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18 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
Augsburg, fol. and in P. von Stelten des altern Gefchichte von Augsburg, 2 vol. in 4to,
which catry it down to the year 1649.
The police of the place is very good, and though the town has no territory, it has no
debts. The water works of Augfburg deferve notice much more than thofe of Marly,
the mechanifm of them is much more fimple, and the advantage of them much more
con{picuous.
Augfburg is, however, no longer what it was. It no longer hasa Fugger, and a
Welfer in it, to lend the emperor millions. In this large and handfome town, formerly
one of the greateft trading towns in Germany, there are no merchants at prefent to be
found, who have capitals of more than 20,0001. ‘The others, moft of whom muft have
their coaches, go creeping on with capitals of 3 or 4,000l. and do the bufinefs of bro-
kers and commiffioners. Some houfes, however, carry on a little banking trade, and
the way through Tyrol, and Graubundten, occafions fome little exchange between this
place and Germany.
After thefe brokers and doers of bufinefs by commiffion, the engravers, ftatuaries,
and painters, are the moft reputable of the labouring part of the city. ‘Pheir produtions,
like the toys of Nuremberg, go every where. There are always fome people of genius
amongft them ; but the {mall demand for their art affords them fo little encouragement,
that to prevent ftarving, they are moftly confined to the {mall religious works, which
are done elfewhere by Capuchin monks. They furnifh all Germany with little pictures
for prayer-books, and to hang in the citizens’ houfes. Indeed the arts meet with little
fupport in this country. The man of fafhion had much rather keep horfes and hounds,
and a ufelefs train of fervants, by whom he is cheated, than provide for an ingenious
artift, and even when, in obedience to fafhion, he is compelled to make fome facrifice to
genius, he refts no confidence in the abilities of his countryman. As he is feldom pof-
fefled of tafte and difcernment himfelf; he is directed in his choice by the reputation of
fome foreign artift, and leaves merit in his own country to ftarve. In other provinces
of Germany, matters appear to be no better ordered; Mengs, Winckelman, Gluck,
Haffe, Handel, and many others, were obliged to acquire reputation abroad, before their
merits were acknowledged at home.
There is an academy of arts inftituted here, under the protection of the magiftrates.
It feems, however, like its patrons, to have no other aim than to produce good mecha-
nics, and preferve the manufactures of thecity. The fenate, for fome time paft, has
been deliberating on fimilar proje€ts, for the encouragement of induftry. As I take
art in any improvement for focial happinefs, I was extremely mortified to fee thefe in-
tentions thwarted by the very governors of the town themfelves.
The grounds of this inconfiftent oppofition, arife in a great meafure from the form of
government. ‘The patricians, who, with a very {mall addition of the mercantile part,
govern the town ariftocratically, cannot bear to fee the plebeian enabled by his indultry
to carry his head above them. Though they extol indultry in the fenate, they hate and
perfecute it inthe workfhop. One Shulin, who has made his fortune by a great cotton-
work, is a lamentable example of this duplicity. As the millions his induftry has
brought, allow him to live more fplendidly than the patricians with empty titles, he is be-
come the object of their moft furious perfecution *.
* Mr. Nicolai is of a different opinion, he fays that the burghers take great part in the government,
and that this is one of the free imperial cities in which there is moft liberty, infinitely moye than at Nurem-
berg or Ulm,
This
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