Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary, Visited in 1837. Vol. II

G. R. (George Robert) Gleig

Informations

• Publié par: upsi
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 21
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary, Visited in
1837. Vol. II, by G. R. Gleig
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary, Visited in 1837. Vol. II
Author: G. R. Gleig
Release Date: January 28, 2008 [EBook #24419]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GERMANY, BOHEMIA, AND HUNGARY ***
Produced by Tamás Róth and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from scanned images of public domain material
from the Google Print project.)
Transcriber's Note: To improve readability, dashes
between entries in the Table of Contents and in chapter
subheadings have been converted to periods.
G E R M A N Y ,
BOHEMIA, AND HUNGARY,
VISITED IN 1837.
By
THE REV. G. R. GLEIG, M.A.,CHAPLAIN TO THE ROYAL HOSPITAL, CHELSEA.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND.
M.DCCC.XXXIX.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.
Page
Chap. I. The Gulden Krone. Count Thun's Castle and
Grounds. Glorious Scenery. The March resumed.
Superstitions of the Bohemians not Idolatry. State of
Property. Agricultural Population. Kamnitz. The Cow-
herds. Stein Jena. Hayde 1
Chap. II. Our Landlady and Washerwoman. The
Einsiedlerstein. Its Dungeons and Hall. Its History.
Inscription over the Hermit's Grave. Lose our Way.
Guided by a Peasant. His Conversation. Mistaken for
Italian Musicians. Gabel 34
Chap. III. General Appearance of the Place. The Inn.
Ludicrous Mistakes. The Public Room. Astonishment
of the People at the sight of Englishmen. The Priests.
Scene in the Tap-Room. Kindness of the People. Our
Fishing Operations. A Chasse, and a Daylight Ball 57
Chap. IV. Our Landlord becomes our Guide. Peculiar
Scenery of this part of Bohemia. A Village Beer-house.
Travelling Mechanics. The Torpindas. Toilsome
March. Marchovides. Entertainment there 80
Chap. V. March renewed. Scenery more and more grand.
A Population of Weavers. Hochstadt. The Iser.
Magnificent River, and capital Trouting. Starkenbach.
Kindness of the Inhabitants. Carried to the
Chancellor's House. Fish the Iser again. The effect of
my sport on a Religious Procession. Supper at the
High Bailiff's. Game at Chess. Take leave of our kind
Hosts with mutual regret 105
Chap. VI. The Elbe, a Mountain-stream. We Fish it. Dineon our Fish in a Village Inn. The Young Torpinda.
Arnau. The Franciscan Convent. Troutenau. The
Wandering Minstrels. March continued. Fish the River.
Village Inn, and account of the Torpindas. First
Meeting with these formidable People in a Wood.
Another Pedestrian Tourist. Aderspach. Excellent
Quarters. Remarkable Rocks. The Minstrels again 128
Chap. VII. Walk to Shatzlar. Magnificent Scenery. Extreme
Fatigue. Our Landlord. Early associations awakened
by a Scene in the Market-place. Rest for a day. Ascent
of Schnee-Koppee. Halt at a Village on the Silesian
side 161
Chap. VIII. Warmbrunn. Objects around. Dilemma.
Hirschberg. How Travellers may manage when their
Purses grow light. Pass for Russians, and derive great
benefit from the arrangement. Lang-Wasser.
Greiffenberg. The Prussian Landwehr. Golden Traum.
Scene in the Village Inn. Bernstadt. Hernhut. The
Hernhuters. Agriculture in Bohemia. Schlukenau.
Schandau 179
Chap. IX. The Diligence from Dresden to Töplitz. The
Field of Kulm. The Battle, and the Monuments that
record it 243
Chap. X. Töplitz. Its Gaieties. Journey resumed. First View
of Prague. General Character of the City. The
Hradschin. Cathedral. University. Historical details
connected with it. The Reformation in Bohemia 278
Chap. XI. The Jews' Town. Visits to various Points worth
noticing. State of Public Feeling 333
Chap. XII. Quit Prague. Journey to Brünn by Königgratz.
State of the Country. Brünn. Its Public Buildings.
Absence of the Moravian Brethren 353
Chap. XIII. Country between Brünn and Vienna. Vienna.
Journey to Presburg. Presburg. The Hungarian
Constitution 372
GERMANY, BOHEMIA, AND HUNGARY,
IN 1837.
CHAPTER I.
THE GULDEN KRONE. COUNT THUN'S CASTLE AND GROUNDS.
GLORIOUS SCENERY. THE MARCH RESUMED.
SUPERSTITIONS OF THE BOHEMIANS NOT IDOLATRY. STATE
OF PROPERTY. OF THE AGRICULTURAL POPULATION.
KAMNITZ. THE COW-HERDS. STEIN JENA. HAYDE.
We had quitted home not unprepared for the suspicious looks which
innkeepers might be expected to cast upon us, strangely equipped as we
