PRAGUE.

PRAGUE, a fortified city of Austria, and capital of Bohemia, is beautifully situated near the centre of the kingdom, on the river Moldau, an arm of the Elbe, which runs through the city, dividing the old from the new towns. On the right Altstadt and Neustadt, on the left Kleinseite and Hradschin.

The river is crossed by two fine bridges, the one an elegant suspension bridge, -the other of stone, and very ancient; the latter is of massive structure, 1780 feet in length, and 35 feet in breadth,the longest in Germany. It has at each extremity stone statues of colossal size, the more prominent of which is the socalled tutelar saint of the city, St. John Nepomuck.

This city of the hills, as it might be denominated, has from the river a very imposing appearance, surrounded as it is on all sides by rocks and eminences, upon the slopes of which, from the very water's edge, rise buildings of every variety, tier above tier even to their summits. The towns on the right of the Moldau-Altstadt and Neustadt, are the ancient part of the city. These towns stretch along the margin of the river, rising gradually for a considerable distance, and comprise the archbishop's palace, where the ancient kings resided, and where the king of Bohemia receives the oath of allegiance; the university; the principal churches; among which that of the Holy Cross, with its columns, and cupolas, and paintings, is the finest; and most of the public edifices of importance, as well as all the superior shops, many of which are very handsome of their kind. The Jews have here nine synagogues.

This part of the city being the commercial district, is densely populated. Here may be seen literally swarms of active, bustling men, full of excitement, hurrying to and fro during the hours of business, as though their very existence depended on a transaction of the moment. All this, too, in streets for the most part narrow, dark, and irregular, with the buildings generally massive and gloomy, as though securely built for time;-their fronts of stuccoed brick, but grown black and dirty with age, and withal so lofty as to exclude the sun's cheering rays from the alleys between them. It will not be difficult to understand the mixture of feeling which pervades the mind of the visitor as, on the other hand, he usually

experiences that feeling which is the invariable concomitant of antiquity. The singularity of the architecture of some of the buildings, public and private, although not generally pleasing, yet, in combination with much that is so, invests the whole, if only as a novelty, with no small degree of interest. The more open places in this locality are often inclosed by dull, heavy arcades; and the churches and public buildings here exhibit a complete jumble of decorations from different orders of architecture, painful in the extreme to the eye of an artist; but from the numerous memorials of historical events which appear in every direction, these discrepancies are disregarded, if not overlooked, by the greater number of those who visit Prague.

The new city, founded by the Bavarian monarch, Charles Iv., bears a very different aspect to that on the other side of the river. The streets are much more airy and spacious. Here stand the immense convents erected by the Jesuits, hospitals, and many other public buildings, whose magnificence shocks, rather than delights the beholder, unless he forgets to whom they owe their splendour; and the heart sickens, and the eye grows dim, and admiration ceases, as are seen the numerous hovels around, inhabited chiefly by the artisans, mechanics, and traders of the lower class.

At one extremity of the new town, up the river, is the fortress and arsenal of the Wissehrad, erected on a stern, craggy rock, which is connected with the line of works extending behind the old and new city, embracing them both, and descending to the river at each extremity. On the opposite bank of the Moldau, there is a small space of comparatively even ground, towering behind which is a range of high and craggy hills, wild and picturesque in the extreme. Some little distance up the ascent on this level ground, is the Kleinseite, literally small side; - here reside the aristocracy of Prague. The palaces of the ancient Bohemian nobles, with their rich shrubberies, and gardens tastefully laid out, which extend some considerable distance high up above the irregular ascent behind, have a very striking effect.

The lofty ridge of hills above the Hradschin is extremely grand, and forms a magnificent boundary to the prospect, as viewed from the bridge below, and from the other side of the river. Here, on the summit of a long, bold eminence,

The towns, both on the right and left banks of the Moldau are inclosed by fortifications, which, however, are little more than nominally such, having been erected more for the sake of encouraging industry among the working population than a defence against national hostilities. Charles IV., the most beloved of the Bavarian monarchs, gave in this instance, as in many others, a proof of the interest he felt in the comfort of his subjects; and more especially was this sentiment read in reference to the lower classes of the community-a true sign of a noble nature, and an almost infallible guarantee for the exercise of justice and kindness to the higher, as well as to the universal brotherhood of man.

