Part of it is fituated upon a bafon of water called the Alfter, another upon the river Elbe, which flows from immenfe mountains in Bohemia, and empties itfelf into the fea at the distance of about feventy English miles below.Other parts are bounded by the town of Altona, in the territory of the Danesof which more hereafter. It is crofled by numerous canals, formed partly by nature, and partly by art, from the branches of the Elbe and Alfter, and when filled, as frequently happens, with numerous veffels of all forts and fizes loaded with every variety of merchandize pafling and repaffing, they form in fine weather a very agreeable profpect, which is faid a good deal to refemble that of Venice.

There is the old city and the new; the oldest is also the largest, the most crowded, and the most convenient for bufinefs; the Neue-Wall, which is one of the best streets in Hambourg, divides them.

The houses in both, with a very few exceptions, are built in a way that renders them as awkward and inconvenient as poffible; the ftair-cafes are in general fo dark as to want candle-light in the lighteft day. The treets are alfo narrow and dirty, the city having been built upon emergencies, in confequence of the great increafe of inhabitants, without any regular plan. That dirty but neceffary work which is performed at Edinburgh at midnight, is here done at all hours of the day,fo that a quick delicate fenfe of melling is one of the difqualifications for living at Hambourg. In no other town in Europe has a stranger fo much difficulty in finding his way to or from any place; in London or Paris, though fo much larger, the plan is developed with facility in a few days, fo as to enable a perfon to go to any part without a guide, but in Hambourg this is a work of fome weeks.

There are many public buildings in it worth notice.

St. Peter's church was known fo long ago as the eleventh century; it is fituated near the Alfter, is built in a heavy style of architecture, overloaded with very indifferent paintings, and numerous ornaments difpofed in a very bad tafte. St. Nicholas is fituated behind the Alfier, and is remarkable for nothing but a chronology of the world from the creation of Adam to the birth of Jefus Chrift, behind the altar. St.

Catharine's has an original painting of the famous orthodox priest Melchior, of whom a fable is related, that he brought Chrift, when an infant,through the Red Sea; this church has a fine organ, near which is a beautiful perfpective painted by Gabriel Engel. St, Michael's is in a more fimple style of architecture, in the form of a crofs, and contains fome good paintings, particularly a very fine one of the refurrection. The dome church is a very ancient building, in it is a very old painting of a jack-afs in an erect position playing upon the bagpipes, it is called the byeroglyphic afs, but no one knows the maf ter by whom it was painted, or the tale upon which it is founded. A fair is held here for eight days preceding Chriftinas, where every thing is fold that the town affords, and the church is divided off into fhops for the purpofe; it is illuminated at night, and immenfe crowds of the young, the volatile, and the gay, attend; particularly the fair fex, who purchase the Chriftmas boxes to give and receive. Jobannes church is full of old paintings, and memorabilia in gold letters, relating to antient and remarkable facts of local hiftory. There is a very capital Ecce Homo.

There is alfo an English chapel near the Exchange, where an English clergyman preaches every Sunday, but it is not greatly frequented; the English on a Sunday more commonly congregating at Reinville's gardens on the banks of the Elbe, about two miles distant from Hambourg. Of this beau tiful place more hereafter.

In the Neue-Wall oppofite the King of England, is the palace of the Imperial Minifter, which is a very grand and beautiful building, within it is a very neat Catholic chapel.

The Admiralty freet is a very neat ftreet, and nearly uniform; it is the newest and beft in Hambourg; in it is a houfe for orphans, a noble building, where a thousand poor children are annually maintained and educated; inIdeed it is much to the credit of this city, that the poor are well provided for, and in confequence begging is not allowed, though it may be occasionally practifed. Alfo, an armory faid to be well fupplied.

It is obfervable, that the most beautiful houfes have frequently cellars under them, where wine and liquors are fold, fruits and vegetables; as well as

cook

cook-fhops kept, and little fhops, or rather stalls, for all manner of goods, fet up before the houfes. To this unfightly custom, this street and that of the Neue-Wall are almoft the only exceptions.

