The New York Herald Newspaper, June 28, 1874, Page 7

_ ley floor diminish to halt their actual size. mhich will be combrtaply furnished. at each of > accommodation 01 500 RICHARD WAGNER, The German Master’s New Theatre. Where He Will Perform the “Ring of the Nibelungen.” ‘The Plan of the Theatre and the Opera. WAGNER THE HOPE OF THE, FUTURE, Batnevta, Bavaria, May 25, 1874. TI have felt the necessity of saying so much of ‘Wagner's music drama, in order to show you that the composer 1s nelther a fool nor an enthusiast, as 80 many have styied him, and'to prove that the | term “music of the future’ is a thing very much | to be prayed for. The innovations in operatis - Practice to be inaugurated ny Wagner are numer- ous, and will embrace, besides the form of the | theatre, the natural training of the singers, the in- | the Nibelungen mount. When the tneatre is com- | le'ed ano the grounds laid out and the jountains N iui play and the people assemble from all parte | Ol tie world to the Wusical testivals Oo the future, | then there wul be bho more charming gathering | place in Germany for music loving people. The architect who made the plans for the theatre is Herr Bruckwald, of Leipsic, the builder of the } Leipsic and Altenburg theatres. The name of my young friend Wo as charge of the building here 18 Carl Rupckwitz, who, I promise, has a bruliant future helore him. Herr Brandt, 01 Darm- | stact, supplies te stage machinery, aod him I understand we have to thank for the delay tn the compietiin of ¢he work, The scenery is being | paluted oy the bothers Brickner, in Coburg, from | the designs of Hoffman, of Vienna, ‘The smailer | Bcenes ure being punted in Coburg, the larger | Pieces will be done in Baireuth; but every plio Jor the tyeatri¢.l @tructure, for the stage mi- chinery, every design ior scenery, ig trom Richard | Wiguer's br-in, He knows the meaning of every stove ip the structure, of every line on the canvas. TUB WAGNER ORCHESTRA. So mucl for the theatrical sructure, The toviei- Die orciuestra ts the principal point of divergence, | On ts pomt Wegner said:—“I have named this great Space extending irom below the level of the stave wud tue width of the parterre up to the rool te ‘Mystic Abyss,’ because, as I tell my friends, 1% separctes the reaity from the ideal. My idea 1a rencering the orchestra invisible is to prevent the technical apparatus of musical | Production attracting attention from the staze. Between the audience and the perception of a picture presented there #ivuld be no tnterraption—there snould be no inter- vening reality between the audience and the ideal- ity—il we would produce periect ilusiou. But as you see the innovation made a change in the struc- ture Ol the theutre necessary. Wehad to exclude the system o: tiers of boxes and confine ourselves | to the amphitheatrical formation by which we atford accommodation tor 1,600. persons. I banish troduction of operatic system im curbing the license and extravagance of individual “stars,” ‘the suppression of the mania for applause among singers, aud the general working together of a company for the good of the performance, not of the individual, One! innovation is a subject of great interest. and controversy among mual- clans—namely, Wagner's intention of making hig orchestra” Invisible to the audience, On this subject Wagner spoke to me Bt some lengtn alter a visit I had paid to the new theatrical! structure with the young and talented architect, Herr Runckwitz, who bas the superin- tendence of the building. Permit me, however, | before repeating his interesting conversation on | juls point, to describe the theatre, when a better | Adea of the innovation may be obtained. | THE NIBELUNGEN THEATER, | The Nibelungen Tieatre 13 built on a gentle ele- Vation distant about halla mile (rom the city. in eumoter it ts a delightful walk thither; but in this fainy weather, when the roads are not finished, | the way is muddy and disagreeable. The plot of ground on which the theatre stands is about an acre in extent and was presented to the composer by the city of Baireuth. The external structure 1s now fluished. A hundred and fifty workmen were employed on it for eighteen inontis, and now some tity or more are busy in furuishingthe interior and in fitting in the woodwork of the stage. The building is of the very simplest construction. The iramework is of wood and the filling in Of brick, only the portion devoted to the stage 1s built in a solid, durable fasion, Looked at from the outside the theaire has a style peculiarly its own. It has no resemblance to other theatrical structures, Mr. Ruuckwitz, the building-master, Juraished me with some detatis. The front has a breadth of 170 feet; the length is 240 feet. fo THE STAGE, The most remarkable part of the edifice 1s that devoted to the stuge. Here no expense will be spared, while the part devoted to the audience will be almost devoid of ornament. The stage has @ breadth of 95 icet and a length of 79, and an ad- ditional stage behind this is 49 feet broad and 40 feet long. 1t sinks irom the stage floor to some 87 feet, and its entire height irom the floor of the ex- cavation up to the “pulley-foor” is 176 feet. But these figures give no adequate idea of the grand Scale on which the stage is constructed. Looking Up from the parquet the five-inch balks of the pul, | ‘The Great depth below the stage is necessary, ae tally in the “Rheingold” scenery, which “Must de- Scend a8 well as.ascend, There vj) pe ten side scenes. On either side of the stage are two ranges of dressi~7 rooms for the singers, the fonr torPers of the stage proper a massive water tower is built in solid style. There are no arrangements for heating the theatre, since the ‘performances will take place in the summer months. HE AUDITORY. The portion set apart fur the audience is in breadth 114 feet, and in length, from the royal cir- cle to the proscenium, 79 feet. ‘I'he seats rise, step by step, from the orchestral space up to the circle, “amphitheatrically,”” with the difference, as seen on our plan, that the seats grow in length the fur- ther back they are removed from the stage. There Bre no side galleries; the royal “circle” can hardly be designated by that name, since it is only a few fees higher than the Jast row of seats, Above the royal circle there will be, however, a gallery for ‘the accommodation of 509 persons, citizens of Bai- reuth, who will be invited by Wagner to attend the performances. The “amphitheatre,” if BO We may call it, will accommodate 1,500 persons. ‘The approach, to the seats will be very practical, ‘The entrance to the ten or twelve front rows will be through iour doorways at either side; the back rows will be approached from the front of the edi- fice, from the vestibule, by two passageways running beneath the last