,LIGHTS AND SHADES ON A TRAVELLER'S DITH. * "SCENES in Foreign
Lands" is not exactly a book of travels ; nor is it altogether a book containing the results of travel. It is rather the reminiscence of remarkable subjects or scenes that forcibly im- pressed the mind of a sojourner in foreign parts, mingled with the narrative of many incidents that occurred or were said to have oc- curred in places where the writer dwelt. These are connected together by the thread of her movements ; which involved a voyage to Leghorn, journies to Florence, Sienna, Rome, and a return by way of Switzerland. The writer subsequently visited Paris, in the latter. end of l847; and remained there during the whole of the revolution in 1848, and till after the election of Louis Napoleon.
• A vein of egotism and melancholy pervades the book, owing to troubles of the writer which are dimly alluded to ; while something of -the, sense of injury seems to prompt her judgment upon social conventionalities, especially British as compared with foreign. The authoress took to writing as a mental relief from excitement, oaused.by "anger and contempt" ; and her mind being essentially feminine, the plan and execution produce something like the-slight- ness of magazine-writing. It is not that the narrative is unreal, still less that the reflections are forced or untrue ; but there is something unreal in the tone and manner of treatment, like that of a mind unacquainted with actual affairs, and which has gone no further into thite. than " company " or hearsay. There is jus- tice, however, in some of Janet Robertson's remarks ; especially on the foreign and English method of contracting marriages, in which she gives a preference to the foreign mode. Her book also Conveys a better idea of foreign character and manners than com- mon books of -travels. The writer has the faculty of indicating Character in narrative by a few touches.
A. portion of the book consists of stories illustrative of Italian erime or peouliarity of manners, not without interest; but the most interesting part is that which relates to the revolution of 1848 and its sequences : the reminiscences convey a very lively idea of the period as it appeared to anindividual who was not directly engaged in it, and whose vocation it was not to watch it and generalize the account till the personal was lost. Accident or curiosity took Janet Robertson into both contests, es- pecially that of February, when the revolution at first seemed little inure than a-row; she was-an observer of the different aspects of Paris throughout the year of uncertainty; and she describes with much truth such scenes as were likely to make the strongest im- pression on a feminine observer. The bonhommie, the good-nature, and very often the ready address of the Frenchman, are conspicu- ous. The following incident occurred on the day of the demon-
stration of the Clubs in -March.
" At-two o'clock, I went out with the intention of paying a visit to an in- valid friend in the-Champs Elysees. I saw processions parading with flags in every direction and in a very orderly and quiet manner ; but I likewise observed knots oizople assembled together, looking after them as they Passed with an anxiety and interestrather alaiming. I addressed one or two of them to ask if any danger was to be apprehended ; but they merely re- lined, '"Ce n'est rien, Madame, q'une demonstration des pawns ouvriers qui
manquent du pain, et qui se nsident de Ville pour faire des recla- mations.' I walked on by the Rue de Montaigne towards the Rand Point, zaxd on entering the Champs Elyseeiperceived thempouring down the avenue .F1 great numbers. Still, as they all appeared orderly and quiet, I-prepared to MSS to the -other side, where my friend lived, considerably higher up. A carriage coming along obliged me to stop for a moment at the fountain ; not far from which were standing a knot of men in blouses, seemingly un- attached to any of the -processions marching along. In an instant one of them darted forward, and reaching the spot where I stood, said something extremely complimentary. It only needed one glance to perceive that he was so-inebriated as not to be able to distinguish whether I was young, old, beautiful, or ugly. Be wore a white blouse, a red sash, the dreadful bonnet rouge, and appeared to he aboutaeven-and-twenty, of a pale, dissipated, hag- gad appearance; and had an expression of reckless daring, which convinced Lightsandetades on a Traveller's Path; orSeenesinForeign.Lands. 7waet. Robertson, Authoress of "Affinities ofForeigners." Publishedlity Ropesandeo. me he was capable of anythimg whether intoxicated or sober. I felt myself in a disagreeable position for there was that. in his physiognomy which =- Tressed. me with the necessity of being prudent as to howl received his salu- tation. I felt that if I looked haughtily and offended it-might .provoke to insolence ; or that on the other hand, if I answered with good-humour, he might become offensively familiar. I therefore quietly but gravely replied, that I felt tattered by his thinking me 'belle ; and to his mterrogation as to what country -I belonged,.1 simply said, that I was a Scotehwoman, 'one of a nation that had always been, great friends with lea braves _kr' angels.' hi the act ofspeaking, I retraced my steps to the Roust Point, hoping he :mull rejoin his friends : hut not a bit ; he took his station shiny aide, and accom- panied me across the road. :I now, new that it would never do to enter the more retired streets with such a companion; so Iwalked up the Champs Ely- sees, opposite to my friend's house—he perseveringin-escorting- me and 'W- ing me all his private history. Once or twice I thought I had got rid of him ; for several of his countrymen who met us-stopped and spoke, m the evident intention of keeping him from rejoining- me : but it was in vain—he shook them off, and soon regained my side, continuing his confidence. In this manner we came nearly opposite to the house to which I was going ; and I was thinking in what manner it would be passible to free myself of so danger- ous an associate, when we met one of the processions coming down the avenue. Two men who were walking in front seemed in an instant to -comprehend the disagreeable position in which I was placed, and, advancing towards my companion, quietly passed an arm through each of his, and coolly marched him off between them."
