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HINTS of OCCURRENCES, &c.

broad and majeftic, and leading the eye to diftant buildings, which are in fa£t three diftinft towns_all thefe form

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an interefting as well as a beautiful fcene.

Hammerstein was formerly the refidence of the princes of Neuvid; it afterwards fuffered in the flu&uatingfates of the contending powers of the empire. The property of the fortrefs is at this time difputed by the Elec-tor of Cologne and the Prince of Neuvid ; not by force of arms, but by fomething analogous to a chancery-fuit,which gave me a fort of confolation. The caufe has been before the imperial chamber at Wetzlaer three hundredyears; and the princes hope, in three hundred years more, the caufe may be determined. On learning thisanecdote of German jurifprudence, I thought of the tedious and ruinous proceedings in the courts of Englandwith lefs regret and defpondence.

The caftle is built of black marble : indeed the mountain confifts principally of this ftone. Springs of excellentwater rife on it, and form a little river, remarkable for the flavour of its trout, and the plenty of its crabs.Whether thefe circumftances had any weight in determining to a fertile and pleafant valley, the original found-ers of a Bernardine convent, I will not pretend to judge. Fifh, corn, wine, and almoft every thing neceflary toearthly gratification, are in great plenty in this little paradife : and the abbot poflefles what is here called theright of high and low juftice. The barons of Hammerftein always prefide in the abbey.

The conftru£Hon of the old caftle is very remarkable. The halls within are large; the chimney-pieces offine marble, tolerably fculptured; and the paintings in frefco are ftill frefh. It contains a well a hundred feetdeep ; the water of which is very good. There are alfo caves communicating with the building, immenfely large,and called the Devil’s Caves. No man in this country would venture to lodge in the caftle, as it is faid to behaunted by fpirits. The people on the borders of the Rhine feem to be uncommonly fuperftitious ; and thepriefts have not negle£ted to profit by their folly. There are little chapels in the middle of fields, where thewomen refort at their pleafure, and drefs the faints in any fantaftical manner. The Ele&ors of Cologne andTreves iflued commiflions to undrefs the faints; and the old women formed proceflions, and attempted a revolt.They artfully diffufed an opinion that fuch violence would affe6t the approaching vintage; and if the froft: had inany unufual degree injured the vines, a commotion would have taken place.

There is a convent of female Capuchins at Lintz, who are fingularly employed by the inhabitants of the fur-rounding country ; for they derive a revenue by caponing young fowls, for which their blefled hands are deemedpeculiarly qualified.

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