Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-11-18
(For the Observer.
LUXEMBOURG, Nov. 3. 1888.

h0, INV. ., 1000.
To tie Editor Of the Orange County
Obssrcer-
My DEAR SIR: l do not know if
my friends in Hillsboro find any,,
thing Of interest in my letters from
old Europe; bu, l feel myself such
a deep interest in the Roman relics
of this section of country, that l
hope that what I have to cay will
prove entertaining TO some OF yonr
readers.
Luxembourg is q little wedge, fit
ting snugly between France, Bel
gum and Germany. The Luxem.
bourg railway station is less than
two hours distance distance is meas
ured here in time, not in miles, from
the Belgian, the French and the
German frontiers. From the rail-
way station lines extend TO Metz, 10
Paris, TO Brussels, 10 Spa 10 Bel,
GUM, TO Trier in Germany and to
Remich on the river Dosel. SO you
see that, although small, Luxem-
bourg is a great railway centre. 1t
has also network OF telegraph and
telephone lines so complete that it is
possible TO communicate in either
way with any to wn, village or post
office in the grand Duchy.
To day let US take a flying trip to
Remich, thence down the Mosel to
Trier and thence back TO Luxem.
bourg on the third side of the
triangle.
Taking the secondary.railway
train we pass through a beautiful
rolling country with here a ruin and
there. in the valley, a quiet village !;
now to the right a fine beech forest,
now to the lett the greenest Of green
meadows enlivened with 1ocks OF
sheep guarded ~ idle shepherds and
restless little dogs now around a
hillside green with grape vines
cliuging to poles FIVE feet high; and
now below US lies the deep valley o.
the Mosel, with Germany on the
other side stretching away to and
over the horizon.
We are now in Remich, a frontier
town ot1he grand Ducby of Luxem
bonrg. Passing down through th,
town-it is built on the side of
steep hiil-we reach the noble ston'
bridge which here spans the Nose
and, after each paying our cent o
toll, We pass over the bridge an,
enter Germany, The view toward
, Remich and up and down the stream
is exceedingly pretty.
/ Walking a mile alternatel
through green fields la,ishly sprink
led, with red popples and blue cor
flowers and through trigh,ful vi
lagos with awful, open cess-pools j
front Of each house, we reach tn
wretched little town OF Nennig an
are met by a polite and intelligen
guide who is employed by the Pru'
sian government.
Think OF it Here in the mids
OF all this modern wretchedness an
h mud and perfumes foul we are
!, see a trace of Roman msgnifcenc
which is not equalled in Rome itsel
Here we stand in The ruins of a MAJ
ni6cent Roman villa. TIE found:
tions show us what the rooms were
= Here were the great heating oveny
Through these canals passed the he
air into the pipes which heated th
b floors OF the Roman mansion. He,
X were the baths. See, the old brio
Y door is still entire
y We now enter a house, built b
the Irusslan government, and frol
{ a balcony look down upon the pei
e iect mosaic floor of what was ono
5 TIE reception hall OF the proud Re
man owner of the villa. The mosai
= Is almost in as good condition as o
the day when it was laid. 1t is fit
by thirty feet in size. The border
are most beautiful and graceful. To
stones used 10 the mosaic are yer
small and were selected aud place
in position with due regard to ,hei
exact shades and tints. The larg
pictures represent scenes in the an
phithealre. One shows a tiger j
: the act OF tearing TO pieces a viii
ass, another d slave aud a lion, az
other a panther and a vlctoriou
spear thrower, another the mas
clans-,he organ player and til
horn blower-another a combat ht
tween gladlators and, sixth and las
two clowns fighting with whips.
One polygon was destroyed b
the modern barbarian who, 10 dig
ging a deep hole in his field in whic
10 bury mis- winter ,urnips, accident
ally discovered in 1852 this beautlfu
relic OF q noble civilization whic
once hnuri>hed where now the filth
and unpoetic village OF Neuni
stands Civilization has certainly &c
advanced in Nennig s,nce tie day o
which this beautiful mosaic vas lait
Taking the tram a, the Nenni
, station lie, us hurry on 10 Trier an