Not far from the stone bridge, and adjoining the Altstadt, is the Judenstadt, or quarter allotted to the Jews. The heart is touched, even to tears, amidst these abodes of wretchedness; and a chastened sympathy thrills through every vein while we turn to the records of Scripture concerning this too much neglected people. Poor unbelieving Israelites! great is your sin; but ye have hearts like ours; for ye love your fatherland,-ye have hearts like ours, for still ye hang your harps upon the willows, when you remember Zion. Yes, ye have hearts like ours; and when the veil shall be taken away, these hearts shall turn again to Him who smiteth thee! Did the veteran Paul love thee, and weep for thee, and protest his willingness to forego all the privileges attaching to the Christian society, as a visible church upon the earth, into which he had recently entered, if ye were only to take up his place, and enter into the fellowship from which himself had been cast out,-yes, willingly consent to all the temporal infamy and suffering rather than ye, his contemporaries, should persevere in your obstinate rejection of the Saviour, and incur that awful destruction which he saw to be approaching? Did the Saviour himself compassionate your condition, and weep

tears of blood, while he pronounced that God-like lament over your city, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." shall we despise the poor outcast race? Ah, no! rather will we labour and pray for your salvation, and anticipate the period when, in the Jerusalem above, our voices shall unite together in singing the anthem of the skies, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

And

The Hradschin, or palace on the hill, is an immense pile, for which, indeed, it is principally remarkable, for it possesses no extraordinary features of beauty, either internal or external. It is said to have no fewer than four hundred apartments; and so endless do these appear, that there is no danger of incurring the charge of credulity in believing the statement without the trouble of counting. The principal ones are the imperial audience-room, the hall of Ladislaws, and hall of assembly for the states.

Below this palace is a narrow terrace, which commands a splendid and extensive view of the country, on which stand two obelisks, bearing the date 1618, which are commemorative of a providential escape from death intended to be inflicted on the imperial commissioners and their secretary, who bore thither intolerant edicts against the Bohemian Protestants. These men were thrown out of the upper windows of the palace by the deputies of the kingdom; but falling, it is said, upon a dung-heap, they escaped with comparatively slight injury. We stay not to animadvert here on the methods or the instruments employed by God to work his own designs. We know, whatever they be, they will prove efficient under his direction. He created all things for his glory, even the wicked for the day of his power. Our readers are doubtless aware of what followed:-a thirty years' contest originated from this manifestation of rancorous hostility, which terminated in the peace of Westphalia, in 1648. Would that with peace we might close our remarks. But history forbids.

With the liberties of the rest of Germany, Bohemia became enslaved, which had previously been foremost as the friend of freedom and toleration.

The cathedral of St. Veir is the burialplace of the kings of Bohemia. It is a fine structure; its altar-piece, the costly shrine of St. John Nepomuck, with mosaics, and some good paintings, render it an object of attraction to the lovers of art. There are other churches, interesting in themselves as objects, or from their historical associations. That of the Theinkirche, where lie the remains of the celebrated philosopher Tycho Brahé,whose monument dates 1601.

Among the numerous public edifices in this quarter of Prague, the Town-hall, the Chapel of our Lady of Loretto, the military hospital, orphan asylum, and the workhouse, rank among the finest.

The most remarkable among the private palaces, is that built by Wallenstein, duke of Friedland. It is thought still to belong to a branch of that family, and some articles are here shown to visitors which are said to have belonged to the original occupants.

