# Three Years in Europe, 1868 to 1871/Chapter 9

CHAPTER IX.
Germany and Austria.
A long day's journey brought me from Amsterdam to Hanover. Hanover is closely connected with English history and has given England her present reigning dynasty;—George I. Hanover.and his successors were electors of Hanover as well as kings of England. Hanover was made into a kingdom in the early part of the present century, but was united with and reduced into a province of the kingdom of Prussia in 1866, so that Hanover has no separate existence now in the German empire like Bavaria and other principalities.
The new portions of the town of Hanover boast of fine streets lined with imposing edifices, but the older portions with their quaint old German houses are perhaps more interesting. The house of Leibnitz, the philosopher, is still pointed out to visitors. The market place and the old market church, built in the 14th century, and the Town hall erected in the 15th century are specially interesting. Town Hall.The church is an imposing brick structure with a tower 295 feet high. The large reception hall of the Rathhaus is finely decorated with frescoes.
The palace of Hanover is of a later date, Palace.being built in the 17th century, but the decorations in the rooms inside are ​exquisite. The suites of chambers, the fine dining hall and the still finer ball room are well worth a visit. The inlaid wooden floor of different rooms that I passed through are the best of their kind that I have seen anywhere. Near the palace of Hanover of which I have spoken above is the spacious Waterloo Place at the further end of which rises the lofty Waterloo Column 154 ft. high, to commemorate the gallant assistance which the Hanoverians rendered in the great victory of the Waterloo. A fine avenue of lime trees over a mile in length and 120 yards in width leads from the town to the palace of Herrenhausen which was the favorite residence of George I. and George II.
To the great capital of the German Fatherland at last! Like all the great capitals of continental Europe, Berlin.Berlin has in recent times been adorned and beautified after the manner of Paris, and is now one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Berlin was a small village of fishermen in the twelfth century. In 1250 it was made a city and in 1300 it was surrounded by a wall. In 1340 Berlin was still an insignificant member of the famous Hanseatic league in which the then flourishing and rich towns of Bruges and Ghent took the lead. It was in the 17th century that Berlin attained its modern importance under Frederick William, the "Great Elector" and the founder of the Prussian Monarchy. On the death of the "Great Elector" Frederick III. succeeded, and assumed the title of king Frederick I. in 1701. His successor was the celebrated Frederick the Great (1740-1786) who ​consolidated and vastly increased the limits of the infant kingdom, and was unwearied in his efforts to embellish the capital with new buildings. The University, the Cathedral, the Royal library and many other fine buildings were erected by him, and the population of the town had risen to 1,45,000 by the end of his reign.
Berlin like every other capital in Europe suffered heavily from Napoleon's wars. Napoleon's victories at Jena and Austerlitz and the French occupation of Berlin had a depressing effect, but it was for a time only. Prussian patriotism never burned brighter than under the repeated disasters of the Napoleonic wars, and the Prussians finally avenged their disgrace in the hard fought battle of Waterloo. The present ruler of Prussia succeeded in 1861, and has after his glorious victory over the French in 1871 assumed the ancient title of the Emperor of Germany, and thus united Prussia and all the German estates under one vigorous administration. The population of Berlin has increased from 700,000 in 1867 to 1,300,000 in 1886.
The finest street in modern Berlin is the Unterden Linden so called from its avenues of lime trees, and is 196 ft. in width and nearly a mile in length, and lined on both sides by the handsomest houses that can be seen in any city in Europe. This fine street ends with the town at the Brandenburg Gate in the extreme west, and beyond this gate is the Thiergarten which is to Berlin what the Bois de Boulogne is to Paris.
