STRASBOURG.

from the top of the spire is most grand: the windings of the Rhine, the Vosges Mountains of France, and the Black Forest of Germany, the scene of so many historical romances. A bird's-eye view of the whole panorama will well reward the adventurous sight-seer-adventurous, because the ascent can not be made without some danger, and requires considerable nerve and steadiness of head. The stonework is so very open that, in case of a sudden attack of giddiness or the slipping of the foot, the body might pass through; there have been several such cases. Two thirds of the way up there is a watchman's station, where persons live to keep a lookout for fires: here the visitor's register is kept, and you can purchase prints, plans, and books descriptive of the cathedral. The interior is rich in stained glass, but the most remarkable object of interest it contains is its world-renowned clock, invented three hundred years ago. It would require a volume to describe it. When you visit it, be particular to be present at 12 o'clock precisely, as that is the only time during the twelve hours when the cock crows, and all the images, puppets, etc., are set in motion.

The church of St. Thomas should be visited for the purpose of examining the monument of Marshal Saxe by Pigalle, erected to the memory of that hero by his sovereign, Louis XV. It is considered one of the finest efforts of the chisel. This church also contains two bodies in glass cases, said to be those of the Count of Nassau and his daughter the flesh and clothes have been preserved in their present state for over 400 years. The Public Library, which formerly contained over 100,000 volumes, is rich in its collection of early efforts in the art of printing, among which are Metelin's Bible, printed in 1466, and Cicero, printed by Faust in 1465. This building was destroyed by the Prussian bombs during the late siege. Gutenberg, to whom a statue by David has been erected on Place Gutenberg, made his first attempt at printing here in 1435. On the site of the present Prefecture, in the middle of the 14th century, 2000 Jews were burned to death, accused of having poisoned the fountains and wells, which gave rise to the plague which at that time desolated the city.

STRASBOURG.

Strasbourg is noted for the celebrated Pâtés de fois gras, made from the livers of geese. They are fed in such a manner that the liver grows to an unnatural size; it often weighs three pounds when the goose is killed.

Steamers descend the Rhine daily to Mayence in ten hours. Omnibuses convey you to the railway station at Kehl. From thence to Baden-Baden the time is four hours.

The memorable siege of Strasbourg by the Prussians, and its heroic resistance, only equaled by that of Paris, well deserve a few lines.

On the 8th of August a German officer appeared with a white flag before the city, and summoned the commandant, General Uhrich, to surrender, threatening a bombardment in case of refusal. This request was peremptorily denied, notwithstanding that the town was by no means in a state of defense, most of the garrison having been withdrawn from the town by Marshal McMahon. On the 19th of August

the bombardment commenced, from which time it continued almost without interruption until the surrender of the city on the 28th of September, 1870. Among the principal buildings destroyed were the Bank of France, the Public Library, the Museum of Painting, the Theatre, the Prefecture, the Arsenal, the Palace of Justice, several churches, and part of the roof and the organ of the Cathedral. Whole streets were devastated, and the citadel was literally a mass of ruins.

On the 11th of September, a delegation sent by the Swiss, offering an asylum to the women and children of Strasbourg, entered the city, and on the 15th 500 persons, and on the 17th 568 persons-old men, women, and children—passed the Prussian lines on their way to Switzerland, where every comfort was afforded them.

There are several routes by which Cologne may be reached: either down the left bank, via Saarbruck and Binderbruck; or down the right bank, via Heidelberg and Frankfort; or taking steamer at Mayence, which in warm weather would be the most interesting.

From Strasbourg to Cologne; time, 14 hours. For Cologne, see Index.

From Paris to Berlin, via Aix-la-Chapelle, Cologne, and Hanover; time 23 h.

AIX-LA-CHAPELLE.

BORCETTE.

bound the rod which smote the Savior; a piece of Aaron's rod, and the arm-bone of the Emperor Charlemagne. All the emperors and empresses of Germany for over 700 years have sworn on these relics at

At station Erquelines the Belgian frontier is crossed. After passing Liege, the junction to the watering-place of Spa is reached. See vol. i., Index.

Aix-la-Chapelle (in Rhenish Prussia), the birthplace of Charlemagne, is a city of 60,000 inhabitants. It is well supplied with good hotels, chief among which are Nuellen's Hotel, H. Grand Monarque, H. d'Empereur, and Couronne Impériale: rates about the same as at Spa.

Aix-la-Chapelle was named after "the chapel" erected by Charlemagne. It stood on the site of the present cathedral or minster, and was intended as a place of burial for himself and descendants. It was consecrated by Pope Leo III., assisted by 365 bishops and archbishops. The church was destroyed by the Normans in the 10th century. The present edifice, however, is one of the oldest in Europe, and is unequaled in the number and value of the relics it contains, some of which are only shown once in seven years, when hundreds of thousands of infatuated mortals make pilgrimages to see them. They were presented to Charlemagne by the Grand Patriarch of Jerusalem. They consist of the swaddling-clothes in which the Savior was wrapped, the scarf he wore at the Crucifixion, spotted with blood, a cotton robe worn by the Virgin at the Nativity, and the cloth on which the head of John the Baptist was laid. These, with numerous presents of great value presented by different German emperors, are deposited in a silver vase of great cost, and, as we before remarked, are shown only every seventh year: 1860 was the last time.

There are also numerous other relics, considered not as of much importance, but guarded with jealous care. It requires a fee of one dollar to make the guardian expose them; the principal of which are a locket of the Virgin's hair, and a piece of the true cross, both of which Charlemagne wore round his neck when he died and while in the grave; the leathern girdle of Christ; the bones of St. Stephen; the cord which

dome is a slab of marble, on which is inscri ed "Carlomagno," pointing out the position of his tomb. A full mass is chanted in the Cathedral every Sunday at 10 o'clock A.M.

The Hôtel de Ville is an imposing building of the 14th century, standing on the site of the palace where Charlemagne was born. It is particularly celebrated for the congresses held there-that of 1748, when a general peace was signed by all the crowned heads of Europe, and that of 1818, when the Emperors of Russia and Austria, and the King of Prussia, in addition to deputies from Louis XVIII. and George IV., here assembled. After this Congress, Aix-la-Chapelle, which had been annexed by Napoleon, was ceded to the King of Prussia, in whose possession it has since remained. In the centre of the marketplace stands a fine bronze equestrian figure of Charlemagne.

The springs of Aix are celebrated for their efficacy in the cure of rheumatism, gout, and cutaneous diseases. The temperature is 130° F. At the fountain of Elisa there is a café, drinking-room, and restaurant. A band plays from 7 to 8 o'clock, and the process of time-killing is much the same as that described at Spa, but not to be compared with Spa as a residence. The Kurhaus, at which place weekly balls are given, is a splendid suite of rooms. For the accommodation of visitors, there is a reading-room supplied with reviews and all the magazines and foreign newspapers, for the use of which visitors remaining any length of time pay a small monthly subscription fee.

The manufactures of Aix are very extensive, in proportion to the population of the town, chief among which is the manufacture of cloth, steam-engines and spinning machinery, looking-glasses and embroidery.

Borcette, a small town some three miles distant, is more retired, and less expensive for persons taking the waters.

For description of towns on the route to Berlin, see Index.