The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1841-12-20
FROM OUR PARTISAN CORREsPON-
DENT.
PARIS, Oct, ls4l.


ing but motives Of expedition and convenience made
me adopt this mode of travelling, The system Of
steamboat navigation the Rhine is arranged in such
way as greatly to accommodate travellers, and in
duce them to desert in great measure the interesting
routes through the adjacent country. AT Baden Ba-
den, paid my passage to Rotterdam, but was allowed
full liberty to stop often and AZ long should de-
sire Whenever chose to stop had only TO show
my ticket TO the captain leaving the boat and get
his signature and when the next steamboat passed,
There are every day along the whole course OF
the Rhne,) or week after, if chose again EN-
barked, showed my ticket and the matter was set
tied stopped at six places on the river, and never
had the trouble of paying my fare again, traveller
at Rotterdam may even pay his way up to Basic and
dorm agaiH and he may take whole year to perform
the journey if he fit In this way travelling on
the Rhine is rendered extremely cheap and conye-
nient.
The only thing worthy of notice in the voyage
from Baden Baden to Mannheim is the small but very
ancient town Spires, where there is very splendid
Gothic Cathedral of the most remar kahe in Ger
many II is not only in the great cities Of Germany
that fine architectural monuments TO be found
but even in the smaller class Of towns churches and
town halls are often 10 be seem whose architectural
beauty surpasses almost any thing that our largest c
ties contain, But it is almost exclusively as spec
mems Of Gothic architecture til at the German Culhe
dra, Sc, are remarkable. Notwithstanding these
admirable works OF art, the relics OF former ages of
wealth and greatness and of the supremacy Of the
Catholic faith the towns on this part Of the Rhine
present glooluy picture Of dilapldaton and decay.
ltls war that has wrought the melancholy change
Almost all OF these towns have been at some per cd
other bombarled sacked or burnt an some of them
have thus suffered on several different occasions
Heidelberg has been i've times bonbarded twice
laid in ashes and thrice taken by assault and deliv
cred over to plllage" Mannheim has also been ruined
several times, and twice completely destroyed, and lis
inhabitants driven away Spires has shared the same
cruel fate, and for number u Years a heap of
ruins and totally uninhabied II is prime pay to the
French that have been due these acts OF Jtsolaon and
barbarity and chiefly during the en gtened reign OF
Louis XIV tia, golden age OF French, history, As
consequence OF these repeated and destructive seiges
the towns the upper Rhine present for the most
part deserted air, and their wealth population, and
industry have dIy fallen off for opuent cities, they
have in many cases been reduced to lieless villages
These towns and in fact almost all those upon the
Rhine, are very ancient, having owed their origin to
Roman forts and settlements and the names of many
of them are derived directly from their Latin appelo
ton slightly changed and Germanised in termination
Thus Audermach was called by the Romans Autoni-
ac,tm !; Bacharach Bacchi Mayence, lNoyunh-
acum Cologne, Colonia AgriPPina, &c, &c
The town Of Mannheim has as little to intere., the
traveller any of its size to be met with the
Continent probably There is enormous palace
or chateau of old sandstone and as plain MS a barn
which was burnt by the French, and has never been
completely restored Behind ii extensive garden
OF park, which forms an agreeable shady promenade
but is in no wise remarkable for beauty went ios
a Jesuits Church, which had been told yeyy
splendid bu, Hound il the most ertravagan and rdcu.
ous piece of gaudy patchwork and hlmsy fnery that
over beheld The construction ofthe town likewise
such as to make il very dull The streets are all at
right angles with each other and rather broad, while
the houses generally too low, and not remarkable
for beauty and nearly all of them alike succeed
and painted of a light yellowish white color 1t is
the samencss of Philadelphia without It's beauty
There great many fountains in Mannheim
which, as my gu,de-hook remarks need only trater
TO make them useful we'll Ornamental | no
ed for a monument of matters and things in general
1t is an Immense Pile Of bronze, made up Of dogs and
lions, fruits and h,wers trophies &c, with statue
or two, and the whole resting on grenp of pillars
Vel there not drop of water TO finish cut the pic
lure, and make it complete tpiiouIe of the universe
! Of nature and of art.
The peculiar unltor and whitevashed appearance
Of Mannheim is one of the consequences of its
ny misfortunes 1t has been destroyed and rebuilt,
don't know how many times, and may be looked upon
as altogether new city, A ter 10 many lombard
ments and hurnings, may be ikened in its present
fresh and tidy appearance 10 the pure gold refined in
the furnace
Heidelberg may now I've considered suburb of
Manhcim il is only twelve miles distant and rail
road lately constructed has brought the two towns
within 25 niles Of each other The plain through
which the road passes complete blank can be
imagined defy the mos. enthusiastic traveller to
find in il any thing to admire There is only one
solitary thing init that now r'collect-to wit the to-
bacco fields which seem 20 receive good deal of at
cntion in this region.
OF The town Of heidelberg itself there Is not much
to be said 1t is like every other small town in that
part Of the wcrd, AMI in its eAterna appearance dis
plays little that is in any way striking or remarkable
Bul there arc things in and around the town which
are sufficiently interesting to make 1t a delightful
place for ,iourn of day ortwo My first visit
TO the chateau an immense ruin situated upon an emf
nence lust behind the town 1t would be more pro
pcry termed palace than castle for in its vast size
and especially in It's noble architecture, it rises far
above the feudal castles whose ruins abound in his
ia, H., k,c,
royal residence. have few palaces, in fact
which are comparable in splendor of architecture to
this ruined castle Of Heidelberg 1t was formerly The
re idence OF the Electors Of the Palatinaea State
no longer be found in the catalogue Of nations and