470 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



in favour of the latter. The rich 

 bankers, some of whom eclipse in 

 their estabhshments the most 

 splendid of the Plenipotentiaries, 

 are, as you may suppose, often 

 convenient friends for the Diplo- 

 matists; and their smart wives 

 anddaughters,agreeableresources 

 to the young nobles — the belles 

 of their own class being somewhat 

 scanty. A gay young Count, 

 attached to a Legation, was the 

 acknowledged beau of a pretty 

 banker's wife — and a young mer- 

 chant of my acquaintance was a 

 welcome guest at the Diplomatic 

 balls — purely from being a good 

 dancer. The line of demarcation 

 is in this way frequently broken 

 through, and becomes every day 

 less exclusive — and the opposition 

 class of citizens sometimes accuse 

 the Burgomasters and Senators 

 of aristocratic ideas, caughi in 

 intermixing with the Represen- 

 tatives of Sovereigns. The Mer- 

 chants generally live in a hospit- 

 able style. As they have no 

 occasion for the Court dresses, 

 carriages, chasseurs, &c. which 

 drain the pockets of the Vu7is, 

 they can aft'ord to treat you 

 with a solid dinner, and hock of 

 a good vintage. The lemonade 

 of the evening noble circles is 

 often substantial boutlli among 

 the merchants ; and instead of 

 insipid sentiment or gossip, you 

 often meet with rational conver- 

 sation. 



The Diet, who have done so 

 little, and have so much to do, is 

 Jield at the residence of the Pre- 

 sident, the Ambassador of Austria 

 —a stately gloomy mansion — 

 perhaps not without influence on 

 the cliaracter of its proceedings. 

 — A sketch of the composition of 

 tlie Assembly may throw light on 



your political acquaintance with 

 Germany in its present state. — 

 There are seventeen votes ; eleven 

 of which are enjoyed by eleven 

 Powers, considered important 

 enough to possess a whole vote 

 to themselves. — These are Aus- 

 tria, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, 

 Hanover, Wurtemburg, Baden, 

 Electoral Hesse, the Grand 

 Duchy of Hesse, Denmark for 

 her German Province of Holstein, 

 and the Netherlands for that of 

 Luxembourg. — Thenfollowabout 

 twenty, oi iiohXot Principalities, 

 who, with the free cities, divide 

 among them, the remaining six 

 votes — the houses of Saxony, 

 possessing one amongst them, 

 of which the King of Prussia 

 comes in for his quotum as 

 Duke of Saxony. — Brunswick 

 shares one with Nassau; and 

 Mecklenburg Strelitz and Schwe- 

 rin are loving cousins and co- 

 partners. Then comes the re- 

 spectable firm of Anhalt, Olden- 

 burg, and Schwartzburg — the first 

 of which is subdivided into Bern- 

 burg, Cothen, &c. the insignifi- 

 cance of the latter of which 

 Sovereignties caused a separation 

 between an English lady and her 

 German husband,who had attained 

 the elevated office of Governor to 

 the Prince's sons ; and when he 

 wrote to his spouse to join him 

 at the capital of Cothen, she 

 declined a search for him in a 

 place which she could not distin- 

 guish on the Map. — Hohenzollern 

 is at the head of another joint 

 Stock Company, of five or six 

 tiny Proprietors ; and by a singular 

 disregard of proportion, the four 

 free Cities of Hamburg, Lubec, 

 Bremen, and Frankfort, each 

 containing perhaps, a score Mer- 

 chants, of greater opulence and 

 consequence 



