New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-30
Nswa lork Dailp Gnibm,te
NEW PUBLICA IIONS.

BENEDICTS RUN THROUGH EUROPE.
A RUN THROUGH EUROPE. By ERAsrus C. BENEDICT
limo. PIP. $50. D. Appleton Co.
The looseness with which so many American
travellers who possess nothing but conceit and pre-
tension to establish their claims to authorship,
throw of the crude notices of their rambles in for.
eign lands, has become an intOlerable nuisance.
Every man who has passed few months abroad
asserts the right to bore an innocent public with
a volume, on returning from his finished tour"
and bis fippant egotism lie too often allowed to OBJ
trude itself without challenge in a most important
department of literature. In proportion to the
contempt with which the wishy wasby illusions OF
such writers are bound to be treated, is the vel
come we may accord to a manly and intelligent
record of experiences in Europe, like the excellent
narrative contained in the present volume. 1t il
no less remarkable for its modest and unpretending
tome than for its pervading good sense, the value
and authenticity Of its information, and with some
salient exceptions, which we need not allude to
more particularly, its udcious selection OF topics
AS general rule, the reader is put in possession
of facts, which have certain degree of positive In
terest he is not butfed off with meager details OF
dates and fragments of history; nor wearied with
nane speculations points of taste; nor sickened
with abortve attempts at humor; nor Infatuated by
the stale repetition of literary commonplaces but ne
is furnished with substantial instruction, which Will
be of service to him. should he follow in the steps OF
the author, and in degree supply the place OF
travel should he belong to the small and constantly
dwindling class Of stay.at-homes." Nor b Mr..
Benedict deficient in the talent Of apt description
Some of his sketches have remarkable sharpness OF
outline. Take, for instance, the following picture
of French agricultural life:
WOMAN AND THE DONKEY.
Tn the fields we saw few men, fewer cattle and sheep
and horses We wondered where the men were, bat
we saw many women in the streets, on the ROAD, and
in the fields. Every human female-from mewilng
and pukng infancy TO Gecrepit age-wears cap,
and nothing else, on the head. Women carry most
things on their heads, and they carry everything ana
perform all the most laborious labors OF rural HE In
civilized Bouogne, they carried the heaviest trunks
from the ship TO the Custom House, and again TO the
carriage We saw them working the fields and car
wing home the haryest-breaking stones to macada-
mize the highway-and, along the highway, gstherlg,
with their hands alone into their aprons, the fresh
dropped dung for manure The leader the driver, the
rider the constant companion and eo-worker OF the
universal donkey, is womanand Of course abe shows
he effect of such position in Gfe She is, however,
ssys better and neater dressed than man. and seems
not unhappy or disconnected with her lot She seems
10 be az happy galley slavein bis song, or negro
slave in her dance. But her premature wrinkles aud
gray hair and her ultimate decrepln show that her
more delicate constitution not made for su:h task
Next after her is the universal donkey He is GER
taiply great instituon in Europe. We have an OF
us seen from time to time, respectable ana wseook
ing ass or the lighter and more graceful MULE but tha
p1oteeoue little anna-the universal European donkey
has been perpetual novelty to me; He is but little
larger than goat, and is about as shaggy. Ills ears
are abou az long his legs, and he usually carries
lnri endurance
meekne &C., and strength, seem TO be without limit.
A donkey, costing in London or on the Continent
from ten 10 fifteen dollars, and cart about as much
more is complete o1tnt iot c dpnIar h;O'
sef with sort of pack-ssddle 10 competent 70 any
thing They cover HIM up with SACKS many umes ms
buk-tbey put toerabe load OF wood on each SIDE OF
him. with strap across the sadaietney cover nun s
mn Will fapots and bundles Of hay and straw, ana
he skets of enormous SIZE filled with stone or IRON, OF
nroduce Often You will roe the little animal, uotung
along, with six seven ten-orhfeen' gson kegs o.
beer for load three Kegs on each sioe anu Que on ~
bsck M chat bis load reaches on each side 70 within
ahout foot of the ground. You zee load OF nay
coming toward You, apparently moving by its own
will and not till il quite near are you aoie 10 as
cover near the ground, signs OF donkey penea'i ~,
baking for al the world like mouse under Dundie
os oak1m AID the peasant girl going TO market, puts
her two large baskets on her little gray donkeyIone
on each side, resting on straps across the sauae
clothes herself in the picturesque dfess OF her anu
seats herself the saddle using one Dashot io' ~,
foo.,ssa and with her knitting in her hands, trots
cleerilY on her broad-brimmed c'ne,erowned hatloI
Of France they wear hatsana h.r Ns bsr
progress a.d the ribbons Hutterng in the gentle breeze
That blows her hair about her tawby neck.
Ard the ieaus for drawing carts ana wagons on ane
great highways for the transportation OF meseianae
or produce were great novelty 10 us although douo
Lss they have come do wu unchanged from the greatest
antiquity. Yop will ace three or four donkeys tao-
DIN, two or three abreast or horse, COW, and
QQnkfR fkldtn. Three hLIfakt, uuu huVlueJ