AROUND THE WORLD
IN
EIGHTY MINUTES
PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT EDIFICES,
THE MOST INTERESTING REMAINS AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
SCENES ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE
WITH DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
BY
WM. S. WALSH
PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS
1894
Copyrighted, 1894, by HENRY ALTEMUS
ALTEMUS’ BOOKBINDERY, PHILADELPHIA
INTRODUCTION
Travel is the greatest of educators, the greatest of civilizers. To
come in contact with men and manners different from those to which
we have been accustomed by birth is to broaden the mind; to teach it
forbearance, sympathy, wisdom; to rob it of its philistinism; to make
it cosmopolitan and not provincial. To come face to face with the great
monuments of the past and of the present, to see what man has done
and is doing, is to get a new idea of the vastness, the imaginative
strength, the creative power of the human mind, to renew your respect
for your kind and for yourself, because you belong to that kind. It
may teach you your own littleness, indeed, in itself a useful lesson.
But it also teaches you the greatness of that aggregate of little
individuals to which we give the generic name of man. And to learn this
lesson of reverence for man is to kin yourself with what is best and
holiest in man.
Horse-power, sails, steam, electricity are all at your bidding to-day,
ready harnessed to transport you where you will. If you wish to travel,
the world is yours to command. Fictitious heroes have circled it in
eighty days; real men and women have accomplished the feat in less
time. A little leisure and a little money will enable you to do what a
century or so ago would have been impossible to the greatest potentate
on earth, with twenty-four hours of leisure every day, and the wealth
of Indies at his beck and call.
But if you have not the little leisure, if you have not the little
money, you can travel without them. You can travel without passing out
of your room, without quitting your chair. The resources of modern
science are inexhaustible. Mahomet, though a prophet, had to go to the
mountain because the mountain would not come to him. But you need not
go to the mountain; modern science will make it come to you. You have
but to say the word.
Here, in this book, for example, are one hundred photographs of one
hundred of the most famous sights, scenes and monuments in the whole
world. To see these sights, these scenes, these monuments, is to attain
a liberal education. Now what is seeing? Seeing, the philosopher will
tell you, is to have certain waves of light strike your eye and create
an impression on your retina of the objects that are in front of you.
The retina, in other words, is nothing but a natural camera obscura.
And what is a photograph? A photograph is a modern invention whereby,
by means of an artificial camera obscura, the sun, the author of all
light, is cunningly induced to bind upon paper forever the impression
made by the actual waves of light set in motion by certain objects.
Remember it is not a picture of that object formed by some individual
man and blurred by the personality of the individual who made it. It is
the actual sight, the actual scene, the actual monument, or what not,
just as it would have met your natural retina if you had been there,
and simply reflected from the artificial retina into your natural one.
The sun is the true realist--faithful, literal, exact. Would we not
cheerfully exchange Giotto’s portrait of Dante for a photograph by
Sarony, had Sarony and his camera existed in Dante’s day; or Wagner’s
Chariot Race for an instantaneous photograph of the great Colosseum,
with its surging crowds of humanity? The men and women in Wagner’s
masterpiece are vivid and life-like; as types they are faithful and
exact, but the instantaneous photograph would give you the very outer
form and semblance, the body and almost the soul, of individuals who
had once lived, who are now once again living before you. Savages
are said to shrink from being photographed, deeming that a part of
themselves passes into the picture, and the superstitions of savages
are metaphors in which civilized men read a poetical hint of the truth.
Here, then, are one hundred of the greatest of human monuments and the
most magnificent of earthly scenes brought into your very presence by
the witchery of modern science. The selection has been made with the
greatest care so as to be truly representative of all ages, people and
climes. Each photograph is accompanied by a pains-taking and accurate
description which briefly but succinctly sums up the information that
the reader needs for his guidance. Here, therefore, is a trip round
the world with the services of a guide thrown in, and that trip can be
accomplished pleasantly and without fatigue at an expense which is too
ridiculously small to mention.
Well may the modern laugh at Mahomet and his mountain, and snap his
fingers at Phineas Fogg and Nelly Bly. Eighty days quotha! Seventy?
Sixty? Nay, eighty minutes will suffice.
