and strengthened by the Nahe and Moselle, overcomes a similar obstacle at Andernach, when it continues its victorious course towards the sea. Cologne to Bonn by rail; or by Steamer, continue his journey when he pleases, up or down | further career, through which it swiftly rushes, the river, by any of the Company's steamers; he has only to take care to have his ticket marked by the conductor of the boat before leaving it. For landing or embarking at any of these points the charge is 10pf. The circular tickets issued by Railway Companies are not in connection with steamers. Ordinary return tickets are good for 1 to 3 days. Others are valid for 8 days, and others for a year. Scenery of the Rhine.-The picturesque grandeur and beauties of the Rhine are first seen on arriving at the cluster of hills called Siebengebirge (Seven Mountains); and from this place, along the banks of the river as far as Mayence, scenes of surpassing loveliness and romantic beauty are Tourists hurriedly pasconstantly met with. sing up and down the river in a steam-boat cannot properly enjoy the scenery of the Rhine. A mere trip up or down the Rhine, such as English travellers generally take, gives only an imperfect idea of the beauties of the river and its banks. If the tourist wishes to appreciate the Rhine, he must not hurry on but halt at the following places, which perhaps are the most appropriate ones that can be pointed out: Bonn, Coblenz, St. Goar, and Bingen, or Rüdesheim. Below Bonn, in the direction of Cologne, or above Mayence, there is scarcely any object which merits admiration. We trace in the elevated Alps, in Switzerland, and near Mount St. Gothard, the sources of the Rhône, the Tessin, and the Rhine or the king of the German-nay, of the West European rivers. The visitor, on ascending the Rhine, or on his arrival at Strassburg, calls to his recollection that this stream has hastened its course through the lake of Constance; has precipitated itself over the rocky ramparts at Schaffhausen; then, strengthened by the collected waters of Switzerland-the influx of 370 glaciers, and upwards of 2,700 brooks and streamscommenced its majestic course near the ancient Roman city of Basle; expanding between the Upper Black Forest, amidst ranges of mountains encircling a valley of nearly 30 miles in breadth, through which it rapidly wound, receiving, besides other streams, the important Neckar and Main, ja rocky gate at Bingen seems to arrest its 18 English miles. Cologne terminus close to the Central Station. Distance by water, 22 English miles. Steamers occupy 3 hours up, and 1 down. Travellers not desirous of visiting Bonn usually take the train as far as Mehlem, where there is a ferry to Königswinter. A railway runs near both banks of the river, all the way from Cologne to Mayence. Left bank rail (Linksrheinische Bahn). Cologne (Station). (See Route 18.)-The railway, quitting Cologne, passes, at a short distance from the Rhine, through a flat country, rich in corn fields, and in proximity to the Vorgebirge chain of hills, &c. Kalscheuren (Station), a place of no import ance. Brühl (Station).—A small town, population 3,500, remarkable as having been the refuge of the Archbishop Engelbert, of Falkenberg, expelled from Cologne in 1263, and of the Cardinal Mazarin, when expelled from France. The elector, Clement Augustus, laid, in 1725, the foundation stone of the magnificent Castle of Augustenburg, finished by Maximilian Frederick, and now the property of the Prussian government. This castle lies on a beautiful promontory, which near Bonn, recedes from the Rhine, and ranges along in a picturesque manner, two miles from it. The train stops almost exactly opposite the castle. The King of Prussia, in 1845, received Queen Victoria in this castle during the Beethoven festival. The site is excellent, and the country around very picturesque and grand; over the stairs are beautiful platforms painted by Anducci and Carnioli. In the interior cultivated taste is combined with domestic comfort. Large fish ponds, shady groves, and a park which was formerly stocked with game encircle the castle; a linden walk takes us into a small wood to the beautiful hunting seat of Falkenlust. Leaving the last station we pass Sechtem (Station) and Waldorf, where are the remains