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RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. #
hatred of fin, and a greater fear of the devil, drefled up the fchool-mafler of the place
like Beelzebub, and in the midft of fervice called him up from a hiding-place he had
provided for him, to bear witnefs to the truth.
This country is fingularly interefting to a botanift, or mineralogift; but having the
misfortune, unluckily, to be very little known, the difcovery of the treafures contained
in it is referved for futurity, when either a man of genius fhall addict himfelf to thefe
purfuits, or the fwarm of idle travellers who hover like cock-chafer’s alternately about
the Appenines, the Alps, Etna, and the Pyreneans, fhall at length for once take their
flight to thefe parts, and by their cry excite fome foreign genius to the tafk. ‘The Zil+
lerthal is particularly rich in different forts of variegated ftones, and in many parts of the
hills you meet with very fcarce European plants. In fine there is room for weaving
many an hypothefis on the plants of the hills, on the work and production of the waters
in them, and on the revolutions of nature that may ftill be expected.
Before I difmifs you I muft give you fome account of a marquifate in the Holy Roman
Empire, which hardly a geographer amongft us is acquainted with the exiftence of. It
is the marquifate of Berchtolfeaden, of which there 1s a fine view from the top of the
Unterberge, which is its limit to the north. It confifts of a fmall narrow vale, encom-
pafled around with rocks, and hardly contains three thoufand fouls. ‘The place, is bro-
ken by forne lakes, and the lower part of the hills iscovered with deep woods. A few
days ago, we had an excellent dinner in one of the large iflands of the lake, made up
of fifh we had caught in it, fome exquifite venifon, and Tyrol wine.—Mark, that
there is no deficiency of cooks in the moft diftant and fequeftered nooks of this country.
The nature of this country being favourable neither to agriculture nor pafture, the
inhabitants have given themfelves to works of art, which fail mankind in no part of the
earth, and are mighty and powerful enough to turn the hardeft {tones into bread. _Itis
in thefe remote vallies that they make the greateft part of the toys with which Nurenberg
and Augfburg carry on fo confiderable a trade. The horfes with fpurs, little rafps,
cuckows, wooden mannakins, rats, and mice, and all the play-things for little childrens
alfo the crucifixes, {traw quadrille boxes, powder and pomatum boxes, and all the play-
things for great children ; in a word, the greater part of the articles which go amongft
us under the name of German toys, come out of this gulph. It is a pretty fight enough
to behold two or three families gathered together in a hut, and to fee the great plump
hands of the farmers occupied in giving a finifh to the fmalleft articles. ‘There is occu-
pation for the grey-headed, as well as for prattling infancy. The very fmall price for
which the makers part with thefe commodities, makes it impoflible for them to accu-
mulate riches ; but they have enough, and are happy with it. ‘Thefe good people little
think that their productions are brought to us, and that the Spaniards drive a very pro-
fitable trade with them in both the Indies. A fmall part of thefe people alfo occupy
themfelves in falt making; but as it muft all be carried through Bavaria, which abounds
in the commodity, they part with it for a fong. In this article they fuffer much from a
powerful neighbour on the Saltzburg fide ; for Saltzburg has extended its falt mines far
beyond the limits that part the two countries; and though the marquis has made feveral
remonftrances, no body has attended to his complaints.
Befides this country, the marquis of Bertoch/galden poflefles fome eftates in Auftria
and Bavaria; the value of which altogether may amount to about 60,000 guilders per
annum; but the diffipation of former marquifles has occafioned the contraction of a
large debt.
VOL. VI. 4 LETTER
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