t above the sea. Muehlhausen is a very active, busy-looking
town, with a population of nearly thirty thousand. Here the fine cotton
prints of France are fabricated. Much of the property is owned at Basle,
we were afterwards told. This place has to obtain its cotton from Havre
and Marseilles; and even coal has to come from a distance.

It was dark when we took an omnibus at the terminus; and, after riding
over an old bridge, we were very soon established at a princely hotel
known as the Trois Rois. This house is on the banks of the Rhine, and
its windows command a very fine view. The historical reminiscences of
Basle are interesting, and its position very commanding. Here the Rhine
is bounded by the hills of the Black Forest and the Jura range.

Next morning we took a stroll to see the lay of the land; and we found
ourselves on a terrace overlooking the Rhine, and forming a part of the
cathedral ground. O, it was glorious to look at, Charley. There,
stretched away on the other side, were the hills of the Black Forest,
whose legends we have so often pored over. This terrace is finely-wooded
with linden and chestnut-trees. We walked back to town, and called upon
our consul, Mr. Burchardt, and found him very kind and friendly. He gave
himself up to us for the entire day, and became our guide to all the
objects of interest. He dined with us; and then we all went to his
charming country-house, about one and a half miles from town, and took
tea with his family. Our first object was the Cathedral. This is a red
sandstone church, with two steeples, and was consecrated in 1019. The
crypt, no doubt, is as ancient as this date. Here is the tomb of the
empress, wife of Rudolph of Hapsburg. Here, too, we saw the tombstone of
Erasmus, who died in 1536. In the cloisters, which are very noble, are
the monuments of OEcolampadius, Grynaeus and Myer, the reformers. This
church is Protestant. It is plain, but venerable. In the chapter-house,
which we visited, was held the Council of Basle, which lasted from 1436
to 1444. The room is just as it then appeared, and the very cushions on
the seats are still preserved. Our next visit was to the Holbein
Gallery, where the largest collection of paintings by this master is to
be seen. Here we saw the fragments of the Dance of Death, but which
some say are of an earlier date than Holbein's day. I liked his
portraits better than his other pieces. One sketch of Sir Thomas More's
family is very fine. We