HUGE CANNON.-THE WALL FLOWER. end of the cart, by a short flight of steps, to enter the curling surges, and to sport amid the white foam of the waves, which here terminate their career and tumble on the beach. On the inclined plane, formed by the pebbly slope of the beach, the bathing carts, by their own gravity, descend amid the billows as far as the bather may desire; and at his signal, the vehicle is drawn back again by attendants, by means of a cable connected with a capstan fixed for this purpose on the sand. Sea bathing is considered in England both as a most healthful and luxurious enjoyment, and bathing-carts form an appendage to almost every beach which has a sandy shore. Among the cannon mounted on the outworks of the castle is the noted piece of brass ordnance, always pointed out to strangers, and always regarded by them with wonder for the vaunting falsehood which it holds out like a sleeping bully, with its lying motto engraven on its back in truly brazen characters. The surface of the metal is so corroded, from long exposure, that it has become rough with cavities like a honey comb, and the piece of ordnance is unfit to bear the mere explosion of gunpowder, as it was stated to us, much less to "throw a ball to Calais green," twenty-one miles distant across the straits of Dover. It was presented by the Dutch to the English nation as a token of their grateful remembrance of the assistance afforded to them in their long revolutionary contest against the tyranny of the Spanish government. As a monument of a nation's gratitude, although an humble one, and as a memento of a successful step in the march of religious and political liberty, it excites the interest of the spectator whilst he measures its huge dimensions. The wall flower imparts a lively and refreshing appearance to the walls of Dover Castle, seamed as they are with It insinuates its fibrous roots into small crevices, and even between the joints of the bare stones, where, rents. tenacious of vegetable life, it clings to the face of the masonry, and exhibits its green leaves and yellow tufts of blossoms, as if rejoicing in the breeze that moves it. This plant is with great propriety designated "the wall flower," from its apparently delighting to vegetate where no other plant but the humble closely clinging moss can thrive.— Without soil and without moisture, other than what the dews and showers transiently yield in trickling over the stones and crevices of the walls, it shoots forth its green leaves and yellow flowers, and flourishes as if content with its scanty sustenance. Upon the mouldering walls of ruins the wall flower displays its graceful beauties with peculiar charms, which have not escaped the observation of the poet. "Flower of the solitary place; By strife or storm decay'd, And fillest up each envious rent Time's canker-tooth hath made." PAPER-MILL. On the rivulet which runs through Dover, is a papermill, and a corn or flour-mill. The latter, as usual in England, is deficient in the labor-saving machinery in which consists the superiority of the modern American flour-mills. The former appeared also to be managed on the old system of paper-making. The rags, after being torn to pieces by machinery, are macerated in water, until reduced to a pulpy mass of the consistence of a broth or porridge. In this semi-fluid state, it is dipped up in sieves of the form or dimensions of the sheet of paper to be made. The pulp, after being drained, becomes suffi. ciently consistent and cohesive to form thin spongy flakes, which are laid between blankets and subjected to a pressure, by which means they become sufficiently consolidated to bear handling. The modern improvement of making a continuous unbroken sheet, a mile or more in length, if desired, by means of a revolving cylinder covered with the same sort of wire as previously used for the bottom of the sieve, is not as yet universally adopted in England. A continuous sheet is obtained from this cylinder by adjusting it to one end of the cistern filled with the pulpy mass, and causing it to revolve slowly. The current of water passing off through the meshes of the wires, leaves the fibrous particles of the pulp lodged against the surface of the cylinder, from which, whilst revolving, it is detached and drawn off to form a perpetual sheet. The water which escapes from the cistern would soon exhaust it, were not pumps employed to restore it, by which means the operation may be continued without intermission. It was a church holiday on the morning of our visit, and the workmen were all absent, merry Whitsuntide being come,”—a festival so called by the primitive church, from the appearance in public on that day of all those who had been made converts during the past year. They were dressed in white garments on this festival occasion. From this circumstance, the term Whitsuntide was derived, being compounded of white, Sunday, and tide or time. Like most religious festivals, however, it has degenerated into a mere holiday, and an occasion for drinking and carousals. The workmen, the proprietor observed, were probably about the alehouse. He also observed, that the manufacture of paper in England passed the zenith of its prosperity when the American colonies, now the United States, became separated from England, in consequence of the injudicious measures of the English ministry. 