EXPLANATION of a View of COBLENTZ, EHRENBREITSTEIN, and tatHINE, now Exhibiting at the PANORAMA, LEICESTER SQUARE 
 
 1 Town of Ehrenbreitstein 
 
 2 Hotel de Yille, Ehrenbreitstein 
 
 3 Cheval Blanc 
 
 4 Pfaffendorf 
 
 5 Stolzenfels 
 
 6 Village of Pfaffendorf, beyond 
 
 which is Hockheim 
 
 7 Island of Oberworth 
 
 8 Bridge of Boats 
 
 9 The Rhine 
 
 17 Jesuits’ Convent 
 
 18 Notre Dame 
 
 19 Landing place for Steamers 
 
 20 Rheinberg Hotel 
 
 The Electoral Palace 
 1 Forts Alexander and Constantine 
 1 Hotel Belle Vue 
 
 13 Hotel de Trois Suisses 
 
 14 Posting House for Ems 
 
 15 Church of St. Florin 
 
 16 Hotel de Ghent 
 
 21 
 
 Hotel de Coblentz 
 
 24 
 
 Infant School 
 
 27 
 
 Steam Boat, Leopold 
 
 2' Fort Francis 
 
 32 
 
 Neuendorf 
 
 22 
 
 Protestant Church 
 
 . 25 
 
 Church of St. Castor 
 
 28 
 
 Moselle Bridge 
 
 3 A Raft 
 
 33 
 
 Neiderwerth 
 
 23 
 
 Hotel de Paris 
 
 26 
 
 Dutch House 
 
 
 3 A Dutch Yacht 
 
 34 
 
 Ballendier 
 
 35 John Tower 
 
 36 Ehrenbreitstein 
 
 37 The House of the Commandant 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2018 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 https://archive.org/details/descriptionofvie00burf_14 
 
DESCRIPTION 
 
 A VIEW OF THE CITY 
 
 OF 
 
 CO B L E NTZ, 
 
 THE FORTRESS OF 
 
 EHRENBREITSTEIN, 
 
 THE RHINE, 
 
 AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY, 
 
 NOW EXHIBITING 
 
 AT 
 
 TBHIE IPAIMOKARM, !LiED©iEiTl(® 
 
 ^ainte'b fvom Bvatoings taken on tf)c spot, tip ttje ^lopvietor, 
 ROBERT BURFORI). 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED BY GEO, NICHOLS, EARL’S COURT, LEICESTER SQUARE, 
 
 1843. 
 
COBLENTZ 
 
 “Adieu to thee, fair Rhine! Iiow long delighted 
 The stranger fain would linger on his way1 
 Thine is a scene alike whore souls united. 
 
 Or lonely contemplation thus might stray; 
 
 And could the ceaseless vultures cease to prey 
 On self condemning bosoms, it were here 
 Where nature, nor too sombre, nor too gay, 
 
 Wild but uot rude, awful yet not austere. 
 
 Is to the mellow earth as autumn to the year. 
 
 Adieu to thee again! a vain adieu! 
 
 There can be no farewell to scene like thine; 
 
 The mind is colored by thy every hue; 
 
 And if reluctantly the eyes resign 
 
 Their cherished gaze upon thee, lovely Rhine! 
 
 ’Tis with the thankful glance of parting praise; 
 
 More mighty spots might rise—more glaring shine, 
 
 But none unite in one attaching maze. 
 
 The brilliant, fair, and soft— the glories of old days.” Bvron. 
 
 The Rhine is universally allowed to be the most picturesque and 
 romantic, as well as the most historically interesting river in Europe. It is 
 in the language of poetry alone that the delightful prospects it presents 
 can, with any degree of justice, be pourtrayed ; for all that the most 
 skilful composer of ideal scenery could conceive or effect, with wood and 
 water, hill and dale, modern villages smiling amid fertile vineyards and 
 blooming verdure, and shattered castles proudly frowning from the bare 
 summits of scathed rocks, has here been done in every possible variety. 
 
 “A blending of all beauties; streams and dells, 
 
 Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, corn field, mountain, vine, 
 
 And chiettess castles breathing stern farewells 
 From gray but leafy walls, where ruin greenly dwells.” 
 
