8 Route 2.- Basle to Schaffhausen — Augst. painted of colossal dimensions, and is converted into the cantonal saltwarehouse. From the slope of the hill, near Belmont, a good view is obtained of the lake and of St. Peter's Isle. 23 Aarberg (Inn: Krone, see R. 44.) is a town of 864 inhabitants, on a rocky promontory, nearly surrounded by the Aar, which, indeed, at high water, actually converts it into an island. The road enters and quits the town by 2 covered bridges. "On the summit of a hill a little beyond Aarberg is a monument commemorating an engagement between the Swiss and French in the revolutionary war. Hence there is a good view of the district of Bienne." C. D. 4 BERNE - in Route 24. ROUTE 2. BASLE TO SCHAFFHAUSEN. = 17 stunden 56 Eng. miles. There are two roads of nearly equal length, one on the 1. bank of the Rhine, which is traversed by the daily diligence (13 hours is the time occupied in the journey); and the other on the rt. bank, through the territory of Baden, which is provided with post horses at the following stations: Bengen, 2 Germ. miles; Säkingen, 2 (Inn: Badhaus best); Lauffenburg, 1; Waldshut, 1; Lauchringen, 11; Riederer, 11; Jestetten, 1; Schaffhausen, 1. Time taken with post horses, 10 or 12 hours. In going from Schaffhausen to Basle the stations are to Neuhaus 2 Germ. miles; Lauchringen, 13. The road on the Swiss side of the Rhine passes through the two villages of 2 Augst, which stand on each side of the river Ergolz, on the site of he Roman city Augusta Rauracorum, founded by Munatius Plancus, in the reign of Augustus. Its existence on this spot is sufficiently proved by the quantity of Roman remains that have been, and still are, discovered wherever the ground is turned up. There are indications of an amphitheatre, now converted into pleasure grounds; but the remains of buildings are very slight. "The relics which have been found are curious, though the proprietor of the ground has arranged them in the style of a tea garden. There are several columns, inscriptions, tombs, and fragments of statues, all of the lower empire; but which the antiquary would do well to examine as they are inedited."— F. P. 14 Rheinfelden — (Inn: Drei Könige)-a town of 1500 inhab., sur, rounded by walls and closed at either end by gates in the true Swiss fashion. It stands on the 1. bank of the Rhine, here crossed by a wooden bridge, above and below which the rocks in the river bed form considerable rapids and falls. On the island in the middle of the river, which serves as a pier to support the bridge, rise the ruins of the feudal Castle of Stein, which was destroyed by the army of the Swiss Confederacy in 1445. Duke Bernard of Saxe Weimar gained a battle here in the thirty years' war (1638) in which the Duc de Rohan perished. 4 Lauffenburg (Inn: post so so),-a town of 900 inhabitants, connected by a wooden bridge with Klein Lauffenburg, on the rt. bank of the Rhine. The river is here in terrupted by more rapids and falls, in German called Lauffen, whence the name of the place. Small boats can only pass them by unloading their cargoes above, and being let down gradually by stout ropes, held by men stationed on the bank. It was in descending these rapids in this manner that a young English nobleman, Lord Montague, the last male of his line, was drowned- on the same day that his family mansion, Cowdray, in Sussex, was burnt to the ground. The accident is commonly, but erro neously, referred to the Rhine fall at Schaffhausen. The road, leaving on the rt. that which leads to Baden and Zurich (R. 6.), here crosses the Rhine, enters Baden, and proceeds along the rt. bank to 23 Waldshut- (Inn, Rebstock (Vine), tolerably good); -a walled town of 1000 inhabitants, on the skirts of the Black Forest. A mile above this, near a small village called Coblenz (Confluentia), the Rhine is joined by the Aar. At Waldshut our road turns away from the Rhine, and proceeds by Thiengen and Erzingen to 51 Neunkirch, a Swiss village, in the canton of Schaffhausen. 21 SCHAFFHAUSEN. Route 7. p. 19. try-boxes. Ober Hauenstein. 