which produced a pretty effect, much to the edification of visitors and the peasantry, who seemed to enjoy it highly. Last night a ball was given by this lady in the honor of the Russians.

One is elbowed on all sides by Dukes, Duchesses, Counts, Countesses, Barons, and Baronesses, and the whole aristocratic race.

The German aristocracy are easy and approachable. You find that you have made the acquaintance of your neighbor; cards are exchanged; you see, perhaps, the arms and title of a Count, Baron, or some high functionary or dignitary, in return for which you give him a plain American address, without a handle to the name.

The demoralizing and destructive practice of open gambling is only tolerated in the German duchies, and is a source of great revenue to their rulers. In France it is prohibited: Prussia has withheld the grant at her watering places: in Belgium it only exists at Spa: Sardinia has stopped it at Aix les Bains. But all the efforts of the great princes have not yet succeeded in destroying the system established at Baden-Baden, Homburg, Wiesbaden, and Ems.

Next month I go to Paris, and expect to be in the United States in September.

1858.

CXXVII.

MARSEILLES, FRANCE, _Jan. 15, 1858_.

I must apologize to many of my friends and acquaintances whom I could not have the pleasure of seeing during my last short sojourn at home, and also for my sudden departure, which was the result of cold and indisposition.

From the time I left New York, on the 25th of last month, I experienced no cold weather until recently in Paris, where the prevalence of the _grippe_, or influenza, induced me to take flight for a more congenial climate. Our passage by the steamer Fulton was one of the shortest and most comfortable winter passages I ever made. Christmas and New Year’s festivals were passed in Paris. The great city, as usual at this joyous season, was extremely gay.

The Boulevards, from the Madeleine to the Bastille, a distance of three miles, were lined on both sides with booths, offering every variety of fancy and useful articles for presents and use, as at this period all classes expect gifts and souvenirs, which tax the ingenuity in the selection, and the purse in the acquisition. In this manner several millions of francs change hands. The number of Americans is much less than usual this season, but at a ball given by our Consul in Paris, I should judge that three hundred of both sexes were present.

The crisis is less visible in France than in most of the countries of Europe. One would scarcely infer from the manner in which the theatres, operas and masked balls are frequented at the opening of the carnival season, that a money panic existed in the capital of France; in fact very little publicity was given through the press, as the Emperor had declared the thing a humbug, and not intended for his Empire. At the grand Hotel du Louvre, near the Tuileries, where I lived, I noticed that the number of arrivals kept up pretty well for the season. It is the St. Nicholas of Paris, and a stupendous structure, far exceeding anything of the kind in Europe as a hotel, for its style of architecture, decoration, magnificent marble staircases, luxuriant dining and reading rooms; the former has splendid crystal candelabra and six hundred gas lights at the six o’clock table d’hôte. It is better adapted for travellers who have been accustomed to warmer heated apartments in winter than most French hotels, as the halls and passages are heated by registers throughout. Russians, Americans, English and Hollanders are the best paying guests. The French, with more strict notions of economy, are unwilling to pay for the extravagant outlay and parade. The transition from the recent cold in Paris to the mild temperature of this region, which one reaches in the short space of twenty hours by rail, a distance of five hundred miles, is most striking. Here the almond trees are in blossom, and the silvery leaf of the olive has a more cheerful aspect. The contrast is more marked now than before the construction of the railroad; I once experienced a similar change, but after a tedious journey of four days and nights; the lightning line now accomplishes it in less than one day.

The community is now excited, as well as all France, at the recent attempt on the life of the Emperor, which, had it been successful, would have put all Europe in a blaze of revolution. Marseilles is particularly interested as a commercial port in the preservation of the existing dynasty, since its growing commerce with Algeria, as well as its other interests, would suffer by a change of government.

It has been suggested that the Emperor designed visiting Africa, and the project of railroads has been proposed. The Kabyle districts and warrior tribes having been subdued by the French troops, a good opportunity is offered of visiting the northern part of Africa; and, as I wish to escape the cold changes which occur even in Italy in winter, I have decided to embark for Algiers, where I shall find a race of Moors and Arabs differing perhaps from the Bedouins of Syria and Egypt, and find many monuments of Moorish architecture more antique than those of the Alhambra of Granada, and the Alcazar and Giralda of Seville, continued after the Arab conquest of Spain, I shall be able to judge of the effects and progress of French civilization over barbarism, and shall in addition have something to communicate.

I notice many changes and improvements, each time I return to this point of departure for Italy, Spain, Egypt, and other lands on the Mediterranean.

