magnificent and extensive view is presented.

It was

AUERBACH (29 miles) is a pleasant village containing a mineral spring which is much frequented in the summer. The ancient Castle of Auerberg, situated on an eminence, is in ruins. destroyed by the French in 1674. The Melibocus can be conveniently ascended from here. Passing Bensheim, three miles from which are the ruins of the celebrated Abbey of Lorsch, the church of which (the fragment of a portico only remains) was consecrated in the presence of Charlemagne, we reach HEPPENHEIM (32 miles), the ancient church of which was founded by Charlemagne. The Bishops' Castle of Starkenburg, built in the 11th century, on the height 11⁄2 miles behind the town, was garrisoned by the Archbishops of Mayence, down to the period of the Seven Years' War. Near the station Hemsbach is the seat of one of the Rothschilds of Frankfort. WEINHEIM (391 miles), (Hotel: Pfalzer Hof), is surrounded by a moat and fortified with towers. Numerous orchards and vineyards surround it, and a wine of good character is produced in the neighbourhood. The Castle of Windeck, above the town, has a curious circular donjon tower. We cross the Neckar at LADENBURG (46 miles), a fortified town with a handsome church and reach FRIEDRICHSFELD (48 miles), which is the junction for MANNHEIM (see page 540). The first meeting of the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra is said to have taken place here.

HEIDELBERG (56 miles) (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST").

Cab hires.-The cabs all have two horses; a course in the town, 50 pf.; two persons, 90; three persons, 1.05; four persons, 1.20; trunks, 20 pf. each; to the castle,

This town is delightfully situated on the left bank of the Neckar, at the foot of the hill called Konigsstuhl. The finest street is the Anlage. Its chief importance is derived from its ancient UNIVERSITY, founded in 1386. Its schools of law and medicine are highly celebrated. It has a Museum of antiquities and natural history. The CASTLE is one of the most picturesque ruins in Europe. It is situated on a spur of the Königsstuhl within easy walking distance of the town. It was founded by Rudolph I. in 1300, strongly fortified in the fifteenth century by the Elector Frederick I., and enlarged and beautified by Otto Heinrich in 1556, and by Frederick V., husband of the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I. of England. In 1689 it was sacked and partly burnt by the French, and was struck by lightning and finally destroyed in 1764. Crossing the moat which was filled from a reservoir on the hill, we pass through a fine gateway, in the roof of which are still seen the spikes of the old portcullis. Entering the castleyard we see to the right the Otto Heinrich's Bau, richly adorned with sculpture. The Friedrich's Bau facing us is almost equal in beauty, and its proportions are more massive. The principal facade is towards the Terrace, from which there is a magnificent view of Heidelberg and the valley of the Neckar. It is reached by a passage under the Friedrich's Bau. The portion of the castle called the English Palace was built by Frederick V. for the reception of his bride. In the Friedrich's Bau is a museum containing a collection of paintings and antiquities.

In one corner of the court is a

covered well formerly 300 feet deep, but now filled up to about 60 feet. The roof is supported by four stone columns which were once in the palace of Charlemagne at Ingelheim. In the corner, to the left, a sloping walk descends to the extensive wine cellars in which is the famous Heidelberg Tun, capable of containing 49,000 gallons, or about 280,000 bottles. It was originally made by the Elector Lewis in 1664, and has been filled twelve times. Beside it is a grotesque figure of the court fool. Near the great tun is a smaller one holding 8000 gallons. From the Schloss-garten surrounding the ruins there are beautiful views at almost every point, especially from the Grand Terrace. From the garden a path leads to the Molkencur, on which is a small restaurant which commands a beautiful view of the castle from above.

At the east end of the Anlage is the old church of St Peter, to the door of which, Jerome of Prague nailed his celebrated Thesis. In the market-place is the Gothic structure of the Holy Ghost Church, which was divided into two portions by the Count Palatine, Johann Wilhelm, in order that the Roman Catholics might worship in the choir, the Protestants retaining the nave.

About 2 miles from the Castle is the Wolf's Brunnen, in the vicinity of which are several ponds, in which great numbers of trout are preserved by the keeper of the inn.

Leaving Heidelberg we pass through an uninteresting country, and reach Langenbrucken (71 miles), celebrated for its sulphur baths. At BRUCHSAL (73 miles) the line to Stuttgardt, Ulm, Munich, and Vienna branches off (see Route 146).

