The King is one of the best Princes that I ever knew; ’tis impossible to see him without being
captivated by his graceful Mien; and his Civility wins the Hearts of all his Courtiers; he has all the Qualities fitting for a great King: His Father dying without Issue, he succeeded him in the Electorate of Saxony; and soon after, upon the Death of John Sobieski, the Poles chose him for their King: When he was no more than Elector, he commanded the Emperor’s Army, and gave authentic Proofs of his Wisdom and Valour.
The Queen is of the Family of Brandenbourgh Bareith, and was espous’d to the King, even before he was Elector: She is a Princess of a stately Port, and must have formerly been a Toast, on account of her Beauty, at the Time when she had more Colour in her Face, and less Flesh upon her Bones than she has now. She is very fond of Retirement, and bestows great Charities: She resides commonly at Torgau, or at Pretsch, and comes but very seldom to Dresden: She has a separate House from the King’s, which is very suitable to her Dignity; she has also a separate Chapel, the King having given her the old Chapel at Dresden and caus’d another to be built for Himself and the Catholics.
The Electoral Prince resembles the Queen very much: He is tall and very well set, and his Air plainly discovers him to be what he is: He delights very much in Hunting, and those Pleasures that require Exercise; which to be sure is very serviceable to him, for I thought him inclinable to grow fat: This Prince was very carefully educated by the Electoress his Grandmother, who was a Princess of Denmark: When he was able to support the Fatigues of Travelling the King sent him to Italy, and from thence to France, with a Retinue becoming the Son of a
King; after which the Prince went to Vienna, and ’twas during the Stay he made at the Court that he had an Opportunity of observing the great Qualities of the Archduchess, now the Electoral Princess: You’ll judge by the Account I have had the Honour to give you of this Princess, that it were almost impossible but she must be very much belov’d at the Court of Saxony; and she soon got the good Wishes of the whole Nation, so that the very People who conceiv’d some Umbrage at the Prince’s Marriage, for Fear of their Religion, were quickly reconcil’d to it: For indeed what Violence was there room to apprehend from a Princess so highly distinguish’d for her Moderation and Good-nature?
These, Madame, were at the time the whole Royal Family; but now ’tis augmented by several Princes and Princesses, whom the Electoral Prince has had by the Princess his Spouse. Tho’ the Royal Family was not numerous when I was there, yet the Number and Magnificence of the Princes and Courtiers, who were then at Dresden, made it very splendid: I had the Honour to know most of them very well, and found them all alike, behaving affable to Foreigners, and agreeable to their Birth: I don’t undertake now to give you the Characters of those whom I had the Honour to be particularly acquainted with, being sensible that perhaps it would be a little too tedious: Nothing remains for me therefore but to give you some Account of the City of Dresden. [11] Dresden is one of the finest Towns in Germany for its Situation and its Structures; ’tis the Capital of Misnia in Upper Saxony. Charlemain
was the first that caus’d it to be fortify’d; it has been for time out of Mind the ordinary Residence of the Dukes and Electors of Saxony, who have caus’d its Fortifications to be considerably augmented, and ’tis now a very strong Place: ’Tis divided by the River Elbe into Two Parts, call’d The New Town and The Old Town. In the latter stands the Prince’s Palace, which was formerly a very fine Building, but only a Part of it is remaining, the rest being consum’d by Fire. That which still exists contains very fine Apartments, which the King has accommodated to the modern Taste, and they are nobly furnished; but they belong only to the King and Queen; and the Prince and Princess live in a separate Palace, which communicates therewith by Galleries: This Palace was built by the Countess of Cosel, who liv’d in it when she was in high Favour. The Rooms are a little of the smallest, but perfectly well dispos’d, and they are adorn’d with fine Paintings, and very richly furnish’d: Near the King’s Palace there’s a very fine Garden, call’d Zuinger-Garten, which is semi-circled in the Shape of a Horse-shoe, with magnificent Buildings that form Arches, over which there runs an open Gallery, which unites Three large Pavilions: In the middlemost there’s a fine Grotto, on a Level with the Garden. The upper Story contains a very beautiful Saloon fac’d with Marble, with gilded Ornaments; the Ceiling is magnificent; the Windows instead of common Glass are embellished with very fine large Plate-Glass. The rest of the Building, which joins to this Garden, is of the same Magnificence, but yet perhaps a little too much incumber’d with carv’d Work.
Next to the Garden there is nothing finer to be seen than the King’s Stables and Riding-House. Over the Stables there are very fine large Rooms, in which is kept all the Furniture for the Horses: In this Part there is also a Number of stately Buildings, which render Old Dresden a very agreeable Place. The Streets are broad, most of them regular and well pav’d, and great Care is taken to keep up good Government in it.
This Quarter communicates with the new Town by a very beautiful Stone-Bridge: The first thing one meets with entring into New Dresden is a House that belongs to the King, and is call’d The Palace of Holland, because all the China Ware or Furniture, with which ’tis adorn’d, came from that Country: The Gardens of this House are very pleasant; and its Situation most charming by reason of the River Elbe, which runs just by it.
The Inhabitants of Dresden are Lutherans, as well as those of the rest of Saxony, and the Catholics have not so much as one Church in it; for the King being not willing to infringe the Laws of the Country, is content to have one Chapel there for himself and his Family. The Elector of Saxony bears the Title of Grand Marshal of the Empire, and is the Third in Rank among the Secular Electors.