_July 13th._ Sir Humphry is already tired of Ischl, and has left off

the use of the baths, by which, however, he has been much strengthened,

and his health in general improved, but I suppose we shall soon quit

this place, though he seldom fixes on his departure till a day or two

before. New guests arrive daily, and this little place is filled with

company. Parties of pleasure and jaunts are arranged every day to

some of the neighbouring lakes or vallies, or other points worthy of

being visited. I have only joined a few of these, for Sir Humphry not

knowing well what to do with his morning if I am out of the way, I can

of course only be one in those parties which occupy the afternoon. The

first of the two most interesting trips was to the _Chorinsky Klause_.

A _Klause_, in these alpine countries, generally signifies a dam or

embankment, built over some mountain stream, in the centre of which

are flood-gates, which can be closed so as to shut in the stream,

which by degrees collects behind the wall or dam, till it forms a small

lake. The use of this arrangement is to float down the wood which is

cut in the mountains into the larger rivers, the mountain streams not

having in summer a sufficient body of water to effect this without this

contrivance. The fir-trees, cut into pieces from five to ten feet long,

are rolled down from the mountain into these artificial lakes. When a

sufficient quantity is collected on the surface, or the water rises too

high, the _Klause wird gesprengt_, that is, the flood-gates are opened,

and the pent up lake rushing out with tremendous velocity, carries the

wood along with it into the river of the neighbouring valley. It was to

see the water let out that we went to the Klause. We started from Ischl

after dinner, at one o'clock, a large party in six or seven carriages,

and drove up the valley of the Traun, for about a league and a half, to

Weissenbach, a village at the foot of the mountain on which the Klause

is situated. Here we left our carriages and walked up the mountain, the

road being very steep. I joined a party consisting of Madame de B----

and her daughter, a Greek gentleman and his wife, and two or three

others, and we seemed much to have shortened a hot walk of an hour and

a half up hill by chatting on various subjects.

We found the Chorinsky Klause to consist of a very strong and thick

wall, from thirty to forty feet high, built across a narrow valley. In

the centre of the wall was a large flood-gate, and on each side of it

a much smaller one. These were situated at a considerable height above

a clear shallow pool which lay at the foot of the wall, and was formed

by the superfluous water which had drained from the lake, already over

full. The whole party having taken a good position in front of the

Klause, the signal was given. The workmen struck the spring of the

flood-gates in the centre, which instantly burst open with a noise

resembling a sudden but hollow clap of thunder; at the same moment

an immense spout of water rushed forth, filling the space before

occupied by the invisible air. It was the work of a second, and it was

a magnificent sight to see the tranquil pool in an instant transformed

into a basin of curling foam, pouring with irresistible violence over

the rocks of the foreground, and whirling up the sand from the bottom

of the stream, which was for the first five minutes nothing but foam

of a muddy brown colour, till it changed by degrees to a pure white.

The lesser flood-gates were afterwards opened, and then three streams

poured forth at once from the lake. This scene lasted for nearly half

an hour, the cascades becoming less and less as the quantity of water

in the lake diminished, until the latter was perfectly drained; and

where but a short time before we beheld a beautifully clear lake, we

now saw only cleanly washed pebbles and sand, through which a little

insignificant rill was running. Our walk back was very pleasant and

shady. Among the party Madame A---- and Madame L----, two celebrated

actresses, the one in comedy, the other in tragedy, from Vienna, were

pointed out to me; the former of whom was a handsome woman, though

of small stature, and lively and animated in her conversation. After

this excursion I very often met a great many of the party in a small

public garden called the Volksgarten, to distinguish it from the

Prater, and where it is the fashion to spend an hour before dinner. The

conversation one day turned upon the following lines, which were found

written upon a table in the garden:

Espérance d'un meilleur sort

Toujours renaissante et trahie,

Voila l'histoire de ma vie;

Il n'est rien de vrai que la mort!

Various were the discussions upon them, and the ladies took great pains

to discover the author. Who could he be? Who was there in Ischl whose

character at all answered to this description? No one could be hit upon

with any certainty; but at last the lively Mademoiselle Marie, the

daughter of Madame de B----, with whom I had walked to the Chorinsky

Klause, declared it must be the solitary young Englishman, who so

rarely joined in their parties of pleasure, and who visited nobody. It

was in vain that I denied having written them, for they determined with

one accord that I should be considered as the author, unless I should

by the next morning produce four lines which might convince them of

their error. I accepted the challenge, and accordingly after dinner,

for the first time in my life, attempted to compose a couplet, and

after ransacking my brains, I could produce nothing better than the

following;--

Est elle donc vraie cette mort tant souhaitée?

N'est ce pas naître à une plus mauvaise vie?

Ne dirais tu pas dans l'éternité,

La mort que j'ai desiré m'a trahie?--

which I the next morning wrote under those of the anonymous author.

In the evening I met the greater part of the company at the little

theatre, which had been finished the week before, and in which a small

company of players from some neighbouring town were doing their best

to amuse the gay visitants of the baths. The ladies, and especially

Mademoiselle Marie, said they had read the verses, and were more than

ever persuaded of their being in the right, nor could all my rhetoric,

aided by a pocket full of bonbons, convince them of the truth.

_18th._ This evening at a late hour Sir Humphry returned from his

fishing, without either fish or rod, and, not a little vexed, begged

I would go directly to the Commissary of the Police, and endeavour

to regain his rod, which he told me had been taken from him in the

following manner. He had driven along the banks of the Traun for about

five miles, in a little chaise which he sometimes uses in his longer

excursions, had been fishing for some hours, and was just preparing

to return, when two men came up, one of whom began to talk to him and

George in German, but as neither of them understood him, Sir Humphry

proceeded to get into the carriage, whilst George took up the fish

which had been caught. Upon this the man became more violent in his

words and actions, and at last forcibly seized the rod and basket, and

walked off with them. Although it was just ten o'clock, I went to the

inn where I knew the Commissary generally supped, and luckily found

him. I related to him what had happened, and he was very polite, but

said nothing could be done that night, but begged me to come to him the

next morning, and to bring the servant with me.

_19th._ I took George this morning to the Commissary, who, from his

description, immediately recognized the offender, but found that he did

not belong to his district, but to that of Ebensee, to the Commissary

of which place he gave me a very civil letter. I returned to Sir

Humphry, who said that I should take a carriage and drive over at

once to Ebensee with George, and he gave me letters of introduction,

which he had with him, to the Governor of the province, and some

other great men, to show the Commissary. Arrived at Ebensee, I found

the Commissary all civility, and the fisherman, who lived at some

distance, was immediately summoned. In the mean time the Commissary

told me that the rivers and lakes were let out in different portions

to various fishermen, who alone have the right to fish, or allow any

other person to do so, in that part which they rent, and he supposed

that Sir Humphry had exceeded the limit of the portion belonging to the

fisherman at Ischl, from whom he had obtained permission to fish.

Whilst waiting for the fisherman, I asked the Commissary if I could

not see the salt works; he said certainly, and that he should be happy

to show them to me, and I accordingly accompanied him thither, and

found them to be on a very large scale. There are several evaporating

pans, much larger than the one at Ischl, and immense reservoirs for

the salt water are kept constantly by three pipes, through which it is

conducted from Hallstadt, more than twenty-seven miles distant. These

pipes, the master of the works told me, are always running, and should

any accident happen to either of them, it can be easily repaired, in

spite of the great distance they traverse, there being, at very short

intervals, places where the pipes may be uncovered and examined. From

the reservoirs the water is conducted into the pans, and the salt

produced by the evaporation is taken out twice every day, and put into

large conical baskets to drain, after which it is pressed into conical

six-sided forms, of various sizes, from twenty to a hundred pounds

each. These pyramids are then placed, some thousands at a time, in

the baking rooms, where they are exposed to a very high temperature,

which renders them quite firm and hard, after which they are carried

into the store-houses, from whence the salt is sent to all parts of

Austria. The quantity produced in this part of the country, in these

salt-works, in those of Ischl, Aussee, Hallstadt, &c., must be immense,

for I understand that from the warehouses of Ebensee alone, upwards of

25,000 tons of salt are sent annually across the lake of the Traun.

Upon the arrival of the fisherman we found the case to be as the

Commissary had supposed, and the man pleaded in his defence that it was

allowed to take away both rod and fish from any one so offending. The

Commissary, however, told him he ought to have warned Sir Humphry of

this. The poor man said he had done so, but they would not understand

him, and in spite of his defence, the Commissary compelled him to

deliver up the rod and basket, with which I returned to Ischl.

_21st._ Sir Humphry set out this morning in his little cabriolet on a

fishing excursion up the valley of the Traun, to the lake of Hallstadt,

and took me with him. This lake, about eight miles to the north east

of Ischl, is of a very grand and imposing character, but still does

not equal the Traun-See in the diversity and beauty of its banks. We

drove over a wooden bridge at the end of the lake, where the Traun

flows out of it, and then round its shores for a short distance to

Obertraun, where the road terminated. We here took a boat and rowed

for some miles up the lake, opposite to the small town of Hallstadt.

The view from hence was superb; the nearer houses seemed built in

the water, behind these the salt works are seen, extensive and noble

buildings, more like the palace or seignoral chateau of the lord of

the surrounding territory, than a manufactory; and beyond them rose

the mountain which contains the salt-mine, a stupendous mass of rock

capped with eternal snow, and to the left appeared the glaciers of the

Schneeberg. Rather to the right of the saltworks, embosomed in wood,

lay the rest of the town of Hallstadt, and one large house was situated

some thousand feet above the lake, standing alone in the wood. Along

the side of the mountain we saw what appeared to be a pathway, but

the boatman told us this was the canal cut for the pipes which convey

the salt-water from the mines of Hallstadt to the works of Ischl and

Ebensee. This is a stupendous undertaking, for the pipes are conveyed a

great distance over rivers and vallies and along mountains, where the

passage for the pipes has been cut for many miles through the solid

rock. Sir Humphry fished for some time but without success, when, not

wishing to visit the town, we rowed back to the village of Obertraun,

and on our way thither passed by the _Gosauzwang_, the most celebrated

part of the saliduct or salt canal between Hallstadt and Ebensee. The

three pipes are here carried across a very wild and romantic glen, the

defile of the Gosau, a mountain stream which runs down through it. Four

lofty columns of brick work, about two hundred feet in height, are

built up from the bottom of the valley and from out of the waters of

the Gosau, to a level with the pipes, which are thus carried over the

valley, being laid from pier to pier; and they serve at the same time

as a bridge to any foot passenger who may wish to pass, being railed in

on each side. These pipes, after traversing one or two smaller streams,

give part of their water to the salt works at Ischl, and are then

carried on to Ebensee, where they fill the reservoirs which I saw when

I visited the Commissary to procure the return of Sir Humphry's fishing

rod.

_23rd._ Yesterday I went with a very large party, consisting of almost

all the strangers in Ischl, to visit the _Salzberg_, the salt mountain

or rather mine, which was to be illuminated for the visitors. We set

out at about one o'clock, a long string of carriages, and after an

hour's drive through a very pleasant valley, we arrived at the foot

of the mountain which contains the mine. Here a number of miners

were waiting with sedan chairs for the ladies, many of whom however

preferred walking up the mountain, and in about three quarters of an

hour we arrived at the _Haupt Eingang_, or chief entrance of the mine.

We were now to be attired, as is usual on entering the mines, in a

long white mantle or frock, and a large wide broad brim, the latter

to hinder us from knocking our brains out, and the former to keep our

clothes clean. Here was confusion dire; this frock was too small,

this too long; this lady had no brimmer, this gentleman could find no

stick. I laid hold of the first frock and hat I met with, but up came

a lady and begged I would exchange with her, as her frock was so long

she could not walk in it, and mine so short that it did not reach to

my knees. _La grande toilette_ at length finished, the ladies were

placed in their carriages, that is two in each wheelbarrow, face to

face, with a miner before to pull, who carried a lamp in his hand, and

another to push behind, and between every two barrows went another

miner bearing a paper lanthorn. The gentlemen were of course on foot,

with the exception of one or two gouty invalids.