of a Roman aqueduct, and arrive at Roisdorf (Station). Here there is an excellent mineral spring, whose water is preferable to that of Godesberg, because it retains its carbonic acid for a longer time, and therefore may be sent to a greater distance. A brilliant view of the Seven Mountains beyond the Rhine may be had here. Before reaching Bonn, we see the Kreuzberg (Cross mountain), to which a fine avenue of fir-trees leads. The The village of Poppelsdorf rises behind it. cloister of Servites has been pulled down, but the beautiful Church, with its marble stairs and fine platform is still standing. The church contains some fine paintings, and in the crypt are to be seen mummies of the monks. The Bonn terminus is close to the chestnut avenue leading to Poppelsdorf. Omnibuses ply between the station and steamers. The water journey from Cologne to Bonn is very dull, the banks being quite flat, and the villages lying on them uninteresting. As the steamer nears Bonn, to the left, the outline of the Siebengebirge, or Seven Mountains, is seen to reflect itself in prismatic splendour, glittering and sparkling like the walls of some crystal palace. The Sieg discharges itself into the Rhine on the right bank. This river is famous for salmon fishing. It abounds in this fish, some of which weigh from 30 to 50 pounds. To the left the castle of Siegburg rises on an eminence above the Sieg, three miles east of the Rhine. It is now a Reformatory. It To the left, also, is Schwarz-Rheindorf. contains a curious architectural monument, the Stift Kirche, a church of two storeys high, with very old (12th century) mural paintings, extremely interesting to antiquarians. On approaching Bonn, the most prominent objects are the towers of the Minster, and of the new Evangelical Protestant Church. BONN (Station).-Hotels: The Grand Hotel Royal, situated on the banks of the Rhine; with every modern comfort; highly recommended. Mr. Ermekiel, proprietor. Hotel Golden Star, one of the best on the Continent in every respect, and worthy of the highest recommendation. Hotel Rheineck. Hotel Kley. English Church Service, on Sundays, in the University Church. Presbyterian Church here. Post and Telegraph Office, Münster-Platz. Population, 35,990, including the students and garrison. A university town in Rhenish-Prussia, of Roman origin (Bonna), and formerly the residence of the Electors of Cologne. One of its best edifices is the University, where the late Prince Consort was a student, formerly the Electoral Palace, in which, besides lecture-rooms, is a library of 250,000 volumes; the Academical Museum of Art, a good collection in two rooms, catalogue, 3 marks; attendant, 75pf.; the Museum of Roman Antiquities, chiefly votive tablets, catalogue 2 marks; and Aula, or Hall, decorated with frescoes, by Förster, Götzenburger, and Herman, under the direction of Cornelius. The subjects are Philosophy, Medicine, Jurisprudence, and Theology, in which may be noticed the figures of Linnæus, Cuvier, Wickliffe, Luther, Calvin, St. Jerome, and Ignatius Loyola. That of Theology was begun by Cornelius. Entrance, 75pf. The Minster 11th and 13th centuries, has a very fine external appearance, and was originally founded by the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, in 320. It is built in the Byzantine style and is surmounted by five towers. It contains a bronze statue of the Empress, and has been restored. The house of Beethoven's parents is pointed out in the Rheingasse. He was born, however, in the house No. 20. Bonngasse. A bronze statue of him, erected in 1845, stands in the Münster Platz. Niebuhr, the historian, is buried in the churchyard here, outside the town, with Bunsen and his wife, Schumann (statue), and E. M. Arndt. Here died, 1876, Professor Simrock, author of "An den Rhein, an den Rhein, zieh nicht an den Rhein," and of a popular review of the Nibelungenlied. The Museum of Natural Philosophy occupies the Château of Poppelsdorf, approached by a beautiful walk, lined with a double avenue of chestnut trees. The collection is extensive and interesting; the various fossils, minerals, &c., illustrating the geology of the Rhine, the Siebengebirge, and Eifel. A set of fossil frogs in it deserve notice. Entrance, 75 pf,, less per head per party Th Botanic