0 L D SIGHTS W IT H N E W E YES. BY A Y AN KEE. W IT H A N IN T R O D U C T I O N BY ROBERT BAIRD, D.D. NEW YORK : M. W. D. O D D, P U B L IS H E R, BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, OPPOSITE THE CITY HALL. 1854. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by M. W. D O D D, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. R. CRAIGHEAD, Printer, 53 Vesey Street. INTRODUCTION. THIS interesting volume is from the pen of a young New England Clergyman, whose modesty constrains him to send it forth into the world without the author's name. Whether he has acted wisely or unwisely in so doing, is a question about which opinions may be divided. - To those who desire to read well written and appropriate notices of the places of chief interest in “Old Europe,” this volume may be recom mended without reserve. The style is pure and beautiful, and the descriptions of places and things are exact, concise, and highly interest ing. It is manifest that the work is the production of a well cultivated. and superior mind. It is altogether the most readable and instructive, book of travels, embracing the same field, which the subscriber has seen for a long time. None but the most important places and objects: are made to occupy the attention of the reader; and these are always spoken of in the fewest words possible, so that the interest is well sustained from the beginning to the end of the volume. The discrimination with which the author treats of the various objeets of art which he saw, displays no ordinary cultivation of judg ment and taste. In this respect, the book before us reminds one of “Mathews' Diary of an Invalid,” a book of surpassing interest, even yet, on the best works of art to be seen in Italy. viii I N T R O D U CT I O N . Familiar as he is with every step of the tour which the author made, from the time he reached the old world until he quit it, the subscriber may claim some degree of competency to speak of the merits of this book. What opinion he entertains respecting it, the reader, after perusing the preceding paragraphs, can be at no loss to divine. And we hardly need say that we take great pleasure in being made the medium of introducing it to the reading public of this country. Most unhesitatingly and confidently can we recommend it to all those who desire to acquire clear and correct opinions in respect to the prominent objects of interest in the chief cities of the most civilized countries of the old world. None can read it without pleasure and profit. R. BAIRD. New York, November 5th, 1853. C O N T E N T S. - Page CHAPTER 1. The Voyage . - • * * * * * * 13 CHAPTER II. Liverpool º 20 CHAPTER III. The Tower of London - - - e º e - - 26 CHAPTER IV. The British Museum , • e • • - • • º 32 UHAPTER V, Westminster Abbey . 40 chAPTER v1. St. Paul's Cathedral . e º º - e • e 49 CHAPTER VII. A Ride through London . 60 CHAPTER WIII. ' London to Paris. e º - º e t - º - 73 CHAPTER IX, Paris . e - e e º º • e e e 80 C O N T E N T S. Page Ch.APTER X. S8 Paris and Versailles . - • CHAPTER xI. Paris to Lyons . 99 Ch.APTER xli. * - 107 Lyons. - - - CHAPTER xIII. Lyons to Avignon and Nismes . 114 CHAPTÉR XIV. Nismes and Arles to Marseilles . * * - 122 CHAPTER xv. Marseilles to Nice * * - - * 130 CHAPTER xVI. Nice to Genoa . - - e e e • 137 CHAPTER xvii. Genova la Superba - - • s • 144 CHAPTER xvii.I. Genoa to Leghorn, Pisa, Civita Vecchia, and Naples 150 CHAPTER xix. Naples • - - * * • • * 158 CHAPTER xx, Maples to Rome—The Coliseum by Moonlight . 167 CHAPTER XXI. The Basilica of St. Peter's . - e - - - 172 CHAPTER XXII. The Pope's Palace of the Vatican 183 CHAPTER xxIII. The Palaces of Rome. e - 193 C O N T E N T S . xi Page CHAPTER XXIV, Basilicas and Churches of Rome - º - - 197 CHAPTER XXV. The Pantheon . • • º • e e e e CHAPTER XXVI. The Roman Forum . - - • 212 CHAPTER XXVII, Rome to Florence . e a * e a * a 219 CHAPTER xxviri. Florence—Its Palaces, Galleries, and Churches . 229 CHAPTER xxix. Florence to Bologna . • e - e. e. e. e. 245 ChapTER XXX. * Bologna, Ferrara, and Padua, to Venice . - - - CHAPTER XXXI, Venice - •. - •. • a a - a • 262 CHAPTER XXXII. Werona and Milan , •, a - • - •. 4. 274 CHAPTER XXXIII. Milan to Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, and Domo D’Ossolo 280 CHAPTER XXXIV. Domo D'Ossolo, the Simplon, the Tête Noire, to Chamouni 286 CHAPTER XXXV. Chamouni–Montanvert—The Flegere . • - 292 CHAPTER xxxWI. Chamouni to Geneva, Lausanne, and Freyburg. 