Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-10
Correspondence of the Herald.l
lettings of European Travel.


Etditor Rutland Herald Il feel some
what ashamed Of my apparent neglect
of your claims, but my apology is that
l have been so continually on the wing
that have either been too weary or
pushed for time to redeem my promise
to burden your columns with the out
lines of my continental wanderings; but
here in this quiet, quaint, and beautiful
of travel and the satiation of sightseeing,
and will improve the opportunity afford
ed to send few notes of places and OBJ
jects which have more especial interest
to the traveller and reader.
Immediately after mailing my last
communication, May 80 left the city
of silks and sedition Dyons, France
and for distance of 219 miles, Travelled
through land, literally flowing with
oil and wine; so that l no longer Won
der that the French people have so soon
recovered from the disastr cOnse-
quences of the recent war. The soil of
SOUTHERN L IdIlCC - CNlOCubiy NCiJ i'm.
favoring the cultivation of a great va
riety of fruits, cereals, and vegetables;
and the season is very early indeed, for
as we passed along the line, ripe straw
berries and cherries were offered for
sale, the grass crop was cutting and the
grain crop was nearly ripe, and in some
localities already garnered. We arrived
at Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast,
$50 miles south of Paris, at o'clock
p. M, and very soon | was conducted
to my quarters at the Hotel Louvre,
one of the finest and best ho-
tells on the continent; the rooms are
sumptuously furnished, the grand dining
hall one great mass of heavy gilt stuc-
co, fresco, and green velvet, and the
table dhOte the very best. l can speak
in unmeasured terms of praise of this es-
tablishment, for, had 1 been minister
of state, could not ask or wish for
more consideration and attendance.
Marseilles is an old and commodious
seaport of the Mediterranean, and its
harbor shelters the ships of all nations.
The city and environs have much to at
tract and invite the stay of the tourist,
the geological gardens and fountains
being exceedingly fine; but my time was
brief, my survey rapid, and curiosity
gratified in time to take the afternoon
train for Nice, which city reached at
eight o'clock p. M, and there | spent
Whit Sunday, June 1st. Nice is beau
tiful city, finely located on the sea coast,
having a fine beach, a most salubrious
climate, tropical trees, fruits and flow
ers, and is the winter resort of thousands
of invalds this place is made sacred to
many of your readers as the place from
which the good and beautiful Mrs. John
B. Page departed on her last and tri-
umphal journey from earth to heaven.
/ left Nice, June I'd, and travelled
along the Mediterranean coast to Genoa,
Italy; the railway the whole distance
closely verging on the water line, and
winding through thousands of acres of
wineries, olive, fig, lemon, and orange
groves. 1t is the common custom to
plant the olive tree, grape vine, and SOW
the grain in alternate strips, so that the
whole country, even to the tops of the
high hills, seems like patchwork of
light and dark green ribbon. The seen
cry is extremely beautiful and pictur-
esque, but the homes of the peasantry
seem gloomy and cherries. It's, more
over, sad sight to see so many sun
Drowned women working in the hot
fields with suck. cumbrous implements;
but it is a common thing for even young
women to do the hardest and most un-
becoming kind of labor, such as digging,
hoeing, drawing carts, carrying manure
on their heads, and washing clothes on
the banks of the streams. -..
The effect of all this is the utter de-
struction of the beauty and symmetryof
face and form for were it not for their
raiment these downtrodden women
could scarcely be distinguished from the
grosser men who are their field compan-
ions.
We arrived in Genoa at five o'clock in
the afternoon, and found our quarters
at the Hotel de La Vile, very good
house, constructed of Italian marble,
having marble staircase, marble pillars
and marble floors, but very gloomy
entrance under deep frowning portico.
Genoa forms an ampitheatre, being built
on the steep slopes of the Apennine
Mountains. The city is very rich in
marble palaces, many of which represent
royal families, and are filled with treas
Ures open to the inspection of the pub
lie, and of great interest to the tourist.
From the Notifications and heights
which form the background of the city,
4 magnificent view of the harbors and
Hnlf of Genna fills the eve of the be- |