LETTER NO. XIX.

BERLIN, HOTEL DU NORD, Sept. 11, 1859.

EDITORS ADVOCATE :

This is a great city, full of works of art, men of science, and regal splendor. It is one of the largest capitals of Europe, having a population of nearly half a million of inhabitants. The great

number of soldiers here gives to Berlin almost the air of a camp. Every morning at 11 o'clock they "mount guard" in true military style. A splendid band of music plays, and 10,000 troops go through their military evolutions, and defile before you to their several stations in and around the city. The river Spree, a small and sluggish stream about the size of the Tickfaw, runs through the city, and communicates with the Oder and the Baltic on the one hand, and empties into the Elbe on the other. The situation of Berlin is low and sandy, in the midst of a dreary plain. It is surprising that the foundation of a town should have been laid on so uninteresting a spot; but it is far

more surprising that it should have grown up, notwithstanding, into the flourishing capital of a great empire. Owing to the want of stone in the neighborhood, the largest portion of the buildings are made of brick and plaster. This gives to the city a sameness, as if the great Frederick had given out the building of the entire city by contract. Edinburgh, or London, or Paris, all have many evidences of antiquity, but Berlin looks as if every house in it was plastered the same day. The good people of Boston and Vicksburg complain bitterly of their high hills and uneven streets. In this city they complain equally as much of their deadlevel location and stagnant gutters. The Friedrichstrasse is two miles long. There is not a foot of descent from one end of it to the other.

Notwithstanding the disadvantages of situation, Berlin is certainly one of the finest cities in Europe. Few great cities can show so much architectural splendor as is seen in the colossal Palace, the beautiful and classic Museum, the chaste Guard House, the great Opera, and the University opposite. These, with the Arsenal, the finest specimen of "warlike architecture" in the world, and the University, are all within a stone's throw of each other, and can be seen alternately by turning on one's heel. Most of these elegant buildings are situated on the great street called Unter der Linden, (under the linden tree,) from a double row of linden or lime trees, which form a shady walk in the centre, while on each side is a carriage-way. It is the

principal and most magnificent street in the city. The view along it is terminated by the Brandenburg gate, a splendid affair, and one of the great ornaments of the city. It was built in 1792, and is an imitation of the Propylæum at Athens, but on a larger scale. The car of victory on the top of the gate, was carried to Rome as a trophy by Napoleon, but it was recovered by the Prussians after the battle of Waterloo, who bestowed upon the goddess (the figure) after her return, the eagle and iron cross which she now bears.

The Prussians not only appear to be great artists, but are exceedingly patriotic, for they have almost crowded their streets and public squares with statues and monuments to their great benefactors. To their King Frederick the Great, they have recently erected the most magnificent statue, or rather group of statues, I ever beheld. It is by their great sculptor Rauch, (pronounced Rowk,) and is the grandest monument in the wide world. It is built in the centre of the Unter der Linden, opposite the University, and consists of a granite pedestal 25 feet high, presenting on each face bronze groups of the great commanders of the Seven Years' War, on foot and horseback, all the size of life, and all portraits in high relief.

Among the distinguished persons represented here are the Duke of Brunswick, afterwards the commander of the allies against Dumouriez, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, Generals Seydlitz and Zeithen, Counts von Finckenstein and von Carmer, Graun,

Lessing, and Kant-the whole number on the four faces of the pedestal being 31. To reproduce these correctly, the best authorities have been consulted, and authentic drawings, busts, and medals of the period have been strictly followed. This, as a matter of course, has involved an immense amount of labor, but the value of the monument as an historical work, is thereby increased tenfold. The costumes and arms of the time are given with equal accuracy: Above, there is at each corner a female figure, representing the four cardinal virtues-Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Between them are bas-reliefs emblematic of different periods of the monarch's life. In the first is represented his birth and education, civil and military. In the second relief, a muse is teaching the young prince history; pointing out to him the names of the commanders he most admired-Alexander, Cæsar, and Gustavus Adolphus. In the third, Minerva is giving him a sword. In the fourth, the great king is represented after his defeat at Kolin, sitting down, and looking earnestly on the ground, on which he is drawing the lines of a plan with his cane. This subject is familiar to every German.

In the back-ground of the tablet are allegorical figures of Triumph and Victory, intimating that the defeat was retrieved. The other reliefs represent him as encouraging the arts of peace. Now in the hut of a Silesian weaver-now playing on his flute, or walking in the gardens of "Sans

souci." From the centre of this group rises the monarch himself, seated on horseback. This statue is 17 feet 3 inches high, and although colossal, it is in such beautiful proportion that its great size is toned down in a wonderful manner. The horse is poised in a trotting position, with two feet raised. The long walking-cane, the three-cornered hat, the pistol holsters, are all copied minutely from the relics of the great king. I have thus been perhaps tedious in the description of this grand monument. It is the greatest triumph of the greatest artist since the days of Michael Angelo, and is well worth a trip across the Atlantic to see it.

Rauch is but recently dead. He has also left behind him many other statues which have immortalized his name. Among them are his "King Frederick and Louisa," in marble, at Charlottenburg. The museum at Berlin is, however, the "great lion" of the city. It has just been entirely remodelled. A long row of pillars now fronts the Unter den Linden, and a magnificent new building has been added to the main edifice. The great Cornelius, the best fresco painter now living, has for years given his whole time and talents towards ornamenting this splendid structure. The walls of the colonnade, and the ceilings of the interior, are covered with classic works, by the best living painters. The museum is the pride of the city, and is under the direction of the government. It contains on the ground floor the Antiquarium; on the second the Sculpture Gallery, and on the third floor