The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-21
foreign Correspondence.
PARIS, 1912.

| The castles of the Rhine are so many durable me-
MORALS of that long and dark period in European
history, when the feudal system extended It's non
sway the whole land and its territory was disid
ed among thousands of fierce and waIlke mobiles;
who, like many petty sovereigns, jealous OF each
Other and of the kings and empeIors their superiors
in powell kept the whole country in terror OF their
depredations, and carried incessant wars among
themselves. These castles their palaces
and fortresses, in which they dispensed their rude
hospitality, and ruder Justice SO long as war or
plumber did call them into the field and in which
they shut themselves up when defeated in battle, and
from behind their solid battlemens Gefed the assaults
of their enemies. The great number of castles which
crown the steep promontories of he Rhine is readily
accounted for by the admirable facilities which the
situation afforded, both for depreciation and for de-
fence. Every traveller and merchant whom the river
waited beneath their castle walls, forced to pay
toll to these "robber Chiefs and if threatened with
punis hmen for their insoence their crimes they fled
up the steep their strong and from their high
| perched robbcr-nests babe defiance to their pur-
suers. For tho purpose of securing the most avora-
bic situation possible for commanding the passage of
the river and collecting tribute from all way-arers,
some of these castles built upon rocks in the
middle Of the stream. recollect two thus situated.
One of them called the Pfaz, is provided with sub
terraneous, rather subaqueous dungeons followed
out of the rock, under the bed of the river. The
wives of the Count to whom it belonged, used, is
said, to resort thither when they became mothers,
either take refuge from the violence of their neigh
borS, to the castle to their children by right
birth, its situation in the middle of the river render
ing its position otherwise doubtful.
But the day of retrbution came at length when the
proud and tyrannica barons received the long de-
| served punishment of their violence and Injustice
The inhabitants of the Rhenish towns, tired of their
oppressive domination and conscious of their own
growing strength, formed league against Them and
with the aid and countenance of the Emperor, who
was himself glad of an opportunity to curb their I'M
ruly spirit, drove them from their srong-holds, and
destroyed or asmantled their castles. This happened
toward the close of the thirteenth century, and it is
to this early effort of the spirit of liberty that the
Rhin. owes the peculiar and melancholy grandeur of
its scenery.
But it is not to history alone that belong the chIoni
cles of the caste-ruins of the Rhine. Tradition and
legend have their own, and not the least interesting
share of the story. The times of eudaIism and chr
mancer and the balad-wrter and it will naturally be
inferred that region rich in feuda ruins the bor
ders Of the Rhine, must equally abound in legends of
knghy eats of arms, of pathetic scenes of love and
despair andof dark and fearful tragedies which SO
often disgrace the annals of baronnial rule. Almost
every castle in fact has its story, which gives
thing of poetic interest to the lover of the romantic
| and the marvellous, and which, like monumental
inscription, perpetuaes to succeeding ages the story
| of the scenes which 1t has witnessed. The very
rocks and hills fruitful of romance and fable and
as specimen of the legends which cling about the
glorious scenery of the Rhine may not be altogether
devoid Of interest, give you the translation Of
which find in French work The scene Of the
story is of the grandest parts of the Rhine
to the of ST. Goar, where the river, shut in by
rocky barriers of than usual height rushes with
great velocity bed of sunken rocks and forms
sort of whirlpool or rapid which renders the naviga-
ton not without difficulty and danger. A short dis
lance below the s.upendous RheinfeIs the most i'm
posing and vast of all the ruins of the Rhine rears its
majestic front from the summit of rocky cliff, while
above, in sudden bend of the stream, stands preci-
pce of black rock naked, gloomy, and perie molecular,
and Using The height ofsevera hundred feet above the
surface of the water This precipce, called the Lur
leyberg, produces remarkable echo which is said,
under favorable circumstances to repeat no less than
fifteen times There is difficulty in accounting for
this extraordinary echo when consider the form
ofthe precipice which is broken into great number
of perpendicular surfaces, which succeed each other
in regular gradation and form many planes of
reflection, gradually increasing in distance from the
centre of sound But the love of the marvellous not
satisfied with physical demonstration of ex,rao-1i
nary phenomena, especially when they are furnished
by so sublime object the Lurleyberg. Here is
the explanation which tradition gives of the echo
In former times, there often appeared upon The
summit of the rock of Lurley, at the close of day
e or by moonlight maiden who sang with such a
: sweet voice, that all who heard were enchanted
4 with its harmony. 1t not unfrequenty happened
, that boats descending the stream were las he'd to
y pieces against the rocks swallowed up in the whirl
pool which foams at the base of the precipice; the
boatmen, charmed by the divine melody, forgot the
danger that surrounded them, and giving themselves
up the sweet Illusion they doaed destruction
> without the power of making effort to them
selves The nymph who uttered the charming sounds
a was except by some young fishermen, to
! whom she sometimes appeared at twilight, showing
them where to their nets and they failed
in their good luck so long they followed her direc
tons. Wherever they went they spoke with rapures
of the graces and beauty of the mysterious songstress
The whole country filled with their marvellous
h reports, and at length reached the of young
n knight whose father Ca count Paatine) holding
his court in the neghborhood The young mans Gu
rosty and love of adventure excited to the high
est pitch by what he heard, and Fastening to Wese
he took boat and descended the stream forthwith
the of many charms and dangers, determined
if possible to enjoy a sight Of the beautiful nymph