Vienna

C'orrespondence of Tin Courier Jiily 1, WO. We are delighted with Vienna. One of my wife's friends, who bad spent four or five years traveling on the continent, said that, of all tho citics she had visited, she liked bost Paris, Vienna, and Stockholm. Certainly, as regards the nuniber and magnificenco of its public buildings, I thiuk Vienna cannot havo a rival in Europe or America, unless I except our own capítol, "the city of niagnificent distances." In my huniblo judgment there is not a public building in the world that can vic with the capítol at Washington. In architectural beauty, simplicity ;ind imposing grandeur it stands pre eminent. Vienna is a very old city, but it is only quite lately that it has begun to grow so fast. Originally it was a Celtio settleinent. Karly in tho first century of the Christian er the Romans erected the castle of Vindobona on this site, and Marcus Aurelius died hcre in ISO A. D. During the crusades the city increased very rapidly in consequence of the traffic which flowed through it, and probably t was at that time that those fortifications were inarked out whioh formed the boundary and defence ef the inner city down to 1857. They consisted of rampart, fossj, and glacis. Being of little uso in modern warfarc, these aneient fortifications wcre leveled, and the space employed for the erection of the Ktngstrasse, a broad street encirclfng the interior of the city. lts average width is 165 feet, and its length, including the FranzJoseph's-Quai, is fully three miles. The buildings on this broad street are a wonder to behold. There is a succession of pala tial private rcoidcnoes, fine hotels, vast dwelling houses, niany stoned with elegant facades ; and then beautiful museums anc art galleries by the score. Every visitor will remember three of these beautiful struetures in particular, on account of thcir vast ness, and the beauty and elegance of the architecture. They are the two museums, side by side, one devoted to natura history, the other to the fine arts; anc then a little further to the cast that hand some Renaissance edificc, the Imperia opera house. To the west and north rises the new piirliament house, in the Greek style, itH chante eimplieity and noble dig nity bcfitting n deliberativo awsembly. Am so I might go on enumerating - a grand thot tre, the extensivo buildings of the univcr sit.y, tho courts of justice, military offices and barraoks, etc., etc. - but 1 will not weary you with a detailed deseiiption. I is evident that Vienna stands in the front rank as regards architectural talent. The wealth neccssnry to produce such a vas number of immense palatial stuctures in nuch elabórate stylo, must be enormous. In the very heiirt of the old city stands St. Htephen's church, one of the fines the gothic stylc, very profuso iu ornament its large and lofty tower is a most beauti ful sight upon ¦whieh to gaze. The interior I did not lilee so well, though some o the stained-glass windows are very pretty. We visited the Helveden picture gallery, and the Liechtenstein eollection, but failed to discover any paintings that were remarkable. Uaving becu in Florence and Rome perhaps we expected too niucli. Tho Am bras eollection of aneient armor, curiosities and anticiuities is very fine and justly celebrated. We wure also permittcd to see the private jewels of the Auslrian imperial family in the treasury rooms of the Imperial Hofburg, very rich and historically interesting. We had seon the crown jewels of Great Briiian n the tower, London, but thought these much finer. There were tho crown, scepter and imperial globe of the time of Rudolph II, and crown of the empress. The eollection of' jewels is of enormous value. Among them is the celebrated Florentino diamond, over one hundred and fifty-three carats in weight, and valucd at $287,245, once the property of Charles the bold of Burgundy. It is .-iid to havo boen found by a peasant after the battle of Morat, and sold to a Bernese merchant for one florín, les$ than half a dollar. Another of the principal .sights in Vienna is the Prater, a public paik on the Danube canal, containing 4,270 acres. It is beautifully laid out and is the resort of all classes. Here ono can get an idea of what a Vienua beer garden is, and how such infetitutions of the devil arepatronized in this country. The international exhibition of 1873 was held in this park, and the largo rotunda and machincry hall are still ing.