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CHAPTER XXV.

THROUGH FRANCE.-ITALY.

General Grant and party reached Lyons on the ad of December, and were received by the Prefect, the President of the Municipal Council, American residents and several of the leading silk merchants of Lyons. After a tour of inspection of the quays and places of interest, he left for Marseilles on the 3d, where he was received with great enthusiasm. On the 15th we find him at Genoa, he having previously visited Villa Franca and Leghorn. After visiting the town of Genoa, the General gave a reception to the authorities on board the United States steamer Vandalia, Commander Robeson.

Reaching Naples, early on the evening of the 17th, on the following day, in company with Mrs. Grant and son, he made the ascent of Mount Vesuvius, but, the day being cold, the party did not reach the crater. Luncheon was served at the "House of Refuge," near the Observatory, and a pleasant hour spent in enjoying the remarkable view of Capri and Ischia. The plain is studded with twenty villages and lined with snow clad hills, and the snow looked beautifully clear and white in the gorgeous sunlight of an Italian sky. They returned in the evening to the Vandalia, after having spent a delightfully pleasant day.

On Wednesday the General and family, accompanied by Consul Duncan, Commander Robeson, Lieutenants Strong, Rush and Miller, and Engineer Baird, visited the ruins of

Pompeii. The government had made arrangements for a special excavation in honor of General Grant, so that he might see how the work was done, and see some of the curiosities recovered just as they were placed when the city was suddenly destroyed. The day was a little cold, but clear, and in every way favorable for the work. The director of the excavations received General Grant and party, and conducted them to the principal points of interest. Two hours were spent wandering among the ruins of this ancient and memorable city, and at every step something of interest was seen. The workingmen then proceeded to dig out the chamber of a buried house, and discovered some fragments of a table made of wood and bronze. The workmanship was very curious and elaborate, and was examined with great interest by the whole party. The next object of interest discovered was a loaf of bread, wrapped neatly in cloth and perfectly distinguishable. Many other curious and interesting articles. were found and inspected by the party of visitors, and all expressed themselves as highly gratified with their visit to the ruins of the ancient city. They returned in the evening.

On Thursday ex-President Grant returned the official visits of the civil and military authorities of the city. As he left the Vandalia the yards were manned and a salute fired, the salute being returned by the Italian Admiral. General Grant then landed, and was met by the General commanding the district, who had a regiment of Bersaglieri drawn up in front of the Royal Palace, and reviewed by General Grant. Accompanied by the Italian officials, he then visited the naval and military schools and the palace, after which he attended a reception at the house of Consul Duncan.

During these visits General Grant was accompanied by his son, Commander Robeson, Lieutenants Rush and

Miller, and a splendid retinue of Italian officials. The whole tone of the reception accorded him was cordial and stately. The General expressed himself with the greatest admiration of the Italian troops.

Christmas we find General Grant and party on board the Vandalia, at Palermo. The General remained on board until noon to receive the visit of the Prefect, who came in state, and was honored with a salute of fifteen guns. His Honor remained only a few minutes, during which he tendered the General all the hospitalities and courtesies of the town, but General Grant declined them, with thanks.

After the departure of the city authorities, the General and Captain Robeson went on shore, and sauntered about for two or three hours, looking on the holiday groups, who made the day a merry one in their Sicilian fashion. A Christmas dinner was furnished from the ship's larder. The hosts were Chief Engineer J. Trilley, Surgeon George Cooke, Lieutenant-Commander A. G. Caldwell, Lieutenant E. T. Strong, Past-Assistant-Engineers G. W. Baird and D. M. Fulmer, Lieutenant Jacob W. Miller, Paymaster J. P. Loomis, Lieutenant Richard Rush, Captain L. E. Fagan, commanding the marines, Lieutenant H. O. Handy, Lieutenant W. A. Hadden and Master J. W. Daunehower. These comprised the names of the wardroom officers of the Vandalia a gallant, manly, chivalrous company they were. The guests of the evening were General Grant and wife, Commander H. B. Robeson, and Jesse R. Grant. This was the company; the menu will give an idea of what a ship's kitchen can do for a Christmas dinner:

MENU.
Potage.

Tomate puree.

Bouchees a la reine.
Cabellon a la Hollandaise.

Puree de pommes.
Dindonneau aux huitres.

Haricots verts.

Filets aux champignons.
Petits pois.

Punch a la Romaine.
Salade.

Plum pudding.
Mince pies.
Dessert.

It was nearly six when the soup made its appearance, and it was half-past eight before the waiters brought in the coffee. There was no hurry no long pauses. The chat went round the table, the General doing his share of talk. It was a genial, home-like feast. Thus, Christmas, 1877, closed merry and pleasant.

The next morning there were calls to make — official calls; this is one of the duties of the General's trip. The incognito of General Grant is one that no one will respect. He declines all honors and attentions, so far as he can do so without rudeness, and is especially indifferent to the parade and etiquette by which his journey is surrounded. It is amusing, knowing General Grant's feelings on the subject, to read the articles in English and American papers about his craving for precedence, and his fear lest he may not have the proper seat at the table and the highest number of guns for a salute. He had declined every attention of an official character thus far, except those whose nonacceptance would have been misconstrued. When he arrived at a port, his habit was to go ashore with his wife and son, see what was to be seen, and drift about from palace to picture gallery, like any other wandering, studious American, "doing Europe." Sometimes the officials were too prompt for him, but generally, unless they called by appointment, they found the General absent.

In this country a large class of our citizens have been misled by the false reports of the press and enemies of exPresident Grant, and believe that the General traveled like a prince, with a large retinue; that he was enabled to do so, because the men who fattened on the corruptions of his

The

administration gave him a share of their plunder. truth is, General Grant traveled as a private citizen. He had one servant and a courier. His courier arranged for his hotel accommodations, and the one who did office for the General took pains to get as good bargains for his master as possible. So far as General Grant being a rich man, it is known by his friends that, when he left this country, the duration of his trip would depend entirely upon his income, and this income depends altogether upon the proceeds of his investment of the money presented to him at the close of the war. The Présidency yielded him nothing in the way of capital, and he has not now a dollar that came to him as an official. By this is meant, that the money paid to General Grant as a soldier and as a President was spent by him in supporting the dignity of his office. Everybody knows how much money was given him at the close of the war; as this was all well invested and has grown, one may estimate the fortune of the General, and about how long that fortune would enable him to travel like a prince over Europe.

At Palermo General Grant and family remained several days, enjoying the delightful climate and picturesque attractions. This Sicily is the land of many civilizations. Here Greek, the Carthagenian, the Roman and the Saracen, have made their mark. This is the land of the poetry of Homer, the genius of Archimedes, the philosophy and piety of Paul. These hills and bays and valleys have seen mighty armies striving for the mastery of the world. Certainly if example or precept, or the opportunity for great deeds, could ennoble a nation, Sicily should be the land of heroes. But its heroism has fallen into rags, and the descendants of the men who destroyed the Athenian fleet in Syracuse, and who confronted the power of Carthage at Agrigentum, now spend their time sleeping in the sun, swarming around chapel doors to beg, and hiding in the hills to waylay trav

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