on Tuesday and Wednesday the 30th, one after another arrived at Gottingen. To deter these more lukewarm partisans, the following resolution was proposed by the committee at Wizenhausen, and adopted by the students present: "That, before the deputies came back from Hanover, and a final resolution was taken by the community, every collegian shall, by the loss of his honour, be prohibited to stay within the walls of Gottingen. Only urgent reasons, as wounds, taking care of the wounded, or special orders of the committee, can make an exception." This edict was no sooner known, than not a single student remained in the University, except those above excepted, such a terror did the idea of being declared dishonoured, and of being persecuted by hundreds of their countrymen, i:spire. It may appear strange that the Elector of HesseCassel, who, from last Whitsunday, (vide p. 395,) could not possibly have any great affection for the students, and who, besides, is not a man of great ceremony, tolerated the colony at Wizenhausen, and even ordered the magistracy of that town to treat them in a friendly way, as long as they behaved quietly. This is, no doubt, a curious fact, and ill-natured people explained it by the circumstance that his royal highness had in his territory some very ill attended universities, and expected, perhaps, an increase by this desertion. Meanwhile, the commissioner was in a sad condition, and could by no means execute the purpose of his mission. How could he make inquiry, when all those whose presence and examination were necessary had left the town? He could do nothing but observe those whom the collegians left, and visiting the wounded, make a precognition of the circumstances how they had received their wounds. It is easy to imagine that they did not depose to their own prejudice. During these transactions the application of the professors, and the deputies, arrived at Hanover. To the first it was signified, that government were determined not to give way in any point, and directed them to continue their lectures on Monday the 3d of August, even if no more than three should be present. The latter were formally dismissed, and told, if they had any demand, to go to the commissioner whom government had appointed for the purpose of re-establishing order in the University. To Mr Fe a letter was sent instantly, that he should answer the deputies as follows: "As to the first point, that a general amnesty could not be granted for such excesses, but that the greatest gentleness should be used in the whole trial. As to the second, they might be assured, that, if they would be quiet, the hussars should not do them the smallest harm, and that their conduct in future would make it appear if the troops could be conveniently removed or not." Besides, the commissioner was ordered to publish on the black board," That all Hanoverian subjects, by loss of future preferment in the kingdom, and all exhibitioners of government, from whatever country they may be, by loss of their exhibitions, should return and continue their studies on Monday the 3d of August. To those who were neither Hanoverians nor exhibitioners, it was left to themselves to do what they chose, as they could not be forced to study at Gottingen." On Saturday evening, the 1st of August, the deputies arrived at the head-quarters. The committee assembled immediately, and on Sunday morning one of the nine read from an elevation among the ruins of the old castle to the collegians the resolution, the purport of which is nearly as follows: "Commilitones,-The two points which we have exhibited as the only condition of our return have been rejected. Our rulers insist on having their own will, and, if we are not to behave as children, we must insist upon ours. From the Hanoverian subjects and exhibitioners we cannot require that, with the loss of their future prospects, or of their exhibitions, they should all leave the University; accordingly, every one of them may do what he thinks proper; but, as for foreigners, we declare the University of Gottingen infamous from the first of August one thousand eight hundred and eighteen to the first of August one thousand eight hundred and twenty. We have written already to the different German seminaries, requesting the students there to respect this declaration, and not to tolerate any not Ha This resolution was adopted by the meeting, though it was by no means agreeable to them all, and though those who did approve were greatly embarrassed how to settle accounts with their parents or guardians about what they had promised, nay, what some had even sworn. The saine day, after having given a general farewell vivat to the burgomaster, bailiff, and police-commissioner, near almost all of them returned to Gottingen. A few did not go back at all,-some, and among these the nine members of the committee, fearing a severe chastise ment when matters would be inquired into, some to escape the confinement to which they had for other reasons been condemned, and had not yet suffered, and some, but very few, had baseness enough to take advantage of this opportunity to make off, leaving considerable debts. The citizens and professors, knowing nothing of the decree of Wizenhausen, as they saw their old friends enter the town, brightened up at once, and thought all would be now as it was before. But how great was their astonishment, how clouded their countenances, when the professors next day perceived in their classes only a few, and none but natives of the country! When the citizens saw all the strangers packing up, and going away one after another! Those of the latter who had money enough to pay what they owed, and had the permission of their parents, had all left Gottingen within a fortnight; the others remained, in deed, till the end of the season, but attended no lectures, except two German princes and some other foreign ers, who would not submit to such laws. This gave rise, as we shall see, to new disturbances; in a word, of 1200, only about 500 continued at Gottingen, and the inhabitants were almost reduced to despair. Immediately after the return, the commissioner pursued his inquiries concerning the mischief done 11th July, (the affair with the hussars was passed over in