In this guise, with half-a-dozen miners going before carrying lamps,

the whole train entered the passage, and in a few seconds lost sight

of daylight. After a long, wet, and (in spite of our many lamps)

dark journey through this narrow and low passage, where my head was

continually coming in contact with the roof, we came to the _Rutsch_,

or slide, which leads down into the salt-chamber. This _Rutsch_ is

formed of the trunks of two large fir-trees laid close together,

rounded and polished, and placed in an oblique direction, in an angle

of about forty degrees. A miner, with a lamp in one hand, places

himself astride these trees, and holds with his other hand a cord which

is fixed to the rock on the sides. The person who wishes to descend

seats himself behind the miner, and holds him by the shoulders. The

miner then lets the cord slip through his hands, and down they go like

lightning into what seems an abyss of darkness: safe at the bottom,

he gives a shout that the next couple may follow. When the _Rutsch_

is very long, as in the mines at Hallein, near Salzburg, the miner

always sits upon a thick leather apron, and when alone makes no use of

the cord, but rushes down with a fearful impetus into the salt-cave

below. When we arrived at the _Rutsch_, and the ladies had all got out

of their barrows, after much discussion and many fears and doubts,

they consented thus to descend, as the miners assured them it was more

dangerous to do so by the steps cut in the rock at the side, which were

exceedingly precipitous and very wet. Having reached the bottom of the

_Rutsch_, which ends in a slight curve to break the impetus of the

descent, we found ourselves in an immense cavern, or room, excavated

in the rock, about twelve feet high, and from ten to twelve thousand

in circumference, supported in the middle by a massive pillar of rock,

and lighted up by some hundred lamps, which, however, only served to

give the scene a more awful and gloomy appearance. The visitors, whose

number was considerable, in their long white mantles and hats, looked

like spectres wandering in the shades of a nether world. The roof and

walls of this cavern were covered with minute crystals of salt, not,

however, sufficiently large to give to it the glittering appearance

which I had expected. The mountain contains a great many of these

_Salzkammern_ or salt-chambers, which at different periods are filled

with fresh water, conducted into them by wooden pipes. When this has

dissolved a sufficient quantity of salt, which operation occupies some

months, it is drained off through a deep perpendicular shaft, near the

middle of the cave, and is then conducted through wooden pipes, often

for a very great distance, to the boiling-houses, where it undergoes

the progress of evaporation.

Having wandered through these gloomy abodes of silence and night for

some time, we ascended the stairs, the ladies resumed their seats in

the barrows, and the procession returned as it had entered. To save my

head from additional thumps to the many it had received on entering, I

took the place of one of the pushers, and after a merry drive of about

twenty minutes we again saw daylight, like a distant star, increasing

in size till we reached the entrance of the mine. We here unspectred

ourselves, and returned home in our usual terrestrial appearance, and a

merry party we were.

_24th._ We left Ischl this morning in a little cabriolet for Aussee,

leaving the travelling carriage packed and ready for starting at Ischl,

for Sir Humphry wished, before he quitted this part of the country, to

have a day or two's more fishing in the Gründtl-See; but the weather

proving very warm, and a thunderstorm coming on in the evening, he

determined not to remain at Aussee beyond to-morrow.

_26th._ We returned this morning to Ischl, and after an early dinner

bade adieu to it, and set off for Ebensee. We here again crossed the

magnificent Traun-See, and after a row of two hours and a half, and

seeing Gmünden, as it were, rise out of the lake, we found ourselves in

our old quarters at the Ship.

_27th, 28th._ These were wet days, and Sir Humphry chiefly occupied

himself in dictating "The Vision," and reading. In the afternoon of

the latter, his coachman arrived from Vienna, and brought with him

"Salmonia," which had just been published, and was forwarded to him

through the Embassy at Vienna. Sir Humphry had engaged this man, who is

an Englishman, at Ischl, whilst in the service of the Polish Princess

L----, which he left, not wishing to go to Poland. Sir Humphry now

intends buying three additional horses, and thus rendering himself

independent of the poste.

_29th._ Sir Humphry this morning finished his "Vision," which, he tells

me, is really founded on a dream that he had some years ago, in which

he found himself borne through the firmament from planet to planet.

Of this dream, which he introduces as the consequence of a highly

interesting and animated conversation that he holds with two friends

in the Colosæum at Rome, on the grandeur and decay of nations, and

the mutability of religions, the general outline, he says, has alone

remained in his mind; but it has been his pleasure and delight during

his mornings at Ischl, and when he was not engaged in his favourite

pursuit of fishing, to work upon this foundation, and to build up a

tale, alike redundant with highly beautiful imagery, fine thoughts,

and philosophical ideas; and the hours thus passed with Sir Humphry

have afforded me high mental gratification and advantage, for I have

then marked his mind wandering, as it were, with the associates of his

early days; those days, in which he was evidently, by the exercise of

his extraordinary powers and quick perception, exciting not only his

own mind to dive into, and to unfold to clearer view, the mysteries

of creation, but that too of other congenial spirits; thus most

naturally collecting around him a constellation of shining lights,

the remembrance of whom often awakens vivid thoughts of the past, and

rouses his whole soul to action.

In the afternoon I read to him "Salmonia," in which he immediately

began to make corrections and additions in preparation for a second

edition.

_31st._ Sir Humphry this morning went to look at a pair of horses

which he thought of buying. The price demanded was 800 florins, (paper

money,) about 32_l._; but Sir Humphry thought them too dear, and

did not buy them. In the afternoon we paid another and a last visit

to the Falls of the Traun. This grand and striking scene appeared

now even more beautiful than when I saw it for the first time. The

body of water in the river was considerably less, thus rendering the

different cascades more diversified and picturesque. Sir Humphry amused

himself for an hour or two with fishing, and we afterwards returned

to Gmünden, which we quitted on the 3rd of August, and drove over to

Vocklabrück, where we remained the rest of the day, for Sir Humphry to

fish in the Vöckla, and went on the next morning across the country

for some leagues to Schörfling, a little village on the Atter, or

Kammer-See. This lake, the largest of those in Upper Austria, is about

fifteen miles in length; the shores on this side are low, but at the

opposite end they are formed by the Zimitz Alp, the Schaafberg, and the

chain of mountains which separate this lake on the one side from the

Wolfgang-See, and on the other from Ischl and the valley of the Traun.

Its depth is not very considerable, but the colour of the water is a

beautiful green. On a promontory which stretches far out into the lake,

stands the castle of Kammer, a fine large building, belonging to a

noble family of the same name. The most striking view of the lake is

from the little village of See-Walchen, about a mile from Schörfling.

We remained at Schörfling in a miserable inn, without having one single

fine day till the 9th. Sir Humphry did so, finding there were some

quails in the neighbouring fields, and he went out shooting and fishing

every day, in spite of the weather, with considerable success.

_9th._ We quitted Schörfling at nine o'clock and went to Frankenmarkt,

a long drive chiefly over bad and cross roads. Before arriving at this

little town, we beheld on our left a fine and magnificent view of the

Schneeberg, and the Alps of Hallstadt and Aussee, and on quitting it we

caught the first glimpse of the Salzburg chain, which we continued to

behold increasing in grandeur and beauty the nearer we approached it.

The next poste from Frankenmarkt is Neumarkt, and from hence we drove

through many villages and hamlets, the road being now and then rather

hilly, till, at about half-past one, we saw Salzburg lying before us in

the broad valley of the Salza, backed by a gigantic rampart of Alps.

On the right side of the road we passed by a small lake of no great

beauty or extent. The situation of Salzburg is strikingly grand and

beautiful, and probably no town in Europe can boast of a finer. Lying

as it were close at the foot of the lofty pyramid of the Watzmann, a

mountain more than ten thousand feet in height, the town extends along

the right and left bank of the Salza or Salzache, which separates it

into two parts, the old and new town, which are united by a strong

wooden bridge. On a hill on the right bank of the river, considerably

elevated above the town, stands the fortress or mountain castle, a very

strong and imposing fortification. Both parts of the town are strongly

fortified, and that on the right bank of the river is provided by

nature with a lofty wall of rock, superior to any means of defence that

could be formed by art.

_10th._ The first thing I did this morning was to call upon Count W----

for Sir Humphry, in order to obtain permission for him to shoot in the

neighbourhood. The Count was not in Salzburg, but I easily obtained

leave from the person who acted for him during his absence. Sir Humphry

accordingly immediately started for the neighbouring marshes, and I

occupied the morning in seeing the town. The most remarkable object is

the _Neu Thor_, the New Gate, a stupendous undertaking, which may stand

comparison with any of the works of the ancient Romans. It is formed of

one long arch, or rather tunnel, some hundred feet in length, between

twenty to thirty in breadth, and thirty to forty feet in height, cut

through the wall of rock, which surrounds the town on the Bavarian

side. On the outside the rock is handsomely sculptured, and forms a

very elegant entrance into this long passage. This work was commenced

at the beginning of the last century, and forty years elapsed ere it

was completed. Another work of a similar kind is the summer riding

school, a large amphitheatre, the galleries of which are cut out of the

solid rock. From hence I crossed over the Salzache into the new town,

to visit the church of St. Sebastian, which contains the monument of

the celebrated Theophrastus Paracelsus. It is very simple, and formed

of the red brown marble of the country. It bears his head in relief,

and the following inscription, which is a proof of the great esteem in

which the memory of this famous quack was held even till the middle of

the eighteenth century.

"Philippi Theophrasti Paracelsi qui tantam orbis famam ex auro chymico

adeptus est effigia et ossa donec rursus circumdabuntur pelle sua sub

reparatione ecclesiæ MDCCLII. ex sepulchrali tabe eruta heic locata

sunt.

"Conditur hic Philippus Theophrastus insignis medicinæ doctor, qui

dira illa vulnera, lepram, podagram, hydropsin, aliaque insanabilia

corporis contagia mirifica arte sustulit, ac bona sua in pauperes

distribuenda collocandaque honoravit.

"Anno MDXXI. die XXIII Septembris vitam cum morte mutavit."

On my return I passed by the house in which he died, and on the outside

of it there is still a painting of him, and a nearly obliterated

inscription. From hence I went to the church of St. Peter, in the old

town, to see the tomb of Haydn; but unfortunately found the church

closed, and could not see the monument.

The cathedral church of St. Rupert is a fine building in the Italian

style of architecture. It is built partly of free-stone and partly

of marble. The streets of Salzburg, with the exception of the chief

street, are narrow and generally ill paved, but the houses are clean

and neat, and of a great height. The palace of the former archbishop

is a spacious and magnificent building, and before it is a beautiful

fountain. Besides its public buildings, Salzburg has many large and

elegant private houses.

On my return to the inn I found Sir Humphry already there, and that

he had dined; and he asked me to accompany him to Aigen, a beautiful

villa, about two miles from Salzburg, the seat of Prince Schwarzenberg.

From the gardens of this villa the view of Salzburg and the whole chain

of Alps is most magnificent, but we could not enjoy it completely, as

the summits of the mountains were mostly veiled in cloud, thus mingling

as it were with the heavens, and only here and there a dark brown peak

was seen piercing through the white shroud, which every now and then

passed over it like the foaming wave over a rock, leaving it for some

moments invisible. We strolled for some time through the gardens, Sir

Humphry on his pony, and then returned to the city.

