New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-11-14

,,.,. exhibit The current is exceedingly 'oi-
,.ou.. and we frequently faced all points oil the
,ompass m going single league On the nof'h'
I'm SIDE. chain Of roll,ng hills the first terraces
of The central table.and, sometimes dPPto@0"
the rlver but do not add to the amehty Vi US
LANDSCAPES They are covered with scattering
growth of beech AVID OAK, cleared away IN places
for grain or planted with leah-looking vineyards ;
still. there is something fine and bold IN 'hen
outlines, especially when, on turning coIheI'
We see thc'next headand before us, stretching
far into the blue distance. On our night appears
the Donaumoos, morass which nils all our
southern horizon. II is drained by lI2 canals
but the river is now so high that the current ia
these sluices flows backward and fills them
We pass Ingolstadt, town surrounded ny
massive wall deep moat and out~orks OF most
ponderous character-all as new and SHINING as
the helmets Of the Bavarlan soldiers on guard
Why this ratification is wanted now, and whyH
should be built in the center of plain where II
commands nothing and protects nothing, Is about
az clear TO me as to the aforesaid soldiers. But
before have fairly settled the question, we are
among the mountains again. Here they are
steep and abrupt woods of autumnal brown and
purple, relieved by the dark-green OF the mr.
wave from their precipices OF white limestone
rock, and soften their outlines against the clear
skv The scenery reminds ne OF America, and
Ienloy it accordingly. A large white Benedlctne
cloister under the shadow of the cliffs, breaks
the resemblance but what is this The Da-
nnbe is at an end, and we are drifting with the
furious food full against crag two hundred feet
in height. A rough image Of the Madonna looks
out from niche scooped In the rock, and the
crew take of their hats as we shoot past. Lo
a miracle has been wrought; the terrible wall
is cleft at right angles, and our boat turns so
sharply into the narrow strait that the glddy
summit overhangs our deck.
Crash goes report like the peal of thou
sand cannon, but it is only one, which the cap
tain has ordered to be fired for our astonlshment.
The sound rolls down the chasm, striking heavl-
ly on the perpendicular walls, as if the Indians
Bird of Thunder were caught here, and Tapping
his wings in vain effort to escape He reaches
the top at last and sulenly scars off into silence
Still downward we speed with the foamng river,
almost grazing the sides of our passage-way as
we clear its sudden windings, till at length
wider reach in the mountains opens before US,
and we take long breath of relief. All through
these canons the Danube the rocks are pierced
with bolts near the water, from which hang iron
rings, used by the boatmen III their slow and diff
fcult assent.
The great plain of Bavaria, extending beyond
Munich to the Alps, was evidently al one time
the bed of an inland sea, whose waters at last
-. ,,ob Ia Thn
rocks exhibit the same appearances as those OF
the Rhine at Bingen, and the Potomac at Har-
per's Ferry, but the pass is much more narrow,
rugged and peculiar than either. Beyond it, the
mountains give the Danube room, and his vexed
current takes a broader sweep and rolls with a
more majestic motion. AS we approach Rats
bon (Regensburg,) they disappear from the
southern bank and leave the city seated on the
plain.
At Ratisbon, which we reached at o'clock In
the afternoon, we remained the following day,
in order to visit the Walhalla. This celebrated
edifce, built by the EXKing Louis of Bavaria,
stands on the summit of hill overlooking the
river, about six miles to the eastward of the
city. The morning brought with 1t dense fog,
through which we felt our way to the village of
Donaustaut. TheWalhalla was not visible, but
some peasant women showed us foot-path
leading up to a church on the hill. There were
shrines on the way, and We were obliged to step
carefully past several persons who were ascend
inc on their knees. Behind the church the path
plunged into a wood of young oaks, redolent
with moist autumnal fragrance. After half a
mile of gradual ascent, we issued from the trees
nj 81 0nI
the Walhalla, looming grandly through the up
rolling msts deem it fortunate that my first
view was from the summit OF the hill, on level
with the base of the building. Seen thus, II
will be accepted, without hesitation, as the most
admirable architectural work OF modern times.
1t is closely modelled after the Parthenon, and is
probably equal, except In variety and richness OF
ornament to what the Parthenon was. Its ma
terial is white Alpine marble, brought from the
Untersberg, where, according to the old legend,
Charlemagne sits with his Paladins awaiting
the deliverance of Germany. Schwanthalers
colossal group OF the victory of Hermann over
the Romans fills the pedinent of the northern
front, which oyerlooks a lovely green valley.
An allegorical group by the same artist, from de.
signs by Rauch occupies the southern front,
which is raised on vast foundation terraces of
masonry 100 feet in hight.
The Walhala stands in the center of an arc OF
hills washed by the Danube, and looks beyond
his waters and over the plains OF Bavaria, to the
snowy line of the Noric Alps. Its position is
finely chosen but the effect of the superb build
ing IS painfully marred by the clumsy mass of
foundation work on which 1t stands. The Intro
duction of oblique lines Of stairway, which, as
you descend, rise beyond the terraces against
which they are built, disturbs the imposing con.
trast OF the simple uprights and horizontals The