six or seven rows of seats, and emerging about a third of the way down the amphitheatre. The gardrobes for the amphitheatre extend the whole width of the thea- tre immediately beneath the royal circle or gal- lery. There are no pillars to obstruct tne sight. ‘The view of the stage will be perfect from every teat of the house. The plan does not do justice to the amphitheatre in this respect. The proscenium itself is forty-five fect wide, and is, I believe, tle widest in Germany. While the front row of seats Bas about the same width, the last row and the royal gallery will be nearly double that extent—at Teast 100 feet—and the depth only fifty or sixty; the stage perspective will be nearly perfect from almost every seat in the house. The interior decorations will be of avery simpie character. There will be DO monumental decorations. The point of attrac- tion will be the stage. THE ORCHESTRA—THE MYSTIC ABYSS, Between the stage and the audience there is an excavated space, where Wagner 1s to place his | orchestra. It lies seventeen feet below the first row ol seats, has a width of about twenty-eight feet, ten of which extend under the stage), and ex- tends not only the whole width of the stage but the Width of the portion devoted to the audience and up to the heighth of the pulley balks. This space has been styled by Wagner the “Mystic Abyss.” Here he places hts orciiesira, which consists of 106 tustruments, (fhe largest orchesira in Germany ts, { imagine, that of Munich, and numbers seventy- Six members.) The seats of the musicians will rise amphitheatricaily, the leader occupying the highest | Position, go that, though his magician’s wand will hot be seen by the uudieace, he will have full com- Mund of the singers on the Stage. There will be no footlights! “Ana where are you going to pluce the | Poot ies box?’ “Ibat,’? answered my young | vend, “will be dispensed with altogether. Mr. Waguer will have tue singers ‘firmly seated’ in their roles beiore the periormances commence,” Wagner intends that between the audience and the singers aud scenery nothing shall intervene to interrupt the view or attract the attention, notaing but this invisible wail of music.” Herein consists ® chle! characierisiic of the Wagner theatre. 1 had some conversation with the composer on this relorm or innovation on a@ later occasion. ‘The bn] toot one gets of the theatre in its present unfuished condition is that it will be a very com- fortable, cozy pluce. ‘The roof of the amphitheatre looks very low to the eye accustumed to theatres with four or five tiers of boxes, I do not think the ceiling of the amphitheatrical portion is more than thrice the heigat of that im the lecture hall of Cooper institute. I ought to mention that ad- joining the royal gallery are several drawing rooms, and at eicher side ol toe tneatre, on & level with the royal circle, is a balcony for the use 01 princely and royal people. Immediately under- neath these again are arcades, Which may be used the audieuce proper for promenading, ‘The | » iront will be used for the same se, There will be two restaurant rooms the side wing, About 100 feet to the rear of the theatve 18 @ temporary structure | tor the use of the scenic artists, Which, during the season of periormance will afford lodging accom. modations for musicians and persons connected with the theatre, Between the painter's room @nd the theatre wili be a petroleum gas manuiac- tory, agasometer and an engine house. A little 20 one side it was proposed to erect @ hotel jor the uests. itis doubtiul, how- ever, if this project will be carried ut, in view of the low state of the Nibelunwen treavary. In the tourse of time space about the theatre will be ry porti fn" | chorus—a high, inv sible langnage, appealing cn- | “Rheingold” the glittering pinnacles of glorious | act of “Walkuere,” 4 entirely to the enjoyment of natgre. ‘and of dra- | footlights aud pramuter’s box and leave only @ frame work, as it were, for the stage pictures, In front of the orchestral space tre architect devised @secona proscenium, the effect of which will be, in M13 reiation to the prosven.um proper, tv produce the ilusion of an apparent iurther removal from the scene. The etfect will be tnat tie sadience, though Jancying tie scene to be far removed, will nev: rthetess perceive it with the Clearness o: im- mediate vicinity, and then # jurther illus on will be produced that the persons ou the xcene will appear in increased size, in superhuman form. But of all this [ have written much, i think, however, that most persons fail to comprehend the d:stinct char- acter I give to the orchestra, as an illustraive organism, to occupy the place of the ancient Greek stantly to the audience, revealing, recalling, ex- pounding.’? It needs deep and care‘ul studies of Wagner's Operas to become acquainted with the nature and beauty Of his music, ana especiaily its relation to the “Greek Chorus.” The duty of the Greek Cho- Tus was, inconnection with the choragus, to me- diate, as it were, between the auaience and tne actor—to explain, to elucidate, and to chant the teachings of the play. Wagner gives his orchestra @ similar duty. ‘he constant recurrence of his themes, like echoes of the past, are of wonderful beauty. In the opening o1 the second scene of Waihaila come into view, und the scene Is accom- | panied by @ theme in tie orchestra which may be Styled the Walhaila theme, or motive. Jn the first when Sieginand telis Fieg- linda how he lost his father, how in battle he was Separated from him aud never saw lim again— “sty father I found po more!’’—how ielicitously breaks in the Old strain of the Waihalla theme to teil us that the father Was gathered to the abode of the heroic dead, Aguin, in “Lobengrin,’? when | the hero is about to leave Elsa and return to Mon- | salvat, how affecting is the scene, how greatly are the sorrows 0: Elsa increased in our own heart, wheo in the orchestra, amid the wild, auraly, sad music indicating departure, we hear the beautiful echoes of the wonderiul melodies of love enn at the nuptial festival pass across the orchestra lik @ dream! THE FESTAL PERFORMANCES. Yet there are some other innovations to men- tion. The periormances ure to take place at ‘our in the afternoon and will last until e1even, a pause of an hour taking place between eaciact. And | what brilliant, inteliectual audiences dves the c.m- oser want! Not the tired-out city folk, weary from the counting rooms and desirous of beini | amused fora ‘ew hours and then sent home in good | ‘humor to their potato salad, but people with the | Capacity to appreciate all tiat is noble and sublime in the drama aud iu music, who cme to recuper- te themselves in the fresh air of these Francunian ills during the day im excursions to the beautiiul surroundings, to Heruutage and