The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-08
letter From tirrniany.

10 I'lloWlilS cNtrartS from Il private
letterof !. :. Murray, Jr., will doubtlcs,
be of intcrc't to many OF our readers:
LElrHiI, GERMANY, oct 18th, 1853.
I am now permanently settled in Lcip-
zig for the Winter, and contemplate INV
work with some pleasure. 1t WAS my good
fortune to obtain board in Il very Pheasant
family, nnh ain wcil situated for learning
German and purAi!:iig i1y .,.!Irr studies.
My doinicii is entirely out Of tho Aincri-
can circle at present, and | will speak
only German, unless upon exceptional
occasions.
While III Dresden formed the ac-
qunintanco OF II most interesting family,
the head Of which WAS AN officer uni
personal friend of the late King John Of
Saxony, ara On this account the family
have access to ,he kings garden, from
which the public are excluded In com
Imny with member of this family had
the privilege OF visiting the garden where
tho young Prince resides.
visited tho celebrated royal manrlf.c-
tory II China ut Mrissen, which is one OF
tho finest in the world. Meisscn is ii
small city on tho f.lbc. below Dresden,
aud Is OF sono historic Importance con
nected with the thirty years war and the
incident periods.
Dresden is certainly ono of the lowell
est cities i'll Germany. The picture galle-
~ is magnificent. Rnphacl's 'Muionn.,
ID Sun SlSto is work of mnrirniied beau
ty and excellence. No one has ever paiut- :
cd us ho. Ills ideals wcro sublime.
must tell you something of tho picture.
IL is about ten feet by six, and has as
signed 1t an entire room, which is gcner-
nlly crowded with admiring visitors.
The Madonna is standing upon tho clouds,
holding the Child III her arms. Rrhini
her is green curtain drawn, revealing
countless heads i'll the heavens, all well
executed. AT hor right il Pope Sixtus
and At her lelt il st. barbara, both knecl.
iiis. AT the loot of the Painting are two
chcrubs. mnrvelously well painted. The
female figure of st. barbara is not quite
iiS pleasing To me rs the other figures.
IEe eyes of tho Madonna are large and
full of beauty and expression Tho
whole picture il ono of unruilailed con-
ception and grace. iolbein and Curreg-
gio are masters, but they do not equal
Raphael by u great deal. Rnphuci's
ideals and forms, anu his power nf exo-
cution, were ,lnequallcd by tho mustcrs
Of any school.
My visit to Saxon Switzerland (whcre
tho Elbe breaks through the S,Itletic
range OF mountains was very interesting.
l visited all the most noted points, and
the tour cost mo about 500. All that |
sn9 inADresden, Saxon Switzerland, and
Meisseu did not cost mo over fifteen dol
lars i'll excess OF What would have spent
Ill GuttinSen, and it WAS worth fur more
to mr. l find that ii Is cheaper and more
satisfactory to take these little JOURNEYS,
when tho opportunity oilers, than to
wait until the last, and take ono grand
tour over the continent.
Tho peculiar charm of Saxon Switzer-
land, Is its picturesque pillars of rocks
and chasms and deep, narrow valleys. ]
Will give you sntno idca Of what l SAW
on this tour. l wont upon tho Bastci,
which Is on the right bank Of the Elbc,
and more than six hundred feet high.
from here one gets II Wow of tho must
interesting points III Saxon Switzerland
Before reaching tho Bastci passed
through .Tcherre Grund" and Utter
walder Grund." two narrow valleys,
almost sheltered by tho high overhanging,
picturesque rocks. IN "Ctterwaldcr
Grund' Is the Devils kitchen, not very
unliko that a. CirSur'S Head, >. G., and
wnat is called the "Itock Gate" Here
the two rocky mountain sides press close
together, and there is scarcely room for a
little brook and two slender persons To
go side by side, Rnd pass (ono by one ii.
this poinD under great rock which
rests upon both sides of the chasin
Here the rays of the sun never reach the
valley, which is narrow and crooked.
After leaving Bnstei, went through
"-.nscl Grund,' 80 called from the nu-
merous black birds which formerly in
rocks assumed fantastic shapes, and arc
named accordingly, Turtle" "Locomo-
tive" Young Lady," "Sheep Stone"
and others. (Theso are transIations Of
my own.)
then ascended the mountain called
Hochstein, 1t is cleft in two by II narrow
chasm not more than two feet wide, and
somo hundreds deep. This clasin is
called tho "Wolf's Schluckt." Through
1t artificial steps wind down into the level,
narrow valley below, through which /
went to the Brand n high mountain
commanding magnificent view. de-
narrow chasm called the "Pringen
Schluchk' Just before reaching this
chasm there Is view of some rocks
upon lofty pillars of rocks rising up
from the Valley which resemble Corn
sacks tied at the mouth, and these sacks
arc called in German "Iiorn Sscke."
There Is also ridge Of rocks resembling
very nearly in appearance ship. I next
visited tho "kahstail," whore there is a
great holo III the rocky wall which rises
up above the valley. It is SO large as to
form great room, being some twenty
feet i through and nearly as broad. From
the Greater and Lesser "VVinterberg" !
had To outlook, AZ 1t was cloudy. then
proceeded to "Prebischthor," where tho
rocks rising in single, isolated columns
nom the valley below, are very attractive
anu imposing. Hore, as at the X install,
is gigantic opening through the rocky
wall, and hence It's name signifying
gate" The view from this point is very
The region Is chopped up
aud diversified by these narrow valleys
and isolated columns of rock, some of
which are from twelve to twenty feet
square and rise TO the hight of more than
. hundred feet, presenting tho appear
ance of great chimneys or columns. It
Is truly most interesting region,
j. S. NJ, JR.,