A TRAVELLER AT BERLIN. I43 



ever, they commit mocking enormities ; and the common 

 foldiers of the Potfdam garrifon are, for certain, not 

 the worthier!: part of the Pruffian army. The com- 

 mander of every regiment is obliged to fend hither his 

 talleft men ; this leads him to pick out not only the 

 greater!: men, but the greater! rafcals, whom they them- 

 felves are glad to get rid of. Sometimes they find 

 among fuch as are thus fent them even too great villain* 

 to be received ; and then they turn them back upon 

 the regiment from which they had them. It is irn- 

 poflible to paint this fubjeel: in colours fufficiently 

 rtriking ; the whole place is full of it. And as in Potf- 

 dam there is not much to ileal, thefe fellows find other 

 courfes for giving vent to the bafenefs of their difpo- 

 litionSj fo that here are enormities of a peculiar inven- 

 tion, the like of which can rarely happen in other 

 places. On thefe accounts the difcipline is more fevere 

 than any where elfe. Potfdam is called the univerfity 

 for common foldiers ; and many a father, who has a 

 difTolute fon, begs it as a favour that he may be admit- 

 ted into this garrifon : where he ufually becomes more 

 profligate than he was before. 



The day after my arrival, early in the morning, I 

 took a drive to what is called the new palace* from it£ 

 being lately built by the king : and was not a little fur- 

 prifed to find it executed in no better a tafte than the 

 other erections of a much older date. It is as gaudy 

 without as can be imagined. The lower part of the 

 walls being fmeared with red, on which Hand yellow 

 columns with decorations of the fame colour. The co- 

 vering is green, with a variety of gilded ornaments. 

 The piers likewife here again are narrower than the 



windows, 



