I left Dresden on the 2nd March, 1819. A Landkutsche conveyed me as far as Leipzig in a day and half, stopping the first night at Oschaly, where there is a good inn. At Leipzig I put up at the Hôtel de Bavière and remained five days. Leipzig is a fine old Gothic city. It is, as everybody knows, famous for its University and its Fair, which is held twice a year, in spring and in autumn, and which is the greatest mart for books perhaps in the world. The University of Leipzig and indeed all the Universities of Germany are in bad repute among the Obscuranten and éteignoirs of the day, on account of the liberal ideas professed by the teachers and scholars. In the University of Leipzig every thing may be learned by those who chuse to apply, but those who prefer remaining idle may do so, as there is less compulsion than at the English Universities. There is however such a national enthusiasm for learning, in all parts of Germany, that the most careless and ill-disposed youth would never be about to support the ridicule of his fellow students were he backward in obtaining prizes, but after all I have heard of the dissipation, lawlessness, and want of discipline at Leipzig, I can safely affirm that all these stories are grossly exaggerated: and I fancy there is little other dissipation going forward than amours with Stubenmädchen. I do not hear of any drunkenness, gaming or horse racing; nor do the professors themselves, who ought to be the best judges of what is going on, complain of the insubordination of their pupils. But what I principally admire in this, and indeed in other German Universities, is that there are no distinctions of rank, such as gold tassels, etc., no servile attention paid to sprigs of nobility, as in the Universities in England, where the Heads of Colleges and Fellows are singularly condescending to the son of a Peer, a Minister, or a Bishop. Perfect equality prevails in Leipzig and the son of the proudest Reichsgraf is allowed no more priviledges than the son of a barber; nor do the professors make the least difference between them. In fact, in spite of the vulgar belief in England respecting the hauteur of the German noblesse and the vassalage of the other classes, I must say, from experience, that the German nobility show far less hauteur and have in general more really liberal ideas than most part of our English aristocracy, and a German burgher or shop-keeper would disdain to cringe before a nobleman as many shopkeepers, aye, and even gentry, are sometimes known to do in England. Another circumstance too proves on how much more liberal a footing Leipzig and other German Universities are than our English ones, which is, that in England none but those who profess the religion of the Church of England, or conform to its ritual, are admitted; but here all sects are tolerated and admitted, and all live in perfect harmony with each other. The students are at liberty to chuse their place of worship and the sermons that are preached in the Catholic as well as the Protestant churches are such as sensible men of whatever opinion might listen to with profit, and without being shocked by absurdities or intolerant ideas.
Mysteries, theologic sophistry and politics are carefully avoided, and a pure morality, a simple theosophy, comprehensible to the meanest understanding, pervades these simple discourses. The consequence of this toleration and liberal spirit is that an union between the Lutheran and Calvinistic churches has been effected.
I met a number of mercantile people at the table d'hôte at Leipzig in the Hôtel de Bavière, and I entered a good deal into conversation with them; but when they discovered I was an Englishman, I could see a sudden coldness and restraint in their demeanour, for we are very unpopular in Germany, owing to the conduct of our Cabinet, and they have a great distrust of us. The Saxons complain terribly of our Government for sanctioning the dismemberment of their country and of the insolent letter of Castlereagh. It is singular enough that Saxony is the only country where English goods are allowed to be imported free of duty; but our great and good ally the King of Prussia (as these goods must pass thro' his territory) has imposed a tolerably heavy transit duty. I am glad of it; this is as it should be. I rejoice at any obstacles that are put to British commerce; I rejoice when I hear of our merchants suffering and I quite delight to hear of a bankruptcy. They, the English merchants, contributed with their gold to uphold the corrupt system of Pitt and to carry on unjust, unreasonable and liberticide wars. Yes! it is perfectly fit and proper that the despotic governments they have contributed to restore should make them feel their gratitude. If the French since their Revolution have not always fought for liberty, they have done so invariably for science; and wherever they carried their victorious arms, abuses were abolished, ameliorations of all kinds followed, and the arts of life were improved. Our Government since the accession of George III has never raised its arm except in favor of old abuses, to uphold despotism and unfair privileges, or to establish commercial monopoly. Our victories so far from being of beneficial effect to the countries wherein we gained them, have been their curse. We can interfere and be prodigal of money and blood to crush any attempt of the continental nations towards obtaining their liberty; but when it is necessary to intercede in favour of oppressed patriots, then we are told that we have no right to interfere with the domestic policy of other nations. We can send ships to protect and carry off in safety a worthless Royal family, as at Naples in 1799, but we can view with heartless indifference, and even complacency, the murders committed in Spain by the infamous Ferdinand and his severities against those to whom he owes his crown, all of whom had the strongest daim to our protection as having fought with us in the same cause and contributed to our success.
