who offer'd him an Employment at her Court, and appointed him Vice-President of the Chamber of Justice of the Russian Empire. Some time after, she made him President of the Academy of Sciences at Petersbourg, and sent him to this Court, where he discharges his Ministerial Office with universal Approbation. The Wife of this Minister is the Daughter of the Starost Forchs, who, for opposing the Pretensions of a certain Power which challeng'd more Respect, was assassinated at Mittaw. Both he and his Lady are of the Lutheran Communion.
John-Hartwig-Ernest, Baron of Bernsdorff, Gentleman of the Bed-Chamber to the King of Denmark, and his Majesty's Envoy at this Court, is of a Family which is possess'd of a fine Estate in Mecklembourg, and has given an able Minister to the House of Hanover. The Envoy, of whom mention is here made, does honour to his Character, and behaves with a Prudence not inferior to Ministers of the greatest Experience.
By the Detail I have now given you, Sir, you must have observ'd that the chief Employments of the Court are in the hands of Foreigners, and that Saxons have little to do in Affairs of State, for which they are oblig'd indeed to the Count de Flemming. This vain, haughty, and imperious Minister expected every one shou'd truckle to him. He found that Foreigners were much more submissive than the Saxons, who are by nature stately, and Enemies to Slavery in any shape. Count Flemming being dead, it's probable that the Saxons will be more employ'd than they have been; and indeed they have Capacities equal to any Nation in the World. They are well made, robust, agile, laborious, good Soldiers, cunning Courtiers. They have naturally more Spirit than the French allow to the Germans; they improve in the Sciences, and
in bodily Exercises, and they have good Writers among them upon all sorts of Subjects; witness the Works of M. Leibnitz, the famous Philosopher, and of Thomasius, one of the most able Civilians of his time. The Saxons are addicted indeed to all Pleasures in general, but to none so much as the Bottle and Gaming. They love Pomp and Expence, and are naturally not very engaging, being exceeding ceremonious, and affecting more than all the Germans to ape the French, with whom they sympathise very much, particularly in their Fondness for new Fashions, their Forwardness to make new Acquaintance and Friendships, and perhaps too in their Readiness to fall out with them upon very trivial Occasion.
Since I have spoke so much of the Men, I must also give you some account of the Saxon Women. They are all of a fair Complexion, and there are among them the finest Faces in the World. They are generally well shap'd too, which is what they are chiefly taken notice of for: They are tall and slender; they dance well, and have a surprising genteel Air, which they take great care to improve by rich Dress. One Fault I find with them is, that they are very affected, and that they have too much Action when they talk. As to their Tempers, they are reckon'd to be good-natur'd; but then they are subtile and crafty. They love Dress and Ornament more than all Women that I ever saw. They are lively and gay, and passionately fond of Dancing and Merriment. When they are told that they are handsome, they are so far from being surpriz'd that they look upon it as a Compliment due to them. When once they love, they love with Tenderness; and there are among them such Examples of Constancy as would eclipse even a Cleopatra, or a Clelia. These heroic Sentiments of Love they learn from Romances, which they are
vastly fond of: But this must be said to their Honour, that Gallantry does not take up so much of their Time and Thoughts as to make them neglect their Business; for they are laborious, dextrous, and amuse themselves with all sorts of Work. They do every thing too with a good Grace; and in a word it may be added to their Praise, that a Saxon Woman wants nothing more to make her amiable, but an Inclination to acquire that Character.
Pleasures and Recreations commonly attend the Ladies so closely, that in treating of the one I can't but remember the other; and the Inhabitants of Dresden are so much devoted to Pleasures, that I think I ought to put them into a separate Article. When the King is at Dresden there are Pleasures in abundance, such as Plays, Masquerades, Balls, Feasts, Running at the Ring, and Races on Sleds, Turnaments, Hunting-Matches; but when the King is in Poland there's a very great Vacuum. The Electoral Prince and Princess are often at Wermstorff, alias Hubertsbourg; and even when their Royal Highnesses are in Town, they are pretty retir'd: They see Company while they are at Dinner, but for the rest of the day none come near them besides the few that have the honour of their Confidence. The rest are scatter'd up and down the Town to the great Disappointment of Foreigners that happen then to be here; for there's no body keeps open House, they being all select Societies to which 'tis very difficult to gain admittance. If one is invited to dine with some Lord of the Court, one has a good Dinner 'tis true, but after Dinner is over a Man knows not how to bestow himself. One is sure of finding Company no where except at the Houses of Madame de Brebentau the Widow of the great Treasurer of Poland, and of the Countess de Lagnasco; nor are their Houses always open, for Madame de Brebentau is
often sick, and Madame de Lagnasco often abroad, or engag'd in Parties with the Electoral Princess, and then one knows not where to go; for there's no Play to be seen, and as for the young People, they amuse themselves with the common Pleasures of that Stage of Life; they drink, they game, and do something more.
When the King is at Dresden, the People partake in most of the Pleasures of the Court, the generality of the Entertainments which the King gives being public. Plays and Masquerades are free for any People of Fashion; there's nothing to pay, and all divert themselves as they like best. The Citizens Wives are more tractable here than in any Town in Germany: They love to imitate the Ladies of Quality, and 'tis sometimes as good as a Comedy to see what Airs they give themselves.