CXXVIII.

ALGIERS, AFRICA, _Feb. 1, 1858_.

Notwithstanding we had some boisterous weather in the Gulf of Lyons, our voyage across the Mediterranean brought us in less than forty-eight hours in sight of the African coast. The city seen from the sea with its triangular form upon a steep slope, appears like a white mass of chalk surrounded with verdure. The Arabs compare it poetically to a diamond set in emerald and sapphire. Its primitive appearance, as occupied by the Dey before the conquest by the French, in 1830, is greatly changed by the opening of wide streets near the base, and the erection of buildings of modern style, and public squares and gardens. The new port and quays give portions of the city an European air.

The blending of Moorish and French architecture, and the great variety of costume worn by Arabs, Moors, Jews, Spaniards, and government troops and officials, strike the stranger with astonishment; and had I not been familiar with Egyptian, Turkish, Greek, and Continental races, I should have been as much astonished as some of our fellow passengers seemed to be.

The day of our arrival was fine, and the sun’s rays warm, as the thermometer in winter always keeps considerably above the freezing point, although the Atlas Mountains in the distance are at times tipped with snow. The venders of fresh dates, oranges, bananas, and other fruits, advised us of a much warmer climate than we had left.

The summit of the triangle is crowned with the chateau La Casbah. A half league to the left of this ancient fortress, the last residence of the Dey, stands the famous Fort of the Emperor, the explosion of which, by the French, in 1830, decided the fate of this well-fortified city.

Algiers was founded by the Berbers Mosgan tribe of the BeniMezarhama, and the companions of Hercules the Lybian, who left the army of the hero and fixed themselves here. It then became part of the Mauritanic Cæsariene.

On the fall of the Roman empire, it became the prey of the chief of the Vandals, and was destroyed. It was reconquered by the Arabs, who armed piratical vessels, which became so formidable that the Spanish king, Ferdinand, fitted out an expedition, and occupied a small island in front of the city, where the lighthouse now stands. The Algerines called to their aid the celebrated pirate, Barbarossa, who was checked by the Spaniards. Furious with his defeat, he seized and killed the sovereign, and took possession of the city.

All the efforts of the Spaniards were defeated, and the fleet destroyed by tempests or otherwise.

The brother of Barbarossa, Kair-ed-din, with the aid of thirty-six thousand Christian slaves, for three years united the island with the main land, and formed a port for his vessels. After his death it became the property of the Turks.

The city suffered various changes of masters, and was desolated by plagues and earthquakes, and other scourges, too numerous to mention, until the French Consul-General was insulted in 1827, which led to a strict blockade, maintained in 1829, and finished with thirty-five thousand troops in 1830, by blowing up the fort mentioned, which commands the city; the Dey was shortly after transported to Italy.

I notice the results of the earthquake of last year in many of the mosques, as well as private buildings. The government botanical gardens, on the sea-shore, beyond the pretty residences of the Europeans, in the village of Mustapha, are worth visiting.

Here are found date trees filled with fruit, sugar-canes, bananas, oranges, lemons, indeed all sorts of tropical fruits and productions, calculated to encourage the Arab races in agriculture; and as the caravans of mules, donkeys, and camels, pass along loaded with articles for market, their owners and drivers can see what the labor of man is capable of producing. The principal agricultural colonists are Spaniards and Maltese. The French, it would seem, are unwilling to leave La Belle France, excepting those engaged in commerce and mechanical operations; their ideas are still confounded with apprehensions of fever, the attacks of Arabs, the ravages of lions, jackals, hyenas, and other beasts of prey, the legitimate result of the thousand and one narratives of returned soldiers. The government makes every effort to induce colonists to accept concessions of land, but the work moves tardily, and they learn with surprise that thousands and hundreds of thousands of Germans and other Europeans emigrate to America, while Algeria affords a home for all who choose to accept it. The truth is, these people are tired of monarchy and military rule, and breathe freer in the United States, with a brighter prospect for the future.

The theatre is a structure of some pretensions; a ball was recently given there, under the patronage of Madame Randon, the wife of the Governor-General of Algeria, for the benefit of the poor, and was well attended by the élite of the city. The balcony of the first tier was occupied by about fifty Jewesses, in full Algeria costume, and produced a pretty effect. They wear vests or bodices of colored silks, embroidered with gold; sashes and flowing robes of rich stuffs; head-dresses of silks, or conical caps made of gold coins; head-bands of diamonds, as well as necklaces of emeralds, pearls, and rubies; armlets of gold, with jewels piled on in profusion, producing a blaze of light eclipsing the gas of the establishment. The second tier was occupied with quiet, grave Musselmans, with the red fez, and white turbans. These two classes, of course, do not dance, but watch intently the fashionable crinoline-dressed European ladies, joining in the giddy waltz or polka upon the stage or platform below. The foyer, or saloon, was fitted up for refreshments and gaming, and I noticed that both Jews and Musselmans of the wealthy class like the excitement of play.

