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AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 



Dame Nature's kettle of medicinal water, which 

 rises from earth's unfathomable depth, so hot, that 

 you cannot keep your hand in it, for the lapse of 

 one minute without being scalded. A little apart 

 from this, is a reservoir of similar temperature; 

 and here the women come to wash their linen : 

 whilst another stream, issuing from a pipe, beyond 

 the already mentioned bubbling up of waters, 

 answers the same end ; and seems to be in universal 

 request. It would be difficult to determine whether 

 the washerwoman or the doctor are most interested 

 in this everlasting flow of heated waters in the 

 village of Borcette. 



But, unfortunate Borcette has already lost a 

 portion of her finest features. I allude to the 

 trees, the noble appearance of which, captivated 

 me so much on my first visit to this rural spot. 

 They now appear in a sickly state, by being per- 

 petually exposed to the noxious vapours issuing 

 from the blackened chimneys ; and many of them 

 have been laid low to make way for supposed 

 improvements in brick and mortar ; witness the 

 new factories, and houses for the operatives. 



Some mile, or perhaps two, from Aix-la-Chapelle 

 is Frankenstein, once the hunting fortress of 

 Charlemagne, the illustrious king and warrior. 

 Its ancient walls, its moat and huge massive tower 