 From Mayence to Cologne, a distance of about one hundred and twenty 
 miles, is considered the most beautiful portion of this splendid river, about 
 midway between these two places, and, at its widest part, stands Coblentz, 
 the subject of the present Panorama; and throughout the whole of its 
 long course, there is no place on it its delightful banks, that can surpass 
 it for situation, and the boldness and beauty of the surrounding scenery; 
 for from whichever side it is approached, either by land or by water, it 
 presents a picturesque, peculiar, and lovely picture. From Ehrenbreit- 
 stejn, the heights of Pfaffandorf, the Chartreuse,o r from the river, the 
 view is equally tine, although each possesses its own peculiar characteristic ; 
 the latter, as embracing a more comprehensive coup d’oeil of every feature 
 of grandeur and interest, lias been selected for the point of view. From 
 hence the spectator commands a considerable extent of the river, which 
 here Hows with a volume and majesty of current that renders it imposing, 
 
3 
 
 whilst the boats of various kinds, rafts, &c. that cover its surface, con¬ 
 siderably enliven the scene. On a kind of peninsula or isthmus of land, 
 formed by the confluence of the Rhine with the Moselle, stands the city; 
 rising, as it were, from the bosom of the waters, and occupying a trian¬ 
 gular level; its front stretching at right angles along the left bank of the 
 former, and the right bank of the latter ; presenting a long line of white 
 and coloured buildings, some of very peculiar character, a magnificent 
 palace, and some curiously formed towers and steeples of churches; the 
 whole surrounded by strong fortifications even to the water’s edge, and 
 backed by high and picturesque mountains. 
 
 On the right bank of the river, immediately opposite the city, stands 
 the grandest and most important object in the view—the huge and mighty 
 Ehrenbreitstein, the Gibraltar of the Rhine, with its vast crown of forti¬ 
 fications, rising in towering majesty from the crest of its nearly perpen¬ 
 dicular rock, formidably picturesque, frowning in threatening majesty on 
 all beneath. At the base of the rock, the small town of Ehrenbreitstein, 
 with the palace of the Electors of Treves, and the adjacent village and 
 heights of Pfaffendorf, together with the curiously constructed bridge of 
 boats crossing from Coblentz, and the ancient bridge of the Moselle, 
 backed by vine-clad hills, are pleasing features; whilst above and below 
 the “glorious river,” ever rolling onward, is seen winding into the distance 
 through fertile and well cultivated plains, fruitful orchards, luxuriant corn 
 fields, and rich vineyards—studded by numerous towns and villages, 
 embosomed in foliage, and overtopped by eminences shrouded by dak 
 forests, and crowned by the chiefless castles and mouldering remains of 
 feudal times, finely reposing against the more elevated forms of the distant 
 mountains, or standing in bold relief against the horizon, where they are 
 traced with a distinct outline and with rich deep tone—perpetual remnants 
 of departed ages, each with a legend and character of its own. So much 
 picturesque and richly embellished scenery under the eye at one view', 
 such an endless combination of hill and valley, lofty brow, and bold 
 ravine—now rising into magnificence, now sinking into soft loveliness, that 
 completes the panorama—is unspeakablv beautiful and captivating. 
 
 Coblentz, anciently called Confluentia, from the union of the two rivers, 
 is the capital of the Rhenish provinces of Prussia. So convenient a 
 situation, from its central position, and the security it afforded, both for 
 war and commerce, was not likely to be overlooked by the Romans; so 
 that it was one of the first cities planted by them on the Rhine, and 
 became, in very early days, an important post—the station of the first 
 legion. Drusus Germanicus is said to have fortified, if not first erected 
 the city 13.C. 13. Little, however, is known of its history for several 
 centuries, excepting that it was the residence of some of the Roman 
 Emperors, and Kings of the Franks, for the convenience of intercourse 
 with other parts of Europe and France. Charlemagne often resorted to 
 the city, when he resided at his palace of Ingelheim, and his rival grand¬ 
 children met here, in 843, to prepare the articles for the treaty of Verdun, 
 by which his empire was subdivided amongst them ; when Coblentz became 
 part of the kingdom of Lorraine, and remained so for about one hundred 
 and fifty years, when it was again annexed to the German empire. 
 
 About the year 1018, the whole territory of Treves regained the dis¬ 
 tinction as a seperate country, which the Romans had given it by calling 
 
4 
 
 the inhabitants Treveri, and Coblentz became an independant ecclesiasti¬ 
 cal state, having been given by Heinrich II., Emperor of Germany, to 
 Poppo, Archbishop of Treves; and was thenceforward the capital, and 
 favorite residence of the Archbishops and Electors, who in turbulent 
 times made Ehrenbreitstein their stronghold, and confided the hereditary 
 stewardship of the city to the Pfalzgrafs of the Rhine. At this period the 
 opulence and importance of the city was at its height; it was one of the 
 principal places on the Rhine, and extended not only over the peninsula 
 on which it now stands, and to a considerable distance on the opposite 
 bank of the Rhine, but had an extensive suburb on the Moselle, called 
 little Coblentz, of which not a trace now remains. Clement, the last of 
 the Electors, erected the Palace, and the new quarter which bears his 
 name. 
 