At Durlach (87 miles) is a

ruined castle, with a watchtower, once the residence of the Margraves of Baden-Durlach. In the gardens of the palace are some Roman milestones and other remains. (There is a branch from this station to Pforzheim, Wilferdingen, Wildbad, &c.).

CARLSRUHE (all trains stop here, and time is given for refreshment. A good buffet and table d'hote) (88 miles) (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"), the capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden, and residence of the court, is situated on a fine plain a few miles eastward from the Rhine. It was founded by the Margrave Charles William in 1715, who had a hunting-seat here called "Charles's Rest" (Carls Ruhe). It is built on a curious and regular plan. The Palace is the central point from which the streets diverge, like the spokes of a wheel. The buildings present a great diversity of architecture, but many of them are exceedingly handsome, and the streets are wide and well paved. The view from the summit of the palace is extremely fine.

There are five principal squares and a charming promenade in the garden behind the palace. In the market-place is a monument of red sandstone, erected in memory of the founder of the city. The grand ducal palace, or Schloss, is built in the old French style, and consists of a centre and two wings. Near the Schloss is the fine Court Theatre. Among other public buildings are the Palace of the Dowager Margravine of Baden, the Synagogue, and the Polytechnic School. The RomanCatholic Church is adorned with a handsome portico, supported by eight Ionic columns, and lighted by a cupola 100 ft. high. Connected with the palace are a library of 80,000 volumes, a cabinet of coins, and a museum of natural history. The palace

gardens are well laid out. The Kunsthalle, near the Botanic Garden, contains a good collection of pictures. The public library contains 105,000 volumes. The town possesses numerous educational and scientific institutions. From this place there is railway communication with Pforzheim and Wildbad.

[PFORZHEIM (18 miles) (Hotel: Schwarzer Adler). The principal manufactory in Germany of cheap jewellery.

WILDBAD (32 miles) (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). Ít belongs to Wurtemberg, and is in the Black Forest. It is noted for its thermal springs, the waters of which range from 90° to 100° Faht. They are beneficial in cases of rheumatism, gout, paralysis, &c. The town derives its name from the fact that the baths are natural, wild, and not artificial. In the Cur Platz is the fine Curhaus, with reading, ball room, and restaurant. The season is from May 1 to September. The number of visitors is estimated at 7,000 annually.]

Passing through a fertile and well-cultivated district, we reach RASTADT (106 miles), once the frontier defence of the Germans. The Palace, once belonging to the Margraves of Baden, is converted into a barrack. One of the rooms contains trophies taken from the Turks. Beyond Rastadt we cross the Murg and pass, on the left, the Chateau formerly occupied by the Margravine Sibylla. In the garden is a chapel containing, amongst other things, the scourge, hair shirt, and wire cross which she used for her mortification. At Oos (111 miles) there is a branch line of three miles to

BADEN-BADEN.

Cabs - Packdroschen at the station, hour, one or two persons, 70 pf.; three or four persons, 1.15 m. : hour, 1.5 m., and 1.50 m. In the town, per hour, one or two persons, 1.40 m.; three or four persons, 2 m. Tax for admission to the Curhaus and ordinary concerts-one day, one person, 50 pf.; ten days, 3 m.; one month, one person, 6 m.; two persons, 10 m. Yearly tickets at reduced rates.

BADEN-BADEN is beautifully situated in the valley of the Oos, and is bordered on three sides by wooded hills that form part of the range of the Black Forest mountains. The town is partly built upon the slope of the hills, the new and finer portions extending toward and along the Oos and the charming promenade called the Lichtenthal Allee. It has long been one of the most frequented as it is the most attractive of the Continental watering-places, the number of strangers resorting to it every year being over 50,000. Ordinary tourists and persons in quest of rest and pure air resort to it to avail themselves of the benefits of its salubrious climate and pleasant surroundings, the distractions afforded by the authorities, and the cheapness and luxury of living to be found there; and invalids find it a charming and profitable resort, on account of its thermal waters and the unrivalled appliances for their use.

The first object of interest to strangers, and the central point of attraction to all visitors, is the CONVERSATION HAUS, or Kursaal. (Strangers pay a small daily