Sir John Rennie

Travels in the North of Europe and Spain.

Having been very hard worked, and being in bad health, owing to my still suffering from the effects of my fall into the cofferdam of London Bridge, I felt the necessity for some relaxation. I therefore made my arrangements for a short continental tour, resolving to visit the north of Europe. Adhering to my original plan, I shall only mention those places and occurrences which, for particular reasons, I think, may possess some little interest, and shall pass over the ordinary descriptions of places and things which are now so well known as to be hackneyed. My journey, principally by sea, from London to St. Petersburg passed without incident, except that off the Island of Bornholm we met the Russian fleet, consisting of seven sail of the line. It was a fine sight, and the ships seemed well handled; but one line-of-battle ship in going about missed stays, and got into what the sailors term irons, that is to say, she would move neither way. Our sailors laughed heartily, and we could see by the signals made from the flag-ship that the admiral was very much annoyed.

On board the steamer I made acquaintance with Lieutenant Conolly, who intended to take the route from St. Petersburg overland to India—a particularly difficult and dangerous journey; but Conolly was an intelligent, ardent, and courageous person, anxious for information, and ambitious to explore a route which had hardly ever been undertaken before; but he unfortunately fell a victim to his ambition. He was a little man, determined and energetic, capable of undergoing great fatigue, and a very agreeable and sociable companion. He and I took to each other and became great friends, and entertained the pleasing idea of meeting again after his return from India; but this never took place, for he was murdered with his companions.

Conolly and I got our luggage together as soon as possible after landing, and drove to the Grand Hotel, which was then a sort of barrack or caravanserai, near the Newski Prospect. Before seeing the city, I presented the various letters of introduction with which I had been provided; amongst others were several from my old friend, Chevalier Benkausen, the Russian Consul-General in London.

I first called upon Lord Heytesbury, our ambassador, whom I had previously known as Mr. Abbott, at Naples, by whom I was most cordially welcomed. I also waited upon all the authorities, and was well received by them; but the person to whom I was most indebted was my friend, General Wilson, a sensible Scotchman, who had entered the Civil Service of the Government, as engineer to the cotton, gun, and general iron manufactures, for which he had erected a large establishment at Kolpnau, about 13 or 14 miles from St. Petersburg. This place I visited with him; it was very complete, for the Emperor Nicholas, who was at times very fond of Englishmen and everything English, had taken Wilson and his establishment under his especial protection, and had given him authority to incur any reasonable expenditure to make it perfect. Wilson, therefore, imported the newest and most improved machines and tools of every kind from England, and obtained also the best of English workmen. The cotton manufactories were upon a most extensive and imposing scale; in fine buildings, with hosts of employÉs, they were conducted in the true imperial style, that is, with great show, but little profit. Still, they were not without their advantages; they were the means of training a set of native workmen, who, although not inventive, are excellent imitators, consequently after a time their services must have been valuable. The same may be said of the iron manufactories, particularly as Russia has some of the richest iron mines, and they only require skilled workmen to develop them to their utmost; Wilson contributed materially towards this; and it was impossible to have selected a better man for this purpose. He possessed a calm even temper, firm, but just, and conciliating, with a competent knowledge of what he undertook to perform, without possessing any considerable amount of invention. He spoke the Russian language like a native, besides French and German. He therefore most justly possessed a good deal of influence, and was thoroughly liked and respected, from the humblest workman under his orders up to the Emperor, who was very fond of him. Lastly, he was thoroughly honest, a rare thing in Russia in those days, where peculation was rife from the highest to the lowest; and if Wilson had followed the universal example, which he might have done with impunity, he would have made a large fortune; but after many years’ service he died comparatively poor. Although anything but a military man, he was a general in the Russian service, and was decorated with several stars and orders. All persons officially employed like Wilson had military rank; he concealed this as much as he could; but in St. Petersburg he was always obliged to wear uniform, and as there were guardhouses in almost every street, whenever he passed the guard turned out to salute him, which annoyed him much.

There was another remarkable Scotchman, of the name of Baird, with whom I made acquaintance. He was, however, a totally different character—a shrewd, intelligent, clever, active, indefatigable person, wholly devoted to making money. He was in constant communication with England; and as soon as a patent was taken out there for any new invention, if it was applicable in Russia he at once imported and patented it, and thus obtained a monopoly. He cultivated, with the greatest tact and assiduity, all the officials, from the highest to the lowest, as well as all persons of any influence, and had a thorough understanding with them, particularly with the police and officers of customs; thus he contrived to gain the greatest influence, and secured almost a monopoly of everything worth having. If ever the Government was desirous of contracting for any large work, Baird was almost sure of obtaining it, at the best price. Whether his numerous friends were interested in the profits resulting from these multifarious undertakings is best known to himself; but according to the ordinary practice of human nature, particularly in Russia at that time, everybody endeavoured to make the most he could, and it is probable that there was no exception in this case; but suffice to say that Baird made a very large fortune, with which he retired to his native country; and we must not omit to mention that Baird, whilst benefiting himself, was of the greatest service to Russia, and tended materially to advance her prosperity by the numerous valuable inventions he introduced, and by training the natives, and inciting them and urging them to make all sorts of improvements, which, without such a man, would never have been undertaken, so that nobody grudged his wealth, and he left the country to which he had been a real benefactor universally liked and esteemed. As to myself, personally, I feel much indebted to him; through his kindness I had the opportunity of knowing many persons and seeing many things which otherwise would have been out of my power.

