of which the antiquarian's eye is cheered by a sight of the architecture of
the sixteenth century. It is in this immediate vicinity, that the _Hôtel de
Ville_ is situated; a building, full of curious and interesting relics of
sculpture in wood and stone. Just before it, is a fountain of black marble,
where the women come to fetch water, and the cattle to drink. Walking in a
straight line with the front of the public library (which is at right
angles with the Hôtel de Ville) you gain the best view of this Hotel, in
conjunction with the open space, or market place, and of the churches in
the distance. About this spot, Mr. Lewis fixed himself, with his pencil and
paper in hand, and produced a drawing from which I select the following
felicitous portion.

[Illustration: Drawing]

But to return to the Public Library. You are to know therefore, that The
Public Library of Stuttgart contains, in the whole, about 130,000 volumes.
Of these, there are not fewer than 8200 volumes relating to the _Sacred
Text_: exclusively of duplicates. This library has been indeed long
celebrated for its immense collection of _Bibles_. The late King of
Würtemberg, but more particularly his father, was chiefly instrumental to
this extraordinary collection:--and yet, of the very earlier Latin
impressions, they want the _Mazarine_, or the _Editio Princeps_; and the
third volume of _Pfister's_ edition. Indeed the first volume of their copy
of the latter wants a leaf or two of prefatory matter. They have two copies
of the first _German Bible_, by _Mentelin_[7]--of which _one_ should be
disposed of, for the sake of contributing to the purchase of the earliest
edition of the Latin series. Each copy is in the original binding; but they
boast of having a _complete series of German Bibles_ before the time of
Luther; and of Luther's earliest impression of 1524, printed by Peypus,
they have a fine copy UPON VELLUM, like that in the Althorp Library; but I