Fan- taisie, with souls made ready jor the recep: tion of ideal illusion in the evening. Tne “Ring of tee Nibelungen” will last ‘our evenings | for one entire Perio BARC e ORWSNPIa? beng | given the first éventhg, “Die Walkuere” the sed- 1 ond, “Siegiried” tho third, “siegiried's Death; or oie Bamerung” thé fourth. The entire per- Orman will, pe Tepeated three times in succes- sive weeks, e cost jor & “patronatschein”’ or patron's ticket is 300 thaiers, and entities the holder to see the four operas thrice repeated. A third part of a “patronatschein” is therefore sufficient Jor the hearing of a single periormance of the “Ring.? ‘Phe visitor will have to gtva himseif up ‘These 1egtiVals will be repeated | annually. Wi joed ot intend to give tne | “Ring of the lungen” every year, but once in | three years. In other Aer he intenda, it he finds the proper support, to bring out tie operatic—that is, Musical dramatic original works of German compvsers, in tue highest possible perfection and in the intention of the composer. The tact of a work being performed at the Festal Theatre will be considered as & prize and the pr ce awarded to the matic musical art composer, Every year agner will bring | out one of his own aa according to lis own ideas, without omissions, with correct cos- tumes and scenery. He will give to the “Fliegender | Hollinger” its criginal form, which he composed originally in one great act, in three tableaux. He divided it into three acts in order to adapt it to the demands of the sti In Baireuth he will give it its original form. “This is my plan, If! live,” said Wagner to me, THE DELAY IN THE PERFORMANCES, I expressed regret that the performances had been postponed to 1876, which, being the year of the Centennial, would keep most gence trav- eilers at home, Wagner thought that there were very fuw Americans he could expect to atiend the performances. He said it was tmpossible to get Teady sooner. The project had nuny fire for several months fast year, and had not the King of Bavarie. come to his assistance he would have been stick fast still, ‘With my pecuniary resources previous to the announcement of tne King’s credit,” said Wagner, “{ could do nothing at all, Although the theatre itself had heen erected 1 could not complete the contracts for the scenery and machinery, nor could [| tell a single singer, ‘I retain your services.’ Icould not procure scenery and machinery and talent with promises based on the expected support of the na- tion, But I can gay that since the receipt of the credit all the contracts for scenery, machinery, &c., &c., have been signed, and in this department | everything willbe im readiness by the year 1576. But with the studying of the operas this is a mat- ter that will take time. It must be remembered that four operas have to be studied and re- hearsed, which will require at least four months, and it must be remembered that I can only have my singers during certain montis of the year. At present there have been no firm engagements made with the singers. But I have already selected the best force i could find during our tour of the German theatres last year, and Hans Richter will arrive in a lew days to assist me in preparing ior the reception of the singers. ? | Of the singers already engaged jor tie Baireuth | performances Niemann and Betz have offered | themscives irom Berlin. Niemann offered his | voice tree, and considered the fact of being per- | Mitted to sing in “Nivelungen” hovor enough. Betz’s only condition was a seat in the theatre for his wife. The distribution of the roles is not yet under consideration, Fight or ten firat’ class singers will be | required, and three or four femaie voices, besides the walk) ria, the dwaris, &c. For “siegiried,” the rincipal characters iu the ‘Nibelungen”’ [ am tn- formed that a young Hanyarian of athietic \eaaty of ‘orm and with a Wonderiul tenor vo.ce has been found by Wagner’s friend, Hans Richter, the direc- | tor of the Hungarian National Theatre at Pestn. | The new tenor’s name is Franz Glatz (apparentl, o/ German descent, anyway), the son of a Pest! advocate, who up to the time of his discovery by | Richter was a student at jaw and sang at times in musical societies. Richter brougut his young protégé to Kaireuth some time ago and introduced | him te Wagner, and after listening to sume re- | hearsals the composer was #0 pieased with him that he gave him at once the titie rdie oi “Siey- fried.” He is now receiving a thorough musical and dramatic tuition under Richter’s superintendence in Pesth. No temaie singers ave been at present | engaged. Wagner finds it dificult to find dignity of person necessary to represent goddesses and beauty and strength of voice combined in one in- dividual. WAGNER'S LABORS. The musical portion of the Ring of the Nibe- lungen is nearly completed, The entire text waspublisned twenty years ago. “Ruein- goid” and “Die Waikuere” have been cr formed in Munich, “Siegfried” 18 finished, and = ‘“Siegfried’s§ Death,” or ‘“Gutterddm- merung” is complete except the instrumentation— “and,” Wagner said, ‘that is a comparatively slight task. Ican give each singer his p.rt. What I call the ug, the motive or invention, is com- pleted. The sketch is complete, anda good musi- Cian couldeven take it asit isand finisn it, whe planojorte arrangement is nearly ready.’ Wagner spoke of the immeuse labors on his hands just now, which prevented him irom carrying out several other musical works. He made the conception of | two new operas some years ugo while in Switzer- land, One bears the titie “Parctval, oi the Holy Grail,’ a similar subject to Lohengrin; the other entitled “The Victors,” and is a Buddnisuic subject. May be that Wagner intends the | latter for the Khédive of Egypt, us was re- | prted in the German papers some time ago. ther plane entertained in carlier years Wagner seems to have given up. Once he thought of com. osing an opera, ‘Barbarossa; again, “Jesus of Razareth.”