The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-17

European Correspondence of the Bulletin.l
ZURICH, September, 1875.
All day yesterday, or at least most all day,
we were journeying through the wilds OF the
picturesque, romantic and celebrated Black
Forest" We came on from Heidelburg to
Carlsruhe where pleasant halt of one night
was made, our little party being most COM
fortaby auartered with mine host, the land
lord OF the Gruner Hof Hotel, from whose
balconies we Witnessed the eVolutions of the
military and studied the appearance OF the
Carlsruhe people to our satisfaction, and the
following morning-y esterday-foun us voy-
aging southwark again.
We saw in the distance as we passed down
on the east bank Of the Rhine the lofty splre
of the Strasburg Cathedral rising beyond the
river, and scru inized it through telescope
with considerable interest We should have
been pleased to make little detour to Stras-
burg specially to visit its renowned cathedral,
but as our time was limited and as we have all
the great churches of Italy before us on the
programme, we concluded to cut Strasburg,
however reluctantly.
At Offenburg, small town about three
hours from Carlsruhe, we left the main rail
way leading to Basic, and, as above stated,
passed through the entire width OF the Black
Forest by a new line extending in south
easterly direction to Constance.
This railway has not been very long opened,
and il truly marvel OF engineering, Inc
distance it traverses, by a straight line, is in
considerable, and would not occupy more than
three hours, if the railway were straight. but
as the line winds up and down mountains, as
cends steep grades and passes through per-
picking series Of curves, we were about five
hours going from Offenburg to Singer. But
no one thinks Of complaining of fatigue, for
the grandeur of the scenery is some
thing SO extraordinary that the mind IS
completely enchanted. At first we ran swiftly
along through beautiful green valley by clear
streams, cultivated fields and neat cottages,
with an occasional glimpse Of ruined castle
perched on distant height, rising wild and
desolate from forest of mountain pines, and
then as we began to get deeper into the heart
of the forest the indications of civilization
became fewer and fewer, until at last we
seemed shut in on all sides by towering
morntains, along whose sides the slender line
Of railway chung, winding in and out, now
darling through tunnel, then spanning some
dizzy abyss on skeleton bridge and losing
itself in dense pine forests, only to reappear
perhaps little higher up on the same noun
tain.
Occasionally we would pass an isolated cot
tage or little hamlet, where cattle were grazing
peacefully on the hill-sides attended by print
overlooking herdsmen in fantastic costumes.
These were, for the most part, far below us,
where we could see smooth, white roads,
threading their way through the defles
and villages, and looking like a long
line Of tape, so far was it beneath. At every
turn of the railway some new view would open
before us, each seeming grander than the last,
and while we were in the midst Of our rap
turous calculations or silent reveries, the train
would shoot into . midnight tunnel, and,