CONTENTS
PAGE
The Statue of Liberty 12
The Tower of London 14
Westminster Abbey 16
St. Paul’s Cathedral 18
Houses of Parliament, London 20
Bank of England, London 22
Mansion House, London 24
London Bridge 26
Trafalgar Square, London 28
Thames Embankment, London 30
Kenilworth Castle, England 32
Warwick Castle, England 34
Windsor Castle, England 36
Shakespeare’s House 38
Osborne House, Isle of Wight 40
Blarney Castle, Ireland 42
The Lakes of Killarney, Ireland 44
Giant’s Causeway, Ireland 46
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland 48
Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh 50
Melrose Abbey, Scotland 52
Abbotsford, Scotland 54
Fingal’s Cave, Scotland 56
Forth Bridge, Scotland 58
Balmoral Castle, Scotland 60
Loch Katrine, Scotland 62
North Cape, Norway 64
The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia 66
The Church of St. Basil, Moscow 68
Royal Museum, Berlin, Germany 70
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin 72
Cologne Cathedral, Germany 74
Heidelberg Castle, Germany 76
Ehrenbreitstein, Germany 78
The Cathedral, Antwerp, Belgium 80
Palais de Justice, Brussels, Belgium 82
Field of Waterloo, Belgium 84
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris 86
Place de la Bastille, Paris 88
Place de la Concorde, Paris 90
Place Vendome, Paris 92
Garden of the Tuileries, Paris 94
Arc de Triomphe, Paris 96
Napoleon’s Tomb, Paris 98
Chamber of Deputies, Paris 100
Grand Opera House, Paris 102
Eiffel Tower, Paris 104
The Trocadero, Paris 106
Chateau de Fontainebleau, France 108
Garden and Fountains, Versailles, France 110
Grand Trianon, Versailles 112
A Bull Fight, Seville, Spain 114
The Alhambra 116
Cordova, Spain 118
Rock of Gibraltar 120
Monte Carlo 122
Lake Lucerne, Switzerland 124
Mont Blanc, Switzerland 126
Mer de Glace, Switzerland 128
The Matterhorn, Switzerland 130
Rigi-Kulm, Switzerland 132
Thun, Switzerland 134
Jungfrau from Interlaken 136
Cursalon, Vienna, Austria 138
Cathedral, Milan, Italy 140
Panorama of Venice, Italy 142
St. Mark’s, Venice 144
Grand Canal, Venice 146
Doge’s Palace, Venice 148
Cathedral and Leaning Tower, Pisa, Italy 150
Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy 152
Palazzo Vecchio, Florence 154
Cathedral of Florence 156
The Capitol, Rome, Italy 158
Castle of St. Angelo, Rome 160
St. Peter’s, Rome 162
The Colosseum, Rome 164
The Pantheon, Rome 166
Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Rome 168
The Forum, Rome 170
The Bay of Naples, Italy 172
Pompeii, Italy 174
The Acropolis, Athens, Greece 176
The Bosphorus, Constantinople, Turkey 178
The Mosque of St. Sophia, Constantinople 180
The Sphinx, Egypt 182
The Pyramids of Gizeh, Egypt 184
Ruins of the Temple of Amenophis, Karnak 186
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem 188
Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem 190
Ruins of Baalbek, Syria 192
Taj Mahal, Agra, Hindostan 194
The Pearl Mosque, Hindostan 196
Yosemite Valley, California 198
Big Trees, Mariposa Grove, California 200
Geysers, Yellowstone Park, Wyoming 202
Grand Canon, Yellowstone Park 204
Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico 206
Masonic Temple, Chicago 208
Niagara Falls 210
The Thousand Islands 212
Victoria Bridge, Montreal 214
The Capitol, Washington, D. C. 216
The White House, Washington, D. C. 218
Independence Hall, Philadelphia 220
The Brooklyn Bridge 222
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. This colossal statue, by Auguste Bartholdi,
stands on Bedloe’s Island in New York harbor. It is distinguished, not
only by its immense height (three hundred and five feet six inches
from foundation to torch), but by the elegance of its proportions and
its imposing dignity. At night, especially, when the torch is lighted
by electricity, its effect is unique and commanding. The statue was
presented to the American people by France, the cost being defrayed by
public subscription. The sculptor himself took no remuneration. Public
subscription here put up the pedestal. The statue was formally handed
over to the President of the United States by the French delegates on
October 28th, 1886.
[Illustration]
THE TOWER OF LONDON, ENGLAND. In all the world there is no more famous
fortress than this ancient citadel of London. Situate in the oldest
portion of the city, on the north bank of the Thames, it at once
arrests the attention of every stranger in the English metropolis.
Tradition ascribes its erection to Julius Cæsar, but tradition is
unsupported by historical evidence, and at the most it is only
conjectured that the Romans had a fortress on this site. It may be
stated authoritatively, however, that the Keep or White Tower (so named
because it was formerly whitewashed), which is now the oldest extant
portion of the citadel, was built by William the Conqueror. As the
council chamber of the ancient kings of England, and subsequently as a
prison of state for political offenders, its glory and its shame are
part and parcel of the glory and the shame of all England. Some of the
most momentous events in the history of the country were enacted within
its walls. From an early period it has been the depository of the
ornaments and jewels of the crown.
[Illustration]
WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON. This is the supremely interesting spot in
all London. Its exquisite architecture would alone ennoble it. But as
the sepulchre of sovereigns, heroes, statesmen, authors and poets, as
the scene of some of the most hallowed events in English history, it
makes an even more serious appeal to the imagination. Its very history
is involved in becoming mystery. Tradition asserts that on this site
Sebert, King of the Saxons, built a church and dedicated it to St.
Peter. More authentic history ascribes its inception to Edward the
Confessor, who designed it for his own burial place. Hence, other royal
interments followed. William the Conqueror was crowned here within
a few yards of the Confessor’s tomb, and every succeeding sovereign
of England has followed his example. It also has continued to be the
favorite spot for royal weddings and funerals. As it now stands the
Abbey was for the most part rebuilt by Henry III. Henry VII added the
famous chapel which bears his name, and the two towers on the front
were placed there by Christopher Wren. The Poet’s Corner in the south
transept contains tombs or monuments in honor of many of the most
famous of English literary worthies.
