Travels in the North of Germany in 1825 and 1826

Front matter

A, I 'ut /th-f*. IK B0 Combatants . g„ $<, Seconds. Tfir Sutyean antt S/utctatmw are not /■p//nw,-///,w/ . „ .. TRAVELS IN THE NORTH OF GERMANY, IN THE YEARS 1825 and 1826. BY HENRY E. DWIGHT, A.M. J&cto*&ovft : G. & C. & H. CARVILL. 1S29. SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK, SS. <fr^^f^»^TlE IT REMEMBERED, That on tbe fifth dny of May, in the year of our •frYlr" (^jfc #_■_* Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, and in the fifty -third "■ wJ J »V J ■ ycjir us I In' i m 1 1 | n ■ m Ir in r ofthe United States of Vmaril ft, Heory I*'.. Dwight, of ■■ tiir ?i;iiii district, has deposited in this officetthe title osabookf the right where* of he claims as author, in the words following, to wit: — " Travels in the North of Germany, in the years 1825ondl826. By Henry E. Dwight, A- M." In conformity to the Act of Congress ofthe United States, entitled," An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing tbe copies of Maps, Charts, anil Books, to the authors and proprietors ofsuch copies, during the time therein mentioned."

And also to an Act, entitled " An Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to tbe arts of designing, engruviDg, and etching historical aud other prints." FREDERICK J. BETTS, Clerk ofthe Southern District of New-York. Ludwig & Tolesree, Printers.

Preface

. Most of the following letters were written in Ger many, in the years 1825 and 1826, and forwarded to my friends in the United States. As they were com posed, while living under the influence of the institu tions of that country, they present the exact impressions which were then made on my mind. Germany has been, until within a few years, a terra incognita to most Americans ; as, during a long period our in tercourse with that country ceased, and even since the peace of Paris, German literature has excited but little interest in Great Britain, the principal channel through which we have become acquainted with the intellectual and religious state of that continent. In these letters, I have endeavoured to present a view ofthe religious, literary, and political institutions of northern Germany, and their influence on society.

As the sects, the present stati of religion, the schools, and the universities appeared to me the most striking features of Germany, I have devoted a considerable

PREFACE.

. part of my work to these subjects. That they will interest the reader as much as myself I can not even hope, but I trust that he will find some novelty in the sketches I have drawn ; and the subjects I am con fident can not be devoid of interest to an intelligent mind. If from the view which I have here presented of the most interesting nation on the continent, the Reader should be led to study the language of Ger many, he will find in its literature, sources of pleasure which will add not a little to his happiness, and in some degree lighten that burden of care and suffering from which no one is exempted. As it was impossible for the author to remain long in the city of New-York, the publishers were under the necessity of printing this work in one-third the usual time. The Reader is requested, on this account, to excuse a few errors which have unavoidably ap peared. HENRY E. DWIGHT. New-Haven Gymnasium, ) May 6, 1829. \ TRAVELS, &c.

Letter I

Strasburg, June, 1825. Dear My last letter will apprize you of my departure from Paris, and t)f my arrival in this city, which was once so celebrated for its commerce, and for its influence over that region which borders the Rhine. During peace it was a central point for the merchants Of France and Germany ; while in war the armies of those countries marched towards it, to acquire possession of so important a fortress. Louis XIV., in the year 1694, captured Strasburg, since which time it has belonged to France. Its fortifications are extensive, and require from eight to ten thousand men to defend them. The enterprize, for which the inhabitants of this city were formerly so distinguished, has nearly ceased ; as the restrictions, which now exist on the navigation of the Rhine, have withered its commerce.

Before the French revolution, most of the tobacco for the western part of this kingdom was manufactured here, and several thousand persons were employed in the preparation of this article, but since the year 1795, its manufactures have greatly declined. It contains at the present time four thousand five hundred houses, and fifty-three thousand inhabitants. The charm which is thrown over the mind of the traveller while beholding Strasburg, is not derived from its historical associations. No one can approach it without finding these fade away, as the sight of the spire of its cathedral bursts upon his view. This noble object, which is 490 feet in height, rises to a greater elevation than any other monument of art, except the Pyramids. It catches the first rays of the sun before the city which lies STRASBURG. beneath it is illumined ; and they linger on its summJt, long after twilight has mantled the spires and domes which rise near its base.

