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.
CI.
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, Germany, Sept. 20, 1854.
I have, within the last month, touched and visited so many points that I scarcely know how to go into detail in the short space of one letter.
I went from Coblentz up the Rhine, whose beauties from that point to Mayence I shall not attempt to describe. I embarked at Biebrich, the residence of the Grand Duke of Nassau, whose grounds and parks must not be neglected, and went by vehicle to Wiesbaden, the great thoroughfare, as a watering-place. Its hot chicken broth fountain, with its numerous pipes, supplies scores of hotels and bath houses. Its Kursaäls, with play rooms and dining halls, got up on a grand scale, with the adjoining galleries, filled with fancy shops of infinite variety, attract the stranger. The lovers of secluded and sheltered serpentine walks, bordered with flowers, but deprived of the autumn scenery, may find comfort and delight at Wiesbaden; and children may gambol upon the grass, and feed the ducks in the little artificial lakes, while the lordly white swan sails along and claims his authority. The weather was dry and fine. I had got away from the rainy streak, and all was pleasant; but as I was not a stranger in Wiesbaden I shortened my visit and resumed my march. From thence, by railroad, I came to this free German city. From Frankfort we go to Homburg, within two hours, by railroad and omnibus. Among the thirty odd divisions into which Germany is unfortunately cut up and divided, this small landgrave is perhaps the smallest, and will die out with the death of the present incumbent, who is already old. It will pass into the Duchy of Darmstadt adjoining. The celebrity of the waters of Homburg for dyspepsia, its superior position for high and varied scenery, and the privilege granted by Count Alexander for gambling the entire year, a privilege which exists only here, have made Homburg a flourishing village. The sum paid for the privilege of gambling is thirty thousand dollars annually. The bank is not only able to pay this large sum and give greater favors to players than other banks, but has expended an enormous amount upon the buildings; the saloons are the most gorgeous of the kind in Europe, and play is higher and more general here than at any of the watering-places in Germany. Ladies are among the heaviest players. It is a strange and fascinating passion, and leads to great abuses. I will cite an example: on Saturday evening I noticed a lady risking a large number of sovereigns, with unusual nonchalance. The next morning I saw her at the English Episcopal Church. My curiosity induced me to see, on returning, if the same person would enter the gaming rooms that day. To my surprise I found her at her post, with her pile of gold before her. I had heard that in this district, surrounded by Germans, there existed a colony of French, and I was induced to pay a visit to their village, which interested me much. I found a neat pretty settlement of one thousand souls, the descendants of thirteen Protestant families who escaped from France after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, under Louis XIV., and were protected by Frederick II. They have a church which cost thirty thousand florins (twelve thousand dollars) and two institutions for boys and girls, where children from different parts of Germany are educated in French. They always converse in French among themselves, and have preserved their language remarkably. They are all familiar with German, and talk with outsiders in German, the language of the country. They have several branches of industry in cotton, flax, and wool. It was curious and novel to witness this happy, tidy, industrious little community, surrounded by other villages quite impoverished, and in a little territory about equal to the size of one of our counties, heavily taxed to keep up the dignity of a court with palace and grounds, with its quota of military; but how hard is the fate of a poor man with a family toiling and striving for the pittance of eight groschens, only twenty cents per day, as several have told me when I have stopped and asked the price of labor, and in this almost famine year. When they hear of America they are eager to be off, but the means are not provided.
From Homburg I proceeded to Darmstadt and Manheim, in order to make a detour to Speyer, which is celebrated for its Cathedral. At Manheim the river to Ludwigshafen, on the opposite shore, is crossed by a bridge formed by some thirty iron flat-bottomed boats of canal-boat size, fastened together, upon which the structure is laid, with draws for the passage of steamers, as is the case all along the Rhine. An hour’s ride by railroad carries one to the old town of Speyer. It was once populous, but is now reduced to six thousand inhabitants, and contains only one object of interest, a cathedral, which may be considered the pride of Germany, as uniting the work of the best modern artists. This cathedral, which was commenced under the Emperor Conrad II., in the year 1030, has been burnt and rebuilt three several times, and now, under the auspices of the king of Bavaria, in whose dominion it lies, has been renovated in the modern style, with exquisite taste, differing so widely from the antiquity which we so constantly find in these old memorable edifices, that the contrast is the more striking and more gratifying to the eye.
On my return I went to Heidelberg and Baden Baden. I visited all the points I had formerly seen and described to you, but none struck me as new, or worthy of description. Heidelberg is a lovely spot for scenery, and Baden may claim the preference as being the gayest and most charming watering-place in Germany.
In getting out of the cars I was greeted by an old travelling friend in Italy and Germany—our Consul at R——m, formerly a bachelor, but now married and here with his wife. We were soon joined by two former acquaintances, the American Minister from Belgium, with his sisters and cousin. We made a very pleasant excursion party in two carriages, and for three days castles tenanted by grave ancestors, and patriots, situated upon high mountain tops, and in dark-wooded forests, were hunted up and examined. The party was not disposed the less to climb the moss-covered walls of the schloss or chateau to points where the most extended views might be obtained. A trout and game dinner in the country, well served, restored us from the fatigue attending such exercise, and we drove to town in time for the evening band and concert.
I left for Strasburg, in order to descend the Rhine, which I had not seen from that point to Mayence, and also to change the route. A sad sight presented itself at my departure, another evidence of the uncertainty of life. A new car, in three compartments, with extended roof and balcony all round, and doors opening from the sides, was put on, which car I chose to take, notwithstanding the Germans say that none but princes and fools travel in first-class cars; the second-class is good, but the third-class is very rough. I was standing on the balcony when the cars moved off, and saw a well-dressed man, who had escorted three ladies and just taken leave of them, come out. Finding he was late, he attempted foolishly to get off while the train was in rapid motion; he tripped, fell under the wheels, and was cut in two under our eyes; only three of us witnessed the accident. I gave an alarm hastily, and succeeded in stopping the train. My sympathies were strongly excited for the afflicted ladies, and his only daughter, who is now an orphan.
Lightning speed soon carried us to Kehl, on the left bank of the Rhine, and then we took an omnibus across the bridge of boats to the French Alsatian shore, where, after the usual delay of visitation of passports and baggage, we passed a few miles further, to the well-fortified city of Strasburg. It has ninety thousand population, and is noted for its cathedral and tower of a remarkable height (I believe the highest in Europe), also for its extraordinary clock, with machinery denoting the changes of the weather, the action of the hours, &c. At twelve at noon an anxious group assembles in the building to witness the performance of the figures upon the frontispiece of the mammoth clock. When the grim figure of Death, hammer in hand, strikes the hour of twelve, the figures of the twelve Apostles revolve in succession, and make reverential bows before Christ, who in return pronounces the benediction. A huge cock, perched above, flaps his gilded wings strongly, and crows three times with a voice sufficiently strong to make a tame chanticleer take to his heels. The original clock, which I was shown years since, has been removed, but is still on exhibition. Its inventor, who was suspected of the design of building a second for another city of France, had his eyes put out; he then revenged himself by breaking certain springs which baffled the ingenuity of others to replace.