[Illustration]
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, LONDON. This, the metropolitan church of London,
is one of the largest and, without exception, the most conspicuous of
its edifices. Built on a slight eminence, which is said to have been
anciently occupied by a temple to Diana, it is the last of a series
of Christian churches that succeeded to the Pagan temple. The first,
founded about 610, was destroyed by fire in 1087. The second succumbed
to the Great Fire of 1666. The present church was begun June 21st,
1675, and was finished in thirty-five years, under one architect, Sir
Christopher Wren. The whole cost, £747,954 2_s._ 9_d._, was paid by
a tax on every chaldron of coal brought into London. The structure
is five hundred and fifty feet from east to west by one hundred and
twenty-five feet in width; the front is one hundred and eighty feet
wide, and the top of the cross is four hundred feet from the crypt
floor. Carlyle said of it that it was the only edifice that struck him
with a proper sense of grandeur.
[Illustration]
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, LONDON, ENGLAND. This is the largest, and
in some respects the most imposing, of all the public edifices in
England. Gothic in style, in size, at least, it surpasses any other
Gothic building in the world. And in respect to its equipments and
the excellent adaptation of every part to the purposes for which it
was erected and for the transaction of the business to which it is
consecrated it is absolutely unrivaled. Both Houses, Lords and Commons,
meet within its walls. Yet it is a comparatively modern structure.
Occupying the site of the Royal Palace, dwelt in by every English
monarch from the time of Edward the Confessor to Queen Elizabeth, the
corner-stone of the present building was not laid until April 27th,
1840. It covers about eight acres of ground, and has four fronts, the
longest and most effective of which, facing the river Thames, is nine
hundred and forty feet long. The Victoria Tower at the south-west
angle, which is about three hundred and forty feet high and admirably
proportioned, is one of its most effective features.
[Illustration]
BANK OF ENGLAND, LONDON. This, the most celebrated moneyed institution
in the world, is situated on Threadneedle Street. Hence, it is
sometimes facetiously alluded to as “The Old Lady of Threadneedle
Street.” It has a branch in the West End of London and nine branches
in the provinces. It was founded July 27th, 1694, as a joint stock
association, with a capital of £1,200,000, which was lent at eight per
cent. interest to the government of William and Mary. And as it began
as a servant of the government so it has continued. At the present
moment it has the management of the public debt and the paying of
interest thereon, it holds the deposits belonging to government and
aids in the collection of the public revenue. It is the bank of all the
other banks in England. Its notes are legal tender, and are convertible
into coin. Its credit and reputation have been absolutely unequaled by
any other establishment of the sort. Hence, the recent discovery of a
deficit of £5,000,000 shook the financial world to its centre. But the
bank has been able to meet the emergency.
[Illustration]
MANSION HOUSE, LONDON, ENGLAND. The Lord-Mayor of London has his
official residence at the Mansion House. It is situated nearly opposite
the Royal Exchange, on the site of the ancient Stock’s Market; was
begun in 1739 and finished in 1741. In its great banqueting hall,
known as the Egyptian Hall, are given the state banquets. Formerly it
was the ambition of every great London merchant and banker to become
Lord-Mayor, but since the district actually under his jurisdiction has
come to be a very small part of what is known as London, the importance
of this functionary has greatly diminished in the eyes of all save
foreigners. As the dispenser of civic hospitality he receives £8000 a
year, with the use of the Mansion House, furniture, carriages, &c.
[Illustration]
LONDON BRIDGE, LONDON, ENGLAND. This is not the London bridge of
Shakespeare’s time, for that was a wooden structure, lined with houses
on either side. The present London bridge is substantially built of
granite on the site of the older one. It cost £2,566,268, and was
opened to the public on August 1st, 1831, by King William IV. There are
five arches, the central one having a span of one hundred and fifty-two
feet. The entire length is nine hundred and twenty-eight feet and the
width fifty-four. A curious interest attaches to the lamp posts along
the side, which are cast from the metal of French cannon captured in
the Peninsular War. The constant stream of traffic that pours across
this bridge is prodigious. It is estimated that every twenty-four
hours no less than twenty thousand vehicles and one hundred and seven
thousand pedestrians are borne along in the opposing currents.
[Illustration]
TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON. The battle of Trafalgar (22d October, 1805)
was won over the combined French and Spanish fleet by the English,
under Lord Nelson, who lost his life at the very moment of victory.
One of the finest open places in London is named after the conflict.
In the centre a massive granite column, one hundred and forty-five
feet in height, rises to the memory of the great admiral, whose statue
surmounts it. The pedestal is adorned with reliefs in bronze, cast
with the metal of French captured cannon, and representing scenes in
the career of Nelson. Four colossal bronze lions, modeled by Sir Edwin
Landseer, in 1867, crouch upon pedestals running out from the column
in the form of a cross. The square is paved with asphalt. Statues
of Sir Henry Havelock, of Sir Charles James Napier and of George IV
are distributed around it. Towards the north side are two fountains,
and on the terrace to the north rises the National Gallery, with the
interesting old church of St. Martin in the Fields by its side.
[Illustration]
THAMES EMBANKMENT, LONDON, ENGLAND. At an early period the banks of the
Thames River had many wide stretches of marsh land, covered by shallow
lagoons. From time to time embankments have been erected, some of them
dating from the time of the Romans. The greatest of all these works is
the new Victoria Embankment, leading from Blackfriars Bridge towards
the west, along the north bank of the Thames as far as Westminster.