 Coblentz has at various times had its misfortunes, and the hand of war 
 has frequently dealt severely with it. In the thirty years war it repeatedly 
 changed masters, Spaniards, Swedes, French, Imperialists under Wallen¬ 
 stein, and the Protestant party, being successively in possession. In 
 1688, it was bombarded for some time by the armies of Louis XIV., and 
 almost reduced to ruins, but was not taken. 
 
 At the commencement of the French revolution, Coblentz became the 
 chief rendezvous of the emigrants from that nation, who to the number, 
 it is said, of ten thousand, found refuge within its walls. During the 
 winter of 1791, the French princes, their followers, and adherents, were 
 nobly entertained and protected by the Elector, before they marched to 
 Champaign, to experience those disasters which completed the overthrow 
 of their devoted house. Here were raised sixty or seventy squadrons of 
 cavalry, who with at least six thousand horses, were quartered in the 
 city; the infantry being principally cantoned in the neighbouring towns. 
 In 1794, General Jourdain compelled the Austrians to retire; General 
 Clairfayt, who occupied a position on the Roer, resisted for some time, 
 but being defeated, General Moreau, with a detachment of the French 
 army, occupied the city. 
 
 Coblentz, from being built at the extreme point of junction of the two 
 rivers, is in shape nearly triangular, one broad side only being open to 
 the land. The front towards the Rhine does not present any remarkable 
 feature, the various towers and spires are unimportant, and the numerous 
 white walls and slate roofs have a cold effect, added to which, a loop- 
 holed wall that surrounds the whole, disfigures the view, and gives it a 
 dull and heavy appearance ; still, however, there is a distinguishing air of 
 neatness and regularity throughout that is extremely pleasing. Some of 
 the squares, especially the Clemenstadt, are spacious and handsome, and 
 the streets for a fortified town are tolerably wide; one good street of lofty 
 ancient houses, crosses the town from the northern gate at the Moselle 
 Bridge, from which others branch on either side to the walls ; adjoining 
 which other streets surround the whole. Previous to the French revolu¬ 
 tion, Coblentz contained three parish churches, a Jesuit’s church and 
 college, two other colleges, four convents of monks, and three nunneries ; 
 it has now four Catholic and one Protestant churches. The houses are 
 generally built of stone, and many, especially some of the hotels, are large 
 and substantial erections. There are but very few public buildings of im¬ 
 portance, the new Electoral Palace, the Theatre, and the Cassino, in the 
 new quarter, which is still incomplete, being the principal. There are 
 
5 
 
 altogether about eleven hundred houses, and the population including 
 Ehrenbrietstein, and the Garrison, does not number above twenty-two 
 thousand. 
 
 Coblentz, by the extensive fortifications by which it is surrounded, is 
 the bulwark of Germany, and the Prussian dominions, on the side of 
 France. These vast defences which occupied twenty years to complete, 
 and which are unique in their way, combine the two systems of fortifica¬ 
 tion of Carnot and Montalambert, and the works on the left banks of 
 the Rhine, in connection with the citadel on the right, form a fortified 
 camp capable of lodging an army of one hundred thousand men. Inde¬ 
 pendant of the defences of the town, there are detached and external — 
 Fort Kaiser Franz or Petersburg, below it on the left bank of the Moselle, 
 which commands the approaches from Cologne and Treves. The Forts 
 Alexander and Constantine, on the Chatreuse above the town, command¬ 
 ing the road from Mayence, and that over the Hundsruck Mountains ; 
 and lastly Ehrenbreitstein, which with PfafFendorf, and some works on the 
 neighbouring heights, sweep the stream of the Rhine, and the road through 
 the Duchy of Nassau. 
 
 Although Coblentz has not any manufactories of consequence, yet it is 
 a place of considerable commercial importance ; being a free port, it 
 carries on an active trade up and down the rivers Rhine, Moselle, and 
 Lahn; supplying the surrounding country with colonial produce, and 
 manufactures, and receiving in return, wines and other produce; for from 
 its central position and vicinity to the wine districts, it forms the staple 
 depot for nearly all the Rhine and Moselle wines, going down the river to 
 Great Britain, Holland, and other parts; as well as for Seltzer and other 
 mineral waters from Nassau, &c. immense quantities of which are annually 
 shipped. The presence also of the civil and military government, the 
 president of the Rhenish Provinces, and the General Commandment, and 
 a considerable garrison ; the constant arrival and departure of the steam 
 boats up to Mayence, or down to Cologne, and to Treves by the Moselle; 
 the number of carriages and other conveyances that pass through, it being 
 the point of junction of the great roads to Frankfort, and by Treves to 
 Paris, and its vicinity to the fashionable watering place Ems, render it, 
 especially in summer, a very lively and bustling place. 
 
EXPLANATION OF THE ENGRAVING 
 
 1.—Town of Ehrenbreitstein. 
 
