8 
fplendid church veftments and ornaments, 
enriched with pearlsand embroidery, which, 
during the fair, were transferred into the 
profane hands of circumcifed and uncir- 
cumcifed brokers ; and the facred veflels 
of gold and filver, which had been faved 
from the rapacity of the enemy, came 
forth from the hiding-places—only to pafs 
into the fmelting-pot of the refiner. Sin- 
gle communities, and whole provinces, 
have not yet recovered from the exhaufted 
‘flate, occafioned by the exceffive contri- 
butions levied upon them; and, in the 
‘public treafuries, fome fymptoms mani- 
feft themfelves that have an unfavourable 
effet on the condition of men holding of- 
fices under government, and of many fa- 
milies which ufed to live in affluent cir- 
cumftances; and this was an additional 
caufe of the fcarcity of money at the fair. 
But what, moft of all, impeded the ufual 
courfe of bufinefs was, the new fyfém of 
tolls and duties in the departments latel 
annexed to France, on the left bank of 
the Khine, and the oppreffive arbitrarinefs 
with which they are levied by the offi- 
cers and collectors; for the profperity of 
Frankfort, in a great meafure, depends 
upon the free navigation of the Rhine, 
and an uninterrupted intercourfe with the 
countries on the left fide of that river, by 
means of the road called the Thalweg. It 
is hoped, however, that the endeavours of 
the aétive commiffioners for the four new 
departments, to remove fome of the ob- 
fiructions to a free trade, will be crowned 
with fuccefs. 
The number of vifitors was confide- 
rably lefs than at the Jaft autumnal fair ; 
when the northern birds of paffage, in 
their flight towards the great city on the 
banks of the Seine, refted here for fome 
time 5; and they more willingly flocked to 
the warehoufes filled with Englith goods, 
as thefe articles had been prohibited in 
France, and confequently muft have much 
advanced in price. But, in particular, 
the merchants obferved with forrow the 
non-attendance of many French buyers, 
who, fince the ratification of peace, could, 
by alefs circuitous road, and with lefs ex- 
pence, fupply their wants. Of Englith 
goods and manufactures there was an 
immenfe {upply : andthe prices they fold at 
were low almoft beyond comprehenfien ; 
yet, certainiy, more than a third of them 
remained in the hands of the merchents 
and agents, and were fent to the Leipzig 
fair. 
Of fhews and exhibitions, for the en- 
tertainment of the idle and curious, there: 
* was cvery where a fuperabundance;—fuch 
Frankfort Eafter-Fair: 
fAug. ly 
as the folemn opening of the fair, the 
Panorama view of Toulon, at the mo- 
ment when the French army, under thé 
command of Cartoux, entered the city, in 
17923; and Mr. Johneys mex of a fingular 
conformation; thefe are two brothers, 
whofe fkin, except itt the face, the foles 
of the feet, and the palms of the hands, is 
covered with horny excrefcences like 
{cales. Itisremarkable, that this difeafe 
of the fkin has been tranimitted to the 
third generation, and probably will be to 
a fourth, as one of them is married. They 
are both of a ftrong, athletic conftitution, 
and the eldeft of the brothers is an expert 
boxer, as his grandfather likewife had 
been. Being laft autumn at Gottingen, 
they were examined by Profeffor Blu- 
menbach, who has given a particular acs 
count of them in Voigt’s Magazin fur den 
neuefien Luftand der Naturkunde. Plays 
and balls were given at the theatre, which 
is one of the bet in Germany. But it 
would be tedious to go through the long 
lit of wax figures, metamorphofes, harle- 
quinades, rope-dancing, peripettive views; 
models of Chinefe fhips, &c. &c. 
In the warehoufes of the dealers ir 
prints, paintings, and other works of art, 
many excellent articles were to be feen. 
The number of fuch warehoufes has, of 
late years, confiderably increafed; and a 
tafte for the fine arts is more prevalent 
than formerly ; but the German patriots 
had here likewife to lament the exceffive 
influx of Englifh productions, which were 
fought after with a fafhionable eagernefs 
by the rich buyers and amateurs, being 
frequently unjuftly preferred to the moré 
matterly works of the native artifts. The 
beft and mot choice colleé&tion was exhi- 
bited in Silberberg’s warehoufe. Prefiels 
the engraver and bis daughter likewife 
deferve to be mentioned with particular 
commendation. Since he and his inge- 
nious wife left London, he has refided 
chiefly at Sode, the country-feat of M. 
von Brabek, in whofe gallery of paintings 
he copied, in a mafterly manner, the ex- 
cellent Ruyfdaels. |The prints from thefe 
pictures may be clafled among the beft 
that have of late been publifhed in Ger- 
many. The ingenious artift here fub- 
mitted ‘to the judgment of the publie, 
fome proofs of his new method of colour- 
ing copper-plates with oil colours, infuch a 
manner that they nearly equal the origi- 
nals. Juftice requires we fhould ftate, 
that almof at the fame time, this procefs 
was likewife invented and employed with 
the greateft fuccefs, by Mr. I. R. Smith, 
engraver to the Prince of Wales. 
I 