The Platz at Leipzig is large and here it is that the fair is held. The theatre is an elegant building and lies just outside one of the gates of the city. Innumerable shops of booksellers are here and it is astonishing at how cheap a rate printing in all languages is carried forward.
There are some pleasant promenades in the environs of Leipzig; but this is not a time of the year to judge of the beauty of the country. I went, however, to view the house occupied by Napoleon on the eve of the battle of Leipzig. A monument is to be erected to the memory of Poniatowsky in the spot where he perished.
I started from Leipzig on 7th March at eleven o'clock. I was five days en route from Leipzig to Frankfort, tho' the distance does not exceed forty-five German miles. I travelled in the diligence, but had I known that the arrangements were so uncomfortable, I should have preferred going in a Landkutsche, which would have made the journey in seven days and afforded me an opportunity of stopping every night to repose; whereas in the diligence, tho' they go en poste, they travel exceedingly slow and it is impossible to persuade the postillion to accelerate his usual pace. He is far more careful of his horses than of his passengers. This I however excuse; but it is of the frequent stoppages and bad arrangement of them that I complain. Instead of stopping at some town for one whole night or two whole nights out of the five, they stop almost at every town for three, four and five hours; so that these short stoppages do not give you time enough to go to bed and they are besides generally made in the day time or early in the morning and evening. We passed thro' the following cities and places of eminence, viz., Lutzen; the spot where Gustavus Adolphus was killed is close to the road on the left hand with a plain stone and the initials G.A. inscribed on it. Weimar is a very neat city and where I should like much to have staid; but I had only time to view the outside of the Palace and the Stadthaus. Erfurt and Gotha are both fine looking cities. In Gotha I had only time to see the outside of the Residenz Schloss or Ducal Palace, which is agreeably situated on an eminence, and to remark in the Neumarkt Kirche the portrait of Duke Bernard of Saxe Weimar and the monuments of the princes of that family. At Erfurt there is the tomb of a Count Gleichen who was made prisoner in the Holy Land, in the time of the Crusades, and was released by a Mahometan Princess on condition of his espousing her. The Count was already married in Germany and there he had left his wife; but such was his gratitude to the fair Musulmane, that he married her with the full consent of his German wife and they all three lived happily together. Fulda, where we stopped four hours, appears a fine city, and is situated on an eminence commanding a noble view of a very fertile and extensive plain. The Episcopal Palace and the churches are magnificent, and the general appearance of the town is striking. The Bishopric of Fulda was formerly an independent ecclesiastical state, but was secularised at the treaty of Lunéville and now forms part of the territory of Hesse-Cassel.
The Feld-zeichen of Hesse-Cassel is green and red. After passing thro' Hanau, where we halted three hours, which gave me an opportunity of viewing the field of battle there, we proceeded to Frankfort and arrived there at twelve o'clock the 12th of March. I put up at the Swan inn. In summer time the country about Fulda and in general between Fulda and Frankfort must be very pleasing from the variety of the features of the ground. We lived very well and very cheap on the road. The price of the diligence from Leipzig to Frankfort was eleven Reichsthaler.
After remaining three days to repose at Frankfort I took my place to Mayence and from thence to Metz and Paris. In the diligence from Mayence and indeed all the way to Paris I found a very amusing society. There were two physicians and M. L[emaître], a most entertaining man and of inexhaustible colloquial talent; for, except when he slept, he never ceased to talk. His conversation was however always interesting and entertaining, for he had figured in the early part of the French Revolution and was well known in the political and litterary world as the editor of a famous journal called Le Bonhomme Richard.[129]
Metz is a large, well built and strongly fortified city. Verdun, thro' which we passed, became quite an English colony during the war from the number of detenus of that nation who were compelled to reside there. At Epernay we drank a few bottles of Champagne and a toast was given by one of the company, which met with general applause. It was Bon voyage to the Allies who have now finally evacuated France to the great joy of the whole nation, except of the towns where they were cantoned, where they contributed much towards enriching the shopkeepers and inhabitants.
I remained in Paris six days and then proceeded to England.