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    — ,N ovEMB^R ^ M ^ 1854.] THE LEADER. 30...

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    AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE. Haps and...

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    A Hew Novelist. Ajraja, A.Norwegian Andl...

    ' ^ - " ——^ Baa ^ aBaMMMOTMM n ai at I /» ffoden ; and no man in all Nordland hires himself out , without making it a condition thai he shall join the expedition to the islands . How do you like it ?" " Better at a distance , than near at hand , " said Marstrand , witk a smile . This picture of a church-interior ia Norway gives nn excellent specimen of our author in his best mood : — _ A fall hour elapsed before the parson made his appearance ; and daring this interval many woiidly affairs -were transacted in the porch , and even on the seats of the little weather-beaten , wooden church . Sales and purchases of fish , cattle , oil , and provisions were concluded ; bargains of the most various kinds were laughed over , disputed , and . drunk ; and , in short , it was a gathering of the people for many miles , who availed themselves of this occasion to supply both their spiritual and temporal wants .

    Finally , came tke pastor of Lyngen ; a large , broad-shouldered man , in a leathern coat , lined with green freize , and a wolf-skin thrown over it . After he had exchanged a dozen hand-shakings , and had complimented ladies and gentlemen , he put on the cope , and ascended the pulpit to deliver an interminably tiresome discourse . He had selected his theme from the fishing of the believer , who , trusting in the word of the . Lord , had cast his net , and applied it to the prolific catch of that year , under thanks to a gracious God for the many large and fat fish which , by his command , swam in the Westfiord , there to fall into the hands of so many valiant Norwegian men . Tired and bored by this monotonous discourse , Marstrand turned his attention from the preacher to the congregation , which he found much more interesting . He could notin

    , general , gainsay the opinion that a long residence in the inhospitable North , amid ice and bog , and tempests on sea and land , had impaired the beauty and strength of the Norman ra . ee . The weather-beaten , leathern-hued complexions of most of the assembly testified to a continual contest with nature , against which no tender organisation could maintain itself , and before which the hardiest and strongest often sank to the ground . Here no one lived for pleasure , and no one could , exist but for the fish , in the sea . The fishy odour which filled every cottage reeked also through this church ; and even the preacher himself , whose red face glowed with the fire of toddy , and . whose eyes shone with enthusiasm as he spoke of the fat fisb , seemed to be a genuine worshipper of the great Fetiseh , from whom came all the blessings of the laud , and to whom all adoration was offered .

    Several sprightly young men , with keen , strongly-marked features , distinguished themselves as advantageously among this mass of fish calculators and oil speculators as some young girls who , in their feather jackets and gold pins , were evidently conscious of their charms . Behind them , against the walls of the church , sai the fishermen , with their wives , as motionless as statues , and gazing with , a fixed stare from beneath their long , falling hair , straight ahead . Gigantic Quan . es , from the islands and the new settlements—ugly , stump-nosed fellows , with small , sparkling eyeshovered in . the corners , together with their wives , in red gowns and flaunting kerchiefs , attd hideous , monkey-visag-ed children by their sides . Among all the women , however , in the church , who were modishly equipped in bonnet , cap * and ribbons , bought for them by their fathers and . husbands in Bergen , but few could compare with Miss Ilda .

    In her black , woollen dress , with her rich hair bound round -with a velvet ribbon and fastened by a silver arrow , was , as she sat by the side of Marstrand , in his opinion ,, the prettiest maiden in the assemblage . Here , for the fmt time , -where many of her sex were gathered together , be recognised and confessed her superiority ; and whether it proceeded from the fact that his eye was , for the first time , opened , never foefore did her commanding figure , her broad , arched brow , regularly formed face and large , mild eyes , appear to him so commendable , lie lost the standard of beauty which he formerly held , and received in its stead another in the region in which he ¦ was now living . " Among the blind the one-eyed is king , " said he , jokingly , to himself . " I shall ,

    however , never be able to persuade myself that Miss Ilda , as she sits there , tall and grand , strong-limbed and motionless of eye , is such a charming being as to set blood and nerves in motion . " His thoughts flew from Ilda ' s cold , severe countenance , to the nimble-footed Gula , revealing , with her pleasant smile , her -white teeth , and nodding to him across the grass-plot before the door of the house at Orenaes . Yes , if she had something of the nature of that child , he thought to himself ; if the pillow of salt could only move and breathe , life would awaken life . Meanwhile , the preacher held valiantly on ; and at length , as Marstrand congratur lated himself he was nearly at an end , the discourse took a sudden turn upon his own personal concerns , and the holy man , in the most strenuous manner , reminded his audience of their obligations and duty to him after so rich a fishery .