12 CALAIS. STRAITS OF DOVER. CALAIS. Within three hours after stepping on board of the steamboat at Dover, we were landed at the pier in the harbor of Calais. When in the middle of the narrow strait or channel, on looking at the coasts of England, all the distant shores appear skirted with white cliffs of chalk, like those of Dover. Similar cliffs also lift their snowy sides above the surface of the French coast, indicating the continuation of the same geological formation. Since the introduction of steam packets, a trip across the narrow sheet of water between Dover and Calais is performed with so much despatch, that it has become little more of an undertaking than an excursion from NewYork to Staten Island. The artificial impediments, however, arising from the scrutinous examination of the custom-house officers, are sufficiently vexatious. When the weather is mild, the water of the straits of Dover is as tranquil as that of an inland bay. On approaching the pier, which forms a portion of the harbor of Calais, it was apparent even from a distance, that the inhabitants were enjoying the holiday of merry Whitsuntide on the French, as well as on the English shores. A bright red is the predominant fashionable color which characterizes the costume of the light-hearted French, as contrasted with the less ostentatious, sober dress of their graver English neighbors. A crowd was collected on the pier at the arrival of the steamboat, all speaking French, as an Englishman reported in his journal—even to the little girls and boys.* *The view of the pier of Calais reminds one of the amusing anecdote related by Frederick Reynolds, illustrating the ludicrous mistakes which may be made by novices in their first attempts to speak French. "Wanting to walk on their pier," he observes, " I asked the garcon (who spoke English very tolerably) the name of it in French. He, thinking as Milord Anglois I could mean nothing but pier, a lord, replied, paire. FRENCH COSTUME.-ANECDOTE. 13 Their costume, when viewed near at hand, presents an appearance quite as remarkable as that of the varied bright colors of which it is composed. Almost every individual of the lower classes displays something novel or peculiar in his personal equipments, from the grotesque cap of the men, and the bonnetless heads of the women, to heels shod with wooden shoes-which all remind the American that he is in a foreign land. Immediately after landing on the platform of the pier, cards of address to the various inns and diligences are thrust forward from all quarters. Seizing and pocketing all the cards within reach, as the readiest plan of forcing a Seated afterwards at the public dinner table, I condescendingly entered into conversation with the commandant of the troops of the town."Monsieur, J'ai vu votre paire," meaning, I have seen your pier, but which he naturally understood, from my pronunciation, I have seen your father. "Eh bien, Monsieur," replied the commandant, "et que disoit il." I was astounded, and looking round the room for the keeper of the supposed madman, I discovered that the eyes of the whole company were on me. "Monsieur," I cried, somewhat boisterously," il faut que vous connoissez votre paire ! Le paire de votre ville, qui est fait de pierre, et a la tete de bois,-et a ce moment on travaille a lui racommoder sa fin, a laquelle le vent a fait du mal !" This was the coup de grace to all decorum; every Frenchman abandoned himself to his laughter, till the room fairly shook with their shouts; and even the astonished commandant himself could not help joining them. 'Allow me, sir,' said a gentleman sitting by the side of the Irish lady, and whom I had not previously observed My dear sir,' interrupted I, 'you are an Englishman, pray, pray explain.' 'Sir,' he replied, you have just told this gentleman,' pointing to the commandant, that his father is the father of the whole town; that he is made of stone, but has a wooden head; and at this moment the workmen are engaged in mending his end, that the wind has damaged.' I was paralyzed. Tell me,' I cried, as if my life had depended on his answer, what is the French for pier?'-' Jetee, or, according to the common people, pont,' he replied. I had scarcely sense enough left to assist the Englishman in his good-natured attempts to unravel the error. He succeeded, however, and I rushed from the scene of my disgrace, justas the termination of the Englishman's recital exploded an additional eclat de rire at my expense." |