I frequently dined at the cafÉs and restaurants when not otherwise engaged, and at some of the best of them met persons of the first class, who were always very well bred and polite. One day I dined at one of the best table d’hÔtes, when several persons of high rank were present, and amongst them a young naval officer of good family. Amongst other subjects of conversation, the recent taking of Varna came forward, and the naval officer seemed to speak rather disparagingly of it. I observed one of the superior waiters looking at him and listening attentively for some time, then he quietly went up to him and whispered a few words in his ear, which my neighbour told me was an order to hold his tongue, for such conversation would not be allowed. The fact was that all these waiters were employed by, or in the pay of, the police, and all conversations were reported. The young naval officer held his tongue immediately, and the party broke up very shortly afterwards, and I was told that the matter would not end there. I took the hint also, for nothing was more dangerous than to talk politics, and I avoided them ever after.

In considering the position of St. Petersburg, it is, perhaps, difficult to find a more inconvenient and unhealthy spot for a great seaport town than that chosen for the Russian capital, at the mouth of the Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland, where there is no tide, and where the greatest depth over the bar is only seven feet, so that none but vessels of a small class can ascend the river. Hence, though within the bar there is ample depth of water at all times, large mercantile vessels are obliged to stop at Cronstadt, seven miles distant, and there discharge their cargoes, which are transferred to St. Petersburg in lighters; in like manner they receive their cargoes from the capital; this, of course, is attended with great delay and considerable expense. Moreover, during the prevalence of strong westerly winds, the waters of the Gulf of Finland are heaped up at the upper end, and those of the Neva are driven back, so that it frequently happens that a large portion of the city is inundated; and in November, in the year 1827, a terrible example of this occurred. In many parts of the city the waters rose more than fourteen feet, many thousand persons were drowned, and a vast amount of valuable property was destroyed. These inundations might be avoided, and the port improved to a considerable extent, although it would necessarily require a very great expenditure. Still the object to be gained is of such importance that every reasonable means should be adopted to effect it, and compared with the enormous sums which have been expended in establishing this capital, the cost of improving the port would appear trifling.

Cronstadt is, properly speaking, the port of St. Petersburg. Here all vessels, whether of war or merchandise, must stop; and the southern side of the island, where there is the deepest water, from 24 to 27 feet, has been chosen as the site for the naval arsenal, as well as the port for merchant vessels, where docks had been made when I was there by enclosing a portion of the water space from the gulf; the two basins or harbours were close together, separated only by a partition wall. The accommodation for the mercantile vessels, although not small, nevertheless was in a rude state, devoid of the usual mechanical appliances which we have for many years been so accustomed to in England.

The naval arsenal, which was made in the time of Peter the Great, and was considered perfect at the time it was made, consists of a long canal leading from the outer to a small circular basin. Connected with this there were four dry docks for the line-of-battle ships of that period. From this the circular basin on the east side was connected with two other dry docks; and around these canals, basin and docks, there were several storehouses and magazines; but upon the whole they were badly arranged.

I may here as well mention that my brother and myself afterwards, at the request of the Emperor, designed a complete naval establishment for this place, utilizing as much as we could of the old construction, and this design, I believe, was to some extent adopted.

We afterwards built four iron steamboats, with their engines, for the Caspian Sea, which were the first ever afloat there. These vessels were built in England, then taken to pieces, and sent with the requisite number of workmen to Odessa. Thence by land they were transported to the Caspian, where they were again put together, with their engines, and answered their purpose well. We afterwards made the iron gates for the docks of Sebastopol, a pair of which were subsequently brought to England and France as war trophies. We also constructed several vessels of war, worked by the screw, for the Baltic and Black Seas; amongst others a yacht for the Emperor, to review his fleets in the Gulf of Finland, as well as for pleasure excursions. This was a small vessel, about 260 tons, with a pair of oscillating engines of the nominal power of 120 horses, although capable of working up to three times that power, and making fully 14 knots an hour. She was fitted up plainly but very neatly. From circumstances over which we had no control, the completion was prolonged to a later period of the year than we anticipated; and it was not before the middle of October, 1850, that we were ready to leave England, when my brother and his son George determined to go with her and deliver her in person. She was well insured, and was navigated by an English captain—who, I observed at the time, was not a very sharp fellow—and an English crew. As she was a small vessel she had to take a considerable quantity of coals on deck, which brought her down beyond her usual line of floatation. I went with her as far as Gravesend, and saw them fairly on their voyage, but before she reached the Baltic she encountered a severe storm, when she behaved admirably. At Copenhagen she took in more coals, and started again, and in the Baltic encountered another severe storm, which she got through equally as well as before. The weather then became fine, and they thought that all their troubles were over. The last storm had driven her considerably out of her course, which the captain had not taken a correct account of; and one fine starlight night, about ten o’clock, they were steaming away with a smooth sea, at the rate of about 10 to 12 knots an hour, when the engineer, putting his head out of the engine-house to enjoy the fine evening, suddenly called out, “I think I see land,” and went at once to the captain. The captain said, “It is impossible. We cannot be nearer land than 30 or 40 miles.” The captain and the Russian officer and my brother were at the time in the cabin taking their grog comfortably before going to bed. But he quickly went upon deck and soon discovered his error, and ordered the vessel to be put about; but before this could be done she struck upon a rock, and in spite of all their endeavours she could not be got off. The Russian officer declined taking any of the responsibility, saying it lay with the captain, and he would have nothing to do with it. At daylight they found themselves hard and fast upon the Island of Dago. My brother, finding that nothing could be done to get the vessel off, resolved with his son to make his way at once to St. Petersburg, and report the loss of the vessel. As the winter had begun, the journey was attended with considerable difficulty. However, they reached St. Petersburg, and had an audience of the Emperor Nicholas, who, when he heard the story, laughed heartily, and said, “Now, if this had occurred under the command of Russian officers and sailors, what would the English have said? why, that no wonder an accident had occurred, when the vessel was confided to those stupid fellows, the Russians. Now, you see, it has happened with the English; and they, with all their pretended knowledge, don’t know the Baltic yet, and are more stupid than the Russians.” Again he laughed heartily, and said, “I am delighted to find that my sailors are, after all, as clever as the English, and under the circumstances I am not sorry that the yacht is lost. It will teach the English in future not to be so proud of their knowledge, and to give the Russians credit for knowing the Baltic as well as they do.”

