MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



489 



fevoured rivalry of his Court the- 

 atre at Carlsruhe, to which every 

 successful actor is invited, pro- 

 fessedly to amuse the Court only 

 for a few nights, but, if he pleases 

 the Court, he is never permitted 

 to return. This is a slight in- 

 stance of the spirit of petty des- 

 potism which generally extends 

 itself to the pleasures as well as 

 the rights of its subjects. 



The monopoly of all conse- 

 quence by the Prince and the 

 Palace, among the dependants 

 of the little residence is sometimes 

 exetiipliBedin the most laughable 

 trifles. For instance, all the clocks 

 in the duodecimo capitals are 

 naturally regulated by the Palace 

 clock, which, invested with the 

 privilege of its reigning master, 

 never can go wrong. The great 

 clocks at the Palace of course go 

 by the little clock in his Royal 

 Highness's cabinet; and this going 

 according to his Royal Highness's 

 whim,the hour of the day through- 

 out the State is dictated by the 

 Prince instead of the sun. One 

 sovereign, w^hom I have the honour 

 of knowing, makes very free with 

 this empire over time ; and just 

 as it happens that he wishes to 

 Cut short a tiresome audience, or 

 to have a favourite piece of music 

 twice repeated at a rehearsal or a 

 concert, the town clocks and the 

 chimes of the Palace are sure to 

 be at odds, half the dinners of 

 the metropolis are spoilt, grave 

 appointments broken, while few 

 but the Prince and his valet de 

 chambre are in the secret. 



The people of Manheim, proud 

 of their ancient consequence, do 

 not regard very cdmplacently their 

 desolate buildings, and dreary 

 walks, the rude reign of troopS; 



whom they do not yet regard as 

 countrymen, and the other marks 

 of their humiliating incorporation 

 with a little state. Many of the 

 nobles cling to the dreary dignity 

 of the old residence instead of 

 mixing freely in the gaieties of 

 the capital of their new sovereign. 

 At Carlsruhe they are accused of 

 sulky hauteur, and the Manhei- 

 mites in revenge turn up their 

 noses at the narrow ideas and 

 petty spirit of their rivals. These 

 lively jealousies extend to all 

 classes, and are aggravated by 

 continual little preferences and 

 favours shown by the Grand Duke 

 to his capital and residence ; so 

 that you rarely hear a good word 

 of Carlsruhe at Manheim, or of 

 Manheim at Carlsruhe. The 

 Grand Duke consequently enjoys 

 very little of the affection of his 

 new subjects. The towns-people 

 complain of his thoughtlessness 

 and indifference, and his submis- 

 sion to favourites at Carlsruhe, 

 who extort any privileges by im- 

 portunity and intrigue. All the 

 little Princes seek to advance the 

 splendor of their residences by 

 immunities to persons who build 

 houses, &c. ; but the Grand Duke 

 of Baden goes the arbitrary length 

 of contributing, besides wood, 

 one-third of the expense, which 

 he of course draws from the public 

 revenue. The taxes are now very 

 heavy, and the inhabitants of 

 Manheim naturally complain that 

 while their own town declines in 

 population, they are thus com- 

 pelled to contribute to the exten- 

 sion of Carlsruhe. 



The commerce of Manheim is 



quite inconsiderable, and the little 



that it has suffers severely from 



the separation of the left bank of 



II the 