The whole of Kabyle is subject to French rule, since the conquest of last autumn, and all is tranquil in that direction. Having lost all hope of recovering his liberty, the Arab, formerly accustomed to a wandering life in the interior, must now see the necessity of fixing himself on the soil in the neighborhood of towns and villages, and supplying the markets with his productions. Their habits of economy and frugality enable them to accumulate and hoard money; their consumption of French articles is small, however; consequently, the money concealed or kept out of circulation is a loss to the empire. The possession of this large territory by France, say two hundred and fifty leagues of coast from east to west, and fifty leagues from north to south, may prove in time a source of revenue, but at present it is attended with great expense. The outlay is some twelve millions of dollars, the receipts about two millions. It is a fine military school for the fifty thousand troops employed in keeping possession. If once properly colonized, it would give France a full supply of grain. As to the product of cotton, I doubt if it can ever be cultivated here in competition with our Southern States, notwithstanding the proposition of introducing the apprentice system for negroes from Soudan. The African wheat and barley are of excellent quality; corn is tolerable; tobacco can be raised in great quantities, but the quality does not compare with ours. At the Museum or Exposition of Industry, I have examined all the products of the provinces. In the event of a general war in Europe, and a rising of the Arabs, France might be obliged to abandon the interior and occupy the sea-ports only.

We have had some rain, and the roads are bad. As soon as they improve I shall go in the interior, and reconnoitre the ground, visit the towns and villages, and attend the fairs of cattle, sheep and horses.

CXXIX.

MEDEAH, PROVINCE OF ALGIERS, AFRICA, _Feb. 15, 1858_.

Medeah is built in amphitheatre form, upon an inclined plane beyond the first chain of the Atlas Mountains, some twenty-three leagues south of Algiers; it is some three thousand six hundred feet above the level of the sea, and is rather difficult of ascent. It is the site of the ancient kingdom of Tittery.

Medeah has been occupied four times by the French troops, since 1830, and indefinitely in 1840. The hostilities of 1830 demonstrated that so long as the Arabs were free to organize forces in the mountains and make sudden attacks, there was no safety. The occupation of this point with troops makes it perfectly tranquil. Abd-el Kader, whose prison I visited at Amboise in France a few years since, and whose exploits are often brought up in this country, gave the French much trouble.

One of the greatest achievements was in the zigzag road constructed by the French army through the gorges of the river Chiffa, some four leagues in length, which enabled them to conquer the country of the warrior Arabs of the mountains. The points of view through these rocky passes, with their precipices, towering masses of rock above, and deep chasms below, in many places without parapets, look frightful in making the ascent. I was reminded by it of a road constructed by the English in the Island of Ceylon, which I once described to you, and which was the only means of conquering the mountain King of Kandy. In one of these mountains there are large numbers of monkeys, which may be seen clambering up the rocks and branches of trees, and basking in the sun’s rays. Gibraltar is the only point in Europe where they exist, and they are supposed to have been introduced there from Africa. One passes through several large towns on his way to this place. Douera, which was a camp in 1830, is now quite a town, with a wall around it, and gates for protection, and the imposition of octroi duties. The country produces cotton, tobacco, cereal grains, and pasturage for animals. When water is not abundant, as they are subject to drought on the plains, wells are dug for irrigation.

Boufereck was the first post established on the plain of Misidza, in 1830, when the army advanced to Blidah for the first time. It was then humid, surrounded with marshes and bad exhalations. It was known for a long time as the cemetery for soldiers and colonists; but it is now quite healthy. The weekly market of the Arabs, bringing in all the tribes from the surrounding country, with horses, cattle, goats, &c., is a striking feature in that settlement. The inclosure of the grounds is ample, with a mosque adjacent for the Mussulman to say his prayers in. One often sees them by the road-side prostrating themselves towards Mecca in the east. Often in towns and cities you pass from the bazaars and densely-crowded streets directly into the mosques, with fountains of water in the court, as in Constantinople, where they wash their feet and trip in upon the matting and carpet rugs to pay their devotion, while you hear the cry of the muezzin from the lofty minaret adjoining, calling the faithful to prayers. The mosques are generally plain, with whitewashed walls, and lamps suspended, as well as ostrich eggs strung upon cords. Some, however, are of beautiful Moorish architecture, with an infinity of columns, and a great variety of arabesque work. The mausoleum or tomb of the Marabout is much venerated, being a sort of pilgrimage for the devout believer.

