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

Robert Gleig George

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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. 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.

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• Europe

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• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819913511
• Langue: English

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CHAPTER I.
THE GULDEN KRONE. COUNT THUN'S CASTLE AND GROUNDS.GLORIOUS SCENERY. THE MARCH RESUMED. SUPERSTITIONS OF THE BOHEMIANSNOT IDOLATRY. STATE OF PROPERTY. OF THE AGRICULTURAL POPULATION.KAMNITZ. THE COW-HERDS. STEIN JENA. HAYDE.
We had quitted home not unprepared for thesuspicious looks which innkeepers might be expected to cast uponus, strangely equipped as we were, rude of speech, and so veryhumble in the style of our travel. We were, therefore, nothingdaunted by the somewhat cold reception which our host of the GoldenCrown vouchsafed; and boldly questioned him relative to his meansof supplying our wants, namely, supper, a bottle of wine, and agood bed-room. The confidence of our tone seemed to restore his;for he forthwith conducted us upstairs; and we were ushered into asnug little apartment, in which stood two beds, a table, a chest ofdrawers, and four or five chairs. This was all, in the way oflodging, of which we were desirous; and the next point to besettled 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 upwithin the space of an hour and a-half, either gokocht, – that is,boiled, or grebraten, – i.e. , roasted. And here let meobserve once for all, that he whose taste or whose stomach cannotbe satisfied with veal, had better not travel in Germany. For vealis to the Germans what beef is to us, – the everyday diet of suchas devour animal food at all; whereas beef they seem to use only atlarge hotels as materials for soup-making, while mutton is aluxury. Neither is it difficult to account for this. There are noextensive pasturages, even in the mountain districts of Germany, asthere are in the Highlands of Scotland, and in the fens ofLincolnshire and Kent. Wherever the land has been cleared of wood,it is laid under the plough; wherever the wood continues, theutmost care is taken to prevent cattle and sheep from breaking in,and so destroying what is the principal fuel of the country. Theconsequence is, that people cannot afford to rear more cattle thanis absolutely necessary for working the land, and supplying thedairies, – nor, indeed, if they could afford it, would the means ofdoing so be attainable. Hence the poor little calves, while yet inthat state of innocence which entitles them among the Irish to thegeneric appellation of staggering bobs, are in nine cases out often transferred to the butcher, whose stall, if it contain nothingelse, is sure to furnish an abundant supply of dead animals, whichyou might easily mistake for cats that have perished byatrophy.
Being fully aware of these important particulars, weexpressed neither surprise nor regret when the solemn announcementwas made to us, that we might have roasted veal for supper; buthaving ordered it to be prepared, together with an eyer-kuchen, oregg-souffle, as a supporter, we set about changing our attirepreparatory to a ramble through the town. My friend, the HonourableFrancis Scott, having kindly introduced me to Count Thun, I sent mycard by the waiter to the castle, and learned, to my greatdisappointment, that the family were all in Prague. It is needlessto add, that, in the absence of the owners, I was conducted overthe castle and grounds by a very intelligent domestic, or that,returning on another occasion, I stand indebted to its owner formuch kindness. I do not think, however, that there is anyjustification for the practice which too much prevails, of firstaccepting the hospitality of a stranger, and then describing themode in which it was dispensed. I content myself, therefore, withstating that everything in the household of Count Thun correspondsto his high rank and cultivated tastes; and that he who has onceenjoyed, even for a brief space, as I did, the pleasure of hisconversation, will desire few things more earnestly, than thatanother opportunity of so doing shall occur.
The castle of Tetchen is a very noble thing, and itssituation magnificent. It crowns the summit of a rock overhangingthe Elbe, and commands, from its windows, one of the most gloriousprospects on which, even in this land of glorious scenery, the eyeneed desire to rest. Originally a baronial hold, it has, in theprogress of time and events, gradually changed its character. Itnow resembles a college or palace, more than a castle. You approachit from the town by a long gallery, walled in on both sides, thoughopen to the sky, and are conducted to an extensive quadrangle,round which the buildings are erected. They do not belong to anyparticular school, unless that deserve to be so designated, whichthe Italian architects, some century and a-half ago, introduced, tothe decided misfortune of the proprietors, into Germany. Thus, theschloss of which I am speaking, is not only cut up into differentsuites of apartments, but each suite, besides being accessible by adoor that opens to the court, is surrounded along the interior byan open gallery, into which each individual chamber-door opens. Theconsequence is, that in winter, at least, it must be next toimpossible to keep any part of the house warm, for the drafts areendless, and the exposure to the atmosphere is very great.