To begin then from the Thiergarten in the extreme ​west of the town, the monument of victory is the most conspicuous object in the garden. It is a fine column 200 ft. Victory Monument.and erected after the great victories over France in 1870-71. The massive square pedestal is adorned with fine reliefs in bronze. On the east side is represented the Danish war of 1864, on the north side the Austrian war of 1866, on the west side he French war of 1870. In six years the Prussians "settled" Denmark, Austria and France and rose to be the foremost power of Europe. On the south side of the pedestal is represented the return of the troops from France 1871 under their great ruler who had in that momentous and glorious year assumed the ancient title of "Emperor." On this base stands the column, the base of which is surrounded by an open colonnade, and on the summit of which stands a noble guilded statue of victory. Verily every German, as he beholds this noble and lofty monument, recalls with pride and exultation the glorious victories which culminated in 1871. Would that the victors had used their advantages with moderation in 1871. The peace of Europe would not have been eternally threatened, and Europe not turned into a camp, if Alsace and Lorraine had not been annexed.
Turning eastward from the park we enter through the Brandenburg Gate into the town. The gate is 85 ft. high (including figures) and 205 ft. in width, Brandenburg Gate.and has five different passages, the centre one being reserved for royal carriages. The structure was erected in 1789-93 ​imitation of the Propylea in Athens, and the figure on the top is a Quadriga of victory, the four horses of victory, bronze. Napoleon took away this Quadriga to Paris in 1807, but it was restored to Berlin in 1814.
Passing through this gate we come to an open square called Paris Place since the victories over the French in 1871. Paris Place.There are some handsome and noble buildings on both sides of this Paris Place. No. 2 on our right was Blucher's Palace, and is now the Austrian Embassy. No. 5 is the French Embassy.
The fine street Unterden Linden begins from the Paris Place. Passing along this street we come to where the magnificent bronze statue of Frederick the Great stands, Statue of Frederick the Great.in the centre of the street. The groups of finely executed figures allegorical as well as historical on the pedestal and the noble and impressive attitude of the great warrior himself mounted on a horse, make the monument one of the finest of its kind in Europe.
​humble house, less imposing than many of our houses in the Chowringee in Calcutta, is the residence of the greatest of living sovereigns,—the Emperor of Germany.Emperor of Germany! The Emperor shows himself to the people at stated hours, and the crowd had collected outside the palace to have a view of their beloved and worthy Kaiser.
I stood amidst the crowd for a few minutes. In due time a white face of an old,—very old man, was seen behind tie window. I had seen the Emperor's face a hundred times in photographs and pictures, but the face I saw now was whiter and older than what I had expected. The Emperor looked at the people benignantly for a moment, bowed to them three or four times and retired. The loyal people waved their hats and cheered the Emperor vociferously and repeatedly. And I too, though a stranger in this land, raised my hat to the most powerful of the sovereigns of the earth and to one of the best of men.
In front of the Emperor's palace are the University Buildings with the marble statues of William and Alexander Humboldt in front. There are over 5,000 students in this University. University.Opposite the University and attached to the Emperor's palace is the Royal library with a collection of about a million books and about 15,000 manuscripts in all languages. Among the manuscripts I saw the Bhagavat Gita written in exceedingly small and beautiful character on scroll. I saw portions of the Rig Veda and ​other ancient Sanscrit works, and I saw the Koran and various Persian works beautifully illuminated. Royal Library. Sanscrit Manuscripts.I was also shown the MSS. of Luther's translation of the Bible, and Guttenberg's Bible in parchment of 1460,—one of the first works printed on moveable types. Various copies of the Bible with corrections and annotations in Luther's handwriting are kept here.
The Germans are deservedly proud of the noble invention of printing, and still more proud of having swept away a gross form of superstition and given to the free and vigorous nations of Europe a healthy form of Christianity. They are no less proud of having expounded to modern Europe for the first time through the immortal Copernicus a correct notion of the world we live in and the worlds around us. The Germans as pioneers of modern civilization.The contributions of the German race to modern civilization and modern thought are thus of a very high order,—and if we can believe patriotic German historians, modern civilization and modern history are German civilization and German history! After the fall of Rome, and when Europe remained sunk in the weakness and demoralization which follow upon subjection, it was the Germans who infused fresh life to the continent and made progress possible. It was the German Franks who introduced new life in Gall, it was the German Anglo-Saxons who introduced fresh life into Britain, it was the German Visogoths who conquered Spain and checked and in time drove back the Moors. It was the Germans who conquered everywhere ​and sowed the seeds of civilization. Such is the boast of German patriots—and the boast is not unfounded.
