in the complaints of females. It is essentially a quiet place; little or no raking goes on here. The public gaming-tables are not much frequented. Once a week (on Wednesday) there is a ball at the public room. Another of the amusements which this place affords, is the sport of roebuck-shooting in the Duke's preserves; it is easy to purchase a permission from parties who rent a portion of them. The society at Ems is usually considered more select than that at Schwalbach, Wiesbaden, or even Baden Baden. The season begins in May, and is generally over by the end of August. heavy carriages before the end of 1838. A visit to the castles of Nassau and Stein, about 6 miles higher up the valley, on the high road to Frankfort, is another particularly agreeable excursion. These ruins serve as the rendezvous of many a picnic party. The Convent of Arnstein, and the Chapel of Winden, both commanding beautiful views, and only 3 miles above Nassau, are often visited from Ems. After leaving Ems on the road to Nassau and Schwalbach, the road passes the village of Dausenau, and follows the windings of the Lahn through a beautiful valley as far as Nassau. - Inn: Krone. A chain bridge has recently been erected here over the Lahn, on the The walks over and among the hills near Ems, for instance, up the Baederley, to the Forsthaus Henriet-left bank of which rises the old and ten Weg, to the Lindenbach Valley, by the silver-smelting furnace, to the ruins of Sporkenburg, to Balduïnstein, and in general up and down the Lahn, are very agreeable, and afford many unrivalled prospects. Kemnau is a fine point of view at the top of the mountain behind Ems. Braubach, and the castle of Marksburg, on the Rhine, distant about 8 miles, will form a pleasant day's excursion. (See p. 250.) Coblenz (p. 245.) is about 2 hours' drive from Ems, and deserves to be visited, on account of the beauty of its situation and environs. Ladies who require to go shopping will find it necessary to repair thither frequently. There is a footpath over the hills, from Ems to Ehrenbreitstein, very much shorter than the high road; an easy 2 hours' walk. There is another way also, practicable for light carriages, to Coblenz, by the banks of the Lahn, the Iron-works of Hohenrein, Ahl, Nievern, and Lahnstein, which, though 2 miles longer, avoids the hills, and is far more picturesque than the post-road. (See p. 250.) It is probable that this road will be macadamised and rendered fit for picturesque Castle of Nassau, the cradle (Stamm Schloss) of the families of Nassau and Orange. It was built by a Count of Lauernburg in 1101. In the XIIIth century the family divided into two branches, from the elder of which springs the present Duke of Nassau, while the younger is represented by the King of Holland. The castle stands on the summit of a conical rock, and a little lower down is the less extensive ruin of the Castle of Stein, the baronial seat of another very ancient family, who have held for 500 years their estates and castle on the banks of the Lahn, as a fief from the house of Nassau. The present owner is still of the same name and race, and resides in the modern château situated in the valley hard by, which is also shown to strangers, and contains ancient armour and other curiosities. The enlightened and patriotic Prussian minister, whom Napoleon contemptuously designated " Un nommé Stein," was of this family; he had the merit of introducing into the Prussian government those reforms which have contributed largely to raise that country to its present eminence. Agreeable and easy paths have been cut through the woods leading up to and around these two ruins. The views from them, and from the temple erected by the Baron de Stein on a commanding point, is as pleasing as the ruins themselves are picturesque. Strangers are freely permitted to roam about and enjoy themselves in these very agreeable grounds. In short, a day devoted to a visit to Nassau will assuredly not be considered mis-spent. The beauties of the Lahn valley do not cease at Nassau, but continue upwards beyond Limburg (Route XCVI.), along banks decorated with picturesque castles in ruins, and smiling industrious villages. Beyond Nassau our road ascends by a steep hill, and quits the valley of the Lahn. The view from the height, looking down upon it and its castles, is most beautiful; but after that, adieu to picturesque scenes. The road passes over a bleak tract of high land, very scantily peopled, the villages and habitations in general being snugly nestled in the narrow and steep ravines which intersect in all directions this upper country. There is some fine wooded country near 2 Singhofen. 11⁄2 Holzhausen. Schwalbach, from its peculiar situation, sunk as it were between hills, is scarcely seen until it is entered. This little town, though not devoid of beauty in its position and environs, commonly does not strike the stranger with the full admiration he had anticipated from the perusal of the "Bubbles." Not that the author's descriptions are inexact or even exaggerated, but that it requires a turn of mind similar to his own to elicit that pleasure which he derived from the objects themselves, and which his readers enjoy from his attractive and quaint account of them. 2 Langen Schwalbach. All the most considerable buildings of this little town of 1800 inhabitants, are inns or lodging-houses. The principal of these are, the Allée Saal (Hotel du Promenade), named from a shady avenue of trees close beside it. Nearly 200 people sit down daily at the tabled'hôte; in the evening the rooms serve for dancing and gaming, as well as for music, in fact, become the assembly-rooms. The Allée Saal has the character of not being comfortable, nor is the attendance good. Post, good. Goldene Kette (Golden Chain); Kaiser Saal (Salle d'Empereur); at all these houses there are table-d'hôte dinners every day at one o'clock; the price is from 1 fl. to 1 fl. 12 kr. Among the lodging-houses may be enumerated the Pariser Hof; - Beiden Indien (the two Indies); Englischer Hof, where the author of the "Bubbles" was lodged. At the