9 The pretty and smiling valley of the Ergolz, in which it is situated, was the scene of a shocking massacre in 1833 (August 3). In consequence of the aggressions of the country people the inhabitants of Bâle town were compelled to march against them a force of about 1500 men, chiefly citizens, merchants, and shopkeepers, little skilled in the arts of war. The countrymen, having gained intelligence of the movement, at the instigation of a number of foreign refugees, placed themselves in ambush along the sides of a narrow defile overlooking the high road. No sooner were the incautious townsmen completely enclosed within the snare, than a merciless fire was opened upon them by their enemies from behind rocks and bushes. They were instantly seized with a panic, became totally disorganised, and, throwing away their arms, attempted to save themselves by flight. Hemmed in, however, on all sides, they were completely exposed to the deadly aim of the rifles of their opponents, who picked off the officers and butchered indiscriminately many of the wounded and prisoners. While of the Bâle countrymen scarcely a man touched, 70 of the townsmen, including some members of the first fami was 3 Liesthal― Inns: Schlüssel (le lies of Bâle, were killed, and 200 Clé); Baselstab. Chief town of the division of the canton distinguished as Bâle Campagne (Basel Landschaft), which, having revolted from the town of Bâle after the July revolution, was separated from it by an act of the Diet in 1832, though the two divisions are still regarded in the Diet but as one estate. Bâle Campagne includes 53 parishes, with about 36,000 inhabitants, or about four-fifths of the canton. Liesthal contains 2170 inhabitants, and since the Revolution has been hurriedly fitted up with the apparatus of government, a "kanzley," or chancery, an arsenal, a prison, two gens d'armes, and three sen wounded, in an affair which, from the advantages both of numbers and position on the side of the countrymen, deserves the name of a wholesale murder rather than of a battle. Beyond Liesthal the valley contracts and assumes a very romantic character on approaching. 2 Waldenburg- a small village of 600 inhabitants, at the S. base of the Jura, and at the commencement of the ascent of the Ober-Hauenstein. On the height to the E. may be seen the ruins of the castle, destroyed in 1798. The road over the Ober-Hauenstein, once formidable from the abruptness of the ascent, has been greatly 10 Route 3. Basle to Soleure- Ballsthal improved, and the steepness of the slope so much diminished, that extra horses are unnecessary except for very heavily laden carriages. A gradual ascent, easily surmounted in an hour, leads to the summit. A heavy toll, amounting to 21 batz for a carriage with two horses, is paid on crossing it. On this account the Swiss voituriers generally avoid this road. The correction which the road has undergone carries it through the village of Holderbank, lower down than the ancient route, which passed over the crest of the mountain. Down to the end of the last century so steep was the old road that loaded waggons were drawn up on one side and let down the other with a rope and windlass. 2 Ballsthal-(Inns: Rössli (horse); Löwe); ;-a village at the S. foot of the Hauenstein, beautifully situated in a charming valley watered by the clear stream of the Dünnern, where picturesque remains of feudal ages enhance the natural beauties of the scenery. Above it, and over the road, tower the imposing ruins of the Castle of Falkenstein; it rises midway between the two roads to Bâle, by the Hauenstein and by the Passwang, which both unite here. This posi tion gave to its ancient owners the power of levying black-mail upon each of these passes. It belonged at one time to Rudolph von Wart, who was broken on the wheel for his share in the murder of the Emperor Albert, and was consoled in his agony by the presence and fortitude of his wife. (See Route 6. p. 17.) The castle was destroyed by the men of Basle, because a waggon laden with saffron, belonging to their merchants, had been pillaged by the lords of Falkenstein. Below Ballsthal the road traverses the singular and romantic defile of Klus, a rent which severs the Jura chain from top to bottom. It derives its name from having been closed (clausus) in ancient times by gate and wall, It is of much importance, in a military point of view, as one of the main portals into Switzerland. In the middle ages it was commanded by 3 castles; that of Neu Falkenstein at its N. entrance, on the S. by the Bechburg, and on the E. by the Blauenstein, whose owners constituted themselves into tollgatherers, levying