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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 143
ona fafting day, faid in a jefting way, ‘¢ pfhaw, pfhaw, it will all come up again at after-
noon fervice.”
My companions being defirous to fhew me a very wonderful natural curiofity, we took
our way by Trautenau for this purpofe. About three miles from this city the fineft
profpect offered itfelf to our eyes that can be conceived.
Near a village, whofe name I have forgotten, we beheld on a fudden a great number
of high towers, feveral of which in many places were in regular rows, but moft of them
lay difperfed in an extraordinary manner. We walked near a mile as if in a kind of
labyrinth, encompaffed with thefe towers on each fide, and there was no end of my
aftonifhment. Moft of thefe are from fixty to feventy feet high, and fome from one
hundred to one hundred and fifty. When you view them obliquely their fummits form
a kind of waving line, like the back of a hill, which rifes and finks again. They are
all formed of a hard quarry ftone, and would give Mr. Buffon much food for thought.
Nature has for the moft part fhaped them into more or lefs regular fquares; they are
commonly taken for the fkeletons of a hill, through which the water has made its way.
This opinion feems to merit attention; but if it be a true one, and other hills have alfo
their fkeletons, it will fhake hard upon Buffon’s fyftem ; for he probably confiders the
mafles, of which thefe towers confift, as large mafles of ftone body, chalk and earth,
which are jumbled together and have different degrees of hardnels.
From hence we took our way back to Freiheit, and began to afcend the Rei/enge-
berge ; this hill, though very famous in Bohemia, is really no more thana mole hill, in
comparion of the Savoyard and Swifs Alps, or even of the Tyrol, Saltzburg, and Stirian
hills. We pafled over the famous Sxowhead, which is the higheft part of thefe moun-
tains. Some perfons fay, that it is twenty thoufand feet high ; but I think 1 may ven-
ture to affert, that it is not above eight thoufand, for Mount St. Gothard in Switzer-
land, is by no means one of the higheft of the Alps, and its elevation above the Meditere
ranean is not above thirteen thoufand feet, and yet there is eternal ice and {now on its
fummit ; whereas here we faw no veltige of ice or fnow, though the fummer is not yet
much advanced. We were not above three hours in getting to the top on foot. The
profpect of the great mountains at our feet, and into Bohemia and Silefia, was ftriking
and magnificent. On the top of the hill there is a plain with a chapel on it, which is
vifited by pious people once a year.
The perfons who live at any diftance from thefe hills, look upon it as a kind of won-
der when any perfon goes to the top of them, and yet I afcended feveral in other parts
of Germany, whofe diftance from the bottom is much greater, and whofe elevation above
the Mediterranean is as great again.
Though I was difappointed in my expectations of a great mountain, by finding only
a hill of a moderate fize, I was extremely pleafed with my journey upon the whole. We
faw the moft romantic landfcapes it is poffible to imagine, particularly feveral vallies be-
low the Schmeekopp, which were wonderfully picturefque. Mott of the hills are covered
with wood, and now and then a ragged peak ftarts up above them. ‘The well watered
plains are extremely well cultivated ; and, upon the whole, the inhabitants feem to be
in better circumftances than thofe of the level plains of Bohemia.
LETTER XLI.
Dear BroTHER, Drefden.
I HAVE at once got into an entirely new world. As foon as you have paffed.the
confines of Bohemia, which are diftingnifhed by a painted brick polt ten feet high, ae
the
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