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Article NOTES OE A YACHT'S CETJISE TO BALAKLA.VA... ← Page 2 of 7 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes Oe A Yacht's Cetjise To Balakla.Va...
characteristi c lines from my eccentric friend , Sir Arthur P- -, announcing his intention to be at Marseilles about the third w ^ eek of July , in his yacht The Imp . "Bv this time " he wrote , " you ' ve been baked enough in the
unhealthy atmosphere of crowds and theatres ; a cruise with us will make a new man of you : we talk of Constantinople as the limit of our voyage ; but I fancy my sister Kate and my Cousin Lady C——will not be satisfied with anything short of Sebastopol . We have a few p leasant friends , and a " French cook ; all we want is a poetical fellow like yourself , who can talk sentiment with the women , andrarer accomplishment—sense with the men . " Three days after the receipt of this invitation I was hurrying south
as fast as an express train could carry me . I found the party of which I was destined to be one , assembled at the Hotel de L'Europe , as few of them , except the enthusiastic owner of the yacht , cared to encounter the Bay of Biscay , and , like myself , had taken Paris and the Exhibition , en route to Marseilles . " We are to sail to-morrow evenin g " said Lady 0- — -, a charming
young widow , —after a cordial greeting had been exchanged between myself and those present of my acquaintance , — " Sir Arthur has been looking anxiously for you ; he is now busy about a thousand things : you know the yacht is wife , and family , and all to him . " "I do not wonder at it , " exclaimed his sister ; " there is nothing so delightful as yachting ; and , Mr . , you must help to persuade my brother to £ 0 on to Balaklava ; it would be quite foolish to stop
short at Constantinople . " Of course , I promised ready compliance with whatever she wished ; then Sir Arthur made his appearance , and the evening quickly passed in discussing our plans and projects . It was my first visit to Marseilles ; so I was early afoot next clay to catch some idea of the town . My friends had made an excursion to Chateau d'lf , the castle and prison which Dumas has made so famous in his Monte Christo . I rather regretted this , as I should
like to have explored the locality . "If" is a small island at the mouth of the harbour ; it is the central and largest of three islets , whose batteries defend the entrance to Marseilles . Having missed this expedition , I w as very glad to join in a ride to the height called " La Yiste , " about a league distant , whence a fine view of the town , lying round its harbour in the form of a crescent , is visible . A forest of masts indicates the port ; while a rich
landscape , studded with country-houses , and the Mediterranean in the distance , makes up a scene of much picturesque beauty . Within the town , the aspect from a hill at the top of the boulevards is strikingcrowds of busy soldiers , equipages mililaires , and ail the signs and tokens of a sea-port in war time , are mingled with costumes of every nation , and sprinkled with pale wounded warriors fresh from the seat ef war . f he odours of Marseilles , however , are , I should imagine , quite a match for those of Cologne ; for , in addition to the fumes of brandy ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes Oe A Yacht's Cetjise To Balakla.Va...
characteristi c lines from my eccentric friend , Sir Arthur P- -, announcing his intention to be at Marseilles about the third w ^ eek of July , in his yacht The Imp . "Bv this time " he wrote , " you ' ve been baked enough in the
unhealthy atmosphere of crowds and theatres ; a cruise with us will make a new man of you : we talk of Constantinople as the limit of our voyage ; but I fancy my sister Kate and my Cousin Lady C——will not be satisfied with anything short of Sebastopol . We have a few p leasant friends , and a " French cook ; all we want is a poetical fellow like yourself , who can talk sentiment with the women , andrarer accomplishment—sense with the men . " Three days after the receipt of this invitation I was hurrying south
as fast as an express train could carry me . I found the party of which I was destined to be one , assembled at the Hotel de L'Europe , as few of them , except the enthusiastic owner of the yacht , cared to encounter the Bay of Biscay , and , like myself , had taken Paris and the Exhibition , en route to Marseilles . " We are to sail to-morrow evenin g " said Lady 0- — -, a charming
young widow , —after a cordial greeting had been exchanged between myself and those present of my acquaintance , — " Sir Arthur has been looking anxiously for you ; he is now busy about a thousand things : you know the yacht is wife , and family , and all to him . " "I do not wonder at it , " exclaimed his sister ; " there is nothing so delightful as yachting ; and , Mr . , you must help to persuade my brother to £ 0 on to Balaklava ; it would be quite foolish to stop
short at Constantinople . " Of course , I promised ready compliance with whatever she wished ; then Sir Arthur made his appearance , and the evening quickly passed in discussing our plans and projects . It was my first visit to Marseilles ; so I was early afoot next clay to catch some idea of the town . My friends had made an excursion to Chateau d'lf , the castle and prison which Dumas has made so famous in his Monte Christo . I rather regretted this , as I should
like to have explored the locality . "If" is a small island at the mouth of the harbour ; it is the central and largest of three islets , whose batteries defend the entrance to Marseilles . Having missed this expedition , I w as very glad to join in a ride to the height called " La Yiste , " about a league distant , whence a fine view of the town , lying round its harbour in the form of a crescent , is visible . A forest of masts indicates the port ; while a rich
landscape , studded with country-houses , and the Mediterranean in the distance , makes up a scene of much picturesque beauty . Within the town , the aspect from a hill at the top of the boulevards is strikingcrowds of busy soldiers , equipages mililaires , and ail the signs and tokens of a sea-port in war time , are mingled with costumes of every nation , and sprinkled with pale wounded warriors fresh from the seat ef war . f he odours of Marseilles , however , are , I should imagine , quite a match for those of Cologne ; for , in addition to the fumes of brandy ,