298 CHAPTER xxxv II. Freyburg to Berne and Interlachen . 304 X11 C O N T E N T S . Page cHAPTER xxxv III. Lauterbrunnen, the Wengern Alps, and Grindenwald to Mey 310 ringen. - * * - - - CHAPTER xxxix. Meyringen, Pass of the Brunig, Lucerne to Basle . 318 CHAPTER x1,. Basle to Strasbourg . 324 CHAPTER XLI. Strasbourg, the Rhine, Cologne by Ostend to London CHAPTER XLII. Windsor, Cambridge, and Oxford . e 837 CHAPTER XLIII. Oxford to Birmingham, the “Lake Country,” Stirling 345 CHAPTER xLIV. Stirling and Edinburgh . 353 CHAPTER xDV. 361 Britannia Bridge over Menai Straits - CHAPTER XLVI. The Voyage Home . - - e - - 366 OLD SIGHTS WITH NEW EYES, C H A P T E R I. The VOYAGE. A voyage to EUROPE What a grand idea! It had long haunted my imagination like some bright vision of romance, which I hardly dared hope ever to see realized. The very word “voyage” had a bracing, inspiriting, salt-water air. It called up “spirits from the vasty deep”—old ocean's varied forms of beauty and sublimity, gallant ships proudly careering o'er the waves, crews of brave and generous-hearted tars, and all the exciting scenes of nautical adventure. And then EUROPE—the world's museum, crowded with the choicest productions of genius in every department of human effort, with her time-honored castles, her stupendous cathedrals, her magnificent palaces, her immense works of public utility, her unequalled collections of paintings, and statues, and antiquities, her venerable universities, her vast libraries, her long line of illustrious artists, and historians, and poets, and philoso phers, and orators, and statesmen, and heroes, where every spot of ground is hallowed by its association with the most celebrated 2 * - - 14 O L D S I G HTS A Woyage to Europe. events and names in history—it seemed impossible for one to breathe the air or tread the soil of such a classic land, without catching the inspiration of its greatness, and becoming himself a great man by inevitable consequence. Imagine then, my delight at the prospect of actually attaining this elevation, and becoming myself “a travelled man.” Yes! The good ship “Aberdeen, Hubbard, master,” was up for Liverpool, to sail in five days, and it was for me to say, whether I would go in her. I hurried home to make the necessary preparations. How vivid is the recollection of those few days! All surrounding objects seemed to share in my excitement of feeling, and to wear looks of unwonted significance. What changes might pass over them during my absence How changed might I be before my return And what if I should never come back again The very books on my study shelves seemed to reproach me for leaving their quiet and dignified society, to become a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. Once under way, I began to feel, for the first time, the loneli ness of my situation. We were not far from the shore. The long lines of lighted streets were visible on both sides of us. Yet it seemed as if the ocean already rolled between me and my native land. I had set out for foreign shores, and return was impossible, until I had accomplished the end of my pilgrimage. The next morning the wind was in our favor, and the music of the Sabbath bells was borne to our ears from off the land. Oh, how sweetly they sounded! as if calling us to stay and rest that day under the shadow of the sanctuary. But we heeded them not. Our pilot was aboard, and we immediately got under way. It was a beautiful morning, and the harbor was alive with vessels; some, like us, outward bound, and others just arrived. Soon we met the United States mail steamer W IT H N E W E Y E S . 15 Sea Sickness—Reflections. “Hermann” from Southampton, with all her colors flying; then the packet ships “Waterloo” and “Guy Mannering,” and others, whose decks were crowded with emigrants just opening their eyes on the “New World.” About noon we passed Sandy Hook, and discharged our pilot. The wind freshened up from the southward, and we began to make some headway. The next morning brought my first experience of sea-sick ness. I succeeded in getting on deck and walking a little, but at breakfast-time my appetite suddenly disappeared, and I retreated precipitately to my state-room, where I turned in and lay the rest of the day. This was Monday. Tuesday, ditto— ate nothing but a few prunes and some arrow-root gruel. Wednesday, ditto—much sea, and a great deal of rolling.