Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Pages ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
240 RIESBECK’S TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY.
eftablifhments, or the tyrannical manner in which their hufbandmen are treated. The
beauty and falubrity of its fituation, encouraged me to make an excurfion as far as Af-
chaffenburg. At fome diftance north and eaftward, you fee the Speflart, which forms
a haif circle round this city, and protects it from the high winds. ‘The country about
this city is uncommonly fruitful. . It is famous for producing a great number of apple-
trees, with the fruit of which they make a cyder, which only a connoiffeur can diftin-
guith from true wine. Itis often exported to the north asa Rhenifh. I tafted fome of
it that was feven years old; it had a great deal of fire, but cofts twenty-four creutzers
the bottle, a price for which you may have very good wine.
The government encourages the people to make as much as poflible of the advantage
of their fituation. They have planted mulberry-trees, and have made fome very good
experiments on filk-worms. On the banks of the Maine, near the city, there is a fine
alley, which runs through a very extended plain. You meet here with a curious me-
morial of the fixteenth century. An old German knight, as big as the life, and armed
at all points, is kneeling before a crucifix, at the bottom of which he has depofited his
helmet. The whole has the appearance of an immenfe pyramid, of which the crofs
forms the head, and the knight and his appurtenances the lower parts. The work is
extremely good, and altogether exhibits a very {triking appearance to the beholder.
Francfort is a fine large city. There is no town in Germany which has larger or
more magnificent inns than thofe of this place. Ixcepting Hamburgh, this is the only
imperial city which keeps up all its priftine {plendour. Whilft Nurenberg, Augfburg,
and feveral others about it, are going to decay, it continues to thrive and to improve.
The outfides of the houfes are very {plendid, and the ftyle of the architecture fhews that
the inhabitants know how to lay out their money with tafte. There are about thirty
inhabitants in the place who are worth a million of livres; and you may name above
thirty Calviniftic houfes, who have thirty thoufand guilders. The number of very rich
Catholics and Lutherans, is not lefs: fo that in all there may be about two hundred
houfes who have incomes of one hundred thoufand guilders *, and above. There isa
high appearance of affluence throughout. ‘The furniture of their houfes, their gardens, -
equipage, drefs, and female ornaments, every thing, in fhort, befpeaks a ftate above the
ordinary citizen, and which approaches the extreme of magnificence.
The trade of Francfort is extremely hurtful to Germany. According to the accounts
given me bya very underftanding merchant of this place, the exports of German com-
modities by this channel hardly amount toa tenth of the imports from France, Holland,
Italy, and other countries. The former confift of iron and other rough or worked
metals, (which are exported moftly into France and Holland) of wine, linen, and other
infignificant articles. The latter, on the contrary, are made up of all kinds of {pices,
female ornaments, handkerchiefs, filks, and in fhort, all the expenfive articles of luxury
furnifhed by Italy, France, aud Holland. In a word, Francfort is the great canal by
which the gold of the empire runs out. The lofs which this place brings on the coun-
tries about the upper parts of the Rhine, Danube, and Maine, may be judged of by the
value of the louis-d’ors. As all the payment of this place to France and Holland, muft
be made in this coin, they are commonly worth twelve creutzer more here than in the
other parts of Germany, the country about the Lower Rhine only excepted, which
drives the fame kind of unpatriotic trade. The older people of this place, as well as in
Bavaria, Franconia, and Suabia, remember the times, when, after the operations of
Lewis XIV. our louis and crown pieces were the coin the moft commonly to be met
* 10,e00!.
with
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