Opposite the Royal Library is the Opera house with its portico of Corinthian columns, and close to it is the Palace Opera.of the Crown Prince, finer and more imposing than the palace of the Emperor.
Facing the Crown Prince's palace is the Arsenal, a vast square building, nearly 300 feet in length and one of the finest structures in Berlin. In the lower floor is a large collection of Arsenal.ordinance of all ages and countries, from the 14th century downwards. There are also models of old French fortresses, Lille, Theonville, Strasburg, Valencinnes, Cambray, Sedan, Paris in 1814 and other forts brought from Paris in 1814. In the open court yard are the pieces of cannon and numerous flags captured in the year 1870-71. Most of the cannon are inscribed with the letter N (Napoleon) or the letters R.F. (Republique Francaise). The upper story is a sort of Temple of Fame! In the centre of the Hall of the Rulers is a fine statue of Victory in marble, and behind it is a spirited picture representing the Resuscitation of the German Empire. Close to it is another magnificent picture of the Proclamation of the German Empire in Verseilles in 1871. The Emperor stands in the centre, the Crown Prince is beside him, Bismark and Moltke are before him, and a host of eager generals and warriors are hailing the new Emperor with pride and exultation. There are eight bronze statues ​of Prussian rulers from the Great Elector to the present Emperor in the centre hall.
Here we come to the end of the Unterden Linden and we cross a bridge and come to an island formed by two arms of the Spree. In this island are situated the Museums and historic Palace or castle (Schloss) of Berlin.
The old museum has a fine collection of the old paintings of the great masters, but cannot however be compared to the superb collection at the Louvre or even at Dresden. Museums.Rembrandt's picture of himself and of his wife Saskia, Ruben's St. Cecilca and Andromeda, Van Dyck's Pieta and the children of Charles I. of England and a number of other paintings fairly represent the Dutch and Flemish schools. Two or three Madonnas of Raphael, Titian's fine portrait of his daughter Lavinia, Guido Rene's Mater Dolorosa, Caravaggio's Christ, and Corregio's Io and Leda are among the most important of the Italian paintings. There are also some pictures of Valasquez and Murillo of the Spanish school, but perhaps the most valuable treasure in this museum are the wings of that celebrated picture of Van Dycks, the main portion of which I had seen in the cathedral of Ghent. There is a splendid collection of Greek and Roman marbles in the museum.
The new museum also contains a large collection of statues and has a separate collection of northern antiquities and an Egyptian museum. There is beside this a National Gallery full of modern paintings including numerous spirited battle pieces.
​The Royal Palace or castle is a large imposing building, four stories high. The interior of this great palace is finely decorated and ornamented with historic portraits, including some of Frederick the Great. Palace.The visitor is taken through a succession of antechambers and reception rooms, until he comes to the old Throne Room gorgeous in its decorations. Then come the picture gallery, the Queen's chamber, the magnificent white saloon and last of all the Royal chapel. The dome above the Royal chapel is 240 ft. high.
We now leave the island behind and crossing the other branch of the Spree, come to the old town. The finest building here is Rathhaus or Town Hall, Town Hall.a superb building of red brick with a tower which is the highest in Berlin and can be seen from miles around.
The Unterden Linden although the most spacious street in Berlin is by no means the only fine street in the city. On the contrary, the beauty of the town consists in its number of fine streets, all running straight, and lined with the finest houses that any town can boast of. Two of these streets, the Wilhelm Street and the Frederick Street are specially and remarkably fine. They both run north and south, and meet at the extreme south at a place called the Belle Alliance.
