Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-10-04

MONTPELIER VT.
tuesday Morning, October 4, 1854
New Books,
FlREslDE TRAVELS By james Russell Lowell.
Boston Ilckuor and Fields. Opp. 324)

public as writer Of poetry much OF II OF
aud he has also written some humorous and sat
iric4 pieces. lie ranks among the scholarly, cul-
tly4ted poets Of the countryi and few more beau
tliul things can be found ia books Of American
poetry than are found in Lowell's verse, lie is,
however, more widely known to the general cad
ils public through his Bigloy Papers" written
yernaculsr, and Of decidedly satirica and po-
.ica character They we're written during The
Mexican war and the Atlantic Monthly has, since
1he present war, contained some further Papers
from the same pen, IN the same style, yet laying
bare with a keen knife he abuses Of the times
Lowell aas not venlured much in prose writing
beyond single volume of prose essays many
,elf. slce occasional contributions to the maga
zines, aud lew lectures He has, however, been
induced 70 give the public now another volume
of his prose writings, Frcslde llavels," being
collection Of most agreeable sketches somef MT
oil Of which have appeared in magazines, the first
one more .hlu leu years since The sketches do
no, proiess to give actual foreign experiences, al
though founded 10 part on observations in Euro
pe-n travel. They are rather imaginative than
reflective Or descriptive, travels Of the mind
fa her than Of the whole man. Yet they are dc.
l.ghta reading full Of fancy and wit, and hamor
With d ifsshne,, vvidnoss and exubennce Of i'm.
agery that betrsy the poet on every page. Our
readers will be delighted With the extracts which
se cannot refrain from giving below;
TIKI Sun AT SEA.
These are all the wonders can recall Of my
i've veeks at .es, except the sun. Were you ever
aonr with the sup You think it very simple
question but never was, in the full sen" oflho
word, 81. 1 waa held up to him one clouds.s day
9u Tie broad bucker OF the ocean. | suppose
one might nave the same feeling il the desert
fsmem I-r getting something like il shen climb
ed alone 90 The top Of mountain, and by hce
uu on the bot gray moss, striving % get = notion
of how al Arab might feel, !, was my American
commentary OF the Koran, and not bad one. 10
New ugand winter, too when everything is
gsgsel with snow, IS if some gigantic physical
geosr4ptsr we're taking cast Of the earth's face
Iu plaster, tie bare knob Of bill will introduce
YOU TO ttr suu as comparative stranger. But
al ssA you may be alone with him day after day,
and almost all day long | never understood be-
fore that nothing short Of full day light can give
the suqremesI sense of solitude. Darkness will
not DO DO, for the Imagination peoples it with more
shapes than ever we're poured from the frozen
lone - the popu.ous North The sun, ,ome
times thick, is LITE grouty at sea, especially at
high noon, feeling that he wastes bis beams on
chose fruitIer burrows. 1t is otherwise with the
moon. She comforts The night as Chapman
finely say, and .lvays found her compiniona-
bic creature
Can anything give clearer idea Of the Roman
OF 10 Jay than this de,crpIionP
ANY one who has remarked how gsndy the
Romans 90 nothing vii. be slow to believe them
an ed-te race. Their style is as the coloIal to
n uther, auJ ihe name o Eternal City hu Rome
also, because time Of no account in il. The
Roman alway, waits as il be could afford amply,
and the slow centuries move quite fast enough for
him Time Is to other races the field Of a task
master, which they must painfully till but to the
Roman it is an entAed estate which be enjoys
md will transmit The Neapolitan's laEnen is
that Of a loafer the Romans ia that OF a noble.
The poor Anglo Saxon mus, count his hours, and
look twice Mt bis small change Of quarters and
minutes but ths Roman spends from a purse Of
Foruuitus. His piceolo qildrto dora is like bis
crosse, huge piece of copper big enough for a
shield, which stands only for a hafdime OF our
money. We poor fools Of time always hurry "
Il We we're the la't type Of man, the full stop
with which Fate was closing the Colophon Of her
toume,-as il we had Just read in our newspaper
as We do OF the banks on holidays ~ The world
will close to-day al twelve O'Clock, an hour earlier
than usual But the Roman is still an Ancient,
With a vast future before him 10 tame and occupy
lie and his OK and his plough are just as they
were IN Nrgis time or Enniuss. We beat him
IN many Ihlngs but in the impregnable iaStneSs
OF bis great rich nature he defies US.
aud how wildly aud truthfulIy, stands forth
she beauty and strength and Democracy Of the
Farm ia this sketch OF
ANEW ENGLAND BARN FLOOR.
awhile we were waiting for the boat, we had
time to investigate p. little. We wandered
about With no one to molest US or make US afraid.
Ne cioerOm was lying in wait for US, no yerger
exptc ed with funeral solemniIy the more than
compulsory shilling Remember the whole pop
uIauon Of Cortona gathering round me, and be-
setchug me not to leave their city ,lll had seen
the lampadcne, whose keeper had unhapplly gone
out to walk, taking the key with him. Thank
Fortune, here were no antiquities, no galleries OF
Pre- kAphaelite art, every lank figure looking as 1t
il had oeen stretched on a rack, before which the
Anglo saxon writhe, because he ought to like
them and csunot for the soul Of him. 1t lsa
pretty little village, cuddled down among the bills,
The clay soil Of which gi,es them, to a pilgrim
from tue parched gravey inland, a look OF almost
hnatoal green. The fields are broad, and wholly
given up to the grazing of cattle and sheep, which
dotted them lhleky in The breezy sunshine. The
open doors OF barn, through which the wind
flowed rustling the loose locks Of the NOV, at
tfacGsd US. Swallows swan in and out Nlth level
Wings or crossed each other, twltterlug 10 the
dusky mouth OF their hay-soenled cavern. Two
or three hen, and a cock (none Of your gawky
Shangbais long legged as French peasant on
hls sults, but the true red cock OF the ballads,
fuii.chesled, ooratoombed, iountaln-laled) we're
mquring for hay seed in the background What
frame IN what gallery ever enclosed such pic
tufu as is squared within the groundsel, sdeposts,
aud Intel OF barn. door, whether for eye or ian-
e,? The shining floor suggests the Hall'beal OF
autumn, that pleasantest Of monoIonous sounds,
and tue later huskiug be, where the lads aud
lasses sit round aughingly busy under the swing
ing autern.
Here we found fine, stslwut fellow shearng
sheep Ihis was something new to Us, and We
watched hun for some time with many questions,
which be answered with od.hind good-nature.
Going away, thanked him for having aagh, me
,oneiBing He laughed, and said III you'll