An anecdote was related to me in visiting the edifice erected to the memory of the Marabout; it is upon a hill, a beautiful position, outside the walls of Algiers.

The Koran forbids the use of wine and all alcoholic drinks, still the holy man indulged freely, being supplied by the persecuted Jews, who took this way to obtain the favor of the chief of the sect. There being a sort of veneration for idiots, this besotted individual was once aroused by the cries of the people, that the enemy’s vessels were off the port and approaching the city. With difficulty awakened from his stupor he cried out, “Where are the infidel dogs? Give me a whip and I will lash them off the surface of the great deep.” Reeling on the seaside he slashed away upon the calm surface of the water, venting his anathemas and imprecations. As fortune willed it, one of those sudden tempests arose, not unfrequent in this latitude, and the vessels were driven off or dashed to pieces. He was shrewd enough when he witnessed this singular phenomenon to take advantage of it, and exhorted the people to exhibit greater faith for the future. A temple was erected over his tomb, and his memory perpetuated to posterity.

I passed a couple of days at Blidah, some twelve leagues from Algiers. It is the chief place of the first military division, at the foot of the Little Atlas mountain. It has a population of fifteen thousand Arabs and foreigners; it is surrounded with a belt of foliage, forests of orange, lemon, fig, olive, and palm trees, which give it the air of a delicious garden. The Arabs call it The Voluptuous. In 1825 it was visited by an earthquake, which entirely destroyed it, with one half of its eighteen thousand inhabitants. On the 23d of July, 1830, after the occupation of Algiers by the French, the General advanced to this place, and was well received, but in returning was attacked by the Kabyles.

The European part of the town is well built, with regular streets, public squares, cafés, and a theatre; the Arab part has narrow streets, low, one-story, whitewashed houses, with a single door or hole in the wall for entrance, and little portholes or latticed windows for the women to peep out. The women are rarely seen in the streets, and never in the mosques; when they come out they are closely veiled in white shawls, which show the eyes only.

The Arab market at Blidah exhibited horses, cattle, grain, dried fruits, hog skins, or rather wild boar skins, filled with olive oil, wool, charcoal, &c.; the Arabs buy iron, hardware, coffee, sugar, thread, and such things as are actually necessary.

I visited the haras, or government stables of the Arabian, Persian, and Syrian stallions, some eighty in number, one of which, El Haz, presented by the emperor, cost forty-four hundred dollars.

The environs of Blidah are enchanting; the supply of water for irrigation, from the mountains, is abundant, and the climate lovely even at this season of the year. The Arab poet, Hamed Youssef, said, “They call thee a little city, I call thee a charming little rose.” I was reminded of a lovely little spot, called Soler, in the island of Majorca, where one rides for miles through orange groves, which, like those of Blidah, are exported to France. I noticed, in passing through the village of Ben Mered, an obelisk erected to the memory of twenty-two soldiers who were attacked by three hundred horsemen of Ben Salem, in the year 1842, and all killed after the most heroic resistance. Only one, a sergeant, who was wounded and left for dead, could give the details. The young sergeant, in the midst of the conflict, fell, mortally wounded, with the words upon his lips, “Friends, remember that the French never surrender, but defend themselves to the death.”

The Arabs in this part of the country are now turning their attention to agriculture; the plough merely scratches the surface, and without doubt, is the same used in the primitive days of Abraham. Herds of sheep and goats are seen in the mountains with Arab boys and dogs.

CXXX.

CONSTANTINE, AFRICA, _Feb. 27, 1858_.

Returning from Medeah to Algiers, I embarked on board of a French government steamer for Stora. We landed troops at Delys, Bougie, and Dzidzelle, and after a two days’ run, arrived at Stora, and proceeded to Philippeville to procure a conveyance for this city, which is situated some seventy miles in the interior.

