I Have Been To See The Antiquities And Curiosities Of The Japanischer
Palast (Palace Of Japan), As It Is Called.
In this Palace is a quantity of
ancient armour and the most superb collection of porcelain I believe in
Europe.
The collection of precious stones is also immense; and I never in
my life saw such a profusion of diamonds, emeralds, turquoises, sapphirs,
amethysts and topazes. In this Museum are three statues found in
Herculaneum on its first discovery or excavation, viz., an Athlete, an
Esculapius, and a Venus. Here too, and from this circumstance, the Palace
takes its name, is a collection of Japanese antiquities and ornaments,
lacker work in gold and silver, which is unique in the world. From the
Royal Library, a foreigner, on being recommended, may have at his own house
all such books to read as can be replaced if lost or spoiled; but the
manuscripts and scarce and valuable editions are not permitted to be taken
out of the Library. Any person once admitted on recommendation may go to
read in this Library at stated hours and may consult any book or manuscript
he pleases on applying to the librarian.
A person fond of music will be in a continual state of enjoyment at
Dresden. Besides the fine music in the Royal Chapel, the band of the King's
Guard is composed of first rate musicians, who attend regularly at Guard
mounting and play for an hour together. There is also a band of music every
evening during the summer months that plays in the gardens of the
Linkischer Bad. Then there are various other places of recreation and
amusement, at all of which musicians are in attendance; for a Saxon cannot
enjoy his repast or his pipe without music and good music too to facilitate
his digestion. There is a custom in Dresden that on the occasion of the
death of a person the young choristers of the Cathedral are sent for to
sing hymns, standing in a semi-circle round the door of the house of the
defunct. These choristers are all dressed in black and their style of
singing is melodious, solemn and impressive.
Smoking is so prevalent here and in all parts of Germany that if you wish
to denote one of the male sex, smoker would be quite a synonymous word.
Such is the passion for this enjoyment that even at the balls the young
men, the moment they have finished the waltz, quit the hands of their
partners and rush into another room in order to smoke; nor would the beauty
of Venus nor the wit of Minerva be powerful enough to restrain the young
German from giving way to his darling practise. Smoking tobacco has I think
this visible effect, that it serves to calm all tumultuous passions, and
what confirms me in this idea is, that most young Germans, in commencing
life as adults, are full of enthusiastic and even exaggerated notions of
liberty and equality. They are romantic to a degree that is difficult to be
conceived, and seem to be restrained by no selfish or worldly ideas. This
you would suppose would tend to render them rather turbulent subjects,
under an autocratical government; but all this Schwaermerey evaporates
literally in smoke: they take to their pipe, and by degrees the fumes of
tobacco cause all these lofty ideas to dissipate: the pipe becomes more and
more necessary to their existence, and consoles them for their wrongs real
or imaginary; and in three or four years they sit down contentedly to their
several occupations, as strait-forward, painstaking, plodding men, quite
satisfied to follow the routine chalked out for them, and either totally
forget all ambitious views, or become too indolent to make any sacrifice to
obtain them, and this virtue comes from tobacco!! The German Hippogriff
becomes an Ox, dull and domestic, and treads out the corn placed before
him, content to have his share thereof in peace and quietness.
The German Governments, which are mild and paternal, are fully aware of
this and allow the utmost liberty of speech; well knowing that, thanks to
that friend and ally of Legitimacy, tobacco, the romantic visionary and
somewhat refractory youth will subside into a tranquil ganz alltaeglicher
Mann and become totally averse to any innovation which demands the
sacrifice of repose.
The pipe which has this sedative effect on political effervescence, has a
still stronger similar effect, it is said, on the passion of love; hence
the German husbands are proverbially sluggish. But the ladies, none of whom
smoke, preserve their romanticity during their whole lives, and would, if
they had their choice, give their hands to foreigners, who are more
attentive to them than their own countrymen.
The young ladies here are, 'tis said, extremely romantic in their ideas of
love and capable of the strongest attachment. They think that any thing
should be pardoned to sincere passion. It has been related to me that some
time ago a young man, who was devotedly attached to a girl, on the father
refusing his consent to the marriage, stabbed the girl and then himself. An
immense number of young ladies attended their funeral, to throw flowers
over the grave of the two lovers. Assuredly the young man was only a
noviciate in smoking.
Everybody must, I think, admire the Saxon women. They are in general
handsome and have fine shapes; they are warm hearted and affectionate; and
they are almost universally well educated. Indeed the whole Saxon people
are so amiable that foreigners find themselves so happy here that they are
unwilling to quit the country. Very many form matrimonial attachments. In
short, this people fully merit the epithet a celebrated English traveller
(Sherlock)[127] has bestowed on them when he called them a herrliches
Volk.
DRESDEN, Jan. 8d, 1819.
I have made an excursion to Meissen which lies on the same bank of the
river with the old town of Dresden at a distance of twelve miles.
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