obliged to get their livelihood in fome other way. Each perfon is forced to pay a certain tribute to government. The goldwashers in Tranfilvania and the Banat, pay four guilders annually, which is difcharged in gold duft: the fame fum is due from every Gipfey, though many evade it. They contrive to keep out of the way, when the time for payment comes on, particularly the Hungarian Gipfies.

"The art of goldwashing is brought to much greater perfection in Tranfilvania. In the defcription of it in thofe parts, it is faid, that all the rivers, brooks, and even the pools which the rain forms, in Trantilvania, produce gold; among these the Aranyofch is the richest, infomuch, that hiftorians in thofe countries, compare it to the Tagus and Pactolus. Befides the Wallachians, who live by the rivers, the goldwashers conft chiefly of Gipties. They know, with the greateft exactnefs, where they can wash to advantage. Their apparatus for this work, is a crooked board, four or five feet long, by two or three broad, generally provided with a wooden rim on each fide; over this they fpread woollen cloths, and fake the gold fand mixed with water, upon it; the fmall grains remain fticking to the cloth, they wafh thefe cloths in a veffel of water, then feparate the gold by means of the trough. When they find larger particles of fand, in their washing, they have deeper channels made in the middle of their crooked boards, which stop the small pieces as they roll down: they examine these fmall ftones afterwards, and pick fome out, which are frequently found to have folid gold fixed in them.

"These are the customary tranfactions, and occupations of Gipfies,

in the different countries, and states of Europe. People must not imagine, that their fmiths fhops are continually refounding with the hammer, or that thofe of other profeffions, are fo attentive to their callings, are to provide even a daily fubfiftence; not to think of a comfortable maintenance. Their lazinefs, on the contrary, makes fo many idle hours in the day, that their family is often reduced to the greatest diftrefs; for which reafon, begging or ftealing, are by far more common methods, than diligence and affiduous application to bufinefs, for quieting their hunger. If you except foldiers, who are kept in order by the difcipline of the corporal, with fome of the Transilvanian goldwashers, who apply to music, and living feparate from their own caft, in conftant habits of intercourfe with people of a better fort, have thereby acquired more civilized manners, and learned the diftinc tion, if not between right and wrong, at least between focial honour and difgrace, the remainder are in the most unlimited fenfe, arrant thieves. They feem only to make a pretence of working, in order the better to carry on their thieving, as the articles which they prepare for fale, in the cities and villages, furnish an excellent blind, for fneaking into houfes, to pry where there is any thing which they may appropriate to themselves. This kind of artifice is particlarly the province of the women, who have always been reckoned more dextrous than the men, in the art of ftealing. They com monly take children with them, which are tutored, to remain be hind, in the outer part of the house, to purloin what they can, while the mother is negociating in the chamber. It is generally the women's office, to make away with the boor's

geefe

geefe and fowls, when they are to be found in a convenient place. If the creature makes a noife when feized, it is killed and dreffed tor the confumption of the family, but if, by chance, it should have itrayed fo far, from the village, that its crying cannot give any alarm, they keep it alive, to fell at the next market town. Winter is the time when the women generally are most called upon to try their skill in this way: during that feafon, many of the men remain in their huts, fending the women abroad to forage. They go about under the difguife of beggars, in a very fcientific manner, and commonly carry with them a couple of children, miferably expofed to the cold and froft; one of thefe is led in the hand, the other tied in a cloth to the woman's back, in order to excite compaffion, in well difpofed people. They alfo

tell fortunes, and impose on the credulous with amulets. Besides all this, they feldom return to their hufbands without fome pilfered booty. Many writers confine the thefts of Gipties to small matters, and will not allow that they are ever guilty of violence. This is not only denied by the teftimony of others, but abfolutely contradicted by fome recent inftances. It is true that, on account of their natural timidity, they do not like to commit a robbery, which appears to be attended with great danger, nor often break open houses by night, as other thieves do: they rather content themselves with small matters, than, as they think, deftroy themselves at once by a great and dangerous action. Yet we have more than one proof, that they make no fcruple to murder a traveller, or plunder cities and villages."

Τ

HE peculiar turn of the Germans feems to be for philofophy; they are diftinguished from all the nations in Europe, for cool and juft judgment, united with extreme industry; they were the first who threw a light on mathema ties and general phyfics; next they darted through theology, then hiftory, and finally, legiflation, with the fame philofophical fpirit. They will do well to leave to other nations the prize of wit, for which they will always contend in vain.

"If Germany could make itself one great people; if it was united under one governor; if the prefent interefts of a fingle prince were not

often in oppofition to the good of the whole; if all the members were fo well compacted into one body, that the fuperfluous fap of the one could circulate and invigorate the rest, what much greater steps towards cultivation would the empire then make! But then Germany would give laws to all Europe. How powerful, as things even now are, are the two houfes of Auftria and Brandenburg, the greatness of whofe strength confifts in their German poffeffions, and who yet neither poffefs the half nor even the best parts of the country. Conceive this country in fuch a fituation as that no burthenfome excife fhould op. F 4

prefs

prefs the internal commerce of the different provinces; no cuftoms fhould prohibit exports all over the world; in fuch a fituation as that the immenfe fums that it gives for outlandish commodities, which itself can furnish, fhould be fpared-or that it could become a naval power, for which it has fuch ports and fuch plenty of provifions, that it could itfelf employ the numerous colonies it fends out to the rest of Europe:conceive this-what country in the world could then cope with Germany?

