The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-15 00:00:00

LITERATURE

SPAS OF GERMANY. Two Volumes.
Colburn, London, 1837.

Those who are desirous of paying a short visit, this
fine weather, to some Continental watering-place, can-
not do better than u' ruse these two goodly voltune::,
which will furnish them with the best and most
authentic accounts of the different fashionable Spas of
Germany ; of the daily course of life pursued there ;
of the character of their mineral springs ; of the com-
pany usually to be met with at their tables dhote
of the scenery that surrounds them ; of the expenses
consequent on a residence among them. ;-"-in short, of
evetything that it is necessary for the lounging tourist
or the confirmed invalid to know about them. The
author is Dr. Prattville, a gentleman already favour-
ably known to the public by his late elaborate work on
St. Petersburg. In his present production, however,
he is far mote copious and varied in his details, and
supplies us with descriptions of not a few of the minor
German watering-places, which hitherto have been
scarcely known to us, even by name. Foremost amon,
these Spas, the Doctor ranks Baden-Baden, a, townof Wurtemburg, and of easy access, wh',,,n during the
season is crowded by visitors fro,d all parts of the
Continent. To this regior "
tbserves the author,
Earlier or later, one.., or
c'Paener, every stranger dwel-
ling in Baden for a, seaso,..,,
all days. 1:; thing ere eye; flocks during the day, and on
wears the aspect of a holyday
.
of rt iete champetre, of a re-union of all the
eteasures of the world. Private as well as public reading-
rooms afford a light occupation to some at eleven o'clock ;
while many more are busy in some adjacent apartments, dis-
cussing a petit dejeuner ala fourchette. At this time few
ladies are to be seen in this place.. They are otherwise en-
gaged in sporting their persons on horseback, or in their
gay vehicles ; exchanging calls of etiquette, or assembling
in coteries to run over the list of arrivals ; descanting on
the effects of their morning bath, and passing a slight com-
mentary on the scandal, reports, the duels, and the extraor-
dinary adventures of the preceding day. At one o'clock
the streets and public places are deserted by the early dining
class, who, at almost all the principal hotels, for the mode-
rate sum of one shilling and fourpence, have secured the
right of sitting as a part of the two hundred convives of
both sexes and of all nations, who partake of the few luxu-
ries of a German table d'hote—at which dishes are ushered
in of all shades of colour and taste, and in the in;erse order
of that of any other national dinner. The boa &melte of
a small bottle of harmless white wine may be added for ten
pence more."

While a resident at this delightful, and—all things
considered—dirt-cheap Spa, Dr. Granville came into
contact with many curious characters, of one of whom
we have the following sketch :

" Beyond the Dutch family appeared conspicuously the
Baronne de S---, whose piquante face, finely-arched eye-
brows, and piercing eye, harmonized with the character
given to her countenance by the positive indication of the
finest black down that ever shaded the upper lip of fair
lady. Occasionally this lively authoress, who has honoured
the alentours of Baden with the effusions of her poetical
pen, would utter a pretty nothing, with a smartness that
excited a buzz of admiration. Curious coincidence (to call
it design would be to libel the fair), the Baronne and fifty
more ladies who were, or thought themselves handsome,
had taken seats with their faces turned to the lofty mirrors,
into which they cast a furtive glance at no very long inter-
val of time."

....
A poetess wearing black mustachios, like an officer
of hussars, must be an awful sight at a watering-place!
Dancing, it seems, is a favourite amusement with the
visitors to the German Spas, and at Baden-Baden, our
author was a witness of a scene that sets him moraliz-
ing through the best part of a page :
" Away whirled the Galoppe dancers in giddy circles, and
prolonged skippings, until the very breathing of the fair
partners became audible, and their countenance lost all
traces of placid loveliness. Have the ladies no friendly
mirror to tell them, after a galoppe or a waltz, how much
their human face divine has lost of its beauteous type ?
And the rude grasp during such dances, do they become
the modest nature of an Englishwoman, or of any woman
equally modest? Oh, it grieved me to see the graceful
and exquisitely elegant Mrs. M--, at the slightest invi-
tation from a booted hussar, or an embroidered attachi%
plunge with them into all the attitudes, now violent and
now languishing, of a dance better suited for a Bacchanalian
or Andalusian representation. And she bore on her ala-
baster and shining cheek the deep round Bush of consump-
tion, which parched her throat, and dried up 112 r lips, and
made her fly at the termination of each performance to the
refreshment-room with her partner—there to quench with
perilous experiment the inward fever, by ice dissolved in
freezing water ; while the big drops of moisture stood on
her forehead, or trickled down her face, increasing the gene-
ral disorder of her appearance."

