432 - GERMANY. 



snore regular than in those that lie near the sea, or that abound in 

 lakes and rivers. 



The soil of Germany is not improved to the full by culture ; and 

 therefore in many places it is bare and steril ; though in others it is 

 extremely fertile. A greater attention, however, is now given to 

 agriculture in this country, and many improvements have been made 

 of late years. 



Vegetables.. ..Among the vegetable productions of Germany are 

 all kinds of grain, flax, hemp, hops, saffron, tobacco, and excellent 

 orchard fruits. The vine is found to flourish throughout more than 

 the half of Germany, but the most esteemed wines are produced in 

 the circles of Swabia and the Rhine. The wines of these countries 

 are commonly called Rhenish and Moselle, and differ from those of 

 other countries in a peculiar lightness, and detersive qualities, more 

 sovereign in some diseases than any medicine. 



Animals. ...Germany yields abundance of excellent heavy horses ; 

 but their horses, oxen, and sheep, are not comparable to those of 

 England, probably owing to want of skill in feeding and rearing them. 



The German wild boars differ in colour from our common hogs, 

 and are four times as large. Their flesh, and the hams made of it, 

 are preferred by many even to those of Westmoreland, for flavour 

 and grain. The glutton of Germany is said to be the most voracious 

 of all animals. Its prey is almost every thing that has life, which it 

 can manage, especially birds, hares, rabbits, goats, and fawns ; which 

 it surprises artfully and devours greedily. On these the glutton 

 feeds so ravenously, that it falls into a kind of a torpid state, and not 

 being able to move, he is killed by the huntsmen ; but though both 

 boars and wolves will kill him in that condition, they will not eat him. 

 His colour is a beautiful brown, with a faint tinge of red. 



Some parts of Germany are remarkable for fine larks and great 

 variety of singing birds, which are sent to all parts of Europe. 



Curiosities, natural and artificial... .In describing the min- 

 eral and other springs, a great part of this article, which is very 

 copious, has been already anticipated. 



Next to the lakes and waters, the caves and rocks are the chief 

 natural curiosities of Germany. There is said to be a cave, near 

 Blackenburg, in Hartz-forest, of which no person has yet found the 

 end, though many have advanced into it for twenty miles. But the 

 most remarkable curiosity of that kind is near Hamelen, about thirty 

 miles from Hanover, where, at the mouth of a cave, stands a monu- 

 ment which commemorates the loss of 130 children, Avho were there 

 swallowed up in 1284. This fact, however, though it is very strongly 

 attested, has been disputed by some critics. Frequent mention is 

 made of two rocks near Blackenburg, exactly representing two monks 

 in their proper habits ; and of many stones which seem to be petrifac- 

 tions of fishes, frogs, trees, and leaves. 



With respect to artificial curiosities, the Germans have always 

 accounted as orie of the principal, the tun at Heidelberg, which 

 holds 800 hogsheads, and, though now empty, was formerly full of 

 the best Rhenish wine, from which strangers were seldom suffered 

 to retire sober. Every court of Germany produces a cabinet of curiosi- 

 ties, artificial and natural, ancient and modern. 



Vienna itself is a curiosity ; for here may be seen the greatest 

 variety of inhabitants to be met with any where, as Greeks, Tran* 

 sylvanians, Sclavonians, Turks, Tartars, Hungarians, Croats, Ger 



