392 A M E 
^poor, after the quantity of work which they were able 
to do had been afcertained, the overfeer was diredted to 
pay them weekly as much as it fell fhort of one (hilling 
and fixpenpe. Furnifliing employment, therefore, and 
■.making it the interelh of the poor to work, was the balis 
of the whole defign. 
Sicknefs was the next evil to be obviated; For this 
tjjurpofe, an hofpital was provided, and alfo an edablidi- 
ment for taking care of the Tick at their own houfes. 
JPhyficians, furgeons, and midwives, were appointed to 
the feveral quarters, and not only medicine, but diet, 
and money, were didributed as occafion required. The 
burthen of a numerous family was alfo to be alleviated, 
not only to the lowed poor, but'to widows, and to in- 
dudrious couples in a’fomewhat better way of employ- 
menu Weekly allowances were made to the parents in 
dome cafes, in others the younger children were boarded 
out in other families ; and fchools were provided for all 
the poor children from fix to lixteen years of age, where 
two-thirds of their time were allotted to work, and one- 
third to indrudtion. It was made a rule, on which the 
.fecond hinge of the inditution is faid to turn, “ that to 
no family (hould any relief be allowed for a child pad 
fix years of age ; but that this child, being, fent to 
fchool, fhould receive, not only the payment of his 
work, but alfo an allowance, in the compound ratio of 
his attendance at fell obi, his behaviour, and his appli¬ 
cation to work.” 
The very‘deditute condition of the poor at the com¬ 
mencement of this inditution, rendered it neceffary to 
provide clothes and bedding, as well as to redeem the 
goods which they had pawned. Thefe articles were 
iecured from being again pawned, by being indelibly 
marked as the property of the inditution. The clothes 
were made by fome of the poor at the fchools. And as 
foreigners dock into Hamburg from the poor countries 
round, it was edablidied that not lefs than three' years’ 
reddence diould entitle to relief; but an liofpitium was 
opened for foreign poor, where they might live three 
days, and then be paffed on with a viaticum. Such is 
the general plan of the management of the poor adopted 
in Hamburg, and with fuch fugeefs, that a great reduc¬ 
tion has been made in the number of families requiring 
relief, and in the expenditure for their fupport ; at the 
lame time that the mortality among the fick poor has 
greatly decreafed, and in ail refpedts their condition 
has been fo much amended, that not a dngle'beggar is 
to be feen in the (treets. 
Next to this judicious plan for overcoming the evils 
and didrefs of poverty, might be reckoned, in the phi¬ 
lanthropic edimate of humanity, that noble edablifh- 
ment called the Orphan-houfe. No lefs than fix hundred 
friendlefs children are maintained in it. The boys are 
taught to read, write, and to cipher, with a little me¬ 
chanical drawing; the girls are indrudted in reading, 
writing, (pinning, needlework, and embroidery. From 
this charity,: mod of the maid-fervants in Hamburg are 
taken ; arid the boys are difperfed among the different 
manufadtures : and, to the gratification oi the fupporters 
of this excellent charity it is found, that in confequence 
of' education, both boys and girls, as in a limilar plan 
of education adopted at Edinburgh, are to be praifed 
, for their orderly behaviour and unwearied indudry.— 
See the article Edinburgh, vol. vi. p. 251.. 
The amufemen’ts at Hamburg arepolilhed and refpedt- 
able, and fuch as are fuited to a great maritime city. It 
has two theatres ; a German, and a French. The Ger¬ 
man theatre has lately undergone fome conliderable im¬ 
provements, under the direction of M. Schrceder, who 
is a very capital performer. This theatre is faid to be 
capable of containing thirteen hundred fpedtators, and 
the highed receipt has been fifteen hundred marks. 
The French theatre is fituated not far from it 5 but is 
lefs elegant, and too fmall. 
1 U R G. 
The coffee-houfes of Hamburg differ widely from thole 
in the inland parts of Germany. They are not only the 
refort of the idle and the inquidtive, but people of bu- 
(inefs.repair to them on many accounts; and in thofe 
which are dtuated near the exchange, very important af¬ 
fairs are often tranfadted. AH pieces of intelligence from 
the Various parts of Europe find their way with incredible 
rapidity to Hamburg, and get into circulation through 
thefe. coffee-houfes. They ar*e amply provided with 
newfpapers from all countries. Every body in this city 
being more or lefs concerned in trade, all take a great 
intered in the news-of the day. Here all is activity and- 
life, motion, _bud!e, and energy ; and all that can be 
wanted in the whole world is brought daily to market. 
As iu thefe coffee-houfes every one utters what lie 
pleafes, without caring by whom-he is overheard, the 
government being totally indifferent to all that is faid 
in public places, it is not eafy. to imagine what a torrent 
of crude notions is here pQiired out. Such a motley 
fociety prefent caricatures of the mod humorous kinds; 
while the diverfity of perfons of different countries, the 
various fallies of temper, and the bold opinions conti¬ 
nually advanced, are by far more amufing than in any 
diape tending to edification. On the whole, the Ham¬ 
burg cotfee-houfes have a great refemblaiice to the Eng- 
lidi, except that they are not alfo eating-houfes, as the 
latter are. ,' 
Thofe who want merely to fee the papers, and to ob¬ 
tain news, find themfelves more at home in the Harmony , 
than in the coffee-houfes. This indeed is not a public 
place : but even a ftranger, who has made but little ac¬ 
quaintance, vvill find it eafy to gain admidion. It is one 
of thofe focieties which are now formed Linder the names 
of harmonics, cajinos, &c. in all the principal towns of 
Germany ; this of Hamburg is fuperior to others of the 
kind at the Hague, Berlin, Drefden, Leipfig, and Brunf- 
wick. , It is not Id much devoted to convolution as to 
reading. Strangers are admitted gratis during one 
month, for which permidion they receive a ticket. 
That period being elapled, they mud renew their ticket, 
and every month pay a few marks, during fix months ; 
after which they ceafe to be drangers, and can be no 
longer admitted as fuch. 
Among the'public entertainments of Hamburg, may 
be reckoned the Vauxhall. It is curious that this en¬ 
tertainment came originally from England, where there 
is fo much rainy weather, and where it is at all times 
extremely unfettled : whereas in fouthern countries, 
where it would be fo agreeable,to pafs apart of the 
night in the open air, they know very little about a 
Vauxhall; for in all Italy there is no more than one, 
beddes that at Milan. Tire climate of Hamburg is lels 
favourable than that of England for fuch an entertain¬ 
ment. , 
Though the civil conditution of Hamburg feems prin¬ 
cipally calculated for the encouragement and protection 
of commerce, yet great advances have been made under 
its aufpices in the acts of focial life, and in the improve¬ 
ment of literature and the fciences ; infomuch that a 
learned Society, calculated for the promotion of human 
knowledge, has been lately eftablilhed at Hamburg, and 
fome few volumes of their intereding Tranfadtions have 
been publilhed ; which lias long been the boad of their 
imperial city. 
Humbujrg, Lubec, and Bremen, are the only remains 
of the ancient Hanfeatic confederacy, once fo celebrated 
and powerful. The red have long bowed to a foreign 
yoke, and retain nothing of their former fplendour, ex¬ 
cept the ruins of palaces, and walls and guilds falling to 
decay. Time, which in turn feems dedined to dedroy 
all human inditutions, now at lead threatens the de- 
drudtion of Hamburg : for its freedom is no more. On 
Wednefday tlie 19th of November 1806, a divilion of 
the French imperial army, under general Mortier, for- 
4 mally 