On quitting Baden-Baden Dr. Granville made his
way to Wildbad, a watering place most eligibly situated,
as far as scenery is concerned, and of which he speaks
iii the warmest terms of praise. Apparently it pos-
sesses every recommendation that such a spot should
possess ; combining retirement with sociality, and hav-
ing the advantage of powerful mineral springs, which
in some particular maladies have proved singularly effi-
cacious. The charges too at the leading hotels are
remarkable for their reasonableness, and the company
is, in general, of the selected quality. But perhaps

the most curious, and certainly the least known, of all
the German spas, is Gastein, which is situated on the
northern face of the Noric chain of Alps,- among the
descending masses towards Germany, and on the highest
pinnacle of one of the ranges of mountains, nearly
three thousand feet above the level of the Mediterra-
nean sea. At this romantic and sequestered spot
our author made a long halt, feasting his eyes
on the various scenic beauties in which the dis-
trict abounds to profusion, and familiarizing himself
with the customs and habits of the indigenous popula-
tion. Many of his details of Gastein may vie in in- '
terest and novelty with those given in Head's well-
known " Bubbles but, indeed, the whole work is
replete with entertainment, for Doctor Granville is
an observant, inquisitive traveller, who possesses con-
siderable descriptive ability and tact in the discrimi-
nation of character. Nothing, howeVer trifling it may
appear, escapes his vigilant scrutiny; and as his vo-
lumes wear the appearance of adhering rigidly to truth,
we have little doubt that they will meet with
the approbation that they deserve. We would advise
the author, however, should his work reach a second
edition, to cut out at least one-half of those affected,
mincing French phrases with which he deforms every
second page. We should not omit to state that the
volumes are embellished with an immense number of
woodcuts, many of which are executed in a very supe-
rior manner.

A letter from Irkutsk, in Siberia, describes the last
winter as having been unusually mild. As a proof of this
mildness we arc told that the thermometer never fell below
30 degrees Reamur (35 degrees Fahrenheit), and the river
Angara was frozen up only three months.
Leamington Spa is full of fashionable company.
The theatre continues open with some pleasing pieces, in
which Barnett has been favourably received, but the fine-
ness of the weather makes out-door amusements the most
attractive.

Weymouth is now rapidly filling with fashionable
visiters. The Assembly Rooms are about to be opened
for promenades, balls, &c. The season is particularly
favcurable for aquatic excursions, which are now become a
favourite amusement.
MR. SHEIL.—We rejoice exceedingly in the ap-
pointment of this gentleman to the vacant chair as one of the
Aldermen of this borough. We have not in our society a
more straightforward, honest, upright, and single-minded
man, or a more consistent and sincere Reformer than Mr.
Sheil. It was, moreover, due to the Catholics of Liver-
pool, who form so large and respectable a class of its inha-
bitants, that they should have a representative in the Town
Council, and they could not have a more efficient or a more
zealous one than they have obtained by this judicious ap-
pointment. The Council in this matter have only antici-
pated the wishes of the people, for we know, that in more
than one ward, Mr. Shell would have been invited to come
forward as a candidate in November.—Liverpool Chronicle.
Two non-commissioned officers of artillery t,
Monday weer: in the wood of Vincennes, to se;tAe, a quarrel
at their swords' points. Their
ing to continue the duel with istels:i,..dhetniwaY.
that one of their swords was broken, 44 been so violent
wereung
studentoc d -
in rhetoric at M. Massin's schoolp cameo
him-
self between the combatants, succeededuLtl and, placing e
force of his
eloquence in effecting a reconciliation.

. _
The Queen took a drive in an open carriage atidloitri •
yesterday afternoon. k,
Her Majesty gave a dinner last evening at the New
Palace in St. James's Park to their Royal Highnesses the
Grand Dukc arid Duchess of Oldenburg. There were
present to meet the Grand Duke and. Duchess, their Royal
Highnesses the Duchess of Kent, the Duke of Sussex, and
the Princess Sophia ; the Grecian Minister and Madame
Tricoupi, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount Palmerston, the
Lord Steward, the Lord Chamberlain, Earl and CountoP4
of Albermarle, Earl and Countess of Charlemont, Visebunt
Falkland, Lady Portman, the Vice-Chamberlain. t)).e Trea•
surer of the Household, the Right lion. George S. anti
Lady Agnes Byng, Baron de Rennekampff, Ghotherlaill to,
the Grand Duke ; Baroness de Seharnh9r3t, litrAqs9
Lehacn, the Hon. the Misses Cocks mid. Cavao.lsh, the
Hon. Col, CAvsndish, the Hon, Ww-, cwper, anti Col.
Buckley.
Viscount Melbourne had al; 'audience of the Queen, Yes-
terday.
FA

COURT CIRCULAR.