 The town, situated at the foot of the mountain, is considered to be a suburb 
 to Coblentz ; it was formerly much larger, but at present does not contain 
 more than two thousand inhabitants. The most important building in it, is 
 the ancient Castle of Philipstahl, erected by the Elector, Philip Christopher, 
 for a long period the palace of the Electors of Treves. When the new palace 
 in Coblentz was built, this was converted into barracks, and it has since been 
 used for municipal and other purposes. 
 
 Pfaffendorf. 
 
 A circular redoubt, with outworks, situated on a hill, nearly as steep and as 
 lofty as that on which Ehrenbrietstein stands; at the foot of the hill is seen 
 the pretty village of the same name, a favourite resort of the inhabitants of 
 Coblentz, who make parties of pleasure to the fine gardens in its environs. 
 The Thai, or valley of Ehrenbreitstein, which runs inland between these hills, 
 is justly celebrated for its fertility and romantic beauty. 
 
 5.—Stolzenfels. 
 
 A fine ruin of a large castle, situated on a bold eminence, above the village 
 of Kapellen ; a little in advance of which the river Lahn, which rises in Wes- 
 terweld, and crosses Hesse and Nassau, enters the Rhine. Stolzenfels, then 
 called Die Stolze Veste, or the Proud Fortress, was, at the commencement of 
 the fourteenth century, one of the most formidable robber fortresses on the 
 banks of the Rhine. Werner, Archbishop of Treves, who died here in 1418, 
 and who was much given to alchymical studies, was supposed to have left 
 immense treasures in the vaults beneath the castle, in searching for which, 
 John of Baden, one of the ablest Archbishops, nearly a century subsequently, 
 spent much time and money, of course, without success. In 1688, the fortifi¬ 
 cations were destroyed by the French, and were not repaired, and the whole 
 went to decay. At one time the castle was offered for sale at a merely nominal 
 price, but did not find a purchaser. It has since been presented by the city to 
 the Crown Prince of Prussia (the present King), bj r whom it has been repaired. 
 
 6.—Village of Pfaffandorf, beyond which is Horcheim. 
 
 A small and pretty village, the neighbourhood of which is celebrated for its 
 red wine, which is of fine quality; at the extremity of the village stands the 
 magnificent villa and fine grounds of M. Mendelssohn, banker, of Berlin. 
 Horcheim is the last Prussian village on the right bank of the Rhine. 
 
 7.—Island of Oberworth. 
 
 A charming and fertile island, in the centre of the river, sometimes called 
 Magdalenworth, from having been the site of a famous nunnery, founded early 
 in the twelfth century, which was afterwards secularized, and finally destroyed 
 on the cession of the left bank of the river to France, in the first revolutionary 
 war. A portion of the old building now forms the villa of Count Pfaffenhofen. 
 
7 
 
 8.—Bridge of Boats. 
 
 There is not any bridge of stone or brick, across the Rhine, throughout the 
 whole of its course, from lake Constance to the sea. The Sehiffbrtlcke, or 
 bridge of boats of Coblentz, was thrown across to the valley of Ehrenbreitstein 
 in 1819, to replace the old fly bridge, at the cost of eighty thousand florins. 
 It reposes on thirty-six large barges, which are securely moored, and, of 
 course, rises and falls as the water—which is here about one thousand two 
 hundred and fifty feet in width—increases or diminishes. By an ingenious con¬ 
 trivance, craft and the large rafts that come down the river, are allowed to 
 pass, by two or more of the barges, with the platform they support being un¬ 
 moored, and suffered to drop down the stream for a short distance. A small 
 toll on carriages and foot passengers is collected. 
 
 9.—The Rhine. 
 
 This remarkable and most beautiful river, classic from its many legends of 
 poetry and romance, rises in the Canton of the Orisons, nearly in the centre 
 of Switzerland, and flowing from south to north, passes through Lake Con¬ 
 stance, being fed by many tributary streams, and losing much of its water by 
 the formation of other rivers ; the main branch, which retains its original name, 
 after traversing Holland, enters the sea at Catwick, having performed a course 
 of nearly nine hundred miles, six hundred and thirty of which are navigable. 
 There may be rivers that are of greater length, and whose volume of water is 
 more considerable, but there are not any that unite every thing that can render 
 an earthly object magnificent and charming, in the same degree, as the Rhine. 
 Its banks throughout present $ series of the most enchanting views, which 
 develope them selves and arrest the imagination in one perpetual and ever changing 
 chain of beauty and grandeur; scenes for richness, novelty, and majesty, not 
 to be paralleled in any other part of the world. Now mountains rise in threat¬ 
 ening majesty, overhanging the flood ; steep cliffs sometimes presenting bare 
 and rugged peaks, at others covered with thick woods or luxuriant foliage, are 
 reflected in the clear stream ; again the winding of the river opens into graceful 
 amphitheatres, clothed with fruitful vineyards, for which skill and industry 
 have won a domain in the fortresses of nature, being carried to every chink 
 and crevice that the sun can reach; whilst all between presents one vast and 
 highly cultivated orchard. The lofty spires and antique buildings of the many 
 populous cities, flourishing towns, and pretty villages, that rise above the 
 foliage, speak of present happiness and peace; and the ruined castles perched 
 on the rocks, perpetual remnants of departed ages, recall to recollection the 
 times when rapacious feudal princes, barons, and knightly bandits, were the 
 highwaymen of the day, and spread terror on all around. 
 
