B E R 



Snxony, and capital of the ckftorate of Brandenburg, and 

 of the whole Pruffian dominions, is fituatal on the banks ot 

 the river Spree, and lias been reckoned one of the moll 

 beautiful cities in Europe, as it is one of the largcll and 

 moft populous in Germany. Its extent is about 4* miles 

 in length, from the Muhlenthor on the fouth-eaft, to the 

 Oi-anien-burgerthor on the north-well ; and about 3 miles 

 broad from the Bcrnaverthor, on the north-eaft, to the Potf- 

 damerthor on the fouth-wcll : but within this extenlive in- 

 clofure there are many gardens and corn fields. The 

 arcets are difpofed with great regularity, and are of a con- 

 venient breadth. In the new town they are perftftly (Iraight. 

 rrcdcriek ftrcet is reckoned ii Englifh miles in length ; 

 and others, which interfedl this at right angles, are a mile, 

 «r a miL- and a half long. Some have affertcd that it covers 

 as much ground as Paris ; but though this be not tn:e, and 

 it be allowed to occupy more than half the extent of the 

 tapital of France, its number of inhabitants is much fmaller 

 in proportion. The number of houfes has bten vnrioufl/ 

 eftimated. Rcifljeck computes them at 6coo ; count Hert/.- 

 bcrg Hates the number of buildings public and private, as 

 amounting in 1790, to 6725 ; and according to Hot-ck, the 

 number of lioufcs is 6950. The number of inhabitants, 

 ;iccording to the lowtil ilatemcnt, is 140,000 ; Hoeck 

 computes them at 142,099; and Hertzberg at 150,803, 

 being, at an average, more than 22 inhabitants to each houfe. 

 There are a few very magnilicerst buildings in this town ; 

 and the rell are nezt' houfes, built according to a plan pre- 

 fcribed by the late and. prefent king, who have diredled 

 their particular attention to the external decorations of the 

 city, either of a fine white free-Hone, or of bricks covered 

 with a thin coating of plaller, painted with a light colour, 

 and geneiallv one, or at mofl two ftories high. The fitua- 

 tion of the city, in a barren fandy plain, cxpoffs it very 

 much to duil, which, in dry windy weather, is not only in- 

 convenient to the eves and lungs of the inhabitants, and in- 

 jurious to their health, but detrimental to the beauty of 

 the buildings, which exhibit a foiled and (liabby appearance. 

 The finilhirig of the houfes within by no means torrcfponds 

 with their external elegance ; the rooms are in a ruinous 

 condition, the furniture covered with dull and dirt, and the 

 variety of ptrfons of the meaneft condition who inhabit 

 them, altogether incongruous to their outward magnifi- 

 cence and decoration. In thcfe handfome houfes, foldiers 

 are quartered even on the ground floor, in rooms looking out 

 to the ilreet ; and the lowell mechanics occupy the difierent 

 ftories. The principal edifices are the king's royal palace, 

 and that of the prince royal. The former is a magnificent 

 <lruc\urc of free-ftone, begun by Frederick I. in 1699 ; but 

 as it has been con ilru£led at different periods, and by feveral 

 archile(^U, its fronts are not exadlly regular. It confilts of 

 four Holies, with large apartments, fine cielings, and fuperb 

 furniture. The ftate chambers are decorated with capital 

 paintings and rich tapeftry, and furnillitd with tables, 

 (land?, lullres, chandeliers, looking-glafs frames, fcreens, 

 couches, &c. of folid filver. The library, though a mean 

 apartment, is well fumifhed with books ; among which is 

 a coUcilioii of 500 Bibles in difi"ereiit languages and editions, 

 particularly the Bible ufed by our Charles I. when he was 

 beheaded, prefented as a kind of relic by Dr. Juxon to the 

 cleAor of Brandenburg, and alio the firfl Bible printed in 

 America, and one of 1450, the firft printed in the German 

 language ; and alfo a koran, in a charadler fo fmall, and en 

 ■A paper fo thin, as to form only 1^ inch in bulk. The arfe- 

 nal is 3 noble (Irufture, forming a fpacious quadrangle, and 

 containing arms, ranged in excellent order, for 20o,oco men. 

