"fame Time, an Inftance of the wife Ends of the "All-feeing Providence. I am, &c.

LETTER XXXVI.

SIR,

H

HAMBURG. AVING already given you an Account of the Churches in this City, and of the Inhabitants of it, in every Station, and both Sexes, I think there remains nothing more to be faid of this Place, but to fend you a brief Description of the other public Buildings; and I fhall begin with the Senat-Houfe, which is a large and stately ancient Building, erected however at feveral different Times. The principal Part, in which is now the Town-Hall, is fuppos'd to have been built in the 13th Century. In 1601, that Part was added to it, in which the Senat now hold their Seffion; and in 1648, that where now the Bank is. They have lately added another new Building for thier new or Current Bank: And, at the other End, is an ancient Building adjoining to it, where the Lower-Court of Juftice fits, which was built in 1558. The Outfide of this Building is hand fomly adorn'd with Statues of Emperors, as is, likewife, the great or Town Hall, and, in the upper Apartments, are held the Affemblies of the Colleges, and all the public Offices of the Cuftoms, Excife, Admiralty, &c. Oppofite to the Town-house, on the other Side of the Street, is the Exchange; a Square, one Part of which is open, and planted with large Trees, and the other cover'd, with a large Hall over it, in which a Com

mitee of the principal Merchants, call'd the Börsen Alten (Elders of the Exchange, or properly Council of Commerce) affernbles. The Exchange was built likewife at three feveral Times, in 1558, 1578 and 1669. At the other End of the Exchange is the principal or public Crane; and in a Street adjoining is the Poft-houfe for Holland and England, the only one which can properly be faid to belong to the Public; for the Emperor, and feveral other Princes of Germany, as well as the Kings of Denmark and Sweden, have their own Post-houses, in this City, manag'd by Poft-mafters or Commiffaries appointed by themselves. On the Street before the Townhoufe, the Lawyers hold a Sort of Exchange, as the public Minifters do at or near an eminent Toyfhop, oppofite to one Part of it: Infomuch that, as this Place is fituate pretty near in the Center of the City, fo all the public Business seems to center, or be tranfacted here.

THERE are, properly speaking, two Houses of Correction in this City; the Zucht-Haus (or House of Discipline) and the Spinn-haus (or Spinninghoufe:) The ancient Zucht-haus being confum'd by Fire, in the Year 1666, the prefent Building was immediately begun, and finish'd in 1679. All of it, that presents to View on the Street, is, on one Side of a pompous Entrance or Gate-way, the Chapel, which is very handfom, and on the other Side, a Range of Apartments, the upper Story of which only has Windows forwards Within the Gate is a large fquare Area, with Apartments on every Side, of which the innermoft are on the smaller Bafon or Head of the Alfter. This House is reckon❜d more honeft or honorable than the Spinnhaus, as it is not a Receptacle for Thieves, nor fuch as have been under the Hangman's Hands; and as one Part of the Design of it is to employ the Poor, and particularly those who have no fettled

Houfe

House or Habitation, or fuch as are taken beging in the Streets, it may be call'd a Work-houfe; and they carry on feveral little Manufactures in it, particularly of Rugs, and a Sort of coarfe Kerfey, with which the Perfons confin'd there are cloath'd. But it is likewife a House of Punishment for Vagrants, and incorrigible Rogues and Vagabonds; as it also is for Perfons of a diffolute Life, Profligates, bad Hufbands or Wives, and undutiful Children, who are confin'd here for a certain Number of Years, or for Life, at the Discretion of the Judges, or fometimes by Direction from the Senat to them; but without any public or formal Process, and at the Expence of their Friends. For fuch Perfons, they have private Rooms, which are diftinguished by the Names of certain Countries or Cities, as England, Weft-Indies, Portugal, Lisbon, &c. and the Perfons there confin'd are faid to be abfent for a Time, on their lawful Callings, in thofe Countries or Cities; or, if for Life, they are reported, after fome Time, to have died in thofe Parts. Before I leave this Houfe, I must just mention a whimsical Kind of Punishment they have here for those who are idle. The Perfon who has not perform'd his Tafk, is put into a Basket, and hoisted up over the Table, in the common Hall, while the Reft are at Dinner, where he is tantaliz'd with the Ufe of two of his Senfes, Sight and Smell, but is debarr'd that of Tafte; and this during one or more Meals, according to the Heinoufnefs of his Neglect.