    " Tins is the day of offerings ! " he shouted , as he thumped the pulpit , " I advise you also not to ba so miserly and niggardly as many among you for a long time have been . I will not mention names : you will understand me sufficiently , and will see to it , that I may bo able to drink to your prosperity . Think of it , dear friends and neighbours ; consider of the great care and trouble I undergo for your sakes , and that I am a N " onmvn of good blood and fumily , and not a Lupp , who can live on fiah-heads and frozen chaese . Search your pockets , and bring out what you have designed for mo ; and if it be too little , add to it , and make it better than the last time , when it Avas a shame for Lynguniiord Parish to seo with what a light purso I went home . . And now , receive the blessing ; and 1 hope you will net properly towards your friend Hoinrick Sturc . "

    If our readers are pleased with these specimens of A / raja , we cun honestly recommend them to opun the volume for themselves . I'hey aviII find , it full of passages equal in merit and interest to any that we have quoted .

    — ,N Ovemb^R ^ M ^ 1854.] The Leader. 30...

    — , N ovEMB ^ R ^ M ^ 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 3075

    American Impressions Of Europe. Haps And...

    AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE . Haps and Miahajis of a Tour in Europe . By Grace Greenwood . JBentley . Theuh is nothing very new in this little volume , either aa to the scenes visited or the impressions produced by them ; but all is so plonsuntly described , the writer ' s enjoyment is so fresh nnd genuine , her perceptions so keen , and her appreciation so just , that it is impossible to read it without a certain sympathy . The stylo is exceedingly good—very free from those peculiarities which wo call " Americanisms ; '' horc and there wo ( ind a slight oxoeas of adjectives and enthusiasm , but there is no iill'cotation in this ; it is

    the genuine pleasure of an imaginative and cultivated ! mind , enjoying the gratification of beholding for tho first time scenes and yei'sons lmMowed by intellectual or historical associations . The tour may l > u snid to continence at Liverpool , whence , after visiting some few " shrinui . s" in the midland counties , the authoress proceods to London . During her short staiy there , she seems to bave had tho good fortune to see some of its best intellectual society , and to have appreciated it thoroughly . After excursions to Ireland and Scotland , she proceeds through Paris to Koine , naturally her chief objects visits Naples , Genoa , Venice , and other Italian cities , and returns through th < 3 Tyrol , vid Struaburf * and Faris , to London , whoro we part

    company . Of all these places she has brought away very pleasing daguerrotypes , from which we shall make a few extracts . Here is a visit to the sister of Robert Burns : — On our way back to Ayr , we called to see the sister and nieces of Burns , —Mrs . Begg and her daftghters , —who , we had been assured , were kindly accessible to visitors ! This visit was altogether the most interesting and gratifying event of the day . Mrai Begg lives in a simple little rose-embowered cottage , about a mile from her birthplace , where all who seek her with a respectful interest receive a courteous and cordial welcome . Mrs . Begg is now about eighty years of age , but looks scarcely above sixty and shows more than the remains of remarkable beauty . Her smile could hardly have been sweeter , or her eyes liner , at twenty . Her sight , hearing , and memory seem unimpaired ; her manners are graceful , modest , and ladylike , and she converses with rare intelligence and animation , speaking with a slight , sweet Scottish accent . Her likeness to Naysrnith ' s portrait of her brother is very marked—lier are

    eyes peculiarly like the idea we have of his both by pictures and description—large , dark , lustrous , and changing . Those eyes shone with new brightness as I told her of our love for the memory of her beloved brother , our sympathy in his sorrows , and our honour for his free and manly spirit—when I told her that the new world ,- as the old , bowed to the mastery of his genius , and were swayed to smiltes or tears by the wondrous witchery of his song . But when I spoke my admiration of the monument , and said , " What a joy it would have been to him , could he have foreseen such noble recognition of his greatness ! " she smiled mournfully , and shook her head , saying , " . ' i nadam ) in n 5 s proudest moments , my poor brother never dreamed of such a thing ; " then added that bis death chamber was darkened and his death agony deepened by want and eare , and torturing feara for the dear ones he was to leave . I was reminded by her words of the expression of an old Scotch aame in our country , on hearing of the completion of this monument : " Puir Rob ! he asked for bread , and now they gie him a stane . "

    A republican ' s impression of a royal prorogation of Parliament deserves a place : — Her Majesty wore a splendid ¦ tiara of brilliants , matched "by bracelets , necklace , and stomacher . Her soft , brown hair was dressed quite plainly—rolled in the neck as for riding . Her under-dress was of-white satin , striped with gold ; her overdress was , of course , of crimson velvet , trimmed with gold and ermine . After desiring the lords to be seated , the Queen commanded that her " faithful Commons " should be summoned . The members of the lower house are only allowed a narrow , ignoble space , railed off from the chamber , under the gallery , opposite the throne . Into this they soon came , hurrying , and tumbling , with a sad want of aristocratic dignity and parliamentary decorum . While the speaker was reading his formal speech I looked round upon the scene , striving to stamp it indelibly upon my memory . The vast chamber itself , gorgeous in crimson and gold , frescoes rich and historic , carving exquisite beyond description , the pride and loveliness of England ' s aristocracy , with the emblems of its exhaustless wealth , splendidly attired and decorated officers of state , or the army , and of the royal household , grouped about the throne , and her upon the throne .

