Back Aa

Young Americans Abroad

Close

<h2>Letter 40.</h2> Frankfort. Dear Charley:— It was on the Rhine that we all wanted you with us, and other friends, too, who were far away. This is no common, every-day stream, but one whose name and renown have been associated with ten thousand pages of history, song, and legend. We have read of the Rhine, listened to its songs, drank its wines, dreamed of its craggy, castled banks,—and at last we found ourselves upon its waters, rushing down from their homes in Alpine steeps and regions of eternal snow. The deposits of this river have made Holland what she is; and the rich plains of the Low Countries have been formed by the alluvial deposits of this noble river. The enthusiasm of the Germans towards this stream is well known. They call it Father Rhine, and King Rhine; and well may they be proud of its beauty and its historic fame. We took our passage in a fine steamer, on a lovely morning, and it took us about eight hours to reach Coblentz. Leaving Cologne, we passed an old tower on the edge of the river, and, for some miles, the prospect was every day enough; and it was not till we approached Bonn that we were much impressed with the banks. We passed several villages, which appeared to have pleasant localities. I name only Surdt, Urfel, Lulsdorf, and Alfter. Bonn is an old city, of Roman date, and has figured largely in the wars of the Rhine. Its population is about sixteen thousand. Bonn has a minster, which shows itself finely to the voyager on the river, and is a Gothic structure of the twelfth century. The University here is famous for its library, and the great names formerly associated with this institution—Schlegel and Niebuhr. Both filled chairs in the college. Prince Albert was educated at this place. Beethoven was born here. If we could have spent a day at the Seven Mountains, I should have been glad; but we were only able to look at them. They vary in height from one thousand and fifty to fourteen hundred and fifty-three feet. The most picturesque of the group is Drachenfels; and the beautiful lines of Byron you will recollect, where he speaks of "the castled crag of Drachenfels." From this place the stone was taken for the Cathedral at Cologne. The summits of these seven mountains are crested with ruined castles. Their sides are well wooded, and around them are spread fruitful vineyards. You know how famous they are in the legendary lore of the Rhine. The view from Drachenfels is said to be one of the finest on the river. After leaving Bonn and the ruins of Godesberg, we soon came to Rolandseck, a lofty eminence, where are the remains of a baronial fortress and a celebrated ruin of an arch. I should judge that the access to this place was by a charming road. The ruins of Rolandseck are immortalized by the ballad of Schiller. Tradition relates that the castle was destroyed by the Emperor Henry V., in the twelfth century. At the foot of the mountain is the sweet little Island of Nonnenwörth, of about one hundred acres, and the ruins of a convent. The rock here is basaltic, and the production of volcanic action. Never did Nature present a fairer picture than we gazed upon at this spot. The villages around are pictures of happiness and content, and the scenery such as only the Rhine can exhibit. Passing by the charming, rural-looking Oberwinter, we soon came upon a woody height, where stands the Gothic Church of St. Apollinarisberg. Here is, or was, the saint's head; and it was formerly a shrine of great resort. Close by is the little tower Of Remagen, and opposite are basaltic rocky heights of six or eight hundred feet, on the sides of which are vineyards—the vines growing in baskets filled with earth and placed in the crevices of the rocks. No square foot of soil seems to be wasted; and, to improve the ground, you will find the plots for vines laid out like potato patches,—some running this way, and others that,—making the sides of the hills and banks look very much like basket work. We now came, on our left hand, to the ruins of Okenfels and the pretty town of Linz. The ruins are very dark, and look as if they were past redemption; whereas, some of these castles retain fine outlines. The red roofs of the town are in pleasing contrast with the green woods. This town seemed quite a business place; and I noticed several sloops and queer-looking vessels at the piers. On the opposite side the Aar falls into the Rhine. Just back is a town called Sinzig, and story tells that here Constantine and Maxentius fought the battle which resulted in the downfall of paganism. Here it was that, the evening previous, Constantine saw in the heavens the figure of a cross, with the inscription, "Εν τουτω νικα." But other legends give the battle place on the banks of the Tiber. We were all pleased with a beautiful, modern, castellated building, erected out of the ruins of an ancient castle, of which a single venerable tower remains at a small distance. The name is the Castle of Reineck. It was built for Professor Bethman Holweg, of Bonn, and he reads his lines in pleasant places. It must have cost much money to rear such an edifice. Nearly opposite are the ruins of Hammerstein Castle, where, in 1105, Henry IV. found an asylum. We next came to Andernach. This is an ancient city, and here you see towers and ruins standing amidst a wide amphitheatre of basaltic mountains. The place is spoken of by various old historians, and under several names. The great trade of the place is in millstones, which find their way even to America. Here is a celebrated Roman arched gate; but the lancet form would indicate a later date. On our left, we came to a pleasantly-situated town, called Neuwied, with some five thousand inhabitants. The streets lie wide; the houses looked bright, and very much like those in an American town. Here is a Moravian settlement. On our right is a cheerful little place, called Weisenthurm, and an ancient tower stands near it. It is said that here the Romans first made the crossing of this river. This was the spot where General Hoch passed in 1797; and on a height, at this village, is a monument to celebrate Hoch's achievement. Here we met with an enormous raft; and I assure you, Charley, it was a sight. We had seen two or three small ones before, but here was a monster. These rafts come from the woods on the tributary rivers—the Moselle, Neckar, Maine, &c. These prodigious flotillas are bound to Dordrecht, and are there broken up. This one looked like a town. It had at least twenty-five huts, and some of them tolerably large shanties; and I should think there were all of three hundred and fifty persons upon it. On the raft were women, children, cows, pigs, and sheep. This one was thought to be seven hundred feet long and two hundred wide, at the least. On our left, as we ascended the river, we now saw Sain and Mühlhofen, just at the point where two small rivers enter the Rhine; and on a hill top are the ruins of a castle of the Counts of Sain. Farther up is the quiet-looking hamlet of Engers; and we pass the islands of Niederwörth and Graswörth. On the former is a ruined convent, founded in 1242, and a population of nearly seven hundred. They seem to have a fine old church. I very much admired the village of Kesselhein, and I think it must be a charming spot. Close by it is the Palace of Schönbornhest, where the Bourbon family retreated at the revolution in the last century. It is now sadly dilapidated. Just as we were looking at Nuendorf, on our right, we were all called, by a bend in the river, to gaze on the giant rock of Ehrenbreitstein, bristling to its very summit with fortifications. O, how it towers up, and smiles or frowns—which you please—upon Coblentz, sweetly reposing on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle! I think the view from the deck of the steamer, up and down the river, and on each side, is the noblest panoramic view that I have seen. Just before us is a bridge of boats, which connects the fortress with Coblentz; and, looking up the Moselle, is a fine stone bridge. We had our dinner on the deck of the boat—a good arrangement, because we lost none of the scenery. This dinner was about midway between Cologne and Coblentz; and it would have amused you to have noticed the order of the various courses—soup, boiled beef, raw fish, ducks, roast pork, fowls, pudding, baked fish, roast beef, and mutton. Every thing was well cooked, and I never saw people appear more disposed to do justice to a meal. There was not half the hurry and indecorum that you so often see in an American boat. One thing I observed—and that was, that no one used the left hand for the management of his knife. If any thing annoys me, it is to see persons carve and eat at table with this wretched habit. I always imagine that they were so unhappy as to have grown up without father or mother to watch over them. This may be my weakness; but I cannot help it. We went to the Trois Suisses, a fine house on the river bank, and from our windows are looking, by moonlight, on the glorious fortress. Yours truly, j.o.c. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

1 of 2

2 of 2