New-York tribune., 1867-05-03
RANDOM LETTERS. . NO. 1.

and fresh and racy life is any private correspondence
70 that which is specially written for publication In
The latter case one always has sense Of invisible
syes peerug over his shoulder and his thoags take,
unconsciously, a more conventional form. Every
correspondent, imagine, feels this restriction and
the dashug, rollicking air which some writers
assume in spirit of resistance, threatens to desen
srate into q different convontionality. The true
mddle-ground has been discovered By few IuchS
individuals FIVE all know our friend OF tho Easy
Chair "l but their success alas! Is not lu"t'oA ~
imitation How shall hope, marching over grOuu'
which hes been beaten dry and hard by thousands u
feet 10 escape falling into decorons dulineSs, 0 wv
ono hand or tinkling tTivialty on the othcr
ONLY bv remembering that IN the lapse OI 20 yeiS'
son1e feeling of personal acquaintance HuSC nave
6eon established between us that through the IN
.vitabIy assumed mask, some natural glimpse of
taste. moods and habits must have escaped and
that in consequence, lite Of the same freedom
which we socially grant to our friends may be ex-
tended by you to me. 1t would be better, perhaps
If could select one individual from the numerous
audience, and speak through him to almost lee
turers have learned this habt-but prefer taking
for granted that each man and woman IN the many
country households in which THE IRIBUNEls ameh-
ber will consider the letters which propose writing
from Europe as addressed to himself or herself Let
me- for once, claim the right OF an old traveller and
~-NA4~
notes wherever thy may come.
have said that these roads OF travel are hard and
dry: but remember that this is only true in GER
tain descriptive sense. no tlenc has really been eS
hausted or ever will BE- Italy, the most bewntten OF
all lands. re-dawns upon rs III dcwy freshness ana
beauty in Lowolrs Fircside Travels and Howeils
Venetian Life" Moreover one las but to step aside
from the highways, anywhere, to discover nooAs Oh
Iifewhich the opera gasses OF tie conventional TOUR
LIST never reveal. l have done my share-and more
than that fear-of mere external description ana
frankly confess that it las become impossible Tor mo
20 walk again in the same tracks. In travel the
oarts of the pupil and teacher are iltcatey blended
and one instructs in proportion lie learns. must
Oecessarily, therefore, make you partners IN Just
those new phases OF knowledge or experience winch
may open TO me, or which, already often repeated
gain new character from the studies which inter
vened
Limiting myself TO 10 particular field, propose to
write for the most part, about matters SO common
end realistic that they are frequently overlooked
features Of domestic ilc OF travel and pEbhc inter-
course Of agriculture OF local cEalacter and haDlts
and even of individual pcculaIi ie where they offer
anything picturesque or typical oi.thc people IN
regard TO scenery, art, anu architecture, shall say
ms lite as possible. Nor shall be always careful to
preserve connection between my communications
Therst object of this journey is rest, aud the change
which several years of hard work Justify, and do
not therefore feel conscienouay bound to report all
nv movements or TO write merely for the sake OF
filling up gap between two Independent sketches
A man cannot always judge whether what lie says IS
worth saying; but it is safe rule to spea. only when
one feels an agreeable Impulse tncIetO.
Suffer me- then, to lie irregular, dcsultory, fIag-
mentary-writiDg when, how and whereupon the
spirit Notwithstanding. rerajventure. into Flem-
e iuArO vpip Of
peasants than to princes, and moving aside from tho
ministers of the Middle Ages to the potatoeld5 Of
tho present day. In worC, let tie forns OF mutual
respectfulness between rs be dropped, and the pen
move as freely as doth the tongue when ono Is IN
stalled in cosy seat by tlo iiTeside. There are
those who demand q certain d. nIty and poprety in
everything which tEey oondcscend to read; bat
they can easily find those articles elsewhere, IT. in
their opinion DO not furnish suliciency thereof
This being the year Of reversed emigration, there
are several thousands Of persons who are interested
IN two subjects-Grst in getting away from home
N and. secondly in reaching Europe When left
D nearly Ave weeks ago. I was informed that every
place In every steamer from Nay to August had
already been taken and can, therefore, guess that
Ey:own experience viii be many times repeated.
Itis unfortunate that au Americans departure
from or arrival in Lis native land is generally aso-
s,iatcd with swindlo If hereby seem TO give too
rause the thing am going to mention is typieal-not
an isolated fact but the repetition OF thousand fold
recurring experience. have already said in lectures,
and I'm letters that we Americans submit 10 imp0-
Eitioh with more meckncss tLan amy civilized peo-
,ple in the world; and this is the secret Of many a
grant abuses which grow and thrive among US With
amazing vitality.
on the morning OF the ctl ut, I engaged ithrongh
the clerk of tire Metropolitan Hotcl carriage to
convey my family and baggage TO the pier Of the
North German LloyGs Company in Hob0ken. The
price stated by tie clerk and also agreed upon By
the agent OF the carriage department, Was s.. III
rluding tho ferry toll-Quite sufficient one would
Imagine for q service of an hOur and a hah. tln
Europe if would be 81, at mostl When we reached
the ferry, was obliged to pay the toll the driver
Insisting that he had money. At the pier, after
the trunks had been unoaded, and NY family were
OIL beard the steamer rendered the stipulated Sc.
With an oath and abusive ersthet the driver Ge-
Inanded SSl OF course, refused He thcreUpon
lhrev the money uFOn the ground, seized a small
trunk and swore that he would keep It. / forced
the brunk from him, and called for policeman.
Df course none was present, aud the people around
looked upon the outrage with sublime Indifference
In the mean time oaths, threats, and names which
any New OrkeI can easily imagine for himself were
showered upon me.
In q few minutes one OF the pier-watchmen Tan
honest GeTmanD came to my assistance Through his
lnstrumentality policeman sent for, but the
pnlys result was that my trunk was secured from
Iorcible robbery. The driver still swore threatened
and refused to take tile money, which thcreupon
put into the poceman's hands, and left The latter
presently followed me on board, and insisted that
should go before magistrate and make sworn
declaration of the facts not-as presently saw
for the uurnose of having the driver Unisled. but