It is at the latter hour that it appears in all its glory, burnished as it is by the rich golden light which seems to penetrate it : it is at such a time, that the charm of Gothic architecture overpowers the soul. Although eight centuries have elapsed since it was commenced, and nearly five since its completion, it still exhibits most of its original beauty; for time, while mouldering other towers and temples has spared it, as if unwilling to injure the most beautiful specimen of Gothic art which ever pierced the sky. II duomo, or the great cathedral of Milan, is a more splendid edifice, and with its six thousand statues and bas reliefs, is a more brilliant object. The hundred spires which rise on its roof, will probably for ever remain unequalled, as an exhibition of magnificence : still, for beauty of Gothic ornament, for almost inconceivable lightness of architecture, and for gigantic altitude, the tower and spire of the cathedral of Strasburg, will for ever challenge a competitor.

It is composed of dark red sand stone, which has been rendered still darker by the revolution of centuries, and it now presents that venerable appearance visible on those monuments only which have " ages for their dower." The ornaments are more beautiful, and its lofty windows more magnificent, than those of any modern edifice ; while the proportion is so perfect, that you search in vain for any defect. By means of a succession of staircases, and by near seven hundred steps, you wind your upward way through tower and spire, until arriving within a few feet of the summit, you look down upon an extensive city, and a rich landscape spreading around you, through which the Rhine meanders, while in the distance the Black Forest with its lofty mountains terminates the view. The work of the upper part of the spire is so slight, that small bars of iron are placed across the openings to prevent you from falling.

Even with this assistance, it is only with the utmost caution that you are enabled to reach the summit. You feel afraid to linger, and find it almost impossible to convince yourself, that such a structure can resist the slight breez- - Lich fans you ; and with a slow and cautious step you descend, that you may again tread the humble region which lies so far beneath. STRASBURG. The interior does not correspond with the exterior in magnificence. It is too small for its fagade, and its great nave is too low to correspond with a tower of such altitude. It surpasses, however, all Gothic edifices I have seen, in the solemnity of its interior. No other structure presents windows of such colouring, where light is thrown into hues so brilliant and so variegated, or where they blend and are contrasted with so intense beauty.

It is the only edifice which ever made me feel the solemn gloom I had anticipated, on entering a Gothic cathedral of the old world. Here I found it more than realised, and felt how admirably such edifices are fitted to excite the passions of a superstitious age. The monuments which you meet in these structures, remind you not only that you will ere long be numbered with the dead, but, in the images and bas reliefs which adorn them, they tell you of the virtues of those who are there reposing. The paintings which rise above the altars, often relate the miracles of the great founder of our religion, or of some of the saints who imitated his example, in all the power of poetry ; a poetry, too, which more than the "poet's pen, bodies forth the forms of things unknown," and gives them a reality.

Others delineate that awful day, when the graves shall open, and the Judge shall condemn the wicked, or present a view of that world of anguish whose gates are barred for ever. This art has done more for the Catholic religion, than the Inquisition with all its racks and tortures. It is more concise than logic or even mathematics, as it reveals at a glance all that the soul dreads or hopes for; and not unfrequently carries a conviction to the heart, which no arguments can efface. Such paintings are doubly powerful from the gloomy light by which they are seen, which corresponds so admirably with the subjects delineated. To the ignorant, they reveal the suture, and around it they throw a solemnity as awful as eternity. I could easily realize, that in the zenith of the Catholic religion, before the light of Protestantism had in some measure penetrated the gloom of these edifices, that no one could enter them without becoming etill more superstitious, and without finding his reason at times overpowered by feeling, as through their almost holy light, he saw the solemn ceremonies of the Catholic church, when at the height of its power.

STRASBURG. I attended military mass on the Sabbath, when several regiments were present. They entered by the loud beat of the drum, and marching up through the long nave of the cathedral, arranged themselves in lines on each side of it. The drums continued to send forth their martial peals, long after they had entered, which were echoed and re-echoed by the arches, until the whole edifice seemed to be filled with thunder. Amid this tumult, the orders "to dress," "to the right face," with the jarring sounds of more than a thousand muskets struck against the pavement as they ordered arms, excited emotions more in unison with the church militant on earth, than with one whose kingdom is not of this world. The band then played several pieces of -religious music, which, separated from the parade we had just witnessed, would have produced a powerful effect ; but connected as they were with the pomp and pageantry of war, they excited emotions very different from those usually felt, while listening to such strains.

An exposition of the host, before which at the beat of the drum, officers and soldiers kneeled, terminated the ceremony. No religious admonitions were heard, nothing to remind them of a suture world of purity and joy ; but every thing was mechanical and military. How pure is the simple, unostentatious worship of Protestantism, when compared with such a pageant : how different in its influence on the heart, and on the life! As soon as the traveller approaches the Rhine, he discovers his proximity to another country. German faces meet him wherever he moves, while German gutturals are every where heard. In Strasburg this language has stood its ground for more than a century, and is spoken at the present time much more than the French. As it is much less pure here, than in the centre of Germany, its gutturals present a striking contrast to the soft flowing language of Paris.

