154 LETTERS FROM 



not inelegantly confiructed. Only the little colonades 

 which fland towards the garden and on one fide to- 

 wards the fcreet that leads to the garrifon church, have 

 no good effect, they appear as if broken off; and, as 

 they have abfolutely nothing at all to hear, are entirely 

 deftitute of aim. The main facade looks towards the 

 garden, and the backfront towards the. market-place, 

 Laving the obelifk for its point of view which I have 

 already mentioned, and behind that, Hands the catholic 

 church. This would look far better, if it had not 

 fuch a heavy appearance, and fo many jagged timbers. 

 On the left hand of the palace runs a long bridge acrofs 

 the Havel, which forms a lively object, partly as it is 

 the paifage to Saxony, and partly, becaufe under it 

 there are a multitude of very frnall barks in which fifh 

 are to be fold. The middle part of thefe barks is fo 

 contrived as to admit the water on both fides, that the 

 £fh may be kept alive. It is a pleafure to fee the little 

 throng about thefe barks — the only one in Potfdam — * 

 conitantly coming and going; and the iifhwives of this' 

 place, as well as at Berlin, difcinguifh themfelves from 

 all other fifhwives in the world, by going always clean 

 md tidy, and by fpeaking as other beings of the hu- 

 man fpecies fpeak. The proverbs by which the vulgar 

 in other places ftigmatize the hfh-markets, are entirely 

 po in tie is in regard to Potfdam and Berlin. 



The king's apartment looks right upon this bridge, 

 and his own room is exactly in the corner, fo that he 

 can fee all that paffes upon it : it is likewife, in return, 

 avell fituated for giving a full view of the king from if; 

 for, whenever the weather is any thing tolerable, he 

 frequently fcands at the window towards noon. 



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