Although the yacht was wrecked, we lost nothing, neither did the Emperor, for he was insured to the full, and we received an order to make another of precisely the same size. The underwriters, as soon as they heard of the accident, sent out a clever fellow, Captain Farr, who, upon arriving at the spot where the vessel was stranded, found that she had not received much damage; he, therefore, finding that the season was too far advanced to take her back to England, or even to get her into any Baltic port, at once weighed her and then sank her in deeper water in order that she might be protected during the winter. In the spring he returned, weighed her again, and took her to Revel, where he repaired the trifling damage she had received, then returned with her to England, calling at Hamburg on his way, and from thence she made a quicker voyage that had ever been made before. I saw her in the East India Dock, and she looked quite new; and unless I had known I should never have supposed that she had been stranded, and been a whole winter under water in the Baltic. She afterwards sold, I think, for 9000l., having originally cost 14,000l.; and as the insurers had been paid nearly 4000l. for the original insurance, the underwriters scarcely lost anything. Thus we gained considerably by the accident, having to make two yachts instead of one, and neither the Emperor nor the underwriters lost anything.

Leaving St. Petersburg I started for Moscow, traversing 400 miles of most uninteresting country in an open droschky, drawn at the rate of 10 miles an hour—as I paid liberally—by four horses abreast. The only noticeable place I passed through was Novogorod, a considerable town, with a good deal of activity, and apparently an extensive trade. Here the two great water-carriage systems met, connecting the Baltic with the Black Sea, and also with the Caspian. The canals were crowded with vessels laden with the products of the East and West; natives from the East clad in their flowing garments, Tartars, with their bows and arrows, Cossacks from the Don, Armenian, Greek, and Turkish merchants, and the never-failing Jew, English, French, and Germans, all mixed together, and carrying on their particular business, formed a very amusing and busy scene. I contrived to get a tolerable dinner there, the only one deserving of the name since I left Petersburg; I devoted two or three hours to looking over the canal-works, which, for that time, were not badly executed, but the town contained nothing remarkable.

On reaching Moscow, what struck me most was the Eastern appearance of the inhabitants, particularly when compared with the extremely modern look of the town itself. The Kremlin, of course, I need not describe. I visited the celebrated Riding House, which is 1200 feet long, covered by a wooden roof, of the single span of 240 feet; it is without doubt the finest and largest shed in the world, and a splendid piece of carpentry, well worth going some distance to see. It is frequently used for reviewing troops in unfavourable weather, and it is said that ten thousand men can go through their exercises under its shelter.

On my way from Moscow to Warsaw I had no idea that this great road—one of the principal in Russia, and, upon the whole, not through an unproductive country—I should find so totally unprovided with anything for the accommodation of travellers. In those days I certainly did not expect much, and having travelled in more barbarous countries, I could submit cheerfully to a good deal; but I certainly did not expect that it would be so bad as I found it, and therefore I carried little with me, contrary to my usual practice. This I certainly repented of, for our fare was most miserable; if we got eggs, butter, cheese, and bread, we thought ourselves lucky, though sometimes we got better provisions; however, perhaps it was well, for although ill when I started, I began to get better, and slept soundly. My man Weiss consoled himself with plenty of vodki, and considering the rough fare we got I could not altogether blame him. We passed Smolenski, and a very poor place it was; there was nothing like an hotel, nor any accommodation for travellers. Although seventeen years had elapsed since the invasion of the French in 1812, the remains of the fire and battle which took place when the French captured it were still very visible. When we entered Poland cultivation appeared to be carried on more extensively and with greater skill, and the people seemed more intelligent; we passed several large proprietors’ houses.

At Warsaw I attended a review of the garrison, in the Great Square, in honour of the recent victories of the Russians over the Turks. It consisted of about twelve thousand men of all arms, commanded by the Grand Duke Constantine, the Viceroy. I never saw finer troops in my life, nor any that manoeuvred better. Before the review mass was said in their midst, and when Te Deum was sung by the whole of the men—and they sang it with great skill—the effect was very fine, and was rendered still more so by a salvo of one hundred and one guns, fired from the forts.

I returned rapidly through Germany, and reached home after an absence of sixty-five days, during which period I had travelled nearly thirty nights.

I immediately visited London Bridge, and found everything going on well. In fact, during my absence my brother George had diligently looked after my business as well as his own.

My brother George married the only daughter of Sir John Jackson, Bart., in June 1828. I had then taken a house for myself, No. 15, Whitehall Place, where my two younger brothers, Matthew and James, lived with me for about a couple of years.

At this time, as a bachelor, I saw a good deal of society, and made acquaintance with most of the celebrated scientific men of the day, also the leading literati, artists, painters, and sculptors. In fact, when I could tear myself away from my business I passed my time most agreeably and profitably in that distinguished society. I numbered amongst my acquaintance Sir H. Davy, Dr. Young, Wollaston, Dawes, Gilbert, Sir A. Cooper, Sir D. Home, Laurence, Greene, Playfair, Leslie, Whewell, Peacock, Hopkins, Liston, Barlow, Irving, Bailey, Colby, Parley, Sedgwick, Greenough, Delabeche, Meecham, Lyell, Brande, Faraday, Christie, Allen, Pepys, Sir James M’Intosh, W. W. Scott, J. W. Croker, J. Barrow, Sir S. Raffles, Marsden, Sir F. Chantrey, Sir T. Lawrence, Turner, Calcott, Stansfield, Behnes, Chalon, Sir A. M. Shee, Eastlake, Varley, Martin, Philips, Theodore Hook, Samuel Rogers, Southey, Robert Brown, Hallam, Sir A. Alison, Sir J. Parry, Sir J. Franklin, Sir John Ross, the late Sir J. Lubbock, the late Admiral Fitzroy, Professor Owen, and many others, and last, not least, Mrs. Somerville. Amongst foreigners—Humboldt, Laplace, Cuvier, Arago, Pring, Gerard, Cardinal MezzofauitÉ, Mailenette, Wree-Viking, and Von Breek.

