HAM 
Elbe, Alder, and Bille.. The Elbe, which at the city, 
the little iflands included, is not lefs than a German 
mile in breadth, befides.forming two fpacious harbours, 
runs through mod parts of the city in canals, which, 
being generally broad and deep, are of prodigious con. 
venience to the merchants, whofe houfes hand on them. 
In thefe canals, as well as in the river itfelf, even to the 
diftance of feveral miles above Hamburg, the tide ebbs 
and flows twice a-day, which is alfo in many refpedls of 
fervice to the inhabitants, though not without the fre¬ 
quent and great inconvenience of inundations occafion- 
ed by the north-weft winds, at which time the lower 
buildings and cellars are frequently filled with water. 
The bridges over thefe canals are no lefs than eighty- 
four, many of them paved like the ft'reets, with which 
they are generally on a level, and not a few have houfes 
on each fide. The ftreets are for the moft part of 
confiderable breadth, but the houfes recommend them- 
fielves more by'th.eir inward conveniences than by 
any outward ornaments of architedfure. Some of thefe 
ftreets, however, make a grand appearance; which, 
with the ramparts, give to the city an air of confi¬ 
derable importance. The fortifications are in the old 
Dutch tafte, the moats being deep and wide, the ram¬ 
parts lofty, and planted with trees, and of fitch a breadth, 
that feveral carriages may go abreaft. The number of 
baftions round the town is twenty-four, with fome out¬ 
works, particularly thofe called the Sternckanze and the 
Neuewerk. The latter is,properly only a line regularly 
fortified, and inclofing the ftreets, houfes, and gardens, 
by fome called the Neuen Werk, or the Suburb of St. George. 
The Hamburgerberg may alfo be ftiled a fuburb, but 
this is not environed by any works, and the houfes on it 
extend almoft as far as Altona, infomuch that only a 
fofs or moat feparates the one from the other. The city 
has four capital gates-, two fmaller, and two water-gates, 
called the Upper and Lower Baum. Through the latter 
pafs all Ihips going to or coming from fea. Every morn¬ 
ing at the opening of it is feen a multitude of boats and 
fmall veffels, whofe cargoes confift of milk, fruits, and 
all kinds of provifions, all prefling in at the fame time 
for a market; and in this manner the country people, 
who are moftly under the neighbouring jurifdidtion, to¬ 
gether with a greater number of others on the land-fide 
in carriages, as likewife moft of the neighbouring pea- 
fantry, daily bring in fubfiftence neceflary to the city, 
and on the other hand return home with their own. 
The exercife of certain regalia here appertains folely 
to the magiftracy; but in all affairs of general concern 
the burghers aflift at the deliberations: and in order to 
give validity to any motion made by the magiftracy, in 
cafes-relative to the joint aflembly of the magiftracy 
and people, the confent of both fides is required. All 
points touching the impofition of taxes and new laws, 
are by. tile magiftracy laid before the firft college of the 
burghers, then before the fecond, next before the third, 
and laftly before .the whole body ; and on the approba¬ 
tion of both clafl'es, is termed a decree of the magiftracy 
and burghery, or Amply a recefz. The magiftracy is 
ufually compofed of thirty-feven perfons, or rather thir¬ 
ty-fix ; that is to fay, four burghermafters, four fyndics, 
t wenty-four aldermen, and four fecretaries, of whom one 
is prothonotary, and another adts as recorder, but the 
votes are limited'to the burghermafters and the aider- 
men, of the firft of whom one mull be a trader, and of 
the latter thirteen traders, and the reft graduates. Any 
perfon eledted into the magiftracy, and declining the 
office, mull depart the city. Lutheranifm is the efta- 
blithed religion of Hamburg, and no other public exer¬ 
cife of religion is tolerated. But both Papifts and Cal- 
vinifts have an opportunity of attending divine worfliip 
at the envoys of the emperor, and other fovereigns, to 
the circle of Lower Saxony, who refide in the city ; and 
the Englilh Hamburg Company have divinp fervice per¬ 
formed in a building called the Englifli Houfe , 
BURG. m 
. Formerly a principal occupation of many-of the inha® 
bitants of Hamburg confided in brewing, and the doth 
manufadture; and even to this day the companies, of 
which each has its appointed patron in the-corporation, . 