[Illustration: From nature _by J. J. Tobin_ FALLS of the SCHWARTZBACH]

_11th, 12th._ Were cloudy and rainy days, but in spite of the weather

Sir Humphry has been out shooting the greater part of them, with,

however, very little good fortune; and on the 13th, we left Salzburg in

the morning, and drove through a long avenue of fine beech-trees to

Hallein, passing by the Untersberg, where there are large quarries of

white marble, belonging to Bavaria. To the right, the view of the snowy

Watzmann, and the nearer and finely wooded mountains was exceedingly

striking. Above Hallein two enormous brown rocks rise out of the woods,

bearing a very striking resemblance to artificial walls. Hallein is a

dirty town, celebrated only for its extensive salt mines. The scenery

between it and Golling is fine, but cannot be compared with that beyond

Golling. At this latter place we stopped for two or three hours, and

whilst Sir Humphry took his dinner, I went to see the Falls of the

Schwartzbach, about two miles distant. After crossing the Salza, I

came in about half an hour to the first or lower fall, where, in the

very midst of dark pines, some of which seemed even to grow out of the

falling water, the _Schwartzbach_, or _dark stream_, dashes over the

rocks, and divides itself into two branches, one of which makes but one

single leap to the pool below, whilst the other descends in innumerable

small cascatelles, and the black rocks, peeping here and there through

the white and curling foam, give a very beautiful effect to this part

of the scene. I then ascended with my young guide, a little boy whom

I had taken with me from Golling, to the upper fall, of which nothing

is visible from below but the rising spray, and the beautiful iris

playing upon it. The pathway leads immediately to the front of this

fall, which, in point of singularity of situation, is perhaps

unrivalled.

At this spot the rocks form a wide and massive arch, on which the

tall pines and other trees stand firmly rooted. Beneath this arch,

rude blocks are tumbled one upon another in wild confusion, through

which the water of the upper fall forces its way to the lower one.

Above the arch which nature has thus formed, a slight wooden bridge is

built, so that two openings are thus formed, the one above the other,

through which the water is seen descending in a broad sheet of foam.

Standing at the foot of this cascade, it is first seen gushing forth

from the rock amongst the trees immediately above the wooden bridge;

between this and the natural arch it again appears, and is for the

third time seen below the arch, closing the opening between it and the

rocks beneath like a white curtain. The rainbow was seen beautifully

shadowing the spray wafted from the fall, which was itself in a dark

recess of the mountain, and the sun tipped the tops of the surrounding

trees with a brilliant light, whilst now and then a single ray shot

through the leaves and fell upon the white fall. It was a scene before

which a painter might have sat for hours.

We afterwards went upon the bridge, from whence we had a view of the

whole fall, looking down into the basin which receives it. A little

footpath leads from the bridge to the spot where the water issues as

clear as crystal from the rock, in the same manner as that of the

Savitza in Wochain. After taking one or two rapid sketches, I returned

with my little guide to Golling, which Sir Humphry soon after left for

Werfen, and we turned into the mountains, passing through a magnificent

defile where the Salza is quite hemmed in by rocks, through which this

foaming river forces its way with irresistible violence.

The Salza in its whole course is a muddy river, which considerably

detracts from the beauty of the scene. Towards evening we arrived at

Werfen, a small insignificant town with an ancient fort on the hill

above it, and passed the night at a tolerable inn.

_14th._ Rising early this morning and looking from my window before

sunrise, I beheld one of the finest scenes imaginable. The distant

snowy Watzmann appeared quite near, and was encircled by beautiful

rose-coloured clouds, though not so dense as to hide the mountain which

glimmered through them, tinged with the same beautiful hue. These

clouds, which kept ascending and descending, and now and then breaking

and leaving the mountain quite clear, became gradually fainter and

fainter, till the sun rose, bringing with him the mists of morning,

when the whole scene vanished from my eyes, and this so quickly, that I

was almost tempted to fancy it a dream.

At nine o'clock we left Werfen, and crossing the Salza drove on through

some very pretty villages to Itan, a little hamlet, where we had to

wait a considerable time for horses, the Archduke John having passed

through but a few hours before, on his road from the baths of Gastein

to Grätz. From Itan we proceeded to Radstadt, and from thence along our

former road to Unter-Tauern.

_15th._ This morning was rainy, but in spite of this I preferred

walking up the mountain, to the slow pace at which the carriage

ascended with four horses and two oxen. The rain ceased in about an

hour, but the distant views, on our former descent so beautiful, were

now all veiled in mist and cloud. We passed two very fine falls, one

of them a little out of the road, which Sir Humphry got out to see. It

is called Prince John's Fall, and is a cascade of from three to four

hundred feet high, and is well worth seeing.

On arriving at Auf-dem-Tauern, the little village near the summit of

the pass, we found the fields and the greater part of the surrounding

Alps, which when we passed the first time were hidden as far as the

eye could reach in snow, now richly clad with fine grass and alpine

flowers. The road descending to Tweng is formed of white primary

marble, mixed with mica-schist. At Tweng we struck into a cross road to

Tamsweg, a large village lying in a fine broad valley, in the middle

of which runs a branch of the Murr, which we have followed from the

very peak of the Tauern. The inn here was very bad. In the evening I

went to the village doctor for some medicine for Sir Humphry, who told

me that this valley was one of the highest in Austria, the village

itself lying three thousand and twenty-two Paris feet above the level

of the sea, and that the pass of the Tauern was rather more than two

thousand feet higher.

_16th._ We left Tamsweg this morning, and drove on, over abominable

roads, to Murrau, a dirty little town on the Murr. Sir Humphry said

he should stay a day here to see if he could shoot some quails, or

catch any huchos[D] in the river, and he went out immediately after we

arrived, about two o'clock, but found no quails. The Murr forms a very

pretty cascade about a mile below the town.

_17th._ Sir Humphry went this morning to the river and fished for

some hours, but in vain. This, added to an exorbitant bill brought

in by the host, determined him to proceed, and we left Murrau at four

in the afternoon. The scenery of the valley of the Murr is always of

the same kind; mountains clad with fine woods diversified with fields

and villages, and the river winding through the valley. We passed on

our road two old feudal castles, rearing their grey walls out of the

wood. At the next station, Neumarkt, we found ourselves on the same

road which we had traversed on our way to Carniola. There being no

tolerable inn here, we proceeded a post further, to Friesach, and had a

very pleasant moonlight drive along the banks of a foaming brook, and

through some dark and shady glens.

_18th._ Sir Humphry spent the whole of this day in the fields round

Friesach, in the hope of finding a good many quails, but returned late

in the afternoon with only one or two, and complaining terribly of the

heat.

_19th._ We left Friesach early this morning, and drove on, over our old

road, to St. Veit and Klagenfurth, where we turned off to the right,

and proceeded along the banks of the Lake of Klagenfurth to Velden.

The length of this lake is about fifteen miles, its greatest breadth

three or four. The scenery of its banks near Klagenfurth is rather

flat and uninteresting, but towards Velden it becomes more diversified

and beautiful. Sir Humphry intended passing the night at Velden, but

the old ruined chateau, which now serves as the post-house, was better

adapted for the habitation of bats and owls than the accommodation of a

sickly and susceptible traveller; and accordingly he ordered horses for

Villach, in spite of the approaching night. Whilst they were being put

to, we enjoyed a fine view of the lake through the arched windows of

the earth-floored hall of the chateau. Some time before we arrived at

Villach it was quite dark, but the road being very good and perfectly

safe, Sir Humphry, notwithstanding his reluctance to travel after

nightfall, said that he was glad that he had gone on to Villach, where

he would stay to try the shooting.

_20th._ This morning he changed his mind, and we went on to Wurzen,

crossing over the same mountain which we had passed on our road

to Ischl. The ascent on this side is much longer than that from

Wurzen. At the foot of the mountain are some hot baths, much used by

the inhabitants of Villach. We tried their temperature and found it

to be 85° Fahrenheit. The proprietor said that the water contained

principally sulphur and magnesia.

_21st-25th._ These days were chiefly wet and rainy, but when it did not

pour Sir Humphry was out shooting in the marshes. Two mornings, when

the rain kept him at home, he occupied himself with the additions to

"Salmonia," and in dictating _an ancient Irish Tale_; a fairy fiction,

or a tale of enchantment, founded on the supposed adventures of a

Norwegian hero in Ireland.

_26th._ A fine day at last, and we see the Alps unveiled for the first

time since we have been here. I thought I should have seen them quite

free from snow, and was not a little surprised, on the clearing away

of the clouds, to find them covered with a newly fallen crest, which

was brilliantly white, for I believed that the temperature of the air

would be too high to allow the snow, which falls on the heights when

it rains in the valleys, to remain unmelted even for the shortest

time. In the afternoon I took a ramble with the postmaster, as a

guide, to see a waterfall in the neighbourhood, which I suspected from

what he told me was the feeder of the pond from which the Wurzen-Save

rises. After a long walk through the woods in one of the smaller side

valleys, at the opening of which the pond or source of the Save is

situated, we arrived at the end of the valley, where all progress was

put an end to by the lofty and rocky mountains which shut it in on all

sides; mountains, through which there is hardly a path for the most

adventurous chamois hunter. In the centre of this vale is a hut, or,

as it is called by the peasants, an _Alpe_, (a hut on the mountains,)

built with the trunks of trees, in which a few cowherds were employed

in making cheese. Opposite this hut, high up in the rocks, is a

considerable cascade, which without doubt is the source of the Save.

The water issues in a considerable stream from an opening in the side

of the mountain, and rushes down into the valley foaming and dashing

over the rocks; it then flows on for a short time in a bed of limestone

pebbles, where it suddenly disappears, sinking into the ground, and

in all probability continues its subterraneous course through the

whole length of the valley, till it rises in the pond near Wurzen.

We ascended with considerable difficulty to the top of the fall, and

in order to examine the hole, I was obliged to take off my shoes to

prevent my slipping over the rocks. The water flowed perfectly clear

and intensely cold from a reservoir in the interior of the mountain,

but the opening in the rocks was not sufficiently large to enable me

to look in. Having descended safely, and drank some curds and whey in

the _Alpe_, we returned home; and I determined, if the weather should

be fine to-morrow, to cross over the Alps to Trenta, and see the source

of the Isonzo, to seek which we made such a long trip in vain the last

time we were here.

_27th._ I started from Wurzen at eight o'clock with a guide, who said

that he was well acquainted with the pass across the Alps, and as he

told me we should find nothing to eat at Trenta, we took some cold meat

and eggs with us. At Kronau we turned into the beautiful defile which

lies behind this village, and which is called the Valley of Pisching,

from a little stream which flows through it, along whose banks we

walked briskly for about an hour and a half, surrounded on all sides

by rocky and magnificent mountains. At the end of the valley we turned

off to the right, and began to ascend one of the mountains by a very

rugged and steep path, passing sometimes through fir woods, and at

other times over white limestone rocks. After a very fatiguing ascent

of more than two hours, we found ourselves on the top of a pass between

two mountains. To our left was a still more lofty mountain, through

which, near the summit, there was a large hole like a window, so that

the blue sky was distinctly seen through it. My guide told me that

it was possible to ascend to this hole from the other side, but that

he had never been there. The descent to Trenta on the other side was

much worse than our ascent had been, the path or rather track that we

followed being every now and then impeded by great blocks of limestone

and shattered fir-trees. The points of view were very fine and wild,

though the whole seemed desolate and dreary. In less than an hour we

reached the valley and the few huts which form the hamlet of Trenta.

In the middle of the valley runs the Isonzo, which is seen gushing

forth from the rocks, and forming a magnificent cascade in a gulley

or crevice of the mountain, a few hundred yards distant from Trenta.

