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THE ENGLISH GARDEN.

interestingly rural rather than elegant, where cards and refreshments awaited us. Whist, Boston, and Zwingen, the last resembling loo, are the games most in vogue. The time was thus whiled away in good-humoured mirth, with the chance of losing a fortune of Kreutzers, till nine o'clock, when half the party, called by official duties, as usual, took their hats and shawls to be in time for the Court supper. The absence of Royalty-perhaps Sovereignty is the more correct expression - from this entertainment, added to its ease and unrestrained enjoyment: an enjoyment, not of the most lively cast to any one accustomed to society, in its more active haunts or in what is preferable its cordial

privacy. Here it presents all the disadvantages of the petit grand monde-it is ceremonious and heartless, without being gay or busy-and contracted and provincial, without the charm of retirement or friendly relations. These defects are, however, much counterbalanced by the goodnature and bonhommie of the Germans, which to strangers is very prepossessing; and, as, at present, the average activity of character does not aspire beyond such en

THE ENGLISH GARDEN.

39

joyments, every one has an air of content and unsuspecting happiness: “Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."

A fair friend of mine used to shed many a soft tear for these pleasures whenever she found herself at her husband's beautiful country seat.

LETTER III.

THE

E public revenues of the Grand Duke of Hesse are about 400,000l. per ann. -besides which he has a private fund of about 10,000l. per ann. chiefly arising out of estates which he has purchased, and over which he has the disposal during his life, but which become domains of the Crown on his death. His suc-. cessor will have the same powers over any private property he may acquire during his reign. The little States have most of them a national debt, incurred in the necessities of the late wars. That of the Grand Duchy of Hesse is not, however, so very insignificant, the interest amounting to 80,000l. The Hessian Stock is just now in very good repute, at about 70 per cent. In the war it was at 40, but the good faith of the Government, which, unlike many others, both great and small, has

POLITICAL ECONOMY.

41

never stopped in all its distresses the payment of the interest, has given confidence to the public Creditor. Like many little Sovereigns, the Grand Duke is more beloved in his Capital than in the country- a popularity partly acquired by little immunities by which these Princes favour the inhabitants of their residences. The metropolitans, for instance, buy all the wood they consume from the forests of their Sovereign, at not above half the price paid by the unprivileged rustics; and any person who builds a house in the town, in conformity with the plan arranged by the Prince, has a twenty years freedom from taxes, timber for building at a cheap rate, and other facilities. Partly owing to these encouragements, but more to the accession of territory and population acquired by the Grand Duke, from Napoleon, and from the arbiters at Vienna, new buildings and streets are adding daily to his metropolis. Building is cheap and expeditious; the houses speedily start up of a rough composition of stones and mortar, overlaid with a neat coat of white plaster, roofed with slate from the mountainous banks of

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PHLEGM OF THE PEASANTS.

the Rhine: and these flimsily constructed buildings have an air of far greater neatness and elegance than more substantial brick and tile edifices.

The peasants complain of the weight of taxes, and the excessive dearness of necessaries, occasioned by the failure of the last year's crops. And though it stands to reason that their hardships are augmented by the burthen of a large establishment of troops, and the salaries of a crowd of Privy, Finance, War, and other Counsellors, &c. who clog the heavy machine of government, and of Singers and musical Professors, who vie, in price and fame, with the great operas of Germany, you rarely hear them vent a complaint against their Prince. In the midst of a lively history of his grievances, the painting of which will sometimes a little rouse his characteristic apathy, the peasant will tell you, oh ya, his Prince is a guter man, a recht ehrlicher mann, (a good man, a right-honest man,) with a sort of mechanical loyalty, which is half quiescent dullness and half upright goodness of character. The Grand Duke of Hesse was one of the last Princes who acceded to the Con

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