After leaving Frankfort I came to Wiesbaden via Mayence, by railroad,
which is rapidly accomplished, but being familiar with those places my
stay was short, and I took the diligence to the Baths of Schwalbach,
and from thence to this place, where I bought a Bohemian stained glass
goblet, an indispensable article to every water drinker, and took up my
position at the fountain in the line of invalids.
Ems has been entirely quiet and tranquil, and seems to stand aloof from
the Revolutions all around us. Almost every house is a lodging-house or
hotel, and the people and peasantry have an interest in keeping quiet.
About one thousand strangers are here at present, the larger portion
in pursuit of health, and society is more select and less gay than at
the other watering places. The balls, concerts, and gaming tables are
less frequented than in Baden Baden and Wiesbaden. The musical band
commences at seven in the morning in the promenade, and continues
playing until eight, during which time the drinkers swallow their three
or four glasses at intervals of fifteen minutes, while the physicians
are mingling with their patients to inquire after their health, and
give counsel, if needed. One o’clock is the table d’hôte, in all the
hotels, when everybody dines; after which the company adjourn and
take coffee in the walks in the garden, listening to the music; or go
in parties of pleasure along the banks of the beautiful river Lahn,
or cross over the bridge of boats to the opposite side and branch
off among the hills and cliffs, by the footwalks which extend in
every direction. Droves of donkeys with their drivers are always at
hand, and are all numbered, which is a good idea, as they are not all
sure-footed, and when one is proved can always be engaged in advance,
which is important for the ladies, as large numbers scale the hills and
vine-clad heights in this manner.
From six to eight in the afternoon, when the heat is less intense, Ems
is seen to best advantage. Then all the visitors appear upon the public
walks, and the ladies, of whom there is a large proportion, as it is
considered essentially a ladies’ watering-place, are promenading in the
garden, en grande toilette, or seated under the shady trees listening
to the music from the band.
Almost every house has its name, and where I am living, upon the
banks of the river Lahn, it is called Lust Garten, or in English, the
Pleasure Garden. The high walls with a sort of terrace separate us from
the river, with a beautiful garden adorned with plants and flowers,
which gives the house its name; in the rear of the garden rise the
cliffs to a great elevation, which are walled, and covered with the
clustering grape. The town is so shut in by hills that sometimes the
heat is oppressive, but in a few minutes one may escape into the woods
and winding paths on the opposite side.
Notwithstanding among so many persons there are numbers in good health
who accompany their friends thither, and who can enjoy life, and
many whose ailings are trivial, and who need not deprive themselves
of luxuries, still there are many, very many, real sufferers, who
naturally put the best foot foremost, and keep up appearances; but the
hollow cough and the hectic flush tell too truly of the ravages of that
disease which is so flattering.
One of the vices of these watering-places is that of gambling. The
new Kursaal built by the Grand Duke, has a handsome Café, gambling
rooms, with hazard tables, and is open from eleven to one o’clock and
from three to ten in the afternoon. A large ball-room is attached,
with marble columns, sofas, and rich furniture. Although there is
less gambling here than at other places, still there is too much,
and it is curious that some ladies have also a great propensity for
gaming. At a public festival the other evening, on the occasion of
the birthday of the Grand Duke (in the Kursaal), I was in company
with several ladies, and the husband of one of the number, whom I
considered a decided invalid and a man of fortune, was at the gaming
table. He had previously won, but fortune had turned against him; he
continued to lose; his friends begged him to desist; his wife watched
him with tearful interest; I saw the hectic flush upon his cheek, and
the perspiration starting from his forehead; he staked the last piece
of gold in his purse; suffice it to say he lost, and in an agitated
state we induced him to leave the room. A few days later he left for
Switzerland.
With the exception of a Russian family whom I met in Nice and Genoa,
I have not found any of the Italian travellers of last winter; but
one is not at a loss for acquaintances, for here are French, Germans,
Russians, Hollanders, English, and a few Italians, and as I have been
a sufferer myself, and was in possession of some medical works and
treatises for the diseases of the chest and bronchial tubes, which were
new, my physician adopted them for his patients, which brought me in
contact with them.
We have excursions up along the river to Nassau, about six miles, which
can be made by carriage or donkey. Among these, are rides to Kenmau,
back of Ems, which can be accomplished after dinner, and where one has
a very expanded view from the top of the mountain of the whole country
lying below. One goes to Coblentz in about two hours by omnibus, where
passengers arrive coming up the Rhine to visit Ems. This, the great
bulwark of Germany, and the castle of Ehrenbreitstein, the Gibraltar
of the Rhine, standing on the summit of a rock nearly eight hundred
feet above the level of the river, opposite Coblentz, together with the
defences on both banks of the Rhine, and the Moselle, which there falls
into the former, are capable of containing a force which might resist
any attack, and are considered impregnable. The road hence to Coblentz
is very pretty, and the residents at the Baths frequently go down to do
their shopping. In passing the turnpike gate I was amused at the manner
of receiving the tolls. The turnpike keeper, instead of coming out and
taking the fee, sits smoking his hanging meerschaum pipe, and with a
slow movement rises with his pipe in his mouth, and in his hand a long
stick with a box on the end, which he shoves forward and receives the
coin, he then draws in his prize and closes the window.
The Germans are a quiet, patient, forbearing, good-natured people, but
the revolution in France awoke them to a sense of their rights, and the
despotism of kings and petty princes, which they are trying to shake
off. At Ehrenbreitstein castle I saw them making preparations for the
Schleswig Holstein war with the Danes, having just received orders
from the Prussian king to send on a body of troops.
These waters are of great service in most pulmonary cases, but I find
the free use of them and strict regimen in eating is calculated to
weaken the stomach and appetite, and the associating with invalids
and hearing their repeated complaints and sufferings, is anything but
agreeable, and calculated to operate upon the spirits, as mind has a
great effect over matter.