were, rude of speech, and so very humble in the style of our travel. We
were, therefore, nothing daunted by the somewhat cold reception which our
host of the Golden Crown vouchsafed; and boldly questioned him relative
to his means of supplying our wants, namely, supper, a bottle of wine, and
a good bed-room. The confidence of our tone seemed to restore his; for he
forthwith conducted us upstairs; and we were ushered into a snug little
apartment, in which stood two beds, a table, a chest of drawers, and four or
five chairs. This was all, in the way of lodging, of which we were desirous;
and the next point to be settled was supper. What could they produce? Had
they any mutton? No. Beef? None. Poultry? Nothing of the sort. What then?
Veal, or, as it is elegantly termed, calf's-flesh, which could be served up
within the space of an hour and a-half, either gokocht,—that is, boiled, or
grebraten,—i.e., roasted. And here let me observe once for all, that he
whose taste or whose stomach cannot be satisfied with veal, had better not
travel in Germany. For veal is to the Germans what beef is to us,—the
everyday diet of such as devour animal food at all; whereas beef they seem
to use only at large hotels as materials for soup-making, while mutton is a
luxury. Neither is it difficult to account for this. There are no extensive
pasturages, even in the mountain districts of Germany, as there are in the
Highlands of Scotland, and in the fens of Lincolnshire and Kent. Wherever
the land has been cleared of wood, it is laid under the plough; wherever the
wood continues, the utmost care is taken to prevent cattle and sheep from
breaking in, and so destroying what is the principal fuel of the country. The
consequence is, that people cannot afford to rear more cattle than is
absolutely necessary for working the land, and supplying the dairies,—nor,
indeed, if they could afford it, would the means of doing so be attainable.
Hence the poor little calves, while yet in that state of innocence which
entitles them among the Irish to the generic appellation of staggering bobs,
are in nine cases out of ten transferred to the butcher, whose stall, if it
contain nothing else, is sure to furnish an abundant supply of dead animals,
which you might easily mistake for cats that have perished by atrophy.
Being fully aware of these important particulars, we expressed neither
surprise nor regret when the solemn announcement was made to us, that
we might have roasted veal for supper; but having ordered it to be
prepared, together with an eyer-kuchen, or egg-souffle, as a supporter, we
set about changing our attire preparatory to a ramble through the town. My
friend, the Honourable Francis Scott, having kindly introduced me to Count
Thun, I sent my card by the waiter to the castle, and learned, to my great
disappointment, that the family were all in Prague. It is needless to add,
that, in the absence of the owners, I was conducted over the castle and
grounds by a very intelligent domestic, or that, returning on another
occasion, I stand indebted to its owner for much kindness. I do not think,however, that there is any justification for the practice which too much
prevails, of first accepting the hospitality of a stranger, and then describing
the mode in which it was dispensed. I content myself, therefore, with stating
that everything in the household of Count Thun corresponds to his high
rank and cultivated tastes; and that he who has once enjoyed, even for a
brief space, as I did, the pleasure of his conversation, will desire few things
more earnestly, than that another opportunity of so doing shall occur.
The castle of Tetchen is a very noble thing, and its situation magnificent. It
crowns the summit of a rock overhanging the Elbe, and commands, from its
windows, one of the most glorious prospects on which, even in this land of
glorious scenery, the eye need desire to rest. Originally a baronial hold, it
has, in the progress of time and events, gradually changed its character. It
now resembles a college or palace, more than a castle. You approach it
from the town by a long gallery, walled in on both sides, though open to the
sky, and are conducted to an extensive quadrangle, round which the
buildings are erected. They do not belong to any particular school, unless
that deserve to be so designated, which the Italian architects, some century
and a-half ago, introduced, to the decided misfortune of the proprietors, into
Germany. Thus, the schloss of which I am speaking, is not only cut up into
differen