BREMEN. 



45.3 



supporter! of the Reformation ; were closely besieged, 

 in l.)l>7, l'\ '- 1 " ng '! governor of Zealand, at the 

 instance of Charles V. j and were strongly charged 

 by that emperor, at the diet of Angshurgh in l.'i.V.), 

 on account of their obstinate attachment to the prin- 

 ciples of Calvin. In 1644, it was conquered by the 

 Swedes; and, at the peace of \\Ystphalia, in lli-4-H, 

 it was scculari/.ed into a duchy and fief of the em- 

 pire. In l(S5t, its privileges were violated by Charles 

 Gustavus king of Sweden, and its walls invested by 

 an army of that prince ; but, by the assistance of the 

 elector of Brandenburgh and duke of Brunswick, it 

 was cnahli-d to make head against its assailants, till, 

 by the mediation of the Dutch, a peace was conclu- 

 ded at Staden, in which all its privileges wore confir- 

 med. In 1675, the town and duchy of Bremen were 

 overrun by the forces of the dukes of Brunswick and 

 Lunebnrgh ; but were retained by Sweden at the 

 peace of Nimeguen, in 1679. In 171-' it was redu- 

 ced by the Danes ; but was transferred, in 17 15,. to 

 the elector of Brunswick, as an equivalent for a sum 

 of 700,000 rix-dollars ; and in 1719. it was ceded by 

 the crown of Sweden to that elector, (upon a pay- 

 ment of one million of rix-dollars,) who was after- 

 wards invested by the emperor, as duke of Bremen 

 and Verden. In 1757, the French took possession 

 of the city, but it was hastily abandoned in the year 

 following, when it was instantly occupied by the 

 Hanoverian troops, and remained under the govern- 

 ment of the king of Great Britain as elector of Bruns- 

 wick, till the late subjugation of all that country to 

 the power of the French emperor. 



The town of Bremen is situated upon a kind of pe- 

 ninsula, and is divided by the river Weser into two 

 parts, called the old and the new town, which have 

 communication with each other by means of several 

 bridges ; on the largest of which is a hydraulic ma- 

 chine of considerable height, for drawing and distri- 

 buting water to the different quarters of the city. 

 On the building which contains the wheel, is the fol- 

 lowing inscription : 



" Valve Pater, civi traiam tun dtna, Fuurgis." 



The old town is the largest and most populous, 

 and in it the principal inhabitants have their winter 

 habitations, while their gardens and places of resi- 

 dence in summer are in the new town. The streets 

 of the old town are generally very narrow, and the 

 houses very old-fashioned and inconvenient in their 

 structure. The houses in both towns, and in th>j su- 

 burbs, are calculated at 5105, and the number of the 

 inhabitants at 40,000. In the market-place is a large 

 statue of Rolando ; and several of the public build- 

 ings are very handsome edifices, the chief of which, 

 are the town-hall, loaded with ornaments ; the change, 

 a neat modern building ; opposite to this a coffee- 

 house, remarkable for the numerous figures in basso 

 relievo on its walls ; the arsenal, the college, the Lu- 

 theran orphan house, and the .Lutheran church. Un- 

 der the last mentioned structure is a celebrated vault, 

 called the " Bley-keller," or lead cellar, because the 

 lead roof of the cathedral having been melted by 

 lightning, fell into this place, which continues to be 

 so free from moisture, that certain dead bodies, which 

 have been deposited within its walls, have been pre- 



1 from putrefaction, and have acquired the ap- ' !: 

 pearance of mummies ; but its antiseptic virtue* have 

 been rated by travellers far beyond trie truth. Bre- 

 men contains a physical institute, an anatomical the- 

 atre, a school for navigation, a considerable library, a 

 museum, which has a tolerable collection of serpents, 

 and othc'r reptiles, with several useful mechanic mo- 

 dels, and an observatory, under the direction of M. 

 Olbers, the celebrated discoverer of the new planets 

 Pallas and Vesta. The city is divided into four quar- 

 ters, each of >vhich has its own court, consisting of 3 

 burgomaster and six senators. The predominant reli- 

 gions denomination is the reformed or Calvinistic ; and 

 of this persuasion are the magistrates, who generally 

 contrive to choose their successors from their own 

 sect ; though the Lutherans are not excluded by law 

 from a share in the government of tho town, nor are 

 much inferior in pointof number. The revenues amount 

 ) about 100,000 rix-dollars, and are levied by a spe- 

 cies of property tax. The police i: excellent ; and 

 the poor are so well provided with work, that no 

 beggars are seen in the place. 



The inhabitants of Bremen are rather of a short 

 stature, and form a striking contrast with the tall 

 southern Germans. They are simple and frugal in 

 their manners, and retain many very primitive modes 

 of living. The usual hour of dinner is eleven o'clock 

 in the forenoon ; but on Sundays, it is the practice 

 to breakfast at six in the morning, and to dine at 

 ten. They are obliging, frank, charitable, and hos- 

 pitable in their dispositions; industrious, orderly, and 

 peaceful, in their habits ; possessed in general of good 

 natural abilities, improved by a liberal education ; 

 and without much pretensions or display of litera- 

 ture, are well acquainted with the chief subjects of 

 useful knowledge. Though they are little addicted 

 to the arts of luxury, it appears, from a painting in 

 the senate-house, that the use of coaches was known 

 among them at a very early period. In the piece t 

 which we allude, and which is a view of the city 

 painted in 1661, is represented a quadra-.gular car- 

 nage, supported upon four pillars, and covered with 

 a canopy, but open on each side, so as to discover 

 the persons within it. 



The principal manufactures in Bremen, are cloth, 

 cards, linen, Osnaburghs, printed calicoes, stockings, 

 bonnets, canvass cards, corks, glass, starch, and strong 

 beer, for which last article it has long been famed 

 over the continent. It is celebrated also for its Rhe- 

 nish wine, the sale of which is monopolized by the 

 city, and is confined to the public vaults. It is much 

 engaged in the whale fishery, and carries on a consi- 

 derable traffic in blubber and whale bone with the 

 south of Germany. Great quantities of salmon, al- 

 so, are taken by the inhabitants, and are chiefly pre- 

 pared for exportation by being smoke-dried. Its 

 commerce with France, especially in wines, is very 

 considerable. Its exports in iron, flax, and linen, 

 to England, Spain, and Portugal, are also very valu- 

 able ; and next to Hamburgh, it has more trade with 

 America than any othe 1 maritime town in Germany. 

 It is rather remarkable, that the trade of Bremen with 

 foreign countries should be so extensive, when it is 

 considered, that large vessels can ascend the Weser 

 only to within two leagues of the city, smaller OTIC C - 



