others, it might be said that he ought to have done so, having limited the Kutscher as to number; still this bargaining for conveyance, this uncertainty of price, is a perpetual source of little irritation and annoyance. There is also another inconvenience arising from this mode of travelling; it will often happen that two or three days will elapse before a favourable opportunity will offer itself of quitting a place, so that the traveller no sooner arrives at his desired town than, instead of giving way to the full enjoyment of seeing sights, or of resting himself, he will find it necessary to look out immediately for voituriers, and to busy himself with bargaining operations as to how he is to get away. (S.) ]

35. COMPARISON OF THE COST OF TRAVELLING BY THESE DIFFERENT MODES,

ON AVERAGE.

Fahrpost, or Postwagen, very slow, stops long and often on the road; the cost of a place varies from 7 to 10 S. gr., or 25 to 30 kr. per German mile. Schnellpost, or Eilwagen, 10 to 124 S. gr., or 30 to 35 kr. per German mile. The average rate of travelling is a German mile per hour.

Posting, or Extra-post, two persons and two horses, pay commonly 1 dollar; three persons and three horses, 2 dollars per German mile.

An English traveller of some experience, found upon a careful computa. tion, that the cost of posting in a barouche or chariot with three horses, in Germany (i. e. in Prussia, Darmstadt, Baden, Nassau, Wirtemberg, Bavaria, Tyrol), on an average, fluctuated between 1s. 1d. and 1s. 3d. per English mile, barriers, postilions, and every thing included. In Austria it was a little dearer.

36. BAGGAGE.

The Romans showed they fully appreciated the nature of baggage, in designating it by the appropriate word "impedimenta," and truly the traveller will find it an impediment at every step. It is a source of much anxiety, trouble, and expense; and he alone can be called independent who can carry all his chattels on his back. Ladies should be cautioned not to encumber themselves with supernumerary caps and band-boxes; even if they travel post in their own carriage, it will be less trouble and expense to buy such articles in the great towns, than have to take an extra horse in consideration of the number of packages.

A person about to travel, not in his own carriage, but in public conveyances, if he require much baggage, should distribute it into small packages; and, instead of taking one large box or trunk of wood (koffer), had better provide himself with two portmanteaus (felleisen) of leather, or with a carpet bag.

Throughout Germany, passengers by the schnell post and eilwagen are very strictly limited as to the quantity of baggage; in general, one is allowed no more than 30lbs. free of expense-all above that is called over-weight (Uebergewicht) and must be paid for. But even payment will not enable the passenger to take his baggage with him if it weigh more than 50 lbs. If it exceed by a few pounds these prescribed limits, it must be sent by a sepa rate conveyance, a baggage waggon (Packwagen), which, being a much heavier and slower vehicle, usually sets out some time before the schnellpost or eilwagen. A traveller loaded with heavy trunks, and ignorant of this regulation, may be subjected to great inconvenience by being separated for several days from them; while he that is aware of it will deposit the articles immediately wanted in a light bag or valise, and send off his heavy baggage beforehand. A receipt is given for every article forwarded in this manner; on presenting which in the post-office at the place whither the traveller is

bound, the luggage is delivered to him as soon as it arrives. If he require to have his things at a particular place by a certain time, he must send them forward some days before he starts himself.

N.B.-In some cases, a bribe, judiciously administered to the conductor, or man who weighs the baggage, will relieve the traveller from the inconvenience described above.

When about to plunge into a mountainous country, where there are no carriage roads, it is indispensable to diminish the baggage to the utmost. Trunks, boxes, and parcels may be safely forwarded by the government, or private eilwagen, from one capital to another, or even across a frontier, into the territory of another sovereign. In the latter case, they should be addressed to the owner, at the custom-house (Haupt Mauth, or Zollamt) of the place to which he wishes them sent, where they will be taken care of, and kept till called for. At the same time a letter of specification (frachtbrief) should be dispatched, by post, bearing the same address as the parcel, and stating the nature and value of the contents, so as to identify them when the owner arrives. When he comes to claim them he will be required to show his passport, and to open the packages in the ordinary manner, in the presence of a custom-house officer.