silence.) This inquisition he brought to a conclusion as well as he could, (the guilty foreigners being all gone,) and the punishments inflicted by government on those who were convicted were, indeed, extremely mild. To satisfy the collegians, the butcher was put for eight days in prison, on bread and water. As pro-rector, another was appointed in Mr B-r's place, from the 1st of September, and it was publicly given out that hopes were entertained that things would now go better. Besides, the commissioner was commanded to affix on the black board, "That those of the Hanoverians who should show so little patriotism as to offer the smallest insult to any of the foreigners, or, in other terms, who should attempt to execute the infamous declaration of Wizenhausen, should be punished in an exemplary manner." Mr Fe even promised to give every foreigner who should ask it, two soldiers to guard him against such acts of violence. Now the commissioner was employed in a second inquiry, that of discovering both those who had been the chief authors of the decree of infamy, and those who had bound themselves to execute it. That inquiry was, on more than one account, extremely difficult, and rather above the faculties of Mr Fe, though he was now seconded by the senate. In the first place, the transaction_not having happened at Gottingen, there were no certain data upon which the inquiry could be founded; none could give proper information, except students, and even those who disapprov➡ ed the business would have endured *The common way adopted in most of the German universities to persecute those who, in the eyes of their fellow-students, have lost their honour, (it is lost by leave the university, is to threaten them in contravening their regulations,) till they their rooms, or on the street, with a horsewhip, as it is allowed to put every kind of affront on them without being obliged to give them satisfaction. every thing in the world rather than become informers against their comrades. All he and the senate wished to know was with great trouble to be fished out of the citizens of Wizenhausen, who knew very little, and who, even if they had known more, would not have liked to disclose it, so great a liking they had taken to their guests from their short stay in their town. On the other hand, if there existed a few well-attested facts against some of the chief authors, the commissioner could seldom proceed farther in his inquiry, the greater part of those who were conscious of guilt having in good time made their escape. This perplexed state of affairs became still more complicated by new disorders, which began towards the end of August, and which induced the government to take more severe measures. As these disorders constitute, so to speak, the epilogue of the drama we have been exhibiting, we shall mention them more particularly. The thought of having humbled the citizens, of having puzzled the professors and the commissioner, of having harassed the government, and of having considerably injured all the three, inspired the students, not only with great pride, but even with boldness enough to accomplish their design, in spite of all menaces. As the Hanoverians could not follow their fellowsufferers, the plurality of them thought themselves doubly bound to respect their memory, and to execute their common declaration in the strictest sense of the word. To this it was added, that all the German and foreign papers were full of the late ineidents, and the heroes of these exploits considered it as a duty to show themselves before the public worthy of such renown. The idea of being exposed to the resentment of hundreds of their old companions, and of being treated worse than a dog, † has something so frightful in it, that almost all of those who would, perhaps, have liked to take no notice of the decree at Wizenhausen, had preferred quitting Gottingen, or at least not attending the lectures there. The usual The inhabitants of Wizenhausen, beIonging to a different government, could not be cited before a Hanoverian court, and by no means before the academical senate. +Vide p. 519, note. kind of academical persecution, however, none of the Hanoverians dared to employ in the present case, as it was known it would be followed by a confinement in the fortress. Relying upon this protection, some, as we have already mentioned, continued to visit the classes. These were to be driven away in one way or another, and, as it was not advisable to do it with the whip, recourse was had to another method, to that, namely, by which the students show their disapprobation of the professors in the classes. With the princes they did not choose to begin this sport, but, on the 18th of August, as one of the other foreigners entered, he was received with a general salutation of the feet. He went calmly to his seat, and asked his neighbour "at whom that noise was meant.' The answer was, " Of course, at you.” This was no sooner said, than he who uttered it received a violent box on the ear, which the giver would have got returned an hundred fold by the collegians present if he had not instantly withdrawn. He ran straight to the commissioner, and the next morning the whole class of 50 or 60 were summoned, but now there was not one among them who had scraped. + On the 20th " It consists in scraping with the feet, and it must be hard to find out who are the authors, if every one denies that he scraped. He who is acquainted with the character of German students in general, and knows how, with all their peculiarities, which often are somewhat rude, honesty and truth make a principal feature of their character, will be at a loss how they could all flatly deny an indecorum of which at least many of them had unquestionably been guilty. One should think, if they had boldness enough to do a thing, they would have likewise had so much courage as to avow it publicly. It is strange, it must be owned, and proves the power of custom. It is usual amongst the students not to think it any dishonour to deny a fact before the academical tribunal. That is also very well known to the judges; and, when they have one before them who obstinately denies a thing, though it is almost self-evident that he is guilty, they employ another