Foreign Correspondence

Dkesdex, July 3, 1873. FriujíD Po3TD : It is not pleasant in hot weather to set out upon a railroad trip of twenty hours or more, but from Amsterdam to Berlin thero aro np such attractions as make the travoler teel under conscientious obligations to stop over for a day or two; though Hanover is a pleasant city where, rather than ride all night, we stopped. As we leave A. in a nearly aouthern direction we at onoe find ourselves amid the sumo surroudings of plain and polder, ditohes and canals, whioh form the charaoteristic features all over the Holland country, and though almost adjoining ;he city there is a considerable tract lying .8 feet below the level of tho soa, it is under such cultivation that we should never have drearoed of this remarkable :ict. Vegetable gardons and nurseries appear as well stocked and in as good condition as in the neighborhood of other urge cities, and but for the nuinerous canals we might easily forget that the remorseless sua is lying ever in wait to resumo its ancient possessions. It is but an lour's ride to Utrecht, and the entire disance is perhaps unusually well improved, owing to lts vicinity to these cities. As we approach Utrecht, which is so much more inland than the other cities we have )een visiting, there is a perceptible diininution in the number of canals, and ;he heretoforo undeviating plain becomes lightly undulating. The city itself has a very pleasant appearance with its abundant shade trees and outlying villas. It s an old place, dating from the Roman limes, with a population of nearly 50,000, and has always filled an important posiion in History, and gave its name to the celebrated peace treaty of 1713 which inally adj usted the great war of the ipanish successiou. The tower of its venerable Cüthedral, with its equestrian St. üartiu as n weathercock, was readily disinguishable, being much the tallest obect to be seen, 321 feet high. There are two outlets to the Khine 'rom this point besides the Leek which is connected with the city by canal. After eaving . Utrecht the general direction throughout our trip was nearly East, and )efore reaching Arnbeim we passed over a ract of very barren, sandy land, with a ;rowth of pines of small size. As recenty as 1855 the district had been inundaed by the giving way of au embankmsnt. Arnheim has about 30,000 iuhabitauts, and has a range of hiils in its vicinity giving it this additional charm as the site of a very pleasant looking city, and almost the only eminences we had seen except sand hills, since leaving Frince. Dur route was now parallel with the Yssel as tar as Zutphen.j Crossing the iver here we again pass over the true Holland flats with their many canals, but jenerally in good cultivation, though with a far less prolitic soil than that we iad seen farther West. The motto of this district appears to embody some historical truth, " Great in courage, poor in goods, sword in hand, such is the motto of Guilder-land." The stations were all small, indicating no great agricultural wealth seeking these outlets to a market. Without any sensible jar we crossed the tontier separating Holland from Hanover in Germany, and at Bentheim, another small place of 2,000 citizens, several of whom no doubt find employment in the useless examination of baggage, we were again put through the customs with the usual fornalities and ridiculous seriousness. Danebruck is a mueh larger place and the whole appearance of the country has become changed. There is nothing left of the Netherland countries or of their people. Half an hour later we reached Lohne, an unimportant station as far as relates to its size, but of more importance to us as being the point at which we completed our circumspection of Europe, or rather, perhaps, finished the circle of our travels, which on the lOth day of June, 1872 had brought us to this little place en route, at that time, for Cologne. One year and two days and how much has been our experience in that brief time. Speaking only only of our travels - we have been through Germmiy, the Tyrol, a part ofustria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgiuin, Holland, and now again in Germany - a chapter in our lives not likely soon to be forgotten. About 5 o'clock we arrived at Hanover, capital of the old Kingdom of Haiiover, a fine city of about thesizeof Detroit and with many uttractions. We iniproved our time by a long stroll through some of its principal streets and squares, and looking at some of its principal buildings. The theatre is nn immense edifice, occupying au isolated position in a spacious square, and is said to be one of the best in Germauy. The palaces are extensive, both the old and the new, and it becomes a novel question what profitable use can be made of so many of these regal residences when the petty sovereignties themselves shall have become lost in the greater Imperialism of the day. From Hanover the next day, we took the more direct and newer road to Berlín and therefore not so interesting as