 The vast number of these ruins create astonishment, scarcely a height of any 
 importance is without one, and each has its separate legend—the chivalrous 
 exploits or unbounded hospitality of its baron—the wonderful interference of 
 the world of spirits—or some moving tale of love and misfortune, of the time 
 in which they flourished. These strongholds were mostly demolished in the 
 middle of the thirteenth century, when the high-born robbers were so numerous, 
 and their depredations so destructive of commerce, that the principal mercantile 
 towns of Europe, all more or less interested, entered into a solemn league for 
 protecting the navigation of the Rhine, denominated the Hanseatic league: 
 which was quickly followed by the destruction of the castles on its banks, 
 which, from being the terror of the navigator, have become, from their pic¬ 
 turesque appearance, the admit ation of the tourist. 
 
 Nor is it alone to its natural beauties that the Rhine owes its fame, for its 
 name has been associated in every age with the momentous events in the history 
 of the adjoining nations; and it presents many historical recollections of Roman 
 conquests and defeats, the chivalrous exploits of the feudal ages, and grea* 
 ecclesiastical councils ; and has been the theatre of many of the important 
 battles and negotiations of modern times, that have changed the destinies of 
 Germany. 
 
B 
 
 3 6.—Ehr enbr eitstein, 
 
 The mighty and stupendous “ broad stone of honour,” the Gibraltar of the 
 Rhine, and the bulwark of Germany, crowned with fortresses, the pride of 
 modern masonry, and exhibiting all the intricate contrivances of modern en¬ 
 gineering; is a grand mass, which stands proudly frowning in sullen majesty, 
 casting its deep and darkened shadow on the calm and glassy surface of the 
 river below. A stupendous effort of human labour, carrying out the designs 
 of the noblest genius; to the eye of the soldier, a specimen of military archi¬ 
 tecture, that cannot fail to be highly interesting. In the time of the Romans 
 the rock was esteemed an important station, and was, under Julian the apostate, 
 crowned by a castrum or fortified camp. Little is known of it during the next 
 seven centuries, and it is probable that it shared the fate of all their other 
 fortresses erected for the purpose of protecting Gaul from the incursions of 
 the German tribes. The first modern fortress, under the name of Hermanstein, 
 was erected by Prince Bishop Herman Hillinus in the twelfth century, which 
 was considerably enlarged and strengthened, particularly by John. Margrave 
 of Baden, until the whole was considered to be impregnable. Durjng the 
 wars between the Germans and French, the possession of it was fiercely con¬ 
 tested, and in the thirty years’ war it surrendered to various masters. At one 
 period it withstood the attacks of eighty thousand French troops on the 
 southern side, and forty thousand on the northern ; the garrison for many 
 months baffling the most stubborn efforts of the besiegers. By the treaty of 
 1642, the works were partially destroyed, but at the peace of Westphalia, the 
 fortress having been restored to the Electorate, they were again repaired. In 
 1688, the French, under Marshal Boufflers, again besieged the fortress, but 
 without success, although the works were conducted by the celebrated Vauban, 
 and Louis XIV. attended in person. 
 
 During the revolutionary contests the importance of the post was so mani¬ 
 fest, that it was frequently placed in a state of siege by the French. When the 
 army first passed the Rhine in 1795, General Marceau blockaded it for a 
 month; the following year it was twice invested, and the second time cannon¬ 
 aded from the heights of Pfaffendorf and Arzheim, the French obtaining pos¬ 
 session of the height of Nellenkopf, but were unable to push their success 
 from the retreat of Jourdain. In 1797, at the second passage of the Rhine at 
 Neuweid, it was blockaded by General Hoche, until the peace of Leoben ; and 
 in 1798, it was once more invested, whilst the Congress at Rastadt was sitting, 
 when still maintaining its invulnerable character, it was destined to bend to a 
 foe, before whom all local advantages are useless, and all enterprise unavail¬ 
 ing. After bravely sustaining a siege of a whole year, the garrison, with the 
 greatest fortitude, enduring every species of privation, and the earnest repre¬ 
 sentations to the Congress of the gallant Col. Faber who commanded, being 
 unattended to, they were compelled to surrender to famine, what would have 
 defied any force, and capitulated on the 27th of January, 1799. After the 
 Peace of Lunneville, which shortly followed, the works were destroyed, and 
 remained in ruins many years. 
 
