MR. SCHROEDER'S SHORES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. IN the autumn of
1843 Mr. Schroeder was honoured with the offer of a secretaryship to Commodore Smith, then about to take the command of the United States squadron in the Mediterranean. This proposal our author accepted; and he continued till October 1845 in the occupation of what we conceive to have been " a good berth." He visited Gibraltar, Port Mahon, Malta, Athena, Egypt, Syria, Constantinople, Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, and Barbary ; not as a mere officer on duty confined to the ship with occasional leaves of absence, but with ample time to make a couple of excursions in Italy, perform a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, visit Grand Cairo and the Pyramids, besides lesser excursions innumerable, at almost every port where the Commodore touched. Nor does his work at any time appear to have been of a very onerous character, if we may judge by the allusions in his letters, and the number of them. Amuse- ment, as far as he was concerned, seems to have been pretty much the order of the day ; and he held the pen of a ready writer for his friends, pouring out to them with a "fatal facility" his notions, his reveries, and his accounts of shoppings, parties, excursions, incidents, remarks on men and things, with Heaven knows what besides.
These numerous epistles delighted the family circle to which they were addressed. " Some few others," says the preface, " kindly listened" ; and the writer, proud of their applause, has now published a portion of them ; having " pruned the letters of their unnecessary length," (what multi the originals have been ?) suppressed many passages apparently referring to persons or private circumstances, and omitted altogether the epistles on the two Italian tours, as relating to scenes and topics of art, or learning, already well known to the world. We cannot tell the requirements of America ; but as respects Great Britain and Ireland, these omissions might have been extended to nearly the whole book. Except as regards Minorca and the Barbary States, all the places Mr. Schroeder visited have been thoroughly exhausted, and by minds much more competent to handle the local subjects, whether of nature, art, or history : indeed, for the two latter topics few Americans are at all competently prepared, whatever their natural abilities may be. The true feature of a book from a Transatlantic author would be one of curiosity. It would not be uninteresting to remark the effect which the great results of old civilization in antiquities, arts, and such examples of war as are visible at Gibraltar and Malta, would produce upon the mind of a fresh American ; but, unluckily, the down has long since been brushed from Mr. Schroeder. He had travelled extensively in Canada and in England, if not on the Continent, before he joined the Commodore as secretary ; and had lost his national freshness, if not his self-sufficiency. There is, however, a vital defect deeper than all this in Shores of the Mediterranean. In Mr. Warburton's phrase descriptive of American education, it is all "surface." The writer does not see with the eye of a. trained observer, or select with the mind. He perceives little more than anybody else, and describes much in the same style. The essential properties, or even the striking points of things, are not seized and pre- sented, but some of their particulars loosely collected, and fluently enough thrown off in a free and easy style. We have noticed similar traits in almost every book of travels that bas come before us written by a citizen of the States ; but it is perhaps more prominent in Mr. Schroeder, from the letters having been addressed to his own family. Hence, not the author, but Mr. Schroeder himself, is continually before us, in his likes- and dislikes, doings and thinkings, with all the personal incidents attach- ing to himself or common friends. This want of retenue, this unconscious self-display, which is rarely exhibited in print in Europe, and only found amongst the low-bred, is, as we have said already, a characteristic of American writing, and is only prominent in Shores of the Mediterra- nean.
There is some bread amidst Mr. Schroeder's bran. As an American, circumstances occurred to him which give point to an incident now and then ; as an American connected with the navy, if not a sailor himself, he had a particular field of observation both afloat and ashore; he was officially brought into contact with public persons and ceremonious occasions ; and in rambling over so large a tract for so long a period, it could not but hap-- pen that some things would fall in his way possessing so much of in- herent character that they could not well lose their interest. Still, these are fewer than might have been supposed, looking at the writer's oppor- tunities, or they suffer from the sat:face character of his mind. We quote a few of the best.
THE FRENCH AS SAILORS.
I have busied myself greatly with Toulon and its neighbourhood; and on the 23d accompanied the Captain on a tour of sight-seeing through the grand naval arsenal. I will not weary you with details of what neither of us can have very perfect comprehension. The extent and grandeur of the place amazed me very- much; but there is something in the very look of a French navyman which car- ries conviction of their never being up to the sea. The most extraordinary efforts, discipline, imsrovements, and activity, have made their present navy establish- ment gigantic in stature; but there is something in an American or English sailor which is native and naturally nautical—beyond attainment or imitation. Another war with England would, I have no doubt, produce other Aboukirs and Trafalgars; but who can tell what that yet other war will produce when modern American ships are to encounter those of a same species.
THE GREAT UNKNOWN.
We met a French gentleman on the tower, from whom we endeavoured to ob- tain some account of the castle; but he could only say very generally what we al- ready knew. The old man was a good deal puzzled when, upon his continuing, " Mais suns Anglais, avec vos—" "But," interrupted I, "we are not English. "Not English? German, then? " "No." Russian, Italian, everything he guessed, and never dreamed of America. He was so impressed with the English certainty: of it, that he said Scotch; and then, as It says, looking at one of us, " Ah, I have- it Irish, beyond doubt! " Polish was also presumed; but the glorious Independ- ents over the water never were thought of.