I immediately went to it, and found that the fall consisted of three

distinct cascades, one above the other, all three highly picturesque,

but chiefly so the upper one, which is by far the loftiest. My guide

said the quantity of water was not now so considerable as in general,

and that if I liked to go to the top of the uppermost fall I could see

the place from whence it issued out of the mountain. We accordingly

climbed up the rocks till we came to a heap of loose and detached

fragments of limestone, from under which the water appeared to issue,

but on climbing up still further, I came to a large opening in the

rock, through which a sunbeam fell, and upon looking into it, I saw

that within there was a large cavern filled with water perfectly clear,

and apparently of great depth, for when I threw in a large white stone

on the spot where the sunbeam played upon the water, I saw it descend

through it for a long time. Of the extent of this subterraneous lake

and cavern it was impossible to form any idea, for all beyond a few

feet from the opening was darkness. The peasants at Trenta call this

source the _Sorga_, and they told me that after great melting of the

snows the water rushes also out from the opening, and then forms a very

noble cascade. The water is intensely cold, yet an old peasant assured

me, that on looking through the hole he had sometimes seen fish in the

lake. This, however, seemed very doubtful, for many others said they

had repeatedly been there and had never seen a trace of any living

animal in the water within the mountain. Having taken a sketch or two

and eaten our frugal dinner, we began to think of returning home, and

reascended the rugged path which had brought us to Trenta, but before

we reached the summit of the pass I experienced great pain in the

thighs and legs, so that I was obliged to rest every now and then. At

last, however, we gained the top, and having staid there for a good

quarter of an hour to recruit my strength, we descended briskly, passed

again through the romantic glen of Kronau, and I found myself at home

by seven o'clock. Fifty kreutzers (1_s._ 8_d._ English) made my guide a

happy man, and the evening was passed in recounting to Sir Humphry the

adventures of the day.

_29th._ We left Wurzen this morning, and passed over our old road

to Assling. The scenery of the valley is now more beautiful than

when we last saw it, for trees of every kind appear in full verdure

on the sides of the mountains; beech, oak, ash, walnut, birch, and,

last and highest, the pine, above which are the bare brown rocks,

just tipped with snow. Three leagues beyond Assling we turned out of

the post road, and drove to Radmannsdorf, passing through what much

resembled an English park; fine large trees rising from a verdant turf,

rendering the drive at once shady and agreeable. Radmannsdorf is a

small insignificant town; the only inn it has to boast of was being

repaired and not habitable, so that we were obliged to go somewhere

else, and Sir Humphry determined to proceed to Veldes and to spend a

day or two in that beautiful neighbourhood. After an hour's drive we

arrived there, and with considerable difficulty, and some danger to

the carriage, we got up a narrow and hilly lane, at the top of which

the best inn in the village is situated, which we however found bad

enough. Sir Humphry begged me immediately to go to the fisherman's at

the other side of the lake, and see what he had. I found in his tank

only very large carp and some small specimens of _Silurus glanis_.

This latter fish is found in this and one or two more of the Austrian

lakes. The fisherman told me that it here sometimes grows to a great

size, and that the last year he and his fellow-fisherman had caught one

that weighed upwards of two hundred pounds. I chose the smallest carp,

one of five pounds, and a little _Silurus_, and was then rowed back to

Veldes by the fisherman. The lake was beautifully tranquil and clear,

and in the shade of the mountains, for the evening was already set in,

resembled an extensive surface of black polished marble, only ruffled

by the paddle of the canoe which bore us across it. We had part of the

fish dressed for supper, and we found the carp far preferable to the

_Silurus_, for the flesh of the latter is flabby and insipid.

_30th._ At one o'clock in the morning George called me to Sir Humphry,

who told me that he felt very ill. At four he begged I would order

horses to quit Veldes as soon as possible, but none could be procured

till seven, and then only a pair of cart horses. Sir Humphry in the

meanwhile applied leeches, and found himself considerably relieved. At

seven o'clock we left Veldes, but, as if fated to be unfortunate in

this village, our peasant-postilion drove us against the projecting

roof of a small house, which however did no further damage than that

of dashing the lamps to pieces. We at last got clear of Veldes, and

without further accident soon reached Safnitz, where we found post

horses which took us to Krainburg by one o'clock, and from thence to

Laibach by four, where we took up our old quarters at Detella's inn.

_31st August-7th October._ Sir Humphry continued very unwell for two

days, but on the third went out shooting as he used to do formerly.

The ennui of Laibach is terrible, for Sir Humphry sees nobody, and is

daily occupied in shooting or fishing, and it is only when the rain

keeps him at home that he dictates to me the additions and corrections

for "Salmonia," or continues his Irish Tale, "_The last of the

O'Donohoes_," which he finished on the 13th of September. The second

edition of "Salmonia" was not finished till the 25th, and I added six

little views to it, which Sir Humphry begged I would draw for him; the

first three are from his description, and the remainder from sketches I

have taken on our journey. After "Salmonia" had been safely despatched

to the English Embassy at Vienna, Sir Humphry determined upon making a

little tour to Trieste, and there to examine the electrical phoenomena

presented by the _Torpedo_, or Electrical Ray, and we accordingly left

Laibach on the 6th of October, in the afternoon, in a little carriage

drawn by Sir Humphry's two ponies, for he bought another shortly after

our arrival at Laibach. We only went on to Oberlaibach, where we spent

the night. Not far from this small village the river Laibach issues,

for the last time, from its subterraneous passage.

_7th._ Early this morning I went with two students from Munich, whom I

met on their road to Adelsberg, to see the source of the river. At the

end of a romantic glen, surrounded by fine rocks and wood, the river

oozes out of the hill, forming a large pond, which falls over a natural

dam in front, and is then joined, a few hundred yards below, by another

subterraneous stream, and they together form a tolerably large river.

Parting here from my Munich companions, I returned to Oberlaibach,

when I found Sir Humphry was already gone out shooting, but he shortly

returned, and having shot nothing, we set out for Planina. Immediately

upon leaving Oberlaibach we ascended a very long and steep hill, the

surface of which was everywhere perforated with large conical pits,

much resembling funnels, affording a striking example of that species

of country called by geologists funnel land. Arrived at the top of the

hill we found ourselves in a wide fertile valley, through which we saw

the Laibach winding slowly, till on reaching the end of the valley it

disappears in the fields, and after pursuing its subterraneous course

through the mountain, again rises to the surface near Ober-Laibach.

We stopped to bait the horses at Loitsch, and then drove on through

the valley to Planina, a dirty village, where we passed the night in a

miserable inn.

[Illustration: From nature _by J. J. Tobin_ TRIESTE]

_8th._ Leaving Planina early this morning, we ascended a very steep

hill, at the foot of which the Laibach again rises out of the mountains

as it does at Ober-Laibach. The country between Planina and Adelsberg

is bleak and barren, and presents nothing interesting. The mountain

near the latter small town contains the famous grottos of Adelsberg,

formerly thought to be the only spot where that singular animal the

_Proteus Anguinus_ was found. Sir Humphry said there was no time for

me to visit these grottos now, but he thought that he should pass

through Adelsberg again upon his return, and we accordingly drove into

Trewalchen, where we passed over another long and steep hill. At Sesana

we saw the first olive trees; they much resemble the common willow, but

are darker; these and the flat-roofed houses, and a lighter and more

airy style of architecture, told us that we were approaching Italy.

The country between Sesana and Trieste is wild and bleak, completely

covered with broken and waterworn rocks, over which, ages ago, some

great current of the ocean must have passed, and thus occasioned their

present singular and often fantastic shapes. At the foot of the last

hill, which is not steep, we entered the territory of Trieste, and

from its summit one of the most magnificent sea views I ever beheld

burst upon our sight. Nearly two thousand feet below us lay the wide

expanse of the blue Adriatic, its light waves glittering in the

sun-beams, occasionally shaded by the intercepting clouds. At the foot

of the mountain, and partly concealed by it, appeared Trieste, with

its harbour full of vessels, lying on a small promontory. Looking over

the town and across the bay the eye embraces the whole hilly coast

of Istria, with the towns of Capo d'Istria, Pirano, and others; and

promontory is seen beyond promontory till the more distant ones can no

longer be distinguished from the waves. The right or opposite coast,

stretching down to Venice, is flat, and the last visible point on it is

the ancient town of Aquilea; but behind this low and marshy tract the

distant Alps of the Friul are seen, covered with eternal snow. After

stopping the carriage for some time to admire this magnificent view,

we descended the hill by a very winding and steep road. Every thing

bespoke the approach to a large and commercial city, and the road was

filled with carts and waggons coming and going, loaded with

merchandize. In some of them we counted twenty horses, in another

twenty-four oxen, with twelve drivers, who made a terrible noise with

their mouths as well as their whips to animate their strong and fine

beasts during their ascent. A new road is now building which, when

finished, will render the great number of cattle now obliged to be

used unnecessary. We reached the gate of Trieste about four o'clock,

and after driving through some fine wide streets wholly paved with

flagstones, and across the Ponterosso, a miserable little bridge, we

took up our quarters at the Locanda Grande, in the market-place; but

our rooms looked towards the harbour and sea, and immediately beneath

them we heard the joyous noise and bustle of the sailors. What a

difference between this town and the inland cities of Germany! There

all seems dead or asleep, and hardly a living soul is to be seen in the

streets; here, on the contrary, all is activity and animation. The

representatives of all nations seem assembled here,--Italians, Germans,

English, and Americans, with Greeks and Turks in their national

dresses, are seen walking through the streets or sitting before the

doors of the cafés: this latter applies especially to the Turks, who,

in their graceful costume with their long pipes, attract the notice of

every stranger unaccustomed to see individuals of this nation.

Leaving Sir Humphry to repose in his room, I took a walk about the

town and harbour. The streets are generally broad, well paved, and

clean, and the houses are lofty and well built. The harbour is full of

small craft, but I saw but one large merchantman, lately arrived from

the Brazils. Near the Molo san Carlo, a small pier, lay a steam-boat

which was to start the next morning for Venice. To the left of the

town, looking towards the sea, and at a considerable distance from the

houses, is the Lazaretto, a large and spacious building, close to a

basin or dock, in which the vessels lie whilst performing quarantine.

After dinner I went with Sir Humphry to the theatre, which is an

elegant and lofty building, with five tiers of boxes very tastefully

ornamented. The piece performed was an opera, _The Arabs in Gaul_,

but spite of the magnificent decorations and really fine music, Sir

Humphry soon became tired, and we returned to our Shakspeare and

_ecarté_. I sleep to-night, for the first time in my life, in the

bed-room of an Emperor; a little chamber with only one window in it,

and with which, I think, few Emperors of the present day would be

content. Above the bed is painted a gorgeous crown and encircling

canopy, beneath which, on a small marble tablet, are the following

words:--

Locus iste Imperatoris

Josephi Secundi

Habitatio fuit XV Maji.

The year was either never mentioned, or has been rubbed out.

_9th._ The noise of the sailors and the hum of business--sounds long

foreign to my ear--greeted me upon waking this morning, and on looking

out of my window I saw a number of people upon the quay below, buying

fish from the sailors of some fishing-boats that had just come into

the harbour. After breakfast I accompanied Sir Humphry on a visit to

the British Consul, Colonel D----, who politely promised to send Sir

Humphry a fisherman who could supply him with some living torpedos for

his experiments. Sir Humphry afterwards rode out on his pony, George

attending him, whilst I took a walk on the hill above the town. I had

intended to visit the stalactite grotto at Corneale to-day, as Sir

Humphry, who had seen it ten years ago, said it was well worth notice;

but on coming away from Colonel D----'s I found that it was too late.

_10th._ I left Trieste early this morning, with a guide, to visit the

grotto. After a three hours' walk over two very long and steep hills,

from which however the view over the Adriatic, with numberless white

sails flitting across its waves, the two coasts, the harbour with

its shipping, the town and the gardens surrounding it planted with

cypresses and olives, was magnificent, we reached Corneale, a small and

dirty village, and having here provided ourselves with a man carrying

a large lamp, and some boys with candles, proceeded over some very

rough and stony fields to the grotto. The entrance was not, as I had

expected, in the side of a hill, but in the open fields, and surrounded

by a wall. Having lighted our lamp and candles, I took off my coat,

and we began the descent down some very slight wooden stairs, the steps

and railing of which were, as I afterwards found to my cost, not only

slippery, but quite rotten from the continual dripping. The entrance,

or hall, is a fine lofty dark vault, supported in the middle by one

enormous stalactite column. Beyond this the cave becomes narrower, and

the numberless stalactites of all sizes present a greater variety of

forms than it is possible to describe: immense cauliflowers, trunks of

trees, fruits; rounds and ovals of all sizes, from that of a marble to

globes of many feet in diameter; pyramids rising up from below, and

whose bases are lost in profound darkness; myriads of peaks hanging

from the roof, often invisible to the eye, are seen at every step.