The Lobkowitz Library comprises more than 70,000 volumes; the Kingskye, 40,000; the Klebelsberg, 18,000; the Klam Martinitz, 21,000, and others, of even a larger number. Here, however, is discoverable that diversity which characterizes individuals among all nations; for here and there we see the mansion of some noble lord, still occupied by himself and family, representing the local emblazonments of his ancestral dignity. There are, besides these, nobles possessed of less wealth, though equal in birth, provincial magistrates, who, in the winter season, furnish among themselves no ordinary amount of agreeable and elegant entertainment. In the palace of one of these nobles is a gallery of valuable cabinet pictures of the Dutch and Flemish schools; and in another is the national museum, comprising paintings, books, fossils, and natural objects in great variety. The Strahow Monastery contains a library, occupying one of the finest apartments in Germany, of 50,000 volumes. The University of Prague, founded by Charles Iv., in 1348, is a large building, formerly appropriated to the study of all professions; but, in consequence of a measure proposed by Huss, who was at that time rector (1409), to abridge the privilege of some of the foreign students, a large number with

drew to other colleges. It is to be deplored that, in a country of books, knowledge should be so restricted; and it is in vain to expect any great enlargement of sentiment, or liberty of opinion, until the jealousy which is here a national feature shall have lost its sway over the hearts and actions of the people.

As a commercial city, Prague owes its celebrity to the extensive navigation which the Moldau affords, on which large boats may proceed for eighty miles in a direct distance south from the city, where it is joined by a rail from Lintz, on the Danube.

The climate is renowned for its salubrity. In summer temperate, in winter never inclement, this land of palaces knows no extremes of heat or cold, and is, on this account, preferable as a residence, whilst it is even more imposing as a city than Vienna. That it is conducive to health cannot be doubted, when it is nothing uncommon for the native inhabitants to live to the protracted age of a hundred, and sometimes to a longer period. To the lovers of musical harmony, Prague affords rich gratification, since both vocal and instrumental music is here highly cultivated. The Bohemians seem to have an innate love for music; especially do they excel with that beautiful instrument, the harp. As in Scotland, so here, you seldom enter an hotel, however humble, without being greeted with its delicious chords.

Jerome, the friend of Huss, the Bohemian reformer, was born in Prague, the history of whose sufferings and death it is not necessary here to narrate. These, with the persecutions levied on the Bohemians by the Austrians when, in 1526, they succeeded to the crown, and exterminated every vestige of the Protestant faith, subverting all that was dear to liberty, proscribing even the language of the people, and practising every indignity upon them, are facts with which we are already familiar. Brighter, however, and brighter has been growing the prosperity of this renowned city. Its government has become more liberal and its spirit more tolerant, more especially so since the reign of Joseph II.

Many are the devastations which Prague has suffered by war, but these have been severally repaired. By the Prussians, under Frederick the Great, it was taken in 1741, but finally surrendered; and subsequently fell into the hands of the Austrians.

S. S. S.

THE HOMES OF THE VAUDOIS.

THE historic associations that arise when the eye glances over the map of the valleys and mountains of Piedmont, are fraught with deep and painful interest. The geographical position and peculiarities of the country secluded its inhabitants, in a considerable degree, from the influences which were powerfully exercised over the political and religious history of other nations; and the manners, habits, and faith of their ancestors were preserved in greater purity than those of their neighbours. The mountains, which reared their frowning battlements towards heaven, forbade the encroachments of strangers, and long defied the efforts of the Romish church to subjugate the country to its faith. The social characteristics of the people, as well as their religious belief and forms of JUNE, 1850.

worship, were thus preserved, and remained a memento of the views of former times, and an earnest of the spiritual emancipation that awaited Europe. It was not, however, to be expected that such a people should be permitted to remain undisturbed; and we find that they were exposed to fierce, repeated, and protracted assaults from their more powerful and despotic neighbours. These attacks were directed against both their religious faith and their civil liberties, and were prosecuted by the combined forces of a despotic monarch and an intriguing priesthood. The consequences were disastrous: the valleys, which formed the strongholds at once of the people and of truth, were stormed, their villages were pillaged, and the women and children mercilessly massacred. Surrounded by kingdoms over which civil and ecclesiastical tyranny had long ruled

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