58 GRAPE CULTURE AND WINE-iMAKING. 



but less so with the information wliich I gathered ; the land is 

 poor, the people poor; the mountains are not even fit for the 

 vine culture. The country gives but meager earnings to its in- 

 habitants, and, were it not for this bathing-place, they would fare 

 still worse. Ems brings together thousands of people each year 

 from far and near, either for pleasure or to partake of its mineral 

 waters, whose healing virtues have a wide reputation. The tax 

 on agricultural lands in the Duchy of Nassau is six dollars on the 

 thousand. Mechanics pay a much larger tax. 



We went this evening to the theatre. The acting was pretty 

 good. There was present a fine array of ladies. The diamonds 

 sparkled, the pearls, rubies, etc., rivalized with each other, but the 

 captivating eyes of the ladies were above all the diamonds and 

 pearls. 



August 21. — Long before the beautiful band of music began to 

 j^lay I was up writing letters to my correspondents in Europe, and 

 then continued my journal. Having not much to write from the 

 doings of yesterday, I finished in the forenoon, and then received 

 several visits. ■ Having been invited to dine with Dr. Precht, my- 

 self and family went to dinner. During the day I sent some let- 

 ters and papers to Count Wass, also to Mr. Grisza. In the even- 

 ing I received Mr. Ordody, a Hungarian nobleman, and his lady. 

 During the evening we received several other visits, after which 

 we went for an hour to the ball. Ecturning from the ball, I read 

 some books on wine and wine-growing, after which I prepared for 

 my departure to the upper parts of the Rhine. 



August 22. — I started in the morning for Coblentz with Dr. 

 Precht and Arpad. Arrived in Coblentz, I called on the banker 

 to whom I had a letter of credit, but, to my surprise, he informed 

 me that he had received no notice from Hentsch and Lutscher, 

 consequently he could not pay me any money on my letter of 

 credit. What was to be done? I had but three florins in my 

 pocket, and a bill for five days' living for myself and fimiily in 

 Ems. I at once telegraphed to Frankfort, where the same letter 

 of credit was addressed to another banking-house. From this 

 house I received the answer that they had been notified from 

 Paris, and so I at once started for Frankfort. 



From Coblentz to Frankfort by railroad it takes five hours 

 fifteen minutes, and the fare in the second class is two and a half 

 thalers per scat. In Germany only the nobility and higher class- 

 es, or, to use a colloquial term, the Big-lugs^ travel in the first 