These different forms, the deathlike stillness of the cave, the total

darkness, except in those points where the guides placed themselves

so as to illuminate the most striking objects; deep precipices before

and around me, from out of which here and there a single snow white

column rose, formed, and still forming, by the water which falls

in measured time from the unseen roof; the flickering lights of our

candles,--all this, and the thought of where I should roll to were I

to slip from the frail steps into one of those dark abysses, produced

an indescribable feeling of awe and fear. Descending further into the

cavern, we passed by the _Lion's head_, the _Melon_, the _Death's

head_, and two magnificent single pillars, the one plain, the other

beautifully fluted, both of which upon being struck by the hand emit a

loud sonorous sound, that thrills mournfully through the surrounding

silence. Beyond these we came to the _Waterfall_, one of the finest

specimens of stalactites in the cavern; other pillars and pyramids, and

last of all to the _Baldachin_, or canopy formed of beautifully fluted

hanging stalactites. Beyond this point the cave had not been explored,

as the precipices are very dangerous. Even the descent to this spot is

not very safe, being often along very narrow slippery paths and rotten

stairs, or rather ladders. On my return I sketched different subjects

in the cave, and whilst drawing the entrance-hall, incautiously sat

upon the wooden hand-rail, when I heard a sudden crack, and felt that

I was falling backwards. Not being able to recover myself, I slipped

from rock to rock, turning twice head over heels, but without injury,

and with perfect presence of mind, although I expected every instant

to be dashed over the edge of a precipice. As soon as I felt my fall

become slower, I stopped myself with my hands, with my head downwards,

and my heels in the air. In this position I remained some minutes, not

daring to move a finger, till the guide came down through the rocks

with his lamp to my assistance; with his help I regained my feet, and

found that I had been lying on the very verge of a smooth rock, beneath

which was a dark and impenetrable abyss. My next fall would probably

have been into eternity.

After the whirl of my brain had passed away, I found, with the

exception of some light bruises, that I had not injured myself, as the

rocks were very smooth and round. Having reascended, we left the cave,

and I sat for a long time in the fresh air as I felt very sick. The

guide and the boy had been exceedingly terrified, and still looked as

pale as I think I must have done myself; nor shall I soon forget the

shriek they uttered when they saw me falling. After a draught of water

that was very refreshing, though from a dirty pool in the field, and

paying the man and boys who had been in the grotto with me for upwards

of two hours, I returned to Trieste, where the tailor and a good dinner

set every thing to rights again.

Sir Humphry had just received two living torpedos, and made some

experiments with them upon the power and effect of their electricity,

which he seemed inclined to think of a peculiar kind. These finished,

he determined to quit Trieste to-morrow, and to return to Laibach.

_11th._ We started from Trieste this morning early, and having ascended

the hill above the town, from whence we had such a beautiful view upon

our arrival, we turned out of the road and drove across the country

over very bad roads to Wippach, where we did not arrive till evening.

We had stopped to bait at mid-day in a miserable little village,

and after leaving it we lost our way, Robert (the coachman) being a

perfect stranger in this part of the country, and spent some hours in

vain before we again got into the right road. Wippach lies in a fine

fertile valley at the foot of a lofty range of mountains. The river of

the same name rises close behind the town, out of the rock, in the same

manner as the river Laibach. The trout in this river were the object

of Sir Humphry's trip hither, and as soon as he arrived, though the

evening was too far advanced to allow of his fishing, he went to look

at the river, and found it very foul from rain. When he returned to the

inn, he dictated to me his observations on the experiments with the

torpedos which he had made at Trieste.

_12th._ In the morning Sir Humphry went out to try the fishing in the

river, and returned about twelve o'clock not having caught anything.

We then quitted Wippach, which has nothing at all attractive or

interesting in it. At the end of the town is a large and handsome

chateau, belonging to the Counts of Wippach, and on the other side an

extensive cotton manufactory. The drive from hence to Trewalchen is

steep and hilly, the road passing over a lofty ridge of the mountain.

From Trewalchen we went on to Adelsberg, where we did not arrive till

night, and as Sir Humphry said that he should the next morning go

on to Zirknitz, I determined to visit the principal grotto in the

night. There are two here, the grotto of the Magdalen, long known and

celebrated as being the only spot in which the Proteus Anguinus[E] had

been found; and the great grotto, only lately discovered, and more

remarkable for the variety and grandeur of the stalactite formations

which it contains.

After having read to Sir Humphry till nearly ten, I set out,

accompanied by three guides furnished with lamps and some pounds of

candles. We walked across the fields for about a mile in darkness,

the moon not having yet risen, till we came to a slight ascent which

brought us to a door in the mountain. The guides here lighted their

lamps, and cut the candles into bits, and unlocking the door, we

entered and found ourselves in a low and dark passage. Two of the

guides went on before with the candles, and I followed a few minutes

after with the other, the only one of the three who spoke German. The

passage brought us to the top of a rock, where we found ourselves in an

immense vault, the roof and sides of which could not be distinguished

by the eye. Below us, at the foot of the rock, we heard the rushing

of a river, whose waters were invisible to us owing to the extreme

darkness. We saw the other two guides upon a frail wooden bridge, which

is thrown across this subterraneous stream, they having already lighted

some of the candles, which they were engaged in fixing upon the side

rail, and in a few minutes, more than thirty candles in some degree

dispelled the darkness which surrounded us. The river became visible

for about one hundred yards on each side of the bridge, flowing as it

were out of total darkness above, and passing again into gloom and

shade below it. The light however was by no means sufficient to enable

me to discover the roof of this vast dome. It is a striking scene,

but very different from any presented by the grotto of Corneale, and

a poet might have thought the vault a banquetting room for the giants

of old, or the council-chamber of Lucifer and his host; the dark and

rushing water the gloomy river Styx, dividing him from the kingdom

of Pluto, and have expected to see the grim ferryman appear with his

boat. There was however no Charon to ferry us over, and we accordingly

descended the steps in the rock, and crossed the river by the tottering

and slippery bridge. A steep path cut in the rocks on the other side

conducted us to the _Little Temple_, a small vault, whose roof and

sides were covered with stalactites of the most varied and grotesque

forms, hanging down from the roof, shooting out from the sides, or

rising as stalagmites[F] from the floor, some pointed, some round, and

others flat, thin, and transparent. In one part of this temple are

inscribed the names of the strangers who have visited the grotto. From

hence we went to the _Hall_, or _Place of the Tournament_, passing in

another vault by the _Butcher's stall_, perhaps one of the most apt

denominations of the many which the guides have given to the numerous

larger masses of stalactite met with in these caverns. It stands

alone, projecting from the walls of the vault, and somewhat resembles

a pulpit in form. One of the guides enters this stall with a lamp,

and illuminates the different joints of limestone meat, sausages,

hams, &c., which hang around. The _Tournier-platz_ or Place of the

Tournament, is a lofty and extensive cavern, the floor of which is

formed of very fine sand, and is exceedingly level and firm. The shape

of the vault is oval, and the sides have some slight resemblance to an

amphitheatre. On Whit-Monday the whole of the grotto is illuminated,

and hundreds flock to behold this curious scene, the _Tournier-platz_

being arranged as a ball-room, and in which the visitors dance till a

very late hour. From thence we went through long passages and caverns,

each of which presents something remarkable. In one, a large pillar

rises from the ground, which, on being struck with a stone or stick,

gives out a sound resembling the deep and sonorous tone of a tolling

bell; and in another, stands a large fluted pillar, to which the

guides give the strange name of the _Kanonen-Säule zu Moskau_, or the

Pillar of Canons at Moscau. In another part of the cavern we see a

vase, on the top of a small pillar, constantly full of water, which

falls into it, drop by drop, from the roof; it is perfectly clear,

and icy cold. Beyond this font, we came to the _great curtain_, the

most striking single stalactite in the whole cavern. The limestone

here descends in many a waving and beautiful fold from the roof, from

a height of upwards of twenty feet, and projecting about six feet out

from the rock. The whole mass is exceedingly thin, and is bordered

by a stripe of red. Seen from a distance, when the guides hold their

lamps behind it, the effect is highly striking, and the spectator can

hardly believe that the transparent curtain before him is formed of

hard stone. The red colour in the edge of this mass of limestone, is

the only instance of the kind I met with in the grotto, the general

colour of the stalactites being either pure white or whitish brown:

and they are often covered with a crust of very fine crystals. At some

distance beyond the curtain, the cave divides into two branches, one

of which ends with a large block of limestone, that bears the name

of the _high altar_; the other has been rarely trodden by the foot

of a stranger, for my guide said that this was only the second time

that he had been there, since the discovery of that part of the cave,

by him and another of the men who were with me, six or seven years

ago. It extends for a considerable way, till all further progress is

stopped by a large pool of water, over which the guides said no one had

ever crossed. This pool did not appear to me to be of any very great

extent, and I felt persuaded, that with the help of a few long poles,

it would have been possible to have passed over the slippery rocks on

its sides; we had, however, nothing of the kind with us, and I was

obliged to abandon the idea, nor did the guides appear at all inclined

to continue our peregrinations, having already penetrated to a greater

distance than usual. I carefully examined the water, but in vain, to

see if I could discover anything like a proteus, and I asked the guide

if on his former visit he had seen any animal in the pool, but he said

he had not. The paths through the cavern are generally very good, and

broad enough for two or three persons to walk abreast, and have in many

places been widened and levelled by art, but the road from the curtain

to the end of the grotto, passes over a chaos of rocks and large broken

stalactites; these, though now united by the all-binding lime-water

into shapeless masses of rock, formerly composed the roof, but have now

given place to newer formations, so that even in these subterraneous

caverns, as in all other of nature's works, man beholds destruction

only as making way for regeneration. The process is one of the slowest,

but sure in its effects; an accident, the shock of an earthquake for

example, may strew the floor of the cavern with the stalactites

which hang from the roof, yet the impregnated water flows from above,

deposits the limestone, and in a few centuries, the roof is again

ornamented with its curious and beautiful fretwork. Retracing our steps

through the different halls, temples, and passages, we again found

ourselves on the banks of the subterraneous river. This is the Laibach,

which rising in the plain above Adelsberg, enters the mountain, and

after flowing through the cavern and underground for a considerable

distance, again appears at the foot of the hill near Planina. We

crossed the little bridge, ascended the rocks, and taking a last look

around the vast and dark cupola by which we had first entered, I bade

adieu to the caverns of Adelsberg. On coming out of the mountain, the

air felt very cold, for the temperature within had been very agreeable,

almost warm. It was past one o'clock, so that we had been three hours

under ground. The moon was up, and guided by her clear light, we soon

reached the inn, where I dreamt till morning of grottos, and caverns

and their spirit inhabitants.

_13th._ We left Adelsberg this morning, and after a drive of about

three hours through a wild and hilly country, we arrived at the

village of Zirknitz, on the borders of the celebrated Zirknitzer-See.