 Over the principal gate is a portrait of the elcdor, William 



B E R 



the Great, in a large model of gilt brafs ; and the four car- 

 dinal virtues, of a gigantic fize, are placed on pedellals on 

 each fide of the portico, and feem to look towards the pic- 

 ture. The foldiero of the garrifon arr.ount to about 30.000. 

 The royal llablcs are very magniricent, adjoining to which 

 are grand apartments for the mailer of the horic, and his in- 

 ferior officers ; and in the rooms over the ftable?, may be 

 fecn the rich accoutrements of the horfe on which Frederick 

 1. rode, when lie made his pubhc entry ; all the ornaments of 

 the bridles, the breall-leather and crupp;'r, as well as the 

 bits and llirrups, being of gold, adorned wiih brilliants. The 

 opera-houfe is a beautiful ftructure, and on the front bears 

 this infcription, " Frcdericusrex, Apollini et Mufis." The 

 king allows the free cxercife of religion : and, accordingly, in 

 Bcrhn are 25 churches, 14 of which. are Lutheran, 10 Cnl- 

 vinift, and one Roman Catholic, which is the moil elegant 

 in the city. The churches are decorated with Mercuries, 

 Apollos, Minervas, and Cupids, " which might lead a ftran- 

 gtrto fufpsdl," fays Dr. Moore, "that the Chriflian religion 

 was exploded from the Pruffian dominions, and old Jupiter 

 and his family reilored to their ancient honours." Inflesd 

 of faints and crucifixes, fays the fame vi-riter, Frederick III. 

 propofed to adorn the church of Berlin with the portraits 

 of men who have been ufeful to the ftate ; thofc of the 

 marlhals Schwerin, Keith, Winterfield, and fome others, 

 were aftually placed in the great Lutheran church before 

 his death. We may alfo reckon among the public build- 

 ings and eftablifliments of Berlin, the academy of fciences, 

 (See Academy), another of arts and painting, an anatomi- 

 cal college, 5 gymnafin, 2 public librarier, and many excel- 

 lent and important fabrics and manufaftures of filk, woollen 

 Huffs, and Hoekings, cotton, linen, lace, porcelain, &c. which 

 fupply it with a very confiderable and advantag^'ous trade, 

 to the profpcrlty of which, the unlimited toleration granted 

 to Roman Catholics, Lutheran?, CalvinlHs, and Jew?, has 

 very much contributed. In Berlin, there are feveral large 

 fquares, in one of which is an equeftrian llatue of marflial 

 Schwerin, holding the enfign with which he advanced at 

 the famous battle of Prague, and which he feized from one 

 of his officers when his troops were giving way, exclaiming, 

 " Let all, but cowards, follow me." On the new bridge 

 over the Spree, Hands alfo an equcHrian ftatue of William the 

 Great, which is highly cfteemed as a piece of fine workmau- 

 {hlp ; the man and horfe in one piece, call at the fame time, 

 and the Hatue weighs 3,000 quintals. Ttie fuburbs arc 

 adorned with the magnificent garden of count Reuffen, 

 the beautiful houfe and garden called Mombijon, the houfe 

 and garden of Belvldere, and the Hately hofpltal of Invalids, 

 for the maintenance of about a thoufand officers and foldiers. 

 In the new CalvinlH church of Old Coin, is the burying 

 place of the royal family. At Berlin there are many pub- 

 lic walks and gardens. The principal walk is that in the 

 park, on the fouth fide of the Spree, which is upwards of 

 three miles in circuit, and reforted to by the inhabitants of 

 the city in great crowds on a Sunday ; and here they are 

 provided with every kind of refreftiment, and indulged with 

 any fort of asaufement. The moft fafhionable walk in the 

 city, is that which lies in the middle of one of the fireets. 

 Before the houfes at Berlin, on each fide, is a caufe-way, and 

 between thefe two caufc-ways, are fine gravel walks planted 

 with lime-trees. Under thefe are pitched tents, in which are 

 fold ice, lemonade, and other refrelhments. In the fummer, 

 the bands of mubc belonging to the regiments prattife in 

 this walk. In all the private houfes a very rigid economy 

 is obferved ; the chief article of cxpence is that which per- 

 tains to the drefs of the ladies, who deny themfelves common 

 indulgences, for the fake of powder and millinery. The 



ladie* 



