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108

BOMESTIC MANNEES OF TUE PRUSSIAKS.

with no more taste than our kitclien-gardens; whilst the placcscalled " Rheinlusts" are small wildernesses near the summitof one of the hüls overlooking the river, and fitted with sometwo or three huge straw parasols nicknamed summer-houses.

At one and all of these resorts the coffee has the truePrussian smack of acorns, and the wine, if neutralised withcarbonate of soda as before recommended, continues to effer-yesce to a degree that is perfectly alarming, as indicative ofthe amount of vinegar it contains. To such places, neverthe-less, come the tradesmen and officers, on a Sunday, to drinkthcir "Essig" nicknamed Zeltinger and Piesporter, and eattheir uncooked sausages.

Further, many of the Ooblenzers betake themselves, byway of an afternoon's pleasure, to the mild excitement of theCold-water Establishment at Laubach, and there strive tocheer themselves with glasses of raspberry vinegar, or aninfusion of ehernes squashed in water; whilst those who aremore fashionable retire to the medicinal gaieties of the Bathsat Ems or Bertrich, where they sip their bot salts in public,indulging in the refreshing glass of warm Epsom or Glauberin the dog-days, with as much gusto as we do " SherryCobblers" or iced " Cliquot."

Now at all these kindred establishments (for it is almostimpossible to discriminate between the medicinal waters andthe so-called refreshments, the wines having all the aeidityof fever-draughts, and the beer all the apothecary-like smackof tonics,) a band is usually provided, as an extra induce-ment to the bibbers. " Geosses Conceet u. Baieeisch Biee "is the usual announcement; so that you drink your taraxaeum(beer) at Texas to the excitement of a "Frei Concert," orpickle yourself with acetic aeid (wine) at Moselweis, to thetuneful jerkings of one of Labitsky's polkas, or eise you in-