who will not let people admire in ignorance, but must be for ever putting in their oar, and like a marine in a punt, upsetting all the good people who may be unfortunate enough to be with them. Is there no such thing as sorrow in the world, that these lubbers are so ready to destroy pleasure? Here am I who fell in love with this creature at first sight, adored her in five minutes, and have dreamed of her ever since, placed in the predicament of being an ignoramus because I love this statue, and all by a fellow who writes in a tour that " she is odious and awkward."* Awkward quotha-would you have Ariadne, seated on a leopard, to sit like King Charles at Charing-cross or Queen Elizabeth at Tilbury Fort! Perhaps a side saddle and crupper would be advisable, or a Stultz habit to cover the turn of her limbs. Pshaw! she sits as much at her ease as can be as a mistress of Bacchus ought to do as this critical tourist can never do-and as any woman "in her situation" would do. There she sits, looking over the head of her bearer, right in the face of Mr. R., until the sumph feels awkward in his situation, as he would in the presence of any beautiful woman, and then he turns on his heel and walks off to inform a misguided people that this figure is awkward. Talk of Taglioni being ungraceful-Pasta common-place -Schroeder unmusical; but dare not to say that this heavenly creature is awkward.

Pooh, we are fairly out of breath, and will therefore go back to our table d'hote at one o'clock-where we have met some strange people and picked up, as in our wont some odds and ends of information. We had a gentleman who was on his way to Constantinople. To drink coffee or sherbet? No. As a mercantile man? No; but as reporter for the Morning Herald! He had an enormous salary, besides travelling expenses, and he was a well informed man, speaking several languages, and accustomed to think on public affairs. Yet this huge expense was gone into merely that this paper should be able to furnish an original scrap of news for the breakfast table of those who trouble them

selves concerning such matters. In the court yard we met a strange machine, worthy of being immortalised by the pencil of Cruikshank. This was the travelling chariot of a Russian wood-merchant, from Novogorod to Spa. This affair was wholly unlike anything that was ever seen in these islands since the days of the basketweaving Druids, or indeed any where out of Russia, on this earth. Imagine a huge clothes basket, bound by ropes to upright posts, with a leather calash head, the basket filled with bedding, and the whole mounted on four wheels; the spokes ignorant of axe or knife; the tires joined each in twenty several places, and drawn by the united efforts of four horses abreast. If this precious affair should happen to traverse a country more than ordinarily heavy, the drivers attached additional horses to the outside of those already in use, but as these supernumeraries were by their position out flanking the carriage, it was evident that they could not be harnessed to the splinter bar-to remedy this, there was an iron frame, like a small crane, attached to the sides of the carriage, which when not in use, could be folded parallel to the machine, or parallel to the line of motion; but when it was required to use additional horses, the crane was drawn out at right angles to the former position, and stretching out beyond the splinter bars, afforded a place to which the traces of these fresh horses might be attached.

After dinner we strolled into the Jew's quarter of the city, to look after black eyes and such other delectable orientalisms. But, ye gods, at every turn, instead a gazelle-eyed damsel, some fresh configuration of beard met our view at every turn, grinning at the Nazarenes, who polluted the atmosphere of this den of petty retailers, to give them a good name; in vain did we send glances into every little court where a light ankle might twinkle; in vain did we attempt to penetrate the palpable obscure of the alleys and dark places; scarce a female at all was to be seen: now and then a veil flitting before us, tempted an acceleration of speed, but when we had passed the chase and pulled up to

luxuriate in sunny smiles, lo ye, some ancient dame, rivalling the high priest in hirsuteness of upper lip, wrinkles her faded brow, and whisks off at a tangent, through fear of consequences. Finding amusement rather scarce, we went home and drank soda water until it was time to go to the opera. The performance, on the night in question, was "Le Philtre," by Auber. We had heard much concerning this, but were grievously disappointed the whole of the music was made up of mannerisms, and very Auberish-the house was full of English; amongst others, the lively author of "Fragments of Voyages and Travels," who, with his lady, was on his way to Italy. At eight o'clock the opera was finished, and in five minutes all were gone. We took our way to a public garden, where the men were admiring, drinking, and gambling, and the women being admired, drinking, and flirting. At nine there was a rush to the city gates, but we took our time and found ourselves shut out. After walking half round the city, we got in by paying a few pence to the poor, a very fair fine on late hours. How much further on this tour we may have gone, it is needless now to say. We might but will not write on the Glaciers, the Alps-the scenery, machinery, dresses, and decorations of the Cantons; nay, we shall abstain from the "Miserere" which was sung at Rome; we shall not describe the last eruption of Etna; silent shall we be of the whitewalled buildings of Malta, and not open our mouths about the Grand Turk. "About ship" was the word; and will ye nil ye, my most gentle public, ye must just come back with us, or throw the Mag. into the fire.