    Throughout the reading of the speech , Her Majesty listened with a cold , quiet manner , sitting perfectly motionless , even to her fingers and eyelids . The Iron Duke , standing at her left , bent and trembled slightly , supporting , with evident difficulty , the ponderous sword of state . Prince Albert , sitting , tall and soldier-like , in his handsome field-marsnaTs uniform , looked nonchalant and serene , and only needed hia meerschaum to make up a perfect picture of German placidity . The Earl of Derby held the crown on its crimson cushion , gracefully , like an accomplished waiter presenting an ice . That crown smote on the eye with its intolerable brightness . Tha wondrous costly jewels seemed to throb with life , the undying life of light . O immortal stones , on how many scenes like this have ye looked , -with your cold gleaming eyes , mocking alike the proud flash in the bold eyes of mighty kings , and the smiling light in the gentl « eyes of fair queens—mocking , indeed , all the passing power , and the perishing glory ye are meant to adorn and emblazon , and tho mournful mortality , the death ward throbbing , of the brows ye encircle !

    After the reading of this speech , certain bills were read to Her Majesty for her assent ; -which she gave each time with a gracious bow , shaking sparkles from her diamond tiara in dewdrops of light . At every token of royal acquiescence , a certain , personage , whom I took for an herald , bowed low towards the Queen , then performed a similar obeisance towards the Commons , crying , in a harsh , and utterly indescribable voice , " La Heine le veut . " This ceremony gone through with , tho lord chancellor , kneeling at tho foot of the throne , presented a copy of the royal speech to the Queen , whioh sho proceeded to read in ji manner perfectly simple , yet dignified , and in a voice singularly melodious and distinct . Finer reading I never heard anywhere ; every syllable was clearly enunciated , and thy emphasis fell with unerring precision uport the right word .

    I be Lord Chancellor having formally announced that parliament stood prorogued until the 20 th of August , Her Majesty ro . so us majestically as could bej expected of ono more remarkable for rosy plumptiturte than regal altitude . Prince Albert took hia place at her side—the crowu-bcarer took his in front—the train-benrerrt took thoira ia tho rear ; the royal procession formed , swept slowly forth , the brilliant house broko up and followed ; and so tho splendid pageant passed away—faded like a vision of poetry , or a fairy enchantment . There is a good deal of truth in the following comments upon tho yexed question of Church ceremonial : — On descending wo found one or two vicars , and a little crowd of whito-gowncd boyn , performing service in tin : chapel . Wo heard tho or ^ sin rolling its melodious thunder through tho solemn iirchiw , and tUu ohoristora Hinging a beautiful anthem . But , beyond tho solemnity of wiunil , the grandeur of uoUlu music , the EngTiHh worship struck mo as utterly unauitud to the Mplusitlour of old Catholic cuthurirulq . It has form without poetry , liqruinony without myrttory . It In wanting in tho ideal

    arid picturesque ; nnd »(> , to the outward eye at leant , comparatively cold and LanLnlofla . There ia a dreary barenoflM , an iucouinloUmcsH , about a vast cathedral 13 k « ( . hi * , without t . ho warmth and glory spread abroad by pictures of naintu and " tho Virgin oi virpjinn , " without the gruuu of HinilpUiro , tho pomp of gorgwmn pritwtly rubuM , tho silvery wroathn of iiieonao , l . ho rwlimico of illuminated nlt-nrn , and , nbnvo nil , the * presence of a kneeling crowd of fin-vont and humbU ) worriltlp | i « r . s . If w « urn to have a religion of form , lot . it b « tho perfection of form , t > uy many in IIioho duyn i if wo uro to wornhip through tho outwnrd and virilhlu , lot . at leant , our type-it nnd wyiiibol . i bo boautiful and hurniontouti . In n country of eonlirteut . od < mtho < lrulrf , < u » l uhurohoa denuded and clcspoilud of thoir lifting' uml legendary aoeoH . wm . w , i <• ' «» unaily iinder-Htand this Puauyila rwiotimi . Though it in undoubtedly iu many ( llrcction . i n ntrika for power , it i » in houiu a mnni nibtsilioii of turttti . Thin mnUlmental pitiwioit for ail things modiuival , from tho Illuminated \ tvnyur-i >» i > k of ihu uoMo lmly to tho < jothio rod-brick country-lumsiss of the retired grocer— tit id nitfu for mouldy taiiotttry , ingoniouitly-uucomfortublu olmiru , and ludeoin old huint . * i" » tn . ino < l tf l « na , in « part of tho M » n > u religiouM buck ml . Hero if ) un ainuuiiif ; akvtdi of a poculiur " Industrie , " thu " artitit-modol , " in Home :- —

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 11, 1854, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_11111854/page/19/