SIIIONAJ37_,E INTELLIGENCE.

G.
,L 0.
Lord . DEPARTURES.
f-I).lcliester for Kidbrooke, F:ussex ; Mr. and Mrs.
-.I 'Knight for F'urbeck Hall, ir. Yorkshire ; Mr. L. Roths.
rtildw on a tour; Sir T. and Lady Brooke Pechell on a tour ;
Captain Pechell, R.N., and the Hon. Mrs. Pechell, for Go-
ring- Castle, Sussex ; the Hon. Mrs. Harbord for Richmond

Hill ; Sir Henry Hunlocke, Bart., for Chesterfield, in Derby-
shire; Sir Henry and Lady Louisa Lascelles for Goldsbo-
rough Hall, in Yorkshire; Major-General Sir F. Mulcaster
for Canterbury ; Mr. Fitzhugh for Wrexham, in North
Wales ; Sir John and Lady Elizabeth Lowther for Wilton
CRstle; IL Errington, Esq., from Queen-street, for Claren-
don Park; the Earl of Oxford, from the Blenheim Hotel, for
Herefordshire ; J. Dauncey, Esq., from ditto, on a tour ; A.
J,lvis and J. Jervis, Esqrs., from ditto, for Antwerp; the Rev.
T. Holmes, Mrs. llulmes, and family, from ditto, for Dover.

THE QUEEN DOWAGER'S BIRTH-DAY.—The
anniversary of this event was celebrated yesterday by a hor-
ticultural exhibition for prizes from the Metropolitan So-
ciety of Florists and Amateurs, on the lawn of Mr. George
Glenny, who is also Honorary Secretary to the Society, at
Worton Lodge, near the village of Isleworth. A series of
tents were prepared for the reception of the company, as
well as of the rare plants and flowers that had been congre-
gated, at least by descent, from all parts of the world. The
company which assembled to do honour to the occasion was
numerous and distinguished.

The Marquis and Marchioness di Salsa continue on
a visit to the Marquis of Hertford.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Bute are at the
Roo, near Luton, Bedfordshire, where they are entertait,

ng,a party of friends.

Lord Segrave, S. C. Bulteel, Esq., and Lady Eli-
zabeth Bulteel, Lady Caroline Dundas, Sir Edward and
Miss Codrington, &c., are amongst the fashionables assem-
bled at Torquay, to witness the ensuing regatta, which is
expected to be unusually splendid. It is fixed for the 29th
inst.

Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of the Presidency
of Fort St. George, Madras, on assuming the functions of
Governor, appointed Wallis Eliot, Esq., to be his p:i‘ ate
secretary.

The Chevalier Kisselef, the new Russian Chargi
d'Affaires, removed from Crawley's Hotel to Asl.burnliam

House, where the establishment is reduced. 'lle ambi:s-
sador is expected to remain at Aix several month!, for the
improvement of his health.

-Lord Powerscourt, the new Member for Bath is
confined to hig house in Dover-street by an attack of small-
pox.

The Earl of Yarborough has arrived at Appuldur-
combe, his favourite seat in the Isle of Wight.
The Marquis of Waterford has arrived at Limerick.
The Eat! of Fife is entertaining a party of sport►;g
gentlemen at Duff House in Banffshire.

Lady Theodosia and the Misses Spring Rice lift
,own yesterday for Ireland.

Vie Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Hertford,
and a select circle dined with the Duchess of Cannizzaro on
Sunday last, at Wimbledon.

'rhos. Wentworth Beaumont, Esq., was admitted a
member of the Royal Yacht squadron last week, and po:.-
sesses a beautiful new yacht of 140 tons burden.
Lord Dundas has signified his intention to build a
church at his own expense at Grangemouth. The No-
ble Lord, accompanied by his lady and family, has arrived
at Aske Han, his seat near Richmond, Yorkshire.
Lord FalklAd left the Clarendon yesterday on a
visit to her Majesty the Queen Dowager, at Bushy Park.
It is rumoured that her Majesty is about to visit Dover for
a short period.