We re-crossed the long hill of Hockheimer, famous for wine. It was on this hill that the Austrian army, in full pursuit of the French, came in view of the Rhine rolling at their feet. The thousands halted-the angry feelings of the moment were quelled-the eager soldier turned his eye from the distant dust which marked the track of the foe, and gazed delighted on their Rhine. A shout arose-" The Rhine!"thousands fell on their knees to bless the day that had beheld their country free from the spoiler's step-the hard grim face which had beheld unmoved

the fall of friends, was softened-and many a hand was brushed across the dewy eye; and then the memory of wrongs came tenfold on their hearts, and vengance spurred them on after their discomfited enemies.

Let no man, reading of the Rhenish vineyards, picture to himself vines trailing in graceful festoons, laden with grapes, purple with wine. No graceful sweeping branches are here, but short, stunted, low, pruned plants, clinging to white staves, and set as accurately over the fields as pink spots on a Manchester cotton, have taken the place of the climbing vine which Claude had loved to paint or Virgil to sing. These Rhenish vineyards are hideous the plants kept down by constant cutting, are not half so interesting as a plot of gooseberry bushes, and but for the wine they afford, would be absolutely unpardonable. The whole of this hill of Hockheim is thickly studded with plants; in fact, for some miles the road runs through a succession of vineyards.

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Down the Rhine we splashed at the rate of fourteen miles an hour, and in one day travelled over the same quantity of ground or water, to get up which it had taken us two hard days work. We started from Mayence in the morning, and arrived early in the evening at Cologne. Next day off in a dampskiffort, or steam boat, for Nimagen, where we arrived to supper and bed. The whole of this day's sail was perfectly odious; all flats, and the banks sandy or covered with weedy ledges. This town of Nimagen is a Dutch frontier, and of course our passports were subjected to a strict revision. We had gotten ours from the Dutch Consul in London, paying half a guinea; we then had this viseèd by the Belgic Consul, who stamped it with a lion as large as a crown piece; it so happened that this lion of Belgium was the first thing that the Dutch officer looked at-his eyes flashed fire, and his hands clutched as if he had an unhappy Belgian in his grasp. We were certain that we should be stopped, but told him that we had procured it in London: this at once changed the whole affair, and we passed on. The two next who passed through this ordeal were Americans, who were travelling for improvement, and they

being quiet lads, had put themselves down in their passports as "students." Now it so happened that at this time there were disturbances at many of the German universities, and some of the members of these grown-up schools were known to be travelling about, disseminating dangerous doctrines. The Dutch officers, never making any distinction of persons, arrested the Americans; at least stopped their progress until they could lay their case before their minister at the Hague. When we were going off the next morning, they were standing on the quay, looking dolorous enough, and quite sufficiently foolish. [Mem. Never put your self down as a "student."] We steamed away to Rotterdam, through a hideous country, remarkable for nothing but the strange way in which the shipping seems to move; so completely is the land bisected and transected by canals and branches of the river, that the ships seem to sail in the fields a furlong or two off. The effect is most marvellous at first; in every direction are tall spars and waving pennons, but all growing out of a field, as if they were a crop of ready rigged masts-the very ditches between the fields were navigable for boats.

engaged at Vauxhall. Taking care that these men should have plenty of wine, we had only to ask for music and they gave it-and such strains! After the heat of the day they would collect on the quarter deck of the boat, and play while there was light to see a note. The effect of music when played on water is proverbial; but the bugle at Killarney or bagpipe at Katrine must sink into utter insignificance before the tones of this band. When we arrived at Rotterdam we found that the steam boat could not come up on account of the embargo, but lay about twenty miles down the river at the Brille. The next morning a train of carriages was in attendance-a procession was made, and away we rolled, the road for the most part being a causeway, raised many feet above the surrounding country. After crossing some ferries, and changing our vehicles once or twice, we were fairly put on board the Mountaineer for London. The weather was delightful, not an air of wind stirring, and the ocean as calm as an infant's sleep. Away we paddled, our German musicians in amazement when we got out of sight of land; and then, to divert their attention, the passengers subscribed as much money as would give them brandy enough to make them merry. Whether it was too strong for their heads, accustomed only to light wine or beer, so it was that they speedily became most joyous, and sat upon deck in the light of a glorious moon, singing their country's songs to their guitars, now whistling a variation or telling an anecdote with as much vivacity as a sober Frenchman. We heard next morning that they had sat up almost all night.

The first view of Rotterdam is pleasing, and would appear well any where, but after the dreary flat through which we had travelled for two days, the city was a delightful relief; in fact we should have died of ennui during these heavy sails, were it not that we were particularly fortunate in our fellow travellers. I do not mean that they were conversible, for we could hardly comprehend their speech; but nevertheless they helped us through the time, and few ever have less tedium while going the same track. These delightful travellers were the members of the Duke of Darmstadt's band, on their way to London, where they were

The Thames! We shot up like a meteor, traversing the track of millions of ships, skimmed by tier upon tier of vessels, and landed once more in ENGLAND.