In 1833, having now completed London, Hyde Park, Staines, and Crammond bridges, the great naval works at Sheerness, Woolwich, and Chatham, the Victualling Department, or Royal William Yard, and a large portion of the breakwater at Plymouth, Sunderland, Port Patrick, Donaghadee, Port Rush, and a large portion of Kingstown Harbours, the Eau Brink Cut, the Nene Outfall, the Witham Outfall, the Ancholme Drainage, and several other minor works, I was almost knocked up, and was recommended to take another continental journey for recreation. As I had never seen Spain I determined to go there, and accordingly started in the mail for Falmouth, and reached Cadiz on the fifth day.

Whilst at Gibraltar there was a grand military and civil fÊte, given by the governor of the fort Algesiras on the opposite side of the bay, to celebrate the establishment of the constitution, when he invited the governor of Gibraltar, Sir W. Houston, one of King William IV.’s most attached followers, and who had received me most kindly, and all the officers of the garrison. The governor of course could not go, nor all the officers; but a considerable number did, and I went in a boat in company with a number of the officers of the Rifles, while a great many rode round by land. We were received in the most courteous manner by the governor and the Spanish officers, and were most hospitably entertained.

On leaving Gibraltar I bargained with a respectable Spanish muleteer named Manuel, well known and recommended by my landlord, for the hire of four good mules, one each for myself and servant, and two for the baggage—which Manuel and his man occasionally mounted also. My idea was to go by Ronda to Malaga, but I was advised not to do it, as it was reported to be greatly infested by brigands; moreover, Spain at the time of my visit was in a very disturbed state on account of the Carlist war, and to add to this the cholera spread dismay and terror in most quarters, so that the time was very unfavourable for travel; still I determined to go on, and trusted to Providence for a happy deliverance, only instead of going by Ronda I determined to take the coast road. We proceeded through a wild, uncultivated country, and after two days’ travelling reached Malaga about sunset, and took up our quarters at a comfortable little hotel situated in a narrow street near the Alameda. Here our consul, Mr. March, warned me against going any farther without waiting for some companions; but as my time was valuable, I thanked him for his advice, and determined to proceed, and after two days’ stay started again, sleeping the first night at Velez, or Old Malaga. After supper Manuel came in and said that there were several suspicious characters about the village, and that, moreover, our arrival had caused some commotion; he had therefore told the landlord that we should start at daybreak, but strongly recommended our setting out two hours earlier. This we accordingly did, and at midday reached the old Moorish town of Alhama, perched upon the summit of the pass which separates Malaga from the vale of Granada; from here we descended into another rich vale, which, well irrigated and cultivated, teemed with wine, oil, corn, and fruits, and was filled with villages and chateaux, all indicating wealth and prosperity; yet withal there was a certain degree of wildness intermixed with it, which made it appear as if they were only half-civilized. It was long after dark before we reached Granada, then we had to go to the custom-house, where the officers were very much inclined to be troublesome; but I made friends in the usual comfortable manner, and got to a posada near the centre of the town—not a bad place, and which I was very glad to get into. Manuel came in whilst I was at supper and congratulated me upon our safe arrival; he said that for the last two hours he expected that we should be attacked every minute, and he therefore had urged us on as fast as possible; in fact, we came latterly at the rate of about eight miles an hour, which, he said, had saved us. The city of Granada, although extensive, appeared to be, like most of the towns I there saw, in a state of decadence, little trade, and consequently no prosperity. The lords of the soil seldom visited their estates, but left the whole to their factors or managers; and when the proprietor did come, he seemed to take no interest in his tenants or labourers, but lived in a half-ruined chÂteau in a miserable manner, reserving all for show and extravagance. Manuel said, that as our route lay through the mountains, and as it was very unsafe, it was absolutely necessary to take one or two escopoteros or armed police, to escort us at least as far as Andujar: this I at once consented to do, and we were now no contemptible party, consisting as we did of six well-armed men.

