LETTER XXIV.

Kehl.

MY DEAR

We are detained at this place, a small village on the German side of the Rhine, opposite Strasburg, being too late in our arrival to enter the city this evening. The gates are always closed at nine o'clock, and no one is permitted to pass after that time. This is a novel circumstance to an Englishman, who would not very calmly endure being shut out of one of his own towns at such an carly hour. We thank God that the days of the curfew are over with us, and that we know nothing of that insecure and perturbed state of things which renders such precautions necessary. But we are not in England, and must, therefore, quietly submit.

We crossed the Rhine yesterday morning by the bridge at Basle, passed through the little city, and at the distance of about three miles on the road, left the canton of Basle, and entered Germany by the territories of the Grand Duke of Baden. We had the Rhine on our left, and the Black Forest, covering majestic hills, at some distance on our right; while a rich and luxuriant landscape smiled at every step. From the brow of a hill, about twelve miles from Basle, we obtained a glorious view of the windings of the river—the extensive and fertile valley through which it meanders-the dark undulations of

the forest-the towers and the spires of the city in the distance-and the whole line of Alps in the back ground, rising in hoary grandeur, and glittering in the beams of the noon-day sun.

Here we left the Rhine; the road takes a direction towards the Black Forest, and skirts the edge of it, all the way to Fribourg. The route to Vienna lies through the heart of this forest. It was formerly, and is still, much infested by wolves, and at certain periods, especially in the severity of winter, travelling through it is not altogether unaccompanied with danger. You may, perhaps, have heard of a remarkable instance of self-devotion, related of the servant of a German Baron, who was passing through this forest, and pursued by wolves. For a while they kept a-head of their ravenous pursuers, but the servant perceiving them gaining ground, and assured at length that escape was utterly impossible, told the postillion to stop-commended his wife and children to his master's protection, and then calmly gave himself up to be devoured-thus saving the life of his master at the expense of his own.

Happily, however, we saw no wolves-and the only inconvenience we suffered, was a detention of some hours at a filthy post-house. The postillion and the horses were all in the hay-field, and the wary landlady, was sagacious enough not to send for them, till she had got the price of a dinner out of the pockets of her guests. This circumstance delayed our arrival in Fribourg three hours, and it was just dusk when we entered the town.

Fribourg is a fine old town, famous for its minster,

and its university. The minster is a noble pile of gothic architecture, most highly wrought, and of fine proportion. The workmanship of the tower and steeple is exquisite. The church is said to be after the model of that at Strasburg, and one of the finest ecclesiastical edifices in Germany.

We took up our quarters at the Moor, and had reason to be well satisfied with the civility and intelligence of our landlord. His appearance, moreover, was very prepossessing to us citizens of London, for he had all the protuberance and self-complacent air of a perfect cit, and might have been transported in statu quo, to a Lord Mayor's feast, or a fishmonger's dinner, without any chance of his foreign extraction being discovered, if he but kept his own counsel, and simply addressed himself to the matter in hand.

He told us, that at the time of the invasion of France by the allied armies, nearly a million of men passed through Fribourg. At that time, a malignant fever raged in the town, and carried off from thirty to forty a day. Nevertheless, the Emperor Alexander visited the hospital in person: "as for me," said the landlord, shrugging up his shoulders with wonderful effect, "I did not dare to do it, for fear of catching the fever."

In the album of the hotel, we saw many illustrious names, and amongst others, that of Gustavus Adolphus, the ci-devant king of Sweden, who passed the 29th, 30th, and 31st of July, 1813, in that inn. The landlord assured us that the handwriting was his

We did not leave Fribourg till noon to-day, having met with interesting objects to detain us. Before breakfast we visited the cathedral. The gates were open, and many were engaged in their morning devotions before the several altars. The interior of the church is spacious and magnificent, and abounds with sculptures and paintings of the richest kind. We were particularly struck with a representation of the last supper, quite novel in its plan. In a small recess, or chapel, in one of the aisles of the church, an ordinary table is placed, covered with white linen, and the Redeemer and the twelve apostles are seated round it, in figures of marble, as large as life. The expression of the countenances is admirably given, especially that of John, who leans on the bosom of Christ-and Judas, who sits the last in the groupe, and whose hand grasps the bag. The whole has a very fine and imposing effect, and comes nearer to life than any thing I have yet seen. This church is also very rich in painted glass.

We should have staid longer in the cathedral, but our walking about seemed to disturb the devotions of the devotees, and being warned to depart by the sour looks, and savage mutterings of a fierce old man, who appeared to be particularly annoyed by the presence of us heretics, in so holy a place, we deemed it prudent to take the hint.

From the cathedral we proceeded to the library. It contains about 70,000 volumes. It possesses no manuscripts, but many of the books are extremely rare and valuable, consisting chiefly of Polyglots-the Fathers-Editiones' principes of the classics,

&c. &c. I observed the Polyglot of Cardinal Ximenes. This library belongs to the university, in which there are, at present, about four hundred students. These give a literary air to the town. I never saw so many young men, passing through the streets with books under their arms, as at Fribourg. There is, also, a very excellent collection of anatomical preparations, which we saw. The number is small, but the subjects a well preserved and judiciously arranged.

After breakfast we were gratified by a visit to the convent and the monastery. The convent is situated at the outskirts of the town. We were permitted to see the interior of it, and were highly pleased with the accomplished manners, and polite attention of the superior, who accompanied us through the apartments, and explained the economy of the institution. There are but twelve nuns at present in the convent, and three lay sisters; the latter perform the domestic duties of the house. Four of the nuns are employed in teaching a girl's school kept within the walls of the convent. The number of scholars is about four hundred; the labours of the nuns are entirely gratuitous. We visited the several classes, and the nuns to whose charge they were committed, with great readiness exhibited specimens of their work, which the ladies assured us did all the parties concerned the greatest credit. The rest of the sisters occupy themselves in needle-work. We were admitted to the cell of one. It was a neat and commodious chamber. The furniture of the room was simple, but sufficient, and