New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-12-30
Gllnlpses of Europe.
NvMBER XlV.] BY IRAVELiS' NV oAA e"
Foreign Correspondence Of The Tribune

sTRAsBuRG .BASLE. MUNSTER THAI
"Weary, stale, fiat and Improbable IS the
ascent of the Rhine above WieSb0den, and twen-
tv.six tedious hours are lost in reaching Rehl,
the port of Strasburg. The increasing shallow
ness Of the river renders smaller steamboats, ne
cessary, and the voyager is transferred from one
to the othe. every few hours, as unceremonlously
as if he were only live freight. The agent at
Wiesbaden had assured me with hand on heart,
that his ticket would insure me good bed, but
the only thing of the kind proved to be the
benches around the side Of the cabin covered
with hard and slippery horse hair cushions, and
apparently contrivcd expressly to let you slide
off to the floor the moment you dropped asleep.
The captain seemed surprised to find any dlssat-
isfaction with such luxurious accommodations,
but gave him warm invitation to cross the
Atlantic and inspect the steamboats, constructed
for the Hudson river by the SGrages OF North
America.
To reach Switzerland it is necessary to cross
a corner of France by railroad of hundred
miles but the French Government very courte
VIVA w w "NNN'
through their territory without any custom-house
examinations, if it be put in charge of the Rail
road Company. This affair being disposed OF
amid the Babel of half dozen languages, and
at the convenience Of deliberately smoking
German, ride of four miles will bring you to
Strasburg.
Strasburg is famed for three wonders its stee-
pie, its clock and its pates-and is thus equally
interesting to Astronomers and Eplcures The
s.eeple is the highest in the world, and the lnhab-
itants are as proud to tell this circumstance, as
if i, were proof that they themselves possessed
all the virtues and merits in the universe. Its hight
Of four hundred and scventy-four feet surpasses
that of the London St. Paups by one hundred
and forty though regular John Bull whom l
encountered in it, said, with surly obstlnacy,
that he did not believe any such thing lie
would have ST. Paul's the greatest church In the
world as well as England the greatest nation
The stceple rises from one end Of the Cathedral
IN the form of hollow eight-sided tower,
strengthened in each angle by clustered columns.
When you look down into it from above, It seems
well penetrating to the centre of the Garth
On four sides of it, at a little distance from It's
main body, but connected by flying buttresses, are
four very slender towers framed of sort of open
6lagree work, and entirely filled by q narrow
staircase which winds upward like a corkscrew.
This you ascend, mounting and twirling, like a
teetotum, while the city seems sinking farther
and father below you, and you have time and OPP
sortunity, if your head remains steady enough,
to calculate how long you would be in reaching
the pavement, if you should become falling
body" The sides of your tower would offer
little resistance to this, for they are merely open
framework with the stone cut away to the size
Of iron bars, and with airy tracery like spiders
webs; though those detain their victim, while
these would most readily allow you to drop
through, if the dizzy hight and the Waiting as
cent should turn your head, while you are thus
suspended over the city in your stone cage The
Waterman at gate placed halfway upso catch
fees, related several stories of vlsiters who had
thrown themselves from the top in the sudden
insanity often excited by such situations.
The Church itself is little remarkable, except
Tor a sort of lace-work veil thrown over one end
oy netting Of delicate arcades and pillars OF
woven stone, but it contains clock once con-