The inn, though small, had two decent rooms, and Sir Humphry determined

to remain here for a day or two, in order to shoot quails, which abound

in the neighbourhood; he accordingly went out in the afternoon with

his gun, accompanied by the innkeeper, who had recommended himself to

him by speaking Italian; and I went in the meantime to look at the

lake. Its banks are formed by mountains of no great height, completely

covered with forests of pine, and in the lake are three islands, each

of which has a different name. On the largest, called _Vomek_, is a

little village; the other two, _Goritza_ and _Malagoritza_, are smaller

and barren. The lake itself is of an oblong form, and, as I ascertained

from "The Chronicle of Carniola," (a voluminous and old work on the

history and geography of this part of Austria, by Baron Valvasor, and

the only book to be found in the inn,) about one German mile (four

and three quarters English) in length, and rather more than half a

one in breadth. Its depth varies, but it is no where considerable.

In different parts of it are large and deep conical holes, Valvasor

says eighteen, each of which has also a name: the chief of them are

_Koten_, _Zeschenza_, _Malabonarza_, _Velkioberk_, _&c._, and through

these holes the lake is filled with water. This generally takes place

annually, in October or November, and the water again disappears

through these holes in the beginning of summer.

In twenty days after the disappearance of the water, grass springs up,

and produces very good hay; numbers of birds flock to the fields, and

the bed of the lake then becomes a sporting ground. The disappearance

of the waters, however, is by no means certain, for sometimes a whole

year will elapse without the lake becoming dry, while at times it will

sink and re-appear twice, or even thrice, in one year. At the end

of the lake, near Zirknitz, are two large openings in a rock called

_Malakarlouza_ and _Valkakarlouza_, through which the water runs off

when the lake rises higher than usual. During the winter the lake is

generally frozen over. The temperature and colour of its water are

similar to that of the other lakes in this part of the country, though

the fish which inhabit it, chiefly pike, are said to be unwholesome.

By what means and from whence this lake is filled, it is very difficult

to say; the most probable conjecture is that it is supplied by some

vast reservoir of water in the interior of the earth, which may also be

the feeder of the many subterraneous rivers with which the surrounding

country abounds. Not a single stream flows out of the lake, but six

or seven small rivulets fall into it, the largest of which is the

_Zirknitzbach_. In the evening Sir Humphry returned from his sport,

bringing with him some quails and a few snipes.

_14th._ Sir Humphry again went out shooting in the morning, and I

went to see the caves of St. Kanzian, with a lad, who spoke a little

German, as a guide. These caves are situated about four miles from

Zirknitz, and are merely large and deep natural caverns, through which

a small river runs, which again appears about half a mile further, in a

beautiful fertile valley, through which it flows for a short distance,

when it passes under a natural bridge of rock, on the other side of

which it disappears, and does not again rise till near Adelsberg.

Although it has here no particular name, it is probably the same as

the Laibach river, and may take its rise from the lake of Zirknitz.

The natural bridge under which it flows before its disappearance, is a

fine arch of rock, from thirty to forty feet in height, covered with

trees on the top, between which are seen the remains of an old church,

dedicated to St. Kanzian.

_15th._ Sir Humphry's sport yesterday not having proved so good as

he expected, he went to-day, on his pony, up to the mountains with

the innkeeper, to see if he could not shoot a _Steinhuhn_, or alpine

partridge, and I went with my guide of yesterday to see the grotto

of Heiligen-kreutz, where, he told me, a little white fish with

four feet and two red fins on its neck, had been lately found. From

this description I knew it to be the proteus, the inhabitant of the

Magdelena grotto at Adelsberg; and the hope of finding this animal

in the caves at the other end of the lake of Zirknitz, induced me to

go thither. We coasted round the lake, passing through many little

hamlets on its banks, till we arrived at the end of it, when we turned

up a side valley, which brought us to the foot of the mountain of

Heiligen-kreutz. We here found two small huts, in one of which was an

old man, who agreed to be our guide to the grotto, and who furnished us

with large pieces of fir-wood for torches. After an ascent of half an

hour up the mountain, we came to a great hole, which was the entrance

of the cavern. Here the guide put a bit of ignited fungus or tinder

into a handful of dry moss, and whirling it round with rapidity, soon

produced a flame, at which we lighted our torches. We then scrambled

down into the hole, and entered a long and lofty passage, the floor of

which was covered with great stones and masses of rock, over which it

was with great difficulty that we could proceed, and the roof and sides

presented nothing but dark and rugged rock, unadorned by stalactites.

After advancing for some hundred yards through this passage, we came

to a running stream of water of considerable breadth, but only six

or eight inches deep. We walked through this for some time, till it

fell with a deafening noise into a large hole on one side of the cave,

probably into some deep cavern below. The passage then turned to the

left, and conducted us into a small round vault, from the roof and

sides of which hung a considerable number of stalactites. This the old

man said was the end of the cavern, and finding it so, I felt there was

nothing to recompense one for the fatigue of a walk of ten miles, and

the scramble over the rocks in the passage. During our course through

the stream, as well as in the many large holes filled with water, I had

in vain looked for the proteus, which however the old man assured me

had been found by the peasants in the stream during its course through

the cavern, and that it had also been cast up by it, when swelled by

rain, near Laas, a small town about five miles distant, where this

subterraneous stream again appears upon the surface. Quitting the

cavern, I returned to Zirknitz, which I reached late in the afternoon,

with a very good appetite, for all that we had partaken of since an

early breakfast, was a few smoked pears and a pint of wine, sourer than

the sourest vinegar, which, with a bit of black bread, were the only

eatables afforded by one of the village inns of the banks of the lake

of Zirknitz. Sir Humphry had returned from his pursuit of the mountain

partridge, nearly as fatigued and dissatisfied with his ill-success as

I was with mine, and he determined upon returning to Laibach to-morrow.

_16th-30th._ Quitting Zirknitz, and driving through Planina and

Ober-Laibach, we returned to Laibach, where we remained in our old

quarters till the 30th. Sir Humphry, as usual, occupying the day in

shooting or fishing, and now and then in completing his experiments on

the torpedo, by comparing the results of the electricity of this fish

with the effects produced by a very small voltaic pile. He found them

to be essentially different in their action, and summed up the whole

series of his experiments and observations in a long letter to the

Royal Society.[G] He has at last met with a pair of carriage horses

that please him, and has bought them for four hundred florins (40_l._),

so that he now intends travelling with his own four horses. The weather

has been getting colder and colder, but I think that nothing less than

the sight of the snow that fell to-day (30th) would have determined his

departure, which is now fixed for to-morrow, when we start for Italy

and Rome.

_31st._ We have at last quitted Laibach, and I never recollect having

left any place, not even the most wretched village, with the joy and

delight I experienced on quitting Detella's inn, which has so long

been for me an abode of listlessness and ennui. We slept this night at

Planina, in the same bad inn which we stopped at on our trip to Trieste.

_November 1st._ We set out this morning from Planina, and drove over

the road we had formerly passed to Wippach. The roads as far as this

town were very hard and slippery, the snow which had fallen having

frozen during the night, but as soon as we passed the mountains between

Adelsberg and Wippach the scene was changed; we had left the winter and

wintry country behind us, and found ourselves in a valley, where the

trees were still adorned with the fine tints of autumn, and where the

temperature was delightful. Leaving Wippach, we entered the province of

Friuli, and drove on along a fine high road to Gorizia or Görz, where

we did not arrive till late in the evening. The country is fine; it

appears to be well cultivated, and the vines hang in festoons from tree

to tree. At Gorizia, Italian is the only language spoken, and with the

language the people seemed also to have changed, for instead of the

slow, awkward, and often insolent German servants, we had here quick

and intelligent attendants.

_2nd._ Leaving Gorizia, in which town there is very little interesting,

at one o'clock, we crossed the Isonzo, a beautifully clear and broad

river. The roads were excellent, and before us and on our right we

had the magnificent chain of the Julian Alps, still free from snow.

Palmanova, where we spent the night, is a strong fortress, but a

miserable little town with a corresponding inn.

_3rd._ The road from Palmanova to Codroipo lies through a flat country,

chiefly vineyards, and is lined on each side with mulberry trees.

Between Codroipo and Pordenone, we passed over a magnificent wooden

bridge across the Tagliamento, the bed of which is here nearly a mile

in breadth, and shows what a broad and wild river it must be when

swollen by the melting of the snows. Upon asking a man on the road the

distance to the next town, he only answered us by holding up his five

fingers, as much as to say five miles; a quick mode of expression which

a German peasant would never have arrived at. The dress of the peasants

was as much changed as the climate; instead of the black leather

breeches, huge boots, and sheepskin jacket of the Krainish boor, we

here saw striped cotton trowsers, a white cloth or flannel jacket, and

shoes and stockings. We to-day, for the first time, saw many donkeys on

the road, and little one-horse carriages, with one person sitting in

them and the driver standing behind. Pordenone is a small town, with a

fine view of the Friuli Alps in the distance.

_4th._ We quitted Pordenone and the Frioul, and dined at Cornegliano, a

small old town in the province of Venice, and on quitting it we caught

a glimpse of the Alps in the distance, and after a long drive through

flat and low lands, arrived in the evening at Treviso. An ancient Roman

gateway of beautiful architecture forms the entrance to this town, the

streets of which however are narrow and dirty. The Albergo Reale is a

very good inn.

_5th._ We quitted Treviso early this morning for Padua, with the

Ugonian or Paduan hills in front of us. About two miles out of the

town, looking across the marshes, we saw Venice with all her towers

rising, as it were, out of them. We were only about five miles from

this, the second most interesting city of Italy, nor could I help

expressing a wish to see it. Sir Humphry, however, said that he was

determined never again to enter it, for he had, upon a former journey,

been detained there _upwards of an hour_ about his passport. A little

beyond Mestre, a dirty and ruinous town, where passengers generally

embark for Venice, we came to the Brenta, and drove along its banks to

Dolo, a small village, where we dined. The road is lined with fine,

but mostly ruinous villas, in the light Italian style of architecture,

and between Dolo and Padua we passed by a magnificent palace belonging

to the Viceroy of Milan. We did not arrive at Padua till it was nearly

dark, and entered the town by an old Roman gateway, similar to that at

Treviso. The streets through which we passed were narrow and dirty, but

furnished on both sides with arcades for foot passengers.

_6th._ We left Padua at eight o'clock this morning, passing through

the Piazza San Antonio, a fine open square ornamented with statues, and

at one end of which is the cathedral church of St. Antonio, said to be

one of the churches containing the greatest number of votive altars in

Italy.

The country between Padua and Monselice, an insignificant little town

where we stopped to bait, is pretty. Crossing the Adige by a flying

bridge, we drove on to Rovigo; a town with about eight thousand

inhabitants, but with apparently nothing remarkable in it.

_7th._ After leaving Rovigo, we came in a few hours to the Po at

Polsella, a fine deep river, but very turbid and rapid. A poste

further we crossed it by a flying bridge, and quitting the Austrian

territories, we entered the Papal states. The _Douane_ is situated upon

the bank of the river, and although the _lascia-passare_, for which Sir

Humphry had written to Rome from Laibach, was not arrived, he had no

difficulty in passing unexamined, a little money being, it seems, here

as good as the best pass. We then drove on to Ferrara, where we lodged

at the _Tre Mori_, a very good inn, though badly situated in a very

narrow back street.

In the afternoon I walked through the old, deserted, and often

grass-grown streets of the town. In the Piazza Ariostea stands a fine

old column, and the church in the great square is a fine building

externally, the front consisting of numerous rows of arches one above

the other. This and the ancient castle or palace of the house of Esté,

a large moated brick building, with numerous square towers, in one of

which the dungeon of Tasso is still shown, are all that is worth seeing

here.

_8th._ We quitted Ferrara in very bad weather, it having snowed all

night, and snow and sleet still continued to fall during the day. We

stopped to bait at a lone house, which proved to be a very large and

good inn, and then proceeded after dinner to Bologna, which we entered

in company with three other English carriages. This is a very fine

city, with good streets, on each side of which are lofty arcades, so

that even in the worst weather one can walk through the greater part

of the town without getting wet. In the evening I finished reading the

"Castle of Otranto" to Sir Humphry, for the second time.

