Accompanied by Rocjean, he went one evening to see it, and found it on wheels in a traveling van, drawn up at one side of the Colonna Square.

‘Hawks inspected it the other evening,’ said Rocjean; ’and he describes it as well worth seeing.  The explainer of the Universal Panorama resembles the wandering Jew, exactly, with perhaps a difference about the change in his pockets; and the paintings, comical enough in themselves, considering that they are supposed to be serious likenesses of the places represented, are made still funnier by the explanations of the manager.’

Securing tickets from a stout, showy ticket-seller, adorned with a stunning silk dress, crushing bracelets, and an overpowering bonnet, they subduedly entered a room twenty feet long by six or eight wide, illuminated with the mellow glow of what appeared to be about thirty moons.  The first things that caught their eye were several French soldiers who were acting as inspection guard over several rooms, having stacked their muskets in one corner.  Their exclamations of delight or sorrow, their criticisms of the art panoramic, in short, were full of humor and trenchant fun.  But ‘the explanator’ was before them; where he came from they could not see, for his footsteps were light as velvet, evidently having ‘gums’ on his feet; his milk-white hair, parted in the middle of his forehead, hung down his back for a couple of feet, while his milk-white beard, hanging equally low in front, gave him the appearance of a venerable billy goat.  He was an Albino, and his eyes kept blinking like a white owl’s at mid-day.  He had a voice slightly tremulous, and mild as a cat’s in a dairy.

’Gen-till-men, do me the playshure to gaze within this first hole.  ’Tis the be-yu-ti-fool land of Sweet-sir-land.  Vi-yew from the some-mut of the Riggy Cool’m.  Day break-in’ in the dis-tant yeast.  He has a blan-kit round him, sir; for it is cold upon the moun-tin tops at break of day. [Madame, the stupen-doss irrup-tion of Ve-soov-yus is two holes from the corner.]

’Gen-till-men, do me the play-zure to gaze upon the second hole.  ’Tis Flor-renz the be-yu-ti-fool, be the bangs off the flowin’ Arno.  ’Twas here that—­’

‘No matter about all that,’ said Caper; ‘show off America to us.’  He slipped a couple of pauls into his hand, and instantly the Venerable skipped four moons.

’Gen-till-men, do me the play-zure to gaze upon this hole.  ’Tis the be-yu-ti-fool city of Nuova Jorck in Ay-mer-i-kay, with the flour-ish-ing cities of Brook-lyn, Nuova Jer-sais, and Long Is-lad.  The impo-sing struc-ture of rotund form is the Gr-rand Coun-cill Hall con-tain-ing the coun-cill chamber of the Amer-i-can nations.... [You say it is the Bat-tai-ree?  It may be the Bat-tai-ree.] What is that road in Broo-klin? that is the ra’l-road to Nuova Or-lins di-rect. What is that wash-tub?  “Tis not a wash-tub—­’tis a stim-boat.  They make the stim out of coal, which is found on the ground. Is that the Ay-mer-i-cain eagill?  ’Tis not; ’tis a hoarse-fly which has in-tro-doo-ced hisself behind the glass. Are those savages in Nuova Jer-sais? (New Jersey.) Those are trees.’