HINTS

OCCURRENCES

O F

ON THE

RIVER RHINE, &c.

I

.N the excurfion we made, during our (lay at Baccharah, we took a complete furvey of the many linking obje&sand romantic fcenes which are found in the admired environs of that city. Amongfl thefe, the vine-groundsparticularly attra£led our notice; they were the firft, indeed, of any extent, we had palled through; but even in adillant or tranfient view, they far excelled any others we had feen, in pi&urefque beauty. In our walks throughthem, we traverfed the almoft perpendicular Tides of an immenfe mountain, which extends upwards of three milesbelow Baccharah, on the weftern bank of the Rhine; the vines overfpreading it in many parts, from the lummitto the water’s edge : in others, the verdant cloathing was broken by tremendous rocks, projecting from the bofomof the mountain, and bending o’er its Tides, as if in fond contemplation of the beauty and luxuriance of their drefs.•Groves of walnut-trees interfperfed among the vines, with frequent and varied views of the river, contributed verygreatly to the embellifhment of this enchanting place. We had not intended to proceed further in our prefent ex-pedition, than the end of the vineyards: but, when we arrived at that point, the town of Pfaltz, with a callleon a rock in the middle of the Rhine, prefented a view, which I could not fuffer to efcape me. I defeended there-fore to the river Tide, and made the drawing from which the fifth plate is engraved.

The vineyards of Baccharah were formerly elleemed above all others for the excellence of the wine they produced ;but the wines of Heidleberg, Hoygelleim, and the Rhinegau, are at prefent in much greater vogue. Whether thisbe owing to any real fuperiority in their quality, I know not; for I had no opportunity of giving my opinion of theBaccharah wine, being unable, either by money or favor, to procure a Tingle bottle: but if its quality be at all pro-portioned to the labour employed in producing it, there can be no doubt of its excellence; for unlefs Providence hadwifely formed the bodies and difpofed the minds of men of all countries to the local offices to be performed, the cul-

H

tivation