Constantine is the Cirta of the ancients, the Cossentina of the Arabs. It is situated upon the river Rhumel, at the point where the torrent crosses the elevated mountains to penetrate the upper basin of the plains of Milah. The ancient capital of Jugurtha is now the chief city of the eastern province of Algeria. It lies some eighteen hundred feet above the level of the Mediterranean, upon a triangular plateau. This plateau is surrounded by the two branches of the river, and crowned by the heights of Mausourah and of Sidi-Merid, from which it is separated by deep chasms and precipices, at the bottom of which courses the Rhumel, with its wild and magnificent cataracts. It has the aspect of a lofty island, with its high rocks, almost perpendicular, rendering the city almost, or quite, invulnerable, with its strong gates and fortifications. Constantine has been the scene of great events in the grand history of Africa. The founder of the city was said to have been a Greek adventurer, 250 years B.C. Marva reigned over the Mumides. It was in turn occupied by Masinissa and his sons. Juba sided with Pompey, and was chased by Bogad, king of Sittius, who founded a Roman colony.

Cæsar undertook great works, and one finds many of the old walls, ramparts, and inscriptions remaining. The ancient aqueducts, the ruins of which still stand, some forty feet high, about a mile from the city, are said to be the work of the emperor Justinian. The invasion of the Arabs destroyed the opulent city, and it passed from one to another among all the African conquerors; it was in the hands of the Turks in the sixteenth century, and afterwards in the hands of the Deys of Algiers, many of whom were assassinated.

The last, Hadz-Ahmed Dey, kept it the longest, but it was by oppressing his subjects. From 1826 to 1830 he cut off the heads of some three thousand of his people, and committed the most revolting deeds. At that time the French government denounced his acts, and named the brother of the Bey of Tunis his successor; but he managed to keep possession until 1836, when Marshal Clausel attacked them, at the head of an insufficient army, but was driven back from this stronghold, and obliged to retreat.

The next year, however, a body of ten thousand men, with the second son of Louis Philippe in the avant garde, took the city by assault, General Damremont losing his life in the attack. I find his monument in an inclosure of the ancient casbah or fort, near the caserne and hospital grounds, which are now crowned by large structures. I have just visited them in company with my present travelling companion, a captain in the Russian army, sent out for general observation. The French officers have shown us much civility and attention, making our stay here agreeable.

The reservoirs constructed by the Romans upon the summit are repaired thoroughly, and contain a full supply of water for a long siege. The view from these points is of the boldest character. The city is now divided in two quarters, Arab and French, and offers the most striking contrast.

The Arabs said that Constantine was a rock in the middle of a river, and that it would require as many French to take it as ants to take an egg from the bottom of a pot of milk; but in this they found their error, and concluded it was the will of the Prophet. The trade of the city with Biskarah is large in dried dates, and with Setif and other ports in wool; ostrich feathers, elephants’ tusks, and gold dust are seen in small quantities. At Philippeville, on the coast, I found some English officers who came out to join the famous Jules Gerard, the lion slayer. They were going to form a camp in the neighborhood of Bona, further up the coast. I shall probably meet them again when I get up there, and learn what success they meet with. The conductor of our stage has assured us that at one point near El Cantour, a dreary mountainous country, lions are known to follow the vehicle when driven to extremity for want of food. Not a very pleasant prospect for a traveller. I saw the skin of a famous fellow, some sixteen feet in length, recently killed. The jackals, hyenas, and wild boars are abundant; the latter may be seen in quantities in the market places, filled with olive oil, which is brought on the backs of camels. We passed through sections of the country entirely uninhabited, where the wild olive and cork wood grow in abundance. In the settlements they engraft the domestic olive, which does well.

The Arab cultivation here is meagre and primitive; the plough is drawn by a camel and donkey yoked together--rather a ludicrous sight. If the Arab has a surplus of grain, or the price does not suit him, having no barns, he buries it in pits prepared for the purpose. His tent can be transported easily with his small household effects, consisting of a few earthen or copper cooking utensils, or he can throw up a mud hovel and thatch it with the leaves of the date or other trees.

He mounts his horses or camels, with his wives and children upon their backs, and emigrates to another place where the land suits him better. The women, whose faces we occasionally get a peep at, wear a profusion of bracelets, anklets, and huge rings from the top and bottom of the ears. One would suppose them too weighty for this tender part to sustain. In the city the wives of the wealthy Moors are beautifully clad with ornaments; they are fond of monotonous music and the lascivious dancing of the professed dancing girls, not unlike that of the dancing girls of Egypt. The fair daughters of Judea, whose faces are always uncovered, have preserved their type of beauty here. I have seen the howling and whirling Dervishes of Constantinople, the adoration of brazen bulls in India, the prostration of the Chinese before their heathen gods, the Parsee worship of the rising sun, the dancing of Shakers, as well as most varieties of worship, but I have never yet witnessed such a horrible exhibition of fanaticism as in a little temple here. The building was a plain one, not unlike a whitewashed Mohammedan mosque, with arches and columns, ostrich eggs strung upon cords, and suspended lamps. Upon the matting and rugs squatted a centre group, of musicians, with tambourines and tamtams, a sort of kettle-drum. Around the walls were seated rows of men and boys. My companion and myself crossed our legs, tailor-like, in line with the devotees, and awaited the working of the spirit.