the more southerly road. Soon after passing Stendal, where we intersected the line from Hamburg to Leipsec, we crossed the Elbe, one of the great rivera of Europe, and a very dirty looking one, too, it seemed to us. With little to occupy our attention on the way we wore glad to reach the more proniising station at Berlín, quite in the norhwesb quarter of the city. Fortune for once favored us, and beforo dark we were pleasantly located at a Pensíonal for our stay in this capítol of Prussia and German-laud. We found ourselves quite Americanized here, having at our table a young student from Georgia and a family from Aubürn, New York. Indeed, there ii no troubl whatever in finding cans at B , tho number of students and of transient residonts from our country being always quite largo. But no one need expect to find it as cheap living there as in many other places, for everything looks up at B., under the present regime, and food and rents particípate in the general advance. At the best pensions, centrally located, the charges are abont 2 thalers por day, equal to about $1.50 gold, for board and rooms. Thero are maiiy objects of interest in Berlin and its vicinity, and we lost no time in beginniug the work of hunting up those in which we feit the most ouriosity. A long stroll upou somo of the principal streets and squares brought us some disappointment. That Berlin is a city of great wealth and activity was manifest enough, and that it has a great number of immense public edifices, nearly all of them much decorated with sculptured trophies, statues, and fanciful designs, we could not help seeing ; but there certainly is wanting a uniforrnity of beauty and noble style in its artchitecture, a kind of medley of large and small, oíd and new, irregnlar and rectangular, which destroys impressiveness and harmony of effect. Upon its most celebrated street, the spacious " Unter den Linden," this defect is very striking; and after hearing and reading so much about the dolightful shades and walks of this street it was not quite satisfactory to find that its splendid avenue of Linden trees forru the most sorry looking spectacle of uncoineliness, in this line, which we have met with anywhere in such a conspicuOU3 situation. The trees are not noble, but small ; they present no uniformity of growth and size, but vary from two inches to twelve in diameter, and besides this, are at least a fourth of them are not Lindens at all. To complete this fault finding, it struck us as particularly objectionable that a strong wire is drawn from post to post along the sides, with ope ni gs ouly at intervals, thus couipelling pedestrians to enter the avenue under restraint. The street itself is very fine indeed, affording in width ampie space for the ordinary sidewalks, next which are two good carriage ways, and bctween these, occupying the center, is the avenue for pedestrians, bordered by the long rows of shade trees, such as they are, extending from the palace to the Brandenburg gate, fully a mile, and which in time, perhaps, will become really a noble and magnificent promenade, fitly terminated at its eastern extremity by the grand Equestrian statue to Frederick the great, the work of the artist Rauch. It is in bronze, and besides the etatue surniounting the lofty pedestal, the upper section is ornamented with four symboliical figures and eight historical edifices. Upon the corners of the next lower section are four other equestrian figures, those of Princes Henry of Prussia and Ferdinand of Brunswick, and of his generáis Ziethen and Seydlitz, and between these are standing, of life size, the most distinguished officers of the King. The lowest portion of the pedestal bears the names of eminent men and soldiers of his time. The whole fornis one of the largest and finest of bronze monuments in Europe. The gate at the western end of this street is nlso, of its kind, a very fine structure. Erected after the model of the Propylaecum at Athens, 200 feet wide by 62 high, and surmounted by a chariot and steeds, of Victory, it forms quite an imposing work. The public monuments to her noted men are both numerous and good, that to the Great Elector, as he is called (Frederic IL), at the long bridge, near the Schossplatz, is by some esteemed as highly as the larger and more imposing group to Frederick the Great. The Equestrian figure andhorseare posedin a more natural and easy attitude, though the act of riding apparently over the slaves, chained at his feet does not in itself very palpably express the devotion to liberty or its opposite. But the works of Art not monumental are still more numerous, and some of them demand the highest admiration. Of these is the jioble group by Kiss, of tho Amazon upon her horse, attacked by a tiger, a'work of merited clebrity, well placed upon the projecting platform of the lower pórtico to the old museum; a similar group by Wolff upon the opposite side of the ascendiug steps to the entrance, called the "Lion Combat," and deserves nearly equal