1801.] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, eu 
F the following account of a diftrict 
little known, and yet of no inconfider- 
able importance, fhould be thought accep- . 
table to your readers, it is much at your 
fervice. 
In that part of the principality of Saxe- 
Cobourg which is contiguous to the great 
foreft of Thuringia, is fituated the little 
canton of Sonnenburg, comprifing an ex- 
tent of about.eleven {quare leagues. 
thefe nearly eight are taken up by a 
mountainous projection of the foreft, exhi- 
biting a firiking aflemblage of rocks, and 
torrents, and woods, with a few villages 
in the moft fertile {pots ; while the great 
mais of the population is {pread over the 
remaining three leagues. The whole 
number of inhabitants is about 13,000, 
occupying 2200 houfes, which are col- 
le&ted into fix {mall towns, and feventy 
villages and hamlets; their cattle and 
horfes amount to 850c. Potatoes form 
the chief fuftenance of the people, and pro- 
vifions in genera] are very cheap. 
Deftitute of the convenience of water- 
carriage, and without any materials ex- 
cept thofe which are furnifhed by their 
own rocks and forefts, it would be im- 
poffible for this little tra&t of country to 
fupport half ifs prefent population, with- 
out the moft patient and unremitting in- 
duftry. Much of the territory is not 
fuited for the improvements of agriculture ; 
the inhabitants have therefore from time 
immemorial applied themfelves to manu- 
facture, more efpecially of thofe various 
articles that are known over all Europe 
by the name of Nuremberg wares. At 
the fair of Frankfort they have long en- 
joyed peculiar privileces, for which they 
make a yearly acknowledgment to the 
chief mag ‘trate of famples of their vari- 
ous manufattures. The value of thefe 
{mall articles amounts annually to about 
$oool. of which the principal are pill- 
boxes, fieve-frames, looking-gla{s frames, 
cheisboards, chefsmen and draughts, hand- 
organs, flates to write on, gun-flints, and 
a variety of childrens’ toys, fuch as whis- 
tles, fiddles, marbles, dolls, baby houfes, 
horles, coaches &c. From the great divi- 
fion of labour many of thefe articles are 
fold {urprifingly cheap: numbers of little 
whiftles are made, and pafs through the 
hands of three or four workmen, whofe 
wholefale price at Sonnenburg does not 
exceed four fhillings for feventy dozen. 
Befides the traffic in thefe {mall goods, 
there are three forges worked in the moun- 
tains, which, befides {upplying the wants 
of the inhabitants, export tools and im- 
plements of wrought iron, Somg heavy 
Montuty Mas, No. 76, 
Of 
Diftri® of Sonnénburge Lying -in-Charity. 9 
rough goods, as timber, potafh,lamp-black, 
and pitch, the produce of their foretts, 
are fent by land to Kronach on the Mayny 
whence they are diftributed to the diftriéts 
down the river. At the village of Stei- 
nach is a manufaéture of Pruffian-blue, 
and at Hoemmern are vitriol works, and 
black, brown, yellow, red and white 
earths for the’painters. Gluckfthal and 
Laufcha poffefs glafs-houfes, where they 
make bottles, apothecaries® vials, beads, 
enamel buttons and looking glafles to the 
annual amount of about soocl. A ma 
nufacture of porcelain has of late been 
effablifhed at Limbach, and already yields 
a profit of above 30001. Such are the.va- 
rious methods in which the inhabitants 
of Sonnenburg render the public tributary 
to their induftry: all the rough materials 
are the fpontaneous produce of their own 
territory ; their manufactures are articles 
of univerfal and regular demand in civil. 
lized fociety ; induftry is the hereditary 
portion of Germans, and therefore their 
profperity is fixed upon as durable a ba- 
fis as any thing human can be. 
= 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magaxinée 
SIR, 
HE annual meeting of the fubferi- 
bers to the charity for the Relief of 
Married Women during lying-in, and 
Sick Perfons, eltabliflied at ‘Tottenham 
High Crofs, Middlefex, in 1791, was 
lately held. From an infpe&tion of the 
books it appears, that the firft year only 
14. perfons were relieves —fecond year 3 5— 
third year 52—fourth year 64—fifth year 
78—fixth year 79—feventh year 94— 
elghth year gi1—ninth year 102—tenth 
year 94. 
This ufeful inftitution is fupported by 
the triflmg fubfcription of fix-pence, 
weekly, from each fubferiber, which fup- 
plies linen to every inhabitant of the pa- 
rifh, male or female, who applies for it, 
in cafe of ficknefs ; and enables each fub- 
fcriber to give away two tickets in a year, 
to either a fick or lying-in perfon, whom - 
it entitles to eleven fhillings, befides the 
privilege of linen. . 
This charity was firft formed on a very 
confined f{cal¢, under the aufpices of eight 
ladies only: it is now patronized by a 
numerous and refpeétable lift of fubferi- 
bers, and has given birth to moft of the 
fimilar eftablifhments in different parts of 
the kingdom. P.W. 
—o— 
Zo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ° 
HAVE read with pleafure the varie 
ous defcriptions of the State of So- 
ciety and Manners in many Towns of this 
Cc Tiland 