 “ Thus peace destroyed what war could never blight.” 
 
 The convention of Paris at the termination of the war in 1815, determined 
 that the fortress should be reinstated; and the Prussian government have en¬ 
 tirely rebuilt it, from the design of Montalembert and Carnot, having devoted 
 to that purpose the sums received from France by the treaty, and perhaps four 
 times as much in addition, the work having cost upwards of five millions of 
 Prussian dollars. 
 
 Fort Frederick William, a.s it is now called, in honor of the King of Prussia, 
 is a large irregular work, consisting'of towers, curtains, &c., connected by 
 bomb proof and casemated batteries, following the irregularities of the rock on 
 which it is erected, which is itself eight hundred feet above the level of the 
 river. It is considered to be one of the strongest fortresses of Europe, both 
 as regards its natural position, and its artificial defences ; and the form of the 
 works, and the durability of the materials, are much admired by scientific men. 
 The only entrance is from the town, by a road with numerous turnings, well 
 
9 
 
 defended at every point. Upwards of four hundred pieces of cannon are 
 mounted on the walls, and for its complete defence, a force of fourteen thousand 
 men would be required; for whom the magazines could contain provisions for 
 six years. The supply of water is also plentiful, from a deep well cut through 
 the centre of the rock, and vast tanks that hold sufficient for three years’ con¬ 
 sumption. The peace establishment seldom exceeds five hundred men. 
 
 lO.—Electoral Palace. 
 
 The palace was erected between 1779 and 1787, by that splendid and amia¬ 
 ble Prince, the Elector Clement Wenceslaus, Elector of Treves, and uncle to 
 Louis XVI. It stands in the great square of Clemenstadt, and is a noble and 
 extensive structure. The principal front which is one hundred and eighty 
 yards in width, occupies one side of the square. The fayade towards the 
 Rhine is simple yet grand, the few ornaments being well proportioned to its 
 size. It is three stories in height, and has a handsome doric portico of six 
 columns, supporting an entablature, enriched with allegorical figures. Alto¬ 
 gether, it gives a pleasing character to the city. It was, as well as the greater 
 part of the new town in which it stands, erected from the designs of a French 
 architect named Peyre. During the occupation of Coblentz by the French, it 
 was despoiled and turned into barracks, but it is now used as the Palace of 
 Justice, and contains the various tribunals, courts of assize, and other govern¬ 
 ment offices. The internal arrangements are good ; and the grand staircase, 
 chapel, and state apartments, noble ; the mantle pieces, and inlaid floors, being 
 in the best taste; they are still decorated by a few statues, and some paintings 
 by Zick—but altogether present an air of forlorn grandeur. The beautiful 
 chapel has been of late appropriated to the uses of Protestant visitors, and the 
 service of the Church of England is performed every Sunday by an English 
 clergyman. The telegraph on the top of the palace, is the first of a line com¬ 
 municating with Berlin. 
 
 In the square in front of the palace is an obelisk of red granite, erected to 
 commemorate the first bringing water into the city, by the Elector Clement, in 
 1791, who built an aqueduct, by which the water is brought from the mountains 
 near Metternich, and after crossing the Moselle bridge, is distributed through 
 various parts of the city. 
 
 11.—Forts Alexander and Constantine 
 
 Are strong works, named in honor of the Emperor of Russia; they stand 
 about half a mile from the city, and command the road from Mayence. The 
 hill is called the Karthaus or Chartreuse, from having been the site of a vast 
 and celebrated monastery of Carthusians, established in 1334, and suppressed 
 at the revolution. From this height the countries of Treves, Mayence, 
 Cologne, Darmstadt, D’Anspach, and Wied, may be seen. 
 
 15.—Church of St. Florin, 
 
 A Protestant church, which, owing to the dilapidations occasioned by the 
 French, who used it as a military dep6t, and the destruction of the spire by 
 lightning in 1790, presents but little to arrest attention. It was originally 
 founded by the Empress Helen, and was subsequently re-built. On the walls 
 are some frescos by Zick. It also contains the tombs of some of the arch¬ 
 bishops, and a pulpit and baptismal font, curiously carved by Husschmidt. 
 
 17.—Jesuits’ Convent, 
 
 Now converted into a grammar school, and gymnasium, it has a small but ex¬ 
 cellent library, in which are some rare and curious manuscripts. The vaults 
 beneath the building are most extraordinary, being of very great extent, lofty, 
 and wide ; they are at present in the possession of Messrs. Deinhard and 
 Johnson, Bankers, and Wine Merchants, whose store in them generally con¬ 
 sists of three hundred vats of Rhenish and Moselle wines, which is equal to 
 about four hundred thousand bottles. 
 