Wilhelm Street issues from the Parish Place of which I have spoken before and is lined by a succession of the finest houses n Berlin. Bismark's House.House No. 77, somewhat humble in ​appearance, and with a small garden in front, is the historic house of Prince Bismark, where the celebrated Berlin Congress of 1878 was held. Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salisbury came here as the representatives of England, and quietly effected in the council room of this house the conquest of Cyprus! Further on is the beautiful Wilhelm Place, with the palace of Prince Leopold to its north and the Kaiserhof to its east.
The Frederick Street similarly runs north and south, crossing the Unterden Linden and then the Leipzig Street. The Leipzig Street is one of the busiest streets in Berlin, and at night is lighted by electricity. A little way to the east of the Frederick Street is the majestic Theatre.Theatre of Berlin with the marble statue of Schiller in its front, and the French church and the German cathedral on its two sides. A statue of Goethe is in the Thiergarten.
Both the Wilhelm Street and the Frederick Street meet at the extreme south, as I have said before. The place is called the "Belle Alliance," and a column with a statue of victory is erected here to commemorate the victory of Waterloo and the peace which was secured thereby. Four marble groups on four sides of the column represent the nations who combined together to quell the greatest warrior of the modern times. Waterloo Monument.One group represents England, another the Netherlands, a third represents Germany, and the fourth Purssia. All the nations are proud of the great victory over Napoleon Bonaparte and have commemorated it in their respective capitals. London ​boasts of its Waterloo Bridge and its Waterloo Place, and Brussels has the Belgian lion erected on a mound on the field of battle. Amsterdam has its Waterloo Place, Hanover has its magnificent Waterloo column, and Berlin boasts of the column in the "Bell Alliance." The five nations could not have given a higher compliment to the genius of the warrior whose fall they commemorated in this unanimous manner.
Dresden, the capital of the kingdom of Saxony, now a member of the German Emipre, is renowned tor its porcelain, but is still more renowned for its magnificent Dresden.collection of the paintings of the great masters,—a collection unequalled in the world except at Rome and at Paris. Berlin, Vienna and London are far behind in the race.
Augustus the Strong of Dresden who was a contemporary of Louis XIV. of France has done much to adorn and beautify Dresden as the Grand Monarque did to beautify Verseilles and Paris. Zuinger Palace.He commenced the Zuinger, a magnificent palace in a part of which the picture galleries are located; he contributed largely to the collection of pictures which has made Dresden famous in Europe, and in his reign the manufacture of Dresden porcelain was invented or largely developed.
The pride of the picture gallery is Raphael's Sistine Madonna which is said to be the finest picture ever painted by the hand of man! Raphael's Madonna."A curtain has just been drawn back, and the Virgin issues as it were from the depth of heaven, ​awe-inspiring, solemn and serene,—her large eyes embracing the world in their gaze." She bears the child in her arms, two saints look up to her in reverence and adoration, and two cherubs below look up from their full dark eyes with native child-like innocence and simplicity. The indescribable expression of innocence and purity in the Madonna's eyes and face constitutes the beauty of this famous painting.
I will not tire my readers with an account of the numerous other works of the great masters of the world which I saw in this magnificent gallery. Michael Angelo's Leda and Swan, Corregio's Repentant Magdalene, Cignani's Potiphar's Wife, and Titian's Christ and the Tax Collector, have been reproduced thousand times in a thousand manner and are known all over the world. Ruben's St. Gerome and Van Dyck's St. Gerome are also here, while there are some most impressive pictures of the Spanish school like Murrillo's Virgin and Ribera's St. Mary. The female faces of the Spanish school with their deep pensive eyes and jet black flowing tresses are more oriential, and strike me as lovelier and more powerful than even the master creations of the Italian school.
A part of the route from Dresden to Bohemia is along the Elbe, between high ranges of hills and through a wild country The Elbe and Saxon Switzerland.which is known as the "Saxon Switzerland." The wild and magnificent scenery of the valley of the Elbe engrosses the attention and admiration of travellers, and is well worth a visit even after they have seen the matchless windings of the upper Rhine.