After halting at midday at Jaen, we proceeded through an open country, which presented anything but a thriving and prosperous appearance; the peasants were returning from their labour armed with guns, and they had a savage and discontented look. Manuel, who did not like the look of things, went up and spoke to one of them. When he came back to me he said that we must not go to Andujar that night, as the peasant had told him that there was a strong band of brigands in the neighbourhood, who had plundered the country right and left, so that all the country people were obliged to go armed and keep together. On hearing this news I resolved to stop for the night at a small village about two miles in front of us, which Manuel said was decidedly the best plan. We halted there a little before sunset, and a wretched place it was, without even a venta or public inn of any kind; I therefore hired one of the most respectable of the cottages, which was more like a stable or cowhouse than anything else, although it had a kitchen, and one or two rooms abovestairs; the floors were of broken brick, there were no windows, and only some planks on tressels for beds, with one or two broken chairs. However, we were able to purchase materials for supper, and with cloaks, saddles, and bags very soon made beds. I confess I did not like the place at all. As we might be attacked during the night, we barricaded the house as well as we could, and slept in our clothes, with our arms ready, and one man keeping watch. Having done this we went to sleep, but were awoke soon after midnight by loud cries and screams, and a man began knocking violently at our door asking admittance, crying out that the robbers were come. We were up in an instant, prepared to give the rascals a warm reception. We had scarcely made our dispositions for defence when the robbers, to the number of at least a dozen, made their appearance, well armed, and demanded our money, horses, and baggage, on pain of death. These I determined not to yield, and defied them. They, seeing that we were well armed and prepared for a stout resistance, hesitated for a minute; and I, not wishing to push matters to extremities, called to Manuel to tell them, that as for yielding to their demands it was ridiculous, and if they did not go away at once, I should be joined by some troops, and then every rascal of them would be shot; but if they chose to send four or five of their men to escort me towards Andujar I would pay them liberally. They then consulted, and agreed to the proposal, when I told them that I should be ready to start at five in the morning. Accordingly, at the appointed time, our friends, armed to the teeth and well mounted—as rascally-looking a set as ever one saw—made their appearance. I gave them a cigar and glass of brandy each, which put them in good humour. I could get on tolerably with Spanish, and entered into conversation with them; they were very agreeable, and told some curious stories. Manuel came riding up to me and told me to be upon my guard, for that one never could be sure of them for a moment; however, I thought the best plan was to show no fear. At nine o’clock we got to our destination, at a miserable village between Andujar and Cordova, where we went to a wretched venta; I gave them a breakfast of such as we could get, with cigars. I paid them handsomely, and so we parted, apparently the best of friends. My guide and worthy friend Manuel, as we left, said, “You seem to be very well pleased, but you don’t know these ratteros. I hope that we have done with them, but I very much doubt it; you have paid them too well not to make them wish for further acquaintance with you, and depend upon it we shall meet them again, when we shall perhaps not be so well prepared.” “Well,” I said, “we have got rid of them for the present, and if we happen to make their acquaintance again, depend upon it we shall have the best of it.” We jogged on all the day through a wild but not uncultivated country; the land was rich—plenty of vines, olives, corn, maize, and fruits, and everything, if properly cultivated, well calculated to make the people comfortable and prosperous; yet everything around denoted misery, poverty, and wretchedness. When I talked to the people they seemed reasonable enough; they said that they toiled from morning to night, but never got paid, or at least so little that they could not live upon it; and then, what with the government taxes and the priests, it was impossible to live, so that there was no use in working. I certainly could not help sympathizing with them, for they are really a fine generous people, and if they were properly treated, there is not a finer race anywhere. Unfortunately there is no middle class, and the nobility are completely worn out, so that the unfortunate peasants are ground down to the lowest misery; yet with all this there is a nobleness, independence, and enduring fortitude about a Spanish peasant which causes you to admire them the more you know of them. I soon recognized their character, and appreciated it accordingly. Whenever I entered a venta or posada I always made it a point to treat the host and hostess with frankness and courtesy as if we were equals, also to show myself ready to oblige and to assist in any preparations that might be going on. Thus I secured the utmost attention, and they readily produced their best at the cheapest rate, a result which no amount of money would have obtained.

But to return to my story. When within seven miles of Cordova, while passing near the small fortress of Ercaloro, at about half-past five in the evening, i.e. not long before sunset, I met a priest, who told me that it would be impossible to proceed, as he had observed five mounted robbers prowling in the olive woods between the fortress and Cordova, who would be certain to fall upon us; and that, moreover, they were in all probability only the scouts of a much larger body. Manuel exclaimed, “Did I not tell you that we should meet these rascals again?” I, however, replied that I was determined to reach Cordova that night, and asked the priest to introduce me to the governor of the fort. To this he willingly consented, and the governor having heard my story, was so obliging as to say that he intended sending fifty men to Cordova next day, but that they might accompany me now. We accordingly started and soon came in sight of the five mounted men, who sure enough proved to be our five old friends, who very soon turned and galloped off as hard as they could. We fired one or two shots at them; but as night was coming on we thought it best not to pursue, and continued on our way to Cordova, which we reached at eight o’clock, very glad to get off so well.

From Cordova we reached Seville, where Mr. Wetherall, the Consul, strongly advocated the introduction into England of Manzanilla, a wine then scarcely known. I requested him to send me a hogshead, which was universally approved of, and henceforth the taste for pale dry sherry has entirely superseded that for the old golden and brown, and there is no doubt that as a tonic it is far superior.

The road across the Sierra Morena was kept clear by the singular expedient of intrusting its defence to a body of German colonists, who held considerable lands and dues on condition of keeping the roads free from brigands. This plan answered admirably; in a very short time the brigands were exterminated, and after that, though no patrols were ever seen, yet if any fresh bands ventured to appear, the Germans were instantly under arms and never relaxed their pursuit until the brigands were either destroyed or driven out of the country.

We proceeded by diligence from Seville to Madrid; and when we reached OcÃna, after having travelled three days and nights, our majoral or conductor had compassion on us, and said we should halt for the night; that is, we arrived about nine o’clock and he said we must be off again at five in the morning; this, however, was a great release, and we all thanked him; but I believe we had no great reason for being so very grateful for his kindness, as it was rumoured that if we had proceeded we might have been attacked by the Carlists. However, be that as it may, we got a comfortable bed, to my great surprise. The cholera had been flying about the neighbourhood, and I felt a slight attack of it, which I got rid of by a few drops of sal volatile and camphorated spirits in a wineglass of cold water. At five in the morning we started from OcÃna, after getting a biscuit, a cup of chocolate, and glass of cold water, which one finds almost everywhere in Spain; indeed, rough as the travelling was in those days—and it could not be worse—we always got most excellent bread, eggs, and sometimes milk and wine, although the latter was generally new, and as thick as porridge and almost undrinkable; still with bread, eggs, and milk one could always get on.