When we visited Tetchen for the second time, thecontents of a very valuable green-house appeared to have beenbrought forth into the central court. The effect was most striking;for all sorts of rare and sweet-smelling shrubs were there; andflowers of every dye loaded the air with their perfume. Thegardens, likewise, which lie under the rock, and in the managementof which the count takes great delight, were beautiful. One,indeed, a fruit garden, is yet only in its infancy; but another,which comes between the castle and the market-place, reminded memore of the shady groves of Oxford than of anything which I haveobserved on the Continent. Count Thun, moreover, having visitedEngland, and seen and justly appreciated, the magnificent parkswhich form the characteristic charm of our scenery, seems willing,as far as the different situations of the two countries will allow,to walk in our foot-steps. He has enclosed a rich meadow that runsby the bank of the Elbe, and treats it as his demesne. All this isthe more praiseworthy on his part, that even in his own day thecastle of Tetchen has suffered most of the calamities of war,except an actual siege. Twice during the late struggle, was itseized and occupied as a post, a garrison put into the house, andcannon mounted over the ramparts; nay, the very trees in thegarden, which it cost so much pains to cultivate, and such a lapseof time to nourish, were all destined to be cut down. Fortunately,however, an earnest remonstrance from the count procured asuspension of the order, till the enemy should make his approaches;and as this never happened, the trees still survive, to afford thecomfort of their shade both to their owner and his visitors. Thehavoc occasioned by the throwing up of batteries was not, however,to be avoided; and it is only within these three or four years thatthe mansion has resumed its peaceful character.
There is an excellent library in the castle ofTetchen, of which the inmates make excellent use. It contains somevaluable works in almost all the European languages, with acomplete set of the classics; and as the tastes of the owner leadhim to make continual accessions to it, the hall set apart for itsreception, though of gigantic proportions, threatens shortly tooverflow. I must not forget, however, that even by these allusionsto the habits of my host, I am touching upon the line which commondelicacy seems to me to have prescribed; therefore when I havestated that a brighter picture of domestic affection and happinesshas rarely come under my observation than that with which myhurried visit to Tetchen presented me, I pass to other matters, notperhaps in themselves either more important or more interesting,but affording freer scope to remark, because not calculated to jaragainst individual feeling.
To wander amid these beautiful gardens, and gazefrom the summer-house along the course of the Elbe, occupied allthe space of time which my companion and I had set apart for thepreparation of our evening meal. We accordingly returned to theinn, fully disposed to do justice to the viands which might beserved up to us. They were well dressed, and the bottle ofHungarian wine which accompanied them was excellent, so that whenwe sallied forth again to examine the town, it was in the mostbenevolent temper of mind imaginable. Every object was seen througha highly favourable medium. The little quiet square andmarket-place, with its ever-flowing but very dirty fountain,appeared emblematical of the contented and happy lot of the peoplewho dwelt round it. The Elbe, glowing in the rich and varied huesof sunset, had about him a thousand charms, for which language hasno power of expression; and finally, the view from a small chapelwhich stands on the summit of a rock about an English mile belowthe town – that as it would have delighted even a hungry man, wasto us enchanting. Seriously, and without attributing too much tothe genial influence of a change of habiliments, and a good supper,I have seldom looked upon a scene altogether so fascinating as thatwhich now lay before me.
Our sleep that night was sound and refreshing. Wehad ordered breakfast at half-past five, and till five nothingoccurred to disturb us; but then the old and well-nigh forgottenhabits of the campaigner seemed to come back upon me, for I awoketo a second at the time which I had fixed upon. Up we sprang;arrayed ourselves in our walking-dresses, stowed away our moregentlemanlike habiliments in the knapsacks, and addressed ourselvesto breakfast. In Germany, as has been stated elsewhere, this is buta sorry affair of a meal at the best; it consists of nothing morethan a cup or two of coffee, with some sweetish cakes; but we tookcare to order, over and above, a mode