​Prague is the ancient capital of Bohemia and is redolent of the times when Bohemia was a separate and independent kingdom. Prague.The town stretches on both sides of the river Moldau, and has an antiquated appearance, as if it has scarcely yet emerged from the days of John Huss and Wallenstein to the peaceful civilization of the modern period.
The entrance to the town is through the ancient gateway of Pulverthurm, one of the eight towers which gave access to the town in olden times; and close to it is the old Royal Palace, now converted into a barrack. Not far off is the Grosse Ring or Great Square where Bohemian kings and knights Grosse Ring.held their fetes and tournaments, and where religious persecution too committed its blackest deeds in the era of the Reformation. From this square can be seen the fine old Church, in which the stout and valiant reformer John Huss thundered against the errors and vices of his age. Further on is the vast Clementinum, formerly a college of Jesuits, whom Emperor Ferdinand I. summoned to Prague in 1556 A. D. to oppose the protestant tendency of the University! And close to this edifice is the old Ghetto or Jew's Quarters in Prague,—a tortuous and narrow district where the Jews had a colony before they were expelled from the town.
The bridge over the Moldau is in keeping with the old and antiquated town, and to the south side of the river, the ground rises in a gentle slope to the hill which ​is crowned with the Palace of the Bohemian kings. The palace is well worth a visit, Palace.with its Throne room and Council room, and its two great dining halls, known as the French hall and the Spanish hall. They are over 150 ft. in length, and are lighted by 2000 and 3600 candles respectively! The Cathedral adjoining the palace contains the remains of the proud old Bohemian kings. At the foot of the hill is the palace of Wallenstein, a hero of the Thirty Years' War, and a greater man in his time Wallenstein's Palace.than reigning kings and princes! His stables had 375 horses, and a hundred pages and numerous servants attended in his hall. His descendants still own the house.
The ancient glory and pride of Bohemia is gone since its union with Austria, but nevertheless there is a strong local patriotism among the Slav population of this country, and the integrity of the kingdom is still to some extent preserved. The Emperor cf Austria is King of Bohemia, and is crowned as king in this ancient capital.
To Vienna at last! Every capital town in the continent of Europe has, within the last 20 or 30 years, been beautified with spacious streets Vienna.and fine houses after the fashion of Paris, but the improvements made in Vienna are perhaps unique even in Europe. New streets and squares and gardens have been laid out, and palatial buildings constructed with a rapidity which is marvellous. Fine rows of houses,—palaces to all appearance,—line the spacious streets in every direction, and the visitor is bewildered in the midst ​of this forest of fine architecture, which is modern Vienna!
The old town (Stadt) lying to the right side of the Danube canal was surrounded by a rampart which went like a semicircle having the Danube canal for its base. That rampart has now been removed and replaced by spacious streets like the Boulevards of Paris, and called Rings in Vienna. The finest new buildings of Vienna are along this spacious street, and I believe this semicircle will, in the splendour of the architecture which lines it on both sides, hold its own against any street of equal length in the world! On all sides of the semicircle as well as beyond the Danube canal stretch the suburbs of Vienna, and the total population of the city with its suburbs was over a million in 1881, and has increased since.
To commence with the semi-circle where it commences from the Danube canal, we proceed along the Schotten Ring with many fine buildings. Proceeding further we come to Francis Ring which boasts of the finest buildings of Vienna. To our right are the superb new University buildings, University. Hotel de Ville and Parliament.(far excelling the University buildings of London, Paris and Berlin), the Hotel de Ville built in ornamented Gothic style, and the Parliament house of Vienna completed only last year. To our left is the new Theatre of Vienna. We pass by the Palais de Justice, and then go along the Burg Ring with the two lofty and imposing museums to our right, and the imperial palace ​to our left. The imperial palace of Vienna is the only building unworthy of modern Vienna,—and the Vienese feel it and are building a new palace here Palace.which will be in keeping with its modern surroundings. The present imperial palace is an assemblage of straggling buildings of different periods. Its origin goes back to the 13th century, and the Gateway of the Swiss guards was built on the 16th.
