better for the fermentation and quality of the wine. This made the wine-growers emulous of each other, in the size of their vessels: hence the cause of those enormous tuns built in different parts of Germany. The Tun of Heidelberg, which stands in a cellar, under the Elector's Castle, is 33 feet in altitude, 24 feet in diameter at the bottom, and contains 800 hogsheads, or 50,400 gallons.* On the top of the tun is a platform and balustrade, the ascent to which is by a stair-case of 50 steps. It is adorned with vines, grapes, glasses, large festoons, and other devices, in basso-relievo, with a number of apophthegms in the German language. This tun was broken to pieces by the French, in 1693, but rebuilt in 1729; it was usually filled with the wine, termed vin du Neckar, the produce of grapes which grow on both sides of the mountain. Mrs. Trollope, in her late visit to Heidelberg, seems to think that this tun is vastly inferior to Meux's great vat. The tun at Königstein, made in 1725, though less celebrated, holds 3709 eimers, exceeding that of Heidelberg by 609 eimers, or 49 hogsheads. The approach to it is by a staircase of 32 steps, a smaller tun is suspended within the large one, which is 34 feet deep, and 24 feet wide. The top is railed round, and affords space for nearly twenty persons to regale themselves at a time. Cups are preserved for the use of visitants, and the Latin inscription, which graces the head of this enormous cask, welcomes the traveller to exhilarate himself freely, according to the dignity of the vessel, and drink to the prosperity of the whole universe. At Grüningen, near Halberstadt, is a tun 30 feet long, by 18 feet deep; and at Tübingen is a cask 24 feet long and 16 feet deep. When a vintage is great and the press small, the bruised grapes are often put into sacks and trodden under foot. The husks are brought from these sacks to the press, and what remains after pressure is put into vessels, where they are kept to be distilled into brandy. The red grapes are gathered precisely in the same way as the white, only having been bruised, they are put not immediately into the press, but into large vats, where they undergo a kind of fermentation.‡

Respecting Hungarian wines, Dr. Clarke justly observes, that "the opinions of different individuals are so opposite, that one traveller will probably condemn what another has extolled; perhaps, therefore, the best judgment may be afforded by comparison. The finest wine of Tokay is very like that of Cyprus; it has the same sweetness; and it is also characterised by that slight effervescence, from

Chauchard's Germany, 4to. Chaptal on Wines.

† Belgium and Western Germany, vol. i. p. 325. Hungarian Miscell. Ap. Bright's Travels.

which the Commendaria of Cyprus is never exempt. To compare it with other preparations brewed by English housewives, it is something like Mead, or very luscious old raisin wine; and we therefore pronounce it bad. The wines of Buda we thought were better, because they have more of a resinous flavour. But nothing is more likely than that the very reasons we have now urged, in affirming the bad quality of genuine Tokay, may be considered by others as proofs of its excellence.*" On the whole, if the wines of Hungary are not found to be so palatable to our taste, it is, perhaps, owing to the custom of drinking the wines of Spain, Portugal, and France, not to any inferiority in the wines of this country. Having scarcely any beer, and the waters of Hungary being generally impregnated with minerals, wine is, therefore, made in great abundance, and for the reasons just given, the inhabitants have every inducement. It is a practice in the Bannat for every nobleman to keep on his grounds an inn to sell wine to the miners.† In Temesvar, the capital, red Tokay may be procured for two florins a pint, while the native wine is cheap and good.

In Hungary, though brandy is distilled from the grape, yet the distillation of a species of it from potatoes is carried on to considerable extent. An excellent brandy is likewise made from plums, fermented and treated nearly in the same manner as peaches in America. Were agriculture in Hungary on a level with that in other countries, the produce would be immense. Oats, barley, rye, sarrazan, or buck-wheat, grow most abundantly in Sclavonia, Transylvania, and Croatia, and wherever the height of the mountains, or the diversity of the forests, does not affect the temperature. In good years they export upwards of six millions of bushels of wheat into the neighbouring countries. Millet and rice are also cultivated, as well as maize; and in Transylvania, maize is the main article of sustenance, while rye is grown for the purposes of distillation. From elder-berries, when properly fermented, a pleasant and wholesome wine is made, and a pure and strong spirit is distilled from

them.

Hungary, in fact, may be said to afford, in its various districts, all the beverages which promote the comforts and contribute to the luxury of the human race. Its grain, fruits, and vegetables, all yield their several proportions; and the vineyards are computed to produce from 18 to 20,000,000 eimers, (fifteen gallons each,) of various • Clarke's Travels, vol. viii. p. 405.

Travels through the Bannat, Let. xi. p. 97.

sorts of wine; while the brandy distilled from the grape and the plum, (the latter termed Slivovitza,) is of enormous extent.

In the beautiful valleys formed in many parts of the Croatian mountains, the vine flourishes exuberantly: the valley of Vinodol, adjacent to Ezirquenicza, takes its name from the number of vineyards with which it is crowned, and the wine made there resembles Champagne. The wines produced in the northern and eastern districts are said to be of great strength and excellent flavour; some are thought to rival the best Burgundy. It has been computed, that in the whole of Croatia, there are not less than 28,000 acres occupied as vineyards, yielding 160,000 seaux of wine. Plums being the most common fruit of the country, there is a very favourite spirit, termed Schliwowitza, distilled from it, which is in general use, as also a liquor made from pears and barberries, which latter is used instead of wine. Honey is obtained in considerable quantities, and is, together with the wax, chiefly exported. The wine manufactured there is not sufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants; the imports of this article are principally from Dalmatia, and annually average 800,000 florins. At Fiume, one of the principal cities, 1,600 eimers of liqueurs are manufactured yearly, which are mostly consumed in the Austrian dominions.