The following is one of several scenes more or less descriptive of the distress in which the revolution had plunged the Parisians.
"Towards the middle of Neventher, the want and misery rose to so great a height that the Morgue was every day filled with the bodies of unfortunate people who had committed suicide in weariness of life from destitution, and the streets were crowded with so many poor famished creatures that it be- came painful togo out; and I never did so without providing myself with.a supply of small coin to distribute among the more miserable-looking of those I met. One evening I had occasion to call upon. a lady in the Rue de Rivoli, and set off immediately after dinner, with the intention of being back before it was dark ; dispelling my usual supplynn my way thither. I was unavoid- ably detained much later than I had anticipated, however ; but thought little of it, as I had frequently in former days returned by the Rue St. Honore !Ind the Faubourg in the twilight, without experiencing the slightest molestation, or ever perceiving any one being spoken to when they moved on quickly srui with the demeanour of respectable persons; and on this evening, although the street was thronged with a number of the starving populace, yet they were quite well-behaved and inoffensive to passers-by. I had just reached the Rue Duphot, when I perceived coming forward towards me an evidently poverty-stricken group, in front of whom walked a man carrying something covered in his arms : just as I came up he stopped before me, and, railing the cloak with whichhe was enveloped, presented to my eyes a child of two or three years old, quite dead. There lay the young innocent creature, like a -waxen image, pale, stiff, and inanimate, alike insensible to cold and hun- ger. I suppose the poor people saw in my countenance the shock I expe- rienced and the sorrow I felt, that I had at the moment no means of reliev- ing them ; for they said not a word, but walked quietly en, leaving me over- whelmed with the mast peinfel feelings at this mute appeal to my powerless sympathy."
This is a lady's opinion af the Assembly and Cavaignac, aboutthe same time—the Autumn of '1848.
"When we entered the enclosure which led to their house, we found it filled with soldiers, both of horse and foot.regiments ; cannon- were planted in every direction, and guards posted all round about, whilst bands of men under arms were ready to act at a moment's notice. So completely was everything metamorphosed from what it had formerly been, that we had much difficulty in finding our way to the apartments she occupied, and then only by thesud of some Of the soldiers. My feelings were rather uncomfort- able when I found myself in a scene so completely that of preparation, for war ; but nevertheless I was afterwards very glad that I had happened to go that day, for it proved to be the one on winch was agitated the exclusion Of the Bonaparte family as candidates for the Presidentship. When I looked round on the assembled Deputies, I think I never in my life beheld so laige a. mass of undistinguished-looking men ; and, with the exeeption of five or six, I could not have said that I saw one the least like a gentleman. The debates were loud and furious ; and the manner in which the members con- ducted themselves was quite in keeping with their pessonal appearance ; the Mountain rose up, and the Mountain eat down, fists were shaken, and shouts burst forth; in short it was altogether a scene difficult to conceive and quite impossible to describe. At last my eyes reposed upon a most gentlemanlike person who made his way to the tribune, and my attention became fixed when I understood that it was Cavaignac who was about to speak ; and cer- tainly a more prepossessing exterior could not any -there be seen. He was plainly but extremely well dressed; and although "not what might be termed handsome, yet there was .a mixture of the soldier and the man of fashion in his air and demeanour which formed a singularly pleasing contrast to the excited and common-looking figures by whom he was surrounded. The few words he uttered, in favour of the admission of. the Bonapartes as candidates, were simple and dear, and in one the conviction of Ins possessing an in- telleotml superiority quite in accordance with his general appearance. This was the.first time I had ever seen Cavaignac."
Previous page