lodging-houses there are no tabled'hôtes, but visiters can be provided with breakfast and tea, and have their dinners sent in to them from one of the hotels. Schwalbach (in English, Swallows'brook), though within a few years elevated to the dignity of a town, has still the appearance of a long straggling village. It is said to have been known to the Romans; and has for nearly 3 centuries been one of the most frequented of German watering-places (§ 38.); but until the appearance of the "Bubbles from the Brunnen," our countrymen had passed through it year after year without taking any notice of it. The beneficial effects of its strengthening and refreshing waters will secure to it in future an annual succession of visiters from our island. Already many thousand English have taken up their summer residence on the spot, each with the Bubble-blower for his guide, and Spa, Aix-la-Chapelle, and other watering-places have been comparatively deserted by them in conse quence. In order to enter into the spirit of the Brunnen of Nassau, no visiter can must take the book in his hand: it is indeed as essential as a passport. Supposing every one to be furnished with it, or at least to have read it, travellers are referred to it for all general descriptions; and this short account pretends to nothing more than the filling up of one or two points of information upon which the author of the "Bubbles" has not thought it worth while to dwell. dispense with the "Bubbles;" he | entertained, lest he should become It may however be not uninteresting to the readers of that work to hear some intelligence respecting the present state of the place, and the condition of the dramatis persone of the book. We will begin with Dr. Fenner. That physician's advice is as much sought for as ever, and is delivered as nearly as possible word for word, as it was imparted to the author of the "Bubbles." His favourite Brunnen, the Pauline, is still the fashion; they who patronise it far outnumbering those who resort to the other springs. The doctor's reputation seems to be upon the increase, if we may judge from his having appended the aristocratic von Fenneberg ($37.) to his name, and from the multiplication of his portrait in lithographs and upon pipe bowls. Lest the invalids who come to consult him for the first time, should be alarmed by the too sudden appearance of his solitary eye and black patch, the doctor hangs up in his ante-room his own portrait, the contemplation of which is intended to prepare them for what they are to find in the original. In his manner, however, the doctor is by no means forbidding. He is to be found every morning and afternoon upon the walks, steadily pacing up and down, looking after his patients, carefully marking if all his rules are followed, and ready to give advice to all who desire it. The Schwein General has risen into vast importance since the programme of his daily campaign was published to the world. Indeed, fears are justly puffed up with vanity at the attentions paid him, and upon the strength of his now almost European reputation, should at length believe himself the greatest man, not only in Schwalbach, but in all Nassau. He never stirs out without collecting a crowd of admirers at his heels, nearly as numerous as the herd he drives before him. The English make a point of talking to him and asking him questions. He has parted with his horn to one of our relic-loving countrymen, and with his whip to another; and though the consideration he received for them is understood to have been handsome, he now never ceases to lament having sold them much too cheap. It may fairly be questioned, whether on the whole community of Schwalbach have profited by the notoriety given to this place in England: they have in many instances become extortioners, not to say cheats, principally owing to the carelessness and extravagance of many of our countrymen with whom they have come in contact. Schwalbach has the advantage over Ems and Wiesbaden of being more free from bustle and formal restraint, which, with those in search of quiet and retirement, will gain for it the preference over these two watering places, In the height of summer the heat is excessive, and is more severely felt from the want of shade, the hills around being bare of trees, and the plantations recently formed not having attained sufficient maturity to afford shelter from the sun. The season is usually over by the end of August; it begins in June. The town is appropriately called Long Schwalbach, from the arrangement of its houses in one extended line. Near the upper end of its long street are situated the principal Hotels, the Promenades, the Wells (Brunnen), and the Bath-House (Badhaus). The three principal springs which supply water for drinking as well as bathing, are, — 1. The Weinbrunnen, so named from some fancied resemblance to wine in its taste, and 2. The Stahlbrunnen: The both of these contain iron and carbonic acid gas in slightly varying proportions; but the Weinbrunnen is more largely impregnated with steel than the Stahl (steel) Brunnen. - 3. Pauline, a spring which has been more recently discovered, and is named after a duchess of Nassau, containing less iron than the other two; but possessing other qualities; among them that of novelty, which, added to the powerful recommendation of Dr. Fenner, have contributed to render it fashionable. The Pauline spring has been lately traced to its fountain head at the upper end of the valley, where its water bursts out in greater quantity, and more bubbling with gas. A Brunnen-house raised over it has been called Neu Quelle. The Badhaus is a handsome building, supported by an open colonnade, which serves as a walk in wet weather, and as a shelter for a great many itinerant traders, who set up their stalls here in the season. There are scarcely any other shops in Schwalbach. Those who intend to make use of the baths should know that they are much in request, and during the height of the season are occupied from 5 in the morning almost till night. Every hour of the day is bespoken beforehand, and allotted to some one or other, whose name and hour are entered in a book. Those who are not punctual to their time, run the risk of losing their turn. The baths on the upper story are filled from the Pauline, those on the lower from the Stahl and Weinbrunnen, the waters being previously heated artificially. The price of a single bath is 48 kr. and the bath servant who supplies towels receives 6 kr. The water in which the patient prepares to immerse him self is, to use the "old man's" words, " as thick as a horsepond, and about the colour of mulligatawny soup. Garments immersed in it contract stains as deep as red ochre, and they who immerse their heads will find that " their pillow in the morning looks as if a rusty 18lb. shell had been reposing on it." The qualities of the water, however, are bracing and strengthening in a high degree. 