Leaving the Burg Ring behind we proceed along the Opera Ring with the splendid new opera house to our left—and a line of fine buildings Opera.to our right. We go along next by the Karuthner Ring and see on our right the splendid St. Charles's Church with its lofty dome and two lofty columns on two sides. We then come to the spacious and beautiful Shwarzenburg Place with a fine equestrian statue of Shwarzenburg in it. Further on is the Kollowral Ring, and then the Park Ring with a beautiful park to the right, and the huge barracks to the left. The Stubens ring completes the semi-circle and bring us back to the Danube canal.
​century and completed on the 16th. It is 333 ft long and 220 ft. wide, and its magnificent ornamented tower, considered one of the finest examples of Gothic art, is 345 ft. high. I went inside this great cathedral, and listened to a solemn and imposing service.
In the suburb of Wieden the two Belvedere palaces were built (1693-1724) for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The beautiful gardens and statues Belvedere Palaces.and ornamental waters are still kept up, but the palaces themselves have been converted into a museum. The picture gallery which was the only part that I visited contains a very good collection of the master works of Italian and Dutch masters;—the collection is better than that of Berlin, but cannot be compared to that of Dresden or Paris.
Among Titien's pictures is his famous Danae and the shower of gold. Titien's Holy Family is also here. Caravaggio has some fine pictures in this gallery, and Guido Reni has his Christ crowned with thorns. Cignani's Pera suckling her old father in prison is well known, and Correggio's well known picture of Jupiter in clouds embracing Jo is the best of his in this collection. The Spanish school is very poorly represented. The Dutch and Flemish schools are represented by a large number of pictures, but most of them of little importance. But there is the famous picture of Rubens's second wife Hellen painted by Rubens himself. The old painter at 53 married a beautiful and sweet young wife of 16! This is odd enough, though intelligible, but what is scarcely intelligible is that the amorous old gentleman should ​represent his lovely young wife as almost nude for the gaze of thousands of visitors of succeeding generations! In the same room is Rubens's holy family. Rubens's style is distinctly observable even in his religious pictures;—his virgin is not the saintly divine being of Raphael,—but a woman of flesh and blood with blooming cheeks and dark flashing eyes. In the upper story are modern pictures, and also pictures of the ancient German and Flemish schools. There are some known works of Albert Durer, the German painter of Nurenburg.
The imperial palace as I have stated before is a structure of different ages, and there is little uniformity about it therefore. The most interesting rooms are the treasury rooms containing trinkets, vases, cups, robes and jewellery used by historical personages during several hundred years past, and also containing the Regalia of Austria. A number of cases Regalia of Austria.are filled with clocks and watches and vases and tankards of many curious designs and interesting as historic objects. Among them I saw a tankard of one piece of crystal which Empress Margarita Therasa brought from Spain, and a goblet also of the purest rock crystal used by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy! Among vessels of gold and silver were several ornamental dishes and tankards of chased silver, masterpieces of Nurenburg workmanship of the 16th century. The collections of jewels are of course the most interesting objects, and are splendid. The imperial crown of Austria is of pure gold richly adorned with diamonds, pearls ​and rubies. The imperial orb and the sceptre are similar. The diamond crown of the reigning Empress is magnificent and is worth more than half a million of florins. There are several orders of the Golden Fleece, all set with fine diamonds. The diamond necklace which the Empress Maria Theresa received on her marriage is superb. The Florentine diamond bigger than the size of a half rupee was once the property of Charles the Bold of Burgundy, and is one of the largest diamonds in the world.
In the same room are the regalia of a still older date, but modern scepticism has questioned much of what was hitherto believed. There is no proof that the sword shewn as the sword of Charlemagne ever belonged to that Emperor, or was received by him from Harounar Rushid. Nor is it now accepted as a fact that the Book of the Holy Gospel was found on the knees of Charlemagne's cropse when his tomb was opened in 997.
