Brian Condon: Diary of James Alipius Goold, 1848-1886

Wednesday 10th August. Left for Dover en route to Calais.

Friday 12th August. In Paris. Owing to the crowds from all parts assembled for Sunday's grand military display - the Imperial entrée - I had some difficulty in obtaining lodgings.

Sunday 14th August. From my apartments had a grand view of the great military displays. It was grand. The men looked well. Some of the flags were much torn; one was in rags - but little of it remained attached to the pole. As these memories of the battle field were seen, loud cheers and clapping of hands declared the feeling of the assembled masses. The Emperor, who is beginning to be grey, looked well and seemed as if he felt that he was master of his position. His expression was grave and thoughtful.

Monday 15th August. Went to Versailles. Returned to Paris in the evening; met the Bishop of Brisbane at one of the stations proceeding in the same direction. He got into the same carriage with me. Our conversation - or rather his, for he would have all the talk to himself - concerned the interview he had with one of the emigration clerks. The clerk had it all his own way.

Tuesday 16th August. To Strasburg.

Thursday 18th August. I went to the Cathedral and remained to witness the interesting mechanism of the clock. As the hour 12 is struck, figures representing the twelve Apostles move in front of one representing our Blessed Redeemer, each turning round and reverently bending the head as it is brought in front of the Redeemer. When the figure representing St. Peter moves forward the figure of a cock imitates the crowing of that bird. On other parts of the wonderful and ingenious piece of mechanism the heavens with their signs and seasons and the changing of the moon are accurately given.

Left Strasburg for Carlshruhe. On the German side of the frontier we saw a number of the Austrian soldiers taken prisoner in the late war parting with the French soldiers who accompanied them; they seemed to be on good terms with each other. The Catholics have a church in Carlshruhe built after the plan of the Pantheon.

Friday 19th August. At Augsburg. I stopped at a hotel, the most respectable as well as oldest in the town. It was here Charles the V put up. The room unaltered is still shown to the curious, which he occupied, and the fireplace still the same into which his bonds were flung by his princely creditor. The oratory attached to the house is still preserved and in good order. The town celebrated in the history of Luther's Reformation has many curious and picturesque buildings.

Tuesday 30th August. Arrived in Cologne. The first place I visited was the famous Cathedral; it deserves all the praise bestowed on it. The town did not seem to me a desirable place for residence, streets narrow and not over clean.