New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-16
Ntm!1lorkD daily Gribn,re
Bayard Taylorin Southern Europe.
No. XLV.
PICTURES FROM THE ,,,,,wr;NE3isr
Gou.iT iT0rd,noe of Tie n y Trbvpa
No. XLV.

tohi' l'fC. lS, sCDS'
Aiter giving mp the hope of enjoying another
Polar Winter, determined TO go as near as pos
sible to the opposite extreme Of avoiding the
Winter altogether. But BY the time we left Go,ht,
on the 4th INST, the season was already inaugl.
rated. The first sEow whteDed the ThiirBgiau
bills; bitter blasts blew down uyon us from the
lIartz-the last chilly farewell Of the lorsaken
North. Like a true German, be was not sai,sfed
with ODe sdien, but must return again and again 10
prOlODg the Z" sweet sorrow" " Of parting. He ac-
companied us to Dresden, through the black and
lowering passes of the Saxon Switzerland over the
open plains Of Bohemia, and only left us for awhile
in the valley of the Danube 10 return with more
violent embrace on the top of the Semmenng mp
Finally at the southern edge of the kars', or table
land Of Carinthia, where his rugged name OF B0reas
is Italianzed into the Bora, We left him, and the
little Olivetrees in the gardens Oi Trieste welcomed
us TO the Threshold Of the South.
have already, more than once, described the
greater part of this route. few changes have
taken place, however, since visited Vienna and
Trieste, six years ago. In financial respects, the
condition of Austria has been greatly bettered.
The dirty, greasy small notes with which the coun-
try was then flooded and which one was obliged to
tear into halves and quarters to make change, have
almost entirely disappeared. In fact, ! saw but
two during my stay. The paper currency though
still considerably deprecated is no longer sub
itcted to the same ruinous discount. At that time
foreign gold commanded premium of 20 per cent
Within two years afterward this premium rose to
between 40 and 30 per cent, but it has now fallen
to about 9 per cent. To be sure one knows not
how far this apparent improvement is forced and
Fictitious. Austria has been 50 long lowering on
the verge of bankruptcy, that she cannot yet, nor
for long time to come, be considered beyond the
danger of relapse.
One evidence of progress in the right direction,
however, must not omit to notice. Within the
past six months the police regulations concerning
passports have been greatly simpGfed. A traveller
now is only required to show his passport at the
frontier, where if he is provided with the wise of
an Austrian minister, be is at once allowed TO
enter, and may travel throughout the length and
breadth of the Empire without being called upon
to show it second time Even in Vienna no adj
ditiona wise is required. In Prussia the practice
is now the same except that the passport must be
reproduced on entering Berlin. Within the thir
teen years which have elapsed since first visited
Europe, the system has been practically half abol-
ished, and except in Italy, il can now scarcely be
considered an annoyance to foreigner. must re-
new my testimony of the kind and gentlemany be-
hayior of the Austrian officials, especially the GUS
TOM house officers at Prague and Vienna. Upon
stating that we had no articles subject to duty, our
trunks were not even opened. This courtesy, how
ever have found to prevail through all Northern
Europe. with the exception of France The only
instance of rudeness and insOlence / met with was
precisely in Paris.
The greatest railroad in Europe-that connect
ing Vienna with Treste-has been completed this
wear, and the transit from the Danube to the Adrl
attic a distance Of about $50 miles, is now made by
the express trains in sixteen hours and hall.
Many years have been employed in surmouutlng
the two chief difficulties on this route-the passage
of the Semmering Alp and Of the high Carlnth!an
table land, both of which are considered trumphs
of engineering. The first is bold spur OF the
Syrian Alps, dividing the waters of the Danube
from those of the Draye. After ascending long,
sloping valley the road boldly takes the mountain
side, which it climbs by series of zigzag grades,
the heaviest of which, if am rightly informed are
about 9S feet to the mile. Near the summit, 5000
feet above the sea- the road skirts terrific gorge,
through galleries hewn in the solid rock and by
bridges thrown across the lateral ravines. The
descent Oh the southern side into the valley OF the
Muir, tributary of the Drave, Is much more grad
ual. / was reminded of the passage OF the Ale
chaI les near Altoona, on the Pennsylvania Rail
road. where the grading s still heavier, being lV3
feet TO the mile, although the hight attained is not
nearly so great. The passage of the Semmer!ng
does not appear To me more remarkable under
taking than the latter road some of the sections
on the New York and Erie line. The speed OF the
Austrian express trains is at least onefourth less.
1t was dark when we reached Isibach, aud the
remaining portion Of the rOad-the descent to the
Adriatc, which has been but recently opened-was
therefore lost to me. ] could only guess, BY the
rock-cuttiDgs through which We passed and the
speed with which we descended from the brow Of
the KarSt, that it was work of Immense labor.
The Bora which blows over the southern edge OF
the tabe-and is at times strong enough to stop the
trains which are often detained several hours from
this cause. On the old post-road there are special
officials, chosen for their familiarity with the wind
and its accompanying signs, whose duty it is to
inform travellers whether they can pass with
SAFETY. When the wind is at its hight il is strong
enough to oveItum the heaviest wagons, and the
officials have then authority to prevent every one
from passing. During the Italian revolution Of
1.an hair Al I m