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of the circle ; anJ to the imperial chamber al WLti^lar, 

 it pays loS rix-duUars, ^la^ kiTuf/crs. I'lie duchies of 

 Bremen and VcrJen are jointly under the following colleges ; 

 vi/.. tlic rejvency, einifillinp of three connfeiiors, and fnbor- 

 dinate to the privy-council at tlanover ; and the chancery, 

 compiled of the three counfellors of regency, a director, and 

 ci-rtain judiciary coiinfcUors, and taking cognizance of cri- 

 minal and executive cafes. In the high court of jullice fit 

 all the members of the chancery, with fcven alTefTors, nomi- 

 nated by the Itatcs of each duchy ; viz. three by the Bremen 

 nobility, two by Stade and Buxteluide, one by the nobility 

 of Verden, and one by the town. The chief branches of 

 the fovereign's revenue are thofe of the demefne bailiwicks, 

 diltrids, and jnrifdiClions, with the regalia; certain pay- 

 ments arifing from the fubjeilj, as excife, and the monies 

 for the maintenance of the high court of appeal at Zell, for 

 furnifliing forage, S:c. 



In the whole duchy there are but two cities, viz. Bremen 

 and Stade, and 1 2 market towns. The ftates of Bremen 

 coniill of the nobility, and the deputies of the towns of 

 Stade and Bux.tehude, whofe privilejjcs are the fame with 

 thofe of Verden. An afTembly of all the Hates, or a diet, 

 cannot be held without the knowledge and confent of the 

 regency ; but the nobility may affcmble twice a-year at 

 Bafdal, without giving any previous notice to the regency. 

 All the inhabitants, except thofe who belong to the free 

 ftates, and who have a right to fit and vote in the diets, are 

 taxable ; and the number of taxable hearths is 22,276. 

 The ellablifhed religion is Lutheranifm ; the number of Lu- 

 theran churches is 1 18, under the fuperintendency of more 

 than this number of pallors ; and the fupreme infptftion 

 of the churches of this duchy and of the principality of 

 Verden is vefted in a general fnperintendent. The Calvinifts 

 form feven congregations, with a like number of pallors. 

 The dodlrine and inftitutions of the reformed church were 

 introduced into the republic of Bremen in the i6th century. 

 An attempt for this purpofe was made fo early as the year 

 aj;56, by Albert Hardenberg, the intimate friend of Me- 

 landlhon ; but it did not fucceed till towards the clofe of 

 this century, when no meafures, either of prudence or force, 

 were fufficient to prevent the church of Bremen from model- 

 ling its faith, worfhip, and government, after that of Ge- 

 neva. The manufadtures of this country, exclufively of 

 cordage and linen, are thofe of cloth, flannel, kerfeys, and 

 other woollen (luffs, at Scharenbeck. Ammund, in the di- 

 fliift of Leffum, has a fugar refinery, and a porcelain ma- 

 nufaclure. The principal rivers of the duchy, bcfides the 

 Elbe and the Wefer, are the Ofte, the Schwinge, the 

 Luhe or Aua, the Geefte, and the Lefum. 



Bremen, an imperial city of Germany, and capital of the 

 duchy of the lame name. This city lies on the banks of t!ie 

 W^efer, which divides it into the Old and New town ; 

 joined by a large bridge, and another fmallcr one over a little 

 branch of the fame river. The ftreets of the Old town are 

 very narrow ; the houfes, which are rarely more than two 

 ftories high, are, in general, old-fa(hioned and inconvenient, 

 nor are the more modern bnilt with great tafle. The ex- 

 change, however, the Lutheran orphan-houfe, and a few 

 other edifices, are in a much better ftyle. The houfes, both 

 of the Old and New town, which are numbered, inchifive of 

 the fuburbs, are 5105 ; and Hoeck ellimates the number of 

 inhabitants at -',.0,000. The Old town is the largcft and moll 

 populous, and is divided into tour pariflies. Mod of the 

 magillrates ar,d principal merchants have their winter habi- 

 tations in this town ; but their gardens and fummer re- 

 fidcnces are in the other. In the Old town Hands the 

 cathedral, which is an ancicHt Gothic ftrufture, and which 



B R E 



belongs to the Lutherans. Under it:; choir is the " B'c'7- 

 keller," or lead-cellar, fo called becaufe the lead, with which 

 this building is covered, was call there. It has the fingalar 

 property ot preferving from pntrefaclioii the dead bodici 

 \vliich are put in it, and thus refcmbles the vaults of the 

 Cordeliers and Jacobins in Tonlouft. This city i, governed 

 by a council, that conlills of four burgomaller.s', uho prcfidc 

 by turns, each for fix months, two lyndics, and t .veiily-four 

 fenators, fome of whom arc jnrill.s and the rdl merchants. 

