Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-04-02
LETTER FROM REV. MIR. ALCoTT.


sketch of my journey thus far. Being
obliged to join particular party for
Egypt and Palestine, was obliged to
push on quite rapidly to Alexandra,
leaving till my return a more leisurely
visit to some parts of Europe. This will
account for the brevity with which
discuss countries and cities.
Reaching Liverpool early Jan. l3, be-
fore dark had passed diagonally across
England to London, in constant delight
at the perfect and universal cultivation
l5manifest even in mid-winter. Faultless-
ly ploughed fields, gardens, farm-houses,
villages, cities set in green expanses of
grass and grain, stretching away to the
horizon-this was the picture. Beautiful
England! No wonder her people are
proud. After two days in the fog and
rain of the great metropolis, | crossed
the channel to bright, gay Paris. The
morning of the 18th found our train
pushing up among the Alps, till the
snow crept down from the SUBMITS and
lay along our track. Shooting through
the bowels of Mt. Gents, we plunged
down into the plains of Lombardy.
The next day we passed from Turin
down the rich valley of the Po, and then
across the Apprentices, through mile af-
ter mile Of tunnels, to Florence, the
home of Calico. Angelo, Dante, the
Medici. Twenty-four hours here crowd
ed my brain with. pass-~.ies OF world
ramed works of art, historic walls, his
toric ground and farewell view from
San Miniato of the fair city, Nesting
amidst green hills and tropical verdure,
and glorifed by the mellow light of an
Italian sunset. All this cost us chilly
night upon the cars. But the gray morn
ing came and found me riding in COM
mon omnibus, past venerable ruins and
! modern structures, with the words of
boyhood ringing again in my brain
"And the -Roruc =: Half a week here
gave some idea of what there is to study,
admire and deplore in the capital of It.
ally.
January 25th we spent in Naples and
Pompeii. The next forenoon we recross-
ed the Apprentices and rode along the
Adriatic towards Brindisl, port on the
backside of the "heel' Of Italy. The af-
ternoon's ride of 100 miles and more
was very delightful, through what may
be described as one vast orchard of sha.
L. = 81. -t~.ea'-r-- ees-as-o-,- -Aa-thn
right, bounded by the blue sea on the
left, and interrupted frequently by thrift
ty cities of white limestone and orchards
of leaAess fig trees. and leafy English
walnuts, lemons and oranges, the latter
hung with fruit. The ground is kept IN
smooth sod under the olives but under
the other trees it was usually already
prepared with the spade for planting.
The railway banks were jewelled with
marigolds, daisies and anemones. South
eastern Italy impressed me as far more
progressive than Western.
At midnight we sailed from Brindisi
for the city and Island of Corfu, arriv.
ing there the following afternoon in time
to ride to the One Gun Battery before
dark, through groves of orange trees
loaded with the finest fruit we have seen
and fragrant with new flowers. AS Cor
fu is less known to Ame ricans than 9th
er places, l give to it more space. Forty
by twenty miles in greatest extent, i
contains a population of $4,000. The ci
ty is upon promontory of the eastern
shore, contains population of perhaps
10000, and is the chief town of tn
Ionian Islands, which some years sine
were handed over to Greece by England
in generous hour. Truth compels m
to add that these islands were costin
their protector yearly far more than the
repaid.
At Corfu we spent the Sabbath, al
tending the worship of the Greek churc
and English church in the forenoon, br
not much edited by either. Toward
. evening l took stroll through the pls
: "a, crowded with people listening to
military band. Here first saw the a,
: tual oriental, in turban and baggy trol
. sers. The garb of the Albanian peasan
from the shores just east, was most r
. markable. Ch, for female skill to d
r scribe the wonderful skirt of white clot
reaching to the knees. one solid mass
plaits, and such volume of them tn
l. no hoops were needed | wanted to j
/ quire the number of yards of cloth
Il
s. one of these remarkable garments. al
d how much it cost to have them wash
d and ironed. Woolen stockings, and she
t turning up at the points, a cloak
y sheep-skin. with the wool inside, b
E. forming fringe at the edges. and
p fez commonly worn by all classes, co
rs pletes the picture, to which must oft
ne be added sash and a few weapons
y, the waist Fierce-looking fellows tt
Id were, in spite of their skirts and wi
er two of us encountered a group of tn
ne in narrow alley, Saturday evening,
ey were glad to get out of their sight
ne ooathad Among the neonle were ms