enjoy many privileges. At prefent, the principal ma¬ 
nufadture here is, beyond difpute, the fugar refinery, - 
for which,, whether it be owing to the quality of the 
water,- or whatever be the caufe, Hainburg has hitherto 
been highly diftinguilhed. The cotton, docking, gold¬ 
thread, ribbon, and velvet, manufadtures, are alfo car¬ 
ried on to a great extent. With refpedt to its feveral 
branches of commerce, linen; cloth, filk-ware, wine, . 
fugar, coffee, colours, fpices, metals, tobacco, wood, 
leather, grain, dried and fait fifh, train-oil, and furs, are 
accounted the moft confiderable of them ; ^though this 
point is not eafily afcertained, the merchants here buy¬ 
ing up every thing that offers, and the convenient fitua- 
tion of the city drawing thither a great variety of dif¬ 
ferent cargoes. No eftimate, however, can pollibly be 
formed of the amount of the exports and imports of 
Hamburg, as the merchants obferve the moft profound 
fecrecy on that head. An uncommon benefit to the 
merchants of Hamburg is the lpecie bank, which, for 
the goodnefs of its credit and prudent regulations, is by 
•no means-inferior- to any in Europe. Its founder’s name 
was Beckman, who became afterwards a fenator, and • 
rofe to be the burgomafter of the city. It was founded 
in 1619, on the plan of the Italian banks, and that of 
Amfterdam. With the bank is connected the corn-mo¬ 
ney, for fupplying the public granaries; as alfo the 
mintage. This laft privilege, which it holds by char¬ 
ters from the emperors, it has always exercifed, Ham¬ 
burg ducats being to be feen of every year for a long 
time paft, not- to mention the Banco Portugalefer, of 
which thofe called whole weigh,ten, and the half ones 
five, ducats. Of filver money it coins alfo very large 
quantities. The ftandard obferved here is precifely the 
fame with that of Lubec. 
One of the beft regulationsin Hamburg, and that which 
reflects the high eft reputation on its police, is the wife 
and adequate provifion made'for the poor. In 1788, 
that great commercial city was found to contain no lefs 
than 110,000 inhabitants; out of which were found to 
he 7000 idle and beggarly poor, befides 2500 in the hof- 
pifals. Confiderable attempts to give them relief had 
taken place before 1788 ; but in that year a public infti- 
tution was formed for that purpofe, under the fanction 
ot the magiftrates. All the fums contributed in alms 
and workhoufes, together with thofe which could be 
collected by annual voluntary fublcriptions folicited 
through the whole town, were formed into one ftock. 
The town was divided into fixty diftridts, each contain¬ 
ing nearly an equal number of poor; to each diftridl 
three citizens were chofen for three years as overfeers, 
and a committee was appointed of ten directors, five of 
them fenators. The firft object being relief, a calcula¬ 
tion was made of whaLeach pauper required, fora bare , 
fubfiftence ; and it was eftablilhed as a fundamental prin¬ 
ciple, to reduce this fupport lower than what any induf- 
trious man or woman could earn by their labour. It 
•was fixed at one fliilling and fixpence weekly. The next 
point was to find them work. The fpinning of flax-yarn 1 
was feledted, and the payment was afcertained not by 
weight but by meafure. The poor who wanted work 
had clean flax delivered to them at a certain low price, 
and the yarn when fp.un was bought of them at a rate 
thirty per cent, above the ufua'l fpinning price. A 
fchool was opened for teaching thole who required it, 
and they were maintained till they had.learned the art, 
when they were difmifled with a wheel'and a pound of 
flax. Thus all thofe whofe former earnings were lefs 
than one fliilling and fixpence q-week, and who were 
.able to fpin, had work lupplied them by the fociety 
fufficient for their fupport, and were declared to be no 
longer objects of weekly afliftance. As to the dijabled 
poor. 
