The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-07-15
From D,0ighfs Travels in Germany.
GERMAN LIBRARIES,

, !
}, A traveller in Germany finds it Difficult
: to proceed days journey, in any direction
i north OF the Mayne, without discovering
: something to remind him, in the small cit
o les through which he passes, that intellec
j tual cultivation is an object of great impor
: lance to the respective governments. II
a entering Germany from Strasburg, and trav
2 elllng few miles north, he arrives at Carl
srnbe. where a library of 10000 volumes
unfolds its treasures. A few hours ride
E brings him to Heidelberg, where he discov.
ers another of $4,000. After proceeding
=, about 30 miles, he enters Darmstadt where
he beholds :hird, containing $4,000; al
Mayence, another Of 10000; ard in the
! commercial city of Frankfort, still another
OF l0O,O0O volumes, evinces the noble spirit
! which has animated the enlightened mer-
chants of that city. AS he leaves the latter
+ town for Gottingen, he stops at Gessen,
not far from 30 miles, and in this small uni
versity he is surprised to find collection of
only 10000 volumes but he soon learns
that at Marburg, 20 miles farther, is anoth-
= er, of $4,000; and at Cassel, 60 miles
from Marburg, third, Of from 10000 to
I0O,OOO volumes, adorns the capital of
Hesse. On arriving at Gottingen the next
day in time to dine, he beholds with aston
ishment, 10000 volumes, all collected with
in less than century. Making this CEN
trail point, and proceeding north about 40
miles, he enters Wolfenbuttel, a small town
OF less than 1000 inhabitants, and learns
with no little pleasure, that the government
OF Brunswick has enriched it with library
OF 2OO,OOO volumes. Advancing still north,
to Hamburger, he is delighted in visiting the
commercial and city libraries, of IS, and
$4,000 volumes, to discover that this mer-
camille city has displayed the same love of
literature as Frankfort. Southeast of Got
tingen, at the distance of so miles, he ar
rIves at Welmar, where library of 10000,
and at Jena, 10 miles farther, another of
10000 volumes, proclaim the prncely spirit
OF the Dukes of this little state. Leinzig Is
but short ride from the last mentioned
city. Here he observes with equal pleas
ure, two libraries, containing 100000; and
at Halle, in Prussia, 25 miles distant, one of
$4,000; and at Dresden, the capital of Sax
ony, third of 100000 volumes. Proceed
ing to Berlin, he enters the library of the
Koningsburg library of $4,000, the large
collection at Breslau, as we'll as those of
many of the other cities of Prussia, all dis
well as the love of literature which charac-
terizes the Prussians.
Proceeding from Strasburg through south
ern Germany, similar prospect presents
itself to his view. At Freyburg he finds a
library of 10000; at Tubingen another at
StutgaId one Of 10000; at Wur1burg,
at Landshut, one of 100000; and at Mu-
mich, he discovers the largest in all Germa-
ny, and the third in the world, containing
100000 volumes. On his arrival at Vienna,
he finds that a similar spirit has influenced
the Austrian government if not of the pres
ent day, at least of former time. There
in the four great libraries, the Imperial, the
| University, the Theresian, and the Medical
Chirurgical, he discovers 100000 volumes.
Proceeding north to complete the circuit of
Germany, he is led to believe. on his arrival
at Prague, that its library of 100000 vol
umes will do something to dispel the igno-
rance which now covers Bohemia.
| The 81 libraries above mentioned, contain
more than 100000 volumes, or averaging
107, 900. The 81 largest Libraries of the
United States do not contain 100000 vol
umes.
GERMAN BEDS.
The beds of Germany are absolutely de-
testable. The Germans all sleep alone, and
the bells are accordingly very narrow. AL
though more than eight months have elaps-
ed since my arrival in the country, l have
never seen single bed large enough for
two persons, and nine out of ten are adapt
ed to the reception of a traveller of moder-
ate dimensions. They sleep either on a
bed or mattress, over which a sheet is
! spread. The next sheet is bag, formed
like a pillow case, within which thick
blanket is placed and being spread out so
as to fill it up, it is sewed to it to keep it in
trim. 1t is usually not more than five feet
long; and two and half or three feet in
: breath, corresponding exactly with the bed
= or mattress. 1t is so narrow, that it is alb
, solutely impossible to tuck it up. AS | am
unfortunately foot longer than any of these
coverings, it is necessary for me always TO
: splice it with blankets. Such a covering
t answers very well for autumn, but is poor
= defence against even German winter. As
soon as the frost makes its appearance, your
landlady surprises you with another bed
I which she carries into your room. and throws
-. it upon the top of yours, as substitute for
blankets. AS this is never more than five
feet long, all the sons of Anak of the pres
I ent generation, must splice this also, or have
9 a part of the body in the tropics and the
. rest in polar atmosphere. AS it is impos.
= sible to move in your sleep without the bed
or the blankets rolling off, it is necessary tc
E fasten them down with an additional cover
. ing large enough to embrace them all. In
fact, there is so little comfort here at night
that as midnight approaches, you wish your.
, self in Paris, in Italy, or in the moon.
. They tell a story of an Irishman travel
! ling some winters since in Germany, who
> seeing another bed placed above his own
concluded tha II DnSt no tho cnston, haro =,