was the deposed prince; and this mighty revolution, which transferred the greatest empire on earth, was effected in a few hours, almost without any confu

sion or uproar. The people accustomed to despot

ism, and indifferent who was the ruler, remained silent and quiet spectators of it, the guards being the only actors, and the whole a repetition of the princess Elizabeth's conduct some years before, when young Ivan was deposed, and she seized the throne. Over the rest of this mournful story we must draw a veil. Such a prisoner, it is natural to suppose, could not long remain in that condition. On the ninth day consequent to his seizure it was reporthe had a disorder in his bowels, and soon after his death was announced. We know no more. History, in some future age, may possibly elucidate his end but in this century it is not likely such a secret will be divulged.

Though I would not, however indirectly, appear the apologist of crimes, yet justice requires I should say, that it is universally allowed the empress might plead self-defence, if not even self-preservation, to justify her conduct, as it is known that Peter had concerted and would have carried into execution the most severe measures against her, if he had not been prevented by so vigorous an attack. If we add to this, the uniform tenor of her life and reign since that æra, during which humanity and wisdom seems scarce over to have forsaken her, candour will, perhaps, be induced to pass over one spot, which state-policy rendered necessary, and which, from the moment of her resistance, became unavoidable. WRAXALL.

SECT. XXVIII.

OF BREMEN. A. D. 1774.

THIS is a great city, a rich city, and a commercial one; but I cannot say I think it very agreeable, or that it contains much to gain a traveller's attention. Was human life of the double limits nature has assigned to it, one should not be tempted to visit

it more than once. It must however be confessed I saw it to some disadvantage, not being provided with letters of introduction, as I had not intended to have included it in the plan of my tour. By the help, howev er, of my landlord, to whose good offices necessity has made me a debtor, I have seen every thing deserving attention here, and shall leave it this afternoon perfectly well satisfied with my stay. One of these has appeared to me so extraordinary, and is in itself, I apprehend, so very singular, that if I had not been an eye-witness of it, no testimony would have convinced me of its reality and if it was not of such a nature as to be universally examined, I should fear the world would doubt my veracity.

I always apprehended that human bodies after death, if interred, or exposed to the air without any preparation to defend them from the attacks of it, would of necessity corrupt, become offensive, and pus trify. The art of embalming is very ancient, and was invented to preserve them from this inevitable consequence of death; but that they may remain unputried for centuries without any sort of artificial aid, I have seen so incontestibly proved since my arrival, that I imagine not the shadow of doubt can remain about it.

Under the cathedral church is a vaulted apart ment, supported on pillars; it is near sixty paces long, and half as many broad. The light and air are. constantly admitted into it by three windows, though it is several feet beneath the level of the ground. Here are five large oak coffers, rather than coffins, each containing a corpse. I examined them severally for near two hours. The most curious and perfect is that of a woman. Tradition says she was an English countess, who dying here at Bremen, ordered her body to be placed in this vault uninterred, in the apprehension that her relations would cause it to be brought over to her native country. They say it has lain here 250 years. Though the muscular skin is totally dried in every part, yet so little are the

features of the face sunk or changed, that nothing is more certain thau that she was young, and even beautiful. It is a small countenance, round in its contour. The cartilage of the nose and the nostrils have undergone no alteration. Her teeth are all firm in the sockets, but the lips are drawn away from ever them. The cheeks are shrunk in, but yet less than I ever remember to have seen in embalmed bodies. The hair of her head is at this time more than eighteen inches long, very thick, and so fast, that I heaved the corpse out of the coffer by it. The color is a light brown, and as fresh and glossy, as that of a living person. That this lady was of high rank seems evident, from the extreme fineness of the linen which covers her body ; but I have in vain endeavored to procure any lights into her history, her title, or any other particulars, though I have taken no little pains for that purpose. The landlord of the inn who was with me, said he remembered it for forty years past, during which time there is not the least perceptible alteration in it.

