gates into
an immensely long avenue of elm trees parallel to the river which forms the
promenade.

DRESDEN, Oct. 10th.

I have been to see the Palace and grounds of the _Grosser Garten_. The
garden and park, for it unites both, is of great extent, and beautifully
laid out; but a number of fine trees have been knocked down and mutilated
by cannon shot during the battle of Dresden in 1818, when this garden was
occupied by the Allied troops and exposed to a heavy fire of fifty pieces
of cannon, from a battery erected by Napoleon on the opposite side of the
river, which completely commanded and enfiladed the whole range of the
garden. How the Palace itself escaped being knocked to pieces is wonderful;
but I suppose Napoleon must have given orders to spare it as much as
possible. This Palace is of beautiful structure and in the style of an
Italian villa; statues of the twelve Caesars and bas-reliefs adorn the
exterior. The columns and pilasters are of the Corinthian order. As for the
interior, it is unfurnished, and has been so since the Seven Years' war,
when it was plundered by the enemy, and has never since been inhabited by
the Electoral family. There is a superb rectangular basin of water in this
garden. These gardens are delightfully laid out; why they are not more
frequented I cannot conceive, but I have hitherto met with very few people
there, tho' they are open to all the world. They will form my morning's
promenade, for I prefer solitude to a crowd in a morning walk. But one of
the gardeners here tells me that on Sunday evening there is generally a
good deal of company, who come to listen to the music which is played in a
building fitted up for the purpose at one side of the garden. Wine, coffee,
beer and other refreshments are to be had; but beer is the favorite
beverage. Smoking is universal among the young men; the most ardent
admirers of the fair sex never forget their pipe. During the courtship the
surest sign that the fair one does not intend to _give_ her lover _the
basket_ is when she presents him with a bag to hold his tobacco. Her
consent is implied thereby.

During the battle of Dresden, the slaughter in this garden was immense, and
the Allies were finally driven out of it. The gardener related to me an
affecting story of a young lady of Dresden, whose lover was killed in this
battle and buried in the _Grosser Garten_. She has taken it so much to
heart that she comes here three or four times in the