1802.] 
thofe who are fond of reading, find an 
agreeable place of mecting in Beygang’s 
Mufeum, which has iately been enlarged, 
and a reom opened for converfation’ only. 
Here every one is welcomed in the politett 
mannef by the proprietors. But thefe 
tranquil abodes of the Mafes do not fuit 
the noify marketing public. Tothe book- 
fellers the univerfity affords many conve- 
niencies, and, for a renumeration in ready 
money, willingly takes thefe accoucheurs 
of learning under her prote@ing wings. 
‘The Theological Faculty fhews a good 
example to the others, by converting their 
fpacious leéture-hall into an Exchange 
for thofe conneé&ted with the book- trade ; : 
it is however much too fmall for the great 
concourfe of dealers. 
Il. Bufnefs tranfacied previous to the Fair. 
—Competition of the Englijb.—Plans of 
the German Manu piu ers t0 counteract 
them. 
It is an unfortunate circumftance, that 
a fair, to which merchants repair from 
every part of Eurove, fhould continue to 
be unalterably conneéted with one of the 
moveable feafts inthe Chriftian calendar. 
In the dark ages of fuperstition indeed the 
monks may have held that the {piritual 
indulgences granted on this occafion,, had 
only on Fubilate funday a plenary force: 
but who now in the Proteftant city of Leip- 
zig, ever thinks of indulgences, how- 
ever neceflary to many a poor debteron the 
dread Thuriday in the pay-week? Now 
this year, Fubslate-funday fel) uncommonly 
Jate; and the impatience of the buyers 
and fellers would not permit them to ad- 
here ftriétly to ancient cuftoms and regu- 
Jations. The total failure of their {pecula- 
tions at the preceeding Francfort Eatter- 
fair, had driven the Englith dealers and 
agents feoner than ufuai to Leipzig, where 
the buyers fromthe North and the Eaft had 
likewilfe arrived earlier. The merchants 
refident in Leipzig therefore forefaw, that 
if they waited till the ufual time of opening 
the fair, the numerous ftrangers would 
not longer fuffer themfelves to be confined 
within the bounds of ancient cuftom, but 
proceed to tranfacét the moft important af- 
fairs among themfelves, greatly to the 
difadvantage of the natives. . They there- 
tore petitioned for, and obtained leave 
from Drelden, to ereé&t the booths three 
days ‘ooner than ufual, and thus to anti- 
cipate the bufinefs of the fair. This re- 
markable deviation from long-eftablifhed 
ulage, Ww: iM probably be made a precedent 
for the opening of the Eafter-fair in future : 
the coniequence thereof this year, was, 
almoft entirely fubfided ; 
‘during the four firft days. 
Account of Leipzig Eafter-fair. ot 
that towards the end of what is properly 
the week of the fair, and ftill more fo dur- 
ing the pay-week, the bufy buftle had 
and the compa- 
rative emptimefs of sie before crowded 
places, was very plainly perceptible; the 
moft important bufinefs being concluded 
Certainly much 
time and money might have been faved, if 
it had agreed with the sntereit of theLeip- 
z.gers to fix the pay-week a little earlier. 
At this fair too the Englifh merchants 
and their Hamburg agents had immentfe 
quantities of goods accumulated in their 
ware-rooms, of which there were about 
twenty more than at the preceeding fair. 
But above all, the feemingly inexhauftib'e 
ftores of the two great dealers by commil- 
fion, Macnab and Humphreys, might be 
faid to refemble in one refpeét the heads of 
the ferpent with which Hercules had to con- 
tend ; for as foon as one box was fold, two 
others filled with the fame articles, and, if 
poffible, ftill finer and cheaper, took their 
place. Indeed the inconiprehenh ts e cheap- 
nefs and quantity of many of thele articles 
again brought into c.rculation among the 
Gérman Merc hants theold abfurd tales and 
ota about the immenfe encourage- 
ment and fupport the Englifh miniftry had 
given to the merchants by exemptions ‘and 
premiums for expertaticn, ard of their 
accurled plans and con{piracy to ruin the 
manufactures of the continent. Some, 
however, confoled themfelves with calcu- 
lations founded on what they thought 
authentic information from England, by 
which they endeavoured to thew, that of 
many of the manufactures moft in requeft, 
amuch larger quantity were made then 
buyers in Germany and other countries on 
the continent poffibl y could confume, and ~ 
that confequently, to rcftcre the equiiibri- 
um, a great mercantile revolution molt 
f{peedily enfue. But how little this was 
the cafe at the fountain-head with refpeét 
to the moft important of the Englith ma- 
nufactures, appeared, not to mention other 
fimilar proofs, from initiuctions fent to 
Macnab by his employers, not to proceed 
with the fale of ther goods at the low 
prices they had hitherto been fold ats 
becaufe large orders had arrived at Glal- 
gow, in confequence of the ratification of 
peace. But the moft intelligent eafily dif- 
covered the true caufe of the cheapneds of 
the Englifh manufactures : viz. the ab ridg~ 
ment of labour by means of machinery, 
the numerous canals and other local ad- 
vantages, but in particular the vait capi- 
tals which the whole/ale dealers have at 
their command. Befides, it might have 
bec 
