A Letter from the Other Side of the Atlantic [pp. 18-21]

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
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vwhere he may almost fancy himself treading in the
footsteps of men, on whose actions and on vwhose
thoughts lie has loved to dwell, and can, as it were,
identify tlhem with what he sees! It is this undefinable
chuarmin which is thrown around several of the countries
of Europe, mor thau their positive, actual beauty,
whichl renders a tour thl-rotughl them a matter of suchli
exquisite gratification. But the scenes of practical
misery which are constantly presented to the eye in
France, are too revolting to allow the imaginagition to
induloge in its reveries fcr any length of timn, and
constitute a great drawback upon the pleasure arising
fiom a journey tlhrougIh its lhallowed and lovely region.
WVhenever the Diligence stopped, especially if in a villag,e or town, it was immediately surroundcled by a host
of beggars demanding chlarity, whose pitiably miserable
appearance was enough to sicken the heart. It would
be in vain, however, for any other than a Rothschild
to attempt to bestow alms, however inconsiderable,
upon them all. If a person with a purse of but moderate dimensions were to do it, lie w ould soon be obliged
to enroll himself among the mendicant fiaternity, and
cry out with the rest of them-" Donnez un sons, a un
pauvre malheureux, pour l'amour de Doiet et de la Sainte
Vierge." But it vwould be impossible for the most frigid
stoic to resist some of the sights of distress w-hich are
encountered.
There is one circuntstance which at first gives the
country of France a somewhat singular aspect to the
eye of an American-I mean the want of fences or
hedges to separate the fields, &c. froir the road,-in
consequence of which they are completely open to the
depredations of cattle. These gentry cannot certainly
be as fond of making inroads upon the property of
others in France as they are in America, or they would
not be afforded there such facilities for indulgping their
inclinations as are given them by thlie want of enclosures.
The numerous windmills that hlie meets, strike him also
as adding to the novelty of the surrounding scenery, and
give him some opportunity for the exercise of his imagination, by fancying that he beholds the renowvned
Don shivering his chivalrous lance against one of their
arms. And there stands the honest Squire holding the
bridle of his donkey, and gazing at the feats of his
master with a look of mingled wonder and waggery!
In Rouen I spent a delightful day in looking at the
glorious old cathedrals,
Where through the long drawn aisle and fretted vault,
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.
Beyond those venerable structures the place has few
attractions; and with Paris in prospect one is not dis
posed to dilly-dally on the road. It was late in the
evening when we reached the great Metropolis, but I
did not get to bed before I had strolled up and down the
Boulevards in all the ecstacy of admiring astonishment,
wondering, a la Yankee Doodle, how I should ever see
the town, there were so many houses and people.
The first thing of course that a stranger does in Paris,
is to make the round of its "lions," having previously
purchased a guide-book, and arranged the most regular
process for inspecting them all. After fixing upon the
method to be pursued, appropriating certain objects to
each day, in order to avoid confuision, he sets out upon
his tour with a full resolve to follow his predetermined
plan. But scarcely has he advanced a few steps in the
street, before his notice is attracted by something that
causes him to linger for awhile. Tearing himself,however, away, he proceeds a little further in his course,
wihen another novelty produces another delay. Again
he continues his route, secretly vowing that nothing
shlall a thiird time turn him aside from the object he has
in view, but again is his attention diverted to what
meets his eye. In this manner he goes on; until perhlaps ihe finds himself completely wearied for the day,
before he has arrived at the place which it was his intention first to inspect. This happened to me so often
in my sighlt-seeklin, expeditions, that at length I abandoned all hopes of accomplishing a systematic scrutiny,
and permitted myself to wander about without chart or
compass in whatever direction 1 was borne by the varying wind of inclination or chance. " Q'uo me cunque
rapit tempestas, dferor lhospes," was the only principle
of my rambllings. Indeedl it would be next to impossible to have any other in Paris, where at every step so
many causes ofamusement and interest are encountered,
that unless you possess the self-command or apathy of
a stoic, it is a matter of as much difficulty for you to
keep your "eyes right" as it is for a militia man on his
first muster-day. This remark is of course only applicable to pedestrian excursions-in a cabriolet or any
other kind of vehicle, temptations to irregularity being
much less strong and much less easy to gratify, a methodical course may be pursued. But I must confess
that (whenever thle state of the weather rendered it possible,) I infinitely preferred trudging along to the employment of a conveyance; and I thinkl it decidedly
most advisable for a stranger, who is anxious to gain
all the entertainment and instruction he can firom his
sojourn in Paris, to make use of his legs as much as
possible inll his peregrinations among its streets. By
riding, it is true, he saves a great deal of time and
avoids considerable inconvenience of various kinds, but
his observations will be comparatively few and superficial, and his sources of amusement much less abundant.
I have said that considerable inconvenience is avoided
by riding, and it must be acknowledged that it requires
no small portion of patience and self-possession to thread
one's way tlhrough most of the streets, or rather alleys,
of Paris. It is a pity the poet Gay did not write a
Trivia upon the art of walking in them, as well as in
those of London, instead of leaving that theme for
"Gallia's Muse." His directions for the comfort of
pedestrians in the metropolis of England, are of little
use to the tribe, who, in the sister capital, seek
Sweet content on foot,
Wrapt in their virtue, and a good surtout.
Here it is useless to trouble one's self about giving the
wall to one person and refusing it to another, or with
reflections upon the best means of escaping all annoyances, such as the dirtying of clothes, jostling, and a
hundred others, which it would require an iron voice
and brazen lungs to enumerate-all minor considerations are merged in the absorbing one of safety. The
danger that is incurred from innumerable vehicles in
narrow, crowded streets, where there are no sidewalks,
and where consequently the pedestrian has no appropriate place, is such, that unless the whole attention is
devoted to its avoidance accidents must ensue. Wo to