When I arrived at Madrid, the city was in the greatest state of excitement; the Carlists were making war in the most vigorous and successful manner, headed by the celebrated Zumalacarragui; and it being dangerous to talk politics, I particularly avoided them, and went about seeing everything I could as a stranger. I also called upon our minister, Sir George Villiers, whom I had known in England, and was most kindly received by him. I here met a Colonel Downie, who had served under Wellington and afterwards settled in Spain. He spoke Spanish perfectly, and was much respected by the natives, which was saying a good deal for him; for the Spaniards are a most peculiar people, and especially the upper classes, extremely reserved and exclusive towards strangers. Personally, however, I have no reason to complain, for they were very civil to me. I was introduced by Downie and other friends, and had an opportunity of visiting some of the first families of the place, amongst others the Veraguas, the descendants of Columbus, of Cortez, Viluma, Frias, and others. I went to their tertulias or conversaziones, which were the only kind of society to be had when I was there; in fact, parties were so divided on account of the civil war that many of the great houses were shut up. At the tertulia there was nothing but conversation, so that with the exception of the lights there was no expense of entertainment. As you were leaving the house, in the hall the servant presented you with a glass of cold water, with a biscuit of flour and sugar, which, when taken with the water, was not unpalatable. At one of these tertulias the servant, in the midst of the conversation, brought to the lady of the house her supper, which she set to work on, without making the least remark; in fact, it was usual, and no person thought anything of it.

Having now viewed everything worth seeing in the city, I determined to see something of the environs, and accordingly asked Downie to accompany me to Toledo; and as politics were very uncertain, I thought it better to be doubly armed with passports. I therefore got our minister, Sir G. Villiers, to verify mine, and also the minister of police, a very gentlemanly man, the Marquis of Viluma, who was unusually civil, and gave me a capital dinner and a special passport for Toledo.

The next morning at daybreak we started, with four horses, and were just leaving the town when we were stopped by a messenger running after us, who proved to be the servant of a lady whom I had met the day before at the Marquis de Viluma’s, and who was a niece of the Archbishop of Toledo. She had sent her servant with a letter of introduction for us to her uncle the Archbishop, for which we were thankful, as it is rather difficult to obtain permission to see all the different objects, such as the treasury. Accordingly we started off afresh over a very wild country, with a very indifferent road, or rather none, and reached Toledo about noon. We immediately went to the cathedral, which is a very rich and imposing Gothic edifice, and although we did not see the archbishop, who was not there, yet the dean most kindly showed us everything, particularly the treasury, which was replete with a most gorgeous collection of vestments, mitres adorned with precious stones, silver croziers, gold and silver chalices, cups and basins and priestly utensils without number. We then went and paid our respects to civil and military governors, and got an order to see the Royal Sword Manufactory, which formerly was celebrated throughout Europe for its excellent blades, which were said to be equal to those of Damascus, but had for some time past been rapidly on the decline; there were some two or three hundred men employed where I was, but they were making only ordinary blades for the army. Having seen everything, and perambulated this curious old city, which was in anything but a thriving state, we returned to the fonda or hotel, miserable as it was, to our dinner, previous to starting for Aranjuez.

We had just done dinner when an officer of police made his appearance, and said very politely that the civil governor wished to see me. I said that I had already seen him, and paid my respects, and shown my passport; I asked if anything was wrong with it. He said no, then went away, and again returned, saying the civil governor must see me. I again asked if the passport was right. He said perfectly. Then I said that I thought the governor’s conduct was extraordinary, and I declined going. Two more police officers then came, and said that the gates of the city were closed to me, and that I should not leave without first going to the civil governor. My friend Downie then got alarmed, and said that he would go with the officers, see the civil governor and explain matters. He accordingly went, and asked the civil governor what he meant. The governor replied that he was surrounded by Carlists, and he was obliged to be constantly on his guard, for fear of an insurrection; but he had been informed that I had brought a private letter to the archbishop, who was the greatest Carlist in the place, and he must know what that letter contained. Fortunately it was open, and both Downie and I had read it before delivering it, and it was nothing more than a request that we might be shown everything in the cathedral. With this explanation the governor was perfectly satisfied, and dispensed with my personal attendance, which I was glad of, and determined to carry no more introductory letters, for at that time it was most dangerous to both parties. Off we started, but were stopped at the city gates, at which we were both much annoyed, and being determined that we would stand this annoyance no longer, were just going to force our way through, when a messenger from the governor told them to let us go, and off we galloped as hard as possible.

Before leaving Madrid I visited some of the convents, though with great difficulty, for a short time before my arrival the mob, in a fit of revolutionary excitement, had attacked several of them, and murdered many of the unfortunate inmates, whilst the rest were obliged to fly for their lives. When I applied for admission it was refused, until learning that I was an Englishman, they opened the outer gates, which had been well secured, and admitted me, and a melancholy spectacle I beheld. Very few of the monks remained, and those that I saw had their heads and arms bandaged up on account of the wounds they had received. A great deal of property had been destroyed, and a still greater quantity had been stolen; in fact everything had a most wretched and desolate appearance. Shortly afterwards the whole of the convents and religious establishments for monks and nuns were shut up by order of the government, and all the property was seized for the benefit (?) of the nation.

Leaving Madrid with several others, we proceeded to France vi Saragossa and Barcelona, as the direct route through Bayonne was of course quite impracticable. Barcelona was then, and is now, taking it altogether, the finest and most thriving town in the peninsula, and may be called the Manchester of Spain. It is situated on the shore of the Mediterranean, in a rich fertile plain, backed by a lofty range of mountains about three or four miles distant. The central streets are very narrow, but the Marina and artificial harbour, with the fine spacious quays by which they are surrounded, have a noble effect, although the mole, a fine work as it undoubtedly is, has been badly designed with respect to the currents and the great quantity of alluvial matter held in suspension by the waters, and carried along the shore from the deltas and mouths of the Hobugal and Ebro. The consequence is, that the space covered by the mole is constantly filling up, and requires incessant dredging at great expense; notwithstanding which, the trade is so great that the harbour is always more or less full of shipping, and besides its manufactures of cotton and silk, it exports largely wine, oil, bark, fruits, and timber.

