When I wrote you last I was on the eve of departure for Neufchatel,
which is a quiet town, and beautifully situated upon the lake which
bears the same name. The rich and varied mountain scenery, the still
and placid waters of the lake, the high state of culture of the grape
and other products, with the apparent comfort surrounding the Swiss
cottages, made it an agreeable trip. Here too they had had their
Revolution, and the royalist party, which was under the protection of
the King of Prussia, was obliged to give way to the Republican Swiss.
Lucerne offers but few attractions in itself, but an excursion by
steamer to the head of the lake, with its ever-varying scenery and
localities full of historical reminiscences, gives it additional
interest. The chapel erected to the memory of William Tell is
seen under the precipice from which he leaped when pursued by his
oppressors; also the Grotto of the Swiss conspirators, where they
concealed themselves when striving for the redemption of their
country. Mount Riga, too, rises in all his majesty in the distance,
and is much visited in ordinary seasons by travellers, but in these
revolutionary times I find myself quite alone. The landlords complain,
and say their callings are gone, for this year at least.
At the beautiful town of Zurich I made an agreeable sojourn, and met
with real Swiss hospitality from friends whose acquaintance I had made
en voyage. The society is good here, and gave me an opportunity of
seeing much of the manners and customs in private life. The hotels are
excellent; the excursions upon the lake by steamer, most agreeable. The
town is pleasantly situated upon both sides of the stream where the
lake discharges itself, and is connected by bridges, and reminds me of
Geneva.
From Zurich, I took a northerly direction to Schaffhausen, to see the
Cataract of the Rhine, which is well worth a visit; but the fall of a
river of only eighty feet, although grand and beautiful, and highly
extolled by continental tourists, does not so particularly interest
an American who has visited the majestic and indescribable falls of
Niagara. This reminds me of an anecdote related of a controversy
between an American and an Italian, relative to the beauties and
remarkable curiosities of the two countries. The Italian thought he
had the advantage, particularly in describing the volcano, and the
eruptions of Mount Vesuvius; but the American replied, “Yes, all very
true; and we have Niagara, which can drown Vesuvius in less than five
minutes.”
From Schaffhausen, the steamer takes one along the upper Rhine, which
is low and flat in many places, and not remarkable for its beauty.
We then entered Lake Constance, which is the largest sheet of water
in Switzerland, touching at different points until our arrival at
Constance, which has nothing particular to offer for the traveller in
the way of sights.
Having made zigzag routes in Switzerland in my former as well as
present voyage, and having seen eighteen out of the twenty-two cantons
comprising the Confederation, I was quite satisfied to depart for the
head of the lake, on my way to Augsburgh and Munich. This latter city,
with a population of one hundred thousand, is an interesting place, and
contains more to interest a stranger than most of the German cities.
It, too, has had a share of revolution; and the late king Louis, who
has abdicated in favor of his son, and whose favorite, Lola Montez,
created so much noise in the world, has fled to Switzerland. The king
had a great passion for the fine arts, both painting and sculpture, and
good taste in architecture; and the new part of the city is beautified
with piles of immense edifices for the use of the state, and galleries
of paintings, statuary, and antique collections. The contrast between
the quaint, antique houses, of irregular construction, with high
roofs and two tiers of windows in their main fronts, ornamented with
scroll-work, and the modern style of buildings, is very great.
The new palace, copied after the Pitti Palace at Florence, is one of
the most beautiful in Europe, with floors of various kinds of wood,
inlaid in patterns which differ in all the rooms, and produce a sort of
mosaic. The cornices, bas-reliefs in marble, fresco paintings, after
the fashion of Pompeii and the Vatican at Rome, statuary in marble and
bronze gilt, with the damask hangings and tapestry--the magnificence
and apparent comfort of these things struck me very forcibly.
For one who has not seen other parts of Europe, some weeks could be
employed advantageously in Munich. I have been here several days,
and have had constant employment, first in visiting the gallery of
sculpture, where I found a vast collection of Egyptian and Etruscan
antiquities; those which were broken were well restored by Thorwaldsen.
One room is devoted to Egyptian statuary, another to Etruscan, another
to Ægina collections, and the decorations of each apartment are adapted
to the contents, the floors of marble, and the ceilings in rich fresco
and stucco patterns, with gilding. In the room appropriated to Egyptian
statuary, I could almost fancy myself back among the ruins of Thebes,
and the great temples of Karnak, so natural did everything appear.
