The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-06-15
For the National Era.
BELL SMITH ABROAD.
No. XIX,
ave ~Ah~As
FONTAINEBLEAU.

DEAR FRIEND: The delicious spring weather
tempted US ont, and, with a merry PAL ty, made
up of DR.. Bob and friend, Lucy, Mr.. H., and
myself, we set off PER railroad for Fontainc-
bleau. All what words can put On paper the
exhilaration the warm, sunny breathings of
the green earth gave us, as we few along the
banks Of the Seine, and over the hazy-tinted
level Of the country about Paris-tAe modern
Athens with it's crowded streets where tower
ing houses shut in the foul, foggy air, where a
winter unusually severe had shivered, weary
days and rights had educated us to a yeoper
enjoyment OF the budding spring AZ the
sunny past came up--came up the spescliDg
wine-cups, golden fruit, cong, and dance, The
railroad, with its quick, iron ring, seemed Send
ing US from the hard, suffering presenN into
tie joyous land of romance. To such ,hjoy-
ment ono must have a preface, ard ming had
been days and months of anxiety, cary and
physical suffering The absencs of the@e -suf
feed to make one content: but kind tnll eeart-
ed nature soothed me like tirad child Yet
more--the country looked upon had Gary
features in common with the Mac-a Aheek
plains where surly winter yet Ringers, al my
mind took up the saddest and merriess ays of
life, to blend them in the present. la lghed,
| cried, clapped ny hands like a CIR ; and
the good hearts with me took up the seling,
and we sang Home, sweet sweet home in q
style beyond the reach of Jenny Lind.
Arriving in FoD5ainebleau, We scorned Ike
true originals, the fashionable hotel, AID put
up at snowy, quiet little inn, with brick floors
and crooked stairs, all favored considerably Of
the days of old. My huge room, with lit4o bed
in one corner, with queer, Gntiquated fuTlisuie,
lad a balcony under the window; andTwhiie
sitting on this, he'd | seen Don Qaixotc and
Ssncho Penza, mounted on Remnants and
Dapple, ride down the narrow, silent ST 5eet,
should not have been at ali surprised The
framework of that golden picture is ye' there,
TO keep in countenance the percentages, Sbould
they again appear.
One day was too much ike the othe for q
record You know how despiac accG ants Of
inanimete things and, for further par! lculsrs
of castle and contents | must refer yor TO tho
proper work, to be had on the ground, and
which commences in this true Niagara gside-
book style: ooh you who, to discover and
admire the capricious marvels of the world,
traverse the earth and brave the seas, cor4e to
Fontainebleau" The feet ia, we acted moro
like children turned iocse from school, han
peonle who had "trayerscd the earth and
brgyed the seasn to come to Fontaiueb.eau
We wandered through the woods, having been
long enough from the forests of our native
We rowed to and fro upon tie lopg canal; we
invaded the sanctuary Of the swans, upon the
island in the centre Of their lake, where Napo-
leon retired 10 consult upon the somewhat Sc
riCus proposal OF resi- gnat;oT,; VIC sang" Hail
Columbia " and the = Star-spangled Banner I"
we lunched in the magnificent Sale dcD
Gardes: u recited ia the little theatre built for
Madame de Ia Pompadour and at last SAL DR..
Bob upon the throne in the grand throne room,
and went through a mock presentation with
more fun than dignity. Indeed the mock SOW
ereign, with d csp turned up in front for a
crown, and with o1r trains improvised from
shawls, cloaks, and table covers, were too III
diculous for dignity. 1t is to be hoped the mat
ter is better done when played on grander
scale bat, to tell you the truth, fell over my
train, while Lucy and Miss E. fairly wheeled
round shocking etiquette by so msrehiAg out
No one must suppose for moment that this
is the ordinary style Of seeing Fontainsbleau
By no manner of means. We are fortuaate in
being the friends MIR. K the architeSt now
engaged in building fer Louis Napoleon q
theatre, On more extensive scale THAI that CT
the little one constructed for Madar . de IL
Pompadour, end with which NAPOLEON and
Josephine we're so delighted. Oar frieNd kind
ly gave us tee keys, and Unlimited Seedom
and we treated Fcntainebleau in vel fanil-
lar, easy manner. d., who came for ui> q week
after, and was admitted on the day lpfopri-
ated to the public, says he was taken through
at the rate Of "sixty miles an hour" sud aet
ually made sea-sck in a winding stairway.
| expect you viii be provoked with me, for
the huniredUh tiIae, for not giving you some
solid information on what have ssen and
heard But tax my memory in vai1--i can
recollect nothing | felt impressed by, save the
long suite of gorgeous apartments in which
his Holiness, the Pope Pins VII, was imprison-
ed for nearly two years. | could almost see
the old man slowly pacing over the polished
floors, coming to meet his jailor, the man of
destiny; and, relatively, it seemed at the mo-
ment contrast of strength and weakness.
But in an adjoining chamber is preserved the
little table on which his destiny, accomplished,
was signed-his sbdication, which DAde the
vast empire vanish like dream LEI no one
pass without regarding we'll this r6sie-the
marks of the penknite, which, while delb-
Grated, he impatiently and distracted ssruck
into its surface. The history lief. in dis, upon
the little table, telis more of tho man than vol
umes Of biography. From ell the Laaterial
things, turned continually, as walked, day
after day, through the long halls snd silent
chambers, to the unseen life my imagination
gave birth to. Queens of by gone day rustled
IA brccades past me; the brave, rude men
poets and artists, were around me continually.