DEAR SIR,

INCE I had the pleasure of writing to you

SIN

upon my landing in this country, I have been employed in a conftant round of visits and perambulations, in order to gain every information that might be of ufe to me in my principal defign, and at the fame time enable me to give you fome account of this great city. The time has been very fhort; but as I had been here fome years ago, when I came by the way of Holland and Bremen, the intelligence then gained, added to my prefent inquiries, has in fome measure qualified me for the task I have undertaken. The fubject, indeed, is already exhausted, and, confidering the number of hiftories of Hamburg that have been lately published, I should rather have declined entering on fo beaten a track, and confined myself to a few anecdotes of my own observation. But

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fince you particularly infift on my favouring you with a description of this city, I fhall obey your commands, hoping you will be fo good as to excuse me, should I afford you no new matter of entertainment.

Hamburg is one of the largeft, richest and moft populous cities in Germany. It is pleafantly fituated on the river Elbe, in the circle of Lower Saxony, the dutchy of Holftein, and province of Stormar, at the distance of about feventy miles from the German ocean. In its form it is almoft circular, and near five miles in circumference; containing about 118,000 inhabitants. It is built partly on iflands, and partly on the continent of the north fide of the Elbe, which brings fhips of burden into the very heart of the city. This river is divided two or three miles above the town, into two principal channels, called the north and fouth Elbe, which, with some smaller channels, form feveral beautiful iflands towards Harburg, all belonging to the elector of Hanover, and reunite in one ftream about fix miles below Hamburg. The fouth banks of the river are bordered by the dutchy of Lunenburg, and lower down by the dutchies of Bremen and Verden. Towards the eaft the city is washed by the little river Bil; and towards the north by a small river called the Alfter, which forms a very large bafon just without the town, and another,

1000 feet fquare within the walls; after which it turns the public mills, and paffing by several fluices and canals, through different parts of Hamburg, discharges itself into the Elbe.

This city is divided, by a canal, into the old and new town, which not long ago were feparated by a wall and a ditch; but the greater part of the wall is now levelled, and the ditch moftly filled up. The feveral islands in the rivers Elbe and Alfter, on which the town is built, have a communication with each other by bridges; and the tide flows through the canals which separate the islands; but the part called the Old Town lies fo low, that the houses are liable to be injured by high tides. The whole city is furrounded by a lofty wall, with out-works in the modern way, and a broad ditch of very great depth. There is alfo a noble line, with other works, extending from the largest bafon of the Alfter to the Elbe, about half a mile above the town; and on the other fide of that bafon, about half way between that and the Elbe, below the town, is a very good fortification, to which they have given the name of Sternfchantz, or Star-fort. The ramparts are covered with grafs, and planted with rows of trees of such height, that on the fide of Altena none of the houses can be difcerned. They have a garrifon of about 2000 men, one troop of dragoons, the reft infantry; a number too small to

defend