FORTUNATE DISCOVERY. 239 tleman arrived alone, in his cabriolet, at the village in which I reside, and demanded a guide to conduct him to Lilienstein. I offered my services, and was accepted. After explaining to him the exact line of the fortifications, he suddenly discharged me; and as I thought his conduct extremely singular, I took the liberty of observing his movements, when I perceived him measure the ground with great care and caution. After this, he returned immediately to the inn. The following evening he rode alone to the fortifications, and did not again make his appearance till a late hour, when he was observed to bring with him a heavy bag. He then ordered his cabriolet to be instantly got ready, and drove away. The next day I found this pit dug, as you now see it, and a few Kronen dollars, which I suppose he had dropped in his eagerness to secure his treasure." To those among the visitors of Dresden and Töplitz who may feel delight in contemplating the beauties of nature, I would recommend a tour in the Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland, of which my own route may afford an outline. The scenery is of the same bold, romantic character as that I have described at Adersbach, in the Riesengebirge, but inferior in sublimity. With this exception, I know of none comparable to it in this part of Germany: and though we have not the glaciers and snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, yet it has some features of which the other is destitute; and if the grandeur of Switzerland is absent, so also are the impositions of her sons; for the hire of the guides, the fares of the boats, the expenses at the hotels, all are regulated by the government, and extremely reasonable. Like Adersbach, the whole of the rocky masses that line the banks of the Elbe, and the valleys, are composed of sand-stone, broken into the most grotesque forms; but no where is the imagination so bewildered by the near approach to reality, as in the Ottawalder Grund, a glen so narrow, and formed by rocks so lofty, that in many places the sun has never shone in its gloomy depths. Here the traveller wanders over snow and ice even in June; and the tiny cascades hang in icicles as they fall. In some places the walls are not more than four feet asunder, and as perfectly perpendicular and smooth as if the chisel had passed over them. In another they meet above, and form a natural roof; here rising into a pyramid, and then suddenly expanding, till it seemed as if an inverted cone were placed upon the apex of another. He might also believe that he was traversing the rude model of some colossal city, or the ruined abode of the Gnomes. At all events it has been inhabited by some beings less benevolent in their habits than these good-natured sprites, for a band of robbers made their home in its caverns, and for a long period set the authorities at defiance. This they were enabled to do by means of moveable bridges, which they threw across the ravines, and thus effectually eluded pursuit. We shall now proceed to Dresden, and merely stop at Pilnitz to visit the pretty summer residence of the king. The royal family being absent, I was permitted a peep at its interior, which is a perfect bijou of neat ness, elegance, and good taste; but the grounds I thought neither well laid out nor well kept, notwithstanding its very advantageous situation on the beautiful undulating banks of the Elbe. The grass wanted mowing, the walks were in bad order, and appeared carried about the grounds more for the purpose of displaying a cork-screw form, than for exhibiting the best points of view afforded by the landscape. The shrubs and evergreens also seemed planted more at random, than with any reference to the fitness of their shades to blend with each other, so as to form an agreeable picture. But though the park and pleasure-grounds may not be calculated to excite the admiration of a fastidious Englishman, yet he cannot but remember the splendid assemblage of princes that once wandered beneath their shades. Here, in 1791, the sovereigns of Europe, or their representatives, met, to lead a crusade against Republican France: and here, in 1812, Napoleon celebrated his final and most glorious triumph; when the emperor, kings, and sovereign princes of Germany attended his levée, all anxious to recommend themselves to the great dispenser of regal dignities. CHAPTER X. Dresden-General aspect of the Town-Japan Palace-Collection of Porcelain - Picture Gallery-Theatre-Baths-Amusements-Lord Findlater's Coffee-garden-General Observations-Departure for Muskau Bautzen — Lusatia - Inhabitants - Château of Prince Pückler Muskau Return to Dresden - Meissen-Leipsic - Fair - Promenades-Prince Poniatowski - Book Trade - Literature - Battle of Leipsic. -- THE approach to Dresden from Pilnitz is extremely beautiful, and did not disappoint my expectations. The Elbe rolls its majestic waters between banks very opposite in character, exhibiting a mixture of romantic nature, with the richest cultivation. The right is abrupt, rocky, and woody, with occasional slopes laid out in vineyards. The left is more flat, presenting a succession of meadows, groves, gardens, and orchards, and studded with numerous villages; the whole landscape gradually elevating, till it becomes united with the far-distant mountains: and from these picturesque scenes we at once enter Dresden. My boatman landed at the Brühlschen Terrace, from whence I passed on to its beautiful bridge of sixteen arches. Here, indeed, the view was superb; for whether we look up or down the river, towers, spires, and palaces, with an endless succession of villas, parks, and pleasure-grounds, appear mirrored in the stream. But the shades of evening, together with a keen appetite, that irresistible despot, which rules every other feeling, however sublime, soon warned me it was time to seek my hotel and supper. I only wish it were in my power to convey to my readers half the pleasure I experienced on entering the clean, neat, and comfortable inn, the Goldenen Engel, after being so long accustomed to the dirt and irregularity of those various tribes of the Sclavoniansthe Poles, Silesians, and Bohemians. What a contrast did the supper-room present to that I have described at Prague! The table-cloth white as snow; the guests quietly conversing in an under-tone, or, what appeared still more astonishing, supping in silence: in short, the general repose of manner, after the wild gesticulation, loud voices, and incessant clamour of the Sclavonians, was to me most welcome. Even the pipe, that indispensable accompaniment of a German, was excluded from the well-ordered supper-table of the Golden Angel; for I only observed a few solitary individuals exhaling its narcotic vapours at a side table. The next morning I devoted to a promenade through the town, and found it, like all others formerly fortified, to contain narrow streets, lofty houses, and contracted squares. In the construction of the buildings, massive strength has been more studied than elegance, |