RIESBECK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.

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tions mifconcelve Gothe’s theory. Iiis flatterers imitate him in the moil ridiculousmanner, in his drefs, in his walk, and even in his fpeech.

Gothe is in fome meafure refponfible for thefe excrefcences. Having difcoveredfparks of genius in fome of his friends, fuch as Lentz, Clinger, and others, by properencouragements he foon blew the fparks into a real flame. Thus far was fit and right;but as foon as he had commenced protedor, there came people to him by no meansworthy of his protedion. Inftead of fending thefe back to their brethren of the foreft,the bubble of reputation led him on, and he was not afliamed, at lead for a time, to fethimfelf at (he head of a little academy — very different in this refped from Roufjeau,who neither commended nor proteded any one. At prefent Gothe does not feem todifturb himfelf much about literary purfuits. He is at work on the life of the celebratedBernard of Weimar , and enjoys life as much as it is to be enjoyed amidft a number oflittle troubles. Formerly he ufed to be regularly befieged with recommendations, andhis difciples came from all parts to vifit him, in hopes to be brought forward by his pa-tronage. He is now grown wifer, and has made it a rule to himfelf, to be very nice inhis recommendations. In this he is extremely in the right, as he would be accountablefor the follies of all thefe people. Neither indeed does it follow as a natural confe-quence, that becaufe the minifter, counfellor, and private fecretary of a prince is awit, his cooks, and butlers, valets de chambre , huntfmen, and ftable-boys, fhould alfobe wits.

Gotha is a large town, richer and handfomer than Weimar ; the number of its inha-bitants are eftimated at nine or ten thoufand. There are fome valuable manufadures inthis place. The court is as popular as that of Weimar , and equally fond of ftrangers.Some years ago the Duke had one of the belt German theatres in Germany ; but hefent away the whole company on finding that the expence was too large, that he hadfufficiently amufed himfelf, and that the players began to alTume airs of importance.

The fubjeds of both thefe dukes are very happy. Their finances too are well regu-lated, and their adminiftration of juftice and police is perfed. Neither of them havethe weaknefs of other German princes, who lpend a great part of their incomes in themaintenance of a regiment or two of foldiers, and make the younger part of their fub-jeds do the military exercife, inftead of keeping them at the plough. The income ofeach of them is about 600,000 Rhenilh guilders, or 54,000 French louis-d’ors. Theircountry is extremely produdive, and extraordinarily well inhabited.

Erfurt is a very large, old, black, and ill-inhabited town ; it is near a mile in circum-ference, and contains nearly eighteen thoufand men. The mod remarkable thing hereis the ad of gardening, which is carried to a greater perfedion than in any other part ofGermany I have yet had occafion to fee. The people of the country carry on a confi-derable trade in fruits and plants. The inhabitants, like thofe of the reft of Saxony ,are a handfome, fenfible, and friendly people. The prefent vice-governor for the Elec-tor of Mentz, to whom the city, with feventy villages which lie round it, belongs, is abaron of D’Alberg, canon of Mentz, whom you may probably have feen at Paris. He

was in the houfe of the Marquis of-, and, if I miftake not, well known to the

Duke of Choifeul. He is a man of uncommon knowledge of the world, a man of let-ters in the full extent of the word, and a patriot. He underftands all the bufinefs of thehigher world, and all that concerns government; pofleffes the Belles Lettres and thearts, and is on terms of friendfhip with the moft fenfible men of Germany . He expedsin time to be the firft ecclefiaftical prince of the German empire, and, after the Pope, thericheft and moft diftinguilhed prelate in the catholic world. Erfurt and its territory yields,annually about x80,000 RheniPn guilders. It contains about thirtv-fix thoufand men..

LETTER