? But oo Christian religious ground Wagner does not wish to enter. ‘The composer is S@lways at work. Though sixty-three years of axe, his brain is ever active; he does not seem to give himself much rest. He has a strong will and an iron gray constitution to buck it, To all appear. | ances he has many years of jife before him. ‘The | composer's family consists of five children—four giris and one boy (Senta)—klizaheth, Eva, Isolde and Liegfried—names taken the Wagner op- be tastemily laid out, and an avenue of trees will be laid out from the central part of the town to eras. Mme. Wagner if a Caughter of Franz Liszt, whom sie resembles in features ana general av- pearance. She is a lady of great intellectual pow- ers and charming in her courtesy and hospitalities. ‘To Wagner sue is an Indispensable helpmate. She re- Ceives most of her husband’s visitors, auswers cor- resp ndence, thus giving her husband time for com- poo ition and rest. Wagner usualy composes irom norning until three or jour o'clock in tie aiter- von, lle las # fine brary and is a deep student in medieval lore and lve. ‘Yo persons wishing to see bim out of curiosity he is at times severe; to Luose who come with a purpose and have the ca- pecity to understand his masic and his ideas he converses freely. One leaves Bairenth with the impression that Wugner is misunderstood or not duly appreciated by ls peopic, We have only one charge against bim—that he has made hia last work too essen. taliy German in character to permit of its becoming rey atnee appreciated, It is bardly probable that the “Ring of the Nibe.ungzs” can or will ever be periormed outs de ol Germany. The quadriology is created on wo grand a scale for BOAR. ORS ratic managers, and since the words cannot be ut into Italian it will not have much chance of ing imtroduced to you by any Italian impres- ario, at least, not this century. It has taken the “owan,"? ‘Lohevglin,’ twenty years to swun across the Atiautic and take a place in fasitionable opera. Applying the rule of three principle, say then, ye gous 0: the Nibelungen, how many years Willit take ye lo get to the United Staves and be introduced in proper 8 yle be ore the publ c? Not before the year 1900! So people wishing to see the “Ring” will have to visit Baireath, But then Wagner has written otuer works ol great bewuty, whica are fully appreciated here, **itienzi” (discarded by the composer), tne “Fiying Dntenman,” “The Meistersinger of Nuremoerg,” | Isolde’’—ali works ol great artistic, legendary and symbolical beauty, which Waguer hopes may soon be made ixmiliar to the American people. Unfor- tunately the “tig” can never become universal property; it rema.ns tor the Germans, and it is the duty of the Germans to support tue com; oser, But in ail Germany ther: is but King Ludwig 01 Bava- ria who has shown Wagner true appreciavion and given tim support. And to tnis young King we owe much of what Waguer has been able to com- pose, Formerly peope styled this monarch “cracked-brained,” because he loved music apd Was an enthusixstic admirer of ‘Lohengrin. li ail the admirers «f this Opera were “cracked” how many new illsune asyinius would the worid need? Many hundreds, Wagner 18 a wonderiul man—a enius such as 18 seldom given ty the people, and, ike all geniuses, he is doomed te dissppointments and non-apprectation by the world. But some day, when tne telegrapn sball imiorm Germany that in Baireuth Waguer 18 dead, the nation will assem- ble at his grave and mourn that he died so soon, and say that a gentus is deid—a genius whose mantle will ‘all on no other modern composer. LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. THERE Is To BE a grand convention of the Ameri- can Book Trade Union at rut-in-Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie, on the 2ist of July. Its objects are to take care of the interests of booksellers, consider the practice called “underselling,” &c. ‘THE ABRIDGMENT O/ Richardson’s novel, “Clarissa Harlowe,” published by Henry Holt & Co, is dressed in the cool and tempting brown coth habit of the “Leisure Hour Series.” Reduced from nine volumes to one, this novel of the last century, which clergymen commeuded from the pulpit, while oid maids wept over its woes, may find a jew languid or antiquarian readers, THE Lonpon Figaro, learning tiat “Tapper’s Proverbvial Philosophy” has been dramatized for the stage, suggests that ‘“Johnson’s Dictionary” shouid hext undergo similar treatment, Mx. J. R, LuMsy bas written a “History of the Creeds,” which is a good and succinct account of the ancient Christian c.eeds, and the controversies respecting them. Sir WILLIAM Tite's library, sold in London last month, brought a fraction under £20,000, Among the books was the original manuscript of Burus’ song, “Scots Wha Hae wi Wailace Bled,” which brought £25. How many “originals” of this famous | song of Burns are there? ‘The late Mr. Sumner left one to Harvard College. Dk. K, K, HAGENBACH, the well Known German church historian, died June 6, at the age of seven- ty-three. Tue LITERATURE of the Gypsies is receiving great attention of lute. Three or four English and two German books upon the subject were published in 1873, THEY Say THAT JOHN ForsTER is engaged on a biography of Dean Swiit. A PHILADELPHIA GOSLING, in the Publishers’ Weekly, wants to know “would it not be wel: to define and codify the rules and courtesies by which publishers are supposed to be governed in reprinting foreign books?” Just as ii reprinting without pay to authors were anything but a free grab, for which no rules are possible, except an honest international copyright. Mk. GEORGE MEREDITH is engaged on a new novel, in which he deais with several of the most vexed questions of political and social life of the day, and in which, under assumed names, several living politicians will be introduced, A New Work on the “History of Civilization During the Times of the Khalifa,” will shortly ap- pear from tue pen of Alfred von Krewer, tne cele- brated Oriental scholar. Dr. DONALDSON, rector of Edinburgh High School, will publish “Lectures on the History of Educa- tion in Prussia and Engisnd.” Many UNPUBLISHED papers of Leign Hunt, in- cluding plays and correspondence on many mat. ters of literary interest, have come to ligit, They wil form the baals of a series of urticles to be pub- lished in the magazines. : MR. THORNBURY'S ReW Work on “Old and New London,” is @ projusely illustrated, lively and readabie performance, though too profuse in epithets and inexcusably careless in authorities, THE NEW BOOK of Gregororius on ‘Lucretia Borgia’ has met with great success in Germany. Why can’t we have an American translation of it? ‘LHE POET SHELLEY'S ‘*‘Refutation of Deism,’’ of which only two coptes are known, is exciting com- ment in England. Its doctrine is that the being of @ God, being only probable from revelation, can- not, therefore, be proved at all, atheism being the true alternative to Christianity. AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER of Rabelais, in Latin, brought the large sum of £62 sterling at a London auction on June 5, At the same sale Alexander , Pope brought £11; Lord Nelson, £5 5s.; Coleridge, | £10; Macaulay, £12 10s.; Hume, £18 108.; Charles Lamb, £14 68.; Cowper, £7; Lord Bacon, $21; | Byron, £18; Wellington, £2 168.; Voltaire, £5 5¥.; Dean Swiit, £18 5s.; Dryden, £25; Schiller, £17 10s. ; Cobbett, £9 58.; Sterne, £13, and Uiiver*Gold- smith, £60, But a letter of Oliver Cromwell over- topped them all and fetched £106. Tne CoryxicaT of Octave Feutlett’s famous “Sphinx” has been secured by the Univers IUusir¢, and will be published in the columns of that jour- nal. Tue