ET, 28.] JOURNAL. 225 
window and pitched his hat into the road, to his great 
astonishment and our infinite amusement. We passed 
through Wels, and afterwards Lambach, a pretty place 
and most beautifully situated upon the Traun. In this 
part of the journey we had a fine view of the Salzburg 
Alps, which rise to their greatest height just where 
Austria proper and the provinces of Styria and Salz- 
burg meet. From Lambach to the end of the journey, 
the country appeared completely American: finely 
wooded with fir and larch with here and there a clump 
of beech. We reached Gmiinden just at twilight, a 
neat village on the very bank of the Gmiindensee or 
Traunsee, for it is called by both names. The situa- 
tion, close down upon the water and in the bosom of 
green undulating hills, is as lovely as can be conceived, 
and is in fine contrast with the upper extremity of the 
little lake, where the dark and lofty mountains rise ab- 
ruptly from the very edge of the water, not leaving room 
enough even fora footpath. Their summits were still 
covered with patches of snow, but they are overtopped 
by the peaks of the Dachstein and other portions of 
these Alps which are crowned with perpetual snow. 
I found at the Goldenes Schiff neat rooms, and a most 
comfortable bed, which I was prepared fully to enjoy, 
having first made a supper on nice trout from the lake, 
with a few etceteras. At seven o'clock the next morn- 
ing I was on board the little steamboat, — commanded 
by an Englishman, as most boats are in Austria, — 
which affords the only means of communication with 
the country beyond. The morning was pleasant, and 
Thad a good opportunity of seeing the finest scenery I 
ever beheld ; indeed I do not expect ever to see it 
surpassed. As we left the green slopes at Gmiinden 
behind us, the mountains which inclose the upper por- 