Then commenced monotonous, plaintive singing, accompanied by the musicians moving their heads backwards and forwards until the sounds became wild and discordant, when a huge, dark, Bedouin-faced figure unrolled his turban, threw down his red fez, while a heavy tuft of long hair floated over his shoulders like the mane of a lion, then his eyes rolling furiously, and his head swaying as if it was on a pivot, he threw himself among the crowd, raving and snarling like a dog, and attempting to bite all who came in his way. At length he was appeased, with horse nails, scorpions, &c.; he licked red hot iron, much to the enjoyment of the audience, who indulged in the wildest strains of music and songs of delight. After which performance, dancing, the most extravagant and arduous, was continued until several fell frothing at the mouth, and were carried out of the circle. This curious spectacle continued about two hours on the Musselman sabbath, which is Friday. It was curious to see the boys imitate the shaking of the head and body of the leaders of the sect. The turmoil ceases at intervals, prayers are muttered, incense burned, and the parties take breath only to renew the frenzy and excitement. On the public square you see snake charmers and jugglers, who rival those of Madras.

CXXXI.

TUNIS, AFRICA, _March 13, 1858_.

From Constantine, the capital of the eastern province of Algeria, seventy miles in the interior, I proceeded to the sea-coast at Philippeville and Stora, to embark for Bona and Tunis.

Philippeville is a modern French town on the site of the ancient Russicada, with an open roadstead; Stora, a league distant, serves as a seaport, and is protected from almost all the winds. Philippeville has a future, being the commercial and military centre for Constantine and eastern Algeria. The environs are picturesque and productive of tropical fruits. The remains of a Roman amphitheatre are found there, also statues, Corinthian columns, and the cisterns or reservoirs which formerly supplied the ancient city. Nine of them have been repaired, and now furnish the town with water.

From Stora I came by steamer to Bona, the seat of the second military division. This city was constructed in the year 497 by the Arabs with the remains of the ancient and beautiful city of Hippona, about two miles distant. It was founded by the Carthaginians and called Ubbo. It lay at the foot of two hills, with the river Seybouse passing by, and vessels came up at that time to the city. In the year 709 of Rome, Scipio, a fugitive, beaten by the tempest, took refuge here with his little fleet, which was destroyed by Sittius, the lieutenant of Cæsar.

In the year 429 A.D. the Vandals besieged Hippona and destroyed it in part. It was retaken by Belisare, but the Arabs took it again in 697, and transported to Arabia the present French town of Bona. The kings of Tunis built the Casbah or citadel in the year 1304. It has changed hands many times, and has been burnt and destroyed; in 1832 the French took complete possession. Many improvements have taken place; the country is tolerably cultivated in the environs, and some fine works have been established.

We had cleverly got to sea from Bona when a sudden norther came down upon us and obliged our steamer to take refuge under the lee of a fort and projecting cape; after it subsided we pushed on the next day to the Bay of Tunis, and landed at the village and port of Goletta, some twelve miles from the city; it can be reached by land or water, the latter way by a salt lake.

Here, in this city of one hundred thousand inhabitants, the largest proportion of whom are Arabs, one finds himself out of the pale of French civilization. In Algeria life may be considered tolerably safe, but here, such is the fanaticism of the Musselman, and so little the respect paid to Christians, that one is naturally cautious in his movements. The mosques cannot be entered as in Constantinople, Algiers, and other places; the cemeteries cannot be defiled by infidels. The five gates of the city are closed at six in the afternoon. All persons found out by the armed sentinels after seven in the afternoon, without lanterns, are taken to the guard-house and released upon the consul’s application in the morning. An instance of intolerance occurred last June, which created a sensation far and wide. I passed the gate recently where the Jew (you will recollect the circumstance), meeting with some obstacle, anathematized Mahomet; he was maltreated, thrown into prison and condemned to be executed, and notwithstanding the protestations of various consuls, was decapitated and literally cut into pieces by the exasperated populace. The French sent down a squadron, and at last obtained redress from the Bey, in promises for the future privileges of Jews and Christians. Here one finds African life in its natural condition, beyond the reach of French officers and soldiery.