Garden adjoins the Château, and is rich, spacious, and well distributed. A Chemical Laboratory, one of the best in Europe, and a School of Anatomy, close by, belong to the University. of the thirteenth century, erected by the Archbishops of Cologne, on the site of a Roman fort. It was taken and blown up by the Bavarians in 1583. A magnificent view of the Rhine can be enjoyed from the Donjon keep, which is 100 feet high. One mile and a half from Godesberg is The Beauties of the Rhine begin to unfold themselves at Bonn. From the opposite side of the river the view of the Seven Mountains is magnificently grand, whilst they can also be seen with much advantage from the Alter Zoll terrace, outside the Coblenz gate. The view obtained from the church on the top of Kreuzberg, mile from Peppelsdorf Castle, is beautiful. The Church was built in 1627, and contains a copy of the stairs which led up to Pilate's Judgment Hall. They are in a chapel behind the high altar, and are modelled from the Scala Santa staircase at Rome, and were built of Italian marble in 1725. Persons wishing to ascend them must do so on their knees. In a vault underneath the church are mummies. They lie in twenty-five coffins, and have cowls and cassocks on. They have been buried at various times, from 1400 to 1713, and present the appearance of cured fish. Very many other pleasant excursions can be made in Bonn; and the visitor is recommended to devote a day to Peppelsdorf, Kreuzberg, Kessenich, and the Rosenburg, the Kessenicher Schlucht, and the Dottendorfer Höhe. Bonn to Coblenz.-Leaving Bonn, we pass, at 3 miles distance, the Hoch Kreuz (high cross), as it is called, a Gothic monument, built by Wulfram von Jülich, Archbishop of Cologne, in 1331-1349. About 1 mile distant from this, to the right of the line, and opposite the Hoch Kreuz lies Friesdorf, situated at the foot of a pleasant chain of hills which stretches from Godesberg, till they are lost deep in the district of the Roer. Mehlem (Station), where travellers for Königswinter and the Drachenfels leave the train. The station is mile from the river. From Mehlem an excursion can be made to the volcanic hill of Roderberg. The shortest way to reach the Seven Mountains is by crossing to Königswinter over the Rhine by ferryboat. Königswinter (on the opposite bank) —Hotels: Hotel de Berlin; Rieffel; Kölnerhof. Here the valley of the Rhine, properly so called, which begins at Bingen, terminates. It is a small village of about 1,200 inhabitants, situated at the foot of the Drachenfels, the ascent of which from here can be made in about half an hour. A very interesting and delightful excursion, of about one day's length may be made from the foot of the Drachenfels, by ascending the left bank of the Rhine to Rolandseck, and again going down the river to Königswinter. With the excursion to the Seven Mountains, a visit can be made to the celebrated Cistercian A fragment of the choir Abbey of Heisterbach. Before reaching Godesberg, we pass, on the left, down, and used up in the erection of the fortifica the villages of Ramersdorf and Plittersdorf, and opposite to them, on the other side of the Rhine, are Oberkassel and Dottendorf. Godesberg (Station). Hotels: Blinzler's; Belle Vue; Adler. A small village near the Rhine, containing about 3,000 inhabitants. The Draischer Brunnen mineral spring and the baths are close by. The castle keep, the Godesburg, on the top of the hill, is an interesting object; it is approached by a serpentine path, and is a building tions of Wesel. There is now no need of a guide to visit the district, as finger-posts and first-class roads render it easy for the pedestrian, or those preferring horseback or using c`rriages, to find their way about. A small map of the district may be obtained at Bonn or Königswinter. Donkeys to ascend the Drachenfels cost 1 marks; to Heisterbach, 1 marks. Boats to Nonnenwerth and back, 2 marks; to Bonn, 1 marks. The Seven Mountains, or the Siebengebirge, are a portion of the Westerwald, and fitly usher in the magnificent scenery of the Rhine. They rise in towering majesty above its banks, and are denominated as follows: - Stromberg, 1,053 feet; Niederstromberg, 1,066 feet; Oelberg, 1,456 feet; Wolkenberg, 1,057 feet; Drachenfels, 1,051 feet; Löwenberg, and Hemmerich. On the summits of some are remains of ancient strongholds. The Drachenfels, or the Dragon Rock, is the most remarkable, and derives double interest from having been the subject of Byron's muse. It rises from the bank of the river in a huge wall of rocks, on the south-west declivity. In the lower half, you perceive the narrow, though high, opening of a cave, in which tradition records, dwelt the dragon whom the horned Siegfried slew: "The castled crag of Drachenfels, Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine.