on the _Pereire_--General Washburne--I am offered a command in
another French Revolution--Paris--J. Meredith Read and Prevost Paradol--My
health--Spa--J. C. Hotten--Octave Delepierre--Heidelberg--Dresden--Julian
Hawthorne and G. Lathrop--Verona--Venice--Rome--W. W.
Story--Florence--Lorimer Graham--"Breitmann" in the Royal Family--Tuscany.

We sailed on the famed _Pereire_ from New York to Brest in May, 1869. We
had not left port before a droll incident occurred. On the table in the
smoking-room lay a copy of the "Ballads of Hans Breitmann." A fellow-
passenger asked me, "Is that your book?" I innocently replied, "Yes."
"Excuse me, sir," cried another, "it is _mine_." "I beg your pardon," I
replied, "but it is really mine." "Sir, I _bought_ it." "I don't care
if you did," I replied; "it is mine--for I wrote it." There was a roar
of laughter, and we all became acquainted at once.

General Washburne was among the passengers. He had been appointed
Minister to France and was going to Paris, where he subsequently
distinguished himself during the siege by literally taking the place of
seven foreign Ministers who had left, and kindly caring for all their
_proteges_. It never occurred to the old frontiersman to leave a place
or his duties because fighting was going on. I had a fine twelve-feet
blue Indian blanket, which I had bought somewhere beyond Leavenworth of a
trader. When sitting on deck wrapped in it, the General would finger a
fold lovingly, and say, "Ah! the Indians always have good blankets!"

We arrived in Brest, and Mrs. Leland, who had never before been in
Europe, was much pleased at her first sight, early in the morning, of a
French city; the nuns, soldiers, peasants, and all, as seen from our
window, were indeed very picturesque. We left that day by railway for
Paris, and on the road a rather remarkable incident occurred. There was
seated opposite to us a not very amiable-looking man of thirty, who might
be of the superior class of mechanics, and who evidently regarded us with
an evil eye, either because we were suspected _Anglais_ or aristocrats. I
resolved that he should become amicable. Ill-tempered though he might
be, he was still polite, for at every stopping-place he got out to smoke,
and extinguished his cigar ere he re-entered. I said to him, "Madame
begs that you will not inconvenience yourself so much--pray continue to
smoke in here." This melted him, as it would any Frenchman. Seein