The miserable, sallow-looking troops are dressed in round jackets and pantaloons, with the fez, or cap of red cloth, ill adapted to a hot climate. The streets are narrow and wretchedly filthy; all the offal is thrown into them, and where hogs do not exist as scavengers, the dogs, who are always numerous, supply in some measure the defect. When it rains, the black mud is difficult to wade through, as there is no pavement, and pattens are brought in requisition. The stench from filth is abominable.

The bazaars are interesting to visit, on account of their display of rich silks, costumes, smoking pipes with amber mouth-pieces, otto of roses, embroideries of all kinds, and rich trappings for saddles and bridles.

The Arab cafés, with their thirty to forty inmates, sitting cross-legged, sipping coffee in little cups, and listening to guitars and national airs, are curious to look into. The little barber shops are found everywhere, and busy enough are their masters, shaving the skulls of the faithful. A pile of shoes is always at the door, as the Arabs step upon the mats and rugs, and then draw their shoes off, and draw their feet up under them. You are elbowed in the streets by negroes and Arabs of the different races, dark-eyed boys, camels and mules laden with olives, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables, and surrounded by the cries of vendors, and the confusion of tongues. The exterior Moorish architecture of some of the mosques, and the light and airy minarets, are attractive to the eye as you look up and espy the Muezzin crying out the hour of prayer. The supreme power is vested in the Bey, who has several palaces in the city and country. He is now residing some nine miles hence, along the shore, whither I have been to witness an Arab fantasie, or display of horsemanship.

An artillery regiment lay encamped directly opposite the immense palace, with its latticed windows, domes, terraces, and four hundred and fifty inmates, including the harem, eunuchs, servants, officials, and relatives of the Bey’s wives. Two huge, uncouth, painted lions were seen over the inner porch; sentinels, stacks of muskets, and officers, civil and military, were in the front of the doors, together with the sons of the sovereign, and when the Bey presented himself at the window, the equestrian exercise commenced. There were forty horsemen, accompanied by two Kadis and three Scheiks of tribes in the interior, who were dressed in the most luxurious costumes of silks and embroidered cloth flowing robes, their arms, saddles, and bridles glittering with gold and silver filigree work. Starting at some distance, they came down singly, and in groups of three or five, upon full gallop, drawing and discharging their carabines as they passed by, and suddenly reining up and whirling their guns in the air--a most exciting and wild scene, beautifully executed. Others were dancing their horses to the sounds of drums and flutes, and making all sorts of evolutions around the sentinels, describing a figure eight, and embracing the sentinels without treading on their toes. The homage paid was recompensed by rich and costly presents sent out to the victors.

While the authorities are revelling in luxuries, the poor suffer the penalty. Three thousand troops have just been sent out, to be absent some months, for the purpose of collecting taxes and imposts, which are enforced by the bayonet.

The country is beautifully fertile and productive. We rode through miles of olive groves. The Bey has a famous oil mill, driven by steam power, under the direction of Europeans. The olives, when fully ripened, are sent in panniers upon camels’ backs, and crushed by machinery; the oil is then pressed out. Our Consul and some others made up a party for Gomart, twelve miles distant, where we found some catacombs; but to one who had seen those of Thebes they afforded but little interest.

The friends we visited occupied a palace which had been built by Christian slave labor during the piratical days of this people. The amount of labor performed in the construction, with its fountains, basins, orange, lemon, and date groves, must have exhausted the patience of these poor prisoners.

The ancient city of Carthage lies along the sea shore, some twelve miles from Tunis, and is quite accessible by carriage drive. We visited Mr. Davis, the gentleman employed by the British government in excavating the antiquities, and accompanied him in these explorations. The site of the great temple of Esculapius is plainly visible, and a portion of the foundation walls and staircases. He has forty men employed, and we discovered the basements of several houses where the mosaic floors were quite perfect and very beautiful. Many large boxes have been sent to the British Museum. The ancient port of the city is still distinguishable.

The traces of the aqueducts are well defined, and large masses of stone still stand. The reservoirs for water, seventeen in number, are in the best state of preservation; they are evidently of Roman construction.

The circuit of twenty miles, where stood the great city, is now under cultivation, scarcely leaving any vestige of existence above the surface.

CXXXII.

TRIPOLI, COAST OF BARBARY, AFRICA, _April 1, 1858_.

