trade in linen, woolen, and cotton fabrics. Among other branches of its trade is that of Gotha sausages, which are very fine, and are sent to all parts of Germany. It also does a large business in lacquered ware of all kinds. From Gotha to Eisenach, distance 19 m. Fare, first class, 35 s. g.; time, 45 minutes. Eisenach, the capital of Saxe-WeimarEisenach, is situated at the confluence of the Nessa and Horsel, and contains 13,000 inhabitants. It was formerly one of the most flourishing manufacturing towns between Leipzig and Frankfort. Its hotels are H. Rautenkranz and H. Halbe Mond. It is the principal town in the Thuringian forest, and has been rendered famous from the fact of Martin Luther being detained a prisoner in its Castle of Wartburg, which is situated about 1 miles south of the town. On the 4th of March, 1521, as Luther was returning to his home from the Diet of Worms, where, in defiance of all threats and the Pope's excommunication, he had Loldly proclaimed the Protestant religion, as he was entering the borders of the wood, his party was attacked by a body of armed knights and dispersed; he alone was made prisoner. He was conducted to the castle of Wartburg, where he discovered the whole affair was managed by the order of his friend the Elector of Saxony, who was present at the Diet when he left. Although the Emperor Charles V. had given Luther assurance of safe-conduct, a decree for his arrest was instantly sent after him, and his sentence of death decided on. The Elector's band reached him before the warrant of arrest, and he was carried in secret to Wartburg, where he remained for ten months. He cultivated mustaches, and passed at the castle for a young nobleman, thus screened by the friendly Elector of Saxony until the first fury of the storm had passed. The chamber which Luther occupied in the castle contains his portrait and that of his father and mother. This room was the scene of his conflict with Satan. There is an absurd story told and believed that the Evil One appeared before him gnashing his teeth and threatening him with vengeance, whereupon Luther, who had defeated his foes with pen and ink, thought he would try the ink alone on the devil, and, seizing the inkstand, he hurled it with all his power at the head of his satanic majesty, hitting his imagination and the wall, making a greater impression on the latter than Satan did on the former. The hole in the wall is now shown to the traveler. In another part of the castle is the picture of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, formerly a resident of Wartburg, whose husband was as hard-hearted as she was kind and charitable to the poor. On one occasion, when she had her apron filled with food which she was about to bestow on the hungry, her husband caught her in the act, and, demanding what she had in her apron, she replied, " Flowers," when, thinking to detect her in a falsehood, he tore open her apron, when, lo and behold! the bread and cheese were transformed into roses and lilies. She stands in the picture as if trembling for fear they will change again. In another part of the castle are some beautiful suits of armor; conspicuous among these is that of the robber-knight Kunz, of Kaufungen, who was of gigantic stature. He was beheaded at Friedburg for kidnapping two young Saxon princes; also that of the Connétable de Bourbon, who was slain while taking Rome by assault; and those of the two Saxon princesses, Agnes and Kunegunde. From Eisenach to Cassel, distance 66 m. Fare, first class, 103 s. g.; time, 4 h. 25 m. Cassel, the capital of the Electorate of Hesse-Cassel and residence of the Elector, is beautifully situated on both sides of the Fulda. It contains a population of about 41,587. Principal hotels are H. Konig von Preussen, Romischer Kaiser, and Russischer Hof. The first-named is a very fine house, situated in the Konig's Platz. In the middle of the Friedrich Platz, the largest square in any German town, stands a statue of the Elector Frederick, whose memory is universally detested by all freemen of the Western World. He it was who hired his bloodthirsty soldiers to the King of England to crush the rising growth of our young republic. Cassel is divided into the Old and New towns, the former of which, close to the river's banks, consists of narrow and dirty streets; the latter contains the Elector's palace and many other public edifices, with several fine squares. The Museum, which is situated on Friedrich's Platz, next to the Elector's palace, is the finest building in Cassel. It con tains a library of 80,000 volumes and a cabinet of curiosities. Among the latter are several antiquities from Herculaneum, busts of Napoleon and his son, the young King of Rome, by Canova, several very fine antique statues purchased from the Pope, among which are a Minerva and a bronze head of Mars. The antique bronze figure of Victory is the lion of the colection. There are also some fine agates, from 3 to 4 feet long, from the Marburg mines. The fee for a single person is 1 thaler, and 2 for a party. The picture-gallery in the Belvidere contains some very fine pictures. They are principally of the Dutch school, Rembrandt, Vandyke, and Teniers. There is a very fine cattle-piece by Paul Potter, and a portrait by Titian. The gallery is open to the public from 10 to 12 on Wednesdays; at other times the fee is 1 thaler. A little below the Friedrichs Platz, in the old town, is the Kattenburg, a large unfinished palace, begun upon the site of the old electoral palace destroyed by fire in 1811. Work on it was suspended on account of the death of the Elector who commenced it. It is now covered with moss and weeds. Cassel has eight churches, seven Protestant and one Jewish. The principal is the church of St. Martin: it is the burialplace of the royal family. Its educational and charitable institutions are very numerous; among the latter is the Wilhelms Institut, where a large number of poor are not only provided for, but taught different trades In the Augarten, or public garden, is situated the Marble Bath, a very elaborate apartment, filled with statues and bas-reliefs, not of the most delicate character. Close to this is the orangery. Cassel possesses few manufactures, comparatively speaking: the principal are woolen, silk, and cotton fabrics, snuff, playing-cards, and chemical products. It has two fairs annually. A straight and handsome road, shaded by an avenue of limes three miles long, 376 leads to Wilhelmshöhe, the Versailles of Germany, and summer residence of the Elector. By no means quit Cassel without visiting this beautiful spot. The waters play every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. The highest fountain on the Continent is here; one stream, 12 inches in diameter, is thrown to the hight of 200 feet. This palace is regarded as one of the most magnificent residences in Europe. Apart from the immense amount spent on it, its natural beauties are hard to match. The palace lies at the bottom of the hill; it was occupied by Jerome Napoleon while King of Westphalia; close to it is the theatre he built, and where he used to act. The principal object of interest here is the colossal Hercules, and the Cascade of Karlsburg. The cascade is 900 feet long, leading up to the colossal statue, which stands on an octagon building 1300 feet above the river. The figure is of copper, and 30 feet high; eight persons can stand at one time in the hollow of the club the figure holds in his hand. The view from the statue is most delightful. The whole arrangement is said to have kept employed daily 2000 men for fourteen years, and to have cost over ten million dollars! although the exact amount was never known. The government, fearing the people, destroyed all record of the expense. From Cassel to Frankfort, distance 120 miles. Fare, first class, 9 florins 12 krs.= $3 80; time, 5 hours 15 minutes. Friedberg contains a population of about 3500. It is prettily situated on the top of a hill, surmounted by a fine old tower; there is nothing here to detain the traveler. Frankfort will be described on our return routes. See Index. We will now resume route 12, starting from Dresden. From Dresden to Prague, distance 116 miles. Fare, first class, 7 florins 40 kreutzers=$3 10; time, 6 hours. An express train twice a week makes the time in five hours, or the whole distance from Dresden to Vienna in 14 hours. |