When a parcel is not sent beyond a frontier, but is merely forwarded from one town to another, if the traveller have no friend or agent in the town to whose care he can consign it, all that is required is, that he should address it poste restante, and it will be kept at the post-office till called for.

37. SOME PECULIARITIES OF GERMAN MANNERS.

A fondness for titles, orders, and high sounding forms of address, which was ever the characteristic of the Germans, though perhaps less intense than formerly, has by no means yet disappeared. The German is scarcely happy until he can hang a little bit of striped ribbon from his button-hole; and every effort of interest and exertion is made to increase the number of them, and of the crosses and stars which dangle from them. This national weakness is however, to a certain extent, gradually disappearing.

At one of the diplomatic meetings, during the Congress of Vienna, when all the members were assembled in the hall of conference, a foreign envoy approached Prince Metternich, and begged him to point out Lord Castle. reagh. The Prince indicated to him the English minister, who wore neither star nor uniform, "Comment," said the doubting diplomate; "il n'a pas de décoration ?"" Ma foi," replied Prince Metternich, "c'est bien distingué."

One habit of German society, which cannot fail sometimes to occasion a smile to an Englishman, though it costs him some trouble to acquire it, is the necessity of addressing everybody, whether male or female, not by their own name, but by the titles of the office which they hold.

To accost a gentleman, as is usual in England, with-Sir (Mein Herr), if not considered among the Germans themselves as an actual insult, is at least not complimentary; it is requisite to find out his office or profession. The commonest title to which everybody aspires is that of councillor (Rath), which is modified and extended by various affixes and prefixes till it reaches up to Geheimrath (privy councillor), a title to which somewhat of real importance is attached, and which we have also in England. In Germany there is a rath for every profession: an architect is a baurath; an advocate, a justizrath, &c. &c.; and a person with no profession at all contrives to be made a hofrath (court councillor), a very unmeaning title, which is generally given to persons who were never in a situation to give advice to the court. The title Professor is much abused, as it is certainly appropriated by many persons who have no real claim to it by their learning or office. It is better to give

a person a rank greater than he is entitled to, than to fall beneath the mark. It is upon this principle that an Englishman is sometimes addressed by common people, to his great surprise, as Herr Graf (Mr. Count), and often as Euer Gnaden (your Grace).

"Every man who holds any public office, should it be merely that of an under clerk, with a paltry salary of 407. a-year, must be gratified by hearing his title, not his name. Even absent persons, when spoken of, are generally designated by their official titles, however humble and unmeaning they may be. The ladies are not behind in asserting their claims to honorary appellations. All over Germany, a wife insists upon taking the title of her husband with a feminine termination. There is madame general-ess, madame privy-coun cillor-ess, madame day book-keeper-ess, and a hundred others."-RUSSEL.

These titles sometimes extend to an almost unpronounceable length; only think, for instance, of addressing a lady as, Frau Oberconsistorialdirectorin (Mrs. Directress of the Upper Consistory Court). This may be avoided, however, by substituting the words gnädige frau (gracious madame), in addressing a lady. It must at the same time be observed, that this fondness for titles and especially for the prefix von (of, equivalent to the French de, and originally denoting the possessor of an estate), is to a certain extent a vulgarity, from which the upper classes of German society are free. The rulers of Germany take advantage of the national vanity, and lay those upon whom they confer the rank under obligation, while they at the same time levy a tax upon the dignity proportionate to its elevation: thus a mere hofrath pays from 30 to 40 dollars annually, and the higher dignities a more considerable sum. If, however, the title is acquired by merit, no tax is paid, but merely a contribution to a fund for the widows and children of the class.