SuBsECT of the prize poem of the krench Academy for 1875 is ‘‘Livingstone.” MULE. SIMONWITSCH, Who carried on her medical studies at Zurich, and aiterwards at Bern, has just obtained the degree of M. D. summa cum laude in the latter university, being the first lady who has ever taken that degree at Bern, Tue ENGLISH JOURNALS are lecturing upon lec- turers, apropos of @ recent utterance of John Raskin, Mr. F, BARHAM ZINCKE has written ‘‘A Second Month in Switzerland,” which relates with great particularity his walk through that most interest- ing country. MR. Winwoop READE’s “Story of the Ashantee Campaign” is curtly dismissed by the Saturday Review as the work of “a running and writing gentleman.” “DOWN AMONG THE DEAD," Nothing new transpired yesterday regarding the deatn of De la Grandier, the Frenchman, Ann McDonald, who was admitted June 24 to Bellevue hospital, died there on Friday evening, from the effects of intemperance. The Board of Health notified Coroner Kessler to inquire into the death of Hannah White, who died of injuries of the head received by falling at No. 304 West Thirticth street. The body of an unknown man about 50 years old ‘was found yesterday in the water at the foot of | West Twenty-fifth street, oer cad minus panta- loons but wearing a blue flannel shirt and a pair of call skin boots, Was found in the Water at foot of Ninety-sixth street, North River. He was dark haired and had a oald head and smooth face. Both are at the Morgae. A dead intant was found yesterday in a coach at No. 312 Kast Fortieth street, and another at the toot of Broome street, Last River, Coroner Croker held an inquest in the case of Thomas Farley, who was run over by locomotive No. 11 of the Harlem Railroad, on Monday last, at Ninety-fourth street. It was shown that the occur- rence was purely accidental, and a@ verdict to that effect was rendered, An inquest was held regarding the death of Wiillam J. Shea, of No. 58 York street, Brooklyn, ‘who was killed on Thursday last by falling through the hatchway at No, 540 Broadwi The jury rem dered @ Verdict of accidental dea’ NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 1874—QUADRUPLE SHEET. | ME “WATERS” AY EMS. The Great European Cu- rative Resort. HISTORY AND HYDROPATAY. What the Believers Say the Springs Are Good For—High Priced Hotels, Hore, GurrENBERG, Eas, June 11, 1874, Thave been thinking what is the most useful in- formation which I can give to American readers about the baths of Ems, and I will now attempt to classify the result of some attention and research. THE HISTORY OF EMS ean be briefly told; or, rather, I should say, that tt cannot be printed at length in a daily newspaper or read with patience over thelr break'ast tables by busy people, mostly in search of the price of stocks and theatrical advertisements, that they may know how to pass their day with most profit and their evening with most pleasure. Men of business and beautiful women seldom look beyond to-day; and it is quite as well that they should not bother themselves very much with juturity. But even the brightest intellects and the most perfect loveliness ig aps to get out of gear ut times with the wear and tear of Ile; and then both business and pleasure for a while must come to a stop, It is for such cases that now I writewor the afflicted, the overwrcught and the weary, who are in search of health or reat and know not how to woo either back to them, They are very likely to come upon the traces of thes? fugitives at Ems, and as every reasonable person feels a desire to have some knowledge o! a place which he or she intends to visit, I claim space for afew words about the aute- cedents of THE MOST FASHIONABLE WATERING PLACB IN THE WORLD. Ems is a pretty littie town, charmingly situatea on both bapks of the Lahn, in a somewhat narrow valley enclosed by woody and vine-clad rocky heights, It was well known to the Komans, and many objects of antiquity ound in the neighbor- hood still record the presence of that mighty race which conquered, ruled and passed away. Now and then, as ihe Prussian peasant trudges behina his plough, he still turns up a broken urn, which | perhaps contained the ashes of a warrior; or he finds part oi a lamp which, may be, lit some lover to his lady’s bower; or his eyes are gladdened with the glitter of an ancient piece of money which bears the eflgy of one of the Cwsars, Arms and bricks, too, have been dug up, engraved with the mark of the Twenty-second Legion, which seems to have been encamped or quartered not iar irom the hot springs now in use, and to have consti-. | tuted a part of that military colony which, under | the Emperor Titus, was dra‘ted into the army taat marched to the conquest of Jerusilem. No ruins | of Roman baths have been discovered as yet at | Ems; but considering the passionate love for washing themselves which naturally characterized | & great people wito wore no shirts, it is probabie that they selected it as a sanitary station Jor their sick soldiers, It 13 first mentioned as a warm bath, however, in a document dated A. D. 1354, which in any case gives it @ satisiac- tory character as a place for getting well in. The name of Ems is derived from the German “Um” or “Em,” signifying abundance, duration, riches, Ums or Ems may be translated as a source or spring of abundance. Ems was first designated | im old parchments under the appellation of “metze” and “Omze,” whence later were derived | the names of “Kininetz, mds” and “Ems.” It | was early celebrated tor the lead and silver mines which were situated in the neighborhood, and which may sull merit the attention of enterprising speculators; the soll abounds with ore. In the fourteenth century it was conferred by the Arch- bishop Willam of Cologne, in a deed of gilt, upon Count Jonn, of Nassau. It passed from his heirs to the family pf Hesse Darmstadt, and tuen, by mar- riage, to that of Grange Nassau. In 1803 Ems became the property of the Walram branch of the Nassau | family, under a decree of the Diet of Ratisbon; and finally, aiter the Austro-Prussia war ot 1866, the whole district passed under the domination of | Prussia, The most interesting episode in its an- nals 18 the Congress of the Plenipotentiaries of the four German princes of the Catholic Church, the Electors of Mayence, Tréves, Cologne and Salz- burg, which was held there in 1786. The bath- house still standing was built by the Austrian | Field Marshal Baron Hans de Thiingen towards the close of the seventeenth century. It 18 worth mention, as a historical fact showing to what an extent Germany was formerly subdivided, that from the bridge over the Lahn, which commands but a limited view of the country surrounding Ems, the dominions of no less than eight different independent princes could once be seen, THE CLIMATE OF EMS 