The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1841-12-15
FROM QUA PARTISAN CORREsPON-
DENT.

IN commencing 70 give you u fethef hioto uetauou
account Of my tour il would seem material to begin
with the beginning, and trace my through S@it
zerland. But | have already written my impress
sions" of that country in journal which kept du-
ring my stay in Switzerland, and il would be perhaps
interesting 10 you to have my ideas in the rough
form given TO them the spot while ii will save me
the time and trouble of rewriting the details So |
will send you my journal, IL opportunity offers IT,
self within reasonable time and in the mean time,
i will give you account Of the Rhine and its
borders, commencing, where my journal ends, with
the day on which | lsA Switzerland.
Bet Seen Basic and Strasburg railroad has recent
y been opened much to the advantage Of travellers,
for the country through which passes is precisely
Of those in which likes spend little time ms
possible. 1t perfectly fiat valley, highly cultivated
and studded with villages, but is sadly wanting in
riety and beauty. Il is not until within short dis
lance of S,rasbure, that the range Of the Vosges
mountains which bounds tho valley the West, APP
proaches the river sufficiently to bring into view
number Of ruined castles perched upon the sum.
mts Of the mountain spires and overlooking the slopes
which spread out before them. know nothing which
produces striking and picturesque effect, than
those crumblng memorials of the ages of feudality
and baronial war, standing they almost always do
upon the very summit of the bills and crags,-upon
the dividing line between forest and sky. II is the
presence OF these dapidated stronghods which gives
the Rhine its chief beauty At the very highest point
at which have the Rhine, (Ragatz,) there
two castles rowning at each other the valley,
and from that place TO the Lake Of Constance, they
are numerous that soon got tired of counting
them. But il is especially between Mayence and Co
blenz that the ruined castles in the greatest
number; shows itself at each bend of the
river, and there is scarcely projecting pomontory or
crag, which does not present crown of towers and
battlements and black and battered walls.
Strasburg is one Of the prizes won for France by,
the ambitious of Louis XIV, and once gained
the French have taken good TO hold fast to it, II
is Important to France not SO much thriving city
and the capital Of thriving district, account OF
its value in military point of view. Separated from
Germany only by the Rhine, it the chief fortress OF
the Rhensh frontier of France and the key Of that
whole district Its Notifications Of great extent,
and of immense strength; TO professional man, the
examination Of the works would be most interesting
occupation but to the uninitiaed traveller they
only excite wonder at the vast labor and expense
which undergo, to protect themselves from the
ATTACKS Oh tnelr IelOWS mere Is garrison OF
men, composing the tenth part of the population OF
the city. There in Strasburg enough objects OF
interest TO have detained day, if had had the
time to spare besides the arsenal, sc, there is the
medical school, and the hospital which would certain
ly have tempted me to remain longer, had it not been
Sunday. Strasburg has all the appearance Of pro-
ssincial town, with little show Of or splendor-
Yet it has its cafes, its little public promenade its
theatrs and museum, SO many attempts at imitation
of Paris. Il has its monuments too there is
very fne'one in memory Of Gen. Kleiber, native
of the place, and another OF Gutenberg. the in
ventor OF printing who commenced his operations,
though he was not born, at Strasburg In the
Church Of St. Thomas there is very remark
able monument, erected in Louis XV's time, to
the memory of Marshal SAKE. The first thing tina,
struck me in looking at this admirable piece of scup
ture the resemblance Of the features of the hero
to those of Washington. The especial wonder of
Strasburg is the Cathedral, Of the most beautiful
in Europe 1t was built by family Of architects,
having been commenced by the father, continued by
the son, and finished by the daughter. A portion of
the work said to have been done by this female archi
tect, is certainly most extraordinary specimen OF
skill and care in design and execution. The whole
church. in fact is unlike any other that ever saw.
The extreme delicacy and lightness Of the workman
ship which decorates the front and the beautiful spre
give this church character altogether peculiar--a
beauty belonging to itself alone. The spire is no less
than ala feet high which surpasscs the height of the
great Egyptian pyramid This great elevation is made
TO appear the astonishing from the extreme scn-
derness of the spire tapers gradually point and
r., Al.
earth 1t is said, but cannot vouch for the truth of
the assertion, that this seepe may be at the dis
lance of ninety miles, from high hill near Heidel
berg The interior of the Cathedral ia not splen-
did as ought to be, to correspond with the exterior
but it is grand and imposing and the pulpit is admra
bly, carved in stone and richly gilt. assembled the
spre to enjoy the fine view which it commands Of the
valley of the Rhine. did not however, attain the
highest accessible point being forbidden to ascend
the upper part ofthe spre, account of the number
of casualties of which it has been the occasion, -some
people having fallen from the exposed winding stairs
from mere giddness, and others having chosen this
means of killing themselves; just in Paris they
sometimes take the fatal leap from the towers of Notre
Dame, or the column Of the Place Vendome. The
great extent of the view is the only thing remarkable
ia it, 1t comprises the fiat and UNMARRIED valley Of the
Rhine for great distance up and down, with its hun
bred villages and boundless fields line of blue noun
tans bounds the view East and West, (the Vorges
and the Black Forest and the Rhine is winding
through the valley, amid numberless little islands,
far as the eye can reach
Having descended from the spire, an enjoyed an
other view of the rich and admirable architecture Of
the Cathedral, left Strasburg for Baden. DESTROYS
of accelerating as far as possible my movements
through this unnteresting region, took the steamer
IN landnu place twelve miles from Baden Baden