Poetic musings
Some of Hazard's observations went beyond description and were poetic in their enthusiasm. He seemed often to be overcome by the many "things of beauty" he encountered:
First impressions of England
In this letter from July of 1856, Hazard is overwhelmed by the beauty of England on the journey from Liverpool to Year Tree:
“How utterly impossible it is to describe this short drive. A thousand eyes could not have noticed half the beauties only the (floor like) roadside presented. I could hardly see for the emotions with which every thing inspired me Here were beautiful villas and gracefully curving green land on every hand . . . crowned with the beautiful hedges of Privet, Hawthorn or Holly on the ease might be whose drooping branches half hid this stone work. Brambles just in flower of white, purple viches, golden centered daisies sweet briar and wild roses every where intertwining, graced with plenty of Ivy, a tall deep crimson thistle with many a wild flower besides, I cannot name added illegible charms innumerable to all of these and under hedgewood [illegible] alone an endless source of pleasure. Beeches, Oak, Elm, Lindins, Horse Chestnuts Poplar Beeches + Ashes are every where together with others both deciduous + Evergreen too numerous to think of + vocal with innumerable birds.”
Scottish Highlands
In this letter from July of 1856, Hazard feels at a loss in trying to describe the beauty of Scotland:
“But to speak of the effect of [the view] adequately is utterly impossible. Beau The term beautiful has no significance here, it fails to distinguish where all is so intensely interesting. The country which 30 years ago was bare is now covered with plenty of forests made by planting than which nothing can be richer, and as to the sides of the Highlands which come to the water in all the desired loveliness which taste can suggest, they present in their verdure above the line of cultivation that surpassing richness which we see in the most verdant velvety mosses in our woods of America. The purple spots of heather only add to the overpowering effect. In many places the brilliance of verdure is absolutely metallic in effect. The richest colourings I have seen of Kennett of Webber, the most extravagant expansion of such richness I have ever seen attempted on canvas fall short of the emerald reality here. My feeling was and still is that the longest life is far too short to see Scotland alone."
"Flowers of every hue were all along on every side, until after a while we ascended reached to the region of the heather with its beautiful purple flowers in such abundance as to solve the mystery of the matchless effect I had observed in the dark spot on the green sides of the Highlands from the water. Starry flowers of perfect gold among them the potentilla, covered the water around us."
St. Thomas and Brazil
In this letter from November of 1866, Hazard is struck by the tropical beauty of the Caribbean from his hotel, and later, Brazil, as his ship traversed the Amazon:
"The [illegible] Hotel, a small inviting place of stone arches + mosaic floors, cool as a cucumber with its wide deep Screened verandahs . . . has a pretty garden on the water edge in front where white jasmine covering a large arched alcove with its sweet flowers, under which ladies + gentlemen greatly called for refreshments from the hotel etc. The grand walks are full of various shells, and the beds edged with large conchs shells are so common on mantels with us, pink inside. Roses in full bloom, bananas pomegranates orange and fifty other tropical things of beauty"
"We are at Para having enjoyed the glories of tropical vegetation + forests so much heard of— Exceeding any thing I ever before saw although the general appearance of this is that of the Mississippi on a wider scale. In fact we have passed through an immense lake abounding in islands . . . some of ones with glorious coconut palms + other riches of similar sort. Some enormous trees with great tall straight trunks rising above the surrounding forest with enormous dome like hills"