C.

BATHS OF EMS, DUCHY OF NASSAU, _Aug. 20, 1854_.

In the little village of Graefrath, a few leagues from Dusseldorf, in

the kingdom of Prussia, lives an oculist, who is celebrated throughout

Holland and Germany, and whose address was given me at Aix-la-Chapelle.

Requiring his services, I went in pursuit of him, and found, to my

surprise, from two hundred to two hundred and fifty patients, who make

a sort of pilgrimage there from all quarters. His success with royalty

has given him several badges of honor, which he wears, and has made

the village a place of sojourn for the afflicted, who are its chief

resource. The doctor is kind and liberal in his treatment of the poor,

and no respecter of persons. Each takes his turn, and I considered

myself fortunate on my first interview, in meeting with the rank and

file; it gave a fair opportunity of witnessing the sufferings of the

partially blind, young and old, in the different conditions of life,

and studying the hopes and fears of this pitiful class of invalids, and

of thanking Heaven that my difficulties were small in comparison with

those of many others present. Obtaining the necessary remedies for

treatment, I was advised to proceed to this place, and make use of the

waters.

Dusseldorf, which I had just left, is renowned for its school of modern

paintings, and has three galleries now open, which contain many gems

of art. It is also the residence of some three hundred artists. The

gallery in New York, which bears its name, as we all know, contains a

good collection of pictures.

I shall say little of the city so famous for its Cologne water, its

vast, unfinished cathedral, its church with the bones of the eleven

thousand virgins, which I have described on former occasions, but

simply say I took there the steamer to ascend the much-vaunted Rhine,

so full of interest, with its thickly settled villages, the rich

vegetation of its banks, whose amphitheatred walls are covered with the

vine which has given such celebrity to the Johannisberger, Rudesheimer,

and other choice wines, its old castles upon the verge of the mountain

crags, with its many legends, all of which are calculated to call forth

the enthusiasm of the tourist. The day was fine; the long but narrow

and tolerably fleet iron steamers made rapid exchanges of passengers at

the principal villages, adding to the interest of the trip. The awning

was spread as a protection from an August sun, and dinner served on

deck to a numerous party of different races and tongues, who seemed

to enjoy exceedingly not only the charming panorama but the light and

delicious beverage produced from such clustering vines as covered the

mountain side. This being the fourth time that I had navigated this

stream, I could gaze upon its beauties with less emotion than formerly,

and, must add, for the grand and majestic, the scenery of the noble

Hudson surpasses the Rhine, although the former is deficient in variety

of detail. The frowning castle of Ehrenbreitstein (the Gibraltar of the

Rhine), and the smiling banks of the Moselle, which here discharges its

waters, denote our arrival at Coblentz; and a two hours’ ride brings

us to the village of Ems, deservedly noted for its picturesque and

charming site, lying in the valley, upon the margin of the little river

called the Lahn, skirted by mountains on both sides. I find myself

somewhat at home here, being lodged in the same quarters in which I

spent a month in the summer of 1848.

The discovery of the thermal waters of Ems dates from an early period

of antiquity. When the Roman legions, under Augustus and Tiberius,

occupied these mountains, they erected baths in honor of the nymphs,

protectresses of the mineral waters, whose fountains mysteriously

came from the earth. After the decline of the Roman power, they

were lost sight of until the twelfth century, when Ems passed under

the domination of the Counts of Nassau. It was not until 1803 that

the house of Nassau erected the convenient and commodious buildings

now forming part of this establishment. Since my last visit the

improvements have been considerable to accommodate the great number

of invalids who come here in search of health. Ems being a village

with no other attractions than its beautiful rides and walks,

everything has been done to render it agreeable; large and fine

hotels have been erected, where every comfort may be obtained. The

band plays morning and evening; the Kursaäl is a fine architectural

structure for concerts, plays, and general reunions. The gardens are

agreeable. The walks and romantic sites are covered with pavilions,

accessible for pedestrians and donkeys--which latter abound, with red

side-saddles with cushioned backs for ladies, and it is amusing to

see the competition among the drivers: groups of both sexes, young

and old, are seen winding up the serpentine ascents, presenting a

droll appearance. The waters of Ems are celebrated for the relief of

bronchial, pulmonary, and nervous diseases; more than one half of the

visitors are ladies. Here one meets princes, dukes, counts, senators,

merchants, etc., with their wives, daughters, and friends; Russians,

Poles, Germans, Hollanders, Danes, and Frankfort Jews, whose object

is certainly the restoration of health. The usual term for employing

the waters for bathing and drinking is four weeks, and the hours from

six until eight A.M.; you see at the hot sparkling fountains

of the Kesselbrunnen and Kruenchin from six hundred to eight hundred

persons, with fancy-colored Bohemian glasses in their hands, sipping

the not unpleasant bi-carbonate fluid, and after a promenade at

intervals of from a quarter to half an hour, returning to the same, the

band playing all the while inspiring airs. At one P.M., there

is a table d’hôte in all the hotels, and parties who occupy lodgings

change, if desirable, from day to day, and are more generally thrown

together, and seem to become more acquainted, than at many watering

places. At six P.M. all congregate at the springs, and after

imbibing and strolling through the grounds, to the sound of a march

or waltz, disperse; at eight, all is quiet, and the trees, plants, and

flowers are left alone in their glory. Such as choose to sup at the

Kursaäl, and repair to the concert and gambling saloons, do so.

The waters of Nassau are renowned, and are a source of wealth to the

Duke, who is commander-in-chief of this little province, which contains

only three hundred and sixty thousand inhabitants. Large quantities of

Seltzer water are exported over Europe.

In the history of this little duchy of Nassau, the discovery of one

of its springs, as told by a traveller, is so full of simplicity that

I cannot refrain from repeating it. It seems there was once a heifer

with which everything in nature seemed to disagree; the more she ate

the thinner she grew; the more her mother licked her hide the rougher

it became; the flies of the forest would not bite her; she was never

known to chew her cud; but, hide-bound and melancholy, her hips nearly

protruded through her skin; no one knew what the matter was, and no one

could cure her. At last, deserted by her owner, she was abandoned for

lost. A few weeks after, she appeared among the herd with ribs covered

with flesh, eyes like a deer’s, and skin as sleek as a snail’s; her

breath smelling sweetly with milk; every day seemed to re-establish

her health. The incident was so striking that the herdsman was induced

to watch her; he perceived that every evening she wended her way to an

unknown spring of water, from which she refreshed herself and returned

to the valley.

This circumstance was nearly forgotten by the peasant when a young

Nassau lady began to show the same symptoms as this heifer. The

herdsman heard of her case and advised her to try the waters, which she

did, and became one of the plumpest girls in the duchy.

Deaths never occur here, at least they are not known, for the poor

patient is quietly disposed of at an hour when none but the undertaker

is on duty. The sympathies of the living are not thereby excited, and

the bright side of the picture is the only one gazed upon.

This water-drinking, bathing regimen and daily routine becomes

monotonous where necessity demands it, and one is rejoiced at the

approach of the period when he is exempted by the physicians. The

latter are found invariably in the morning promenades, to consult with

their clients. But for fear you will be gorged and saturated with

mineral waters let us change the subject.

The eyes of all Europe are directed to our country; its gigantic

strides, its wonderful progress excite the admiration of those who

sympathize with our republican institutions, and the envy of those who

detest and fear the march of democracy. The loss of the better classes

of German emigrants, who leave the country with means, is a source of

anxiety to the crowned heads, and every obstacle is thrown in their way

to prevent emigration.