480 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818, 



German host, dignified, bulky, 

 and stupid. On discovering m}' 

 country, he recounted a long list 

 of Englishmen who had lately 

 visited Baden : but who might as 

 well have been Hindoos, for any 

 indication of their country, con- 

 veyed by the names the good host 

 assigned them. They were all, 

 however, either lords or vornehme 

 leute (people of distinction) ; but 

 as to most of them he remarked, 

 with some surprise, " Sie machten 

 niclit viele anjwande, nicht vide 

 pompy" they did not spend a great 

 deal, or make much show ; a cir- 

 cumstance which seemed not to 

 accord with his notions of a 

 Milord Anglais. A German host 

 presides at the table d'hote, carves 

 the dishes, and dispenses his po- 

 litenesses to the guests with a sort 

 of taciturn dignity which are some- 

 times highly amusing. The sub- 

 altern officers, and other regular 

 frequenters of the table, court 

 his conversation, and are pleased 

 to be well with this important 

 personage— generally a well-fed 

 portly man, who, especially if he 

 happen to be a State employe, as 

 Mr. Post-master of the station, is 

 well wrapped up in fat official 

 self-complacency. His eldest son 

 has, perhaps, held a commission 

 in the army — Mrs. Post-mistress 

 has been, or is yet a beauty — or 

 he has a fine family of little ones, 

 who, in such case, frequently 

 adorn the walls of the saloon, and 

 whom I have seen appear in their 

 best dresses after dinner, as if 

 their company must be as inter- 

 esting to the guests as that of the 

 children of a friend. If the sons 

 and daughters dine at table they 

 generally occupy, with their vi- 

 sitors, the best places round papa 

 t 



and mamma — rarely offering ci- 

 vility to any one, rather declining 

 intercourse, talking easily among 

 themselves, and showing, by their 

 whole deportment, that they con- 

 sider themselves to the full the 

 equals of papa's guests. One of 

 the sons frequently holds the 

 office of /fer»- Ober Keller, (Mr. 

 Upper Waiter,) — the Germans 

 never cheating this useful person- 

 age of his title — who, after waiting 

 upon his sisters and their beaux, 

 in common with the company, 

 during dinner, I have seen resign 

 his official napkin, and take a 

 hand at whist with the family 

 friends, which he would not lay 

 down though the bells rang, and 

 « i^crr Keller" resounded from 

 all corners of the inn. I have not 

 often met with any thing like real 

 civility in a German inn, for the 

 matter of course bows, and old- 

 fashioned wishes of " a good 

 appetite," " a prosperous jour- 

 ney,'' " sound sleep," <Src., &c., 

 are mere German formalities 

 The host's indift'erent hauteur 

 rarely gives way to any thing but 

 a stupid servility towards conse 

 quence which he is capable of 

 appreciating. Our Baden host, 

 the most silent and sententious of 

 his breed, became all bows and 

 awkward graciousness to a little 

 man with the cross of Malta, who 

 came in late to supper, and who 

 proved to be a baron, holding 

 some office under government. 

 " Would the Gnndiger Herr 

 (Gracious Gentleman) like this 

 dish," or " should he fetch some 

 thing hot for His Grace ?" and 

 other siniilar attentions, were 

 poured forth with an alacrity 

 quite surprising. This servility 

 to rank proceeded from the same 



littleness 



