Vienna and the Austrians - v. 2 Author:Frances Milton Trollope Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LETTER XXXIV. The Arsenals.—Decorations of the Imperial Arsenal.—Warlike Memorials.—Napoleon.—Maria Louisa.—Gustavus Adolphus.— Carbonari.—The City Arsenal.—F... more »ieschi.—Godfrey of Bouillon. —Turks.—Dinner at Prince Metternich's.—The Princess. Vienna, Nov. 9th. The two arsenals of Vienna are not among the least interesting of its collections. The Austrians are conservative in every sense of the word ; for not only do they cherish their government, and the laws they have long tried and found good for them, but every memorial of their history that can be snatched from time is hoarded with love and reverence; and it is this sentiment which renders their country so rich beyond all others in local antiquities. Of the two arsenals, one is the national repository of arms and armour of every description; and the other, of all warlike accoutrements and interesting memoranda belonging exclusively to the city. The first of these occupies a great extent of ground; and though I doubt if the portion of it appropriated to the preservation of arms be as extensive as the space used for the same purpose in the Tower of London, the effect is more striking from the man- VOL. II. C ner in which the rooms forming the exhibition follow each other. In saying this, however, I must make an exception in favour of our magnificent horse- armoury, which is decidedly superior to everything else of the kind that I have ever seen. The building which constitutes the Imperial Arsenal forms a quadrangle, the lower story of which appears to be occupied by various offices, storehouses, and workshops. The large area it encloses contains a multitude of cannon, but all, if I mistake not, dismounted. Round the walls of the building are suspended, in catenaries as graceful as if the material were of the...« less