'The diurnal proceedings of the vi. siters at the baths is nearly as follows: They rise as early as six; and resort to the wells to drink their allotted potions, keeping themselves in constant motion backwards and forwards between every glass. The water appears to produce a desire for walking, and the walking is with difficulty carried on without the invigorating aid of the water. After 2 or 3 hours of this exercise they have fairly earned their breakfasts. The business of the bath will occupy an hour of the forenoon; and before dinner another course of water is usually prescribed. The dinner-bell for the table-d'hôte sounds at one, and the irksome ceremony is rarely over in less than an hour and a half: when it is concluded, the Germans usually allow themselves a short time to ruminate, to drink their coffee, and to smoke their pipes. At this time of day the donkeys, the slaves of the visiters at the baths, whose lives are spent in carrying, are to be seen in long array, ready to be engaged. At six o'clock the ceremony of drinking the waters begins again. In the evening the Allée Saal is lighted up, and music and dancing on most days of the week gaming at all times - serve to amuse the visiters. On Sundays the English service is performed in the Protestant church. The steep round-backed hills which hem in the town of Schwalbach and its Brunnen are intersected in all directions with paths. From the summit of the heights a number of pleasing views are obtained. One of the inost interesting is that from the little rustic wooden pavilion which stands on the top of the hill, by the side of the road leading from Schwalbach to Wiesbaden. This agreeable "point de vue" is not much more than 20 minutes' walk from the Pauline, and those who fear to face the hill on foot, may make the ascent on the back of a donkey. About half an hour's walk from Schwalbach is Adolphseck, a ruined castle, said to have been built by Count Adolph of Nassau, before he became Emperor, as a residence for a fair lady, his favourite. The excursion, however, which surpasses all others around Schwalbach, is that to the Castle of Hohenstein. The carriage-road leading to it is dusty and monotonous; the better way is to follow the windings of the little stream called the Aarde, on foot or upon donkeys, passing first under the castle of Adolphseck, and then threading the valley upwards for a distance of 6 miles. Its great charm is the variety of scenes it unfolds, its changes at every turn, its openings and closings; at times expanding into broad verdant meadows, then contracting to a narrow strait, with overhanging masses of rock on both sides. At last the grand old castle of Hohenstein appears in sight, in a most romantic situation, perched on the summit of a high black precipice, and forming a termination of the vista. This imposing feudal stronghold of the Counts of Katzenellenbogen was taken and sacked in the Thirty Years' War, but is still in such good preservation as as to be tenanted by a handful of veterans. village composed of a few poor cottages crouches at the foot of the rock, and a small inn recently built will furnish the traveller with a dish of trout or crawfish from the Wiedenbach brook, or a bottle of sour wine, if needed. A There are many other old castles among the valleys of the Taunus, each of which may be made the object of a day's excursion, particularly those of Katzenellenbogen (Cat's Elbow), (built by the Counts of that name, who anciently possessed the country between the Rhine and Lahn: it is situated in a wild and solitary district,) Burg Schwalbach, and Arteck. Niederselters, the spring which produces the far-famed Seltzer water, may be visited from Schwalbach, but it is a long day's journey by crossroads, which even in the best season are very rugged. The spring itself is situated on the high post-road leading from Limburg to Frankfort, and it is of course most easily accessible in that direction. The admirable description of the author of the " Bubbles" will probably afford more gratification than even a visit to the spot. The road which he took led him past the Eisenhammer, an immense hammer, lifted by a water-wheel, which forges iron by its fall (one of the lions generally visited by the water-drinkers of Schwalbach), through the villages of Neuhof and Würges, both of which are post-stations, where fresh horses may be had, to the spring of Selters, situated about a quarter of a mile from the village of Selters, which is also a post-station, and provided with a small inn called the Nassauer Hof. About a million and a half of bottles are exported annually, and the quantity is increasing. Instead of returning to Schwalbach by the same road which brought him, the traveller may make an agreeable variation by following the course of the Lahn by land, or descending that stream in a boat to Nassau or Ems. (See Route XCVI.) A capital macadamised road, but very hilly, leads from Schwalbach to Schlangenbad (a distance of about 5 miles), another Brunnen of Nassau, in a delightful though retired situation, almost buried amongst wooded hills. It is neither a town nor village, but consists of a group of lodging houses; two of these, enormous buildings, resembling cotton mills in their size |