This city has feveral Hofpitals, and among them one for fick fervants, a very numerous and uferul clafs of people, furely worthy public attention; and another, for restoring fufpended animation in drowned perfons or fuicides, upon a plan fimilar to that in London. In every guard-houfe (and there is a guard houfe in almost every principal itreet) the neceffary inftruments ufed upon thefe occafions, are kept ready, and the foldiers inftructed in the ufe of them, which they never fail applying, in cafes of exigency, till profesional

men arrive to their relief.

There is a School for the inflruction of Women Midwives, where numbers are annually educated, the practice of employing Men Midwives being very

rare.

Alio-The Lombard, or Town Pledge Houfe, where money is advanced on every kind of merchandize without the intervention of a broker.

The Senate Houfe ftands in the centre of the city near the Exchange, but has nothing in it at all remarkable.

The Bank joins it, and, as a building, admits the fame obiervation; on it's internal bufinefs and arrangement there is much to relate worthy obfer. vation-of which hereafter.

The Exchange is the centre of the city, and of all it's commercial bufinefs; as a building, nothing can be more fhabby; it is in contemplation to ere a new one. The hours of meeting are from one to three, when an immenfe concourfe of people of all nations conftantly attend; the number of Jews are very great; fo many languages of all nations, all fpoken at once, convey the idea of the confufion that must have prevailed at the building the tower of Babel; whoever is wanted, this is the place to find him, the general rendez. vous and refort for appointments of pleasure as well as bufinefs. It is not a little remarkable that in 1799, when no less than one hundred and thirty fix houfes (many of which were of the first confequence) were bankrupts, the building itfelf, from fympathy, no doubt, was near falling, and actually underwent a thorough repair, to prevent it.

Over the Exchange is the Borfenfaal, or, as it would be termed in England, The public Auction-room, where goods of every kind, from every quarter of the world, are daily brought to fale; it is of courfe attended by an immenfe concourfe of people, particularly Jews; and here the English merchant might often have the mortification of feeing his goods knocked down at fifty per cent. less than they were fold to him by the manufacturer. The man who poffelles the advantage of ready money, will lay it out infinitely to more advantage, by purchafing in Hambourg than in London.

Directly oppofite is the Kayferfhoff, (Emperors Hall) a great Tavern, particularly ufed by the capital merchants of the town.

Eimbeck's Houfe is immenfely large, here alfo public dinners and publicballs are given by the great people of the city: in one part of it public auctions are held for the fale of property in houses and lands, in anoiber, the City Lottery is drawn; another is kept for anatomical Lectures, which are publickly read here. In one part, fuicides and perfons murdered or killed by any accident, are publickly expofed to be owned. Under it is the City Celiar, which is much frequented for the purchase of wine by wholefale and retail, and here may be had some of the most curious wines, and they tell you bock in particular, more than two hundred years old.

Hambourg exhibits no public reper. tories or exhibitions of the fine arts. Public collections of ftatues and paintings there are none; but it is faid, fome few private individuals poffefs the firit rate paintings in profufion.

The Jungfernfleig, or Ladies Walk, is a large broad place, planted with rows of trees, making three diftinct pleafant walks by the fide of a fine baton of water called the After, about 1000 feet in length; facing which are fome of the best houses in the city, with a charming profpect; at one end is a coffee-houfe, called the Caffé Chinoise; which is alfo a reftauration, where dinners are dreffed in the French style, and bills of fare laid upon every table, with the prices affixed to each article. The fame may be obferved of the Pavilion Coffee boufe, in the middle, where ices and every refreshment are

at hand.

