Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-11-18
From a Student in EurOpe-NO. 8

German Turning and Scenery. Fair at
Leipzig. Franktort-Oa-h The !uain. ..otier
Cites and Touns.
HEIDELBERG, Oct. ii, 1855.
1t was beautiful day when l left the
Prussian capital for the literary city of
Leipzig, the second city in population and
importance in the kingdom Of Sa1Ony.
The Indian Summer was about beginning
(for that is an Institution that extends to
this couutry, though without producing
the same degree Of badness as in America
aud the SUI shone down upon field and
woods with grateful warmth, Frightening
up the scenery, and making the atmosphere
of railroad car very comfortable. In the
early part of our route, the country was
level, but beautifully ornamented with
groves and hedges Of pines, and, along the
roads, on either side, rows of fourishing
poplars or other trees, which in the heat
of summer mus. afford a delightful shade
10 one or two places, there were eL,irc
fields planted with pine bushes, in regular
rows, few feet apart, and evidently crl,i-
vated with great care. Later, the groves
became more scarce, and the land was di.
vlded into small patches containing tur-
uips, beets, potatoes, and other vegetables.
As i. was the season for raising potatoes,
the fields were full of peasants-men, wO-
men, and children-busy with ox-teams,
aad cow-teams, and hoes, and fingers, tax
ing up the crop, which, from the number
of bags standing in every direction, must
have been very large. In one place, there
were probably one hundred aud 6fty per-
sons, all engaged on one large patch.
Women appeared to predominant; and,
hard-handed and nut-brown as they were
from labor and exposure, it was wonderful
to see how they worked, and what heavy
burdens they bore upon their backs, or
balanced upon their heads Some Of them
bad infants with them, sleeping in little
basket-wagons, in the care of children too
young to work The different lots were
not separated by fences, but had merely
furrow drawn around them, and the land
marks of stone decide their ownership.
Indeed, there seem to be very few fences
in Germany, the whole country lying open,
and the cattle and other animals being
always watched By herdsmen. This alb
seucc of feuccs, aud the fact that the peo-
pie all live in towns or villages, gives the
land quite different aspect from our own;
| aud whether there is in the end an advau-
tage in such system, it would be hard to
say. Certainly, it creates an unnecessary
amount of labor in the way OF watching.
| On our train, and at every station at
which We stopped, there were a great
many soldiers, giving one somo idea of
the immense standing army supported
| by the German States combined.
As we approached Wittcnbers-a city
Of considerable importance, and once the
seat of a University-the face Of the eOun-
| try, which had before been an almost un-
broken level, began to change, and the oe-
currence Of hills gave it more attractive
appearance. Wittenberg itself, viewed
from little distance, presented no special
attraction, but along the river, below the
city, there is some tolerably fine scenery.
At midday, We reached Leipzig. Not
knowing the names Of the hotels, ordered
my driver to convey me to good one, and
was taken to the "Hotel de Pologue,"
where, having surrendered my passport to
the Commissaire, as at Berlin, l was ready
to see the city. 1t lies at the junction of
three small rivers, (creeks, you would call
them, } contains about 10000 inhabitants,
and is of some historical interest, having
been the place where the Battle Of Nations
occurred in lSlo.
Gocd luck would have it that should
arrive there at be time Of one of its cele
brated Fairs, when the city was filed with
strangers from all parts Of Europe, and all
the streets and public squares we're turned .
into places for the exposure aud sale OF
every conceivable kind Of goods. Having
never seen anything of the kind on evea
tue most vulgar fraction Of such scale,
it was most interesting to elbow my way
through the crowded stalls, and look at
the displays Of jewelry, precious stones,
glass ware, leatherware, wooden-ware, cut
lery, cloths, and what not, and study the
costumes of the different peoples then and
there represented. There were long
bearded Polish Jews, wearing coats OF
black lasting reaching to their heels, with
uufathomable pockets thereiu-looking
for all the world as if they had been
drawn through barrel of soft lard and
scraped Of with case-kuife-so greasy
did they appear Then there we're Hun.
garian mouutaineers, in jaunty velvet
jackets, wearing broad-brimmed felt hats,
with frustrated cone-ical crowns, and very
Rnt x-nnlN