Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-02-11
EEsON, EUROPE.
Notes of Foreign Travel, by Cisi-
zen Of fIneiepcndcncc.

FLORENCE, I,aly, Dec. 2lth, 1860.
Dear Mrs.. o. AID Mrs.. U--:-
A while ago | came back from my din
ner, and sitting down in my room before a
wood fire i'll an open CRATE, as l often sat
Mt Mrs. -'s, have been letting my
fancics carry me back to pleasant times
that only few short months ago | was
having with you all. And | could hardly
wake up to a realization chat here | am on
the banks of the Arno, II city founded
400 years before the birth of Christ, in
the birth place OF Dante, and Michael An
gelo, and Macchiayelli, and Galileo,-whose
tombs but yesterday gazcd upon in the
old church of Santa Croce,- a city whose
art history, imperfectly as | knew it, always
seemed to give it halo and a charm. And
it is still more difficult to realize that III the
six months since | left Iowa | have been
over so much of a world 50 longed to sec
but hardly dared to hope to visit. Recall
ing the hearty good-byes with which you
sen, me forth, the sound of them seems but
n little ay off. But gauging the time by
what have seen, how immcaSurably long
has it been! While the way has not al
ways been smooth and Aowery, and while
the enthusiasm of fancy has not accom-
panied me into the region Of the actual,
and have found myself treading ground
and viewing scenes that at a distance and
in expectation, had seemed calculated to
fill me with delight, with no bounding OF
pulses, aud in the most practical, unimpas-
stoned, critical, rrosy sort of mood, still l
have had in it all keen sense Of enjoy
ment, and been greatly thankful for my op-
por,uni,ies. | have, to be sure, only skim
med over the surface. almost could say that
/ have ricoche,tcd, like a stone thrown
against current, from place to place, with
no time 10 examine, to study, or to question
and so have seen and learned but imperfect
ly, yet should l live to get back TO America
again, ! shall feel that neither time nor
money was wasted, and that | better under
stand the countries and natioaalilies whose
expatriated citizens make up SO large
share of our own people. Whether | shall
90 back more of "a Cosmopolitan than ]
came, do MT know. | hope l am not so
much prejudieed in favor of my own coun-
try as TO refuse to recognize what L lind
good here. But always full Of faith in
government of the people, and fully mbu-
ed with the idea that in resources we were
superior, in taste and culture quite equal,
iu every ulii,arian element far ahead OF
any other nation, have thus far seen no
reason to change my views. l shall go
back more of an American than | came. If
that were possible, knowing now as iorm-
ery believed, that no people have 50 true
manhood, none so innate q courtesy, ii
finer polish, none whose social life is so
pure and 50 i'll conformity with the truest
standard, none who are 50 generally 5iest
with mere sensual comforts aud luNuries.
But ought to give you some account OF
my journeyings since wrote you last, and
vet am discouraged from attempting it by
feeling how vast is the field to be traversed,
and how little idea you can obtain from
such description as | can give, OF what
have seen TO interest me. In the little time
have to write you | can only outline, In
the briefcst manner possible, the main points
have visited.
We waited some time at Gibraltar for
favoring breeze to take US up the Medltera-
mean, and finally determined to make the at
tempt of beating up against the head wind
which had been blowing for weeks. SO
having stayed as long as we cared to at hat
EugIsh stronghold, we pulled up anchor
one fine morning in October, the lGth.)
and driited slowly out Of the harbor. We
had no sooner reached the mouth of the
harbor, than the long wished for breeze
from the west came, and sent US bowling
along upon our course. 1T seemed a most
propitous omen, and my friend DR.. Peck,
the Captain and myself sat in the cab
in and watched the reireating walls of the
wonderful Rock, and the African shores on
the other side of the Straits, bathed in a
flood of warm sunlight, with a keen sense
of enjoyment, and drank "bon voyage to
each other in bumpers of rich wine. But
we were taught the ol-repeated lesson that
only that sis well that ends well" and not
to count upon the end from the beginning.
For two or three days we bowed along up
the coast of Spain most charmingly but
getting up in the region Of the Mistral, or
north wind, that comes down between the
Pyrenees and the Alps, and blows out over
the Gulf of Lyons and across the Mediter
anean, spreading itself ont in all directions,
and exhibiting every anomaly Of current, as
well as marvellous power, we wcce blown
off to the southwark, and for eight or nine
days were subjected to the strongest gales
and heaviest seas of the voyage. We were
forced down along the coasts of the Islands
of Ivisa, Majorca and Minorca, and lost
several of our sails, and had q II ost un-
comfortable sort OF time generally. How
ever, we crawled slowly up along the coasts
of Sardinia and Corsica, and on the after
noon of the eleventh day saw the snowy
summits of the Maritime Alps, and the
next day ran into the port of Villairanea,
about three miles from Nice-the port OF
the latter place not having sufficient water
to admit our vessel. The Maritime Alps.
which trend alorg the whole coast of the
Mediterranean from Toulon to Genoa, seem
to be a vast barrier against which the cold
winds of the north break and are hurled
back or sucked out along their northern ba-
scs east and west. This, with the modify
ing influences of the Mediterranean, gives to
this whole line Of coast a most mild, genial
winter climate, and makes it the fayorite
winter resort for invaids as well as for
much of the wealth and fashion of Europe.
The whole coast line is thckly strewn with
beautiful cities and towns, and Nice is the
most frequented, and is said to be the most
favored of all. While we were there, in
parts Of October and November more
i.,.;c I srct or more delirhtcul cl;mxta