admiration the countenance is lovely, the expression of the features beautifully feminine, and such was the sad feeling called up by contemplating their beloved and lamented queen, of whom it is a perfect resemblance, that out of a large party present, there was not one among the women who did not shed tears. No ostentatious inscription records her virtues, that is unnecessary; for they are chronicled, aye, chronicled for ever in the heart of every Prussian: a buffalo's head and the Prussian eagle simply announce the house to which she owed her origin, and that to which her destiny was linked. The drapery and figures carved on the magnificent candelabra are deservedly admired, and the whole reflects great honour on the king, who has thus imperishably recorded his devoted affection for his heroic wife, and on the artists who designed and executed it, Messrs. Schinkel and Rauch.

On my route to Berlin, which is only a short league distant, I every where perceived the heralds of a great capital, crowds of well-dressed people, vehicles of every description, numbers of neat villas, and various places of public entertainment, all gay with the festive sounds of mirth and dancing. I was most fortunate in the weather, the moon was shining with all her splendour, and as I passed through the Thiergarten, the pines on either side the road pencilled their dark outlines till I came to the Brandenburgerthor, which appeared like a triumphal arch, and Berlin itself like a city of palaces reared by fairies; for the shadowy indistinctness of the pale moonlight concealed the various imperfections which the broad beams of day would have betrayed

to be the work of man. The centre of the street Unter den Linden was a complete bower, beneath whose shade were promenading the gayest among the Berliners, officers in full uniforms, aides-de-camp with their waving plumes, bourgeoise of all classes, and ladies in white draperies, who flitted along like so many aerial visions. The street continued one succession of splendid buildings, till we arrived at the Hotel de Russie, which corresponded in magnificence with all that surrounded it.

I confess I have never received so favourable a first impression of a town; and the poverty of the country through which I had travelled, had the effect of making the splendour of Berlin appear to greater advantage, and of creating a feeling of surprise that it could support so rich a metropolis.

CHAPTER III.

Brandenburgerthor-Unter den Linden-Palace of the King-Statue of Blucher-Royal Palace-Legend-Museum-Anecdote of an English family-General aspect of Berlin-Theatres-Condittoris-Dram-shops -Hardenberg-Prussian jurisprudence-Prison discipline-Public instruction-Hackney coaches-The police-Manufactures-Commerce -University.

I LEFT my hotel early the next morning, to view, by truth-telling daylight, the portal and promenade through which I had passed the preceding evening. This really magnificent gate, built in 1790, after the Propylæum at Athens, is the most beautiful ornament of the town. Six fluted Doric columns on each side support a finely proportioned entablature, without any pediment, but surmounted by an attic; between these pass five portals; the centre, eighteen feet in width, is exclusively confined to the use of the royal family; and the remaining four, each twelve feet wide, are destined, two for carriages and equestrians, and two for pedestrians; and as, on entering or quitting the town, every carriage, equestrian, or pedestrian, is obliged to pass through the right of the two portals peculiarly appropriated to

BRANDENBURGERTHOR.

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them, all confusion is by this admirable arrangement avoided. The height of the columns is about forty-five feet, and their diameter five feet nine inches.

This very imposing structure, the most colossal of the kind in Europe, except the Porta Orientalis at Milan, (which, however, is unfinished,) is adorned by bas-reliefs, representing the deeds of the Margraf Albert, the founder of the house of Brandenburg, and the combats of the Centaurs and Lapithæ. However, the principal ornament of the gate is that which crowns the entablature—the chariot bearing the famous bronze figure of Victory, supporting the Prussian eagle in triumph, and guiding her horses, who, full of life and energy, are represented in the act of bounding forward. It is a very spirited work, particularly the figure of Victory, which so captivated the imperial spoliator of nations, that he caused her to be transported to Paris. The Prussians deplored their loss, but at this time they were the vanquished. When they entered Paris in 1814, as conquerors, their first care was to send their lost treasure to her native home; and her return was, in truth, the triumph of Victory. She was received by music, discharges of cannon, fire-works, and the acclamations of the whole population, which overwhelmed every other demonstration of public rejoicing.

On each side of this majestic portal are two neat temples of Grecian architecture, dedicated to the service of those priests of Mars, whose duty it is to examine the passports of strangers, and to prevent the entrance of contraband merchandise. Immediately after passing through the spacious square "Pariser

Platz," commences the street "Unter den Linden," the most superb in Berlin, and, I am inclined to think, in Europe. It is three-quarters of a mile in length from the Brandenburgerthor to the royal palace; and the five noble avenues in the centre are composed of chestnut, linden, aspen, acacia, and plantain, whose varied foliage contrasts beautifully with the numerous elegant palaces and public buildings that line each side of the street. It is the corso of Berlin; for here the fashionable and the wealthy exhibit themselves and their equipages: here are the palaces of the Queen of Holland and Prince William of Prussia; the seminaries of the artillery and engineers; the academy of the fine arts; the opera house, the arsenal, and the king's palace. In short, in whatever direction we turn our eyes, whether to the Brandenburgerthor, or the museum, majestic structures seem vying in magnificence with each other, intermingled with the statues of Prussian heroes, presenting altogether one of the finest architectural vistas of any city in Europe.

We are so bewildered with such an assemblage of domes, palaces, churches, &c., that we know not where first to bestow our attention; but the majestic appearance of the arsenal renders it one of the most striking buildings, and well deserves its reputation of being, next to the museum, the finest edifice in Berlin. Its character is unpretending simplicity, which often pleases more than the most elaborate design. The military trophies and emblematical groups deserve praise, both for their conception and execution. The roof is ornamented with statues, &c., and in every respect it is a