608 Cochrane's Journey to the Frozen Sea and Kamtchatka, 



the dark lofty oaks, shadowing the pure Though a pedestrian, I was the first 



surface of the snow, contrasting with bearer of the information of (he Duke 



the beauty of the close green fir. de Berri's death, (wliich happened before 



POTSDAM. my arrival at Paris) a full mon(h's post 



Being now arrived in the land of being due at Berlin, owing to the im- 



tunipikcs, where <;ood roads and post- meuse quantity of snow. 



houses never fail, I started for Potsdam, 

 distant thirty miles, and arrived in the 

 eaily part of the evening. A flat 

 country, sterile and almost deserted, 

 save by the sandy |)ii.e, presents little 



DANTZIC STAGE. 



I now started for Dantzic, distant 

 about t!iir(y-three miles: at about the 

 tenth I was overtaken by the post- 

 coach, and bargained for aconvejance 



to denote the approtch (o this royal for three franes. This wretched vehicle. 



retreat. With. infinite difficulty I ob- 

 tained admittance to a house, content 

 to purchase black bread for my supper, 

 and the use of a bench for a bed. Of 

 Potsdam I can oidy say that the appear- 

 ance is handsome, the royal edifices ex- 

 tensive, and many private ones mag- 

 nificent; but so great an air of melan- 

 choly pervades the place, that it seems 

 a fitter residence for the dead than the 

 living ; — I had the less regret at bidding 

 it adieu. 



BERLIN. 

 A fine avenue of trees, and a good 

 road, conducted me to Berlin, nor could 

 the fertile imagination of a Humboldt 

 discover aught else to denote the 

 approach to the capital of his o«n 

 country. For myself, I perambulated 

 the streets nearly the whole of the night, 

 in scarrh of a lodging, and was at last 

 compdlcd to sleep on a bench in the 

 Promenade. Next morning, I waited 



which does not merit the name even of 

 a wastgon, professes to accommodate 

 nine passengers. It has three benches, 

 — the two back ones looking toward the 

 front, the centre bench without a back : 

 beyond the hindertnost seat is the depo- 

 sitary of the baggage, amounting to 

 about one-third of the whole machine. 

 It goes upon four wheels, each moving 

 on a strong axle-tree, and is without 

 any sort of spring whatever. The tout 

 ensemble is probably more like a show- 

 cart than any thing else. In this ve- 

 hicle I reached Dantzic, to my no small 

 satisfaction : for surely no pretence of a 

 convejance ever yet put forth by man 

 can be compare<l with a Prussian post- 

 coach. Just fifteen hours were con- 

 sumed in going thirty-two miles. 



MEM£L. 



Memel is a highly respectable, con- 

 venient, commercial town. The har- 

 bour is small and secure. A good 



upon his Excellency Mr. Rose, the theatre, large church, public hospital. 



British Minister, wliom I found fully 

 aware of the character of Berlin, and 

 its inhabitants. He was so good as to 

 send one of his coachmen with me, and 

 through so powerful an interference I 

 did at length get a comfortable unfur- 

 nished room in the capital of Prtissia. 



Berlin is seated on the Spree, which 

 runs through various angles of the city. 

 Many parts of it are handsomely built, 

 especially what may be termed the 



and a palace, are its principal buildings. 

 Its trade would be much more consi- 

 derable were it not for the monopolies 

 and privileges granted to its rival Ko- 

 nigsberg. Its exports and imports (the 

 same commodities as in other Prussian 

 towns) are mostly in the hands of Polish 

 Jews, the merchants having little cor- 

 diality with each other. The contra- 

 band trade with Russia was formerly 

 considerable, but heavy losses and 



court end ; but every building, from the heavier punishments seem to have sub- 

 palace to the meanest hut, is built of dued this spirit of speculation, 

 brick, plastered over. In short, Berlin Mittau, the ancient capital of Cour- 

 is all show, — a forced place, having land, has not much appearance of a city, 

 little commerce, and less content : no though it seems to have been well built, 

 smiling faces, no mediocrity, that hap- The royal, or rather imperial, palaces, are 

 piest of all conditions, Berlin contains extensive ranges of building converted 



nothing but the most hardened military 

 despots, and is, in short, a mere court; 

 though it contains two hundred thousand 

 inhabitants. I saw no modes of gaining 

 a livelihood, or even of passing time 

 honestly. Billiards, cards, and dice. 



to one use, all still in an unfinished 

 state. 



DORPAT. 



Dorpat is a beautiful little city, with 

 a university ; and bids fair, for its regu- 

 larity and cleanliness, to vie with Nancy 



succeed to the spectacle of the parade, in France. It stands upon the right 



and the streets present nothing but sen- bank of the Ember. Handsome edi- 



tiuels on guard. fices, with an imperial palace ; wide, 



1 clean, 