expedient. They ask him, since he is so positive, that he should support his assertion by oath. Now, it must be known, that [one's word of honour and his oath are sacred above all things to these academicians. Accordingly, he will not was or not. * the same affront was put upon the two princes when they entered the auditory. Now, however, no blow was given. One of them, tired of all this bustle, left the University; the other, firmly resolving not to give way, continued with his tutor to visit the lectures, in spite of scraping. A report was spread that both of them carried about them pistols, to fire upon the first who should venture to molest them. This growing refractoriness the government proceeded to punish severely, in order to prevent such scenes in future. As they believed it certain that he who received the blow on the head was one of those who scraped, they put it to his oath if he He giving the common answer, was taken one evening from his lodgings, and, having been transported by five dragoons to Hanover, he was there put in the tower. At the same time a publication was posted up on the black board, where "they reproached their Hanoverian subjects with their most unpatriotic and disreputable behaviour, and declared, that, in case a foreigner was again insulted in the public auditory, as it was difficult on such occasions to convict the authors, a certain number, in consequence of their preceding conduct, should be taken up, and on them should be inflicted the punishment. Farther, it was proclaimed, that the punishments in such cases would be fixed in future, not according to the clemency of the academical code, but according to the rigorous statutes of the kingdom against rebellious subjects, because their behaviour began to assume a far more serious character than that of juvenile levity." Even this new warning was found ineffectual, to such a pitch had the academical frenzy risen. The habitation of swear to that of which he knows the contrary. On the other hand, he will not show himself a liar, and bring on himself public shame. What does he do? he insists upon its being against his principles to take an oath about such trifles. In consequence of this he is punished, as if he were convicted. It is easy to imagine, however, that it is not thought proper always to ask such an oath, especially if, as in this case, the punishment which is to follow is very serious, and if the number of those suspected is considerable, some of them might be tempted to swear a false oath. Vide p. 520, note. the remaining prince was without the town, and the patroles of the cavalry, who every evening paraded the town in all directions, used not to go so far. The students believed, accordingly, that they might break the windows there in all security. One night every thing was agreed upon for that purpose, but the University police got a hint of it, and a picquette of hussars and academical soldiers posted, there in the evening deterred them from it. So much, however, was effected, that the prince, not to need a particular guard every day, removed soon afterwards to town. All was again referred to the capital, and the people in power could not help being greatly offended at the ill success of their commissioner, and the revolutionary spirit of those who should rather have been forward to save the honour of their own university. But there was another still more important circumstance which attracted their attention, and which required to be obviated before the end of the season. Many of the Hanoverians, namely, had, as we have seen, only returned because of the order from their government, and, as this decree extended only to the present session, they mutually promised one another to importune their parents or guardians (pointing the stay at Gottingen as so dangerous) till they gave them leave to finish their studies at some other German seminary. Had this taken place, Gottingen must have been almost ruined. To their disappointment appeared, in the first days of September, a mandate of the Prince Regent, of which every Hanoverian student received a printed copy. This "prohibited every student, on pain of loss of future employment in the kingdom, to study next season at any other university in Germany, without the particular permission of the government, which permission can only be asked for good reasons by the parents or guardians of the individual who had to do so." The troops remained still, but the commissioner was now recalled, and the farther inquisition into the students' decree of Wizenhausen was committed first to the senate and then to a certain number of the first professors. We shall not pass a judgment upon Mr Fe's personal character; but this every impartial person will allow, that a more experienced and a more popular commissioner would, perhaps, have given things a better direction. It is impossible to describe how much he was detested by the students, who, in cursing, used no more the devil's, but Mr F. -e's name. They composed and recited verses on him. In every mouth were the most shocking stories about his former life, &c. In short, he got away, but it is a wonder that he got away with a whole skin. He left behind him, without having fulfilled the wishes of his government, the malediction of all the students, of all the professors, of all the citizens. What success the committee of professors has had, and what has taken place this winter at Gottingen, may be found stated fully in the German newspapers. The author of the preceding narrative, though he cannot flatter himself that there are no trivial inaccuracies in point of information, is, however, confident that it cannot be imputed to him that he has made any intentional misrepresentations, or has departed in the smallest circumstance from what appeared to him the strictest impartiality. He may apply to the students, the government, and himself, the just, though somewhat hackney ed, proverb, We tread no common ground-the very air Is breathing with the songs of the olden' day; ५ And bounding o'er the scene, behold you there, The gallant forms of high plumed chi valry; And scattered through these woods their grim array Of trusty vassalage, with crests of fire; Ascend the turret-take the eagle's station |