Certain forms and titles are also prefixed on the address of a letter; thus a Baron must be addressed hoch-geborener-Herr (high-born Sir); a Count, a member of the higher noblesse, and a minister, even though not of noble birth, is called hoch-wohlgeboren; a merchant or roturier must content himself with being termed wohl-(well) geboren, while hoch-edel (high-noble) is ironically applied to tradesmen.

[It may be useful to observe, that should the traveller assist at any fête, or reception given by one of royal blood, and not be prepared to appear in uniform, or in full court costume, black will be correct dress: blue coats with metal buttons, white waistcoats, nankeen trousers, &c., will be quite incorrect: black is admissible, under the presumption that the party is in mourning.-S. "Politeness is common to well-educated persons of all nations, and is not peculiar to any one people. If it be not a cardinal virtue, it stands first in the second order, and greatly contributes to the happiness of society. In one respect, however, in Germany, I think it is carried too far-I mean in the perpetual act of pulling off the hat. Speaking ludicrously of it, it really becomes expensive; for, with a man who has a large acquaintance in any public place, his hat is never two minutes at rest. The first instance of this practice that struck me forcibly occurred at Wietendorf. Mr. came in contact with his inspector, or steward, as we call him here, and each of their heads was instantly uncovered. The next was at Dobberan, when I entered a mercer's shop with Baron B. The baron took his hat off respectfully to the shop-keeper before he told him what he wanted at his shop. I found it to be the general custom; and more than once I saw mechanics and labourers saluting each other in the way I have described."-NIMROD'S Letters from Holstein.

7

A curious instance of the extent to which this practice of bowing is carried, ~~ occurred to the writer in a small provincial town in the south of Germany. At the entrance of the public promenade in the Grand Place, he observed

notices painted on boards, which at first he imagined to contain some police regulations, or important order of the magistracy of the town; upon perusal, however, it proved to be an ordonnance to this effect: "For the convenience of promenaders, it is particularly requested that the troublesome custom of saluting, by taking off the hat, should here be dispensed with." It is not to friends alone that it is necessary to doff the hat, for if the friend with whom you are walking meets an acquaintance, to whom he takes off his hat, you must do the same even though you never saw him before.

It is not however in outward forms aloue that German civility consists, and a traveller will do well to conform as soon as possible to the manners of the country, even down to the mode of salutation, troublesome as it is. If he continue unbending, he will be guilty of rudeness, and on entering any public office, even the office of the schnellposts, the underlings of the place, down to the book-keeper, will require him to take off his hat, if he does it not of his own accord.

In thus recommending to travellers the imitation of certain German customs, it is not meant, be it observed, to include the practice prevalent among the German men of saluting their male friends with a kiss on each side of the cheek. It is certainly not a little ludicrous, perhaps even disgusting, to observe this, with us feminine, mode of greeting, exchanged between two whiskered and mustachioed giants of the age of 50 or 60.

It may not be amiss to mention, that universal as is the practice of smoking throughout Germany, it is entirely prohibited by the police in the streets of the great capitals, so that passengers are not annoyed in the same manner as they often are in London.

Public Gardens and Taverns.-The outskirts of every German town abound in gardens and houses of public recreation, whither the inhabitants, not merely of the lower orders, but of the most respectable classes also, repair on summer afternoons, and especially on Sundays, to breathe the fresh air, and forget the cares of business in the enjoyment of coffee, ices, beer, and the never absent pipe. A band of excellent music is not wanting, indeed it forms the great attraction, and is usually advertised in the papers for a day or two beforehand;-it performs for the entertainment of high and low, and the exciting tones of the waltz seldom fail to originate a dance, in which the citizens' wives and daughters, with their husbands and sweethearts, whirl round for hours in the dizzy maze.

