THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



most attractive town on my way to Cologne
I will stop for an hour or two, at least.
   Thirty-six miles since we embarked aI
Mayence, and it is just a little past noon-al.
most 12 miles an honr, including numberless
stops. Pretty well.
  My two hours are tp, and another boat iE
already at the wharf to take me on. Have
seen all the public squares, and the principal
public buildings, and sundry quaint old
churches,-have crossed the beautiful Moselle
by the long bridge; have crosed the Rhine on
the bridge of boats, 486 paces in length, and
clambered up the heights of Ehrenbrienstein,
and am again steaming down the river. Does
it take a Yankee all day to see all there is of
general interest in two or three small towns,
provided they lie close together? Not quite,
if he is alone, is systematic and knows before-
hand where to go.
  Am well pleased with my dashing visit to
the city of Coblenz,-most pleased with that
to the cloud-capt citadel, the checkered his-
tory of which is full of romantic interest-
The fortifications there are armed with 400
cannon and cost over $5,000,000.  But the
view from the summit, that was glorious.-
The several chains of mountains-the valley
of the Rhine, and the Rhine itself with its
islands-the navigable Moselle with its char-
ming scenery-the city within the angle
formed by their confluence-the Chartreuse
on the vine-clad heights beyond, and the more
than thirty towns and villages in the plane
below! Few places in the world afford such a
view.
  The channel of the river widens here, but is
soon shut in again by mountains. Neuwied
and Andernach are announced-old Roman
towns on opposite sides of the river. The
latter still presents some interesting ruins of
Roman gates and palaces.   At length we
reach Unkelt beyond which the Rhine forms
another broad basin with delightful land-
scapes on either side. A multitude of little
villages are seen scattered over the plain, the
hills are clothed with vineyards, and in the
distance the famous Siebegebirge (Seven Moun-
tains) greet the eve: their majestic summits



seeming to rise above the clouds. The highest
is, nevertheless, but a pigmy compared with
the Alpine mountains left behind. They have
queer significant names, such as Drechenfela
(Dragon's Rock) and Wolkenburg, (Castle of
Clouds,) and on most of them are seen the
ruins of old Castles, said to have been built
in 368, by the Emperor Valentian.
  Bonn !-another large town of Roman ori-
gin-famous for many remarkable events;
famous also for its great University, and as
being the birth place of the immortal Beetho-
ven, one of the world's greatest musical mas-
ters. Here likewise I stop for an hour; view-
ing the ancient wonders, the University, the
splendid gardens, and taking my bread and
beer in the Rhinegaoe, just spposite the house
where Beethoven was born-a plain two-story
dwelling with stucco finish outside, not leok-
ing a bit as though it had given so great a
genius to the world. But, then, is this not
the history of nearly all the remarkable men
who have ever lived?   Genius is oftenest
born in obscurity. It is thus that nature re-
news her intellectual forces.
  At last my feet tread the streets of Cologne.
And here I may look backward, for I have al-
ready seen the best portion of this, the king
of West European rivers. Taking its source
in the grand old Alps-strengthened in its
progress by I he gathered waters of Switzer-
land-embracing the icy flow from 370 gla-
ciers and 360 smaller rivers-now flowing
slowly and wide through the broad valley of
the upper Black Forest and encircling its
thousands of little islands -now again nar-
rowed down to a deep and strong current
lashing its way through the rocky ramparts
of Bingen and Andernach and bearing its
majestic way through dark defiles in the His-
mric mountains of Rhenish Prussia-and
hence more quietly, as if with assured great-
aees, through the rich garden lands of Hol-
land to the Northern Sea-it is truly a glo-
rious river, even to a native American, born
in the valley of the Ohio and finally settled
on the banks of the great Father of Waters.
go wonder every German heart is uraud of



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