Built in 1864–70, under the direction of Sir Joseph W. Bazalgette, it
cost nearly $10,000,000. It consists of a macadamized carriageway about
two thousand three hundred yards in length and sixty-four feet wide.
The foot pavement on the land side is sixteen feet broad and on the
river side twenty feet. This entire area was formerly covered by the
tide twice a day. A granite wall eight feet thick protects it on the
side next the Thames. Rows of trees have been planted along the sides
of the Embankment, which will eventually make it a shady and delightful
promenade. At intervals are large openings, with stairs leading to the
floating steamboat piers. It is illuminated at night by electricity.
[Illustration]
KENILWORTH CASTLE, ENGLAND. One of the stateliest of feudal remains
in all England is this ruined castle, situated on rising ground to
the west of the village of Kenilworth. Picturesque in itself, famous
as it is in history, it yet derives its chief charm from the glamour
thrown over it by Walter Scott in the novel which he has named after
it. Kenilworth Castle first takes a prominent position in history as
one of the strongholds of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, in his
rebellion against Henry III. Subsequently it passed into the possession
of John of Gaunt, who enlarged and beautified it. But its highest
fame results from the fact that Queen Elizabeth bestowed it upon her
favorite, Robert Leicester, Earl of Dudley, and it was here that Amy
Robsart ended her unhappy life. Cromwell dismantled the castle. Since
his day it has suffered much from the ravages of time, but even in
ruins it retains a potency to delight and to impress.
[Illustration]
WARWICK CASTLE, ENGLAND. Beautiful in itself, famous as the residence
of the Earls of Warwick, and especially of him who went by the title
of the King-maker, Warwick Castle is one of the most notable edifices
in England. Nothing could be more picturesque than its situation on a
rock washed by the Avon. Its two towers are surpassingly beautiful. The
one known as the Clock Tower is here represented. Its battlements and
turrets are full of quaint interest. The grounds which surround it are
a triumph of landscape gardening. And the castle itself is almost a
thousand years old. Legend declares that it was founded in 915 by the
daughter of King Alfred, Ethelfleda. In the war with the barons in the
reign of Henry III it was partially destroyed. In the reign of Edward
III it was restored and strengthened. Additions and improvements have
successively been made. In the reign of James II it passed into the
hands of the Grevilles, and has remained their property ever since.
[Illustration]
WINDSOR CASTLE, ENGLAND. The favorite residence of the English
sovereigns, which distinction it merits through its own beauty, the
beauty of its surroundings and its opulence of historical and legendary
associations. Long before the Normans landed in England it was the
seat of the Saxon Kings. But William the Conqueror founded the present
castle; it was rebuilt by Edward III, was extended by successive
sovereigns, and, finally, in the reign of Queen Victoria, was brought
to its present perfection. The town of Windsor is some twenty miles
from London. On a promontory, overlooking the Valley of the Thames,
stands the castle. Its chapels and its terrace are among the noblest
in Europe. The interior is lavishly decorated, and contains valuable
paintings, statuary, furniture, tapestries and plate. In its vaults lie
the bodies of the Kings and Queens of England.
[Illustration]
SHAKESPEARE’S HOUSE, STRATFORD-ON-AVON, ENGLAND. The birth-place of
genius must always be full of interest to his fellow-men. How great
then must be the interest in the birth-place of the greatest of
geniuses! That interest is attested by the fact that the walls of the
small, mean-looking edifice in which Shakespeare was born are scrawled
all over with the names of potentates, princes, statesmen, poets and
other great and little men. These, indeed, form a not insignificant
part of the curiosities of the place. The house became the property
of the English nation in 1847, and has been carefully restored. The
actual room which witnessed the birth of the poet is shown, and is in
substantially the same condition as when that event took place. In
another room there is a small museum of Shakespearean relics.
[Illustration]
OSBORNE HOUSE, ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND. This is the seaside residence
of Queen Victoria. Even in the Isle of Wight, a place famous for its
magnificent private residences, it occupies a pre-eminent position.
Situated in the immediate neighborhood of East Cowes, almost opposite
to the mouth of Southampton Water, no place could be more favored by
nature in its surroundings, and art has come to the assistance of
nature. The grounds, though not large, are exquisite specimens of that
princely art of landscape gardening in which the English have achieved
the highest success. The palace itself is in excellent taste. A high
tower in one corner is a conspicuous object for miles around. From its
summit a magnificent view of the surrounding country may be obtained.
[Illustration]
BLARNEY CASTLE, IRELAND. This imposing ruin of an ancient fortress is
situated in the village of Blarney, about four miles from Cork. It was
built in the early part of the fifteenth century by Cormac McCarthy,
Prince of Desmond. Little now remains of it but the massive donjon
tower, one hundred and twenty feet high. Its main celebrity arises
from the famous Blarney stone, which endows whoever kisses it with the
gift of flattery, palavering rhodomontade or wheedling eloquence. No
one exactly knows the origin of the stone, nor whence it derived its
mysterious powers. The date 1703 is carved upon it. It is preserved and
held in place by two iron girders between huge mertons of the northern
projecting parapet nearly one hundred feet above the ground. To kiss it
has been the ambition of many generations who laboriously climb up to
its dangerous eminence. But the lip service of so great a multitude is
gradually wearing it away.
