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$ RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
the future, live in the confidence that he has a provident and anxious father in his
prince: yes, may the conteft who fhall do moft to make his native country happy, be
from this day forth the only conteft that ever arifes between us.” :
The duke is now quite a philofopher; he founds fchools, farms, cultivates arts and
feiences, and eflablifhes manufactures: in fhort, he endeavours in every way poflible to
make up for what has been wrong. ,
Many caufes had contributed to miflead this prince in the earlier parts of life, and
to give his mind, naturally a lively and impetuous one, a falfe direction. Amongft the
foremott, we may reckon the fafhion of the times, the bad examples fet him by the courts
of Manheim and Drefden, the tafte for falle magnificence, which he had acquired in
lraly, and the corruption of thofe who furrounded him; many of whom, I am afhamed
to fay it, were French. Thefe were the caufes of that diffipation of which Europe has
heard fo much. The confequences were fuch as might naturally have been forefeen ;
debt, oppreflive taxes, refiftance on the part of the ftates of the country, and finally, a
commitiion of inquiry iffued by the imperial court. The debts, upon examination, were
found to amount to 1,200,cool. The evil counfellors, you may think, were removed ;
but this would have done little, but for the change which about this time took place in
moft of the lefler courts of the empire, the princes of which, from being oppreflive and
expenfive tyrants, fuddenly contracted a ta{te for political ceconomy and philofophical
purfuits. Into thefe the duke ran with as much ardour as he had formerly done into ju-
venile diffipation.
I thould now give you an account of the feveral new eftablifhments for education,
and particularly of the military academy ; but I believe that you are already acquainted
with them, and as to myfelf, I muft confefs ingenioufly, that they do not pleafe me. I
fuppofe that as things are now circumftanced, it is neceflary to pour a great deal of
knowledge into boys, before the mind is fit to receive it; ftill I own that I cannot bear
to fee the intention of nature fo perverted. Mychildren, if I am bleffed with any, fhall
grow up to thefe years like young Coflacks.—But I fhall take another opportunity
to give you my fentiments on education—at prefent fomething more concerning Wir-
temberg.
‘ihe crcatelt part of the dukedom confifts in an extenfive valley, which is bounded on
the eaft by a chain of hills cailed the Alps; on the weft by the Black Foreft; on the
north bya part of the mountain of Oden-Wald, and an arm of the Black Foreft; and
on the fouth by the joint arms of the Alps, and the Black Foreft *. On the whole it
inclines to the northward, and is watered in the middle by the Necker. Several fmaller
arms run off from the furrounding chains of hills towards the centre, crofs each other
in various directions, and form little vallies, which are watered by an infinity of rivers.
The land is rendered exceedingly fruitful by thefe leffer hills, which fhelter the vallies
from the cold winds, and colleét the heat of the fun betweenthem. The fouthern fides
of thefe mountains and hills are planted with vines very high up, and above there is ex-
cellent dyers’ wood, and bruth wood; and at the bottom is a grey-coloured light mould,
which yields all kinds of corn, but particularly barley, in aftonifhing plenty. Upon the
whole, this country very much refembles the middle part of Lorrain; but the foil is
much better, and there are not fo many {tones in it. Excepting falt, which itis obliged
to have recourfe to Bavaria for, it abounds in all the neceflaries of life. What corn is not
confumed in the country is fent to Switzerland, and the wine goes as far as England.
* The Black Foreft is the largeft wood of Germany, being fixty days journey in length, and nine in
foreadth.
The
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