The land route from Tunis is attended with so much fatigue and risk, that I took the steamer for Malta, and embarked for this port, where we arrived in the midst of a violent norther, the waves dashing violently among the breakers, and landed, much to the satisfaction of all concerned; particularly, two Turkish Beys, with their harems, from Constantinople, who were my fellow passengers. The women were under lock and key, but notwithstanding the sea-sickness of their liege lords, as well as the eunuchs, I noticed the jealous glances cast outside of their berths from time to time.

There are two small hotels at Tunis, but here, none; and as I had letters for our Consul, Mr. Gaines, I accepted his Virginian hospitality. This territory, which extends to the Egyptian frontier, is under Turkish rule, and the now presiding Pacha is Osmand Bey, a worthy old gentleman, to whom I was presented, and with whom I had a long chat through his interpreter. Coffee, sherbet, and confectionery were served, and long pipes, or chibouks, of jessamine wood, with amber mouth-pieces encircled in diamonds, gave the Latakia tobacco a good relish. As strangers are seldom seen here, the communication being rare, it is rather gratifying to resident consuls and others, to extend facilities. I am the first native American visitor, the consul tells me, since his residence here of nine years. An English government steamer brought down a gentleman whose friends reside here, and who has done service in the Crimea, and is now appointed consul in Russia. His friends, being mine, have given me an opportunity of joining in the festivities and recreations offered to the officers. Horses have been put at our disposition for social and shooting parties in the country. Dinners and evening parties have been constant, and the time passed pleasantly. Consuls here, as well as at Tunis, wear the uniform and cap with gold band, which is much respected by the natives.

As our dragoman goes round the city with his silver-headed massive stick, it is quite amusing to hear the sergeant present arms in Turkish as the sentinels are passed. There are some four thousand Turkish troops here from Constantinople. The population is chiefly Arab, with a sprinkling of Jews and Maltese. The city contains fifteen thousand inhabitants; it is much cleaner than Tunis, and is in a healthier position, and warmer, being further south and nearer the desert. The country between the sea and the sandy waste is very picturesque; it is mostly cultivated by means of irrigation, as the Persian wheels, driven by cattle, are seen in all directions, attached to the wells.

The date groves in all quarters, interspersed with olive, fig, and almond, give it an oriental appearance. The scenery, as well as the costume and habits of the people, is African. Every variety of color may be seen, the ground being contiguous to the races of the Sahara and the starting point for Timbuctoo. The weekly fairs upon the beach are most primitive. Sheep, goats, and camels are driven in and butchered upon the sand. You see the Arabs squatted, bare-footed, or in red and yellow sandals, around piles of skins, fruits, vegetables, or grain; tinkers, in little date-leaved tents, repairing copper cooking utensils; itinerant barbers plying their avocations; donkeys loaded with wood and charcoal; squalid figures, black, brown, and yellow, cooking a scanty meal of pumpkin, red pepper, and oil; others indulging in the national and savoury repast of kouskous;--and a thousand other sights and eccentricities that we, as civilized beings, can scarcely dream of.

The previous war steamer that was down here brought the English Vice Consul, and among the guests two English ladies. The Pasha gave a review of the troops and a picnic in the country. He drove one of the ladies in his own carriage, followed by a cavalcade--so unusual a thing for a Musselman, that the Arab women thought he had taken a new wife, and commenced chanting a merry song, much to the lady’s annoyance.

A splendid dinner was given to the officers, with abundance of wine, contrary to the usage of Musselmans, but in accordance with the Pasha’s notions of propriety; and when the lady left he presented her a beautiful pony. He is more European in his conduct than Turkish, and has set an example for others in having only one wife.

Visiting a country-seat a few days since, I noticed upon an observatory overlooking the seat the wooden figure of a hand nailed up, a custom, I presume, in accordance with that of more civilized countries, where horseshoes are fastened over the doors, to keep off the witches. I asked if it was to keep off the evil eye, and the reply was that the carpenter would not continue his work until it was fastened there. We frequently see the impressions of hands, in red and black marks, upon the buildings; such is the superstition of the natives.

The birthday of Mahomet will soon take place, when it will be unsafe for Jew or Gentile to appear in the streets. For several days before the festival the Marabouts or holy men commence eating Indian hemp seed, which produces delirium; they then rush out, shaking their heads and bodies violently, followed by men and women chanting and shrieking. They then perform miracles by swallowing knives, nails, glass, and putting red hot shovels to their tongues, and sometimes their fanaticism induces them to maltreat or tear to pieces Jews and Gentiles; and the Pacha warns Consuls to keep their protégés or servants at home, as he cannot be responsible for them.