I made an excursion with my servant to the celebrated convent of Monte Serrata, situated upon the mountain of that name, about 30 miles to the west of Barcelona; starting early in the morning, and stopping at the bridge of Mastoul across the Hobugal, about 15 miles from Barcelona. Here I enjoyed, from below the bridge, one of the most interesting and beautiful views, I think, that I ever beheld. Facing me was the bridge, consisting of two Gothic arches; the south one was the largest I ever saw, being about 140 feet span. On the north side of the bridge was a Roman arch, in tolerable preservation, except the cornice; and on the south side of the bridge were the remains of a Moorish fort. Thus I had before me, at one coup d’oeil, the ruined works of three great nations; in the distance was the convent of Montserrat, perched upon the mountain side, with its numerous pinnacles rising above it, and these overtopped by the numerous lofty peaks of the Pyrenees behind. Whilst examining the bridge, I perceived on a sudden a large body of troops, with several mounted officers, rapidly approaching; upon inquiring the cause, I was told by an officer that I had better get out of the way as soon as possible, as there were a great many Carlists about, and they expected to be attacked every minute, as they had to defend the pass to prevent the Carlists from getting to Barcelona. I therefore went off at once to the convent. I left the carriage at the bottom of the mountain, at a small inn, and got a man to carry up our things; and having a letter to the worthy superior, was most hospitably received. They gave us a comfortable dinner. We then set out to examine the numerous hermitages which were perched upon different peaks of the mountain, which resembled the teeth of a saw, from which the hill takes its name. These hermitages consisted of a small hut, just large enough for the hermit’s bed, and table, and chair; here they remained winter and summer, and only occasionally descended to the convent. All the hermitages were empty, the hermits had fled, and there were scarcely a dozen monks in the convent. Whilst climbing about the mountain I observed several Carlist scouts, well armed, lurking about, and I saw others at a distance—no doubt they were part of the attacking force expected at Barcelona; they, however, did not molest me, and I was too happy to leave them alone. The view from the mountain all round is very fine; all the leading valleys are filled with manufacturing towns and villages, amongst the principal of which was Manresa, in the valley immediately below us. We got back to the convent soon after dark, where the prior had ordered us a good supper, and afterwards invited me to his apartments, where he gave an excellent concert, which was very well executed by the choristers and monks attached to the convent. I soon found out that the prior and all around him were most devoted partisans of Don Carlos, and wished the Christinos and all revolutionists to perdition, to which place they said they would be most assuredly consigned. Knowing that I was an Englishman, and being recommended to him, he felt himself perfectly at home with me, and seemed to be tolerably well informed about English politics: he understood perfectly well the difference between Whigs, Tories, and Radicals, and had not a doubt but that the good sense and talent of the Tories would soon upset the Whigs and Radicals; and so far he proved right; but he went on to say that they would assist the Spanish Carlists, and send all the Christinos and their wicked associates to the devil, where they ought to go; for the Catholic religion could never thrive and Spain never could prosper so long as the Christinos were triumphant. By this time I could get on tolerably well with Spanish. We conversed on various topics, and passed the evening very agreeably, as the prior was a very superior person, and really, considering that he was a Spanish priest, he was an enlightened man, and by no means bigoted. He said that no nation could prosper without religion; and according to his belief he considered that the Roman Catholic was the true faith; at the same time he did not mean to say that a person professing any other religion could not be saved, but that God in His great mercy would pardon their ignorance. We bade the prior good-night, thanking him much for his kindness, and retired to our dormitory, which was very cold and solitary, near the chapel: we had plenty of cloaks, which were indispensable; and I told my man to make a stiff glass of hot punch, not only for myself, but also for the worthy monks who attended us, and I took care that they should be offered supper; but although they had a glass of punch and a cigar, they would take no more. The night was very cold, the moon shone bright, and the stillness was remarkable. I awoke long before light, and heard the monks saying their matins; feeling it was cold, I got more covering, and again fell asleep. Awaking soon after eight o’clock, we got up, and had chocolate; then, making a handsome present to the poor-box, I retraced my steps downwards, and I must say that I never passed a more agreeable day. The scenery was magnificent; that alone was sufficient to recompense anyone for the journey; and in addition to this there was the visit to this great convent, at one time one of the most powerful in Spain, but now in its decadence, and its once powerful inmates degraded so far as to hope for deliverance from the formerly hated and persecuted heretics of England! It was a most singular sight; and it is still more extraordinary, that after a lapse of thirty-four years, these very Christinos, with the queen at their head, should now be persecuting all liberal Catholics, and again threatening the establishment of the Inquisition.

Leaving Barcelona, I traversed France, passing through Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Paris, and reached London in the beginning of 1834.

Although not strictly in chronological order, I will here mention one or two incidents which occurred to me shortly before, and which may be of interest. In the early part of 1831 the cholera visited England for the first time. Everybody was alarmed at its approach: it was a mysterious disease, nobody seemed to know much about it. They knew that it came from India, and that it was most fatal and capricious, sometimes attacking those on the mountains, and sometimes those on the plains; sometimes, in passing through towns and villages, carrying off in its strange and deadly course all those on one side of a street, leaving the other side untouched. It was making its way regularly from the East to the West, deviating rather northwards in its course, and hence it approached Europe by Russia, thence to the north of Germany. Its regular and gradual approach struck everyone with awe: we saw the enemy coming, but how to avoid or how to attack him nobody knew. The medical profession were completely at fault, all suggesting different remedies, each proposing what he considered his own specific, yet doubtful of the result. At last the dreaded mystery leaped across the German Ocean, and made its appearance in Sunderland, where it spread alarm and dismay far and wide. It then turned southward, and made its appearance in London, in the month of March, and numbers left the city, flying in all directions. The French, dreading its invasion, closed their ports, and placed England in quarantine, but in vain attempted to shut out the terrible malady, for, in two or three months apparently glutted with death, it jumped over the Channel into France, and became more virulent than ever. The French physicians, who had visited England during its prevalence, and thought they had acquired good knowledge of the disease and its treatment, were, if anything, more at fault than our own medical men; for the disease held them as it were in derision, and in Paris seven thousand fell victims in one day. I was attacked with it one morning in June, about four o’clock, with a sudden shock, and felt as if death had clutched me in his jaws. I had been some time previously thinking what I should do in the event of an attack, and consulted my medical advisers, but could elicit nothing satisfactory. I then made up my mind that, as the attacks of the disease were sudden and violent, the remedy must be something of the kind; and the most likely remedy, if any, appeared to me some strong stimulant, such as camphor, sal volatile, and opium, which, having previously been subject to diarrhoea, I had frequently tried with effect. I therefore always kept a mixture of this kind ready. Feeling the attack, I jumped out of bed and staggered to the table, took a strong dose, rang the bell violently, sent for my doctor directly, and went back to bed, and for an hour suffered terribly. I then became calmer, but excessively exhausted, and lay almost motionless. The doctor came about seven, when I was much better: he asked me what I had taken, and I told him: he then said, “I do not know that I should have prescribed exactly what you have taken, but the principle is correct,” and he gave me something of the same kind, but in a milder form. In a couple of days I was quite well, and I have ever since carried camphor, sal volatile, and opium with me; and subsequently, when travelling in Spain, Portugal, and Sweden during the prevalence of cholera, I frequently took these remedies myself, and administered them with success to others.

