passing the village of Theux we come in sight of the Chateau of Franchimont, one of the legends of which, that of the demon huntsman, Sir Walter Scott has repeated. The attempt of 600 Franchimontais to seize Charles the Bold and Louis XI., before the walls of Liège, forms one of the most striking episodes in the history of that city. Eight miles from Pepinster is

SPA (Hotels: DE FLANDRE*, d'Orange, des Pays Bas, de l'Europe), now one of the most fashionable watering places on the continent. It was formerly a simple hamlet, where a master blacksmith of Breda settled in 1326, after curing himself of some disease by the use of the mineral waters. Having purchased of the Bishop of Liège that portion of the wood, in the middle of which the spring of Pouhon was found, he cleared the ground and built a few houses which became the nucleus of a small town and parish, which remained a part of the marquisate of Franchimont, and of the principality of Liege until 1795. The reputation of its waters has been so well established for centuries, that their efficacy has been tested by numerous crowned personages, among whom may be mentioned Peter the Great, and Paul I., Emperors of Russia, and Joseph II., Emperor of Germany. A handsome new bathing establishment was erected in 1865, and the Belgium Government has made a considerable annual grant for improvements. There are several springs, of which the chemical elements are said to differ much, each one therefore is sought out for its curative powers in special maladies. The sources of amusement provided here, for persons in health as well as the sick, vary in quality quite as much as the

waters. Roulette and Rouge-etnoir, balls, concerts, theatricals, promenades, fine scenery, and horse-racing, are among them. It is the only place in Belgium where public gambling is permitted, and the rooms are said to return profits of £40,000 a year. The celebrated Spa water, which is taken to all parts of the world, comes from the spring called the Pouhon, in the centre of the town, under the peristyle of a monument erected by the late King of Holland, when Prince of Orange, to the memory of Peter the Great. The principal edifices are the Redoute which contains the gambling rooms, &c., and the Vauxhall, built as a supplement to it, but not so much frequented.

Spa, like Tunbridge, has a special manufacture of wooden ware, consisting of toys and the like, which employs a considerable number of persons.

About nine miles from Spa, is the cascade of Coo, where the river Salm is precipitated over a precipice of from 50 to 60 ft. in height, into the Amblève. About 7 miles distant is the Grotto of Remouchamps, at the bottom of a ravine through which the Amblève flows, of the extent of above 500 yards, which the graceful or grotesque forms of its stalagmites and stalactites render almost as interesting as the more extensive grotto of Hans. There is another grotto below the one described, considered, by many persons, the finer of the two, but its examination necessitates a descent by ropes.]

VERVIERS (241 miles); (Hotels: du Chemin de fer, de Flandre).

(Baggage notregistered through is examined here, and all passengers are required to alight. Delay usually 20 minutes).

A place remarkable for its rapid rise, due to the cloth manufacture which has sprung up here. All the clothing for the Belgian army is made at Verviers, which has also a large export trade with America, the Levant, and all parts of the world. The water of the river Vesdre, on the banks of which the town is situated, is supposed to possess qualities which particularly fit it as a solvent for dyes. The situation of Verviers is, after that of Liège, one of the most admirable in Belgium.

Soon after leaving Verviers we find ourselves on Prussian territory, at Herbestal. Passing that and a few other unimportant stations we reach

AIX-LA-CHAPELLE (259 miles), Hotels: Grand Monurque, Nuellens d'Empereur, Bellevue). Population 70,000.

Now the chief town of one of the districts of a Prussian province, this was once the capital of all the trans-alpine dominions of Charlemagne, who died there in 814, and may be considered its second founder. It had previously been a Roman station. The emperors of Germany, Charlemagne's successors, were crowned here for ages afterwards, but the imperial insignia were removed to Vienna, on the retirement of the Austrians in 1794.

The principal manufactures of the place are cloth and needles, which employ some thousands of the inhabitants.