"The character of men depends for the most part on their government. The character of the Germans has in general as little bril liancy in it as the conflitution of the empire; they have none of the national pride and patriotism by which the Britons, Spaniards, and our own countrymen are diftinguifhed; fond as their poets have been, for fome time paft, of afcribing these qualities to them. Their pride and patriotic fentiments only extend to the part of Germany in which they are born; to the rest of their countrymen they are frange as to any trangers, nay, in feveral parts of Germany, they are much fonder of trangers than they are of their own Countrymen. It is the fenfe of weakness of the leffer powers of Germany which damps their national pride; it is only becaufe Ger many cannot ufe its power altoge ther, and that other nations feel their strength, that it has been defpifed by the inhabitants of other Countries, who yet have nothing to

boast above it, fave a faster bond of union among themselves, or a ridiculous pride. We seldom judge of men of their inner worth, fo much as from the external appearance they make in the world. We estimate the Ruffians, English, &c. accord. ing to the idea we have taken up of the whole nation; and though the individual may happen to be, as he often is, ten times more barbarous than a German, we give him credit for the fame and worth of his illuf trious countrymen.

"Though the character of the Germans be not fo brilliant as that of other nations, ftill it is not deftitute of its peculiar excellencies. The German is the man of the world, He lives under every fky, and conquers every natural obftacle to his happinefs. His induftry is inex hauftible. Poland, Hungary, Ruf fia, the English and Dutch colonies, are much indebted to German emi

grants. Even the first states in Europe owe to Germany great part of their knowledge. Rectitude is alfo an almost univerfal characteriftic of the people of this country; nor are the manners of the pealants and thofe of the inhabitants of the leffer cities, by any means fo cor rupt as thofe of France and other countries; it is owing to this that, notwithstanding the great emigra tions, the country is still fo well peopled. To conclude, frugality on the fide of the Proteftants, and franknefs and goodheartedness on the fide of the Catholics, are bril liant national characteristics."

CHA

depend intirely on a court, and for the most part go idle at its expence. "Among the great nobles you meet here, as well as elsewhere, with very well bred, and polite people; but the people, taking the word in its full extent, are in an eminent degree deftitute of any fenfe of honour, without education, without any activity for the state, attachment to the country, or generous teeling whatever. The fortunes of this place are from 1500 to three or four thousand pounds per annum, but the poffeffors know no other ufe of their money, than to spend it in fenfual gratifications. Many good houfes have been entirely ruined by play. The fashionable game at the court was formerly called zavicken, or pinch; but fince Hombefch, the minifter of finance, has pinched their falarics fo confoundedly, they call it Hombefch. Many of the court ladies know of no other employment than playing with their parrots, their dogs, or their cats. One of the principal ladies whom I am acquainted with, keeps a hall full of cats, and two or three maids to attend them: fhe converfes half the day long with them, often ferves them herfelf with coffee and fugar, and dreffes them according to her fancy differently every day.

"The fmall nobles, and fervants of the court, have a pitiable paflion for titles. Before the prefent elector came here, the place Awarmed with excellencies, honourable, and right honourable. As

this was not the custom at Manheim, an order was made to afcerrain the different ranks of nobleffe. All thofe whom it deprived of excellency, honourable, &c. and particularly, (would you think it?) the women, were funk in defpair, and for the first time, complaints were nade of tyranny, of which none

"The remainder of the inhabitants are immersed in the most scandalous debauchery. Every night the streets re-echo with the noise of drunkards iffuing from the numerous taverns where they have been revelling and dancing. Who ever is at all noble here must keep his miftrefs; the rest indulge in promifcuous love. In this ref pect things are not much better in the country.

"Bavaria, indeed, well deferves the character given it by an officer of Gafcony, of being the greatest brothel in the world.

"The country people are extremely dirty. A few miles diftant from the capital, one would hardly take the hovels of the peasants for the habitations of men. Many of them have large puddles before the door of their houfes, and are obliged to ftep over planks into them. The thatched roots of the country people, in many parts of France, have a much better appearance, than the miferable huts of the Bavarian pea. fants; the roofs of which are covered with ftones, in order that the flates may not be carried away by the wind. Mean as this looks, cheap as nails are in the country, and often as half the roofs are torn away by strong winds, yet cannot the rich farmer be perfuaded to nail his fhingles properly together. In fhort, from the court to the smallest cottage, indolence is the most predominant part of the character of the Bavarian.

"This great indolence is contrafted, in an extraordinary manner, with a ftill higher degree of bigotry. I happened to ftroll into a dark, black country beer-houfe, filled with clouds of tobacco, and on entering was almoft ftunned with the noife

of