226 The Salt Mountains of Ischil. 



At the head of the lake Is the village of Gmunden, where is' a depcft 

 for salt, and a large manufactory of casks, both belonging to the gov- 

 ernment. I found here two German students, also pedestrians, with 

 whom I kept company on to Salzburg. We hired a boat to convey 

 us to the other end of the lake. It was rowed by two men and a 

 girl, there being scarcely any kind of manual labor from which the 

 females of the lower class in Germany are exempted. The lake is 

 romantically situated, having on the eastern side a range of moun- 

 tains rising boldly from the water, and on the other a champaigne 

 country highly cultivated, and sprinkled with Icerrschaufts^ and 

 farm houses. Among the former was the Traun stein, which rises 

 abruptly from the lake about two miles from its outlet. It was a 

 bright morning; every object looked cheerful, and my companions 

 when out on the lake commenced a song about freiheit and Fader- 

 land, to an air that I had often heard among the Germans of my own 

 father-land, Pennsylvania. Suddenly the boat stopped, and the fa- 

 ther of the crew rising up, sprinkled us with water, and with the 

 usual ceremony of baptism gave us each the name of one of the 

 surrounding mountains. 



We landed at Ebens-see, a small village at the southern end of the 

 lake, and in reply to our inquiries, they informed us that the salt 

 was manufactured at this place, but that the salt mines were several 

 miles in the interior. I had supposed that the salt was dug in a solid 

 state from the mountain, and was therefore surprised when they 

 took us to a large building, in which was a sheet-iron pan about 

 sixty feet in diameter and tvi/o in depth, with a brisk fire kept up be- 

 neath. Water was flowino- into it from two hufre cocks, and work- 



men were employed shoveling salt out fiom the bottom on to a 

 draining-board, from which it was afterwards removed to small cone- 

 shaped vessels, with holes at the bottom for further draining- 1" 

 these it was suffered to remain until it became solid, when it was 

 turned out, and the moist end of the cone being cut off, it was ready 

 for transportation. Each lump contained about thirty-three pounds. 

 From Ebens-see we followed the windings of a deep valley iov 

 nine miles, when we arrived at Ischil, a pretty little village, frequent- 

 ed by valetudinarians for the benefit of its salt-baths. These are in 

 a new and very handsome edifice, with a Grecian colonade in front, 

 and an inscription, In sale et sole omnia exisinnt. The salt moun- 



* The residences of ihe titled proprietors. 



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