Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-06-06
LITERARY MISCELLANY.
For the National Era
BELL SMITH ABROAD.
Nj WV
No. XIX,
FoNTAINEBLEAU.

nm of DIR. Bob and friend Lnny, Mr. H., and
mvself we act off per railroad for Fontaine-
bleau All what words can put on paper the
cxbiIaration the warm, sunny brearhings OF
the green earth gave us, as we flew along the
banks of the Seine, and over the hazy- tinted
level Of the country about Paris-the modern
Athens, with its crowded streets, whore tower.
ing houses shut in the foul, f.ggy air, where
winter unusually severe had shivered, weary
DAYS and nights had educated us to u proper
enjoy ment OF the budding spring. All the
sunny past came up--came up the sparkling
vine cups, golden fruit, song, and dance. The
railroad, with its quick, iron ring, eeemed send
ing us from tho hard, suffering present, into
the joyons land of romance To such enjoy
ment ono must have preface, aud mine had
been days and months of anxiety, care, and
physical suffering. The absence Of these sui
feed to mako one content; but kind, full heart
ed nature soothed mo like tired child. Yet
more---the country looked upon had many
features in common with tho Mac u cheek
plains, where surly winter yet fingers, and my
mind took up the saddest and merritst days OF
life, to blend them in the present laughed,
/ cried, | clapped my hands like girl; and
the good hearts with me took up the feeling,
and we sang Home, sweet, SWEEP home" in
style beyond the reach of Jenny Lind
Arriving III Fontainehlcan, We scorned, like
true originals, the fashionable hotel, and put
up ut snowy, quiet little inn, with brick floors
and crooked STAIRS all favored considerably Of
the days Of old. My huge room, with little bed
in one corner, with queer, Anticipated furniture,
had'a balcony under the window; and, while
sitting on this, had seen Don Qnixote and
Sancho Panza, mounted on RCzinante and
Dapplc, ride down the narrow, silent street.
should not have been at all surprised. The
framework of that golden picture is yet there,
to keep in continuance the personages, should
they again appear
One day was too much like the other for a
record You know how despise accounts OF
inanmate things, and, for further particulars
OF castle and contents, | must refer you to the
proper work, to be had ON the ground, and
which commences in this true Niagara guide
book style: Oh you who to discover and
admire tke capricious marvels Of the world,
traverse the earth and brave the seas come 10
Fontainebleau.n The fact liz we acted more
like children turned loose from school, than
people who had traversed tho earth and
braved the seas" to come to Fontainebeau.
We wandered through the woodr, having been
long enough from the forests Of our native
land to respect any sort Of ntteml in that line,
We rowed co and fro upon the long canal; we
ihvuucu ehu oaiCoaoiy vi thO sW1hS. uHpt viz
island in the centre OF their lake, where Napo-
leon retired to consult upon the somewhat Sc
rious proposal oil a resignation; we sang Hail
Columbia and the : -spangled Banner"
we funehed in the magnificent " Sale des
Gardes;" recited III the little theatre built for
Madame de la Pompadour; and ut last sat DR..
Bob upon tho throne in the grand throne room,
and went through mock presentation with
more fun than dignity Indeed, the mock SOW
ereign, with Cap turned up IN front for
crown, and with our trains improvised from
shawls, cloaks and table covers were too III
diculous for dignity. Ii is to be hoped the mat.
ter is better done when played on grander
scale bur, to tell you the truth, fell over my
train, while Lucy and Miss e. fairly wheeled
round, shocking etiquette by 80 marching out
No one must suppose Tor u moment that this
is the ordinary style Of seeing Fontainebleau
By no manner of means. We are fortunate in
being tho friends MIR. X the architect, now
engaged in building Tor Louis Napoleon 8
theatre, On n more extensive scale than that ct
the little one constructed for Madame de Ia
Pompadour, and with which Napoleon and
Josephine wele 80 delighted Our friend kind
ly gave us the keys, and unlimited freedom,
and we treated Fontainebleau in q very tamil
lar, easy manner. D. who came for US a week
after, and was admitted on tho day appropri-
ated Cd the public, aays no WAS taken through
ut tho rate Ut sixty miles an hour and act.
ually made sea-sck in winding stairway.
expect you will be provoked with me, for
the hundredrh time, for not giving you some
solid information on what have seen and
heard. But tax my memory in vain-l can
recoiect nothing felt impressed by, save the
long suite OF gorgeous apartments in which
his Holiness, the Pope Plus VII, was imprison-
ed, for nearly two years. | could almost see
tho old man slowly pacing over the polished
fioors, coming to meet his jailor, tho man of
destiny and relatively, it seemed at the mo-
meut coutruss OF strength and weakness
But in an adjoining chamber is preserved the
little table on winch his destiny, accomplished,
was s,gncd--his abdication which made tho
vast empire vanish like u dream! Let no one
pass without regarding well this relic-ihc
marks Of the penkniic, which, while no del,b.
Grated, he mnyaticntly and abstl actcdly struck
into ia surface. Tho history left in this, upon
the little table, tells more Of the man than vol
umes Of biography. From all tho material
things turned continually a. walked, day
after day, through tho long halls and silent
chambers, t. the unseen life my imagination
gave birth TO. Queens IT by gone day rustled
IN brt cades past me the brave, rude men
poets and M IT., were around me continually
could see joan Jacques Rousseau, listening in
delight to his own play, badly performed, be.
cause weak royalty smiled upon him. could
500 voltaire sneerIng ut tho royalty that pre-
sumed to smile on HIM. IL spirits no longer Of
this world yet retaining the feelings born in
thor brief career, could control material
thiDgs, these grand old rooms would no longer
be mient--to some, doors would opon and sweet
mnmc greet their entrance to Others, these
doors would shut aud chairs, tables, and even
altar candlcstlckr become means of offence
Who ~ u that says that thoy who have
given themselves up H. wills pursu,ts on earth,
and do bad deeds, will follow the same path,
and, re-enact again and again forever their
EVIL actions9 ! am inclined to believe such
dreams and received from Monsieur e., the
architect, in illustration, tho following nara
ton OF night within the unseen life Of Fon-
tainebleau with decided belief: