The pipe which has this sedative effect on political effervescence, has a still stronger similar effect, it is said, on the passion of love; hence the German husbands are proverbially sluggish.  But the ladies, none of whom smoke, preserve their romanticity during their whole lives, and would, if they had their choice, give their hands to foreigners, who are more attentive to them than their own countrymen.

The young ladies here are, ’tis said, extremely romantic in their ideas of love and capable of the strongest attachment.  They think that any thing should be pardoned to sincere passion.  It has been related to me that some time ago a young man, who was devotedly attached to a girl, on the father refusing his consent to the marriage, stabbed the girl and then himself.  An immense number of young ladies attended their funeral, to throw flowers over the grave of the two lovers.  Assuredly the young man was only a noviciate in smoking.

Everybody must, I think, admire the Saxon women.  They are in general handsome and have fine shapes; they are warm hearted and affectionate; and they are almost universally well educated.  Indeed the whole Saxon people are so amiable that foreigners find themselves so happy here that they are unwilling to quit the country.  Very many form matrimonial attachments.  In short, this people fully merit the epithet a celebrated English traveller (Sherlock)[127] has bestowed on them when he called them a herrliches Volk.

DRESDEN, Jan. 8d, 1819.

I have made an excursion to Meissen which lies on the same bank of the river with the old town of Dresden at a distance of twelve miles.  As there is no road on the left bank of the river to Meissen, you must cross the river twice to arrive at it, viz., once at Neustadt and once at Meissen, the road being on the right bank.  I put up at the Hirsch (Stag), a very comfortable inn.  I went to Meissen with a view of seeing the Russian contingent pass the Elbe on their return from France, which has been evacuated in consequence of the arrangement at Aix-la-Chapelle.  They appeared a fine body of men, clothed a la francaise and seemed in high spirits.  They seem to have imbibed liberal ideas during their residence in France, for some of the officers who dined at the inn at Meissen spoke very freely on passing events.

The return of the Saxon contingent is expected in Dresden in a day or two, and there will no doubt be a great deal of rejoicing among the military and their relations to meet their old comrades and friends; and potent libations of Doppel Bier will no doubt be made.  Meissen is said to be famous for the beauty of its women and the few that I saw in the streets did not contradict this reputation.

DRESDEN, Jany. 5th, 1819.

We have had several balls here.  Waltzing is the only sort of dance in fashion at Dresden, excepting now and then a Polonaise.