The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

1048


littraturt.

Gleanings from Piocadilly to Pera. By John
Oldmixon, Esq., Commander R.N, London:
Longmans.
WHILE the author was in search of an allitera-
tive title we marvel that " Groans of a Grum-
bler " did not suggest itself to him, as it is
evident, from his preface, that he is conscious
of the true character of his book :

Apologies for one's notions or one's nonsense are
simply absurd • but I would fain say a few words, not in
extenuation of the errors and ignorances which will be
found plentifully sprinkled in the following pages, but for
the querulous, cynical tone which unamiably pervades the
whole ! in which I view things through the cold, clouded
atmosphere of—an unusually severe winter ; piqued by
the peculiarly un-English comforts and contrivances of the
Continent.
It will, however, be a variety, from its strong contrast to
the invariable " couleur de rose ' sunny pictures we have of
France, Italy, and the East.
Now that I have returned home I laugh quite as heartily
as younger men at all the small miseries and mishaps we
must get through, without wincing, in our wanderings
about the world. They are exactly the ups and downs, and
joltings out of our drawing-room and club easy chairs, we
set out to—enjoy!
The variety for which he takes credit is not
of the most pleasing kind- He rallies English
and foreigners from first to last, and rather
sees bad than good in everything. The viva-
city of his style resembles that of Sir Francis
Head, but there is more acidity and less
substance in it. On the justice of his snarl at
that " conceited set, the writers of novels on
" our manners, who are eternally talking of
" snobs,' themselves the very greatest,' we
say nothing; but he undoubtedly shows pluck
in attacking the contributors to the most
satirical of our contemporaries, as they are so
well able to return his fire with interest. Ill-
natured as it may be, there is, however, some
truth in the remark, " I fear we are all a nation
" of snobs, so prone are we to worship any
" sort of title which carries with it a fine house
" in town and country, fine carriages, and fine
" dinners." Some amusing instances are given
of " snobbism" among travellers, and we are
apprehensive that the following sketch must
be included in the number. The " bit "is
pictured to the life. The scene is a railway
carriage, on the line from Paris to Dijon :
We were all English except one young Frenchman, who
kept his eyes pretty constantly fixed on an " honourable"
young lady, who gave herself small exclusive airs towards
us English as nobodies. This excessively provoked a
fat Devonshire lady, not particularly in the high world,
who was very curious to know who this little contemptuous
rl could be, with her valet, her maid, and fond papa !
Lord —, going on a visit to his friend Lord Brougham,
at Cannes.
There was another little episode which set me think-
ing on the not very good natured peculiarity of our
manners. The noble lord sat next Sir , M.P. for
one of those ei-devant parliamentary friends no
doubt our Ministers find it very essential to be civil to.
They chatted away together on the moat friendly footing,
without the M.P.'s taking the slightest notice of the young
lady, who sat silent immediately opposite and touching him.
He was not introduced; and so he left them. When gone,
she asked her father, in that sort of tone only understood
among ourselves," ho is that man? " All this is nothing,
yet something ; it lets one see that supercilious affectation
which goes on increasing up to the throne; taken up and
dropt in the most capricious way, according to the mo-
mentary figure and power of individuals.
In his Turkish tour he met travellers of
another class, who exhibited in full bloom the
feminine freedom of English life :
On our way to Smyrna we had two ladies of fortune
(sisters) passengers. I was delighted to see such fine
samples of our island beauties. They were very handsome
—one of them lovely : they had been five years on their
travels all over the Continent, and much here in the East,
among the Greeks and Turks, with their lady's-maid and
a clever courier, who managed everything for them. Such
cosmopolitan maiden philosophers are not at all un-
common. They ate met everywhere, now-a-days, all over
the world—lndia, China, Australia, California! no voyage
too hazardous, no land too strange or distant. We men are
scarcely ahead of them in our ravings. I was very sorry
when they left us ; conversation at the table lost its zest. I
could not help musing on this peculiar roaming feature, in
search of novelty, in our women, quite independent of any
man, and only seen as yet in the daughters of Great
Britain.
They were next for Athens, and meantime went to the
wretched French hotel—where I called, and found they had
ridden out on donkeys, in the melting sun, dust, and
teasing flies—what a contrast to their own hall, woods,
lawns, comforts and friends! And yet they meant to remain
abroad for another year—another year ! And thus they
waste their sweetness on Turks or the Acropolis. But