their territory under Drusus, who in a very short space of time entirely broke the spirit of the mountaineers, brought their country into perfect subjection, and opened a commodious communication through the whole range of Alps that bears their name. This expedition is celebrated by Horace, and forms the subject of one of his most spirited productions*. Ever since this event, this road has been frequented, and always considered as the best and safest passage from the Transalpine regions to Italy. As we had set out late, darkness fell upon us before we had made any very considerable progress, and deprived us of the view of the celebrated vale of Inspruck. We travelled nearly the whole night, and entered that city about four o'clock in the morning. Inspruck is the capital of the Tyrol, a large Alpine province of the Austrian empire, and as it was once the residence of a sovereign prince, is still the seat of government, and has frequently been visited by * L. iv. 4. the emperors. It possesses some noble edifices, more remarkable however, as is usual in Germany, for magnitude than for beauty. The style of architecture, therefore, both of the palace and the churches, is, as may be expected, below criticism; and, when I mention the great hall in the palace, I point out to the traveller almost the only building that deserves his notice. To this I will add another object, that has a claim upon his attention far superior to any that can be derived from mere architectural beauty. It is a little chapel, erected upon a very melancholy and interesting occasion. It is well known that the Emperor Francis the First, husband to the celebrated Maria Tcresa, died suddenly at Inspruck. He was going to the Opera, and while walking through the passage from the palace to the theatre, he fell down, and instantly expired. He was conveyed to the nearest room, which happened to be that of a servant, and there laid upon a miserable bed. Attempts were made to bleed him, but to no purpose; and it is stated, that for a considerable time the body remained with the blood trickling slowly from the arm, unnoticed, and unattended by a servant of any description. The Empress, who loved him with unusual tenderness, shortly after raised an altar on the very spot where he fell, and, clearing the space around, erected over it a chapel. Both the chapel and the altar are, though plain, extremely beautiful, and a pleasing monument both of the affection and of the taste of the illustrious widow. This princess then in the full bloom of youth and beauty, and the first sovereign in Europe in title and in territorial possessions, continued ever after to wear mourning; and to some subsequent matrimonial overtures, is said to have replied in the animated lines of Virgil, Ille, meos primus qui me sibi junxit amores, Abstulit, ille habeat secum servetque sepulcro! The inscription runs as follows, and breathes more grief than elegance. D. O. M. Memoriae eternae fati, que Princeps optimus Throni decus Populi Deliciae Franciscus D: G: Rom: Imp: Aug; Germ et Jerus Rex M: D: Het. Loth et Bur: D. I shall say nothing of the magnificent cenotaph of the Emperor Maximilian in the church of the Franciscans, with its sculptured pannels and bronze statues; nor of the humble cells of the Archduke of the same. name in the convent of the Capuchins, but proceed to a much nobler object than either, to the vale of Inspruck. This vale is perhaps the most extensive and most beautiful of all that lie in the Northern recesses of the Alps. It is about thirty miles in length, and, where widest, as in the neighborhood of Inspruck, about six in breadth. It is watered by the Inn, anciently the Enus, which glides through it, intersecting it nearly in the middle, and bestowing freshness and fertility as it winds along. The fields that border it are in high cultivation, finely adorned with every species of forest-trees, enlivened with towns and villages, and occasionally graced with the ruins of a castle, frowning in shattered majesty from the summit of a precipice. Large woods line the skirts and clothe the sides of the neighboring mountains, and, with the ragged misshapen rocks that swell above them, form a frame worthy a picture so extensive and so beautiful. In the southern extremity of this vale, stands Inspruck; and behind it rises a long ridge, forming part of the craggy pinnacles of the Brenner, one of the loftiest mountains of the Tyrolian Alps. About five miles North of Inspruck is the town of Hall, famous for its salt works; and about four miles on the opposite side, on a hold eminence, stands embosomed in trees, the castle of Ambras. This edifice is of very ancient date, and its size, form, and furniture are well adapted to its antiquity. Its exterior is dignified with turrets, spires, and battlements and its large halls are hung with spears, shields, and helmets, and lined with the forms of hostile knights mounted upon their palfreys, with visors down and spears couched, as if ready to rush forward in battle. The smaller apartments are fitted up with less attention to Gothic propriety than to utility, and contain various natural curio |