fort of the French emigrants, of whom it is impoflible to fpeak without altonishment and admiration, at the fortitude and refignation, with which they bear, and cheerfully too, the fad viciffitudes of fortune. Numbers of them are reduced from the height of affluence to the extreme of poverty, without any refources, but in themfelves. This is a fubject that offers a wide field for the difplay of fentiment and feeling-a plain unadorned narrative of facts would exceed all the tragic tales that fiction has hitherto pourtrayed. The verfatility of human affairs oft certainly never appeared in tronger colours; fome of them who faved a trife have purchased a little land, which they cultivate in Hellein, but the greatest part faved nothing but them felves; a French Bifhop is now in partnerthip with a perfon, whofe bufinefs it is to reduce different kinds of vegetables, roots, and herbs into flour, to be used in bread, and otherwife for con fumption on board thip, and is doing well-another Bishop has undertaken a tannery upon the plan of Seguin, the French chymift, and alfo fucceeds. A former General has turned author, and now handles his pen as well as he once did his word; his aid-de camp Baptifte, who diftinguifhed himfelf to much at the celebrated battle of Jemappe, was very lately a paper hanger--a Marquis measures ladies for thoes-a Duke deals in candles; another of great rank is a filk-dyer; and a diftinguished Officer ferves as a waiter to a landlord, who had once been his Lieutenant. The fon of a late Governor of a province keeps a restauration house.—Another Nobleman has joined one who had formerly been his cook, in the fame bufinels. The heir of the great name of Fenelon keeps a public houfe. Dealers in fmall ware, dancing-matters, music, language, fencing and fchoolmatters, and brokers of every defcription, are innumerable. Let it not be nitted, that one, if not more, is a dog fancier-an employment, it is believed, left for the difcovery of gallic genius!

Nor let it pafs unrecorded, to the honour of the place, that a company in Hambourg and Altona, in the year 1797, joined in raifing a fund to the amount of nine thousand marks, for the relief of fuch of them as were too old to work; perhaps in this remark

of the Editor, there is fomething of felfishness, as it mult neceffarily bring to recollection, how much has been done for them by his count ymen!!!

But to return to the JungfernfteigNearly oppofite the Pavilion is an excellent hotel and tavern, called The St. Petersburg.

On the bafon are great numbers of pleafure-boats, for those who wish to amufe themfelves on the water, and this is not only the pleasantest amufement of the place, but the cheapest, as one can be hired at the expence of a fhilling an hour, and fometimes the water is almost covered with them, occupied by different parties of pleafure, the fight of which interfected with a great number of fwans failing about, conftantly thifting their pofitions, paffing and repalling, accompanied with different bands of music, exhibits a scene really enchanting.

There is alfo a floating bathing machine. The party that you may chance to mifs on the Exchange, is fure to be found here, for this is the univerfal promenade for every defcription of people, men, women, and children, of all ranks, of all countries, at all hours, where they may be seen in every poffible variety of drefs-women from the highe to the loweft order; thofe of the firft rank, however, feldom admit more than a tranfient glance, preferring an excurfion in the environs, to their country feats, many of which are at a small distance, upon the banks of the Elbe, in fituations as delightful in profpect as the warmest imagination can conceive Mr. Parish, one of the firft English houses here, has a beautiful feat upon the Elbe, about five English miles from Hambourg, with greenhoufes, hot houfes, ice-houfe, and garden of more than three miles in circumference, laid out in the most elegant tafte. Upon this walk, however, the middle order predominate, who are conftantly feen paffing and repaffing promifcuously, with the fervant maid, and women of another defcription, with fmall filk bags or baskets on their arms, a fashion peculiar to the place in every variety of drefs; among whom are fome of the fineft forms and moft enchanting faces; no where is Hambourg exceeded in the number of pretty womer; they have remarkable fine fkins and complexions, and are very much embonpoint ; "cer

tainly no where is beauty exhibited in fo much variety of ornament; in the immenfe numbers walking on a fine fummer's evening, fcarce half a dozen will be found dreffed alike; fome follow the French fashion, others the English, but moft their own; there feems indeed no ftandard of tathion; every one dreffing to her own taste, and though it must be admitted, fome make themselves very grotefque, not to fay ridiculous figures, others appear elegant and beautiful, and difplay the greatest taste; they also drefs in the finest laces, and to the full as expenfively as in London; the lower orders infinitely more fo; many have a fingular custom of walking all weather without a hat on their heads--they in general fpeak a little French and English, and fometimes both, which they are fond of doing upon all occafions; many are highly accomplished, and both play and fing well.

The drefs of the men admits of little variety; like the women, fome affect the French, and fome the English fashions, particularly the young, fome of whom, it must be confeffed, imitate the British Box Lobby Lounger so well, that it is difficult to diftinguith them; the English are fure to be found here, 'tis their very favourite lounge !

