140 



FOREIGN NOTICES. 



equipages — each table having one or more servants, 

 who poured out the tea ; but the ladies of the house 

 themselves handed it to the guests. The evening 

 was passed under these illuminated trees, or near 

 some pretty fountains, or wandering about the dusky 

 walks. At 10 o'clock we went in to a table, laid 

 with a fine service of silver and glass, and com- 

 menced a sit-down-supper with a large dish of green 

 peas, having a vase of cold butter in the centre. 

 Jifter this came roast venison, larded over most 

 curiously with figures of the chase, the game, 

 salads, and the siveets. » * • » « 



From Ems back to Coblentz, and so down the 

 rest of the Rhine ; for no one goes beyond Cob- 

 lentz. And here, let me say, in my opinion, the 

 Rhine dues not by any means equal the Hudson. 

 It did not strike me that there was a hill 500 feet high 

 except perhaps the Seven mountains, which may 

 be 800 feet. Most of the castles are like exces- 

 sively old wine ; you can't tell what to make of 

 them! I believe you give me wine, when I drink 

 some invisible green, pale, tasteless stuff, because 

 I believe you. We believe the guide books, point- 

 ing out this and that castle ; but I assure you. they 

 are in many, and I might say, in most instances, so 

 dilapidated that they resemble nothing but a per- 

 pendicular rock, with some loose blocks of stone 

 lying about it. There are, however, three or four 

 very interesting ones. The best is Stozenfels, be- 

 longing to the king of Prussia ; but it is a restora- 

 tion, at an enormous expense, upon the old founda- 

 tion. It is really admirable — far surpassing War- 

 wick castle — especially as it is furnished entirely 

 in the antique style. There is also another restora- 

 tion in progress, belonging to the crown prince of 

 Prussia. 



To Americans, the scenery upon the Rhine is 

 not grand. To the English, its principal varnish- 

 ers, who have no grand scenery at home, I can 

 easily imagine its charms; as also to the Dutch, Bel- 

 gians, Germans, &.c., whose scenery is even tamer 

 than England. But I am sure all \mericans who 

 know the river are disappointed. I certainly was ; 



and , whose recollections of the Rhine were 



before a more recent familiarity with the bolder 

 parts of the Hudson, was grievously so. * • 

 * * * * I was much pleased with Holland ; 

 though from the steeple at Utrecht, you can see the 

 whole of it. The Hague is a most charming 

 place. Though the residence of the king and court, 

 it does not seem a town, but rather, a great, clean, 

 shady New-England village ; like the best parts of 

 New-Haven or Northampton. I mean, more par- 

 ticularly, in the i nmense elms that shade every 

 street, bordered on one side by the canal. The 

 court here is a very quiet one ; and there is not the 

 least show or parade, even in or near the palace. 

 We were in a hotel opposite the royal park, with 

 merely a gravel drive between us and 200 or 300 

 deer grazing under the finest trees ; they were se- 

 parated from us by an invisible ha-ha fence- The 

 " forest" at the Hague quite realizes my ideal of 

 a forest : no underwood, but some 200 acres of im- 

 mense timber trees, with long perspective views, 

 crossed and threaded by innumerable alleys and 

 walks, as well as lakes, rivers and islands ; but 

 never allowing the sun to come in, except in those 



Jlickering lights which have such a delightful ef- 

 fect in woodland scenery. Through the whole 

 forest run several grand avenues, 50 feet broad and 

 3 miles long, with giant trees, whose branches 

 meet some 60 feet over your head. Imagine every 

 avenue, walk, glade, and alley filled on Sunday, 

 from 2 to 8 P. M., with some 20,000 well dressed 

 people — children innumerable, and the whole enli- 

 vened by the music of several fine military bands ; 

 all the walks nicely gravelled, the water filled 

 with swans and aquatic birds, everybody animated, 

 well dressed, and apparently well bred, and you 

 will have an idea of one of the gayest sights I ever 

 saw. * * * Let me tell you, also, of Booth's 

 nursery, in Holstein, one of the Danish provinces. 

 The head gardener, who is English, told me that 

 it is the largest in extent, means, &c., in the world, 

 and gave me the following particulars : It consists 

 of 180 acres, and requires an average of 130 men, 

 and 20 women, to cultivate it. In the packing 

 season 80 packers are employed, day and night, at 

 wages averaging 9s. sterling per week. The ave- 

 rage profit for the last 30 years has been X3,000 

 ($15,000,) though for 12 years the elder Mr. Booth 

 netted £10,000 per annum for the sale of dahlias 

 alone. To the cultivation of this flower eleven acres 

 are still devoted, and they have some 2000 varie- 

 ties. The collection of Orchids is said to be the 

 finest in the world. I saw some 20 or more sorts 

 of these rare air-plants, each of which sell freely 

 (principally to Russians,) for 60 guineas each. 

 There are 22 hot and green-houses ; and I have 

 never seen any in such perfect order. They are 

 from 50 to 1 ;0 feet long. The collection of fruit is 

 not large ; but of Orchids they have 2000 varieties, 

 and the' collection of ornamental trees is enormous. 

 See, for example, in the following genera : 

 Of Acers — 47 species and varieties. 

 Alnus— 19 " 



Andromeda— 26 " " 



Betula— 30 " " 



Clematis— 28 " " 



Crategus — 60 " " 



Fraxinus— 45 '• " 



Quercus— 85 " 



Pinus— 71 " " 



Abies— 15 " " 



Picea-23 " " 



Taxus— 15 '•■ " 



Thuya— 14 " " 



Strange to say, these evergreens are nearly all 

 grown in pots ; as nothing but the Norway and 

 Balsam firs will withstand their climate. Among 

 trees and shrubs rare to me, I noticed a weeping 

 birch, peculiar to Germany. It had descending 

 shoots 32 feet long. The branches hang as per- 

 pendicularly downward as those of either the So- 

 phora pendula or the common weeping willow, and 

 are quite as delicate and pensile as the latter. 

 That pretty vine, Tropeolum pentaphyllum is said 

 to be perfectly hardy here, where the Cedar of 

 Lebanon will not stand the winter. Cupresus 

 distirha, an evergreen variety ; but in colour and 

 habit precisely like our deciduous cypress, and with 

 a rather larger leaf — is also ferfectly hardy ; though 

 the deciduous cypress itself has to be protected. 

 There was a weeping oak on the lawn rather pecu- 