The emperor's stables with its fine collection of horses of all sizes and breeds are well worth a visit. The carriage room contains a large number of Stables.sumptuous carriages, some of which are historical. The carriage used by Napoleon Bonaparte when crowned king of Italy, and the magnificent carriage used by the father of Maria Theresa, are among the most important. There are also carriages and sledges used by Empress Maria Theresa.
The Prater is an extensive and beautiful park, Prater.being to Vienna what the Bois de Boulogne is to Paris.
​On the 26th November I left Vienna for Salzburg in Tyrol due west from Vienna. It is not one of the least among the attractions of Vienna that one has only to leave the town and in less than half an hour travelling westward he is amidst beautiful wooded hills and primeval forests, which become wilder and wilder until they terminate in the gorgeous mountains of Tyrol. I could not however see much of this scenery as it grew dark in about an hour and a half after I left Vienna. At about 10 in the night I was at Salzburg in Tyrol.
In the morning I was delighted to find myself surrounded by lofty hills and peaks,—covered in this season with snow! Salzburg is beautifully situated Salzburg.in the midst of these hills, and on the rapid stream Salza. Both banks of this river are banked by precipitous crags, and the greenish and crystal water of the river rushes between.
After breakfast I left Salzburg and went further westward into the Kingdom of Bavaria. Southern Bavaria with its hills and woods and picturesque villages Bavaria.is a very pretty country. Long after leaving Salzburg aud entering Bavaria I could still see the Salzburg Alps, covered with snow in this season. I passed by Traunstein pleasantly situated above the Traun, and soon after came to the picturesque village of Bergen, beautifully situated amidst a vast amphitheatre of hills and pine forests. Soon after I came to the lake called Chiemsee with the village Prien situated on it—and with its three wooded islands seen at a distance. In olden times one of these islands ​contained an Abbey, another a Nunnery and the third was a Kitchen garden for the Abbey and the Nunnery. Remote from the world the monks and nuns seem to have made a very comfortable arrangement for themselves in the midst of this beautiful lake! Leaving Prien behind we crossed the river Inn and reached Rosenheim an important city in Bavaria. I was now within 40 miles from Munich, the capital of Bavaria, but being pressed for time I could not visit that place. I shall always regret that I left it unseen!
Nearly the whole of the route from Rosenheim to Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, we followed the course of the Inn river. The valley is beautiful, narrowing itself into a gorge in some places and widening itself in other places, and admitting fine views as far as the snow covered mountains in the south.
Innsbruck (literally Inn-bridge) is the capital of Tyrol, and is a charming place situated m a valley surrounded on every side by lofty mountains, Innsbruck.in this season covered with snow. The magnificent tomb of the Emperor Maximilian I. in the Cathedral of Innsbruck is the principal sight of the town. The sarcophagus is ornamented with 24 bas-reliefs in pure white cararra marble, the workmanship of which is wonderfully elaborate and beautiful. The scenes are taken from the life of the Emperor, and armies and battles, courts and camps, processions and religious festivities are sculptured with a skill and life-like truth, which are remarkable. Colossal bronze statues of 24 distinguished persons mostly of the ​house of Austria surround this sarcophagus, while the bronze statue of the Emperor himself is on the top of the sarcophagus.
The palace of Innsbruck built by Maria Theresa in 1770 stands close to this Church, and upon the site of the old palace of the great Emperor Charles V. Innsbruck is famous for glass painting,—and I visited one of the best houses where this industry is carried on, and orders for painted windows for Churches, etc., are executed.