1s the mildest, and, perhaps, the best in Germany, for the heat is agreeably tempered by soft south- erly breezes, and it is protected trom the north | and east Winds by its sheltered position in the | heart of a valley. Visitors who are prudent, never- theless, do well to clothe themselves warmly in the mornings and evenings, when the air is somewhat chill and damp, owing | to the mists which hang over the woods | before the sun disperses them. It is better | to live onthe left bank of the river thanon the | right, because the drainage ta more caretully at- tended to. It should be mentioned, however, that this place has been generally free from prevailing | epidemics, especialiy those which are often fatal to children, such as the scariatina, the measies and the whooping cough. Cases of typiius fever are al- most unknown at Ems; and when the cholera was ravaging the whole of Germany in 1849 and 1366, for some reason or other, not satisfactorily explained by science, there was no single case at Ems, while the neighboring towns of Enrenpreit+ stein and Coblence suifered cruelly. THE EMS WATEKS. The water from all the springs of Ems comes from the earth pure as crystal, and is mixed with little bubbles of carbonic acid gas. When it has-! been standing a littie while it deposits a brown sediment, composed of oxide of iron and lime, and it changes to @ faint op») color. It has an agree- abie taste, slightly pungent, and is very soft to the | touch, The temperature of the springs, over | which the change of the seasons exercises no in- fluence, varies from 22 deg. Réaumur to 47 deg. Réaumur. The springs are twenty-two in number, The Ems water contains no animalcul@ when ina fresh state. 1 have been enabled to give tne follow | ing reliavle CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SPRINGS AT EMS, WHICH ARE ree. ro & Fr ie Fr insnoilisam | 0.34582] 0.50224 1.3257) ] 1.71012 1 1.00702) 1.82733 0.01392) 0.02145 Bicurb. of Lime. Bicarb. Magnesia Bicarb. of Protox. 1.50013) 1 1 0.01666] 0.02078) 0.02086 0.00722} ».00476] 0.0960;] 0.00194} 0. 8.32497] 6.78866] 6.92751] 9.21798] 7. Hesides these ingredients the Ems waiers conta: minor quanties, bicarbonate of strontia, phospha' alumina. silica, carbonate of lithia, iodide of potash ana bromide of pot i There are a great many other springs at Ems of a high | temperature and of pretty neariy the saine composition | as those just ba FL which are used for baths. ‘Une pound—7,680 grains, BELIRVERS IN THE EMS WATERS. Not long ago Ems consisted solely of a street of lodging houses, on the right bank of the river; bat it has lately increased intoa town numbering about 6,000 residents, and i is frequented by 15,000 vis- itors annually. Some handsome streets and butlda- ings have been erected between the railway sta- tion and the river, which are about a stone’s throw apart, and the environs are sprinkled with attrac- tive villas, There are shady, pleasant walks in all Girections and everything which can entice an in- valid into alternate rest and exercise. Above all, | abere are covered walks for wet weathen, and every of nganere.. Free carbon, a | clse and Diet’? | by anxiety and | is the lazy reading 0! the last new novel or a iittle third person one meets is a baron or @ baroness. What can one possib'y want more? Even the diet given to strangers at the hotels is carejully watched by the local doctors, so (hat it is hard, in- deed, for people who are denied butter, cheese, brandy, spices, pastry and sauce not to derive | some benefit from their abstinence. Indeed, | many a wheezy oid gentleman and lady who climb | painfully into a mule carriage on their arrival at | the baths, marcn stoutly about a month after- wards, free from their indrmities, and many a pale girl, whose friends had almost despaired of her, sees the color come back into her ctleek and the light into her eyes, “THE SOURCE OF LITTLE BOYS,” The “Bubenquelle’ 4s among the most {mpor- tant of the springs of Ems, and it is certainly taat which attracts the most visitors, Elderly ladies especially evince a faith im it boyond all praise. It has a temperature of twenty-nine degrees Réau- mur, and bubbles up from the bottom oi a basm | in a jet about the size of a man’s finger. It is used a8 @ douche, and applied by means of an india: rubber tube screwed tightly on to the mouth of the spring. There 1s some reason to believe in its efml- cacy, for modern science has proved to demoustra- tion that chronic inflammation and catarrh of the matrix is a frequent cause of sterility, and needs tobe removed, The waters of the Bubenquelle are said to cure it, and they are certainly a ra- tional remedy—so that peopie of property in want of an heir migit do many worse things than go toEms, Pure air, rest, amusement and a simple diet probably act at least as vigorously as the | Bubenqueile in promoting the increase of popula- tion; but it does not much signify how an auspi- clous event comes about ii it really happens. THE LEGEND OF EMS, Here is a listof the formidable maladies for | Which the use of the Ems waters is recommended | by many eminent physician: First—Chronic laryngitis, which, being trans- lated. signifies hoarseness, loss of voice aud pain | in the throat, Second—Chronie bronchitis, or cough, with short breathing, expectoration. sickness ad pain in the chest. 1hnird—sore throat. Fourth—Anections of the lungs; but experience asserts that the kms waters are useiul only in congestion and chronic inflammation o1 the lungs. Futh—Catarrh of stomach, which is attended with a feeling of nausea, capricious appeute aud | low spirits, Siacth— jceration of the stomach, Seventh—Chrovic mesenteritis, usually accom- panied by thirst, diarrhova and melancholy. Exhth—Diseases of the liver, especially in chronic inflammation of the biliary passages and gail stones, Ninth—Chronic catarrh of bladder, Tenth—Diseases peculiar to women between the ages of twenty and fiity, especially in cases of | leucorrhea, pelvic abscess and inflammation of | the womb, Eleventh—Urticaria, exzema, and those troublesome a caused by Uterine disorders, twelyth—Gout, particularly in its early stages, Tharteentt—Lithiasis, grave! and stone. Fourteenth—Diabetes. Fifleenth—trighv’s disease, Sixteenth—Scromia. Seventeenth—Hysteria and bypochondria, THE TRUTM ABOUT PMS, Ems is unquestionably a pleasant place of resi- dence, with a salubrious climate, and where it is impossible to commit excesses of any kind. A famous physician, Who was dying, said:—“I leave | behind me three infallible doctors—Water, Exer- | pruritis, prurigo | ections Wilch are often THE WAY TO DRINK WATER. It is quite useless for a man or a Woman to carry care with them when they go to a watering place, Over the famous baths of Antonine were written these words:— Cure vacuus hune adeas