460 [Assembly 



Johannisberg. It has acquired is celebrity since the old abbey 

 belonged to the Duke of Nassau ; before that time the reverend 

 fathers of the abbey took care to drink up the whole among 

 themselves, suffering no profane wine to approach their lips. 

 Leaving Eberbach on a fine spring morning, by a flowery path, 

 we soon reach the small mountain Rauenthal, which also gives 

 name to a famous wine. Soon after we reached the beautiful 

 village of Geissenheim, almost a city however. The urbanity of 

 its people is striking Here the hospitable Count of Ingelheim 

 kept well furnished cellars — each cask or casks have a particular 

 wine, with its title and age on the cask. The best wine of the 

 village is from Mount Nodenberg, and from a garden called Ka- 

 pellgarten. The Geissenheim is the habitual common wine of 

 the people of Rhingau, Mayence, Weisbaden, and Frankfort. We 

 reached Rudesheim, which owes its celebrity to Charlemagne, 

 who looking one day out of a window of his Castle of Niederin- 

 gelheim, was so much struck with the happy situation of Mount 

 Rudesheira, on which the sun shone all day, that he determined 

 to cover it with vines. He brought vines from Orleans, and soon 

 clothed the mountain with, their foliage. Afterwards tw^o vine- 

 yards were formed from k, called Rottlsender and Hinterhaeuser. 

 Near Rudesheim lies Bingen, celebrated for its Scharlacher, one 

 of the strongest wines of the Rhine. Near this is Assmauhau- 

 sen, yielding the only red wine in this quarter of the Rhine. We 



.visited Hochheim, a mountain producing a wine oil its summit, 

 which is not surpassed by the Steinberg. The best Hochheim 



;is from about eight acres, each bearing 4,100 vines. At Diedes- 



-heim, Forst, and Wachenheim, whose vines are generous, and 

 most in demand of all the wines of the mountains of the Haardt. 



,The villages of Leebach, Ungstein, and Kahlstadt, give excellent 

 wines; that of Kahlstadt is red. Herxlieim has a celebrated 



-wine. Around one of the churches of Worms, called the Lieb- 

 fraumitch, or milk of the Holy Virgin, is a vineyard, giving wine 



-like veritable nectar. We find very fine wanes at Dienheim, 

 Oppenheim, Nierstein, Bodenheim, Laubenheim, and others. Par- 



-don this litany of heims. 



Prussia had, in 1835, about 72,000 acres of vineyard. Wur- 

 temberg. Saxony, and many other districts of Germany, have the 



