Ischl has but one church, which is Catholic. A small theatre is being erected, and is to be finished by the middle of the season, which will be in July. The houses are all arranged for lodgers, and rooms may be had on any scale, from those adapted to the habits of the most simple and retired individual, to those of the prince and his suite. The lodgings are dear, but living, on the contrary, is very cheap. An excellent dinner at the _table d'hôte_, where I usually dine, costs from one to two _paper_, or _schein_ florins (ninepence-halfpenny to twenty-pence English;) but a person may dine at what expence he pleases, as the dinner is always served _à la carte_, and a good plate of soup costs not more than one penny. A few days after our arrival, I met at the _table d'hôte_ Mr. B----, a most agreeable and well-informed man, with whom I enjoyed many a walk in the neighbourhood during his stay, which was unfortunately of short duration. Sir Humphry is now engaged in composing a new work, which he intends to call _A Vision_; this usually occupies our mornings, he dictates to me for an hour or two, then reads over what has been written, which I afterwards copy off fair, and at 12 o'clock he takes a bath. These baths are made with the _mother-water_, or residue which remains after the greater part of the salt has been crystallized out of the salt water by evaporation, and is an intensely strong solution of chloride of sodium and some other salts. This is diluted according to prescription for the various patients, so many gallons to so much common water. The same solution of salt is also employed for _douche_ and shower baths, which are much used, and said to be very efficacious. The situation and arrangement of the vapour baths are rather extraordinary. Above the large boiler in the panhouse, on the scaffolding which supports the roof, and from which the boiler is suspended, a number of small closets are erected, in which the person taking the bath is seated, so that he is not only completely surrounded by the vapour of the boiling salt water, but breathes an air impregnated with many volatile particles. These baths are used twice a day, and the patient usually remains in his cabinet, or walks along the gallery suspended over the pan from one to two hours at a time, which proves in a variety of cases of the greatest utility. Sir Humphry generally dines at three, and afterwards goes out fishing, with his servant, and often does not return till nine o'clock, when I read to him. There are a great number of visitors here, who come during the summer months to use the baths and to enjoy themselves, but Sir Humphry sees no one, and appears to wish to avoid all society, and of course I see none but those I chance to meet at the _table d'hôte_, or in a walk.