f i ? Iil nj ir IhII'-
48 T R A V E L S THROUGH
looks uniform and plcafmg. The inhabitants are induftrious, travel much, and are
moftly in the commercial line.
THE Bifliop, who is Prince and Sovereign of his dominions, refides in this city, which
is very ancicnt. Wliat I have mentioned, with regard to the government of the biihopric
of Trent, may, in a great meafure, be applied to this; except that the Bifhop and Chapter
of Brixen did not originally give themfelves up to the power of the Counts of Tyrol ;
for they referved the power of renewing annually their grant, and were alfo to be looked
upon as allies at the difFerent diets; agreeing, however, to ihare equally in defraying the
cxpences incurred for the prefervation of the State. Befides thofe privileges, the bifhopric
is confidered as forming part of the Auftrian circle, and gives a right of fuffrage to the
metropolis of Salzbourg; but as the Counts of Tyrol are the viciâmes, or judges of the
temporal jurifdidion of that bifliopric, they poiTefs fevcral feodal tenures. The Canons,
who compofe the Chapter, have the power of eleâing their Bifliop. They are divided
into two diftinâ clafles, nine of them are to trace the origin of their nobility for four
generations, both on the father and mother's ilde. The others, which are twelve, muft
either be doâors or licentiates in theology.
TIIE city of Brixen was formerly known hy THE nanif of Aniomus Suhlabio-, and in the
year 360, of our era. Pope Damafe fent the Abbé Caflîen to propagate the gofpel in thofe
parts ; but, as the Sovereign's refidence was at Sabiona, it was there that the Prelate firft
chofe to eilabliih the tenets of Chriftianity. He ereded a church, of which there are ftill
fome remains. Brixen is alfo noted in hiftory for a council held there in July 1080, which
was convened by the Emperor Henry IV. furnamed the Great, confifting of thirty
Bifhops, his partifans, who not only maintained the rights of that Prince againft Pope
Gregory VIL who had excommunicated him, but they even depofcd the Pontiff, appointing,
as his fucceffor, the Archbifhop of Ravenne, known by the name of Clement IV.
(See the Chron. Baronius of L'Abbé Uriberg.)
THE torrent of Rients, which falls into the Eifach, at the gates of Brixen, is more
confiderable than that river, and defcends from the high mountains which border the
county of Tyrol towards Corinthia. It afterwards croffcs the extenilve valley of Pufter,
or Puftriffa, which extends fifteen miles to the eail of the pafs of Muchlbach.
THIS valley is extremely rich in wood and pafturage, and contains two towns,
Brunnech and Lienz, which are tolerably extenfive. The latter is not only ancient,
but noted for being, in 1500, the burial-place of Leonard, the laft Count of Goertz,
and Sovereign of the valley of Pufter, which afterwards devolved upon the houfe of
Auftria.
THIS valley contains a number of villages, hamlets, &c. Its inhabitants are the moil
opulent proprietors of the county of Tyrol, for each individual cultivates his own land.
THE
T H E RH^TIAN ALPS. +9
THE city of Brixen is nearly furroundcd by hot mineral fprings ; fome of them are
fulphureous, others aluminous, metallic, &c. The inhabitants attribute the heat of
thofe waters to fome fubterraneous caufe, or extinguiflied volcanos ; for they afTured
me, that tliere were vaft quantities of volcanic produdions found in the environs of the
baths, and that earthquakes were very freqiient with them; but want of time prevented
me from convincing myfelf of tlie truth of their aflertions.
IT is to be wifhed that fome enlightened Naturalift could be tempted to explore the
environs of that city, as it might tend to throw freih light on the ftudy of geology ;
particularly as feveral fcientific men have vifited the major part of the Pennine Alps, and
have not been able to difcover any,
FROM Brixen the river Riantz and the valley of Pufter are paflcd on the right, and three
miles from thence one quits the Archbifliop's dominions. After paillng a fmall guardhoufe,
which ferves as a barrier to the county of Tyrol, the road begins to rife gradually,
and one may there fix the firft gradation towards the afcent of the Great Brenner.
' Owing to its being remarkably contraited on the left by the adjacent mountains, a bridge
has been built acrofs the Eifach, in order to continue the road on the other fide of the
river, which afterwards pafles at the foot of a large foreft of firs and larch trees, that
entirely conceal the bafe of a chain of mountains which defcend from the fummit of the
Brenner, called Spingcfer. From thence the next poft is Mittlewald, fituated beyond the
centre of the foreft. Mittlewald is a fmall village, with a few fcattered wooden cottages,
in the nature of thofe belonging to the inhabitants of the High Alps.
THE road from Mittlewald to Mauls is nearly the fame as from the Barrier, yet there
are, now and then, fome agreeable openings, which offer to the eye romantic and
pi(Surefque views.
THE Eifach alfo adds greatly to the beauty of the fcené ; for, its motion being much
more accelerated than in the vailles of Trent and Bolfano, its waves dafh impetuouily
againft prodigious mafles of granite, and marble of various colours, which, checking its
courfe, form a number of beautiful cafcades. At fome diftance from the village of
Mauls is the church of Trens, dedicated to the Virgin, whither the inhabitants
frequently perform pilgrimage. Not far from the church is fituated, on a fmall eminence,
the caftle of Spreclienftcin, which fecms to be the key to tlie whole valley, from Brixen
to Trcns; one then croffcs the Eifach, at the foot of the caftle, which is a mile and a
half from Sterzing, where wc arrived late in the evening.
S E C T I O N