In another coffer is the body of a workman, who is said to have tumbled off the church, and was killed by the fall. His features evince this most forcibly. Extreme agony is marked in them: His mouth is

wide open, and his eyelids the same. The eyes are dried up, His breast is unnaturally distended, and his whole frame betrays a violent death,

A little child who died of the small-pox is still more remarkable. The marks of the pustules, which have broken the skin on his hands and head, are very discernable; and one should suppose that a body which died of such a distemper, must contain in a high degree the seeds of putrefaction.

The other two corpses are not less extraordinary. There are in this vault, likewise, turkeys, hawks, weasels, and other animals, which have been hung up here; some, time immemorial, some very lately, and are in the most complete preservation; the skin, bills, feathers, all unaltered. The cause of this phoenom

enon is, doubtless, the dryness of the place where they are laid. It is in vain to seek for any other. The magistrates do not permit that any fresh bodies be brought here, and there is no other subterranean chamber which has the same property. It would have made an excellent miracle two or three eenturies ago in proper hands; but now mankind are grown too wise.

This city is celebrated for its old hock. The wine is all brought from the banks of the Rhine by land carriage, and deposited in the public cellars. These are wondrously capacious, running beneath the TownHouse and Exchange; but are not comparable in magnificence to those I have seen at Oeyras in Portugal, belonging to the Marquis de Pombal, or those of Constantia at the Cape of Good Hope. There is one particular room, called the Rose, where they keep wine, as they say, of 170 years old, and for which they ask seven dollars, or twenty-five shillings a bottle; but it is not fit at this time to drink.

Bremen stands upon the river Wesel. Vessels. of burden lie twelve or fifteen miles below the city, there not being sufficient depth of water higher up. It contains 45,000 inhabitants. It is a free city, under the protection of the empire, and styles itself a republic, on the money struck here. The king of England, as elector of Hanover, has, however, some important rights within the place; and not only the cathedral belongs to him, but a considerable number of buildings, public and private. He possesses, likewise, a species of supreme judicatorial power, as, though the magistrates take cognizance of all crimes within the territory of Bremen, his delegate or bailiff must pronounce sentence. The fortifications, though kept in very good order, are of no consequence or strength. The strongest army in the field is ever master; and during the last war, French or English were alternately received into the place, as they appeared before it.

By the municipal laws, all the race of Abraham

is excluded from the capacity of trading and residing here; or at least there is so high a duty laid on their persons, that a man may remain here a century, I suppose, and not see one, it amounting to no less than a ducat a day. This exclusion has given rise to a sarcastic remark on the inhabitants themselves, which, whether just or not, I am no judge. Hamburg has adopted a contrary policy, and admits indiscrim inately these people, with European nations. In a lucrative view I know not which may be the wisest measure, but certainly the latter is the most generous, and breathes a greater philanthrophy. If every government barred its gates to these wanderers of Palestine, already labouring under the curse of dispersion, without leaders, without political strength,. where must they fly for asylum? Their character, to be sure, as a nation is not much in their favour, and I am not at all surprised at their ancient passion for idolatry, since there are few of them, I imagine, at this time, who would not bow down before a golden calf set up in London or Amsterdam, with as much. devotion as their ancestors did before that in Horeb. The principle, indeed, might be somewhat different, though it has always seemed to me, as if the intrinsic value of the first calf constituted the most adoraable part of his divinity in the opinon of his worshippers; else why did not Aaron make him of brass at once ?

Plutus and Mercury are the chief deities venerated in this city, and like the senate in Tiberius's time, they will not admit the gods of strangers. Pleasure under every shape, of dance, of comedy, of masque, seems peculiarly hateful. She has, indeed, lately stole in, as my landlord tells me, once a month during the winter, in the form of a concert, to the no little terror of the burgomasters, who have endeavoured to proscribe this unprecedented refinement.. The most polite manner of spending an evening known for several centuries past in Bremen, has been that of meeting in small boxes about twenty feet long.