taxes on their own behalf from all who passed. At the N. of the pass stands the village of Klus, with its iron furnaces, in which the pea-like iron ore (bohnerz), so common in the Jura, is smelted. Near Klus the traveller is greeted by a fine view of the snowy chain of the Alps. The Castle of Blauenstein was built in the 12th century, by the Counts of Falkenstein, a powerful family, from which many Swiss abbots and other ecclesiastical dignitaries proceeded, while the main branch followed the profession of robber-knights. It was one of these Falkensteins who burnt the town of Brugg. The pass terminates below the small village of Aussere Klus, and the road descends into the valley of the Aar. On the left bank of the Aar rises the ruined Castle of Bipp, (castrum Pepini) built by Pepin Maire du Palais. The eminence on which it stands is crowned with fine chestnut trees, and the view from it is superb. 21 Wiedlisbach. 2 SOLEURE-(Germ. Solothurn). -Inn: Couronne. Soleure (a corruption of St. Ours), the capital of the canton, is prettily situated on the Aar, at the foot of the Jura range, and has 4250 inhabitants. In the middle of the 17th century it was surrounded by fortifications of great extent, which took 60 years to complete, and consumed vast sums of money. In 1835 the removal of these costly and useless works was decreed by the Great Council of the canton, and they have already, in part, been levelled. It is on the whole a dull town, with little trade and few manufactures. The following objects are most worth notice. At the end of the principal street, approached by a flight of steps, flanked by fountains, stands the Cathedral of St. Ursus (a soldier of the Theban legion), a modern building of Italian architecture, finished 1773; distinguished by its size, and on the whole handsome. near Soleure, which will be viewed with great interest by the geologist. There are nearly 30 specimens of fossil turtle, rarely found elsewhere, together with teeth and palates of fish, and numerous fragments of saurians, derived from a formation which is believed to correspond with the Portland stone of England. The jaws of mammalia are said to come The clock tower (Zeitglocken- from the same locality (?) A suite thurm), in the market-place (a con- of specimens of the rocks of the Alps tinuation of the same street), is stated were collected in numerous journeys by the guide books to be a Roman by Professor Hugi, to whom belongs work, while a German inscription | the merit of forming and arranging upon it attributes its foundation to a this cabinet. period 500 years earlier than the birth of Christ; but it owes its origin in reality to the Burgundian kings. It is square in form, and constructed of the most solid masonry, rough outside, without window or other opening, for 80 feet. If we are to believe the two Latin verses on the front of this building, Soleure is the most ancient city in N. W. Europe except Treves. . In Celtis nihil est Solodoro antiquius, unis Exceptis Treviris, quorum ego dicta soror. The Arsenal (Zeughaus), not far from the Cathedral, contains the most extensive and curious collection of ancient armour in Switzerland. Here are shown several standards, said to have been taken by the Swiss in their victories over the Burgundians and Austrians. Those, however, attributed to Morat and Sempach, prove, on examination, to be nothing but pieces of coarse canvass painted on one side; the yellow flag with the Austrian eagle, said to have been brought from Dornach, is probably genuine. Among 600 or 800 suits of armour are many called French and Burgundian. Several specimens of wall pieces, or long swivels, for the defence of a fortress, are curious. Some of the armour is for sale. The Museum, close to the bridge over the Aar, contains a collection of Jura fossils, chiefly from quarries ton. The Ambassador of France to the Swiss Confederation resided here until the French Revolution: his hotel is converted into a barrack. The Catholic Bishop of Bâle lives here. The clergy are numerous and powerful, both in the town and canThere are several convents at Soleure. The sisters of St. Joseph's Nunnery, outside the Berne gate, make artificial flowers, sweetmeats, and other articles, which they sell at the grating. Their pincushions are clumsy, and themselves not very interesting. Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Pole, spent the last years of his life here; his house, in which he died, is next door to the Post-office, No. 5, Gurzelengasse. His entrails are interred in the church-yard of Zuchwyl, a mile distant on the opposite side of the Aar, under a stone inscribed "Viscera Thaddei Kosiussko." About two miles N. of Soleure, be-* yond the village of St. Nicholas, lies the chapel and Hermitage of St. Verena, at the extremity of a pretty valley, hemmed in by rocks, embowered in trees, and traversed by a sparkling rivulet. It is rendered accessible by paths, originally formed by the French emigrés, who, at the outbreak of the French Revolution, sought an asylum here, to the number of many hundred, under the guidance of M, de Breteuil. The valley abounds in caves and grottoes, partly natural, partly artificial, and at its further extremity, within a natural shelf of over-arching cliff, stands the little Chapel of St. Verena; behind the altar a small cave has been cut in the rock, and now contains a representation of the holy sepulchre. This saint, a pious maiden who accompanied the Theban legion, suffered severe temptation in this .solitude, according to the legend, from the devil, who, on one occasion, was on the point of carrying her off, when she saved herself by clinging fast to the rock, where the hole made by her finger-nails still remains. On the way to the hermitage, near the church of St. Nicholas, the Château of Waldegy is passed; its old-fashioned gardens, laid out in terraces, are worth notice. The Weissenstein. The most interesting excursion, however, in the neighbourhood of Soleure, is that to the summit of the Weissenstein (Whiterock, probably named from its white cliffs of limestone), the mountain immediately behind the town. The distance is about 8 miles, and the time occupied in the ascent 3 hours. The mountain is made accessible for chars-à-banc, by a road somewhat steep, passing through the villages Langendorf and Oberdorf, behind which it is carried up the face of the mountain in a series of zig zags. A char-à-banc, drawn by 2 horses, may be hired at the Couronne, in Soleure, for 10 or 12 Swiss francs to go and return. If it be detained on the mountain for the night, 2 francs extra are paid. Pedestrians may find a short cut, and reach the top easily in 2 hours; they may visit the Hermitage of St. Verena in their way to or fro. A Hotel and Bath-house has been built at the expense of the town on the brow of the mountain, 3950 feet above the sea level, and 2640 above the Aar, at Soleure. It furnishes about 30 beds, and the accommoda tion, though homely, is good. The charges are for dinner at table d'hôte, without wine, 1 fr. 20 rap. ; supper 1 fr. bs.; breakfast of tea or coffee alone, 50 rp.; beds from 8 to 10 batz. The dairy of the establishment is supplied by 60 cows, fed on the pas ture on the summit of the mountain, so that milk and cream may be had here in perfection. Many invalids take up their residence here during the summer months on account of the fresh air, or for the "cure de petit lait " (goat's whey), &c., which is recommended in certain complaints. The daily charge for those who remain here more than a week" en pension," is 6 F. francs. The greater portion of visitors, however, resort hither merely on account of the view, remaining on the summit one night to enjoy the sunset and sunrise. The Inn of the Weissenstein, and the still more elevated summit of the mountain, called Rothi-flue, 2 miles to the E. of it, command one of the finest distant prospects of the Alps which can be named. The great chain of snowy peaks, &c., here seen, spread out along the horizon, extends for a distance of nearly 200 miles, from the Sentis on the E., to the Mont Blanc in the W. Immediately in front rise the Jungfrau, Schreckhorn, and other giants of the Bernese chain. In the foreground, amidst a varied expanse of wooded hill and verdant vale, are seen the lakes of Morat, Neuchâtel, and Bienne, while the silvery Aar, on which stands the town of Soleure, winds like a snake at the foot of the mountain. Keller has engraved a Panorama of the Weissenstein, in which every mountain, town, village, and other object of interest visible from the top, is marked. One or two copies of it are hung up at the inn for the convenience of visitors. Another road practicable for a |