through a succession of gardens and orchards, with their pretty villas; but we no sooner entered that part of the duchy of Lauenburg belonging to the king of Denmark than the scene entirely changed; the road became one of the worst over which I had ever travelled; and notwithstanding this, a heavy tax is levied upon all travellers, under the name of Koffergeld, not one kreutzer of which is ever expended in repairing the roads. Although in a previous chapter I eulogized the Danish government for its mild and paternal administration, yet in this department they are extremely supine, or their authority must be delegated to the most dishonest hands, as I found the roads wretchedly kept throughout their German possessions.

The repeated concussions which myself and fellowpassengers received in the well-packed eilwagen, as we were jolted over the huge masses of stone, caused the conversation to consist of little else than exclamations of vexation. The "Ah, mon Dieu!" of a French commercial traveller, was echoed by the "Jesus Maria und Joseph!" of a pious Catholic, intermingled with the "O mai!" of a Hebrew pedlar, and the "Herr Gott Sakrament!" of a South German Kaufmann. These exclamations were iterated and reiterated by the motley group, till we arrived at the small town of Lauenburg; and to add to my misfortune, the aspect of the country was not calculated to beguile my attention; for, with few exceptions, it consisted of nothing else than dreary heaths and sandy plains, unenlivened by vegetation, save here and there a stunted pine.

The landscape somewhat improved as we approached

Lauenburg, presenting a gleam of verdure in the desert. The town is prettily situated on the banks of the Elbe, surrounded by an amphitheatre of small hills, which in any other country but this monotonous plain would have been passed over in silence; and, as I beheld the Hamburg steam-packet dashing majestically up the river, I very much regretted not having adopted that conveyance to Berlin; for though the banks of the Elbe are any thing but picturesque in this part of the country, still they must exceed the land route in beauty, and the traveller is at least exempted from swallowing doses of sand against his inclination.

On again entering the duchy of Mecklenburg the road changed in every respect for the better, but the aspect of the country became even more monotonous. Dense pine forests succeeded the arid heaths of Lauenburg, without a single habitation for miles. This continued without intermission till we arrived at Ludwigslust.

The traveller who has visited the fine old Gothic castle at Schwerin, and the enchanting scenery that surrounds it, must feel surprised that the Dukes of Mecklenburg should have deserted it for this morass, unredeemed as it is by a single feature of fertility or beauty; but princes, like common men, have their whims; and it was the lust (pleasure) of Louis Duke of Mecklenburg to subvert the laws of Nature, by creating beauty where deformity had previously existed, and thus to bequeath his name to posterity as the founder of the town of Ludwigslust. In this instance

art has indeed triumphed, for the palace is a beautiful chaste building, and the spacious park and pleasuregrounds, considering the soil and situation, are laid out to great advantage, including fine gravel walks, a luxury seldom met with in Germany. However, when viewed from the high road, the pleasing effect of the building is sadly marred by two wooden guard-houses, which completely intercept the view of its finely-proportioned wings; and the artificial cascade, fed by a pool of stagnant water, intended as an ornament! would have been better omitted. A splendid avenue in front leads to a very tastefully designed church of Grecian architecture; but the most attractive object is the Russian chapel, containing the mausoleum of the Grand Duchess Helena of Russia; and to those who have never seen a temple dedicated to the Greek form of worship, it might be interesting.

I was prevented viewing the interior of the palace in consequence of a levée, but, en revanche, I enjoyed a pleasant promenade through the grounds, which were enlivened by the presence of the Crown Prince, the military, and a numerous assemblage of the beau monde of the court and town, together with the cheering strains of a fine band of wind instruments.

The Duke having made Ludwigslust his principal residence, buildings have considerably multiplied within the last few years, insomuch, that what was recently a village, has now the appellation of town; but to judge from the pale complexions of the inhabitants, it cannot have been selected on account of its salubrity; and having experimentally proved the fact, I can testify

that the myriads of mosquitoes generated by the marshes do not render it an agreeable residence for strangers.

Mecklenburg was originally peopled by the Obotritens, a Vandal tribe, who, after sanguinary wars with their powerful neighbours, the Saxons, were finally conquered and united to the German empire by Charlemagne. It is remarkable, that during the whole lapse of time, from the darkest ages of antiquity to the present day, this people have been governed by the same dynasty, being the only reigning house in Germany of Vandal origin; and though this illustrious and very ancient family has been at different periods expelled the country, yet they still continue to hold possession of their ancient tenure. During the thirty years' war, Ferdinand II. transferred the dukedom to Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland, and in our own days Napoleon took forcible possession. It is highly honourable to the patriotic sovereign of Mecklenburg, that he was the last to join the confederation of the Rhine, and the first to declare war against the usurper.

The population of the duchy is about four hundred thousand, and that of the junior branch, Strelitz, seventy-six thousand. Nevertheless, from the extent of territory, and the fertility of the soil, it is fully equal to maintain a million, and considerably more, if the lakes were drained, which might easily be effected by canals to the Elbe and the Baltic.

It would also be beneficial to the country if the land were more equally divided; for the sovereign possesses in domains four-tenths, the nobility five-tenths, leaving one-tenth only to be divided among the people at

large. The inhabitants are in general a fine athletic race, distinguished by fair complexions, from the prince to the peasant. The landsman, unlike his neighbour in Holstein, is poor. I sought in vain for those appearances of comfort and plenty which there delighted me; and yet, like Holstein, it is one of the most fertile provinces in the north of Germany, and exports provisions in large quantities to Prussia and Hamburg, while the poor natives are obliged to be contented with potatoes, horse-beans, and sauer-kraut.

During my tour through the more remote villages, I found it was impossible to procure a comfortable dinner. Fresh meat was entirely out of the question; the general bill of fare at the inns consisted of potatoes, bread, butter, and eggs; and those of a superior class added bacon and sauer-kraut. My drink was always confined to wretched beer or schnapps, and when I demanded wine, they looked at me as if my intellects were deranged. My bed was not unfrequently a straw palliasse, and the only covering a feather-bed, enveloped in a gay-coloured cotton cover, the whole supported on a bedstead five feet long, composed of deal boards nailed together, in form not unlike a packingbox. As for attempting a comfortable horizontal position, it was impossible: I was therefore obliged to adopt the half reclining attitude of the Germans. These miserable arrangements are common to all the remote districts of Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and Prussia, and if to them you add a couple of wool mattrasses, substitute a goose down plumeau for the featherbed, and walnut-tree for deal, you have the usual bed