-Byron. The summit of this mountain can be arrived at in a little less than an hour from Königswinter. For those who cannot undertake the pedestrian ascent, and do not care to ride, the cog-wheel rail (1 mark up, 50 pf. down) will be found very convenient. From the top a magnificent view may be enjoyed of the country and objects all round. In our ascent we pass the quarry from which was taken the stone used in the erection of the Cologne Cathedral. Close to the top is a very good Inn, where the traveller will find comfortable accommodation, and enjoy a magnificent view of the sunrise, should he stop over night and sleep there. From here the view extends down the river for about 20 miles, closed in by high and picturesque rocks, which impart a wild aspect to the scene, greatly relieved, however, by the villages and farm houses filling up the foreground. The chief objects which strike the eye are the peaks of the Seven Mountains, the Tower of Godesberg, the Volcanic Chain of the Eifel, and the island of Nonnenwerth. On the summit of the Löwenberg are the ruins of the castle in which Melanchthon and Bucer dwelt for a short period with the Archbishop Herman Von Weid. Near Mehlem there is an extinct volcano, one of the most interesting on the Rhine, called the Roderberg. Its crater is a one-fifth of a mile round, and 60 feet deep. Leaving Mehlem the line commences to run close to the river. Rolandseck (Station).-Hotel: Hotel Rolandseck. The view from Rolandseck is very beautiful. If you desire to reach the ruins, you first strike into the horse-road, which serpentines across the hill in a westerly direction. You then come on the left to a footpath that takes you through an overgrown ravine to the summit. At the foot of the hill lies a hamlet with 350 inhabitants. On the pleasant island of Nonnenwerth there is a nunnery, built in 1673. It is now a ladies' school, and gentlemen are not admitted alone. The legend of Roland (of very doubtful authenticity) is well known, and need not be told at length. Roland, in his travels, is said to have been entertained by Graf Heribert, at the Drachenfels, and to have fallen in love with his beautiful daughter, Hildegunde. The crusade prevented their nuptials, and a rumour of Roland's death caused Hildergunde to seek refuge in the convent of Nonnenwerth. His return and despair, his building the castle where he might possibly catch a glimpse of the beloved form, and his faithfulness till death have been recorded in melodious verse. On the height of Honnef, on the other side of the river, there are some lead and copper mines, and a little further down is Rhöndorf, in the shade of the majestic Siebengebirge. With these masses terminates the Westerwald chain that stretches in an easterly direction up to Fulda. The road from Rolandseck to Remagen is carried through a rock. It was begun by the Bavarians, continued by the French, and perfected by the Prussians. From Königswinter to Unkel, the Rhine forms a new basin, bordered on both banks by cheerful landscapes. The stations on the Rechtsrhein line are Rhöndorf, Honnef, and Unkel. Just before arriving at the latter we pass Rheinbreitbach with 1,200 inhabitants, and two coppermines, one of which, St. John's, is the oldest on the Rhine. Unkel.