locrm, Ut morborum vacuns abire queas; Non enim curatur qui curat, Ease, tranquillity and harmless amusement are | the best remedies we can take after toil and trouble. I should doubt if any acute disorder was ever much benefited by the German baths; but it is certain that much discomfort and sorrow may be | relieved by them, Though the old idylislife whicn characterized them before the railway era has disappeared, they are still agreeable places in the summer time, and have many innocent pleasures within reach. But peopie who go there devoured torn by passions,, or hunted by the telegraph wire and the postman, can e: pect no good from them. The only bodily exercise which invalids should allow themselves under treatment is @ walk or @ ride upon an ambitng mule through shady lanes and bj purling streams. ‘Vhe only mental exertion they should venture on | pastoral poetry. They should not worry them- selves by starting out of bed before the day is aired, but they should take everything coolly and coax themselves with gentleness back into health, Fussing and fuming and rushing about is sure to send them away as wan and haggard as they came. THE DIET OF EMS. Most of the German physicians at watering places, having to deal generally with people who suffer from over indulgence, enforce a very strict regimen, and it is nowhere more rigorous than at Ems. Smoking in the morning at the baths is for- bidden by the police regulations. Butter, cheese, pastry, uncooked fruit, pepper, spices, sauces and late dinners are absolutely prohibited. The Ems waters must be drank fasting; @ quarter of an hours’ walk is enjoined between each of the three half-pints of warm liquid which forms the usual dose, and @ full hour must afterwards elapse Lefore a mild breakiast of light dry bread and chocolate is permitted. Halfa pint of small wine daily and one glass of Bavarian beer is the extreme limit of dissipation. The dinner, at one o'clock, comprises vegetable soup, oiled beef, a single entrée, roast game, stewed prunes and a | pudding. There is no dessert, and not even a strawberry ever appears at tabie. CHURCHES AT EMS, There js an English church, a German Protes- tant church, a Catholic charch and nagozue at Ems. It is altogether an orthouox religious little place. The native population is Roman Catholic, and sometimes one may hear a very eloquent ser- | how again 7 favorable effect in the core of hemorrnoids, bot they must not be continued roo jong or they produee Jever and cutaneous eruptions. From turee to sx weeks 18 the usual period 0) the cure. THE SEASON AT es begins in the middle of May acd ents at the close of September. July amd August are the months usually chosen by Jashionavle jolk, because dense Jogs prevail in the mornings ad evenings during spring and autumn, On the other hand, kms grows terribly hot alter mtisummer. EDUCATION AT BMS, ‘There are several good schvols, both for bovs and girls, here, so that American families Who come to Europe partly for the education of their children Will find the necessary meuus for continuing their course of instruction, PRINCIPAL VISITORS AT EM3 THIS YEAR. The Emperor of Russia, travelling under the hame of Count Borodinskt; veror of Germany, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, King of Saxony, Prince Charles of Prussia, Prince A‘exander of Hesse, Comte Adelverg, Prince suitykod, Prince Radzinul, Count Apraxine, Princess Galitzine, Count Potockl, Dr. Mouray. Amouski, General Voyetkom, Dr, Karell, Colouel Meloitzki, Dr, Ba- guer, Krijanowski, A. D. C.; Colonel Orioi, Counts Schuwalom, Tcuemkine, Werder; Count Bulow- Kuhren, Prince Doigorouk!, Counts Denzin, Goltz, Noinski, Popoff, Kotzebue; Countess Walewska, a, Riusky, Korsukoid; Princes ; Prince Tuura and Taxis, Messrs, , Caase, Dwight, Hubbard, Lippincott, Frothingham, Nickerson, Baker, Green, &c. SOCIAL ASPECTS OF EMS. There never Wus such a place ior titled people as this small, oat of the way town; and there they are to be seen all wa.king about every morning to the sound of slow music, not of the exhilarating sort. 1tis curious to notice how very plainly they dress. Princes, who own half a province, and kings can hardly be disunguished from respectable shoe- makers as far as clothes are concerned, and there is hurdly @ lady among the dense crowd about the Kurhaus whose Gress is worth $20. Indeed, there is a good aeal of fear of the rain among them, for showers, accompanied by thunder and lightning, are not inirequent, and every one is prepared for @ sudden Scamper to get out of the wet, Most of the people rise early, break ast at nine, bathe and sieep till noon, then dine about one o'clock and pass the close of the day in visiting and driving about the neighborhood. ‘There is a good deal of matchmaking going on, and dancing in the even- ing, but no open gaubling. Ems usea to be a favorite resort of the French, and they have begun this year to revisit it for the first time since the war, The German royalties, too, have attracted great numbers of the higher class of military officers, and the presence of the Emperor of Russia has brought tuany persons from tue great world of St, Peters- burg, with the chieis of tue rich Polish nobility, who have nothing of the refugee and no sign of ruin about them. The supposed efMcacy of the waters in the first period of consumption also en- tices innumerable pretty girls, with fair hair and biue eyes, to the baths of Ems, THE AMUSEMENTS OF EMS are Many and vaiious. In the first place it is full of good society, and every third person one meets is at least a@ prince or a baron. There are also stray kings and queens in reasonable quantity, so that people in search of fine acquaintances may have their hearts’ content. Then there are con- certs, balis, demure theatrical pieces, with nothing improper in them, and heaps of ulustrated news- papers. Moreover, what may be called first rate free fishing is to be had without asking permission from anybody, and a keeu sportsman who was not alraid of getting up early in the morping and staying out too late at night, has been reported, on good authority, to have once caught asmall trout alter a three week’s chase of him. Shooting can likewise be obtained by the simpie purchase of a license, and itis said that there ts a wandering partridge still roaming at iarge within two days’ march of the Kursaal, thoush his where- abouts is only conjectured by adonkey-man in search of permanent employment. Young gentle- men fond of dressing themselves in nautical co3- tume will find an opportunity of doing soon the | banks of the Lan, aud when they are appropri- ateiy attired they may get into a ittle boat, and if they paddle their own canoe with sufficient dexterity itis quite possible that they may not go ashore oftener than twice every turee minutes. EXCURSIONS