AUSTRI A. 



143 



Austria 



Soil and 

 surface. 



fortunate if she preserves her own dominions entire. 

 No enemy then threatens to disturb the tranquillity 

 of Austria in her present political attitude : And we 

 may therefore be permitted to hope, that she shall 

 one day recover the rank which she formerly main- 

 tained in the scale of our great European powers ; 

 that she shall adopt such military and ceconomical 

 arrangements as correspond with her immense na- 

 tional resources ; md that she shall, sooner or later, 

 prove an useful ally of our country, in checking the 

 usurpations, and .restraining the ambition of France. 



Austria Upper and Lower, (ob der Ens, und 

 Upper and unter der Ens,) lies in latitude 47 20' 4-8 57' north, 

 Lower. an( j j n longitude 13 50' 17 2' east of Green- 

 wich. The whole province above and below the 

 Ens, and on each bank of the Danube, is about 140 

 English miles long, and at an average 70 broad, con- 

 taining 9800 English square miles, or 6,172,000 sta- 

 tute acres, almost one eighth of the British island. 

 One-third of this extent consists of mountains, forests, 

 lakes, summer grazings, and pasture; and two-thirds 

 of meadows, corn-fields, vineyards, and the 6cites of 

 cities, villages, churches, and country houses, &c. 



Austria is bounded by Bavaria on the west, Stiria 

 on the south, Hungary on the east, and Bohemia and 

 Moravia on the north. It lies almost in the centre 

 of our European population, nearly at the same dis- 

 tance from Madrid and Petersburg, London and Con- 

 stantinople. 



The soil of Upper Austria, especially on the banks 

 of the Danube, and of the larger streams which run 

 into that river, is either a clayey loam, or the deposi- 

 tion of schism's and calcareous rocks, which are hur- 

 ried down by the torrents from the mountains. In 

 the higher vallies the soil is thinner and lighter, but 

 very sharp and fertile, and upon the whole well 

 adapted to corn and grass husbandry. The climate 

 is there too precarious and boisterous for the cultiva- 

 tion of the vine. The surface of the whole province 

 is a gradual slope from the southern mountains and 

 northern hills towards the Danube, which flows 

 through the heart of the country, and receives every 

 river or stream that pervades it. Tlicse rivers run 

 into their majestic receptacle nearly at right angles 

 from both sides, like the ribs into the keel of a ship ; 

 and indeed the general surface of Austria bears no 

 small resemblance to the inside bottom of a ship, 

 supposing the ribs to descend gradually and gently, 

 and to be much less straight at a distance from the 

 keel tlian near to it. The traveller, accordingly, 

 who walks nearly along the banks of the Danube, 

 can see more of the country on each hand, whether 

 he ascend or descend the river, than he can from the 

 banks of any stream of any other region with which 

 we are acquainted. This declivity, which is uniform 

 and gradual for many leagues on each bank, gently 

 facilitates the draining of the ground, and the car- 

 riage of bulky commodities from the interior of the 

 province to the markets and places of resort on the 

 river. The ground is accordingly well cultivated, 

 and yields a rich and beautiful prospect. The nu- 

 merous towns and villages on the Danube; the varie- 

 gated and njajestic woods which skirt the hills that 

 gradually rise on either hand ; the monasteries, castles, 



spires, farm-houses, and villages, here and there peep- Austria, 

 ing out from the trees ; the road6 crowded with car- 



riages, travellers, soldiers, &c. ; and the river with 

 swiftly-sliding barks now and then appearing and dis- 

 appearing amidst its wooded islands ; the whole scene 

 crowned by a fantastically varied range of distant 

 mountains, frequently re-echoing the solemn peals of 

 church bells or of martial music ; all these strike every 

 stranger who visits Austria, in a degree proportion- 

 ed indeed to their natural effect, but inconceivably 

 heightened both by the unexpectedness of the ap- 

 parition itself, for which he is never prepared by 

 reading of it in the works of travellers, and by the 

 bou-hommie of the natives, and the universal hap- 

 piness which smiles around. 



The most remarkable mountain in Lower Austria Mountains. 

 is Schneeberg (snowy mountain), which is distinct- 

 ly seen from the ramparts of all elevated points of 

 Vienna every clear day. Its height is not very con- 

 siderable when compared with that of many other 

 mountains pertaining to the range of which it forms 

 a part, being only 5200 English feet above the 

 Danube at Vienna, or 6000 above the level of the 

 Mediterranean ; but being insulated, almost always 

 covered with snow near the summit, and of a beauti- 

 ful and majestic contour, it strikes a stranger more 

 than any other mountain in the duchy. 



The points, however, from which the traveller, 

 who loves magnificence in natural scenery, ought to . ^ 

 take a view of the Austrian mountains, are the fol- 

 lowing. 



1. The bridge over the Trasen, a little to the east- 

 ward of the town of St Polteny nearly 30 English 

 miles to the west of Vienna. 



2. The rampart, or what is so called, of the town 

 of Ens, a little to the north-east of the square, or 

 market-place. 



3. The summit of a pretty high hill, which rises 

 from the eastern bank of the Gmunden Lake, about 

 four miles to the southward of the beautiful and ro- 

 mantic town of Gmunden, in Upper Austria. 



It is impossible to conceive any thing liner in moun- 

 tain scenery than these points exhibit. They defy 

 the power of language to do them justice. 



The lake of Gmunden, just mentioned, with the fine Lakes. 

 rivi'r Traun running through it, and the two charming 

 towns of Gmunden and Ebsdorf at each end, about 

 twelve miles distant from one another, is much fre- 

 quented by Austrian travellers, both by reason of 

 the scenery of its banks, which is variegated and 

 strikingly picturesque, and also on account of the 

 salt springs and salt manufactures, which are found 

 there. From this lake and its vicinity, Austria is 

 supplied with salt to the value of 400,000 pounds 

 per annum. The Wolf-gang, the Aber, the Hall- 

 statter, and many other lakes of inferior note, are the 

 boast of the Upper Austrians, and unquestionably 

 afford as fine and varied landscapes as any in Ger- 

 many. Theyall abound in trout, (there called florel- 

 len) pike, (bec/it), and a variety of other fishes, of 

 which the natives are excessively fond; and they 

 greatly facilitate the carriage of wood to the salt 

 pans, and of all sorts of commodities to the numerous 

 population which dwells along their shores. Let 

 not the traveller who visits them and Upper Austria 