10 
 
 18.—Notre Dame, 
 
 A lino church in the centre of the town, erected on the site of the first Christian 
 church in Coblentz. The part containing 1 the choir is very ancient, the nave 
 more modern. '1'he interior presents nothing extraordinary, hut a few paint¬ 
 ings by Zick. The two towers are remarkable, being built in several succes¬ 
 sive stories, in rather an unusual style. 
 
 £5.—Church of St. Castor. 
 
 The Collegiate Church of St. Castor is the principal ecclesiastical es¬ 
 tablishment of Coblentz. It stands near the quay, at the very con¬ 
 fluence of the two rivers, on what was formerly an island, but is now part of 
 the main land. It is a handsome building, and forms a conspicuous object 
 from its four handsome towers. The church is of great antiquity, having been 
 erected in S36, popular tradition says, by Louis le Debonnaire. Within its 
 walls was held in 843, the famous Diet, at which three kings and eleven 
 bishops assisted ; at which a reconciliation place took between the three grand¬ 
 sons of Charlemagne, and they divided his vast empire into Germany, France, 
 and Italy. Here also, in 1338, Edward III. met the Emperor Louis of Bava¬ 
 ria, who then installed him vicar of the empire. The interior is very handsome, 
 the roof being supported by two rows of corinthian columns ; and the choir is 
 ornamented by some paintings by Zick, from the legends of St. Castor and St. 
 Goar. On the leftside of the choir is a tomb said to contain the uncorruptcd 
 remains of the much venerated S. Ritza, daughter to Ludwig the pious, known 
 as Louis le Debonnaire ; and sister to the before-named grandsons of Char¬ 
 lemagne. Many extraordinary legends are told of St. Ritza; one of the most 
 popular is, that she was accustomed each morning to cross the Rhine, from 
 Ehrenbreitstein, where she dwelt in a cell, to perform her matins in St. Castors, 
 walking through storm or tempest, dry-footed on the water, supported only by a 
 willow wand, which she gathered every night. The choir also contains the 
 beautiful tomb of Cuno of Falkenstein, Archbishop of Treves, in the four¬ 
 teenth centur'q and that of Warner of Konigstein. 
 
 In 1688, when Louis XIV. assisted in person at the siege of Coblentz, some 
 days after the bombardment had commenced, he was astonished to see a white 
 (lag, bearing fleurs de lis, hoisted on the church of St. Castor; having enquired 
 the reason, he was told, that in the quality of the French church, erected by 
 Louis, it claimed his protection. Louis, who had already found the siege to 
 be both long and unprofitable, availed himself of the occasion, declaring, that 
 he would never endanger by further attacks on the city, a church founded by 
 his ancestor. 
 
 In the square in front of the church, stands a fountain, handsomely orna¬ 
 mented with bassi relievi, bearing an inscription, that it was erected by the 
 French to commemorate the passage of their army, at this place, in 1812, on 
 their invasive march to Moscow; also a second inscription placed there by St. 
 Priest, who commanded the Russian army, that a few months afterwards 
 passed through Coblentz in pursuit of the retreating French, in the following 
 laconic but sarcastic lines—“ Yu et approve par nous, Commandant Russe dc 
 la Ville de Coblentz, January 1, 1814. 
 
 SSoselle Eridge. 
 
 The ancient bridge of stone that crosses the Moselle from Coblentz, was 
 erected in 1344, by Archbishop Bahlwinus of Luxembourg, by means of indul¬ 
 gences; it has fourteen arches, and is narrow and well defended ; it once led 
 to a considerable suburb called Lutzel, or little Coblentz, of which at present 
 no trace remains. 1 he Moselle river, the Obrinca of Ptolemy, takes its rise 
 in the Vosges, waters Epinal and Tool, receives the Meurte below Nancy, and 
 passing Metz and fhionvilie, separates Prussia from the Dutch Netherlands, 
 
then entering Prussia, receives the Sarre, anil joins the Rhine at this place, 
 where the combat between its dark coloured stream, and the yellow waters of 
 the Rhine, is surprising; for a considerable distance, some affiim two leagues, 
 the waters continue to be perfectly distinct, the darker Moselle creeping per¬ 
 ceptibly along the shore, in a narrow current, until overpowered and lost in the 
 more ample volume of the Rhine. The scenery of the Moselle is of a different 
 character to that of the Rhine, inferior in majestic beauty, but still very pleasing; 
 round undulating hills border the river, covered not only by vineyards, but 
 frequently by thick woods, interspersed with many towns and villages, of which 
 there are more than one hundred between Coblentz and Treves; the compli¬ 
 cated windings of the river presenting so many different aspects, render it 
 highly picturesque. Ausonius, a celebrated Latin poet of the fourth century, 
 wrote five hundred verses in praise of its beauties. The distance to Treves 
 by the river is one hundred and fifty miles, and by land not more than seventy. 
 Steam boats take a day and a half to go up, but generally run down in eight or 
 nine hours. The breaking up of the frost on the rivers is sometimes attended 
 with considerable danger to Coblentz. In 1830, whilst the Rhine was yet 
 frozen over, the ice came down the Moselle in such vast quantities, that it rose 
 in heaps, and overtopped the bridge and quays ; the water consequently over¬ 
 flowing all the low neighbourhood, and rendering the roads impassable. 
 
