, 1873-06-08
C'OURlERS. ; |.
Revelations by an italian
Member Of the Broth
erhood. = ~
Extraordinary Charges Against
! Americans at Rome.
The Courier in London.
From Our O,1n Correspondent.

The Courier in London.
From Our 0,1n Correspondent.
LONDON. May II, 1873.
"a discussion has sprung up in the papers q
70 the merits Of couriers, some vowing the
are all rogues together, and others that the
prevent more roguery than they commit. Twen
y years ago, when travelling was costly, ever
family with means employed q courier, and no
unfrequently that parsonage became conAdan
aud q friend. There are still three Courie1f
Clubs in London, to which intending travellers
including Americans, often address themselves
These arc the Italian Club, Golden Square; tn,
German Club, in Bury street; and the Unitet
Swiss Club, in Mount street. The couriers at
taohed to these clubs are men who have &c
quired large experience through many years
travelling, and they are ready for any cline
English and Americans who travel in winte,
move towards Italy, Spain, and the East, Rome
is cosmopolitan city until the end Of Carnival,
md tourists, after seeing Naples return to the
holy City to witness the displays which arc Of
fered to the world during Easter-week. When
the heat Of summer begins there is a movement
toward Northern Italy; and Later on the current
turns to Switzerland, France Austria, Germany,
Denmark, Sweden, Holland, and even to the
heart Of Ruase- These pilg1images, now June
is so near, will soon commence, and it is ques-
ton Of moment as to whether the toll Of these
hurried voyages is 1essened or not by engaging
couriers to pcecede you Without staying to
solve the question, I want to put you in posses-
sion Of
THE CRITICISMS OF COURIER.
/ have received copy Of the Memoirs Of q
Courier" just published at Florence, and find
in it such extraordinary allegations that think
it pity to keep the sensation to myself The
courier, one Angelo Togna, mourns the happy
times when grand 6eigneurs sowed gold With
splendid hand. The nAbobs OF to-day, he says,
spend little "quarrel for farthing with the
hote{-keeper; order breakfast OF dinner for two;
and sit down, four in number, to eat it !; 20 to
table dhote by turns as kind OF honorable
representation, while the others can be met with
in third-class tayarns, where they procure bread
and yictuals, which they afterwards hide in the
drawers, to soil everything, and which they
est on the sly when they think that the host or
visitors are looking an other Way" Horror OF
horrors in the courler's esteem, they buy their
When they 1each Rome. they get rid Of their
COURIER and place themselves in the hands Of
resident fe1loW-countrymen or countzywornen.
Our courier grows frantic at this point and
rents bis fury upon the clergyman'e wife and
the doctors wife, whom he regards as the aource
OF the mischief. He calls them Intriguing ILL
busters," and proceeds to sketch them in this
fashion, may observe, parenthetically, that
be !. =, assumes they IA are mostly Americans:
the trsdss-people, and snd do - not f31ss pay them; n
make dead set at their fellow-count1 ymen in
order to swindle them in all possible ways; and
when rich fellow-countrrman, aware, perhaps
OF their true character. refuses to receive them,
fYy-y ia a3 fr,p md Whort
they hear Of the arrival OF rich compatriot in
BONE, they do their best to be presented to him.
They are slways on his footsteps. They try to
meet him at the bankers, in the Piazza di
had come to draw millions, not having sou IN
THAR pockets. Themedical man runs from house
to house, and from hotel to hotel. He is the
ff s %. Of a.. hi n soopx sx and he eeRan f t1s s
title OF saVants priests, sculptors, painters. or
literary men Or women, these fussy busybodies
introduce themselves into the hotels, and in
trude On ali the newly y-arrived familios, boasting
pf thals Own fame and renoWn."
-. AMERICAN scuLPToRs IN ROME,
with some great exceptions, are declared to be
hunbugB.. visitor is ushered into their
studio, in the. centre Of which is stool. This
commence model that ID certain never to be
finished, because they do not know how to do it. |
They are Obliged to recnr to an italian artist,
rho works for them in the dark. But the chef
H. |
and rs such ia exempted from importahon-du-
ties. "The sole fact, " he Indignantly adds, "of
the presence OF an American sub
|ect, who walks up and down before j,
smoking Havana cigars, taking up now and then
The chi6el or hammer, or dirtying his fingers {
Fith clay in order to look artistica1, when Wis
tors walk in, ought not to be sufficient to give c
t an American origin and the right to profit by | =
exemption from importation-duties" =
Americans arriving in Rome "know about as
much about art, Eays this rude courier, as a
10 about missals: They open their eyes is wide y
ounted to them, SO they are often led to be- b
leve that they have fallen in with genius, m 8
rlst worthy of Riviera o. Strut, who are I
ndeed worthy Of great praise. Il the Il
oreigner is an amateur OF paintings, he il
which ought to be the first aud LAST for the K
eneht OF art-of the celebrated painter. What Il
oes he fnd7 A cronte Of the worst descrip- d
on, scarcely worthy to serve rs ensign to q o.
obacconist's chop. Poor canvas, condemned to
Apply brushes! What profanationf Neverthe- ST
'ss, do you know what happens7 BY dint Of
faggerated praise and incense, the visitor NJ
gradually led to believe that the Spanish th
eiiow' he sees IN corner Of the canvas OF
'auy represents q sky; he takes for trees 80
layer Of spinach in the background, lit
40 for men certain horrible figures that would BY
axe the Creator blush for His handwork. De- ri,
~ t ~ ..1s' tus s1a11or Ii nuuced TO Guy the an
aster-ptece, !. and Pays much higher price for oy
iGan ne Would give for really good works Of vii
Eahan artists defy such celebrated artists IS IN
ogels, a. Cardwel, II. B. Rinehart, ". Wood. on
the best osss artists Of whom England
nei1ca can ooaFs,-to Say that am in the lea
lother justly-ronowned artist-was still alive ~,
would indorse my statements" '>'A'o' ~ -
Taking breath for moment after this extr,o,. ~,
nary blow, Task the reader to accompany the COZ
w.
LONDON, mn,
city from which write, to see il he can tell til,
anything new about that. To me-, great ten
al that be says is new. I rub my eyes. Thus !.
esd that the sun is never seen, and yet it has ths
ao aainlng brightly all this week. l am told erI
r+ Ill l..