The Tuscan in the mouth of a Roman lady, is perhaps more melodious than any other language; still nothing I have yet heard is so flowing, or so full of naivete, as the conversation of an animated Parisienne. You discover the same difference in the forms, in the walk, and in the dress of the Strasburgers, when contrasted with the inhabitants of the metropolis. The grace, the light airy step, and the sylph-like forms, you so frequently meet in the Tuileries, and on the Boulevards, you will search for here in STRASBURG. 5 vain. The heavy German tread, the moping walk, and the want of la mode, all remind you that you are beyond the reach of Parisian influence. Their faces have more colour than those of the ladies of the capital, but they are destitute of that expression which forms the most striking feature of French beauty.

It is true that the veins of its citizens have not a little of the blood of their conquerors flowing in them ; still there is too much of the German remaining, to remind one of the beau ideal of the canvass, or of the belle vivante of many of the French and Italian cities. In this city is a University, which was founded in 1621. During the storms of the Revolution it rapidly dwindled, and for a number of years it ceased to exist. Since that period it has revived, but at the present time it is far from being flourishing. For a long time it was resorted to by many of the German youth, even after Strasburg had fallen into the hands of Louis XIV. A medical school is now connected with it, which is more flourishing than either of the other faculties. The anatomical cabinet of the University is one of the most extensive collections I have seen.

As the metropolis presents advantages in the pursuit of anatomy and surgery, so much superior to those of any other city in Europe, the school of Strasburg will probably never rise to great distinction. There has also been established here, a seminary for educating Protestant clergymen, which has from thirty to fifty students. The lectures are delivered in German, and the students are designed to fill the vacancies in the Protestant congregations bordering the Rhine. This school, until within a few years, has been Lutheran in its sentiments, but at the present time it is inclining to Neologism. Only one Calvinistic professor is attached to it. The number of Protestants, in this part of the kingdom, it is impossible to state with precision, as the census is never taken, as in Germany, with reference to the different sects.

From the number of congregations which exist, it has been satisfactorily ascertained, that they amount to several hundred thousand. I have heard them estimated, by several of the Protestant clergymen, as high as from four to six hundred thousand. When the French conquered Strasburg, there were not a dozen Catholic families in this city. There are at present seven Protestant, and six Catholic churches. STRASBURG. During the reign of Napoleon, the Protestants were strongly attached to him, as under his dynasty they enjoyed equal rights with their brethren. He never allowed any religious faith to operate as an impediment to promotion, while he permitted them, for the first time for more than a century, to enjoy their worship without the least restraint. This liberality attached the Protestants to him in every part of France.

On his return from Elba, Strasburg was one of the first cities which raised the tri-coloured flag. The persecutions and infamous massacres of their brethren in the south of France, soon after the battle of Waterloo, have done little to attach them to the reigning dynasty, distinguished as the Bourbons ever have been, for their bigotry and hatred of Protestantism, from the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes to the present time. In the province of Bas Rhine, or that part of Alsace of which Strasburg is the capital, there were in ten years four hundred and sixty criminal prosecutions, and only four of them were against Protestants, who form nearly two-fifths of the population. Such a fact speaks volumes in favour of the moral influence of this religion on society. LETTER H. Cologne, June, 1825.

The ride soon after leaving Strasburg became very monotonous, as the plain of the Rhine was covered for miles with immense fields of wheat, stretching off towards the horizon. The Rhine here and there was visible in the distance, but too remote, to ena ble me to catch a good view of its scenery. As the banks here are low we should probably have gained nothing by approaching them. The valley of the Rhine is proverbial in Europe for its fertility, and at this time appears to be groaning under the weight of its produce. This will explain the reason, why it has been coveted for centuries by those monarchs whose territories are situated near it, and why so many battles have been fought in its vicinity. Its great fertility has always recommended it to France ; and to gain possession of it, she has in her numerous wars, spent suf ficient money to purchase all the wheat that ever rose above its surface, and lost soldiers enough to cultivate it from generation to generation.

She has coveted it, however, more than wealth or blood, as it is the great granary of the interior of Europe, without which her invading armies could not be fed. Could Father Rhine, as the German poets call this stream, rise from figurative to real existence, he would be able to tell a tale at which the world would shudder. We dined at Lauterbourg, the frontier town of France. Imme diately after leaving this village we entered Germany. This part of Germany belongs to Bavaria, and extends to within a mile of Worms. Hesse Darmstadt separates it from the greater portion of Bavaria, and in case of war with France, it would be impossible for the latter power to protect it. Its population at the present time, amounts to about four hundred thousand. The villages here are built less compactly than those of France.