It is true the time when these places are most frequented, and when the music and dancing are kept up with the greatest spirit, is the Sunday afternoon, which may, perhaps, shock the feelings of an English or Scotchman, accustomed to the rigorous Sabbath-keeping of his own country. A dispassionate examination, however, of the two systems, and of the effects produced by each, will probably induce him to pause before he gives unqualified approbation and preference to that of his own country.

These places of amusement do not open till after the hours of morning service in the churches, and most of the persons who resort to them have previously attended a church. A large portion are tradesmen who have been shut up in their shops, and artisans who have been working hard all the week. They come in their best clothes, and accompanied by wives and families, who, be it observed, are always made parties in these amusements; they content themselves with coffee, beer, or wine, in moderate quantities; spirits are never seen, and instances of noisy turbulence and drunkenness are almost unknown on these occasions. Such recreation, even with the mirthful exercise of dancing superadded, is surely harmless in comparison with the solitary orgies of the pot-house and gin-shop, to which, the same class of persons but too often devote their Sundays in our country,

squandering in loathsome intemperance the earnings of the week, which ought to be devoted to the wants of the starving and neglected wife and family who are left behind in their close and miserable home.

A certain intercourse and intermixture also is kept up between the upper and lower classes at these meetings, which cannot fail to have an advantageous influence in the relation between the different members of German society. The artisan does not jostle his superiors, or strive to imitate their dress and appearance, nor is he looked down upon as an intruder by them. All classes, high and low, mix together on an equal footing and without restraint; [the fact is, in Germany perhaps more than in any other country, not only the privileges of nobility, but of all grades, are so clearly understood, and kept distinct, that all parties, however intimate they may seem to be in public, know the exact boundaries of their position in society, and act accordingly; hence the noble feels at ease, and is conscious that his urbanity will not be abused, and the rest are influenced by a similar feeling.-S.

Kirmes." The Germans are not ashamed of being pleased with trifles, nor of being pleased in very humble company: they think only whether they enjoy; and, if their enjoyment costs little money and little trouble, so much the better. They love their old customs and traditional festivals much better than we do, and keep to them more faithfully. Formerly, in England, many days were days not only of religious observance, but of festivity for the people; and each had its appropriate shows and pastimes; but these are nearly all forgotten; and the few which are remembered are turned into days of importunate begging, or coarse riot; and the pleasures are such as people of refinement and taste can take no share in, nor love to witness: and thus they sink lower and lower, and the chasm between rich and poor grows wider and wider, for want of some common enjoyment to which the high might give order and refinement, and the low cordiality and simplicity: and such an enjoyment is Kirmes.

"A yearly festival is held in every village, when the poor people, who work hard all the year, meet together as on a Sunday, go to church together in their gayest clothes, and then make merry and enjoy themselves. It was, originally, the anniversary of the day on which the village church was consecrated;-[in some parts of Germany it is called Kirch Weih, (the dedication of the church;)]-but, as it was found that these anniver saries often fell at inconvenient times for the country people, they are, by common consent, held in autumn just after the vintage. At this joyous season the country people are in high spirits, and have more leisure, and rather fuller purses than usual, and are well disposed to rejoice together in the blessing of their harvest. Every morning gay parties walk about on those beautiful hills, and those who can afford it dine at the inns, at every one of which is an excellent table-d'hôte at one o'clock; and, after a merry dinner and a cup of coffee, they adjourn to the ball-room. The Kirmes at considerable villages draws people from all the towns and villages for miles and miles round; the tables-d hôte, as well as the balls, are of several degrees, so that even the poorest peasants may sit down to a good and social dinner adapted to their humble means. In the small villages there is most likely only one inn, and consequently only one table-d'hôte-but almost all have more than one ball-room, even though the village consists but of a few poor cottages. This ball-room is often a large shed without windows, but always with an excellent floor and a little orchestra at one end; and this, when lighted up, and filled with happy faces, and with such a company of musicians, as many a fashionable assembly in England cannot boast, is no despicable scene of festivity." *

**

"I have nothing to tell you about the beauty and grace [of the rustic