During the time that Duke Charles resided at Hohenheim, the gardens were much celebrated, and attracted numerous visitors from all parts of Germany. There is a fine piece of ground called the English garden, that was much admired, but now we have only the forlorn remains of it left. At the front of the palace, are still several of the old flower beds, and the balustrade wall, which forms a fine sweep, at the principal or entrance front. It was in Duke Charles's time well stocked with orange trees, but none are now in existence. The ground falls considerably, towards the south, from the palace, and when under garden cultivation, it must have had a very pretty effect. The view from the windows, over a small town called Boblingen, and the surrounding scenery, is very fine, the Swabian Alps appearing in the distance. I should imagine Hohenheim palace, about sixty years ago, must have been one of the most magnificent in Wurtemberg, but the apartments are rapidly going to decay. The new road lately formed near to Stuttgard, winding through the vineyard plantations, with their numerous small huts or watch boxes, has also a very pretty effect, although rather fatiguing from its steep ascent.
On my return from Hohenheim, I again called on Mr. Koster, the British secretary of legation, who accompanied me to the house of M. de Kerner, where I saw eighty-three volumes of the splendid Botanical work, executed by the late M. de Kerner, which consists of above one thousand drawings of the various fruits, and other exotic flowering plants, which are undoubtedly exquisite specimens of that gentleman's abilities as a draughtsman. These volumes were only purchased by the royal libraries of Vienna, St. Petersburg, Munich, Stuttgard, and Copenhagen, at a price of seventeen hundred pounds; only six or seven copies were executed, one of which is still on hand, in the possession of M. de Kerner. After again procuring my passport, I started about eight o'clock in the evening, for Carlsruhe, where I arrived at five the next morning.
Sept. 13th. On my arrival I found that the diligence would start in the course of twenty minutes for Baden. I started by it, and arrived there at ten o'clock. His Excellency Lord George William Russell, kindly gave me a note of introduction to Sir John Frost, the late secretary of the Medico-Botanical Society of London, who was then residing at Baden, and practising as a physician. This gentleman furnished me with several notes of introduction, to some of his Botanical friends, and also kindly shewed me the different objects of interest about the town; amongst which was the fountain of mineral-water, so much celebrated, for various diseases. It is of a very high temperature; so much so, that I was unable to drink a glass of it, without first letting it cool; from the appearance of the fountain, one would imagine that a strong fire was burning under it. From the baths we proceeded to the castle garden, and from hence, a considerable way up the hill, where is a most delightful prospect of the town, and its very romantic scenery. The old castle forms a prominent object of attraction, which, with the tremendous precipices of rock, and plantations, render this spot the most picturesque that I had previously met with on my tour through Germany.
An excellent promenade, called the English garden, with neatly kept walks and pieces of lawn, is much frequented by the inhabitants and visitors. Situated in the promenade is a magnificent building called the "Conversation House," with numerous orange trees arranged in front of it.
In the interior, I was much surprised to see in a very capacious room, splendidly furnished, a large concourse of ladies and gentlemen, during Sunday, very busy at the gambling tables; in fact the ladies appeared to be fully as expert gamblers as the gentlemen. I also made a visit to the convent, where two skeletons of saints decorated with numerous pearls, rings, and other costly ornaments are exhibited; the skull and teeth appeared to be in pretty good preservation, but these superstitious decorations, so perfectly incongruous, might be well dispensed with. The number of strangers calculated to have visited Baden, during the season of 1835, are said to have amounted to thirteen thousand. The scenery for a great part of the way from Carlsruhe to Baden, is considerably varied, and the old castle of Eberstein appearing on an eminence, with well planted hills, forms a lively contrast. We also passed through a handsome town called Rastadt, situated on the river Murg, where a palace, belonging to the grand duke of Baden, appears conspicuous from the road.
