he body. The
little garden in the cloisters of this church is very sweet, and there
are some good bits of sculpture. The beautiful Church of the Apostles we
could not see, excepting outside, and its appearance is quite singular.
The styles of architecture I thought strangely mixed up. Of course, we
got some cologne water at the genuine fountain head in Julich's Place;
and in the evening we made an examination of a curiosity shop, where we
found a fine old engraving of Rubens's head, and two excellent
engravings of Ostades's interiors. They are gems in their way, and,
though very old, are perfect. We saw the house where the unfortunate
Queen of France died, in 1644, respecting whose last days so interesting
a fiction has been written; and we were told that it was also the very
house in which Rubens was born. At all events, it is a very plain
establishment for such celebrity as it possesses. We have also seen a
military review here; but the discipline was poor, and only the music
good.
A gentleman here from America, engaged in the wine trade, has amused us
all by his facts in relation to champagne, which is here manufactured
in large quantities, and is fabricated from a mixture of some ten or
twelve different wines. A very superior brand is the result, which the
good people of America will pay well for, with an appropriate brand duly
furnished to order.
On the roof of our hotel is a sort of room, or garden, called the
Belvedere. In it are a variety of fine plants, in healthy condition. The
roses were very fragrant. The view across the river from this place is
charming; and the village of Deutz looks prettily, with its large hotel
and plenty of smaller houses of resort. To-morrow we go up the Rhine;
and we are all hoping for a fine day, and then we expect a pleasant one.
Yours truly,
JAMES.
Letter 40.
FRANKFORT.
DEAR CHARLEY:--
It was on the Rhine that we all wanted you with us, and other friends,
too, who were far away. This is no common, every-day stream, but one
whose name and renown have been associated with ten thousand pages of
history, song, and legend. We have read of the Rhine, listened to its
songs, drank its wines, dreamed of its craggy, castled banks,--and at
last we found ourselves upon its waters, rushing down from their homes
in Alpine steeps and regions of eternal snow. The deposits of this river
have made Holland what she is; and the rich plains of the Low Countries
have been fo
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