[Illustration]
LAKES OF KILLARNEY, IRELAND. These are three connected lakes in County
Kerry, of extraordinary beauty and interest. The largest, known as
Lough Leane, is fifteen miles long by three broad. It contains some
thirty islands, the chief of which is Innisfallen, celebrated in
history and story. On the sides of these lakes rise the loftiest
mountains in Ireland, intersected by the wildest ravines, and full of
the boldest cascades. The beauty of the scenery is enhanced by the
varied coloring of the thickly-wooded shores, the gray rock forming
an effective contrast to the dark firs, the brown mountain heath,
the light green arbutus and other features in an infinite variety of
foliage and verdure. In the immediate neighborhood of Lough Leane
is Muckross Abbey, founded by Franciscan monks in 1340, now a most
picturesque ruin.
[Illustration]
GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, IRELAND. A singular mass of basaltic columns,
situated on the coast of Antrim, Ireland, has obtained this name from
the legend that it was the commencement of a road planned by the giants
of old to project across the channel from Ireland to Scotland. And,
indeed, it looks almost like a deliberate work of mightier men than we
rather than a frolic of nature. It resembles an immense pier jutting
out into the sea from the base of a stratified cliff about four hundred
feet high, to the length of about seven hundred feet. The pillars
composing it are close-fitting, dark-colored and somewhat irregular
hexagons, varying in diameter from fifteen to twenty inches and
sometimes reaching the height of twenty or even thirty feet. Whinstone
dikes separate it into three divisions, known as the Little Causeway,
the Middle or “Honeycomb” Causeway and the Larger or Grand Causeway.
Altogether, it comprises about forty thousand columns, each consisting
of several pieces.
[Illustration]
EDINBURGH CASTLE, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. Picturesquely situated on a
rocky eminence, three hundred and eighty-three feet high, in the very
heart of the old portion of Edinburgh, is this ancient fortress. The
rock is perpendicular on three sides. On the fourth it slopes away
gradually so that it can be ascended with ease. The fort is supposed to
have been erected in the seventh century, the city gradually growing up
around it. In early Scottish history it was frequently captured by and
recaptured from the English. In the twelfth century it became a royal
residence. By the articles of union it is one of the four fortresses
which are to be kept constantly fortified. It contains accommodations
for two thousand soldiers, and its armory affords space for thirty
thousand stands of arms. The Scottish Regalia are preserved here, and
one of the chief objects of interest is the room where Mary, Queen
of Scots, gave birth to James VI, in whom the crowns of England and
Scotland were united. The picture is taken from the Parade Ground.
[Illustration]
HOLYROOD PALACE, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. This spacious building occupies
the site of an Abbey, founded in A. D. 1128 by King David I, of
Scotland. The palace itself was begun in the reign of James IV, was
nearly destroyed by Cromwell in 1650, and was rebuilt by Charles II.
But the chief interest of the place centres upon its associations with
Mary, Queen of Scots. Luckily her apartments are preserved in almost
their original condition. The royal chapel, where she celebrated mass
to the indignation of the Protestants, is almost intact. So is the
audience chamber in which she disputed with John Knox. And even to this
day is pointed out a deep stain at the foot of the private stairway to
her apartments which is said to be the blood of the murdered Rizzio. In
recent times the palace has been seldom used as a place of residence.
It stands on the top of a huge rock four hundred and forty-three feet
above the sea, and is built in the shape of a quadrangle with a court
in the centre.
[Illustration]
MELROSE ABBEY, MELROSE, SCOTLAND. This is the most famous and the most
picturesque ruin in Scotland--indeed in all Great Britain. Originally
founded for the Cistercian monks by David I, of Scotland, in the
twelfth century, it was nearly destroyed by the English--Edward II--in
1322, and shortly after was rebuilt by Robert Bruce, whose heart is
fabled to be buried under the east window. The abbey was again burned
by Richard II in 1385, and though again restored it was considerably
altered after the Reformation to suit the demands of Presbyterian
worship. Later it was plundered by builders to secure ornaments for
houses, and is now in utter ruin. As it stands, therefore, it belongs
mainly to the middle of the fourteenth century and the first half of
the fifteenth, with a good many portions of much later date. Even in
ruins it is one of the noblest exemplars of the Middle-pointed style of
Gothic architecture. Sir Walter Scott made it the scene of his novel
of “The Monastery,” and also celebrated it in some well-known lines in
“Marmion.”
[Illustration]
ABBOTSFORD, SCOTLAND. As the residence of Sir Walter Scott, who erected
it in the days of his greatest financial success, and as the scene and
the cause of his eventual ruin, the castle of Abbotsford must ever
retain a picturesque and pathetic hold upon the lover of literature.
It is situated on the south bank of the Tweed, near Melrose Abbey,
and about twenty-eight miles southeast of Edinburgh. Scott’s aim was
to erect a great mansion on something like feudal principles, where
he would dispense a lordly hospitality akin to that of the ancient
nobles whom he loved to celebrate. The scheme was too grand to
succeed. The kindly baronet was involved in ruin, and spent his last
days in a courageous and almost successful effort to battle against
terrible odds. At present Abbotsford has passed out of the hands of
his descendants and become a boarding-school for young ladies. But
it is still a museum of interesting relics, and on account of its
associations is much visited by tourists.
