GERMANY. 433 



mans, Poles, Spaniards, French, and Italians, in their proper habits. 

 The imperial library at Vienna is a great literary rarity, on account 

 of its ancient manuscripts. It contains upwards of 80,000 volumes, 

 among which are many valuable manuscripts in Hebrew, Syriac, 

 Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Coptic, and Chinese ; but the antiquity 

 of some of them is questionable, particularly a New Testament in 

 Greek, said to have been written 1500 yeai's ago, in gold letters, upon 

 purple. Here are likewise many thousand Greek, Roman, and Gothic- 

 coins and medals ; with a vast collection of other curiosities of art and 

 nature. 



Population. ...The population of the German empire, is estimated 

 at between 26 and 27 millions. The particular population of most of 

 the different states of the empire has already been given in the Table 

 of the Circles. 



National character, manners, customs... .The Germans in 

 their persons are tall, fair, and strong built. The ladies have gene- 

 rally fine complexions ; and some of them, especially in Saxony, have 

 all the delicacy of features and shape that are so bewitching in some 

 other countries. 



Both men and women affect rich dresses, which in fashion are the 

 same as in France and England : but the better sort of men are exces- 

 sively fond of gold and silver lace, especially if they are in the army. 

 The ladies at the principal courts differ not much in their dress fromj 

 the French and English, and at Vienna are said to be as fond of paint 

 as the former. At some courts they appear in rich furs ; and all of 

 them are loaded with jewels, if they can obtain them. The female* 

 part of the burghers' families, in many of the German towns, dress 

 in a very different manner, and some of them inconceivably fantastic ; 

 but in this respect they are gradually reforming, and many of them 

 make quite a different appearance in their dress from -what they did 

 thirty or forty years ago. As to the peasantry and labourers, they 

 dress, as in other parts of Europe, according to their employments, 

 convenience, and circumstances. The stoves made use of in Ger- 

 many are the same with those already mentioned in our account of 

 other northern nations, and are sometimes made portable, so that the. 

 ladies carry them to church. In Westphalia, and many other parts 

 of Germany, they sleep between two feather-beds, with sheets stitch- 

 ed to them, which, by use, becomes a very comfortable practice. The 

 most unhappy part of the Germans are the tenants of little needy 

 princes, who oppress them to keep up their own grandeur ; but, in 

 general, the circumstances of the common people are more comforta- 

 ble than those of their neighbours. 



The Germans are naturally a frank, honest, hospitable people, free 

 from artifice and disguise. The higher orders are ridiculously proud 

 of titles, ancestry, and show. The Germans in general are thought 

 to want animation, as their persons promise more vigour and activity 

 than they commonly exert, even in the field of battle. But when com- 

 manded by able generals, they have achieved great tilings both against 

 the Turks and the French ; and in the late war the Austrians exhibit- 

 ed prodigies of military valour and genius. 



Industry, application, and perseverance, are the great characteristics 

 of the German nation, especially the mechanical part of it. Their 

 works of art would be incredible, were they not well known ; especially 

 in watch and clock making, jewellery, turnery, sculpture, drawing, 

 painting, and certain kinds of architecture. The Germans have been 



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