THE Spinn baus, which is fituate near one End of the former, was likewife begun to be built in 1666, and finish'd in 1670, by a Legacy left for that Purpose, by a deceas'd Senator. It is a Place of Punishment for Thieves, Bauds, Whores, and other Malefactors, whofe Crimes are not capital. They are generally firft publicly whipt, and fome

times branded, in the fame Manner I defcrib'd to you from Bremen, and then confin'd here for a certain Number of Years, or for Life, according to the Atrocity of their Crimes; tho' fometimes, they are banish'd the Territories of the Republic for Life. The Prifoners here, be they Men, Women or Children, of whatever Age, are all kept clofe to Spining, and are allow'd but very hard Fare and Lodging. I was told of an Officer, who underwent this Hardship for 15 Years, as a Punishment for boafting of certain Favors he pretended to have received from the Wife of an eminent Citizen; which tho', by the general Character of the Woman, no one queftion'd the Truth of, he could not prove: But it was very remarkable, that the injur'd Hufband, many Years afterwards, partly by his own Extravagances, but more by thofe of his Wife, was reduc'd to fuch Streights, that to fupport and continue the Course of Life he had long been us'd to, he was tempted to mifapply fome public Mony, that, by Virtue of an Office he bore, went thro' his Hands; for which, being accused and convicted of what they call Crimen de Refiduis, he was condemn'd to be publicly whipt, and then confin'd to the very fame Place, for Life. I faw this unhappy Perfon, together with another, formerly an eminent Woollen-Draper, who having given a confiderable Sum of Mony for a public Employ (for all Offices are here fold by Auction) and not being able to render an Account of his Administration, when call'd upon, was condemn'd to the fame Punishment. I faw another old grey-headed Man, who, with his whole Family fuffer'd this Punishment, for a very odd Crime: It seems they made it their Bufinefs, in the NightTime, to pick up Dogs or Cats in the Streets, and make Saufages of their Flefh, which they fold from Door to Door; and they not only throve for fome

Time, in this fcandalous Way, but were in Reputation for the Goodness of their Ware.

BEING fo near the Head of the Alfter, I muft not omit mentioning a famous Walk, which runs along one Side of this beautiful Bafon, and leads from the great Play- or Opera-Houfe, into the Heart of the City. I believe it may be 1000 Foot long, and 20 or 25 broad, rail'd in, and border'd by a Row of large high Trees, on each Side. On one Side is the Water, with feveral Stairs for the Convenience of Boats going off and landing; and, on the other, a broad Street, with a Row of noble Houses facing it. This Walk is, not improperly, call'd the Maiden's Walk, tho' I believe the Maidens who frequent it in an Evening, after the Play is done, are of the Covent-Garden Kind; and there cannot be a greater Conveniency for their Profeffion: For there are always a Sort of little cover'd Barges plying there, which upon Occafion will hold eight or ten People, with a Table for them to fit at; but when a Couple have any private Concerns, in a dark Night, they may do what they will in the Stern, without being difcover'd by the one, and only Waterman they have, who is rowing at the Head, with the Table betwixt them; and befides, I don't doubt but these honest Fellows, if feelingly applied to, are as ready to look one Way and row the other, as our Thames Wherrymen. I remember at my firft Arrival here, I once exprefs'd my Surprize to a Friend, that this City feem'd to afford no fuch Thing as Night or Streetwalkers; for I was not then acquainted with the Conveniency of this Walk: He fmil'd at my Ignorance, but foon convinc'd me there was no Want of fuch Cattle. After having fhewn me the Maiden's Walk, and afk'd my Opinion of the Company we there found, he carried me to the more fober Part of the Town, about the Exchange. It was about

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