[Illustration]
FINGAL’S CAVE, SCOTLAND, one of the most remarkable of all cave
formations. It is situated on the Island of Staffa, seven miles off
the west coast of Mull. The entire island is almost entirely encircled
by cliffs of columnar basalt, hollowed out here and there into caves.
Fingal’s, known also as the Great Cave, is the greatest of these.
The entrance is almost like that of a huge Gothic Cathedral. A lofty
arch, sixty feet high by thirty wide, is supported by columnar ranges
of basaltic rock, whose native blackness is whitened with calcareous
stalagmite. The cave is two hundred and thirty-two feet deep. Its floor
is the sea, which flashes many colored lights upon the ceiling with its
pendant clusters of columns, and on the great cavernous sides, with
their countless complicated ranges of gigantic columns, beautifully
jointed and of the most symmetrical though varied forms.
[Illustration]
FORTH BRIDGE, SCOTLAND. The largest and, in many respects, the most
magnificent bridge in the world, is that across the Firth of Forth, at
Queensbury. Here the estuary of the Forth is divided by the island of
Inchgarvie into two channels, whose depth--two hundred feet--precluded
the construction of intermediate piers. A design for a gigantic
suspension bridge, by Sir Thomas Bouch, had almost been adopted, when
the collapse of the Tay bridge, in 1879, led to the abandonment of
the project. A new plan was accepted from Benjamin Baker. This was a
cantilever bridge of steel. A cantilever is a structure overhung from
a fixed base. Work was begun in 1882 and completed in 1889. There
are three granite piers, the central one being on the island; and on
those piers three double lattice-work cantilevers are poised in line,
reaching towards each other, and connected at their extremities by
ordinary girders three hundred and fifty feet long, by which the two
main spans are completed. These main spans are each seventeen hundred
feet long, and the total length of the bridge is eighty-two hundred and
ninety-six feet, or a little over one and one-half miles. The under
side of the bridge is one hundred and fifty-two feet above high water.
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BALMORAL CASTLE, SCOTLAND, the Highland residence of the Queen of
England, situated in Braemer, Aberdeenshire. Its situation is of great
beauty. It stands on a natural platform nine hundred and twenty-six
feet above sea level, which slopes gently and gradually down to the
margin of the River Dee. The castle is in the Scottish Baronial style
of architecture. It is entirely of granite, and consists of two
separate blocks of buildings united by wings. A tower eighty feet
high is surmounted by a turret twenty feet higher. The entire estate,
including a deer forest, comprises over twenty-five thousand acres. It
was purchased by Prince Albert in 1832 from the Earl of Fife. He pulled
down the older castle, finding it not exactly suited to the needs of
the royal family, and put up the present imposing structure in its
place.
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LOCH KATRINE (ELLEN’S ISLE), SCOTLAND. The Scotch lakes are famous
the world over for their beauty. Loch Katrine is the most famous of
them all. It lies in Perthshire; is eight miles in length, and has
an average breadth of three quarters of a mile. Ben Venue and Ben
An are celebrated mountains on its banks, and it contains a number
of exquisite islands. Among the latter is Ellen’s Island, chosen by
Sir Walter Scott as the scene of “The Lady of the Lake.” Wordsworth
and other poets have thrown the glamour of their genius around Loch
Katrine. But it has a more practical use. Its waters, which are
remarkably pure, supply the city of Glasgow, twenty-five miles off;
being conveyed thither by a series of tunnels, aqueducts and pipes.
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NORTH CAPE, NORWAY. A promontory, situated on the north extremity of
the Island of Mageroe, which is divided by a narrow channel from the
mainland of Norway. It is celebrated, not only for the sombre grandeur
of its scenery, but as the northernmost point of Europe. It consists of
a precipitous slate rock, fissured with many clefts, which rise to a
height of some twelve hundred feet above the sea.
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KREMLIN AND GREAT BELL, MOSCOW, RUSSIA. The Kremlin is the name given
to an inner enclosure or citadel in Moscow crowded with palaces,
churches and towers, surrounded by a wall sixty feet in height and
two miles in circuit. The Tartar style of architecture, with gilded
domes and cupolas, forms the predominant feature. The palace of the
Kremlin is the residence of the czars. It suffered much damage in the
conflagration of 1812, which drove Napoleon out of the city, and was
rebuilt in the reign of Nicholas I in 1838–49. In its restored shape it
is rather a mass of buildings, old and new, than a single, harmonious
structure. But it is full of historical and immediate interest. The
tower of Ivan the Great, whose five stories rise to a height of three
hundred and twenty-five feet, is close to the palace. At its foot lies
the Great Bell, the largest in the world--cast in 1730. It was broken a
few years afterwards by the burning of the wooden tower in which it was
suspended. Its height is twenty-six feet four inches, its circumference
sixty-seven feet eleven inches.
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CHURCH OF ST. BASIL, MOSCOW, RUSSIA. This remarkable edifice, standing
on the site of an ancient church and cemetery where St. Basil was
buried, was built in 1554 by Ivan IV. He is said to have been so much
delighted with it that he put out the eyes of its Italian architect,
so that it might never be surpassed. It is a bewildering medley of
great and little domes and towers, not only of different shapes and
sizes, but gilded and painted in all possible varieties of color. There
is no main chapel or church, but each dome surmounts its own chapel,
dedicated to some particular saint, and services are carried on in
each without disturbing the worshipers in any other. Bayard Taylor
appropriately styles this church the “apotheosis of chimneys,” and
describes it as the product of some architectural kaleidoscope, in
which the most incongruous things assume a certain order and system.
