COLOGNE, PRUSSIA, _Aug. 16, 1841_.
Frankfort, from which I wrote last, is one of the free towns of
Europe, being governed by a senate of its own; but it is considerably
influenced by Austria and Prussia. Its territory is limited, not
exceeding ten square miles, and the city and environs contain a
population of fifty-two thousand--five thousand of whom are Jews. It
is quite a lively city, the walls of which were levelled many years
since and planted with trees, which now afford a delightful shade and
promenade, being interspersed with a variety of plants and flowers. The
desire for shade and fine promenades is an admirable feature in the
European character, and in almost all cities I have yet visited on the
Continent, I find the taste for agreeable and shady public walks to be
prevalent; and I regret that their utility is so little considered in
our own beautiful country, especially as they are greatly conducive to
health, as well as comfort and pleasure.
Frankfort is the seat of the German diet, and the deliberations of the
Confederation of the German States are held there. It is the residence
of many foreign ambassadors and wealthy merchants, and from the extent
of its monied transactions, may be called the city of bankers; the most
prominent of them is Baron Rothschild, who lives in princely style,
having a magnificent villa and pleasure grounds in the suburbs of the
city. Frankfort was the cradle of the Rothschild family; the house in
which they were born is in the Judenstrasse, or Jews’ street, which
is narrow, with gaunt old buildings and gable ends to the street. The
houses never having been cleaned or painted, the dust and smoke of
centuries are upon them. I was directed to the house, which the mother
of the Rothschilds still occupies, and which, since it is the old
homestead of the family, narrow and confined as it is, she refuses to
leave for the palace of her son, not far distant.
The condition of the Jews here is much ameliorated. Formerly, the part
of the city they occupy was closed by gates at an early hour; and
another tyrannical law restricted the number of marriages among them to
thirteen yearly. Both of those oppressions are now removed.
There are many objects of interest to occupy the attention at
Frankfort. The banker to whom my letter was addressed, had a gallery
of works of art. Among the sculpture, a piece representing Ariadne
is the most prominent, and considered the lion of Frankfort; it is
the figure of a female resting gracefully on the back of a tiger,
beautifully executed, of pure Carrara marble. The gallery is liberally
thrown open to the public. Before leaving the city, I thought it would
not be unprofitable or uninteresting to visit the new cemetery, and
take a melancholy but impressive walk among the abodes of the dead,
as I had done while at Leipsig and some other German cities, as the
cemeteries are places of public resort at all hours, and the gates
always stand open during the day. One of the peculiarities of the
German character is their veneration for the abodes of the dead. The
grounds are beautifully and tastefully laid out, with walks adorned
with shade trees and every variety of flowers. At one end of the
inclosure is a long and beautiful arcade, under which repose, beneath
pompous monuments, the rich and noble. Other parts of the ground are
thickly studded with crosses, gravestones, and monuments, among which
may be seen groups of young and old, entwining wreaths of flowers and
evergreens around the monuments of those they loved, or perhaps placing
a basin of holy water, or arranging a little border of flowers, by the
side of some new-made grave. I saw many new graves strewed over with
strips of lace, with tassels of gold and silver attached, on many of
which the name and age of the deceased were imprinted.
A police regulation here requires that all bodies for interment shall
be placed in the dead-house for a certain length of time, to guard
against accidents by burial in cases of suspended animation. The
building contains ten rooms for the bodies, and a room in the centre
for a watchman; also a room provided with beds, medicines, and all
other necessary articles, in case of the reviving of a subject. The
fingers of the prostrate corpses are placed in the loops of a string
attached to an alarm clock; and on the slightest motion or pulsation of
the body, it gives the alarm to the watchman, who immediately summons
assistance. But I will dwell no longer in the places of the dead, but
return to the ways of the living.
