Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-03-24

says
"On arriving, Anton was greeted by his sis
ter, Caroline, who had come thus far from
Muoniovara, on her way to visit some relatives
at Altengaard. She was in company with
some Finns who had left Lippajaroi the day
previous, but losing their way in the storm.
had wandered about for twenty-four hours ex-
posed to its full violence. Think of an Amer
lean girl of eighteen sitting in an open pulk,
with the thermometer at Zero a furious wind,
and binding SNOW beating upon her, (she
driving, of cOurse-ED.,) and neither rest nor
food for day! There are few who would sur
vlve twelve hours, yet Caroline was as fresh,
lively, and cheerful as ever, and Immediately
set about cooking our supper
La belle Caroline, we apprehend, would be con-
sidered - some in any country. Speaking of
the Island of Mager0e, the Northern extremi-
ty of which forms the North Cape, he says
'.Here where the scurvy carries off half the
inhabitants.-where pastors coming from
Southern Norway die within a year,-where no
trees grow, no vegetables come to maturity,
and gales from every quarter of the Icy Sea,
beat the last faint life out of Nature, men will
still persist in living, in apparent defiance OF
all natural laws. Yet they have at least an
excuse for it, in the miraculous provision
which Providence has made for their food and
fuel. The sea and fIOrds are alive with fish,
which are not only means of existence, but
OF profit to them, while the wonderful Gulf
Stream, which crosses five thousand miles OF
the Atlantic to die upon this Ultima Thule In
a last struggle with the Polar Sea, casts up the
spOils of tropical forests to feed their fires.
Think of Arctic fishers burning upon their
hearths the palms of Hayti, the mahogany OF
Honduras, and the precious woods OF the
Amazon, and the OrinOco!"
We have only room for one more ofhis gorge
GUS word paintings,-the Midnight SUM-"
at was now IL O'Clock and Svaerholt
glowed in fiery bronze lustre as we rounded it,
the eddies of returning birds cleaning golden
in the nocturnal sun, like drifts of beech leaves
in the October air. Far to the north the sun
lay in bed of saffron light over the clear hori-
zon of the Arctic Ocean. A few bars of daz-
zling orange cloud 1oated above him, and still
higher in the sky. where the saffron melted
through delicate rose-color into blue, hung
light wreaths of vapor, touched with pearly,
opaline flushes of pink. and golden grey. The
sea was a web of pale slate-color, shot through
and through with threads of orange and SAT-
from, from the dance Of myriad shifting and
twinkling ripples. The air was filled and per-
meated with the soft mysterious glow, and
even the very azure of southern sky seemed
to shine through net of golden gauze. The
head-lands of this deeply indented cOast-the
capes of the SAKE and Pors anger fJOrds. and Of
Mager0o-lay around US, in different degrees
of distance, but all with forehead touched with
supernatural glory. Far to the northeast was
Nordkyn, the most northern point of the
mainland OF Europe. cleaning rOsily and faint
in the full beams of the sun, and just as our
watches denoted midnight the North Cape ap-
peared to the westward-a long line of purple
bluff, presenting vertical front of nine hun
bred feet in height to the Polar Sea. Midway
between these two magnificent head-lands
stood the Midnight Sun, shining on us with
subdued fires, and with the gorgeous coloring
of an hour for which we have no name, since
it is neither sunset, nor sunrise, but the blen-
ded loneliness of both,-but shining at the
same moment. in the heat and splendor of noon
day on the Pacific isles. This was the mid
night sun as had dreamed it-as had hoped
to see it.
EUROPEAN AoouAISIASCE BENG SKETCHES OF PEOPLE
IN EUROPE, By J. W. DEFoEEsT. Author OF "orien-
tai Acquaintance" &c. New York: Harper L
Brothers. For sale by W. T. Berry & Co.
This is neat little volume of some two
hundred and seventy-fve pages, plainly but
elegantly bound in "blue and gold"
The author seems to have had no particular
purpose in view in writing his book, neither
any definite aim in visiting the countries of
which he writes. He is quaint and humorous
enough to be very agreeable fellow howev-
err, and now and then gives us reason to sus-
pect him of little talent. Yankee energy,
there is no disguise about it, and he
- owns up to being dear lover of the dolce
far niente. If we could suspect him of any
definite purpose in visiting Europe, we might
possibly suppose that he went thither for his
health, as more than half the book is taken up
with description of life at Grefenberg, I'M
Ter the regime of the great Apostle of Hy-
ter-cure at Divonne. These descriptions are
both interesting and amusing,-his being a
true disciple does not at all prevent his exer
Using his wit upon matters and things as they
appeared before him. You read the whole
volume with half-smile on your face, which
,ver and anon bursts conventional bounds,
ntO hearty and wholesome fit of genuine
aughter When you come to think about it
you scarcely know why you have been pleased
n the perusal of the book, yet such is the eff
ect, and so of course you suppose that ii is
veil written, upon the same principle that
Dr.. Johnson accounted lady well-dresscd,
because he never could tell what she had oni
rhe author seems to have told us nothing
bout the scenery, places, churches, pictures,
tatues, &c, &c, or even the people that tour
sts usually so off into heiroglyphics" about;
till less has he dipped into the geology, bota-
which he writes. Yet he has written a book, |
md very pleasant one too,-genial. social |
nd unpretentious. To all the great subjects
hat other travellers "run down. he seems to |
ay, like the bear when be stepped out of the |
way of the avalanche. Let her slide"
We will take one or two extracts as speci- |
mems of the style. The German is acquired |
With astonishing facility aud Neuville proved |
t. Irvine, the only one of us who had any
revious intimacy with that tongue, went to
he principal Theatre to hear German trag-
dy. Neuville accompanied him. On their
cturn they were in state of equal enthusi-
SIN as to the excellence of the scenery, the
lower of the actors, the ingenuity of the plot,
nd the sublimity of the language.
" Why, good heavens, Neuville," said IT.
vine, what in the world did you uuder- |
tand!''
"Ohr' replied Neuville with infinite gravi- |
y, II heard some fellows saying Aein Goaf' |
Here is an exceedingly esctsnberi1 descrip- |
ion of bathman at Grefenberg:
Melville and had pearl of bathman |
lis whole appearance, and especially his /
mooth shining pate, rocked with an indies
ribabiy cool, dewy expression, which made |
ne think of wet pebbles, dreuched roses. or
eads of lettuce after shower. Ncuville ia
istod that he gained this fresh appearance by |
living on such things celery and water |
rcsses, and by sleeping la one OF the cisterns,
II perhaps down well, like bull-frog. 1t |