It is chiefly as a watering place, and in connection with its relics and associations with the past, that Aix is visited by the tourist. The CATHEDRAL, the nave of which was the "Chapelle," giving name to the town, first claims attention. It was built by Charlemagne in the form of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at

Jerusalem, for his own burialplace. It was partially destroyed by the Normans in 891, and repaired by the Emperor Otho III. in 983; but much of the old edifice still remains. Upon the canonization of Charlemagne, his tomb was opened (1165), and the body of the Emperor was found. not buried, but seated upon a throne, crowned, and in full imperial state. In the Treasury are the famous relics, which are divided into two classes, the greater and lesser relics. The former are shown once in seven years. The last exhibition was from the 10th to the 24th of July, 1867. The exhibition of 1860 was witnessed by nearly 500,000 persons. The Grandes Reliques consist of the robe worn by the Virgin at the Nativity, the swaddling clothes in which Jesus was wrapped, the cloth on which the head of John the Baptist was laid, and the scarf worn by our Saviour at the Crucifixion, stained with blood. These relics were presented to Charlemagne by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Haroun-alRaschid.

Among the Petites Reliques are the skull of Charlemagne, and his leg bone, both taken from his tomb. The other bones of the Emperor were discovered in 1847,

in a chest hidden in a closet. Besides these are Charlemagne's hunting horn, and two relics which were found about his neck in the tomb, and which he wore when alive, viz., a lock of the Virgin's hair, and a piece of the true cross. In addition to these are a leathern girdle of Christ, with an impression of Constantine's seal upon it. one of the nails which bound the Saviour to the Cross, the sponge which was filled with vinegar, some of the blood and bones of St. Stephen, some pieces of Aaron's

S

rod, &c. Upon these relics the emperors of Germany swore at their coronation.

The lesser relics and the church plate, which is very rich, are shown for a fee of one thaler to the treasurer. The throne, Sarcophagus and pulpit are shown by the verger for a fee of one half thaler for a party, or ten groschen for a single person.

The Hôtel de Ville is a large and ancient building, dating from 1353; the tower on the west from 1215; and is remarkable for the Congresses which have been held in it, at which the political interests of the principal European powers have been adjusted. It contains, amongst other pictures, the oldest known portrait of Charlemagne, and frescoes of events in his life.

Before the Hôtel de Ville is a fountain erected in 1620, surmounted by a bronze statue of Charlemagne.

The mineral waters of Aix la Chapelle are remarkable for the quantity of sulphur with which they are impregnated, and their high temperature. The principal spring is that of the Emperor, with which is connected a large bathing establishment called the Kaisersbad.

The Louisberg, a hill on the north of Aix, is a much-frequented promenade, for the survey of the neighbourhood which it affords. There are two localities, within easy distance, connected with Charlemagne: the Castle of Frankenberg, about one mile distant, where his Queen Fastrada died, and where he gave himself up for a time entirely to the grief occasioned by her loss; and about four miles from Aix, the Castle of Emmaburg, from which his daughter eloped with Eginhard, his secretary.

On the way from Aix to Cologne, the district around Stolberg, traversed by the line, contains a good supply of coal, which has led to the establishment of iron, glass, and other manufactories upon a large scale; and iron, zinc, lead, and silver are also found in the vicinity. At Stolberg, Eschweiler, and near Langerwehe and Horrem stations, may be seen old castles; that of Merode was the ancient residence of the great Belgian family of that

name.

There is nothing further to attract the attention of the tourist until we reach

COLOGNE, (Hotels: DiSCH, du Nord, Mainzer Hof, Holländischer Hof, de Vienne.) (At Deutz, opposite the city, Hotel Bellevue.) Population, 126,500.

Cologne was an important Roman colony, from which circumstance it dérives its name. Agrippina, daughter of Germanicus, and wife of the Emperor Claudius, was born here, and adorned the place with an amphitheatre, temples, aqueducts, &c., of which there are still vestiges. It was the capital of Lower Rhenish Gaul until 330, and, after many vicissitudes, was annexed to the German empire in 870. It became one of the richest and most powerful members of the Hanseatic League, and carried on an extensive commerce with all the maritime people of the period. The merchants of Cologne enjoyed great privileges in England, and allowed no ships to carry merchandise on the Rhine, past their city, except their own. The University of Cologne was one of the most esteemed in Germany, and all the arts were cultivated there with distinguished success. The town ceased to be free in 1794, when it fell into the