now arrived, and which is a Danish city, of much beauty and great prosperity, and which has a population, at present, of more than 30,000 souls. This city so closely adjoins Hamburg, that they are only separated from each other by a narrow street, or rather a sort of ditch, which a stranger would think to be almost any thing else than the boundary of two cities, which are rivals in trade, and which are under wholly different governments. The site of Altona is somewhat remarkable. A row of warehouses and shops borders the river, beneath the high bank or continuous bluff, on the sides of which houses rise rapidly above each other; whilst the main part of the city stands on the extensive plain which stretches out beyond and forms a delightful table land, intersected by streets, and covered with well-built houses and fine gardens.

And now we were fairly arrived off Hamburg itself, and came to anchor alongside of the immense mass of shipping, of all countries, which lay in tiers of some three or four vessels deep, in many places, along the shore, to the extent of a mile or a mile and a half.

Having collected together our luggage and given it into the charge of a waterman, and having bid adieu to our companions of the voyage, as well as to our worthy French captain, we descended into a small boat, and made our way through the crowd of ships. We passed what is called the Blockhaus, which is a small house for a guard-station, on a projecting pier of considerable length, and which forms a part of the entrance into the Binnen Hafen, or Inner Harbor, and at length landed at what is called the Baumhaus (or Wooden House), where is another station of the police. There was no vexatious examination of baggage; no demanding and scrutinizing of passports. An officer at the Blockhaus only asked us whether we had any merchandize, and allowed us to pass on upon our simply replying in the negative. Another at the Baum

haus politely asked us, in broken English, for our names, and the name of the hotel to which we were going.

And thus ended our voyage from Havre to Hamburg, a distance of 600 miles, and which occupied the short period of 58 hours. No remarkable incidents occurred. Our fellow-passengers were a few Germans and French, who were, without exception, civil and agreeable in their manners, But as they were all merchants, and wholly intent upon their favorite pursuits, we could learn but little from them save accounts of the state of trade and of stocks. When tired of reading and of talking, we had, however, during the two fine days which we passed on the voyage, one unfailing source of enjoyment, which consisted in taking our seat on the deck amidst our fellow-passengers, where, when we became fatigued with contemplating the scene through which we were passing the dark and watery plain, the almost innumerable white sails which were passing over it, and the blue vault of the cloudless firmament above and around us we could find amusement in making a philosophical comparison of the nasal and guttural sounds, with which our ears were alternately saluted by our Gallic and Germanic companions, as well as in regarding, in the same spirit, the curling and ascending volumes of smoke which issued from the cigars of the one and the pipes of the other.

CHAPTER II.

HAMBURG.

Position of Hamburg-Its harbor-Its canals-The Alster-Description of the houses-Their shape, &c.-Height of the houses-Narrowness of the streets -Busy aspect of the city-The Exchange-The cellars-Handsome appearance of the people-The costume of the Vierlanders-Of the servant-women -Fortifications of Hamburg-Now almost leveled down, and forming pleasant promenades-Gates-Practice of shutting the gates at sun-down-Tolls -Want of public Places in Hamburg-The Binnen Alster, and its beautiful promenades-The finest streets in the city-The environs-Parish or suburb of St. Paul-Parish of St. George-The shores of the Grosse Alster-the village of Ham.

HAMBURG, the most considerable of the Free Cities of Germany, is situated on the right, or northern bank of the Elbe, at about 70 miles from its mouth. Its position is in north lat. 53° 34' 32", and east long. (from Greenwich,) 27° 51'. The Elbe is navigable up to this point for the largest merchant ships. And without question, this city, as regards foreign commerce, is the chief gate of northern Germany. Less, indeed, than Berlin, in point of extent, as well as in point of population, and inferior to it as it regards manufactures and institutions for the promotion of the arts and sciences, as well as literature in general—it is, on the other hand, far superior to that city in the extent of its trade, both interior and exterior, and for the wealth of its inhabitants.

Its site, along the margin of the river, is low, but rises very gradually as it recedes. The highest portion of the city lies in the west, in the direction of Altona, and is a continuation of the elevated bank of the river, or plateau, on which that town stands. In the eastern and north