necessary to convince me that I was within the barrier, as that circumstance was abundantly evidenced by the saucy arrogance of the custom-house officers, and the display of a little army of gens d'armes. Here, for the first time since I left England, my passport was demanded, and my luggage examined, notwithstanding I had wandered over Hamburgh and its little territory, and the dukedoms of Holstein and Mecklenburg. I found the hunt through my portmanteau was after " Englische waaren," which, nevertheless, like the cholera, cross the frontier in spite of every preventive cordon. The Prussian police are determined to exclude not only foreign manufactures, but foreign beggars; for I observed at the custom-house two poor mechanics from Lubeck, who were on their way to Stralsund in search of work, but they were obliged to retrace their steps, because they could not produce the sum of twenty Prussian dollars (three pounds), which it is imperative every stranger should possess before he is allowed to pass the Prussian frontier! If this admirable precaution were in force in England, we should not be inundated with German broom-girls, Italian vagabonds, and pennyless strollers from every part of Europe.

Stralsund, the first town in Swedish Pomerania, appears as if built upon an island, being bounded on one side by the Baltic, and on the other by a marshy lake. It was formerly the capital of Swedish Pomerania, and, prior to the late war, deemed impregnable; during the thirty years' war it withstood the whole force of the imperial army under Wallenstein, who

declared, in the most arrogant manner, in presence of his whole army, "If Stralsund were chained to heaven, I would tear it down." But modern science and French daring accomplished what the less skilful Bohemian was unable to effect; the fortifications were destroyed, and promenades with cheerful gardens have succeeded. I presume Prussia has more confidence in the pacific dispositions of her northern neighbours, than in those of the ambitious Gauls, to whom her southern frontier is exposed, for she is constantly strengthening her fortifications on the Rhine, while she leaves her line on the Baltic totally undefended. The public buildings of Stralsund possess neither interest nor beauty, and the streets are narrow and badly paved. I suppose it has had some especial reason for its partiality to the rays of the sun, (Stralsund,) for it has adopted them for its name and ensign; for my part, I was not once gratified with a sight of its exhilarating beams the whole time I remained within its gloomy precincts. Since its annexation to Prussia its maritime commerce has considerably declined; a few manufactures being all that now remain of its once flourishing trade. The inhabitants, amounting to sixteen thousand, are more Swedish than Prussian in their feelings and habits, and regret the loss of their old masters.

The Island of Rügen, with its cluster of islets, is only separated from Stralsund by the strait Gelle, about an English mile in breadth. It was torn from the main land in 1309, during one of the most violent hurricanes on record. Rügen is the largest and most picturesque of all the German islands, its circumfer

ence being seventeen German miles, with a population of thirty-three thousand, exclusive of that of its satellites. It is the great point of attraction to all the lovers of beautiful scenery in the north of Germany, where sandy plains and swampy heaths are the prevailing character of the country. Indeed, wherever we move through this fairy island, our admiration is excited, for we perceive the usual features of nature, not only most highly finished, but at the same time modelled on the most reduced scale. At one time we are wandering through the silent recesses of a small ravine, skirted on either side by the dense foliage of a forest, or overhung by a romantic elevation, having every characteristic of Alpine scenery except size and eternal snows; we then pass into a Lilliputian valley teeming with fertility, or enter a tiny glen, fringed with a tangled mass of thorns, briars, and wild flowers, which fill the air with a fragrant perfume; at another time our vision grasps the whole island, its chalky cliffs and the surrounding islets. In short, the general character of the scenery is beautiful without being sublime; and although we have sometimes a glimpse of the wildly picturesque, yet beauty and softness are the prevailing features, and would be perfect of its kind, but for the absence of those great essentials to landscape scenery, the roaring of the cataract, and the silvery stream that sings and dances along its own wild domain; the want of these is, in some slight degree, compensated by a few small lakes, and numerous bays and creeks. True it is, we feel the absence of the castellated tower, and ivied ruins, yet who could behold the colossal graves

of the heroes of the north, and the Druidical remains, without feeling at the same time awed and interested? Never at any time did I approach these relics of a great people without feeling my imagination transported to the shades of antiquity, and while whole nations have passed away, dynasty after dynasty, these simple, enduring monuments still exist. In appearance they are exactly similar to those I alluded to in Holstein, and the few that have been opened were found to contain weapons, urns, and ornaments, with some of the skeletons in a sitting position.

Bergen is the capital of this little world, where villages are dignified with the appellation of towns, and hamlets with that of villages. Even here we have a little bath for the beau-monde, prettily situated near Potbus, on the brow of a hill overhanging the sea, and united by a fine avenue of noble trees to the extensive park of the Prince von Potbus. This nobleman, whose possessions in these islands are very extensive, is the lineal descendant of the ancient princes of Rügen.

Every place has its lions, and every people their traditions, the most popular here is, that Odoacer, the first king of Italy, was a native of Rügen. It appears that the hordes of the north landed at Arcona, the most northern part of the island, and assembled their forces at Jomsburg, then a famous city, the ruins of which are still pointed out, here they were joined by Odoacer, Prince of Rügen, who led them to the conquest of Rome.

These islands being very remote, and seldom visited

by foreigners, the inhabitants are primitive in their habits and manners; the clergy are extremely hospitable, and consider it a condescension on the part of a stranger to accept a seat at their frugal board; their houses, generally of a respectable description, surrounded by orchards and vine-bowers, appear like so many miniature palaces studded over the islands, when compared with the comfortless huts of the peasants. The good pastors admirably contrive to render their snug benefices hereditary; for should it happen that there is no male heir, the widow, daughter, or niece, marries a candidate for holy orders, who is then inducted into the vacant living. The inhabitants are principally of the reformed church, and their language is a patois of the low German, intermixed with Swedish, which an Englishman would find little difficulty in comprehending. They live together in the greatest harmony, and are industrious and frugal, if we except being somewhat addicted to schnapps-drinking. Should any trifling dispute arise, the pastors, who are regarded as superior beings, exercise the triple diplomas of law, physic, and divinity, and generally succeed in reconciling the differences, healing the bodies, and tranquillizing the minds of their flocks.

Among the adjacent cluster of islets, Hittensoe is the most interesting; it is only four leagues in length and one in breadth, with a population of about six hundred; and if I found the natives of Rugen simple in their customs and manners, these are so in a ten-fold degree. A stranger, on observing their huts, which are merely a composition of peat and turf, with little