who comes to Prague should omit visiting these two Palaces of Wallenstein
and Colloredo. On the bridge over the Mulda before mentioned, is the statue
in bronze of St John Nepomucene, on the spot from whence he was thrown into
the river by his brother saint, King Wenceslaus, for refusing to divulge
the gallantries of his (Wenceslaus') wife, to whom he was confessor. A
favorite promenade on Sundays is on the _Faerber Insel_ or Dyers island,
which is a small island on the Mulda. Here the young men of the town come
to dance with the _grisettes_ and milliner girls of Prague, who are
renowned for their beauty and complaisance.

The Jewish burying ground is a curiosity for a person who has never visited
the Oriental countries. The tombstones are stowed thick together. Everybody
recollects the anecdote of the ingenious method adopted by Joseph II for
squeezing a large sum of money from the Jews of Prague, by giving out that
he intended to claim this cemetery, in order to build therein a Palace. The
Jews who, like all the Orientals, have the most profound veneration for the
spot where their ancestors are buried, presented a large sum of money to
the Emperor, to induce him to renounce his design.

The _Stadt-Haus_ (Hotel de Ville) is a fine building; and the _Marktplatz_
(market square) is very spacious, and contributes much to the beauty of the
town. In the centre of it stands an ancient fountain of a dodecagonal form.
The basin is of red marble, and near it stands a large stone column, with a
statue of the Virgin, bronze gilt, on its summit. A well supplied market,
or rather fair, is carried on here every day in the week. The Theatre is a
fine building and is of immense size. I witnessd the representation of a
burlesque tragedy called _Die Belagerung von Ypsilon_ (the siege of
Ypsilon), but I could not at all comprehend the cream of the jest. Madame
Catalani, who is here, sang at this theatre one night. The theatre was
completely filled and the price of admission to the boxes and _parterre_ a
ducat. The street adjoining to the theatre was crowded by people
endeavoring to catch the sweet sounds. Immense hommage has been paid to
Catalani by the authorities here.

The balls of the _bourgeoisie_ of Prague are splendid and well attended.
The _bourgeoisie_ is very opulent in this city. There are but few residents
_Noblesse_. The expences at the inns here are rather greater than those at
Vienna, wine being a foreign commodity and beer