New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-17
Bayard Taylor in Northern Europe.
VISITS 10 RITTER AND MUEGGE-BER-
LIN, HAMBURG AND LUBBOCK.
VII.

While in Berlin, paid vis. 70 DR.. KARL RIT-
TER, the distinguished geoerspher, to whom had
. letter Of introduction from my friend Ziegler.
found him at hi. rooms overlooking the Gen1arm-
.arkt, and, though happened TO call during his
boars Of study, was at once admitted. Through
two rooms, crammed with books from floor to cell
ing, passed TO his workshop, which was furnished
IN The same manner and exhsled the same delight
fully infectious odor Of antique leather. He was
sittBe al his desb, in the midst Of chaos of books
and papers, but rose and came forward =, I en-
kseA, Here was again massive Teutonic head,
larger than Humb0ldts, but not 40 symmetric sly
balanced, broad, overhaDging brow, shading large
and friendly eyes, strong nose, and one Of those
ample, irregular mouths, in which the expression
Of kindness and goo dness atOnes for the absence Of
beauty. His hair was gray and thin, for he must
have seen At least sixty-fve summers but his tall
kgure was stil erect and full Of strength. The
asesslng-gown he wore, with his unbuttoned colar
and bare throat gave certain grace and dignity to
his appearance, not unlike that which belongs 70 the
picture Of G0the in bis latter days.
Our conversation was mostly geographical, and
though remained but half an hour, through fear
sfibtenupting his labJrs it served to illustrate his
Immense know edge He touched upon the Japan
csc and the Chinese, the Tartars and Thibetans the
Lapps and Samoyeds, the ShiDooks the Dnsss ana
the Bushnen, described the formation OF their re-
spec,iye counties, the climate and productions,
their habts, laws and religions. My projected
tourney to LaplaDd appeared TO interest him, and
he advised me TO notice the result OF the Swedish
missionary labOrs among that people, and 70 con-
Hast il with The operation Of similar labors IN India
and China. The interior of Swedish Lappmark was,
be admitted, comparatively unknown region, aud
he commended my design of visiting it in the Win
ter when the facilities getting from point to point
arc much greater than 10 Summer, and the Laps
:ye gathered together In fhAi- -'''--.r He recon-
mended the work Of Leopold Won Buch as the best
description Of Norway and Lapland. Ritter is nov
engaged in the publication of Universal Geogra-
ply which, SO far as it has appeared, far surpa'ses
all previous works Of the same character. in the
richness and accuracy of it's information. Tine
Germans are undoubtedly at present the greatest
geOerbpbers in The world, and the French despite
their Claims the worst
was fortunate in having letter to THEODoR
MUEGGE, the author of Afraja" and Eric Ran
dali" When called at his residence, according to
previous appointment, pretty little girl OF seven
or eight years old, opened the door. " Is Herr
DIR. MGgge at home :" Iasked. She went to en- ad.
jscent door and cried out Father, are you at
homel" ga ,cohi" answered a sturdy voice;
and presently tall, brOad-shouldered, and rather
handsome man of over forty years made bis ap-
pesrance. He wore a thick, brown beard, spec
tscee, was little bald about the temples, and
spoke with decided North German accent. His
manner at frat was marked with more reserye
than is common among Germans; but l had the
pleasure Of mteJiOg him more tban once, and found
that the outer shell covered kennel Of good humOr
sDd good feeling.
Like macy other authors Mugge has received
hardly as much honor in bis own country as he
deserves His "Atrsj4," one of the most remark
abe rOmuDces of this generation is just beginning
10 be read and valued. He was entirely unac-
qua nted with the fact that it had been translated
in America, where five or six editions were sold IN
q very few months. l could give him no better
evidence of It's success than the experience Of friend
Of NINE who was carried thirteen miles past his
home on a New Haven railroad train, while alb
so,bed in its pages. He informed me- that the idea
Of the story was suggested 10 him during his
residence at TIOms0e, on the Norwegian coast,
where, among some musty official records, he
found the IN nutes Of the last trial and execution
Of Lspp for witchcraft about century
ago. This Lspp, who was sort OF chef
.an in his clan, had been applied to by
sene Danish traders to furnish them with
good wind during their voyage. He sold them
brtezes from the right quarter, but the vessel was
WRECKED and all hands drowned. Whom asked,
during his trial, whether he had not furni, hed bad
instead Of good wind, he answered haughtily:
"Yee, SOLD them tho bad wind, because hated
them, q, hate YOU and al the brood Of thieves
who have robbed me and my people of our land. !"
referred to the character of Nles Helgestad, aud
spoke of lie strong resemblance, in many respects,
b. one. of our Yankee traders Of the harder and
ooaner kiud. Mdgge assured me that would fad
many Of the same y pc stall existing, when should
visit The Lofoden sles. He spent Summer among
The scenes described in "Afrsja,' and his descrip-
tons are so remarkably faithful that Alexander
Zegler used the book as his best guide in going
over the same ground his year.
We had fog and rain during our stay IN Berlin
and did not see the nroud caoia in it's snandor
That portion lying between tie Brandenburg Gate
and the Royal residence is noby laid out, and, for
the most part, handsomely built, The avenue
"Under the Lindeus is on a much more grandOse
scale than the LudWigsstrasse in Munich, (Which is
partly copied from it. but has not the same rich
and harm onious effect. The streets of Berlin have
stG, bare, oslentatious appearance, corresponding