The houses are formed of wooden frames, the beams running in every direction. Between them the cavities are filled up with brick, or with small stones and mortar. Like many of those in Switzerland, they are THE RHINE. whitewashed, and at a distance are pretty objects in this land of verdure. The floors are usually of wood, a luxury unknown in a French village, and very agreeable to me, after treading the brick and stone pavements of the houses of France and Italy, for nearly two years. The similarity of these villages, and the unifor mity of the landscape give a monotony to the ride: for even a field of vyheat waving in the wind, however beautiful it may be to a poet's eye, becomes tiresome when extending around you like the ocean. There was little in the view to awaken thought, or rivet our attention, until we arrived at Speyers.

This city, with Worms through which we passed the next day, excited no little interest when I recollected, that in the former, the Protestants assembled in the year 1529, and presented that memorable protes* from which they derived their name. Mayence, one of the principal cities of Hesse Darmstadt, derives nota little of its importance from its proximity to the Mayne, which unites with the Rhine here. It was formerly much distinguished for its commerce, and during the reign of Napoleon was very flourishing. Since the peace of Paris it has lost much of its commercial importance, in consequence of the great restrictions placed upon the navigation ofthe Rhine by Prussia. The course pursued by the different monarchs whose territories border this stream, seems almost incomprehensible to one living in a country where few commercial restrictions exist.

This is without any, ex ception the noblest river of Europe, not excepting the Danube, if you refer to its soil, and to the intelligence and enterprize of its inhabitants. On no other stream is the population equally dense, and on the borders of no other does the eye behold a greater fer tility. Within fifty miles of its current, more than seven millions of inhabitants are residing, who in wealth and enterprize are not surpassed by any others on the continent. With such a population enjoying a free commerce, it would soon be covered with steamboats, and the masts of its shipping would remind one of the BW Forest near which it meanders. Were the river and the country adjoining it united in one kingdom, and still more, were it a part of France, it would in a few years rival every other stream on the earth, in the number of its vessels, and in its commercial activity.

If the monarchs, through whose territory it flows, would MAVEN'CE. 9 adopt a liberal policy and remove all those obstacles which novr exist to a free navigation, most of the enterprize which marks the English character would here be seen; and the con plaint of poverty, which is now so universally heard on its borders would be unknown. At the congress of Vienna the allied Sovereigns declared, that the navigation of those rivers which traverse one or more of the states of this country, should be entirely free to their mouths, to all who should conform to the regulations made : and that these should be uniform to all, and as favourable as possible to the commerce of all nations. You will recollect that the proceedings of this congress, commence with, In the name of the very holy and indivisible Trinity.

We will now see how far they have complied with their declaration. I have been informed by a gentleman of Mayence, that every stuck* of wine going from this city to Holland, pays eighty guldens in passing through the Prussian Rhine provinces. In entering the waters of the Rhine within the territory of the King of the Netherlands, in order to pass into the Atlantic ; another charge is made, I believe, little if any inferior to that of Prussia. The wine and other productions of Switzerland and of Baden, have not only to encounter these exactions, but those also which the governments of Hesse Darmstadt and of Nassau choose to impose. The vine is the principal article of cultivation on this part of the Rhine. From the reputation which these wines enjoy, were the commercial restrictions which now exist removed, this region would in a few years become one ofthe wealthi est parts of the world.

Much of the wine made on this river is ordinary wine ; and consequently the more valuable kinds only can be exported. The Hochheimer, the Johannisberg, and a few others, will always command such a price, that even this tax will not lessen the amount of foreign consumption. The lands which pro duce these valuable wines, are almost exclusively in the possession of the wealthy ; while the peasantry and citizens, who own those of an inferior quality can find no market for their produce, or are * A stuck contains rather more than 200 gallons. A gulden is about two and a half francs. In the autumn of 1826, the ordinary wine cost less than th« casks which contained it. MAYENCE. compelled to dispose of it at so low a rate as not to compensate them for their labour. A stuck of this wine will not sell here for half the price which the Prussian government demands of the merchant for its passage through the Rhine provinces.

