Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-08
CORRESPONDENTS.
En COlOgne-The Rhine Surpassed by the Hudson-In Holland-EngIand Agafn-Spurgeon, Windsor Castle, Etc.. Etc.

Etc, Etc.
 EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. IA, 1886. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Since my previous letter I have visited Germany, Holland and Scotland. The Rhine with its numerous vineyards, deserted castles and countless legends received my first at tention. Daylight was dying as I reached Cologne after all days journey by rail from Antwerp. After securing quarters at a hotel sallied forth to take my first view of the Rhine. Tourists usually confne their observations to the region situated between Cologne and Mayence; the first usually spelled by the natives ''Koln'' and the latter ''Mains." From the strong a.4d ele- gant bridge over the famous river the sight was grand. The stream at this point is broad, while the lights on either shore and the cleaning stars that came out of the deepening twilight one by one lent addition al charms to the scene.
 My stay in this city was brief I was anx- ious to witness the attractions of the river The great cathedral, with it's beautiful win dows and other works of art, is still incom- plete, though labor on it began in 124S. Successive monarchs have aided the work, but much still remains to be done.
 Women manage the fruit and flower traffic of this city almost exclusively. At five diff ferent points I saw groups of women, no fewer than five hundred in all I judged, with white coverings on their heads and blue checked dresses, conducting the business.
 Cologne derives it's name from & Roman colony planted here by Agrippina, daugh- ter of the Emperor Germanicus. The streets are narrow and crooked, but cleaner by far than I anticipated. True the odor of eau de Cologne. still manufactured here in large quantities, was not perceptible, but the pro- digious statements by writers from time i'm memorial regarding it's fostering filth, if ever true, are not so to-day. Coleridge's lines therefore, quoted below, appeared quite ex- travagant:
 "Ye nymphs who reign o'er sewers and siRks
 The river Rhine, it is well known,
 Doth wash your city of Cologne
 But tell me, nymphs, what power tis9, divine
 Brief pauses of day or two each were made on the river also at Coplentz and May ence. Bridges of boats-pontoons- the river at the first named place. A foun- tain constructed by Napoleon I. while marching to Russia at the opening of that disastrous campaign, with motto stating by whom it was built, still exists. When the e turning to Paris the Russians added some sarcastic lines to the structure.
 The cultivation of the vine is the dominant industry in the Rhine region. Up to the mountain peaks every available inch ot ground appeared to be under cultivation. Many of the choice brands of wine freely advertised in the United States, purporting to come from the Rhine valley, are simply drugs. A competent authority, who is en- gagged in the mercantile in that section, as sured me that certain wines are never sold at all They are consumed exclusively in the families of resident rulers or other persons of distinction.
 Opposite Coblsntz the Gibraltar of the Rhine is situated. It can accommodate one hundred thousand men and cost five million dollars.
 Bingen on the Rhine, the home of the dy ing soldier boy, over which we wept as chill dren, is an attractive spot. It was larger place than was anticipated.
 It may assume the aspect of downright 1g- -norance or bigotry, but as whole the Rhine is surpassed by the noble Hudson river. The latter has loftier and grander mountains, greater volume of water and more plctur- esoue views. Divest the Rhine of it's cas- ties, legends and antiquity and no sane man would venture to institute comparison. Among other portions of Germany visited were Main, Cassel, Nuns ter, Hamburg and Bremen. The narrow ana
  to me. A vast volume of shipping business is conducted in the closest possible quarters. Rotterdam e1cels it by far, not only as re- gards it's expansive harbor, but in the gene ral attractions of the city.
 My arrival at Amsterdam was unfortunate l ly timed A riot over some political matter was in progress. The military had posses sion of the city In blissful ignorance of all this, I travelled till near midnight through the streets in pursuit of 8 gasthaus or hotel. l They were distant from the depot and the Dutch directions, to say the least, were quite confusing.
 The network of canals for which Holland is famous, fringed with trees, the public and private buildings constructed generally of very small brick-sidewalks often of the same material-the snowy stone stoops which the women scrubbed with evident delight, were alike novel and interesting. Cathe- drals-'' 'doms'-and parks were examined and excursions to various points made on the adjacent waters. Many of the public sign boards seemed like mixture of low Dutch and bad English. Possibly Josh Billings, | travelling through the country, took the hint and amassed fortune thereby. We have