-A small town, with 600 or 700 inhabitants, situated in a very picturesque country, on the left bank. Here is a hill with an inexhaustible store of large columns of basalt, under a layer of 30 or 40 feet of sandy marl ground. They stand and lie in the quarry in different directions, resembling those of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland; their ramifications extending under ground as far as the middle of the Rhine. The most remarkable of these is the Unkelstein, which was formerly a heathen altar. The basalt forms a first-rate material for roads, and as such is largely quarried. Just before arriving at Remagen, on the Linksrheinische line, we see the wooded heights of the Apollinarisberg, which belonged to the abbey of Siegberg. It gives name to a tonic water for drinking in much repute, the Apollinaris Spring, discovered 1857. From 80 to 100 million bottles are exported, mostly to England, from the Company's works. It is rich in carbonic acid gas, and is called after St. Apollinarius, whose head is preserved in the ancient Gothic church, built from the designs of Zwirner, the restorer and finisher of the Dom of Cologne. It is decorated with frescoes, and lighted, except in the choir, by circular windows. It contains some of the best works of the German school of fresco painting, by Deger, A. Müller, and Ittenbach. It may be visited from Remagen, 2 horse carriage, 14 mark. Remagen (Station). (Linksrheinische Rail). Hotels: Hotel Fürstenburg, good and moderate; kept by W. Caraciola, the proprietor also of Hotel König Von Preussen. Both often full. A small town, the Rigomagus of the Romans, with a population of 3,200 inhabitants. It lies opposite the high road from Bonn to Coblenz. When, in 1768, the beautiful road between the two latter mentioned places was being made, a great number of antique monuments were found here and about. They chiefly consisted of Roman milestones, coins, columns with inscriptions, sarcophagi, denoting pretty clearly that the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Lucius had already founded a road here. The chief object of interest to the traveller is the Romanesque Gateway. It is close to the church, and has sculptured on it the signs of the zodiac. On the other side a little above Remagen, are seen the basaltic precipices called the Erpeler Lei, which are 500 feet high, and almost inaccessible, and have yet, by the energy and skill of human industry, been converted into rich vineyards. The costly Ley wine, the principal white wine of these parts, grows on the southern or eastern declivity of this steep. [The traveller is advised to taste it.-R. S. C.] [From Remagen a short line of 8 miles runs up the Ayr valley as far as Ahrweiler. The first station is Bodendorf; the line then runs partly round the base of the Landskron, over 900 feet high, composed almost entirely of columnar basalt, and crowned by a ruined castle of the early part of the 13th century. Near the base are mineral springs, similar to the Apollin arisbrunnen (see above), which lies rather further up the valley. Neuenahr (Station), 6 miles from Remagen. Kurhaus, with thermal springs, resembling those of Ems, much visited, with good arrangements. There are good and cheap hotels and the climate is suited for weak constitutions. Ahrweiler (Station), 2 miles further, with a population of 4,000, lies at the entrance to the more picturesque part of the valley, best visited by pedestrians. Carriages can be obtained, and the roads are good. The principal attractions are Walporzheim ( mlle, good small hotel), and Altenahr (2 inns), with a castle of the 13th century, situated on a bold cliff, 400 feet above the village. Entrance, 50pf. for one person. The effect of the rugged cliffs, which hem in the rushing river, is enhanced by their composition, which is either black basalt or dark slate. This little mountain stream flows through a narrow, deep, and crooked valley, 54 miles long, producing an excellent red wine called Ahrbleichert. Its current is very rapid and sometimes overflows its banks, spreading desolation around. The Ahr valley is well worth a visit by lovers of picturesque scenery, it is too little known.] Linz (Station), on the Rechtsrheinische. Hotels: Weinstock; Nassau Deutscher Kaiser. Hammerstein; A small industrious town, with a population of 3,310. It is partly fortified and belonged formerly to the Electorate of Cologne. In 1365, the castle near the Rhine-gate was built by Archbishop Engelbert III., in order to secure the Rhine toll and protect the town against the invasions of the citizens of Andernach. The castle, as well as the town-walls, are built of basalt, and the streets are paved with the same material. Almost directly opposite Linz, the Ahr issues into the Rhine, |