are

298

THE UPPER EHINE (JORGE.

and a line of " Gasthofs " and " Weimvirthschafts " (wine-shops)stretching along the quay towards the white-washed Stadthaus.Then comes the " Evangelische Kirche " (said to be the oldestProtestant church on the Rhine), with its little planted "Platz"in front of it, and its Square tower (like a very tall sentry-box)next the choir, and the edges to its Windows and walls all pinkwith red sandstone; while beyond this again, and reaching tothe corner of the great Eck, called the " Felsen-Bank'''' (rockbank), there are raised gardens, at the foot of the precipitousmountains, with summer-houses to each of them, where thewealthier inhabitants of the village love to smoke their eveningpipes as they sit gazing on the Rhine.

The " Hinter Rhein-strasse,"—which is the High Street ofSt. Goar, and the principal one of the two making up the longnarrow town—has so few shops in it, that you would almostbelieve the simple villagers dealt with one another accordingto the primitive inode of barter. At the end of the street,however, by the Stadthaus, there are certainly two " buch-handlers " (booksellers), with their windows embellished withthe ubiquitous engravings of " beauties of the Rhine;" butthese are for, the many strangers who visit the place, ratherthan the natives themselves. Farther down the thorough-fare you may see a few gingerbread-coloured loaves andchrysalis-like rolls exposed in a wire cage upon a window-sill,as indicative that the " staff of lif'e" at least may be pui-chasedwithin the precincts of the little village; while a knot of woollen" comforters," dangling from a hook outside a parlour window,are the simple sign of the only " Mode-waaren-handlung n(linendraper's) in the place.

The Catholic Church is in perfect keeping with the rest ofthe village, for the interior of it is almost as devoid of archi-tectural detail as a barn; and the gaudy altars at the end,tricked out with their many tall candles, and silver vessels,