As the inhabitants of this part of Prussia are exempted from this tax, they can supply Holland with all the ordinary wine necessary for her consumption. Mayence contains twenty-five thousand inhabitants, exclusive of its garrison, which amounts to six thousand men. It is one of the strongest fortresses on the Rhine, and in the wars of the French revolution was a frequent scene of conflict. The French obtained possession of it, for the last time, in 1797, and retained it until 1814, when it fell into the hands of its original owners. The Congress of Vienna gave it to Hesse Darmstadt, but at the same time made it one of the fortresses of the Confederation. In con sequence of this arrangement, it is now garrisoned by Austria and Prussia, the prominent powers of this union, who have placed a corps of six thousand men within this fortress, for fear that it may fall again into the hands of their old enemy.

Their hostility to France, together with the fear that the grand Duke might not be able to defend it, induced them to unite in securing it against any attack. Its great importance prevented them from consenting that either party should occupy it alone ; they concluded, therefore, to divide the apple between them. This, I believe, is the only in stance in Europe where a city belonging to a third party is garri soned by the troops of two other powers. Notwithstanding they fought together in the emancipation of Germany, there is very little cordiality of feeling at the present time. Scarcely a month passes, without a contest between the troops of these nations, which not unfrequently terminates in blood. The Rhine, which is here rather more than two thousand feet in breadth, is the favourite stream of the Germans.

It has become endeared to them from its historical recollections, which are more interesting than those of any other river, except the Tiber, as well as from the fertility of its soil, and the delightful wines which it annually yields. Their poets adorn their pages with imagery derived from its borders, and in not a small number of the songs, of the students, whether patriotic or Bacchanalian, " Father Rhine" appears in some one of his costumes, as one of the great objects of their terres- MAYENCE. trial adoration. Its varied scenery, from the Tyrol to Cologne, attracts thousands of Germans yearly to its borders, which they traverse with a pleasure rarely enjoyed on any other stream ; while among many of the students, a pilgrimage to the Rhine is almost as indispensable, as is that to Mecca to the sincere believer in the Koran.

It is here a noble stream, and the only one I have seen in Europe which reminded me of the rivers in the United States. A bridge of boats is thrown across it, on which you pass with as much comfort as over those of stone, which arch the Seine. This species of bridge, which I have never seen, when travelling in my own country, is so simple, so cheap, and at the same time so convenient, that it is surprising that we have never introduced it. It is composed of fifty-six boats, well ballasted, that they may not yield too easily to the current, and which are anchored in a straight line, with chain cables. The force of the stream carries them down, until they have let out all their length of cable. They are then parallel to each other, their bows being turned to the current. Large beams extend from boat to boat, and across them at right angles planks are placed.

A bridge is thus formed in a few days. As winter approaches, it is taken to pieces to avoid the floating ice, and on the approaching spring it resumes its place again. This city has lost most of its importance to the eye of the mere merchant, in consequence of the diminution of its commerce. It will, however, always hold a prominent place in history, not merely for the besieging armies it has repelled, but for being associated with one of the most important events in the history of man, the invention of printing. I looked in vain for a monument worthy of its celebrated inhabitant. Mayence, like most of the cities on the Rhine, presents a number of objects of curiosity. The towns of Europe have so often changed masters, from the time of the Roman to the Gallic Cæsar ; so many monuments of their subjugation and of their prosperity still remain; they have risen so often from poverty to grandeur, or sunk into insignificance ; that they present numerous vestiges of their former prosperity, and excite a powerful interest in the mind of a stranger.

In passing through the United States we rarely look at our cities as they are, but sketch pictures of them as they will appear one or two ages after we have left the stage. In Europe, MAYENCE. however, the future never comes into view. Every ancient edifice, every feudal or Roman monument, even the conversation of those with whom you associate, transport your mind to an age which has long since passed away. You cannot look around you without seeing the ravages of time, without feeling that every thing bears the stamp of ages. A Neapolitan peasant will talk to you about the villa of Cicero or of Lucullus, or offer to conduct you to the grotto of the Sybil, while his son offers you coins, which he will attempt to prove to be a true Trajan, an Augustus, or Nero, from theexpression, the beard, or the costume.

Having crossed the Alps, you have not left the Romans behind you. Wherever you travel on the Rhine, you find some vestige of them, and your Cicerone of Mayence will talk very learnedly about the antique, will shew you where the camp of Martins Agrippa was situated, point to the fortifications constructed by Drusus, and tell how one ofthe legions which conquered Jerusalem was garrisoned in his native city. These remains of Roman art excite no little interest, as connected with the history of this region, but are very inferior to those which I have described in my previous letters. There is here a miserable gallery of pictures, and a noble library of ninety thousand volumes, containing some ofthe earliest speci mens of typography. At Strasburg I bade adieu to Gothic Architecture. The cathedrals which I have since seen are entirely Saxon, or Saxcn and Gothic united.