Sept. 14th. I called this morning on Mr. Kennedy (brother to the Marquess of Ailsa,) and delivered to him a note of introduction that I received from Lord G. W. Russell. Mr. Kennedy very kindly accompanied me to the Botanic Garden, and introduced me to M. Held, the gardener, a very intelligent man; here the enormous height that the Melaleuca stipulacea had attained, which was nearly forty feet, is truly astonishing. Various other Melaleucas and Banksias were nearly as high; the Dracæna Draco (Dragon-tree,) was about twenty feet in height; and the Pomaderis apetala almost thirty feet. In this garden are various ranges of houses for the cultivation of tropical and other green-house plants, which are extensively cultivated. The houses have all dark roofs, with glass only in front; yet the greater part of their inmates looked very healthy, particularly the greenhouse plants; but these had the advantage of being exposed to the weather during the summer months. Various pits were also in this establishment for the growth and protection of the half-hardy species. The Succulentæ are extensively cultivated; there are nearly one hundred and forty species of Mesembryanthemums, and about one hundred different kinds of Aloes, besides a pretty good collection of the Cacteæ. The Rhododendron and Azalea, are cultivated out of doors, which is rarely the case in any other garden in Germany.
The herbaceous ground is formed into oblong squares, and these again divided into narrow beds, which are well stocked with a great variety of hardy flowering perennials. The whole of this botanical department was remarkably neat and clean, having, it is understood, been much improved since M. Held was appointed. It appeared to me, however, to be much too crowded with these heavy looking houses, which are too numerous for a space of ground, undoubtedly too contracted and confined for such a collection of plants.
The park, or pleasure-ground, adjoins the garden, and although of a dull flat surface, yet it contains many very fine specimens of ornamental trees and shrubs. I observed, for instance, the Salisburia adiantifolia, sixty feet high, and several very large tulip trees, and the Sophora Japonica; a fine specimen of the Acer dasycarpum, measured no less than a space of ground of twenty yards regular diameter. I was much pleased with a small flower garden, close to the palace windows, which was well stocked with flowers in full bloom. The grounds are laid out with numerous avenues radiating from the palace, which extend in a straight line for a considerable distance; I reckoned twenty-seven of these avenues, which had certainly rather an imposing effect, and various walks and rides that branch off through the grounds in different directions. There is also an extensive piece of ground enclosed with a high wall, occupied as a nursery, and well stocked with various hardy species of trees and shrubs. The front of the palace, next Carlsruhe, was ornamented with large orange trees. The orangery was a large building, the front of which was well covered with grape-vines in a prolific state.
Sept. 15th. Left Carlsruhe at six o'clock, a.m. for Heidelberg, passing through a fine fertile country, chiefly occupied with green crops. The mangel wurtzel, Indian corn, and fine crops of tobacco, are cultivated here, as well as in many other parts of Germany. Arrived at Heidelberg at eleven o'clock, and proceeded to the Botanic Garden, which has been only recently established, and contains a neat range of hot-houses, about one hundred and sixty feet long, besides a large sized pit in front of the range, one hundred feet long. This garden, although small, is pleasantly situated, and well arranged. In the centre is an oblong piece of water, the banks around which are considerably elevated, and planted with standard fruit trees, such as peaches, apricots, plums, and pears. The garden forms an oblong square, with a range of hot-houses and gardener's house at the north end, close to the Heidelberg Gate. These hothouses were the best and neatest-built that I had met with in Germany, and contain a pretty fair collection of plants, with some very fine species of Cacteæ. Along by the east side of the garden is an avenue of very fine specimens of the Robinia inermis, which is also continued along the south side of the town for a considerable distance.
I next proceeded to Schwetzingen, another magnificent establishment, belonging to the Grand Duke of Baden. The palace and gardens are situated about five English miles from Heidelberg, and are unquestionably well worth the stranger's visit. In the approach to them by an arch-way at the palace, we have a view of a large circular piece of ground, divided into various divisions, in which are cultivated a good collection of flowering plants; there are also in this spot a number of fine orange trees, arranged along the edges of broad gravel walks; several of them forming a straight avenue, extending in various directions. The centre walk or avenue, leading from the palace, is terminated by an extensive sheet of water, where is placed a fine group of sculpture, as well as another at the commencement of the avenue, at the end of the grass, next to the circular piece of ground, where the orange trees are arranged. On each side of this principal avenue is situated an oblong piece of ground, laid out in the French style of gardening, with numerous straight walks, and circular spaces at their junctions. The exterior of the ground, and that by the lake, is laid out in the English style, and consists of various clumps of trees; and the very fine irregular sheet of water has really a very good effect.