live splendidly; and both the Brothers, the eldest of whom is a Colonel of the Guards, are amiable and infinitely polite. If ever you come hither, you will certainly have reason to be fond of their Company.
The Situation of Hanover is very agreeable; and in its Neighbourhood are several pretty Seats. Among these Herenhausen (the House of the Lord, or the Master) is a Castle which was built by Order of the Elector Ernest-Augustus, the King's Grandfather. This House, to which a strait Walk leads, bears no proportion to the Magnificence of its Gardens, which are undeniably some of the finest in all Europe; being particularly adorn'd with Water-Works that throw the Water up much higher than the famous Fountain at St. Cloud, which was always look'd upon as the most considerable of the kind[35].
Between Hanover and Herenhausen, there are two fine Seats; of which, one is call'd Fantasie, i. e. the Whim; and the other, Monbrillant, or, Mount-Pleasant. They were built by two Sisters-in-law, viz. Madame de Kilmanseck, (who after her Husband's Death, was by King George I. created Countess of Arlington) and the Countess of Platen. These two Houses are a Proof of the good Taste of those Ladies, who were really an Honour to Germany, for their Beauty, good Sense, Manners, and Genius. They both died in their Prime, a little time after one another; my Lady Arlington in England, and the Countess of Platen at Hanover, to which she was not only an Ornament, but a Lustre.
The Dominions of Hanover are so considerable, that I have been assured the Revenues are no less than six Millions of Crowns per An. Whether this be true, I do not know; but I tell you what I was told myself.
Hamelen upon the Weser is the only Town that can be reckoned a Place of Defence. Hanover, Zell, and Lunenbourg, have Ramparts; Harbourg, a Castle, or Citadel; but all so inconsiderable, that they are not worth mentioning.
There are few Sovereigns whose Finances are in so good a Condition as this Elector's; which has been the happy Produce of three succeeding Reigns; and the good Œconomy wherewith they were managed by the three last Princes of the Electoral Family, has contributed infinitely to the Figure it makes at this time. Mean-while, notwithstanding these Regulations, the People were never oppress'd, and the Princes always lived with a Splendor suitable to their Grandeur. Ernest-Augustus obtained the Electoral Dignity, not without making great Presents to the Court of Vienna, at a time too when his Power was limited to the Dutchy of Hanover, and the Bishoprick of Osnabrug. Tho' this Prince had a numerous Family to provide for, he lived with Splendor, was fond of Magnificence and Pleasures, gallant, generous, and liberal; and when he died, he left no Debts to pay, and his Finances were in a good State.
George I. his Son and Successor kept up a considerable Body of Troops, and had a very splendid Court. As his Acquisitions were great, he distributed his Favours where-ever he was inform'd there was a Necessity; and when he came to the Throne, he made no Reform in this Court; so that their not seeing him was the only Token of his Absence. At his Death, he left immense Sums in his Treasury,
and so glorious a Character, that his Subjects still bless the Memory of his Reign.
George II. his Son, and the Heir of his Crown, his Dominions, and Virtues, behaves in the very same manner. While he lives and acts like a King, he neither gives, on the one hand, into the Extravagance of vain Pomp and Pageantry, nor on the other, into that sordid Thriftiness which debases Royal Majesty, and extinguishes the Love of Subjects. He accumulates Treasure without oppressing his People, who love him, and offer up their Prayers for him, as I do for your Preservation; and