_9th._ Sir Humphry dictated a letter this morning to Professor

Morichini at Rome, and I afterwards walked about the town whilst he

paid a visit to Madame M----, the wife of a sculptor to whom he had

been introduced when he was formerly in Italy. The streets appear well

built and modern, though very dirty, and the houses are for the most

part fine and lofty; but there are very few grand single buildings

or churches; many of the latter are only to be distinguished from

private houses under the arcades, by a coloured drapery hung over the

door. The Neptune which surmounts the fountain in the square of the

cathedral, a work by Jean de Bologna, certainly has its merits as a

statue, but the poor water-god enjoys so little of his element, that he

can scarcely provide for the wants of his immediate neighbours. After

wandering quite alone through the town, the whole morning and a part of

the afternoon, I returned to the hotel St. Marco. Madame M---- having

invited Sir Humphry to take a seat in her box at the theatre in the

evening, I went to see the play and ballet, and was very much pleased

with each. The house is spacious and grand, but dark; the spectacle

showy, and the singing and ballet very good.

_10th._ A wet and rainy day. We left Bologna at eight in the morning,

and had a dreary and unpleasant day's journey through a flat country,

to Faenza, having only stopped to bait at a little village on the road.

_11th._ Left Faenza this morning, and arrived in the evening at

Rimini, passing through Forti and Cecena. Every step we now advance

is on heroic ground; and before entering Rimini near Savignano, we

passed over the Rubicon, a little insignificant stream, though once

the boundary of the most powerful state in the world. The bridge over

the little river which flows by the gates of Rimini, is said to have

stood for twenty centuries; and in the middle of the town is an ancient

triumphal arch nearly as old. It was built by Augustus on his return

from his victory over Marc Antony, and is a fine simple arch of stone,

though now patched up with bricks. The town is small and dirty, and the

_Leon Bianco_ is a wretched inn.

_12th._ Leaving Rimini we drove along the coast of the Adriatic, close

to the sea shore. We saw the distant Appenines on our right, as yet

only low hills covered with vineyards and towns, one of which, San

Marino, situated on the top of a hill, is a small independent republic

of about five thousand souls. Having dined at a little village on the

road, we drove on through Pesaro to Fano. The surrounding country is

rather mountainous, and seems to abound in defiles and narrow passes,

which may easily account for the defeat of the Carthaginians by the

Romans, in this neighbourhood. Fano is a small town, lying close upon

the sea. The inn where we passed the night was remarkably good.

_13th._ We left Fano early in the morning, and with it the Adriatic;

and turning off to the right, we entered into the Appenines and dined

at Fossombrone, (probably modernized from Forum Sempronii,) a small

and very old town, situated on the side of a hill not far from the

spot where Hasdrubal was defeated and slain by the Roman Consuls, Nero

and Sempronius. The country here begins to be very fine, but is not

at all alpine. Through a wide and fertile valley runs the Metauro,

a beautifully clear green stream. Quitting Fossombrone, we soon came

to the _Forli_, a celebrated pass in the mountains, and a work of the

old Romans. The rock in a narrow glen on the side of a small stream

has been cut away in order to make the road, which then runs for some

hundred yards through an arched gallery hollowed out of the solid

stone; this work appears as if very lately finished, and the sublime

and rocky scene around, beautifully relieved by the fine and varied

autumnal tints of the shrubs, and by the white and foaming stream, is

a most fitting spot for such a grand undertaking. Descending from the

pass into the valley on the other side, we drove on through Aqualagna

to Cagli, where we remained for the night, in a most wretched inn.

_14th._ We had a long drive from Cagli to Sigillo through a fine

mountainous country, passing over some small Roman bridges, easily

distinguished from those of modern times, by the gigantic size of the

blocks of stone of which they are formed. Another remarkable object on

this road is a bridge of great height, built over a deep ravine, in

order to preserve the level of the road. It consists of a small arch

thrown across the mountain stream, above which a complete circle or

tunnel of nearly one hundred feet in diameter, has been built, and thus

forms the support of the road. In one part of the mountain we observed

some very curiously carved strata in the limestone rock which composes

this chain. From Sigillo we proceeded in the afternoon to Nocera,

passing on the road many a hill of stones surmounted by a wooden cross,

the only monument of the unfortunate travellers who had perished in

these wild and solitary spots, by the hands of the ferocious banditti,

which still too often infest these parts of the Appenines. It was dark

when we reached Nocera, and we here found the hotel as bad if not worse

than at Cagli.

_15th._ We left Nocera at about half-past seven in the morning and

reached Foligno by eleven. This latter place is a large and very

dirty town, nor does there seem to be anything interesting in it or

its vicinity. We quitted it at two o'clock, and drove on to Spoleto,

passing along the banks of the Clytumnus, which Byron with truth calls

"A mirror and a bath for Beauty's youngest daughters,"

for every plant and leaf at the bottom, seems as if viewed through a

clear and spotless crystal. A little above the source of this river,

stands the temple of its god, of small and delicate proportions. The

front is still in good preservation, but the roof is covered with

tiles, and the sides are patched with bricks; and it is now apparently

used as a stable or pig-sty, and the waters of the stream are polluted

by ass-drivers and water-women.

We are now driving over roads once covered with the Carthaginian

legions led on by Hannibal, rushing in all the fire of conquest from

the field of Thrasymene; and in the evening we arrived at Spoleto, the

town which offered him such stout resistance, when on his march to

Rome, and before which he lay a fortnight. It lies on a hill, which

renders the streets exceedingly steep; and besides this, they are

narrow, dark and dirty. The only remarkable object in it is the gate

called Hannibal's Gate, which is very ancient, and bears the following

inscription on a marble tablet, celebrating his defeat and retreat from

this town.

HANNIBAL

CAESIS AD THRASYMENUM ROMANIS

INFESTO AGMINE URBEM ROMAM PETENS

AD SPOLETUM MAGNA STRAGE SUORUM REPULSUS

INSIGNE PORTAE NOMEN FECIT.

So much for the days of old! A battalion of French troops would however

now hardly allow themselves to be repulsed by the descendants of these

victors of Hannibal.

_16th._ Leaving Spoleto, we passed by a very lofty aqueduct, which

conveys the water from the mountains across the valley to the town.

A mile or two further on we came to a very long hill, where we had

two oxen added to our four horses, to ascend it. The descent on the

other side to Terni is still longer: the pass through the mountains is

in many places exceedingly narrow, and on each side of the road are

lofty rocks; the mountains are wild and mostly uncultivated, and are

chiefly covered with dark laurel bushes; on the whole road there is not

a village for the poste, and half a dozen houses at Stretura hardly

deserve the name of one. A mile or two before Terni the valley widens,

and the dark laurel trees give place to groves of olives and green

fields, whilst here and there a tall cypress is seen rising from out of

the gardens near the town. I was much disappointed here, in not being

able to see the celebrated Falls of the Velino, which are only five

miles distant from Terni; but as Sir Humphry only stopped to bait, it

was impossible for me to do so. There were many carriages at the inn,

English, French, and Russian, but the company to whom they belonged

were all gone to see the Falls.

Between Terni and Narni, we entered upon a wide and open though still

hilly country, through which the Velino winds slowly along. Narni is

certainly the most beautifully situated town that I have seen in the

Appenines, lying at the side of a hill, at the foot of which the green

waters of the Nera roll through a deep romantic glen, out of whose

wooded sides gigantic masses of rock are seen to rise, in and upon

which many old dwellings, now uninhabited, are discovered. The road

from hence to Lavenga is fine and hilly, and between this latter and

Otricoli, the mountains open, and show us in the distance Mount Soracte,

----"which from out the plain

Heaves, like a long swept wave about to break,

And on the curl hangs pausing,"

the Tiber winding slowly along, and, still further, another chain of

distant mountains. The inn at Otricoli was the worst of the many bad

ones we have met with among the Appenines, for there was literally

nothing to be had in the house; and the only waiter who was to be seen

was drunk.

_17th._ We left these wretched quarters at seven in the morning; and

quitting the Appenines, soon afterwards crossed the Tiber, already a

tolerably broad, but very muddy river. The whole country is volcanic,

and the river seems to flow here through the crater of some tremendous

volcano of a former world. At Borghetto, on the other side of the

river, are the remains of an old castle, probably gothic. The sides

of the roads, from hence to Citta Castellana, contain large masses of

white garnet, and we passed by many craters, small and large, some

only broad and deep pits, with trees growing out of the clefts of the

lava rock; others filled up with earth, and now turned into cultivated

fields. Citta, or Civita Castellana, is probably the ancient Veii, and

must have been a very strong place in former days. The citadel, from

which it takes its present name, is a large fort of half Roman, half

Gothic architecture. Before entering the town we crossed a small river,

which runs deep below through a wild and romantic fissure in the lava

rocks, which surround the town, and of which the greater part of the

houses are built. We passed through the town and over a bridge erected

by Pius VI. A pompous Latin inscription consigns the name of this pope

to posterity, for having ordered this bridge to be built. It is a good

strong bridge, but nothing more. The Romans of old built and worked,

and let others talk; those of the present day talk much and do nothing.

We then drove on to Nepi, a small village, where we dined, and from

hence through Monterosa to Baccano, which only consists of two inns,

the poste and another, where the vetturini generally stop. Sir Humphry

chose the latter, which we found very good. To-morrow we shall enter

Rome, which is only two postes distant from us.

_18th._ Left Baccano at eight in the morning, and in about half an

hour, from the top of the first hill, saw the Eternal City, with her

seven hills, her towers, cupolas, monuments, and palaces, immediately

before us, becoming more and more distinct as the sun dispersed the

mists of the morning, and bringing with them the recollections of

the times and deeds of old, and of the heroes, statesmen, orators,

and poets, whose former dwellings were there, and whose fame still

fills the world with admiration. On our left lay the long chain of

the Appenines, above which rose Monte Velino, and some other of the

more distant and snow-clad mountains, whilst nearer to Rome was seen

the Alban Mount, and the hills of Tivoli. On the right lay the wide

outstretching campagna, beyond which, although Sir Humphry doubted

it, I am sure I saw the straight blue line of the Mediterranean. The

carriage rolled on from hill to hill, each of which was covered with

villas surrounded by trees, amongst which the tall cypress and the

magnificent fan, or Mediterranean pine, were pre-eminent. At La Storta

we reached the last hill;

----"Now the brow

We gain enraptured; beauteously distinct

The numerous porticoes and domes upswell,

With obelisks and columns interposed,

And pine, and fir, and oak; so fair a scene

Sees not the dervise from the spiral tomb

Of ancient Chammos, while his eye beholds

Proud Memphis' reliques o'er the Egyptian plain:

Nor hoary hermit from Hymettus' brow,

Though graceful Athens in the vale beneath."

From hence a short drive brought us to the Tiber and to the Ponte

Molle, a bridge of brick, built on the ancient foundations of the

_Pons Molvii_, in front of which stands a handsome gateway and tower.

Crossing this bridge, we drove along a straight broad street upwards of

a mile in length, which ends at the Porta del Popolo, the entrance into

Rome, and a magnificent entrance it is. The gate itself is fine, though

not very elegant, but the view through it into the Piazza del Popolo

is grand in the extreme, and strongly impresses the stranger with the

feeling that he is entering into a magnificent city, the metropolis

of religion and of the arts. In the middle of the Piazza, which is

formed of two large semicircles, rises a superb obelisk of red granite,

covered with hierogliphics; four lions of white marble spouting water

into the basins before them, form part of the pedestal. In the centre

of the back of each semicircle is a very elegant fountain in the shape

of a colossal shell, and surmounted by groups of gigantic statues.