It is understood that her Majesty has fixed the 22d
inst. (this day week) for her first visit to Windsor, by which
time the castle will be prepared for her reception.
Lord Leveson has returned to Devonshire House
from visits to the Duke of Richmond, Countess of Pem-
broke, Earl and Countess Bruce, &c.

It is said that Parliament will meet on Tuesday,
Nov. 7, for the despatch of business.

The Government provision contract for the ensuing
season is announced, and the quantity of meat required is
6,000 navy tierces of beef ; and 10,000 navy tierces of
pork, one-halt' to be delivered in February next, the other
in May. This contract is much below the extent of last
year, which was 11,000 tierces of pork, and 12,000 tierces
of beef.

A Worcester Paper states that it was reported at
Malvern, that the Duchess of Kent had written to engage
apartments at the Foley Arms ; and that in the meantime
Lord Somers, with his usual courtesy, has offered Eastnor
Castle for her Royal Highness's accommodation.
His Majesty the King of Wirtemberg, attended by
Count Mandelsloh and Baron Spitzemberg, travelling un-
der the title of Count Von 'reek, left the Clarendon Hotel
yesterday, for Manchester, on a tour to the manufacturing
districts.

It eshid Bey, the Turkish Ambassador, accompanied
by one of his secretaries and Mr. Salame, her Majest)'s
Oriental interpreter, left town yesterday, on a tour through
England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

The King of Hanover arrived at Leipsic on the 3d
inst. and proceeded on the following day, by the way of
Altenburg to Carlsbad.

His Grace the Duke of Wellington, accompanied
by Lord Burghersh, paid a visit last week to the mansion
of B. B. Williams, Esq. in Portland-place, to see the
painting of BuonapArte and the French army crossing the
Danube before the battle of Wagram, with which his Grace
was pleased to express his high admiration. His Serene
Highness, Prince Esterhazy, who was on the spot at the
time of this eventful battle, states the representation to be
of the best and truest description. _ _

Her Majesty's principal Miniature Painter, Mr,
Henry Gillen, has just completed a beautiful miniature of
the Queen, for which her Majesty sat to him. It is set in
an armlet of solid gold, and was yesterday presented to
the Queen Dowager by her Majesty. From this fact we
are happy to infer that the report of a want of cordial feel-
ing between their Majesties is wholly unfounded.
The Empress of Austria is recovering rapidly from
her late attack of measles.

Lord William Russell, as Ambassador from the
Queen of England, and Baron Munchasen, as Ambassador

, ...
from the King of Hanover, had an audience of the King
of Prussia on the sth inst., when they severally delivered
their credentials.
The Queen Dowager of Naples, according to let-
ters ftiom Weyer, in Austria, had arrived on a visit to her
daughter, the Duchess of Berry.
Prince Puckler Muskau is at present travelling in
Egypt. A letter has been received from him, dated Dan-
gola, April 27. He had arrived there, in perfect health,
after a journey of ten days on dromedaries, and intended to
set off on the following day for Shendy and Cartootn, itt
search of the ruins of Mundera.
His late Majesty King William IV., it seems, at
his death left to the present King of Hanover, without any
reserve, the whole of his revenues accruiug from the Civil
List of that Kingdom.
His Majesty the King of Hanover has adopted the
following motto :—" Suscipere ac finire."
The Duchess of Northumberland left Northumber-
land House yesterday for Alnwiek Castle, where the Duke
arrived on Thursday last.
The. Marquis and Marchioness of Aylesbury have
left town for Antwerp, en route for Brussels, whence the
Noble Marquis and Marchioness proceed to Cologne.
The Earl of Mexborough has left Dover-street for
for Mettley- Park, his seat in Yorkshire, where he will en-
tertain a select party for grouse-shooting.
Cardinal Fesch lately sent 39 pictures belonging to
his beautiful collection to be sold at Lyons, fOr the benefit
of the distressed operatives of that city.
BRIGHTON.-Mr. Freeman Ellior, the Liberal
candidate for this borough (who having come forward on
Ithe Liberal interest, was induced to retire with the view of
not dividing that, interest, and or. vvhose retirement Mr.
Faithfull cania forward with no purpose but to return a
Tory), has published in our Liberal journal an indignant
discfaimer of having bad any act or part in returning the
Tory candidate, Sir A. Dalrymple—a proceeding which he
denounces as most baneful to the Liberal cause, most
dishonourable to its aiders and abettors, and most dis-
graceful to this borough. Mr. Faithfull and Mr Elliott
are thus completely at issue, and the disclaimer of the
latter has completed the odium with which the conduct
of Mr. Faithfull had previously been regarded. —Mop ning
Paper.