 The whole body is diliribtited into fourcourts, each confillin'r 

 of a biirgomalier and i\x. knators. Tlicfe magiltrates elecl 

 their new colleagues, without confiilting the citizens ; but 

 none can be chofen who are nearly related to any already m 

 office. They may make any arrangement thty think' fit, 

 with reiped to the police ; but they cannot tnaCl anv new 

 law, nor alter any part of the conditution, nor inipoic any 

 Uix, without allembling the citi/.ens ; neverthelefs, no relo- 

 lutions of thelc latter arc of :iny effec'l, iinlefs approved by the 

 council. The management of all public money is committed 

 to deputies, appointed by the citi/.ens, who aft under the 

 orders of the council, and mnll lay their accounts before 

 their coiiilituents. Their taxes are moderate; they who 

 polfels property exceeding ,3000 doll.irs, pay a fcot or tax 

 on what they are worth, in which each is left to cdimate hii 

 own poli'eirions, and to afcertaiu the fiim wliieh he thinks he 

 ought to pay. In doing this, the citizens are, in general, fo 

 confcientious and public-fpiritcd, that mod of them really 

 contribute more than could drittly be demanded fiom them ; 

 but they are well fatisfied that the revenues of their little 

 date are wifely and frugally adminidered ; and not waded 

 in fupplying the extravagances of princes, nor in difiuling 

 corruption among the people and their reprcfentatives. The 

 police of this city, it is faid, is excellent ; and not a beggar 

 is to be feen in or near it ; the niagillrates taking care to 

 furnifh the poor with an opportunity of gaining a fubfillence 

 by indudry. To the Jews, however, they are lefs tolerant 

 and equitable ; for they will not permit any of them to rtfide 

 in the city, nor even to enter it, except during the lair. The 

 predominant church at Bremen is the reformed, or Calvinid. 

 Of this perfuafion are the magidrates ; though the Luther- 

 ans are not, by any law, excluded from the regency. For- 

 merly they were fometimcs chofen into ihtfe odices ; but 

 fince the Calvinills have had undidurbed pulTcdion of the 

 government, they have taken care to keep out all that are 

 not of their own feft. This city was formerly an arch- 

 bifhopric ; but fo early as the ijth century, fitquent dif- 

 pntes occurred between it and the bifliops and chapttr. 

 Frederic, the lad archbidiop of Bremen, was frequently at 

 variance with the city, oppofing its appearance at the diet, 

 though formally fummoned to it ; and in i6j9 he conferred 

 the Ciithedral on the Lutheians, which had been (hut up ever 

 fince the year l^CS. But in 16-1-0, Bremen was fummoned 

 to the diet, and allowed a feat and vote on the Khenlfh bench 

 in the college of Imperial cities. In 1O48, at the peace of 

 Wedphalia, both the city, its dependencies, a'ld vaiials were 

 confirmed in their date-freedom, rights, and privileges, cccle- 

 fiadical as well as civil ; and though difputcs afterwards arofe, 

 tlie houfe of Brunfwick and Lmicburg, in 17,5 1, voluntarily 

 granted to the city that freedom which had been coi.teded, 

 and all dilputes were brought to an amicable termination. 

 In 1757, the French got poll'cffiun of this city ; but in the 

 following year hadily abandoned it and were fuccceded by a 

 body of Hanoverians. In the d'et ot the empire it potledes 

 the eighth feat on the Rhenidi b;nch in the college of Im- 

 perial cities. Its matricnhir aflefrment is,j20 florins, and its 

 ccnitiiigeiit to the chamber at Wetziar 148 rix-,!ollar3, 67! 

 krcutzers. The king of Oreat Brit.iin, as tltClor ot Bruuf- 



wiek. 



