160 SKETCHES OF A RESIDENCE 



fell off, and its reputation was endangered. The generous Elector, Charles 

 Theodore, in 1751, came to the rescue of the falling monster, and order- 

 ed a new one to be constructed out of the most solid materials. No 

 expense was spared to exceed all the previous works in beauty and 

 strength, and 80,000 guilders were laid out upon it. This is the identical 

 cask the visitor beholds at the present time ; it is the chief of all similar 

 structures in the world — the most worthy temple of Bacchus now in ex- 

 istence. It exceeds all its predecessors in capacity, and contains the 

 enormous quantity of 934 hogsheads, or 236,000 large bottles. It is 

 30 feet long, 21 feet in diameter at the ends, and 23 feet in the middle. 

 The staves are 8 inches thick. It is bound together by 18 wooden 

 hoops, 8 inches thick and 10 wide, and over these, are numerous thick 

 iron bands. It stands on an ornamental pedestal, several feet from the 

 ground. It is 26 feet high from the floor, and in front, it is decorated 

 with the crown and coat of arms of the prince, with his name in gold 

 letters on a blue field. The plane and compasses used by the builder 

 are still preserved. The former is seven feet long, and the latter eight. 

 It has a poetic inscription on it, expressive of its wondrous qualities. 

 A stairway conducts the visitor to the top, which is flat and large enough 

 for 45 persons to stand on conveniently. Near this cask, is another of 

 ordinary size, which is remarkable for its construction ; it is without 

 hoops, nor is there any visible means by which it is held together. It 

 seems more like a solid trunk of an enormous tree, hollowed out from 

 the bung hole, but yet it is really composed of staves, like any other 

 hogshead. It is a complete puzzle in coopery. Reader, when you go 

 to Heidelberg, forget not, I beseech you, the famous cask. 



SKETCHES OF A RESIDENCE IN THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. NO. IV. 



The language of the Sandwich Islanders is remarkably soft and a- 

 greeable to tiie ear, and as the missionaries inform us, extremely rich 

 and copious. I have often wondered why it was that these people have 

 such an invincible repugnance to become acquainted with our language, 

 or speaking it. As a general thing they cannot be induced to make an 

 effort to acquire it, and, in many cases, those who understand it, cannot 

 be induced to speak it. This repugnance is probably owing, in a great 

 degree, to the large number of consonants in the English tongue. They 

 find it extremely difficult, and, without much practice, absolutely impos- 

 sible, to terminate a word without a vowel sound. The native language 

 is full of vowels. Almost every word, and nearly every syllable begins 

 and ends with a vowel. This predominance of vowel sounds, of course, 



