pictures! There were murders, executions,
beheadings in German fashion; the criminal
extended on a horrid sort of rack, and his
head being chopped off by a grim
executioner, with a sword, whilst a priest stood by
in his long robes; there were houses on fire;
drownings, miraculous escapes; there were
tall, smirking hussars, and weeping ladies in
white — heroes and heroines in these bloody
histories!

The subjects, the hideous drawing, the
hard outlines, the goggle-eyes, the blood, the
knives, the very fire, made you feel sick. A
considerable crowd was collected, and listened
breathlessly to the sounds of an organ, to
which two Tyrolians sang their appalling
tragedies. They sang in such clear, sweet,
mountain tones, that you were strangely
fascinated. Mournfully sang they, in a
monotonous chaunt, of blood, and crime, and
terror, till you felt your blood creep; and, by
a frightful fascination, your eyes gloated on
the disgusting pictures.

What a terribly immoral influence must
such exhibitions have upon such an
uneducated crowd as surrounded these syrens!
Why should not a paternal government,
which guards its people from immoral books
and disgusting newspapers, not guard them
equally from such a disgusting sight and
sound as this Tyrolian exhibition? These
Tyrolians sold printed histories of the fearful
crimes and calamities which were depicted on
their banners. These histories are very
exciting and romantic reading, as you may
believe when I give some of their titles:
"The History of the Great and Terrible
Monster, who cruelly murdered his Beloved,
his Child, his Father, his Mother, his two
Sisters, and his Brother, On the 8th of July,
1850." " Heroic Self-sacrifice of a Bohemian
Hussar Officer, and the Punishment of his
Murderers." " A true and dreadful History
which occurred on the 14th of March, 1850,
in Schopka, near Milineck, in Bohemia."
"The Might of Mutual Love: a highly
remarkable event, which occurred at Thoulon,
in the year 1849." "The Cursed Mill: a
Warning from Real Life." " The Temptation;
the Deed; the Consequences!"

If you care to know anything of the style
of these remarkable productions, I will give
you a specimen. One begins thus: — " In
Ross-dorf, in Hanover, lived the criminal
Peter Natzer. He was by trade a glazier,
his father having followed the same calling.
Peter was five-and-twenty years old, and was,
from his earliest youth, addicted to every
species of crime. He had a sweetheart, named
Lucie Braun, a poor girl, &c., &c."

Again:— " Silent sat the miller, Leverm,
in his garden; thoughtfully gazed he into
the distant valley. He was scarcely thirty
years of age, but heavy cares had bowed him,
and robbed him of his fresh, youthful bloom.
Beside him sat his wife, who cast many an
anxious but affectionate glance on her
husband. How tender and lovely was this
young wife! The inhabitants of the
neighbourhood called her ' The Rose of fhe
Valley.' "  In this way begins a most awful
tragedy.

Of course we did not read these things in
the fair. It was enough for us, there, to
listen to the mournful chaunt of the
mountaineers, till our blood was frozen in our
veins. I took home with me these horrible
printed histories, as many another simple
soul did; and now, after I have read them,
and been filled with horror and disgust by
them, I have put them away from me as
unholy things. But think of the effect they
will have in many a lonely village, this
winter—in many a desolate farmhouse or
cottage—on the wide plain, or among the
mountains! These papers are productive seeds
of murder and crime; of that one may be
certain.

The next wonder that stopped us in the
fair, was a little fat man, who was shouting
away at the top of his voice, whilst he
briskly sharpened a knife on a long, rough
board, which was smeared over with a black
ointment. He was a vender of magical
stropsalve! something in the fashion of Mechi.
"Ladies and gentlemen; " shouted he, " witness
my wonderful invention! The dullest
knife, stick-knife, bread-knife, clasp-knife, table-
knife, carving-knife, shaving-knife, (rasier-
messer) pen-knife, pruning-knife, though dull as
this knife —though dull as this knife!" and
here he began hacking away upon the edge
of a big knife with a strong piece of broken
pitcher. " Yes, though dull, dull, dull as this
knife!—  when subjected to my wonderful
salve," and here he smeared it with his black
ointment, " will cut a hair, or the most delicate
shaving of paper — as it now does!!"
and with that he severed paper shavings as
if they had been nothing. If it was really
the same knife, his was a wonderful invention,
and beat Mechi hollow.

Next, I had my fortune told at three
different places, for six kreutzers, or two-
pence each, and as I was promised pretty
much the same fortune by all, I suppose I
ought to believe in the truth of it. They
foretold me lots of trouble in the way of love-
crosses, false friends, and unkind relations,
and such small trifles; but were equally liberal
of rich lovers, and plenty of them, plenty of
money, and a good husband to crown all, and
good children to be the props of my old age;
so I think I had, after all, a good sixpenny-
worth.

Next we came upon a little caravan, on the
steps of which vociferated a most picturesque
Tyrolian, in broad-brimmed, sugar-loafed hat,
adorned with chamois hair, and eagles'
feathers; in broad-ribbed stockings, and with
a broad, gaily-embroidered band round his
waist, which half covered his chest. He
assured the crowd below that there was not in
the whole of Bavaria, anything half as interesting