ROUND EMS. The great thing to do here is to put on a pair of white trowsers and then hire adonkey with a red saddle. Being thereby assured of produsing a picturesque effect at a distance, one may go and catch cold atthe Balderley Hill, where the atmosphere Is agreeably diversified by a scorching sun and ahigh wind. Thence the enterprising traveller may behold the Kurhaus and wish that he was back there in safety, tor even donkeys sometimes stumble, and the way dowg is steep and stony. The little town of Nieuwild also offers @ good point for an excursion, and boasts ofa beer house with all the maverials for flirtation near athand. Then there are the silver mines; the Forest House near Coblentz; the famous fort- reas of Ehrenbreitstein, and the sweet valley of the Lahn passsing through Fachbach, Horcheim and Pfatfendorf; charming villages which seem like jewels set in silver by the bright stream which goes glittering round them. The noble castle of Stolzenfels on the left bank of the Rhine ts worth seeing; ané one of¢the walks on the Malberg, which is called the Henriettenweg, after a late Archduchess of Austria, deserves a prize from any society for the encouragement of matrimony. ‘There is a pavilion of moss at the end of it which seems especially maae for proposals of marriage. Wintersberg, Fraecht, Dausenan and the ancestral castles of the Dukes of Nassau are all worth seeing and are within an easy distance from Ems. An Appeal from the Managers of the Excursion Fund. mon irom a bishop who is taking the waters, COST OF LIVING AT EMS. | Most of the German baths have recently gained | | an undesirable character for dearness, and Ems 1s no exception tothe rule. If an economical per- gon is startled by being asked $5 a day for an apartment in @ house worth not more than a | rentai of $300 a year, he is toid that watering places have a short season, and that the inhabitants of the place must make hay while the sun shines, This argument, however, will not hold water, for tt would be equally true if urzed in favor of exorbi- | tant prices in Paris or New York. All places have their season, and ali the capitals in the world are more or less empty in hot weather, while all the | watering places are full. A gentleman and his ser- | vant may get on pretty well for something uader | $10 a day; and $3 a head ior @ Jamily would be a suMcient allowance under careful management. There are, however, some extortionate demands upon strangers. What is called the cure tax ts levied upon every one after a week's residence, and that | does not include the price of entry of an evening to the Casino. There is also a tax for the servants at the Springs; and the milk, which is sometimes drank with the waters, is sold at the preposterous charge of haifa dollar a glass. A bath costs halfa dollar or | seventy-Ave cents; a douche costs twenty-five cents extra, There isatax for the public porter, | an invisible personage never met with in these regions, Tne collectors of these taxes really levy | in some instances three times the sum which they | are authorized to take, and ‘he local authorities do not interfere with this robbery, The taritf of public cartiages also seems to have been drawn up | by some one who has lost his wits, for it is twice | as high as that of Paris, and the public carriages will take no more than @ single hatoox with a pas- senger free of caarge. In like manner everything toeatand drink is charged too highly, Thus, a cup of coffee and milk costs fifty cents, a cutlet the same price, and the whole local population is so greedy and rapacious that invalids of smail means are apt to be somewhat dejected by the perpetual claims on their purse, Rich people can afford to be cheated, and pernaps the best thing to do ts to submit to it without comment, THE EFFECTS OF EMS WATERS are stimulant and astringent. They are even rather heating and frequently require to be coun- teracted by medicine, They act cniefy on the mu- cous membranes, the respiratory, digestive and | once resumed. | Wish to call the attention | terested To THE PURLIC:— ‘The warm weather now prevailing in this city is already causing much suffering among the chil- dren of the poor, who, having their homes im densely crowded neignborhoods and ill-ventilated buildings, are compelled to resort to the streets for air to breathe. The sidewalks are their only play- ground, and now that the school vacations are | about commencing it is desirable that the free ex- cursions for the waifs of our streets should be at The great success that attended the free excursions for children during the sum- mers of 1872 and 187318 an incentive to the trustees to whom the poor children’s ‘ree excursion fund was confided to undertake the same charitabie work during the present season, They therefore of those in- in this practical movement to the fact that the picnics are to be resumed as soon as the fund is sufictently strength. ened to warrant action. During the summer of 1872 there were 18,672 children taken on eighteen eXcursions at an average cost of tilty-three cents per child, and in 1873 the nuinber of idren taken on fourteen excursions Was 21,393, at an average cost of forty-five cent*. The balance now on hand 18 $542 43, with a complete set ot utensils and ma- chinery for future use. The trustees in reopening the fund have pleasure 1 announcing that they have secured the valuable co-operation of Mr. George F. Williams, under whose able manage- ment the excursions will be conducted, as tu ior- | Mer seasons. The success achieved by Mr. Wile ams in gathering large bodies of cnildren and safely guarding them while under his care isa guarantee that the operations of 1874 will be ali that can be desired, Subscriptions to the fund are asked for at once, in order that the necessary ar- Tangements may be entered into tor excursions, and the same may be forwarded to the Treasurer, Edward King, President of the Union Trust Com- pany, corner of Broadway and Rector street, or to | ether of the other members of the Board of Tras tees. WILLIAM BUTLER DUNCAN, 11 Nassau street, EDWARD KING, Union Trust Company, CHARLES H, MARSHALL, 38 Burling slip, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, 94 Maiden lane, GEORGE H, BRODHEA| Wali street, ‘Trustees, &c. MME, NILSSON'S OHARITY. [From the Pall Mall Gazette.) ‘The Duke of Westminster states in a letter to the Times that it is proposed to establish in connection witn the Westminster Hospital a training school for nurses; and that Mme. Christine Nilsson has generously volunteered to give # public concert in | | aid of the funds required jor the first outlay, at St ' James’ Hail, on the ist of July, The concert menito-urinary Organs, They have also @ very be under the immediate patronage of Her Majesty and the princesses of the royal family.