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I do not approve of the lectures being paid for by the ftudents. It is true, that it tendsto keep up the fpirit and emulation of the profeffors; but their independence of theftudents, were it otherwife, would in my opinion be attended with much more bene-ficial confequences. All that can Iefl'en the reverence of the fcholar towards the mafterought to be avoided with the greateft caution. The ftudents are, it is true, for the moltpart, well educated young men; but (till they are too young to know how to efteem aman of merit according to his real abilities. Too much reverence for him that teachesfeldom does any harm to him that is to be taught. In ihort, cabals, conlpiracies, with anumber of inferior artifices, to which good men fometimes condelcend for the fake of afew guilders, but which leffen them in the eyes of the ftudents, are the confequence ofthis part of the plan.
When Mr. Pilati fays that the Germans treat all the fciences only in a compendiousway, he Ihews himfelf quite ignorant of the method adopted by the public profeflors, atlea!t by thofe of this place. Almoft every profeffor coinpofes a plan of his lectures,which ferves his hearers for a fyllabus of what they are to be taught. You cannot pro-perly call this a compend of fcience, in the fenfe you affix to this name, when you giveit to Bofiuet’s Introduction to Uftiverfal Hiftory. It is neither more nor lei's than anaccount of the method which every man for himfelf purpofes to ufe in teaching his fcho-lars a fcience. Another objeft, with thofe who make the mo ft of their induftry, is tolend or fell this manufcript for a few louis chars. It is true indeed, that fome have takenfo much pains with thefe fyllabules, that they may pafs for compendia; but it does notfollow from thence that the literati of Germany , who are not, it mull be remembered,all proteftants, treat all the fciences compendioufly. Some of thefe fyllabufes, whichhave gone beyond their original defign, and are become compendia, are mafter-piecesof more value than feveral works in folio; and, taken in general, are an evident fignthat the univerfity of Gottingen poffefies feveral moft valuable men. Upon the whole,the thorough freedom of. opinion which is eftablifhed here, the abfence of the notionsand abfurd fyftems which keep other univerfities in bondage, together with an enlight-ened and gentle adminiftration, fecure advantages to thefe fchools which are hardly tobe found in any other.
_ Caffe 1 is not only a very handfome, but in fome refpe&s a magnificent city. It con-tains about thirty-two thoufand inhabitants. This is one of the cities of Germany which, as well as feveral others, the Iiugunots have caufed to flourifh at our expence.
• lhey have eftablifhed feveral confiderabie manufactures in it, one amongft others ofhats, which are not at all inferior to thofe made at Lyons in finenefs and ftrength, andate held in equal eftimation.
•f he number of the fubjedts of the landgrave, I have been affured, is three hundredand thirty thoufand. His income amounts to two millions two hundred and twentythoufand Rhcnilh florins (about two hundred and twenty thoufand pounds). Add tothis, the country of Hanau , which contains one hundred thoufiiad men, and brings in.fomething above five hundred thoufand florins, or fifty thoufand pounds; ftill the pof-feffions of this houfe are not fo good as thofe of a Duchy of Wirtemberg.
1 his country is the moft military of all Germany . The peafants are not only alwaysdifciplined, but always ready to march any where through the wide world. The fend-mg the Heffian troops to North America , cannot be confidered as a hardfliip in itfelf,confidering the intimate connexion of this country with Great Britain -, but the connec-tion itfelf is a very unprofitable one for this country. The Englilh fubfidies can nevermake amends for the lofs which the treaty has hitherto brought on both prince and peo-pi e - lne country was ftripped of all its young men after the laft Silefian war, and
VOI.. vi, h h fcarcely