 2.©.—Fort Francis. 
 
 Fort Kaiser Franz, so named after the Emperor of Austria, stands on the 
 Petersburg beyond the Moselle bridge, to which it forms a tete de pout, it 
 was commenced by the French, by whom it was called Fort Marceau. The 
 works arc strong and well placed, they defend the roads to Cologne and 
 Treves. On this spot stood a monument, erected to the memory of the French 
 General Marceau, a much esteemed officer, who distinguished himself at the 
 battle of Mons, and Savenai, and died of the wounds he received at the battle 
 of Altenkirchen, in 1796. His remains were attended to the grave by the 
 Generals and detachments from both the contending armies. When the Fort 
 was erected in 1817, the tomb was removed by order of the King of Prussia to 
 a field, near the road to Cologne, where it now stands. In the same place, are 
 deposited the remains of General Iloche, whose monument is at Weissenthurm. 
 
 30.—A Raft. 
 
 ‘The immense rafts which are sometimes seen floating’ down the river, form 
 one of the most remarkable features of the Rhine. The timber of which these 
 floating islands are composed, comes from the highest portion of the river, 
 and its tributary streams; where the pine occupies every slope not cultivated, 
 and gives employment to thousands of hands in cutting and hurling down the 
 steep declivities to the water, who work from spring to winter in the forests, 
 away from their families, and cut off from all society, being quite a distinct race 
 from the flotteurs or rafters, who pilot the floats down the river. The rafts 
 are at first long and narrow, adapted to the different streams they descend, as 
 they advance, several are joined together, and as the river widens, they quickly 
 augment in size, and in the number of trees of which they are composed. On 
 reaching the Rhine they change hands, and the local boucherons or floaters re¬ 
 turn to their native vallies, again to resume their labours. The aggregate 
 rafts now become of amazing size, sometimes reaching the extraordinary di¬ 
 mensions of seven or eight hundred feet in length, one hundred and fifty or 
 two hundred feet in width, and seven or eight feet in depth, the whole forming 
 a solid and compact mass, being firmly fastened together by chains and rivets, 
 and being of the value of from <£20,000 to £30,000. Various small wooden 
 tenements are erected on them for the persons who assist in their navigation, 
 
and their families, who sometimes number as many as four or five hundred 
 persons; together with stores for live cattle, pigs, poultry, and other pro¬ 
 visions, of which a vast quantity is consumed in the voyage, which according 
 to the weather, the state of the river, &c., may be performed in two or 
 tlnee weeks, or may occupy nearly as many months. Where the cur¬ 
 rent is strong, the raft merely requires guiding — at other places, it is 
 necessary for all the hands to be employed in rowing. The captain has 
 a raised stage or platform near the centre of the raft, from which he can 
 survey the whole, and direct by various signs the different operations, and 
 the rowers form quadruple rows fore and aft. Several small rafts and a 
 number of boats accompany the raft, to assist in the navigation, and to 
 carry anchors, chains, &c. These floating islands of timber generally anchor 
 for a short time a little below Coblentz, to make some alterations in their 
 shape. 
 
 32 ,—N euendorf. 
 
 A very neat and pretty village, about half a league from Coblentz, chiefly 
 inhabited by the boatmen who navigate the rafts down the Rhine, and by gar¬ 
 deners, who raise such vast quantities of vegetables and fruit for the city, that 
 it is called the kitchen garden of Coblentz. 
 
 3 3.—N ieder werth. 
 
 This beautiful little island stands in the middle of the Rhine, a short distance 
 above Sayer on the one side, and Sebastian Engers on the other. It was once 
 the site and property of a famous nunnery, which for several ages served as a 
 retreat for noble ladies from all parts of Germany. A lord of Helfenstein is 
 said to have been the founder of this house, in the thirteenth century; but 
 tradition peoples it with fair recluses, at least eight hundred years before, and 
 it is even said that the convent was then erected on the site of one far more 
 ancient. At the first French revolution the house was destroyed, and its 
 inmates scattered ; the church still remains. 
 
 IN THE LARGE CIRCLE IS A VIEW OF 
 
 EDINBURGH; 
 
 AND IN THE SMALL CIRCLE A VIEW OF 
 
 BADEN BADEN. 
 
 ADMISSON TO EACH VIEW, ONE SHILLING. 
 
 Geo. Nichols, Printer , Earl’s Court , Soho,