On the day that I left Innsbruck for Italy I saw in the newspapers the announcement that Bismark had asked the German Parliament for an increase of the army on peace footing by over 40,000 men. The German army (on peace footing) was about 4,20,000, and the increase asked United Germany.for will thus bring it to close upon half a million. Germany is immensely strong as all the world knows; but the Germans themselves know but too well that they need be strong. No other nation in Europe is so surrounded and hemmed in by powers more or less hostile as Germany is by the gigantic power of Russia on one side and by France on the other, calmly preparing herself for the hour of revenge. In this critical situation, Germany must needs be strong, feebleness or disintegration would be national death. The genius of Bismark has in our times welded together the scattered German speaking races into one united nation. He first annexed Hanover, Frankfort, Wurtemberg and other northern states into the kingdom of Prussia, (1866), and he then ​united all Germany into an empire and made Prussia its head, (1871). The southern states like Bavaria still silently resent their subordination to Prussia; the northern states like Hanover resent still more their annexation into Prussia. But nevertheless all the states feel that union gives them strength. Even in Hanover, which was annexed by Prussia in 1866, and which has therefore lost all autonomy as a separate State in the Empire, the national feeling is for the union rather than against it. Hanoverian Deputies in the Imperial Parliament often co-operate with the socialists to try and thwart Bismark; but the opposition loses force year after year.
"We were dreamers before," as a Hanoverian told me, "we are trying to be practical men now." There is more truth in this than one would suppose. The Germans though among the bravest nations of Europe have ever been somewhat of dreamers! With their matchless and ancient wealth of intellect they were wanting in the vigour of youthful political life. Prussia which formed itself into a kingdom in recent times exactly supplies this want. The Prussian Germans whose history during the last 200 years has been a history of vigorous struggles and unscrupulous annexations were exactly the people who could cement the scattered German races together with their young energy and vigour, into one great Empire. Germany represents the intellect, and Prussia the will of that great Empire. Goethe and Schiller, Kant and Hegel, and the two Humboldts were true born Germans. But the rough strong men who since the time of Frederick the Great downwards have by hard continuous strokes ​shaped kingdoms and empires have been mostly Prussians. Union therefore is to some extent necessary, and should last if the Roman Catholic South Germans consent to continue under the Protestant North Germans.
But the union of the Austrian Empire is more precarious. Austria at one time was the master of Italy, the rival of France, and the head of the United Austria.confederation of German races. But ever since the time of Frederick the Great, the house of Austria has had less and less influence with the German states, until in our time all such influence was finally extinguished in the field of Sadowa. Italy too with the help of France has thrown off the Austrian yoke, and modern Austria is very unlike Austria of the Middle Ages.
But it is not reverses in battle fields or the loss of territory that make Austria weak. It is the internal organization of the Dual Government which makes it weak. Modern Austria is composed of three different nations, differing in race, in language, in sympathies and interests. The tract of country from Vienna to the Adriatic Sea, including the Tyrol is peopled by Germans. Hungary, on the other hand, is inhabited by the Magayrs, a most curious race, and the only non-Aryan Christian race in Europe, being of the Turanian or Chinese family. Strong in will, vigorous in action, almost fierce in their patriotism, the Magayrs are determined to be consulted and heard on every question relating to the empire; and they and the Germans therefore form the Dual Government of the empire. But there is still ​another race, the Slavs, inhabiting Bohemia and many other parts of the empire, who have not hitherto had much influence in administration, but who are gradually awakening to a consciousness of their political importance. There are millions of Slavs under Russia, and the Slavs of Turkey are shaking off the Musalman yoke; so that it is easy to foresee, the Slavs will yet be a great power in Europe. But the Magayrs will not let their supremacy and independence go without a struggle to the death, and the Germans who virtually form the reigning house and the government of Austria will not allow themselves to be extinguished. The future of the Dual, or rather Triple Government is a problem therefore which I leave to wiser heads than mine to conjecture. It is possible to conceive a complete disruption of the Austrian Empire,—the Germans merging in Germany, the Slavs combining with the Russian and Turkish Slavs, and the Magayr Hungarians forming a little Switzerland of Hungary, guarding their independence like a tiger at bay, by a struggle to death. But these are wild conjectures. What is certain is that the heterogeneous constitution of what is called the Austrian Empire makes her weak alike for attack and for defence; and as local and race-patriotism grows more and more among the Hungarians and the Slavs, as it is doing year by year, the continued unity of the Austrian Empire will be more and more difficult.