The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-25
DIR EUROPEAN LETTER.
>~uar A RICHMOND PROFESSOR
PICKED Up IN HIS TRAVELS.
rishins In the Rhinc-A beautiful water
rall-A Parry OF Richmonders-heidei-
hurc-The Uniycrsity-Binaen, &c.
Especial Correspondence OF The Dispaich'l
NEUuAUsEN, SWITZERLAND !

NrJIIAUsEN, SWITZERLAND,
July IL. 1888.
Jhoye lust been distinguishing in the
beautiful Rhine. Strolling alone on its
hank found group OF Swiss boys casting
n fine In the pelacid water. Though bar,
gaining was difficult. when they iabDefeo
onlv "Dcutshv and / mainly American
Vet Inv the skilful exhibition OF the coin 10
the ,,oy having the longest pole got 3
chance for ten centimes. and, with him 10
,,ait 7 went az II with some vigor. Ke-
xnlt-a In James rivera glorious nipo.e'
I'm, no fish. The bait--new to me ana the
nar,a not made out-seemed q decided hIl-
movement upon our anglc-worm, IN tnat
|, WAC shorter and tougher, and had at
tacbed 10 II at one end a strong nalr-lihs !,
appcndage, which my fisher-boy would
10 around the hook after the worm itseil
had been duly attached in the usuai man,
ner- Now. my fishing over and my stroll
ended. | 81 in this splendid Schwe'zeri0J
hotel. ZOO feet above the river, ana gaZt
with unwearying delight upon the fai's o.
the Rhine They are not Niagara; IL Woulo
he unpatrotic in me 10 think they were
and indeed they are not half so high
only eighty feet; but then they are
EXCLUSIVELY BEAUTIFUL.
and the setting Is so grand. have been
This morning all around and across thein'
have bathed in the spray, ana catgnt Tue
CLEAN of their rainbows, have sbuddered
With n feeling that the solid earth itself was
Keeling under nv feet, as from near point
I looked across the seethine, boiling Dll-
lowry masses OF creamy wblteness, WIN
emerald patches here and there, lcap'ng
wildly into the air, and then dasnlnS III
precipilate plunge over the unylelding
rocks, sending up flmy cloads Of yapor'
and uttering q deafening roar, truly the
sound OF many waters. We reached this
point in our travels yesterday; and the ne
in this case means perhaps larger number
of Richmond people than have ever been
here before at one time. There are TWO OF
three parties OF us who, by good chance,
perhaps. happened to meet here; though
II should be said that this accidental meet
ing has occurred once or twice before. we
count ten or eleven
ACTUAL RICUNONDERs HERE,
with two or three more who might almost
he included in the list. SO we have no
lack OF choice and congenial society. Ana
vet there is appropriateness still Tor many
of us IN those beautiful lines OF Byron
that tell Of
"Scenes that should see
With double JOY vert thou with me-;
or more fifty still,
"But one thing want these banks Of Rhine
TIN gentle hand 10 clasp In mine.'
We came here from Heidelberg, the seat
OF one OF the famous German universities.
TO get here we had TO pass through the
famed Black Forest. And what think you
the Black Forest is? We expected to see
n dense and dismal ioOOdS-possibly sort
of Dismal swamp on dry ground. such
ignorance IL is a range OF high hiIS, or
Mountains rather, covered over with some
tall. slender tree OF the spruce or FIR va
riety; and the wonder in going through 1t
is at the almost superhuman skill and
daring Of the engineering that took rail-
road over such apparently Impossible
heights. The Chesapeake and Ohio is lame
beside it. Then the wild, romantic, and
yet perfectly cultivated valleys, the
QUEER swIss-LIKE COTTAGES.
with projecting caves and matched roofs
with here and there prominent rocky
crag. on whose summit stands the ivy-clad
ruins of some medieval castle-all this
kept us at the windows most OF the day,
save when the almost numberless tunnels
gave temporary rest TO Over-taXed eyes.
AT Heidelburg, which lies on narrow
strip between some mountains and the river
Neckar, we saw Of course the castle, bali
palace and half fortress" hanging over the
town high up the steep mountain-side. A
huge ruin it is, with ivy several hundred
wears old covering walls, some OF which
are several hundred years older yet. OF
course we Americans climbed to the high
- t1,s. ~ nj Gathered
flowers and broke off stones from the yer!
summit. And then we saw, as everybod!
must see, besides the old chapels and TIN
dining-room and the dungeons and TIN
kitchen, where OF old the OK was roasted
whole, &C., &C., the wine-room, with th
yet
STANDING "TUNs" OR wINE-CAsKs,
the largest Of which would make a respect
able house for good-sized family, ant
used to hold am ashamed TO say hoy
many thousand gallons OF wine. 1t wa
dry when we saw it. as it was emptied i
1863.
At the University, founded in 1856, bu
occupying still a plain, old building, W
stumbled upon q passing professor, VIII
informed us that the number Of students
about one thousand, and was otherwis
courteous and kind. And this is goo
Mace to saw that i'm all our iourneying hill
erto through parts OF England, HOLLAND
Belgium, and Germany, while | have a,
costed scores of people with all sorts
questions, especially Of the sort that bus
men don't like TO be "bothcred wit
and generally IN speech that "betrayed
me as n foreigner, have met with no +
membered case Of rudeness, inciyllity,
even of "grutfness."
RETURNING TO UEIDELBURG,
will saw that some Of the Richmond &c
tlemen. recently students, visited the C
rious students prison, and also got adm
fance TO see one OF 1.-THE students du,
,rhich habitually and regularly occur thel
Refore Heldelburg we were awhile
frankfort and at Wiesbaden-the II
Springs-known to the Romans, who |,
MANY remains here, now a quiet town
some 10000 inhabitants. The water I'm I
largest OF some fourteen or more sprln
come up smoking temperature 1861: a,
the people, visitors especially, moi ON
battle In 1t, but drink il, walking aroul
with glass In hand, and slipping 1t daint
as il gradually cools to the drinking moi
l tried part of glass and was statistic
We got to Wiesbaden for TO Briebic
rather) by steamer, all day, up the Ri,
OF this trip trip the taking Of which
an era In ones life-I can only saw hi
that grand and beautiful and inspiring a,
had expected to lind it, II much more IN
filled up my highest anticipations. Fro
!. Drachenfels TO and
REY0ND BINGEN
n the castled crags, the feudal towers, q
cultured slopes, give TO this "yalc of win
age bowers" the charm OF an enchant,
land.
Before embarking on the Rhine We hi