breeze that blows: but there
it stands--and has stood--for some four centuries: once the terror of the
vassal, and now ... the admiration of the traveller! The castle was, to my
eye, of all castles which I had seen, the most elevated in its situation,
and the most difficult of access. The clouds of heaven seemed to be resting
upon its battlements. But what do I see yonder? "Is it the top of the spire
of Strasbourg Cathedral?" "It _is,_ Sir," replied the postilion. I pulled
off my travelling cap, by way of doing homage; and as I looked at my watch,
to know the precise time, found it was just ten o'clock. It was worth
making a minute of. Yet, owing to the hills before--or rather to those
beyond, on the other side of the Rhine, which are very much loftier--the
first impression gives no idea of the extraordinary height of the spire. We
continued to descend, slowly and cautiously, with _Saverne_ before us in
the bottom. To the left, close to the road side, stands an obelisk: on
which is fixed, hi gilt letters, this emphatic inscription:

_ALSATIA._

Every thing, on reaching the level road, bespoke a distinct national
character. It was clear that we had forsaken French costume, as well as the
French language, among the common people: so obvious is it, as has been
remarked to me by a Strasbourgeois, that "mountains, and not rivers, are
the natural boundaries of countries." The women wore large, flat, straw
hats, with a small rose at the bottom of a shallow crown; while their
throats were covered, sometimes up to the mouth, with black, silk cravats.
Their hair was platted, hanging down in two equal divisions. The face
appeared to be flat. The men wore shovel hats, of which the front part
projected to a considerable distance; and the perpetually recurring
response of "_yaw yaw_"--left it beyond all doubt that we had taken leave
of the language of "the polite nation." At length we reached Saverne, and
changed horses. This town is large and bustling, and is said to contain
upwards of four thousand inhabitants. We did not stop to examine any of its
wonders or its beauties; for we were becoming impatient for Strasbourg. The
next two intermediate post towns were _Wasselonne_ and _Ittenheim_--and
thence to Strasbourg: the three posts united being about ten leagues. From
Ittenheim we darted along yet more swiftly than before. The postilion,
speaking in a germanised French accent, told us, that "we were about to
visit one of the most f