Although the Croats are generally poor, yet they go to great expense in their marriage and funeral ceremonies, the anniversary of a saint, or the baptism of a child. An entertainment on one of these occasions will last for several weeks, and will cost more than would support a family for half a year.

In the German districts bordering on the Rhine, the vine is cultivated to considerable extent, and the vines are of every variety. No ingenuity is wanting to promote its growth, as well on the barren rocks, as in the valleys. Opposite to the village of Remagen, on the road from Bonn to Coblentz, is a vineyard containing 200 acres, on a singularly picturesque, basaltic hill, called Erpeler Ley. This was once a barren rock, and it was planted by setting each plant in a separate basket, filled with earth and grass, and then placed in the cavities and interstices of the rock; and thus the place became, in a few years, beautifully clothed and ornamented with luxurious vines. The heavy impost on wines in this quarter has rendered the article rather unsaleable, and instead of proving advantageous to the government, it has pressed heavily on the agriculturists. This duty rates at one rix-thaler on every 160 bottles; hence the owner, being seldom able to pay the taxation before he can remove the wine from the cel lar, is deprived of the benefit of a ready and profitable market; and

in consequence, the wines of one vintage are seldom removed, till they are intermingled with those of another. The Moselle wines are superior to the Rhenish, less injurious to the stomach, and more easily preserved, but, like many other impositions, the name of this valuable wine is often attached to a spurious or inferior article. The various windings of the Rhine (termed the father of wine,) present romantic, sublime scenery, which in many places is heightened by the abundance of vines that adorn the surface. Near the town of Oberwesel, on the right bank of the river stands the perpendicular rock of Rostein, which, by means of terraces, bears vines to the very summit, that afford a wine equally esteemed, and ranking with the best Rhenish. The cultivation of the vine, it is to be regretted, is not so profitable on the Rhine, as one might be led to expect. Its produce and sale are of rather a precarious nature, being a commodity of luxury, not of necessity; and if not of a commanding quality, will scarcely obtain a price sufficient to pay rent and labour. This remark, however, is not to be understood as applicable to the whole of the wine districts, for where a moderate duty is charged, and the quality of the drink superior, there is always a ready consumption. In some places, the wines bring, even on the spot, from five to six florins the bottle.

The king of Prussia encourages the wine-growers on the Rhine, by giving a preference to their liquor, which makes it have a general consumption in that kingdom. One district, called the Rhinegau, may be said to be an extensive vineyard, being a succession of undulating hills, completely covered with rich verdure, and forming an amphitheatre truly enchanting, the vines of which obtain a celebrity in proportion to their aspect and position. The vineyards of the Duke of Nassau, called the Steinberger Cabinet, produce wine, now more estimable than that of Johannesberg, in the same neighbourhood. The hill of Johannesberg contains about 55 acres, and is the property of Prince Metternich; it produces about 25 butts of wine, each containing 1,300 bottles, bringing at an average 28,000 florins. Of this wine, the Emperor of Austria gets a tithe for his own immediate use. This vineyard was in full bearing upwards of a century ago, and the vintage is generally a week or two later than in any other part of the Rhinegau; the grapes are permitted to fall, from their extreme ripeness, and are gathered by means of wooden forks continued for the purpose. Prince Metternich has an old-fashioned castle on this hill, once the religious cloister of St. John, under which there are cellars of most capacious and singular construction, in which the wine is deposited. The Bacchanalian paradise, denominated the Rhinegau, extends along

the right bank of the Rhine to Lorich, several leagues below Bingen, and, from time out of mind, has been renowned for its superior vines. This district was presented by an old Carlovingian king to an Archbishop of Mayence, and a remnant of the rampart and ditch, with Writers have which it was surrounded, is yet visible at Biberich. remarked, that the right bank of the Rhine is much more fruitful than the left, which is accounted for by the direction in which the river runs, exposing that bank to the southern sun, while the left is kept comparatively barren by the winds from the north, and scarcely any of the celebrated wines are made on the left side of that river. The Rhinegau is divided into superior and inferior cantons, relatively to the excellence of their wines-the former contain the villages on the heights-the latter, those on the banks of the river. The strongest wines are said to be made on the most elevated situations, the most wholesome on those of moderate height, while the wine of the low grounds is sour, and requires keeping. In travelling through this district, the eye is delighted with the undulating landscape, presenting vine-covered slopes, spotted by white country houses, villas, and steeples-villages and ruined convents resting in the valleys, which, contrasted with the black purple aspect of the rocks and with the delicate green of the vines, gives a mellow, luxuriant richness to the seenery. A bacchanalian might be supposed to drink intoxication from the prospect :-every thing having a blushing vinous colour.

The vineyards of Grafenberg yield as choice a vintage, and produce as good wines, as any on the banks of the Rhine, and superior to those of the Moselle. The Rhine wines constitute a distinct order of themselves. They are drier than the French white-wines, and characterized by a delicate flavour, and an aroma quite peculiar, and which should be reckoned sourness by the uninitiated. In the Austrian states, the wines are almost all of an inferior quality, being sharp and often entirely acid. The Hock, or Hochheimer, is a Mayn wine, and derives its name from the village Hochheim, which is situated above Mentz, on the banks of the Mayn. Riesbeck tells us, that the vineyards here belong to the chapter of Mentz, and that the Dean enjoyed the revenue of it. This wine, although it still has a good character, is considered inferior to the best wines of the Rhinegau, and, in Riesbeck's opinion, was the only wine in Germany which he found to be without any sour taste.* Hock wine is of such strength and body, that a tea-spoon full of it has been known to flavour a large tumbler of water. The vineyards which produce this

*

Baron Riesbeck's Travels through Germany, vol. ii. p. 319.