On leaving Frankfort I visited Wiesbaden, which is the capital of the
Duchy of Nassau, and has a population of ten thousand. Thousands resort
thither for health and pleasure, and the efficacy of its baths; it
being favorably situated, and connected with Mayence on the Rhine, and
Frankfort, by railroad, it is more frequented than any of the German
watering-places. My stay at this place of bustle and high life was
short, but to give an idea of it, I will state that on our arrival at
the junction of the railroad, we pursued our way to the Kursaal, the
prominent hotel of the town, through a long line of beautiful sycamore
trees. Having arrived at the usual dinner hour (one o’clock), we found
a magnificent saloon, with three hundred guests at table, and a band of
music playing in the same room. As there were no vacancies, we ordered
dinner at a later hour, and in the meantime visited the springs, and
strolled through the beautiful grounds by the side of a lake, on
which white swans were seen gliding gracefully over the surface; the
banks were lined with dahlias and other flowers. One spring has the
appearance of a boiling cauldron, with a temperature of one hundred
and fifty-six degrees Fahrenheit. Its waters are used for drinking, and
taste very much like weak chicken broth. It supplies many baths, and
the quantity that runs to waste is very considerable. In addition to
this principal one, there are thirteen other springs.
On returning from our interesting walk, we saw many groups descending
the hill on donkeys, which are always ready to convey visitors to
the heights about Wiesbaden, to enjoy the fine view up and down the
Rhine. To my surprise, on returning to the hotel, I found the grand
saloon converted to a use which is not tolerated publicly at any of the
Austrian and Prussian watering-places that I have yet visited. Here
they have a special privilege from the government to gamble in public.
Among the many hundreds of visitors, some were occupied in promenading,
or in sipping coffee and ices under the shade of the trees; others were
engaged in play at the different games, and among them were many well
dressed ladies taking part with all the coolness and gravity possible.
Such are the customs, and such is life, among the gentry who collect
here. The grand saloon of the hotel I found to be occupied regularly
for four distinct purposes; that of a dining, a ball, an assembly, and
a gambling room.
I next visited Mayence on the Rhine, a town with a population of
thirty-one thousand. It is strongly garrisoned with Austrian and
Prussian troops, being the chief fortress of the German confederation.
The troops stationed here vary from eight thousand to sixteen thousand.
Every town or city has something peculiar, or some attractive sights
command the attention of the visitor; but there are few remarkable
things about Mayence. Its cathedral, which was built in the tenth
century, is noted for its antiquity. Europe is indebted to Mayence for
two things, which have had the greatest influence in effecting human
improvement--free trade and the printing-press. The art of printing was
first known in Mayence, and it was the birthplace of John Gutenberg,
one of the associates of the celebrated Faust in the invention and
early promotion of the art. The town is connected with the opposite
side of the river by a bridge of boats one thousand six hundred and
sixty-six feet long.
At Mayence I took the steamer for Coblentz, and visited
Ehrenbreitstein, the Gibraltar of the Rhine, an immense fortification
on the opposite side, about eight hundred feet high, on a rock with
steep slopes. It has cost the Prussian government four millions of
dollars. Capable of holding fourteen thousand men, the magazines are
large enough to contain provisions for eight thousand men ten years.
The view from the heights is splendid, the banks of the “Blue Moselle,”
with the bridge of boats, and other interesting sights, being directly
opposite.
But the scenery along the Rhine, so celebrated throughout Europe, and
so worthy of admiration, no pen can justly describe. It is of such a
varied, delightful, and interesting character that it is impossible to
convey an adequate idea of its beauties. No river in the world combines
so many picturesque and magnificent views with so many historical
associations. Its variety of wild and precipitous rocks, thick and
gloomy forests, ruined castles, strongholds of the robber knights of
former times, ruins of all descriptions, monuments, fortresses frowning
from the lofty summits of the rocky elevations, with fertile plains,
wide-spreading vineyards, towns and villages almost line the banks
between Mayence and Coblentz. But this is the most interesting part of
the river.
The vine is very extensively cultivated along the Rhine, producing some
of the most celebrated wines. In some places the vineyards are nothing
more than a succession of terraces, extending from five hundred to one
thousand feet high, up the face of a hill, and frequently comprising
from fifteen to twenty, each supported by a front wall from five to
eight feet high.