Relics of St. Basil and of St. John the Idiot are shown to visitors.
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ROYAL MUSEUM, BERLIN, PRUSSIA. Architecturally, this is the finest
building in Berlin. It is an admirable specimen of the Greek style,
with its Ionic portico of eighteen columns and its broad flight of
steps leading up to the entrance. The central part of the structure,
rising above the rest of the building and corresponding with the
rotunda in the interior, is adorned at the corners with four colossal
groups in bronze. Two other bronze groups are on the steps. This
building is usually known as the Old Museum to distinguish it from
its annex, the New Museum, by which it is connected with a short
passage, crossing the street at the back. The two buildings contain
a magnificent collection of antiquities and of ancient and modern
sculptures, paintings, etc.
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BRANDENBURG GATE, BERLIN, PRUSSIA. This gate, at the west end of the
famous Unter der Linden, the principal street in Berlin, forms the
entrance to the city from the Thier-garten. Next to the Arc de l’Etoile
in Paris, this is the most magnificent triumphal arch in the world. It
even eclipses the ancient monuments of this kind in Rome. Yet it is
not entirely original. It was erected in 1789–93 by C. G. Langhans in
imitation, or rather as a glorification, of the model presented by the
Propylacum at Athens. The height is eighty-five feet, the width two
hundred and five. There are five passages (that in the centre reserved
for royal carriages), separated by massive Doric columns. The material
is sandstone. A notable feature is the triumphal car on the summit, the
Quadriga of Victoria, done in copper. Napoleon carried this to Paris
in 1807, but it was recovered in 1814. Adjoining the gate on the side
next the town are two wings resembling Grecian temples, of which that
on the right or north side contains a telegraph office and a pneumatic
post-office, while that on the left is the guard-house.
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THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE, GERMANY. This church, known officially as the
Cathedral of St. Peter’s, is, next to St. Peter’s at Rome, the largest
church edifice in the world, and is, without any exception, the most
magnificent specimen of Gothic architecture extant. Begun in 1248, the
work went on very slowly. In 1322 the choir was consecrated. Then the
work lagged still more, and at the beginning of the sixteenth century
came to a sudden close, not being resumed till 1816, since which
time more than two millions of dollars have been expended to bring
the edifice to its present state of completion. The spires are five
hundred and twenty-one feet high, and before the building of the Eiffel
Tower this church was the highest edifice in the world. The height
of the roof inside is one hundred and forty-five feet, the length
of the building is four hundred and forty-four feet and the breadth
two hundred and one. The choir is rich in statues, frescoes and fine
carvings. A chapel, known as the chapel of the Three Kings, contains a
gorgeous shrine, in which are exhibited the skulls of the three wise
men who came from the East with presents for the infant Saviour.
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HEIDELBERG CASTLE, GERMANY. On a height above the city of Heidelberg
are the ruins of this old-time palace and fortress. Founded by the
Elector Rudolph in the fourteenth century, and altered and added to
by his successors, it partakes of the architectural style of all the
three centuries. The French sacked and partially burned it in 1693; it
was subsequently restored, but being struck by lightning in 1764, it
has since been suffered to remain in ruins. As such it is one of the
most magnificent remains of the Middle Ages--a square massive building,
roofless, with a round tower at one end and an octagonal one at the
other. Some idea of its strength may be gained from the fact that the
walls of the round tower are twenty-two feet thick. In one of the
cellars is the famous Tun of Heidelberg, a huge copper reservoir, bound
with iron hoops, whose capacity is forty-nine thousand gallons.
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EHRENBREITSTEIN, GERMANY. This fortress, whose name signifies the Broad
Stone of Honor, is situated on a precipitous rock three hundred and
seventy-seven feet above the Rhine, just opposite Coblentz. The rock
is known as the Gibraltar of the Rhine. The ancient Romans recognized
its commanding position and erected here a castrum or camp. In 1018 the
Franconian king, Dagobert, presented it to the bishops of Treves, who
made it their stronghold. It has successfully resisted many sieges,
but was twice captured by the French, first in 1631 and again in 1798.
After the Peace of Luneville in 1801 they blew it up. Restored to
Prussia with the Peace of Paris, the French were forced to contribute
15,000,000 of francs to place it in its former condition. At present
it is defended by four hundred cannon, and fifty thousand stands of
needle guns are stored in its armory. It is capable of accommodating
one hundred thousand men, but five thousand are sufficient to man
it properly. The summit of the rock commands a magnificent view of
the surrounding country. A bridge of boats connects the village of
Ehrenbreitstein with Coblentz.
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THE CATHEDRAL OF ANTWERP, BELGIUM. Though inferior to the great minster
at Cologne, the cathedral at Antwerp is an exquisite and notable
specimen of Gothic architecture. It is unfortunately situated in a
narrow street, just away from the Place St. Antoine, and is hedged in
by shops, which are backed up against its very walls. It is unfinished,
only one of the towers being complete. The other is but half-way up,
where it has been capped over, and has remained so for centuries.