The picture gallery is one of the finest buildings for paintings in
Europe. The paintings are arranged in the schools of the different
masters and countries, filling seven splendid halls, and twenty-three
small cabinets. The finest and largest pictures of each school are
placed in the centre halls, and the light is thrown down upon them
from above; the others are lighted from the sides. The ceilings are in
fresco and paintings, all of historical character. There are some one
thousand five hundred paintings, selected from seven thousand of the
different galleries in Bavaria; and altogether the collection reflects
honor upon the late king, who has expended large sums of money from
his private purse for the embellishment of his capital, which is now
so beautiful, and which a century since was only a small German town.
A heavy debt, however, has been created for the state, which, as in
all other countries, the good people must pay, whether for honorable
appropriations, or the follies and caprices of sovereigns.
Among the public monuments, is one now in process of construction,
called the Genius of Bavaria; it is of cast bronze and of colossal
size. It is the figure of a female with flowing ringlets, about fifty
feet in height, mounted on a pedestal, with a crouching lion at her
feet, all of solid bronze. The work is still going forward at the
foundry in the suburbs of the city, and will require some time yet to
finish it. It will surpass altogether the statue of San Carlo Boromeo,
of beaten copper, upon Lago Maggiore, in Italy.
The population of Munich are mostly Catholics, and yesterday being
Sunday, I visited the churches, which are not as remarkable, with some
exceptions, as in Italy. There is one, the Basilica of St. Bonifacius,
which is built in Roman style, after the plan of St. Paul’s, about
three miles from Rome. It is of red brick, but the interior is
beautifully decorated, and supported by sixty-four columns of marble
in four rows; it is divided in four arches, with a nave seventy feet
high, and fifty feet wide. The pave is of marble with painted ceiling
of blue, and beams carved and gilded with a variety of frescoes.
My valet took me in the suburbs in the afternoon, and, as in all
Catholic countries, the Sunday afternoon and evening are devoted to
recreation, so here also. The gardens were full to overflowing, the
tables were crowded with drinkers and smokers, and a full proportion
of the fair sex with their peculiar costume, and head-dress called
_Riegel Haube_, which is a small bag of gold or silver tissue,
with two points like a swallow’s tail, and is worn on the back of the
head to inclose the hair. It costs twelve or fifteen dollars, and it is
the height of ambition of the peasant girl to indulge in it. Music was
heard in all directions, and waltzes and dances kept up much later than
I had a disposition to stay and gratify curiosity.
What a striking contrast between this and our own quiet Sabbaths at
home! But such is the result of early education, and we must learn
to exercise charity towards those who differ from us from the fact
that they have been taught differently. Ever since the reformation
of Luther, such is the strong tenacity of the people to Sunday
recreations, that, in many parts of Germany, the dance and promenade in
the evening succeed the morning services of the Protestant church.
I was at Augsburgh at the anniversary of the birthday of the Bishop,
and was much amused at the immense collection of peasants who thronged
the streets in costume, and filled the cathedral and vicinity; many
of the women wore head-dresses not unlike those of Munich, but the
greatest singularity about their dress was the peculiar mutton-legged
sleeve, specimens of which may sometimes be seen on the arrival of
emigrants in New York.
The town of Augsburg is old; it has a population of thirty thousand,
and is quite a manufacturing place. Some fine bronze antique fountains,
the Rathhaus, or town hall, the cannon foundry, and a fine collection
of richly ornamented brass pieces, are the principal objects to be
seen. The old hotel, which is well kept, dates under the sign of the
Three Moors for five hundred years. The landlord brags of his old
wines, and takes pleasure in showing his cellars. The old register book
is a curiosity, with the names of Napoleon, Wellington, Sir Walter
Scott, and a host of others, both kings and princes. In one of the
rooms Napoleon received the Augsburg magistrates, and told them with
sang-froid, that their city was free no longer, and that the king of
Bavaria was now their sovereign. There are other incidents related
of the house, and valued by the master. This reminds me of the Hotel
Fedder where I stopped in Genoa, where they now show the gilded rooms
of what was once a palace, where Daniel O’Connell died. Those who
wish to make the pilgrimage will find good quarters, but must not be
surprised if a small tribute is added to the bill.