508 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



sow them with the seeds of the pine and white 

 birch. I am satisfied that our friends would find it 

 far more profilable than they do now, in gathering 

 somp 6 or 8 bushels of rye from an acre — it won't 

 pa>. Jas. M. Crafts. 



Whately, Mass., August, 1857. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 



LETTER FROM MR. FRENCH. 



ON THE RHINE. 



My Dear Brown : — At 9 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, on the first day of August, 1857, I am sitting 

 under a bower of Linden trees at "lair Bingen on 

 the Rhine," with that beautiful river almost at my 

 feet in front, and beyond, and to the right and left, 

 rise up the vine-clad hills of this wine bearing coun- 

 try, almost to the clouds, carefully cut into terraces, 

 like huge stairways of the giants. 



A party of six of us, accidentally met on the 

 boat, have taken our breakfast in the fashion of this 

 mild and genial climate, out of doors under the 

 trees, and are now awaiting the boat which is to 

 convey us to Heidelberg, the famous town of duel 

 fighting and beer-drinking students. 



Such a journey as I have had the past week could 

 rot fail to interest our readers, if I could convey to 

 them the faintest idea of the varied scenes which 

 have met my eye, since I left London, six days ago. 

 I had resolved and re-resolved not to attempt to 

 visit the Rhine or the Alps, because I had not 

 time to devote to them, but still I looked again and 

 again towards these regions of beauty and romance, 

 and finally gave way to my impulses, and resolved 

 to set forth, alone and with insufficient knowledge 

 cf French or German to feel at ease, for a four 

 weeks' tour to Germany and Switzerland. 



On the 26th of July, I took the steamer "Baron 

 Osy," at London, for Antwerp, about two hundred 

 miles, and after a pleasant voyage, at dawn next 

 morning, we were in the Scheldt, gliding along the 

 smooth river, between shores with high embank- 

 ments to protect the flat country, reclaimed from 

 the sea, on either side. I glanced upward, and the 

 American flag, with its glorious stars and stripes, 

 was floating at the mast head. I went to the Cap- 

 tain and asked if this was an American boat. "No," 

 said he, "it is a Belgian boat." "And are you an 

 American ?" "No," said he "I am an Englishman." 

 "Then why do you hoist the American flag ?" "In 

 honor of you, sir," he replied. He afterwards told 

 me that an American gentleman presented him with 

 the flag, and that he always displayed it, on enter- 

 ing the harbor, when he had Americans on board. 

 There was one New York gentleman, with his fam- 

 ily, with us, and we joined in our expressions of 

 thanks for the compliment paid us by Captain 

 Pierce, of the "Baron Osy," a fine boat, with a first- 

 rate commander. 



Those who have not been abroad, can hardly es- 



timate the feeling of patriotism which is enkind- 

 led in the wanderer's boisom, at the sight of the 

 star spangled banner, a thousand leagues from ■ 

 home, at the mast- head of a strange ship, displayed 

 as a token of respect for the American and his 

 country. 



Just as our boat touched the wharf at Antwerp, 

 guns were fired to announce that Albert, Prince 

 Consort of England, was coming up the harbor in 

 his yacht. The military were paraded in full force, 

 flags were hoisted on all the ships in the harbor, 

 salute after salute was fired, from vessels and from 

 shore, royal equipages came down to the shore with 

 royal personages to greet the arriving guests, and 

 finally the yacht, in the shape of an elegant eigh- 

 teen hundred tea steamer, came gracefully to an- 

 chor close alongside of the Baron Osy, which joined 

 in the salute. I may as well explain, that His Roy- 

 al Highness was on his way to Brussels to attend 

 the wedding of the Archduke Maximilien, of Aus- 

 tria, with Princess Charlotte, only daughter of King 

 Leopold, of Belgium, which was to be celebrated 

 next day. A splendid white boat, said to have been 

 built for Napoleon, on some great occasion, put off 

 from the wharf, and after as many ceremonies as 

 we had patience to witness. Prince Alb?rt came on 

 shore with his royal friends, and bare-headed, 

 dressed in a plain suit, like a citizen, with bows of 

 recognition to those around him, got into the car- 

 riage which awaited him, and was escorted off by a 

 troop of horse, with very faint cheers from the 

 crowds of people, who, by the way, known nothing 

 about our vociferous modes of manifesting approba- 

 tion. 



We went to Brussels that evening ; I say we, for 

 although I went on board the boat solitary and 

 alone, 1 had found three Canadians and two Eng- 

 lishmen, all agreeable gentlemen, bound towards 

 the Rhine, who were disposed to form one party 

 for the present, and, by the way, it may as well be 

 said that, from that time to the present, we have 

 travelled together in good fellowship, and with mu- 

 tual advantage. Americans are everywhere, and 

 no day passes that I do not exchange civilities with 

 some wanderer from our country, who is anxious to 

 recognize as a brother, any respectable citizen of 

 our Republic. 



We found the beautiful and stately city of Brus- 

 sels, the Capitol of Belgium, decorated and illumi- 

 nated magnificently for the approaching marriage. 

 In the evening the whole town was in a blaze of 

 light, and we mingled in the crowds in the princi- 

 pal squares and streets, at the risk almost of our 

 lives. On the following evening, the city was il- 

 luminated, and the canal, with beautiful walks and 

 drives on each side of it, lined with shade trees for 

 two miles, was covered with boats, decorated with 

 triumphal arches and chariots, and portraits of the 

 new married pair, towed slowly along on the water, 



