T R A V E L S THROUGH
w h i c h he had picked up from under a tree, belonging to this good woman, Eat
«« them, " faid ftie, " and vvclcome: it was not for payment that I came hither. He
<• that fupplied us with tliac fruit, did not fend it for me only." See Mr. De SaufTure's
Voyage in the Alps, vol. ii. p. 142.
THESE honcft mountaineers have not ftudied, it is true, what is generally ftyled the
Graccs, or the arts and manners of poliilied life: but to make up for that deficiency they
are free from the diiTimulation and unfeeling felfiflinefs, which are the general growth of
populous cities. Their happinefs does not confift in profufion or expenfive pleafures,
but in the bleffmgs of nature, whicli they know how to value, and which coft them
nothing, whilft the latter pay dear for their tranfitory and unfatisfaftory enjoyments.
THE diftance from Wengl e to Buchlback does not exceed three miles J and the road is
- on a rapid defcent to the village of Heiterwang, which is plea fan t l y fituated, although
furrounded by calcareous mountains, fome of them tolerably high.
I LEFT this village, which is extenfive, and feated a lmof ton the banks of a charming
lake, of the fame name, which communicates with another much larger, of an irregular
form, and particularly romantic, called Plati See\ and I croffed the Lachen, a fmall
torrent that flows at the extremity of a valley, through which I had palTed in my
way to Haiterwang.
THE road again becomes very much contrafled by the lateral mountains, which form a
defile, ftrengthened by fortifications at the bottom of the valley, and commanded by a
fortrefs, feated on an eminence called Hochfchang. The two ranges of mountains which
form its fkreens approach fo near that there is but juft room for the road, fo that one is
p c r f e f t l y immured between them.
THE fortrefs o f Hochfchang, which from its fituation appears inacceiTible, was taken
in the war of Smalcalde by the chief of the allies, in 1546, and afterwards by Maurice,
E l e d o r of Saxony, who was at the head of the league againft Charles V . in 1552, compofed
of the Eledor of Brandebourg, the Duke of Wirtemberg, the Count Palatine of
the Rhine, befides other Princes.
THE pretence of the war was to liberate the Landgrave of HeiTe, who was retained
prifoner by the Emperor. The allies, having rendered themfelves mailers of the defile
o f Ehrenberg, and taken pofleffion o f its fortifications, marched to Inlpruck, where they
were very near making the Emperor and his brother Ferdinand prifoners; who, relying
entirely on the llrength o f their citadels, &c. (at that time badly fupplied with provifions),
were aiSually fitting down to dinner, when they were informed, that tlie Eleftor and
his army were at the gates of the city. They had fcarce time to efcape and fave themfelves
at PalTeau, where they foon collefted an army, and forccd tliofe Princes to agree
T H E R H ^ T I A N ALPS. 8t
t o an accommodation. Wliat is moft fingiilar is, that tlie allies partook of the dinner
intended for the Emperor and his brother.
HAVING paffed the fortifications at Ehrenberg, I arrived at Reitti, an extenfive
village, feated on tlie banks of the river Lech. From thence to Knicpafs (which is a
fmall fortrefs) the valley widens, and the mountains decreafe confiderably in height, fo
that near that defile one may fix the termination of the fecondary mountains and tlie
commencement of the third order, which continue till w e approach Fuffen. This fortrefs
is on the banks of the river Lech, and at the foot of mount Selling, which ferves to
defend Tyrol on the fide of Swabia. The valley again widens, and the road follows the
courfe of the beautiful river Lech, till one arrives at the fmall village o f Zol l , near whicJi
is the cataraSi of the Lcch: not far from thence one quits the ftates of Tyrol to enter the
circle of Swabia; and within a mile of the city of FuiTen ftands a crofs, placed on an
eminence contiguous to the road, which marks the limit of the Tyrolefe ftates.
FUSSEN is very ancient, and was formerly called Oppidum Faucenfe; it is wel l built, the
ftreets are tolerably wide and regular, and it is confidered as one of the handfomeft cities in
the bifhopric of Augibourg. Its trade is confiderable, and particularly in leather.
BEFORE I conclude this abridgment of my Travels through the Rhcetian Alps and the
county of Tyrol, I muft caution thofe of my readers who propofe going from Germany
t o Italy, to provide themfelves with a paiTport, in order to prevent any obftacle to their
p a f f i n g from one ftate to the other; for, at the firft barrier, on entering the county of
T y r o l , which is Kniepafs, the paffport muft be figned by the principal officer belonging
t o the detachment then in garrifon, and again at the fmall city of Reicti, where permiff
i on is granted for paiTmg through the fortiiieations of Ehrenberg, without which it is
impoiTible to proceed, as the orders of the State are very ftrid, that they may be informed
o f the rank and number of people that enter the county.
I SINCERELY Willi that this hafty Iketch of obfervations, made in my laft cxcurfion to
the Alps, was more ufeful and interefting, particularly to the amateurs in natural hiftory,
and to tliofe w h o intend vifiting tJiofe places. But it is hoped they will make allowances
for that want of time whicli prevented a traveller from giving fo much fcope to his
obfervations as he could have wiihed.
I CAN, neverthelefs, aflure them that I have dcfcribed the fccncs juf t as they appeared
to mc. I might probably have been more accuratc, could I Jiave commanded more time
for general remarks; but I have contented myfelf with ftating plainly and fimply what
fcemed chiefly to merit the attention of the geologifi and lichologift, without giving any
dccided opinion; .ilchough I found, in fcveral places, evident proofs to perfuade me that
t l ic fea had at difierent periods covercd our continents, and that the retreat of the waters
had been precipitate only to a ccrtain lieight, after which it had been more gradual.
X I HAVE