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CONTENTS.
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| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| Shall be at San Francisco to-day—Seal Rock—The 'Cliff House'—Fort 'Alcatraz'—The 'Golden Gate'—Baj- of San Francisco—Transcends the bays of Naples and Constantinople—Arrival—Recognition of friends—Man overboard—The magic word, 'Home'—"Is Gottschalk on board?"—People disappointed at my appearance—Alcibiades, Socrates, Phryne—Crowds have only instinct—King Louis Philippe and Louis Napoleon—How the popularity of Louis Napoleon began—Mr. Badger, Chickering's agent—Cosmopolitan Hotel—The dust in San Francisco—The 'Cosmopolitan' a magnificent edifice—Chickering piano in ladies' parlour—The waiters—The bill of fare—Not easily caught—Brillat Savarin—Cookery, music, and painting in the United States—The Indian and piano—Mr. D, of Boston—Do you understand my comparison?—The best singer in the world, now known!—The Indian, always the Indian—Description of San Francisco—Theatres, etc.—Maguire—Zoyara, the hermaphrodite—Cafes more magnificent than those of New York—California wine—Markets of San Francisco—Fruits—Mines of copper, silver, and gold inexhaustible—Opals—Signs of petroleum—Mining victims—Expenses and never-ending robberies beggar those who undertake mining—Rate of interest in California—Admiral Dupont and his lawsuit—Mr. Lick—Great advance in real estate—Messrs. Badger and Linderberger—Is music much cultivated?—Concerts at San Francisco never succeeded—Ole Bull and Strakosch—Paul Julien—Circus flourishes—Miss Ada Menken—The Chinese, Sam Kee, druggist—My introduction to him, his suspicions—The rich Chinese and his daughter—Attempt to carry her off—Besiegers put to flight—She is sent back to China | 362 |
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| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| Introduced to M. de Gazette, French consul—Unfortunate creatures—One of the Crœsuses of San Francisco—French commercial houses—Small number of pretty women—Maguire's Opera—Morelli—Do not admire Verdi to excess—First representation of 'Ernani' at Paris—Madame Mennechet de Barival—To criticise an opera and to compose one, two different things—Advice to pianisticules—Wanting a pianist—'Tannhauser' arranged by myself for fourteen pianos—Must never put off a concert—God protect you, O artists! from the fathers of amateurs, from the sons themselves, and from the fathers of female singers—The rehearsal, found out what I had to rely on—Horrible position—Serious thought of putting off the concert—My tuner's stratagem—My orders—Great success—My amateur was superb! his friends in raptures—Encore, encore—Disobeys my orders and finds his piano mute—His countenance—Secret at last discovered or supposed to have been—Mass at French church—The priest from Auvergne—A sermon which would have been grotesque elsewhere—Unworthy of the Catholic religion—Virginia City, Nevada territory—The hotel clerk impudently pompous—The French restaurant-keeper—Ugly town—Most inhospitable and saddest I have ever seen—Family from New Orleans and young Louisianians—Sunday—Almost inundated in my room—The firemen—"How do you find our place?"—Ill for three days—French infidels and the small virtues—Charity, generosity, and kindness—Leave for Dayton in the stage—What took place on the road—Arrive at Dayton—The hall, how lighted—Our audience— California miners—Attention, decent and tranquil—Have rarely seen a more peaceful population—My programme simple—Piano, most difficult to render comprehensive—My ride back splendid—The Indian girl and her lover—Sad fate. | 375 |
