LETTERS FROM A CONTINENTAL TOURIST. 593 



were accommodated at the Hotel d'Hollande. I believe in a German 

 salle a manger you may make out the number of natives present by 

 counting those who are sucking pipes ; and in the coffee-room of 

 one hotel the presence of ladies in nowise interfered with their enjoy- 

 ment of this fostid weed. 



Among the many ladies present was one German girl, whose 

 beauty would have stood the test of comparison with that of my fairest 

 countrywomen, and her manners and dress were to my mind as far 

 superior to those of the majority of the sex as her person was ; gay, 

 yet unobtrusive, the one simple and decent, but elegant the other. 

 Such are the bright visions that pass before the eyes of a wanderer ; 

 and, real though they be, they flit from before him, and, as though 

 they were indeed " tricks of the fancy," the airy nothings of a 

 dream, leave no trace behind but a passing regret, a somewhat more 

 lasting remembrance of the beautiful phantom. Even this soon passes 

 away, as the present light of some new planet overpowers the fading 

 brilliancy of the parting star. 



September I5tk. 



DESCENDED the Rhine from Mentz to Coblentz. From Bingen 

 the famous scenery begins; but Switzerland has spoiled me. I am 

 ashamed to confess that I was disappointed. There is not one object 

 of general admiration which has left a strong impression on my me- 

 mory, save the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein. The mountains seemed 

 but mole-hills when compared with what I had lately seen ; and, as 

 specimens of the picturesque, were utterly destroyed by the stiff ter- 

 races of vines which clothed them to their very summits. The ruined 

 castles, so much vaunted by the Rhine travellers, have a wonderful 

 family likeness ; and I do not think that after an introduction to one 

 member, you have much reason to desire any [further acquaintance. 

 The steep Lurley rock and its echoes, and the Pfalz Tower, on a 

 small island in the middle of the river, were all that 1 should have re- 

 marked upon, had it not been for the notifications in my guide book. 

 We arrived at Coblentz soon after mid-day, and landed there, leav- 

 ing the majority of our fellow-travellers to pursue their route to 

 Coin without let or stay, except for the embarkation arid debarkation 

 of passengers. 



On our arrival at Coblentz, notwithstanding the rain, which came 

 on shortly after our landing, we traversed the town in search of beau- 

 ties, though I cannot say that we found any thing worthy of remark. 

 So, having perambulated the streets, we returned to our hotel, and 

 found permission, which had been procured on the credit of our pass- 

 ports, to visit the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein. The view from the 

 high rocks on which it is built is truly charming. Coblentz and 

 Ehrenbreitstein (the town) are seen beneath you as though they 

 were modelled representations and not real masses of stone and 

 mortar. Opposite was the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine,* a 

 much more interesting sight I thought than that of the Rhone and 

 Saone. The line of demarcation is distinctly visible; and, from that 



* Coblentz is a corruption of the Latin word, confiucntes, ''flowing together." 