Nevertheless, nothing can detract from the majesty of the church
itself. Out from the littleness of its surroundings it calmly rears
its splendid front. Its solitary tower soars upward to the height of
four hundred and three feet, with delicate open arches that look like
fretted work, so that Napoleon said: “It looked as if made of Mechlin
lace.” The chimes of ninety-nine bells are deservedly famous. The
interior is glorified by the presence of Rubens’ two greatest pictures,
“The Elevation of the Cross” and “The Descent from the Cross.” Begun
about the middle of the thirteenth century, it suffered seriously from
fire in the sixteenth century, and the greater part of the present
edifice dates from that period. In the foreground of the picture is the
monument to Rubens.
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PALAIS DE JUSTICE, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. The new Palace of Justice, or
Court-house, in Brussels, is the largest architectural work of the
present century, and one of the most magnificent. It was begun in 1866
and completed in 1883 at a total cost of $10,000,000. It is splendidly
situated on a height commanding a view of the whole city. This massive
pile covers an area of two hundred and seventy thousand square feet,
considerably more than St. Peter’s, at Rome, and is five hundred and
ninety feet long by five hundred and sixty wide. The avowed aim of the
artist was to accommodate Assyrian form to modern requirements. Above
the main body of the building rises another rectangular structure,
surrounded with columns, this, in turn, supporting a columned rotunda,
the whole crowned by a dome which is four hundred feet above the
pavement. In details the Græco-Roman style has been generally adhered
to, with an admixture of rococo treatment.
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FIELD OF WATERLOO, BELGIUM. The scene of the greatest battle of modern
times, if not of all times, is necessarily of perennial interest to
the world. It is a matter for rejoicing, therefore, that the field of
Waterloo is retained in much the same condition in which it was left
on the fateful day of June 18th, 1815, when the power of Napoleon was
crushed by Wellington and Blucher. To be sure, Wellington is reported
to have said: “You have spoilt my battlefield,” when he saw the
artificial mound surmounted by a Belgic lion of cast-iron, which has
been raised in the centre of the field. But at least its one hundred
and fifty feet of height afford the opportunity for an excellent
bird’s-eye view of the entire field. And the old house of Hougemont,
whose building and orchard were occupied by the British Guards, and
where some of the fiercest fighting of the day was carried on, remains
as it was, with the bullet holes in the walls and other damages
unrepaired. The monument represented in the foreground is dedicated to
the soldiers who fell in the battle.
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NOTRE DAME, PARIS. The cathedral of Notre Dame, one of the great
historical churches of the world and one of the most beautiful
specimens of mediæval architecture, was founded in 1163 on the site
of an earlier church, was consecrated in 1182 and was completed in
1420. It suffered sadly during the Revolution, when it was made a
Temple of Reason; was restored in 1845, and during the time of the
commune narrowly escaped destruction by fire. The form is that of a
Latin cross, with a nave and double aisles, which are continued around
the choir, the earliest example known. The façade is one of the most
admired pieces of early Gothic. The triple portal is ornamented by
rich bas-reliefs. In the second story is a great rose window, flanked
by double windows, enclosed in wide-spreading Gothic arches. The third
story is an open gallery of slender arches and columns. In one of the
towers is a famous bell, weighing thirty-two thousand pounds, which is
only rung on state occasions. The interior of the church is adorned
with sculptures, bas-reliefs and paintings and magnificent rose windows
of stained glass.
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PLACE DE LA BASTILLE, PARIS, FRANCE. This square ends the line of
the original boulevards, and marks the beginning of the Faubourg St.
Antoine. It is historically interesting as the site of the Bastille,
the former state prison of France, whose destruction by the Parisian
mob on July 14th, 1789, marked the real beginning of the French
Revolution. The column in the middle, known as the Colonne de Juillet,
was reared in 1831 in honor of the citizens who fell in the revolution
of July, 1830, which drove Charles X from the throne and put Louis
Philippe in his place. The names of six hundred and fifteen of these
are inscribed upon the sides of the column, and their ashes, together
with those of combatants in the revolution of 1848, repose in two vast
sarcophagi in the vaults below. The column is of bronze, one hundred
and fifty-four feet high, and is divided by four collars into five
divisions. Bas-reliefs, by Barye, adorn the exterior. Inside there
is a spiral stair-case, also of bronze. The top is surmounted by an
emblematic figure of Liberty, in gold bronze, the work of Dumont.
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PLACE DE LA CONCORDE, PARIS, FRANCE. This square, situated between the
Rue Royale and the Pont de la Concorde, is perhaps the most beautiful
and effective in all Paris. It dates from the year 1748. Originally it
was adorned with a statue of Louis XV, which was pulled down in 1792 to
make way for a colossal figure of Liberty. The place was then called
Place de la Revolution. It was here that next year the guillotine was
erected, upon which perished Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and nearly
three thousand of their adherents. Under the Directory the Statue
of Liberty was removed and the great place became the Place de la
Concorde. Since then it has undergone many alterations. It was laid out
as it now stands by Napoleon III. In the middle is the great Obelisk
of Luxor, presented to Louis Philippe by Mehemet Ali, and on each side
are two large fountains. At the different corners of the square there
are seated figures, representing eight different towns, formerly the
chief towns of France. But one of them, Strasbourg, is now a portion of
Germany.
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