Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-08-05
LETTER FROM GERMANY.
BrpIIg. MAY. 1877.

BERLIN, MAY, 1871.
The sun showed its best face to us last Tues-
day as we took the ten O'Clock train IT, Pots
dam. And such = day rs We had How shall
describe II, with It's wonderful, beautiful and
interesting sghts' ] know not what better
than TO attempt 10 tell little Of what reco-
lect.
we took a carriage after arriving there, and
had Il long, charming drive 10 Babelsburg-a
chateau Of the present Emperor. Up through
long avenue We approached and entered the
lovely little chateau. As slowly rs the guide
would allow us, we passed through suites Of
tastefully arranged rooms, onamented with
all manner Of carved work, fine paintings,
stags' heads, antique furniture and innumera-
bic curlosities. There was the cane that vii.
liam has carried for ycars--a plain, black
stick. 1t is astonishing the amount Of worsted
and canvass work the Germans do; here, and
in all the palaces were elegantly worked
chairs, rugs, mats, etc. From the tower we
had fine view Of POtsdam and the surround
ing country. The chateau of Prince Carl the
brother of William, we did not enter, as the
family are there but we wound through the
grounds, which revealed many pretty views
of the Havel river; statues abound on the
lawn and in grottoes, and basreliels on the
building at the gate. Near it is curious
monastery, brought from Italy and set up ex-
actly as it was, built nobody knows when
In it are the queerest bas-reliefs and old, bTok.
en- statues. Through a window we saw the
old chair that all the kings have been crown
ed in. William had it in use at his late coro.
nation.
After dinner at restaurant, we drove to
the Marble Palace, founded by Frederick
William ii, and finished by Frederick vii.
liam ". The outside of the palace is of
brick and marble, but the inside shows the
significance Of the name splendid halls, and
stair cases of solid marble-immense rooms,
with floors inlaid with various colored marble,
pillars of green MARBLE and pedestals of black
and white on which, statues of pure white, set
in inches in the wall tables of black marble
inaid with other colors, and indeed, doubt
if there are any varieties of marble which are
not there. The two large porticos on one side
command beautiful view. On the opposite
side, the walls of the piazzas are covered with
frcscoes, representing scenes from the Nibel.
ungen poem and paintings of landscapes. 1t
was tantalizing to hurry through when we
longed to stop and gaze and admire. l am
afraid you will get very tame idea OF it all,
but you must try hard TO imagine this most el-
cgant structure.
The next place we visited-and the most IN
teresting of all-was Sans Souci. Entering a
broad avenue, we were ushered into the midst
of perfect paradise--trecs, statuary, numer-
Gus fountains-one playing to the height of
120 feet Around this last, is q circle of twelve
statues, and little beyond it a broad fight OF
steps leading up several terraces. With the
last one we come upon lawn, laid out in
plots of flowers and shrubbery, with here and
there an orange tree. To the right is the rest
ing place of Frcdercks dogs. The palace is
not very large, nor remarkably handsome, but
full of interest. There was Fredercks sittin 6
room, which contains the little clock which
stopped the moment he died, his private room
and the old leather chair he died in adjoin-
leg this, his bed room. Then his music room
and library, and the long passage through
which he used TO promenade, playing his
flute. His portrait is there-the only one fol
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circular entrfe was his reception room All
the rooms are left as Frederick used them ex-
cepting those that the dowager queen OF
Frederick William ". now occupies The
palace was uninhabited until fifty years after
Frcderick's death Frederick William ~ oc-
cupicd it until his fathers death QSGl). One
room contains his bed and the chair in which
he died, and the wreaths which had lain on
his coffin; a bust of him also as he lay in the
sleep of death, lies on a cushion, under cover
The last room was that of Voltaire, which
while he was once away, the king had arrang
ed in a fanciful style but the gorgeous adorn-
ing he so disliked, that after seeing it, lie
showed his gratitude by never entering il
gain.
Near the palace is the famous windmill
that Frederick wanted to buy, and when the
miller would no. sell, went to law and lost
the suit. So it is still owned by the descend
ants of the miller, and stands IN the very GEL
tire of Sans Souci.
Beyond this is the extensive structure-thc
Orangrie-buit in Florentine style, by Fred
erik William ". In it is a gallery containing
forty copies from Raphael; also rooms for
the quests of the Empcror-very beautiful
One room is in green, with the table, mantel,
and various ornaments, iii malachie. Anoth-
er room is all in blue stone: another apart
ment in red, with a table of red tortoise-shell
lnlaid with silver another still with yellow
brocatelle furniture. with table of the most
exquisite pieces of transI aren't amber.
Away off beyond an intervening vale, rises
on height the ruins that Frederick the
Great had built for the purpose of concealing
the steam engines that pump from the river
Havel-which runs through this vale-the
water to supply the fountains. These are also
extremely beautiful. l am sorry he was not
capable of enjoying all this beauty as one
only can truly, with pure heart
NJ. II. T.