Directly oppofite the Pavilion, is the Groffen Bleichen Straffe, in which is a capital houfe, called the Harmonie, where there is a reading room, fupported by fubfcription of Germans, French, and English; it is regularly fupplied with newfpapers from all quarters, and distinguished pamphlets, whether French, German, or English; they have English magazines and reviews; the terms are moderate, but it is neceffary to be introduced by a fubfcriber.

From this walk it is a fmall dittance to the German Theatre. which is generally much frequented: it has fome

times good performers, and sometimes indifferent, but their concerts are excellent *.

Near the Dam-Door, a finall diftance from the German, is the French Theatre, which admits the fame obfervations.

There are mafquerades once a fortnight in winter, at each houfe alternately; but little can with truth be faid in praife of them; they are amufements that feem not adapted to the talte and genius of the German or Englith.

After the play or concert, it is not uncommon of a fine evening, to take a ftroll upon the ramparts, which extend round the town about three English miles, and from the great variety of fine profpects it affords, nothing can be more pleafant. They afterwards retire to the hotel Potoki, which is alfo a coffee house and restauration, and one of the firft, and is a building equal perhaps to any in Hambourg, that of the Imperial palace excepted; it's interior form and arrangement is very good, and of course remarkable; here is a good deal of play, both at cards and billiards, and they play deep.

The Police is very well in fome things, and bad enough in others.

In cafes of fire, the military are inftantly called out, not only to allilt in extinguishing the flames, but to prevent robberies, and damage to the goods removed; the church bells are tolled nearest the place where the accident happens, lights are put up in the church, trumpets founded from the higheft towers, drums beat, fo as to bring the firemen (who, in the win ter feafon, regularly patroll the streets during the night) and all necessary affiftance as fpeedily as poffible, and every thing is indeed conducted with the greatest order. Here is an Infurance Fire Office, and almost every body infures.

(To be continued.)

THE

the tardy publication, in 1803, of travels performed at the remote period of fixteen or feventeen years; and in fuch a rare inftance, it is much better to let the writer fpeak for himself, than to intrude a premature criticifm.

"An expectation of retracing the fame routes, and of bringing to a firit fketch the refults of a fecond, perhaps of a third, review, has long retarded the adjustment of the following feries of obfervations. But the delays and difappointments incident to the purfuits of an individual, vanish at once into an imperceptible point, when they originate in the fame caufes which have affected the dearest concerns of millions of the fpecies." The comment upon this page in the preface is obvious; the late turbulent ftate of every coun try he vifited before the commencement of the unfortunate war occafioned by the French revolution, rendered it fafe for a British fubject to travel through, much lefs to remain, even for a fhort time, in the territories comprifed in this extenfive tour.

The reader may be prepared to receive confiderable information, and a proportional fhare of entertainment in the perufal of these journals; but he must conftantly bear in mind, that the Author profeffes only to give felect obfervations, fuch as most readily prefented themselves, or which were moft congenial to his taste or habits of thinking; "the tenor of relation will not, therefore, be found equally copious and fatisfactory; and the lameness of particular paffages, he thinks, may well claim the utmost latitude of candour and indulgence. At the fame time, let it be granted, that no confiderable extent of fcenery is uniformly intereft.

"Where information was of eafy accefs, I have not willingly permitted it to escape; where it lay concealed, or beyond the reach of ordinary inveftigation, I prefume not to have brought it to light. The objects which fell under my own obfervation, and facts which I found ftated upon evidence deemed authentic, thefe I have committed to writing, without paffion and without prejudice."

On the 7th of January 1787, Mr. Muirhead informs us, that he added one to a motley group of paffengers for Oftend; but we are left totally in the dark refpecting the principal defign of undertaking to traverfe "immenfe tracts of territory;" neither can we form any conjecture in what capacity he travelled; yet curiofity is ftrongly excited to know thefe particulars, fince he occafionally declares that his time was not his own," and that in fome places of contiderable importance he does not ftay long enough to be enabled to give his readers any local description, or information that might be of use to future travellers. He very justly obferves, "that a complete picture of one country has never, perhaps, been exhibited to another, and that each traveller, though he fhould add much, may leave more to be added :" but what fhall we fay of him whofe turn of mind, whofe ftyle, and obfervations, wherever he is pleafed to introduce them, befpeak the gentleman and the

profound