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FORT NIEDERHAUS, NEAR PASSAU.

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FORT NIEDERHAUS, NEAR PASSAU.

THE Danube, though rich in varied scenery, is comparatively little known; the Rhine, from its proximity to London and Paris, having kept its rivals in undue obscurity. This is partly owing to the circumstance that the Danube, above Vienna, lies without the pale of the great highroads that whirl the swarm of sudden travellers from one end of Europe to the other. But the stranger who has a few days to spare, will find himself amply repaid for his deviation from the beaten track. We may consider the tour of the Danube as beginning with the famous and picturesque old city of Regensburg (Ratisbon), which carries the mind back to the middle ages, the vanished splendour of the German empire. Beside the little village, or market town of Donaustauf, rises the famed Walhalla, the glorious plaything of the King of Bavaria. This superb building, as seen from the river, is somewhat disfigured by the great disproportion of the terraces of stone, and steps which lead to it. It is with a feeling of regret, mingled with disgust, that we record, that among the heroes and great men of Germany, the Protestant name of Luther dared not be admitted. The scenery, before we reach Passau, does not present any objects of great picturesque beauty, although we every now and then pass by towns and villages which recal many a martial deed of bygone days. Beyond Passau the views improve, and the boat winds through many a sylvan scene, extremely pleasing. The banks of the Danube are not, like those of the Rhine, enlivened by a succession of smiling towns and villages, where stately hotels invite the traveller to lounge in luxury and comfort. For hours we wind round the adjacent hills in silent solitude. At length the hills recede, and in the distance we behold the snowy tops of the Styrian Alps. Anon, the bed of the river is narrowed and the waters force their way through the mountain passes which have so often been the theatre of fierce war, from the earliest times to the days of Napoleon.

The lovely city of Linz appears in view, and here if time permits we will ascend the heights and enjoy the glorious panorama. A railroad connects the city of Linz with the picturesque little town of Gmunden, situated at the extremity of the beautiful lake of the same name. Two hours suffice to reach Ischl, the queen of watering places, in the immediate vicinity of the mountains and lakes of the Salzburg and Berchtesgaden districts. Immediately below Linz the environs of the river present no object of great interest, the eye wanders over the plain to the beautiful lines of the snow-covered mountains in the distance. But we approach the rushing sprudel, (whirlpool,) now stripped of its terrors.

Here the

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