formed religion, exerted itself to extend the spirit of toleration, and to lessen that antipathy which subsisted between the members of the two persuasions. The meetings of this liberal association are now transferred to Olten in Soleure.

In the vicinity of the baths, on a lofty eminence, stands the remains of the castle of Hapsburgh, to which they ascend through an ancient beech wood. The ruins consist of an ancient tower of massy stones, and part of a small building of a much more modern date.

This castle was erected in the beginning of the eleventh century, and after being the birthplace and property of Rhodolph of Hapsburgh, who was elevated to the imperial throne, by various revolutions, has now gone to decay; and is now only inhabited by the family of a peasant.

It commands a boundless view over hills and dales, plains and forests, rivers and lakes, towns and villages, mountains and alps, "emblematic," says our author, "of that extent of power, to which the talents of one man, who derived his title from this castle, raised himself and his descendants,"....alluding to Rhodolph, Count of Hapsburgh, born in 1218, who became emperor and founder of the house of Austria.

A spot so remarkable could not fail to impress the mind of a sensible traveller with many reflections on the mutability of fortune, and the elevations and depressions which families are often doomed to experience. For a simple Swiss baron to reach the imperial dignity, was such a transition, as even ambition could scarcely have foreseen; and for the descendants of that emperor to be driven from their hereditary domains

by a few small republics, in little more than a century after, is a phenomenon in the history of man, that must have happened to be believed.

Having satisfied their curiosity at the castle of Hapsburgh, the cradle of the house of Austria, they descended into the plain of Konigsfelden, to a convent of the same name, built by the empress Elizabeth, on the spot where her husband Albert was assassinated. This murder was committed on the 1st of May, 1308, in the open day, by the emperor's nephew, in the sight of his son Leopold and the rest of his court, who had not yet passed the Reus; and who, though witnesses to the horrid deed, could not get up in time to rescue the emperor.

The convent, or abbey, built on the very spot, was richly endowed; but at the reformation, the lands were secularized, and part of the building became the residence of a bailiff, part was converted into an hospital, and the rest was suffered to fall to ruin.

Many of the cells still exist in their original state, and the chapel is still entire, but no longer used for divine service. The painted glass in the windows represent various histories of the Old Testament, with the portraits of Elizabeth, and Agnes, her daughter, queen of Hungary, who assumed the veil, and lived and died here; of the emperor Albert, whose assassination gave rise to the endowment, and of his five sons.

Several of the imperial line were buried in this chapel; but their bones were a few years since removed to the Abbey of St. Blaise, in the Black Forest, where they were deposited with great pomp, under magnificent monuments.

Near Konigsfelden, in the small village of Windish, supposed to occupy the site of the Vindonissa of Tacitus; certain it is, from many fragments of antiquity discovered here, that this must have been the station of a large Roman colony. The following quotation from the eloquent author of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, is too beautiful and too appropriate to be omitted here. "Within the ancient walls of Vindonissa," says he, "the castle of Hapsburgh, the Abbey of Konigsfeld, and the town of Bruck, have successively risen. The philosophic traveller may compare the monuments of Roman conquest, of feudal or Austrian tyranny, of Monkish superstition, and of industrious freedom. If he be truly a philosopher, he will applaud the merit and happiness of his own time."

Next morning they embarked on the Aar, which, after having received some tributary streams, and risen to a river of some magnitude, falls into the Rhine. Its waters, which are of a silvery hue, are, for a long way after their junction, distinguished from the sea-green colour of the Rhine.

In point of picturesque beauty, the banks of the Rhine are infinitely superior to those of the Aar. They consist of steep acclivities, covered with wood, gentle slopes bordered with vines, forest scenes of pasture, and exhibit a continued succession of towns and villages.

The stream carried them eighteen miles in three hours, and they disembarked at Lauffenburgh, where the Rhine forms a cataract not destitute of beauty, though greatly inferior to the

fall near Shauffhausen. As Mr. Coxe stood on the crags of the northern shore, the principal objects were a high bridge, partly open, partly covered; a row of houses, with an old ruined castle, crowning a summit that overhung the water; a perspective of woods and meadows through the arcades of the bridge; and the river dashing over its craggy bed in a sloping cataract.

About half a mile below the fall they re-embarked; and found the waters still so much agitated that it required all the skill and dexterity of the pilot to prevent their little vessel being dashed against the shelving rocks. As they approached Basle, the stream became gradually more tranquil, and they landed, highly delighted with their expedition.

When we arrived at Basle, it was about noon, but our author was surprised to find that all the clocks in the town struck one. On enquiry, he was informed that they constantly go an hour faster than the real time, for which absurdity various reasons are assigned. One is, that during the council of Basle the clocks were put forward, that the lazy, indolent cardinals and bishops might arrive in time. Others maintain, that a conspiracy being formed to assassinate the magistrates at midnight, one of the burgomasters, who had notice of the design, advanced the townclock an hour; by which the conspirators, thinking they had missed the appointed time, were disconcerted and induced to retire; and as a perpetual memorial of this happy deliverance, the clocks were always kept in the same advanced state. The third, and last reason, is the most probable, that the sun-dial on the outside of the

choir of the cathedral, by which the clocks are regulated, not being properly set, occasions a variation from the true time of forty-five minutes.

However this may be, the inhabitants of Basle are so attached to this whimsical custom of getting the start of time, that though various attempts have been made to remove the absurdity, the people have constantly interfered to prevent an alteration; and as if they thought their liberties would be lost, should their clocks agree with those of the rest of Europe. Indeed, long established customs, however ridiculous or unconsequential, are apt to make strong impressions on vulgar minds. Even in England, it was long before the people could be persuaded to reckon the year according to the general mode of computation, received in the other nations of Europe.

Basle enjoys a delightful situation on the banks of the Rhine, near the point where that noble stream makes a sudden bend to the north. it consits of two towns, united by a long bridge. It stands very favourably for commerce, an advantage which the inhabitants have turned to good account, by establishing a number of manufactures, and carrying on an extensive trade.

The cathedral is an elegant Gothic pile; but strangely disfigured by a daubing of rose-coloured paint, spread over the whole edifice. It contains the ashes of several great and illustrious characters; among the rest, the venerable remains of Erasmus are deposited under a marble tomb..... Few men have done more honour to learning than Erasmus, or have met with more distinguished applause from impartial posterity.