New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-16
NewYlork daily Gribn,te
Ravard Taylor in Northern Europe
No. LXIU.
cRACoT, AND THE SALT MINES Or
WIELICZKA.
q Tie ". Y. Tribune

TIE crest B-.pdenburs Plaio, or oh'i' '''''
%. az Humboldt calls i, wacn Hc'nps1ieo U'
IN ths uav 20 B,esiau did rot cease un'I atIsT We
"a .,o.sed ~. border of Austrian Poland Inc
AZ, intensely hot, and the dusi on the rost
.ss;,s These vast levels whore great grain
.-.c,s alternate with piae forests, are even more
u,onoionous than our own prairies, oecsuse toey
are far ess fertile. In many places, the desertsAn
sf the lost ocean whose waves once rolled here
nierce, the thin coating of soil and defes all az
nunt, AZ cultivation. The forests frat reclaimed
l.. and much Of it should be given back for q time
70 the Keeping OF the forests again. In this region
ryeis grown almost exclusively. Aswe penetrated
further into Upper Siesis, the ,mJks of smelling
furnaces blotted toe air and sooty trails marked the
way 10 the coal mines. An intelligent youog Pole,
in the cars informed me that the country has alsoa
good name for ito agricultural condltlon-the prov
ince being full of large landed propretors who, 1t
seems, have paid nu:h attention to the improve
ment of the sol.
After passing Oppeln the Polish language begins
TO be heard and Polish Jews in rusty black caftaos
and shabby cylinder hats, are seen at the stations.
The pine forests are more frequent AMI some Low
undulatng first faint rppes Of the distant
Carpsihians-break the dead uniformity. "When
"you get beyond Myslowitz, - said the young Pole,
"you will see bit of the Sahara, only instead Of
"camels there are Austrians." MyslOwtz is the
last Prusssn station, and really for ten miles
beyond, the country is hopeless waste of sand, as
yellow and bare as the Nubian Desert After pass
ing Szczakowa, where the Warsaw road branches
of the country gradually improved The low
swe liz rose into hills covered with dark forests be-
tween which lay meadows or rather immense flow
er.beds, sheets of eltterDg pink and yellow, thread
ed by tributaries of the Vlsula. Polish peasants,
in their high black hats long jackets and wide
Chinese trowsers were at work in the fields, or
tepdi1 the herds Of horses Strength coarseness
and stupidity, occasionally relieved by twinkle of
cunning were their prominent characteristics.
Some oil the boys were Ifrh over and over.
The sepulchral msund of Kosciusks, on the sum-
NIT of long hill, denoted our approach to CracOw.
1t is visible far and wide noble landmark. The
Austrans have comm enced fOrtifying the city, and
this monument, being on commanding point is
now inclosed by strong fort. Eastward, over
green belt of foliaee-tall ash trees, avenues of
Lombardy pOplars and locusts showered all over
with blossoms-les Cracow, in the lap of the valley
of the Vi.tula which stretches away TO the south
west until its folding hills of green grow blue in
the distance, and crouch at the feet of the high
Carpathian mountains. Tall, fantastic, Tartsresque
spires shoot up in pairs from the stretch of tiled
roofs, and in the midst on the mound of the
Wawel, stands in massive and venerable ugliness,
the ancient Palace of the Polish Kings. The nov
city of the picture, no less than its exquisite
beauty, took me by surprise. 1 seemed to be al
ready far away from Europe, and in that strange
central region which, in character, forms CONT
nent by itself.
This impression was not weakened after arriving.
A queer, bearded hackney cOachman took our b,g-
gage, repeating with great emphasis "pienasty,"
(or something like it,, which was afraid referred
to my dusty appearance, but the German conductor
explained that il was fifteen, the number Of the
facre. Driving through al old tower-gate we en-
tered the CITY, and were deposited at a hotel,
where room spacious enough for kiog's audience
hall was given to us. Our first visitor was black
Jew, who wanted to do something in the exchange
way. Then came rosy Polish chamber maid, who
asked whether we had brought our own bedding
The valet de place was also a Jew, rusty, blackan
dure, during aud inspection of the city.
The place has modern air, with the exception
of the churches, upon which rests the mellow
weight of from two to five centuries We were
more interested in the people, who happened to be
celebrating national and religious festival at the
same time, and thronged every street in their hol
day clothes Not only was all Cracow out Of
door,, but thousands of peasants from the neigh.
boring villages had come into the city to share 10
the festivities. There was the most fantastic and
picturesque mixture of characters aud costumes.
1t was the last day of Frohnleiehnamsfes (the Body
of Christi and religious professions, with tApers,
shrines and banners Of white and crimson silk, were
psrsdirg the streets company Of boy choristers,
in scarlet robes, and bearing crucifx, generally
led the way Then came group of young peasants,
bare headed, with wild, matted hair, aud candles in
their hands, next gIs carry ing shrine aud canopy,
decorated with flowers, and lasty, priests aud pea
sants mingled together, with crowd of devout fol.
lowers
The civic festival was the anniversary Of victory
over the Tartarr, which has been annually cele-
brsted for the last seven hundred years. 1t is
characterized by curious ceremony called the
Konh, which came of in the evening. msn
dressed to represent Tartar chief, with turban
Of ofpreposxrous size terminating in high, conica
cop, with bis face masked and his body inclosed
in an imitation horse, over which his false legs
dapgled was conducted through the principal
stieets, preceded by the souud Of trumpets aud the
bn nnels of the city. He carried in his hand sort
Of mace, with which he attacked every one who