commendation. And still a third group in bronze, like the othersnamed.isSt. George and the Dragon by Kiss, which stands in the first court of the royal palace. But it would be quite impossible to enumérate without wearying you the long list of classical figures and groups and single statues which are distributed in every part of the city and adorn most of the public edifi" ces. We teel compelled to speak with cheerful praiBe of some of the finely shaded streots which extend outside the gates, as the Potsdamer Strasse and olhers in that quarter, aud of course in many parts of the city the buildings were more pretentions and of a botter style than upon the older business streets ; but on the whole we cannot conscientiously unite in the flattery that speaks of Berlin as one of the handsomost cities of Europo. We did, however, find it filled with many objects of real interest, and its great collections soem quite unending, and, what is of much value to travelers, are brought togethor in the viciuity of the royal gallory, bo as to bo readily accessible, and for the most part are open all day. In front of the Museum stands the largest granite basin we have yet seen, of a circular shape. It is 22 feet in diameter and beautifully seulptured from a singlo reddish colored boulder. The long open portice contains frescoes painted under the direction of Cornolius, from designs by Schinkel, giving a mythological history of Civilization. It requires time and study to decipher its ideal significance, but the grouping and coloring are very fine. The Myth of Hercules and that of Thesius in a different style, are given below the former. Other frescoes adora the entrance hall, and the whole Museum is made a fitting receptacle for ita many treasures. One of the finest objects whioh arrosted our attention was the celebrated Gobelins Tapestry, woven for Honry the 8th, of England after designs by Raphael. The cartoons are often seen engraved, and a good series of them is in University Museum. The subjects here displayed, woven by cunning hands into the tapestry, so dexterously as to resemble painting, were Annanias, Christ giving Peter the Keys of Heaven, Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Elymas struck blind, Paul's con. version, Paul preaching at Athens, Stoning of Stephen, Miraculous draught of fishes, and Healing the lame inau by Peter and Paul. The colors are far less bright than at first, but are still clear enough to givü.proper nStion of their original excel-' lence. Those upon whioh the bright sunlignt falls are carefully covered, and the curtains are drawn as the light moves aiound the circle. Of' the statuary in the Rotunda and elsewhere upon the ground floor we can only say some are good, some tolerable, very few of superior excellence, as compared with the Vaticau, which must ever forin the standard in this departwent of Art. The picture gallery upon the floor above is far better and numbcrs in its possessiou several of ïtaphael's Madonas and other works ; an Assumption by Fra Bartölomeo; tha Peuitsut Magdalne of Murillo and his St. Anthony and the infant Christ; the Money Changers of Q. Messeys, as well as fine specimens by Van Dyke, Rubens, Reinbrandt, and the other artists of the Dutch school. But the most beautiful aftd rarest of the pietures in the gallery is the celebrated altar piece of Van Eyok, originally painted for the church of St. Bavon at Ghent, whete five of the 13 panels yet remain. Six panels of this great work of Art are possessed by the Berlin Gallery, and excellent copies of those at Ghent are also hung in same room. As the panels are painted upon both sides, only those which happen to be exposed can be seen at one vislt. Thcy were painted in 1420 to '32, and possuss far more of the graceful ease and beauty of style than is usual in the works of the period.and in delicacy of finish and coloring and variety of expression, they seem almost inimitable. These pictures were among those which the fine taste of Napoleon's collector's apprpciated and they were carried off to Paris - fou only were returned. Those which are a Berlin somehow got into market, were purchased in England, and finally were secured by the government for the gallery at a price of 410,000 francs. The gallery is very extensive, 19 rooms being fillet upon all the available wall space wit] pictures of the Italian, Spanish, ani French schools, and 12 with those of th Dutch and Germán pictures; but there i more of mediocre work than of superior or at least there seems to be a very larg proportion of works that do not arrest o enchain the attention. In the old Museum is the Antiquarium a collection of vases, bronzes, terra cottas mosaics, &o., curious and interesting t one who has some special purpose to ac complish by their stndy, but merel glanced at by the ordinary visitor. Thi remark is also true of the fine collection ef coins, intaglios, and cárneos. We visi ted the New Museum at another time and will postpone therefore our notice, t another letter. Ever yours,