The same year I took a trip to Austria and the south of Germany, and attended the meetings of the scientific society, the Natur Geforsches, then being held at Vienna. I was well received, and made a member of the society; and there I made acquaintance with some of the most distinguished professors of Germany, and a most sociable set of gentlemen they were. The assemblage consisted of about three hundred; we dined every day together, and received much gratification and instruction. I attended the sections regularly, and there I saw the Austrian archdukes, distinguished for their scientific acquirements, who took part, and no mean one, in the discussions, without the least pretension, precisely upon the same footing as the other members; foremost amongst the rest was the celebrated Prince Metternich, then in the height of his power and consequence, as Prime Minister of Austria. He certainly was a very remarkable man; of the middle size, extremely good-looking, with an aquiline nose, sharp, intelligent eyes, a firmly compressed lip, a thoroughly gentlemanlike manner, a dignified appearance, complete self-command, and altogether impressing you with the idea that he was the great grandee and sovereign minister of the ancient and then all-powerful empire of Austria. Notwithstanding his high position, he attended sections in the most unassuming manner, like the most insignificant member present. He attended the different sections daily, and always sat amongst the crowd, not on the bench near the president, and took his share in the discussions as if he was a simple citizen, and any point that he happened to take up he well maintained. Having heard so much of the all-powerful Prince Metternich, I was rather astonished to see him act so amiable and distinguished a part in such a society. I was introduced to him, and was very kindly received. He opened his palace, and he and his distinguished and handsome consort, the Princess, received the whole of the members and their ladies with the greatest cordiality. I also was invited amongst the rest, and remarked that, although princes of the imperial family and the most distinguished nobles were present, I did not observe many of their ladies; and I was told by a friend, that as the ladies of the German professors could not afford to dress in the splendid style of the great Austrian ladies, these latter were excluded for fear of their eclipsing in dress the German professors’ wives. The Emperor Francis gave the Association a most magnificent entertainment at one of his palaces, Laxembourg, about 12 miles from Vienna. His Imperial Majesty sent sixty-five royal carriages, with outriders in uniform, to conduct the association to Laxembourg; and when we arrived there, we found sixty-five other imperial carriages, with servants in the imperial livery, to take us to the palace, and drive us about the park and environs to show us everything worth seeing. At three o’clock dinner was announced in the palace, and a most imperial dinner it was. Several of the archdukes, and Prince and Princess Metternich were there, with all the members and their ladies; and before sitting down to dinner the Prince said that His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Francis intended to have been present to receive the Association, but unfortunately His Majesty was very unwell, and was unable to attend; he therefore requested the Prince to apologise to them for his absence; His Majesty hoped that we would excuse his absence, and make ourselves as comfortable as if we were at home, which we certainly did, and a splendid affair it was. A magnificent band played during dinner, Tokay champagne flowed in abundance, and at five o’clock we started on our return to Vienna, conveyed in the same royal carriages and accompanied by the same escort of imperial servants that brought us to Laxembourg in the morning; in fact, it was impossible that anything could have been better done, or that royalty could have shown more respect or deference to science than was done to us.

On the following Sunday, the municipality of Baden, a place some miles from Vienna, invited us to another banquet, and sent comfortable carriages to take us there and back. The burgomaster and councillors received us on our arrival, and gave us a most excellent entertainment, accompanied by the greatest cordiality and kindness. When we arrived it wanted about two hours to dinner; and a friend of mine, high in office, asked me if I should like to be introduced to the celebrated Archduke Charles, the Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian armies, and who was the first general who defeated the great Emperor Buonaparte, viz. at Aspern. The proposition was quite unexpected, and I eagerly accepted it. We accordingly went to the Archduke’s palace, where, on account of ill-health, His Imperial Highness was living very quietly, taking the baths. Upon arriving, we were shown into an ante-room furnished in the most simple manner. After waiting a few minutes, a chamberlain made his appearance, and ushered us into the Archduke’s presence, when we were formally introduced to His Imperial Highness—a most simple, unaffected, dignified gentleman, characterized strongly by the features of the imperial family, at the same time possessing all the dignity and command of a great soldier. He received us with great courtesy, and after bidding us be seated, entered into conversation with us in the most easy and familiar manner. He addressed me very kindly in French, asked after the Duke of Wellington in particular (whom fortunately I had the honour of knowing), and expressed in the highest terms his admiration of him as a soldier and statesman, and said that England owed much to him. He then entered into a general conversation about England, her great importance and power, saying that she was the saviour of Europe, and expressed an ardent wish that she might long retain her present influence. He said that he should have been most happy to have dined with the municipality, to meet us there, but unfortunately his health would not permit. After an excellent dinner the Association returned in the evening to Vienna, much gratified with their entertainment.