Looking across the Piazza, three long streets present themselves

to view; the middle the Corso; the one on the left, the Strada del

Babuino; and to the right, the Strada di Ripetta. The ends of these

streets, facing the Piazza, are formed by two elegant churches,

perfectly similar in architecture, and above the left semicircle are

seen the gardens of the Monte Pincio, the ascent to which, adorned by

columns and statues, is not yet finished.

Having found our _lascia passare_ at the gate, we were permitted to

drive to the hotel directly, and were not first conducted to the

custom-house, as is the case with those who enter Rome without having

procured, through some friend, the permission to pass, which is only

given by the secretary of state.

At Serny's _Hôtel de Londres_, on the Piazza di Spagna, a large and

open square, we were extremely well accommodated. It is a very large

and grand establishment, occupying three different houses, and of

course every thing is in the first style. What most strikes a stranger

in the streets of Rome, are the numerous shops of mosaics, gems, and

trinkets in marble and bronze, and a month and a fortune might be spent

by those who have nothing better to do with their time and money, in

admiring and selecting such objects. The Corso, or high street, the

theatre of all the festivities during the carnival, is every afternoon

thronged with carriages, which drive up and down in two lines, the

one going, the other coming. This seems to be one of the principal

amusements of the higher classes of Rome, and a senseless enjoyment

it appears to me, for the greater part of the street is narrow, badly

paved, and dark. The number of spectators from four till six o'clock,

however, is very great. French is spoken in almost every shop, and the

number of English is so great, that one hears nearly as much of that

language spoken in the streets as of Italian.

_21st._ This afternoon I went to the colosæum, where I sat for some

hours under the last of the upper arches of the outside circle, looking

towards the magnificent church of St. John Lateran, over part of the

ancient walls of Rome, and the remaining arches of two old aqueducts,

and down upon gardens and vineyards, in many of which are the ruins of

ancient buildings and temples; whilst the view over the surrounding

_campagna_ is bounded by the blue Appenines, and on the right by the

Alban Mount. From the inner wall I looked down from row to row over the

dark and ruined arches of the seats, now picturesquely overgrown with

shrubs, ivy, and grass, and which were then beautifully tinged with

the rays of the setting sun, into the vast arena beneath, formerly the

scene of many a savage sport for the amusement of a cruel people, but

now only ornamented by the broken shafts and capitals of pillars which

once adorned it; and disfigured by the many altars erected by pious

devotees, breaking the harmony of the whole, and only serving to shew

the magnitude and beauty of the ancient pillars, contrasted with the

smallness and insignificance of the modern ones. In the centre of the

arena, a large wooden cross has been erected, which is devoutly kissed

by the lips of every pious Catholic who passes by. Immediately opposite

to me the circle of arches was broken, and let in the view of the near

and distant country, where many a tall cypress and pine rose amid the

foundations of the old palace of the Cæsars, to the left of which,

amid the trees, appeared the pyramidal monument of Caius Sestius. From

another side I looked down upon the triumphal arches of Constantine and

Titus, upon the colossal remains of the baths of Caracalla, and upon

the ruins of temples and palaces, and over modern Rome, to the distant

cupola of St. Peter's.

Quitting this mighty ruin, which, together with the arch of Titus, the

Popes have been, and still are, engaged in patching up with bricks

and mortar, thus destroying the harmony and beauty of the ancient

architecture, I returned to Serny's through the ancient Roman Forum,

(now the Campo Vaccino,) where lie the chief relics of the former

grandeur of the queen of cities. Here are the arches of Constantine,

of Titus, and of Septimus Severus; the ruins of temples, baths, and

imperial palaces; ruins which have afforded to antiquarians so much

matter for research and for dispute, and which are regularly described

in the works of every modern traveller in Italy.

_3rd December._ We remained at Serny's till the first of December, as

Sir Humphry found it no easy thing to find a lodging suited to him so

late in the year; on the 28th, however, he found apartments at the

corner of the Via di Pietra, which he liked, and we entered them on the

1st of December. They are situated in a good part of the city, and look

out on the Corso.

_31st._ Our daily life has been hitherto as monotonous as possible. Sir

Humphry sees no society, and wishes to see none, and his only pleasure

and amusement seems to consist in shooting. He drives out every day in

the surrounding _campagna_, often to a distance of twelve and fourteen

miles from Rome, when he gets out and rides on his pony over the fields

in search of quails or snipes. On his return, when he is not too much

fatigued, he dictates to me a continuation of his "Vision," which he

thinks of forming into a series of dialogues on religion and other

subjects; and our evenings are spent, as they have been ever since we

left Calais, with a game or two at cards, and with my reading to him

different works, principally English and French, which he procures from

a circulating library in the Corso. I have formed no acquaintances,

as Sir Humphry wishes me not to do so; but when I have copied off the

morning's dictation, I often take a solitary walk in the gardens of the

Pincio, to St. Peter's, or to the Colosæum.

On Christmas-day I went to hear the Pope celebrate grand mass at St.

Maria Maggiore. The whole of the interior of this beautiful church was

superbly illuminated, more especially near and round the high altar,

in front of which the Swiss guards were drawn up in a semi-circle,

and prevented all who were not dressed in black from approaching it.

Unaccustomed to the _grandeur_ of the Catholic service, I could not

but admire the magnificent dresses of the Pope and the cardinals, and

the grand and impressive music and chaunting. At twelve o'clock, when

the service was concluded, a line was formed down the grand aisle,

through which the Pope and the cardinals retired to the sacristy, to

lay aside their splendid, but weighty dresses. His Holiness was carried

in a superb throne, supported on the shoulders of his attendants,

whilst above him was held a splendid canopy, and on each side large

and beautiful fans of feathers and gold. The Pope's Swiss guards, who

always attend his Holiness when he quits his palace, are, if possible,

a caricature of our beef-eaters. They are forty in number, all Swiss,

and many of them do not even speak Italian. On grand fête days they

wear steel helmets and breastplates instead of the ancient cap and

slashed doublet, which, with black, red, and yellow-striped breeches

and stockings, form their usual dress, and in their hands they always

carry a long halbert or pike.

_1st January, 1829._ The only festivities either to be seen or heard

which announce the new year in Rome, consist in the discharge of a few

cannon early in the morning from the Fort St. Angelo, (formerly the

mausoleum of Hadrian, but now the citadel of Rome and state-prison,)

and the celebration of grand mass at St. John Lateran.

_10th._ Sir Humphry this afternoon received a parcel from England,

which he has for some days been expecting with the greatest impatience.

It was the "Quarterly Review," containing Sir Walter Scott's critique

on "Salmonia," which Sir Humphry begged me to read to him directly, and

he seemed highly pleased with the manner in which Sir Walter speaks of

his work.

_1st February._ A short time ago a considerable part of the city was

illuminated in honour of eight newly-elected cardinals, whose palaces,

as well as those of the Roman nobili, were adorned with large wax

torches, placed two or more in each window, whilst the houses of the

citizens were lighted with small transparent paper lanterns, on which

the papal arms were painted.

The daily drive on the Corso is now often enlivened by many gay

equipages and servants in splendid liveries, the gayest of which are

those of the Russian Archduchess Helena, and the King of Bavaria. I

have been twice to the theatre; there are several, and they all opened

on the 7th of January. The two principal ones, Argentina and Valle, are

small, and by no means striking.

_8th._ To-day we were near being burnt out of our lodging. On awaking

in the morning, I found my room and the drawing-room filled with smoke,

and perceived a strong smell of burning wood. The servant said that all

the windows had been opened for upwards of an hour, and yet he could

not get rid of the smoke. We could, however, discover nothing, till the

lodgers from below sent up to say that fire was falling through their

ceiling, and upon going into their room I found the ceiling on fire,

and that a large hole was already burnt through the beams which lay

immediately under Sir Humphry's fire-place. I instantly sent for the

fire-men, who did their business very expertly, taking up the floor of

Sir Humphry's drawing-room, which they found burning for a considerable

space round the hearth, upon which so large a fire had been kept up the

day before, that the heat had penetrated through the stone, and thus

set fire to the beams. In an hour it was quite extinguished, and all

danger over. To avoid the bustle occasioned by the reparation required,

Sir Humphry determined to visit the Lago di Solfatara, sometimes called

the lake of the swimming islets, and he begged me to accompany him: we

therefore set out immediately, and left Rome by the Porta St. Lorenzo,

and following the ancient Via Tibertina, we crossed, about four

miles from Rome, the Aniene, or, as it is more generally called, the

Teverone, a small river, which forms the celebrated cascades at Tivoli.

On many parts of the road the remains of the ancient Roman pavement

are very distinct, formed of large round or octangular flat stones.

About thirteen miles from Rome we reached the little bridge across the

stream which runs from the lake of Solfatara. Leaving the carriage

here, Sir Humphry mounted his pony, and, turning off to the left across

the fields, we soon reached the Lago. It is a small bason of water,

of an oval form, and measures in its greatest diameter not more than

two hundred yards, but its depth is said to be about two hundred feet.

The colour of the water is bluish white, and from the quantity of lime

which it holds in solution is by no means clear. The surface appears

to be in a state of considerable ebullition, which is caused by the

quantity of air that escapes through it, and on flinging in a stone the

water bubbles up violently at the spot where it falls. The temperature,

however, is far below that of boiling water, for on trying it to the

depth of six feet in different places, we found it vary between 85°

and 87° Fahrenheit. It continually emits a strong smell of sulphurated

hydrogen, which is perceptible upon the high road sometime before one

arrives at the Lago. The floating islands, which have contributed to

render this lake celebrated, are no fable, and are easily explained.

Around it and upon it are numerous species of _confervæ_ and many small

water plants, which, becoming encrusted with the carbonate of lime

deposited by the water, form with leaves and grasses compact little

masses, which, supported by air bubbles that have lodged beneath,

or from their own lightness, do not sink, and becoming detached by

accident from the shore, swim about and become larger by the junction

of these little masses with each other. These little islands are said

to have been seen of a diameter of some feet, but the largest which

we saw did not exceed two or three inches. A canal has been cut from

the lake to the Teverone, which carries off the superfluous water that

formerly inundated the surrounding plain. Near the large lake are two

others of smaller size, the waters of which are, however, exactly

the same. Sticks, leaves, or insects, or any thing which falls into

these waters, become thickly encrusted with a strong and hard covering

of marble or travertine. It is probable that these three lakes were

formerly only one, and may have covered a considerable part of the

plain around, which is chiefly formed of travertine that has been

deposited by water. Of this stone also the greater part of the edifices

in Rome, ancient as well as modern, are built. Close to the lake are

still to be seen the ruins of some ancient Roman baths, and it is said

that Augustus frequently made use of the waters of the Solfatara.

Upon our return to Rome I heard at the trattoria or restaurateur's,

where I generally dine, an indistinct rumour of the death of the Pope,

which the Italians express by saying, _Il Santo Padre é andato_.

_10th._ This morning the death of the Holy Father was publicly

announced by the tolling of the bells, the closing of the theatres and

all public offices. His decease appears to cause little sensation among

the Romans, by whom he seems to have been exceedingly disliked; and

happening at this moment just before the commencement of the carnival,

all the festivities and gaieties of which are thus put an end to, it

does not serve to render his memory more popular.

_11th-14th._ Four cardinals have been sitting in counsel for the last

two or three days, deliberating whether or not any public festivities

shall be allowed, and have now determined that no public amusement

shall take place during the time that the papal throne shall remain

vacant. The Romans at this news are quite in despair; and no wonder,

for I am told that the sum daily spent in this city during the last

week of the carnival exceeds 80,000 Roman crowns. Numberless little

pasquinades and jeux d'esprit on the late Pope circulate among the

people, the freedom of many of which not a little surprises me. The two

following are among many others which I saw handed about in writing,

though I question if any appeared in print.

Todini was the Pope's _barber-surgeon_, to whose ignorance and bad

treatment his Holiness' death is attributed.

V'é chi a Todini oppone

La morte di Leone;

Roma però sostiene

Ch 'egli à operato bene.