TILE TUNNY FISHERY: PALERMO.
In the afternoon I made an opportunity to go to see the tunny nets. The whole population are abundantly supplied with food from this plentiful monster. I have seen labouring men refuse salmon, and have heard, and in fact known, a case of the lumberers of Maine stipulating with their employers that they shall not be made to eat salmon more than three or four times a week. Singular contrast of plenty and quality of food 1 and yet this abominable tunny is universally thought a dainty. It is an immense creature, from four to eight feet in length, and nearly the same circumference in the middle. It is butchered into steaks at the corners of streets, and sold for a very small price to everybody. They were famous in the days of Horace as a delicacy; but I could never be reconciled to it in the world. Fresh-taken ones are paraded through the streets with drums and reed pipes.; and the plentiful beggars collect clamorously around for the waste bits, which are tossed to them as to dogs at our markets. The fish are captured in huge nets of several different compartments, through which they are enticed, and the last com- ment is called the corpo or chamber of death. Here they are attacked by harpoons and spears; the men often displaying great courage and dexterity. The fisheries are conducted by a corporation, which, at Palermo, employs 1,000 boats and nearly 4,000 men; and the fish taken sometimes exceed in value 120,000 dol- lars a year. There are surgeon; a chaplain, and other officers, employed dis- tinctly in the service.
ARAB EXERCISES: ROAD TO JERUSALEM.
The Arabs were in tip-top spirits, and delighted us with an exhibition of their manage. The road lay smoothly over the plain for some miles, and the turf on each side was short and springy, well adapted to their brilliant manoeuvres. At a signal from the Sheikh, one of his troop, an Arab, spurred forth from the line, and turning his horse suddenly, shook his lance over his shawl helmet, and seemed to defy an adversary. Another hint from the Sheikh, and a great Negro, the most powerful of the band, sprang forward, poised his long lance, and approach- ing within a few yards of the other, seemed about to hurl it with unerring aim; but his lighter adversary brought his horse so suddenly on his haunches, that he must undoubtedly have escaped the blow. The Negro, meantime, was at top speed; and before he could turn in the saddle, or bring his lance to the rear parry, (which is a skilful feat, the arm twisted round, and the lance trailing along, a perfect defence to the rear,)—before he could do this, the active Arabiutd driven firs pointed stirrup into the side of his steed, and dashed with uplifted lance upon his enemy. Escape was impossible, and the Negro was vanquished; he accord ingly took his place in the march, and another Arab darted out to the play. The activity' of the horses, and the perfect seat of the riders were beautiful. This time they galloped at first easily along, and parallel with each other, making feints with their lances, and parrying with equal skill; suddenly the last con queMr wheeled his horse, twirled his lance over his head, spurred across and be- hind his fellow, and aimed the spear-head at the shoulder; the other darted as suddenly away, inducing his enemy to follow at full speed, when, by the same feat of checking suddenly his horse, he in turn became the pursuer. The trick was less successful than with the Negro; for the cunning victor of the last trial dropped his lance, and quick as thought his cimeter glittered in the air, the blow was parried, and, closing in, he would have cleft the turban of his enemy in a trice.
This second victory seemed to rouse the Sheikh; who, patting the neck of his noble horse, settled himself in the saddle, and rode quietly out of the road toward the conqueror. The latter, meantime, had recovered his lance, and stood motion- less on the defensive. The Sheikh approached cautiously, and trotted round his opponent, who kept his front carefully toward him, and avoided two or three thrusts. Presently he appeared too weary of playing the defensive, and he darted at the Sheikh; but the horse of the chief was unmatched in speed and activity; he easily saved his rider; who immediately after, whirling suddenly, became again the assailant. The Arab was taken unawares, failed to parry his enemy's lance, and the Sheikh won the fight.
The following observation on the effect of shadow on the Pyramids is new to us ; and the fact stated affords a good measure of the magnitude of the masses, unless allowance should be made for the exaggeration of enthusiasm, or for optical illusion.
" As we approached they seemed to recede. They are so prominent, that a mile or two makes scarcely perceptible changes in their apparent greatness; and the eye, expecting their size to grow more rapidly with the approach, almost fan- cies, in the disappointment, that they move farther off I was struck with another remarkable characteristic of their greatness, even while in the distance, and while, from their perfect proportions, they looked diminutive; I mean the effect of the cloud-shadows upon their sides. As I was endeavouring to fix their colour in my min- di I observed a huge patch of shade stealing over their front, untilpresently the whole cloud was shadowed upon one of them, and yet more than half the pyramid was still sunshine. At one time, several cloud-shadows rested upon Cheops, and dotted the giant walls as they would the sides of a mountain; until, moving across, I observed the same flitting patches of shade would cover several fields each, and an entire village was shaded by the cloud which first had merely dotted the side of one of these world's wonders. The effect of the moving shadows was beautiful; the pyramids seemed to wave and swell as they glided across."
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