a city of Germany, in the kingdom of Bavaria, seated near the confluence of the Ardech and Lech, in one of the most beautiful plains that can be imagined. It is one of the largest and handsomest cities of the empire; but the fortifications are after the old manner, and very irregular; the streets are broad and straight; the houses mostly of timber, plastered and whitened without, or adorned with paintings; the rest are of freestone; the churches and fountains are generally ornamented with fine figures of brass. Many of the churches are stately, and adorned within with curious workmanship and paintings. That part of the city erected by the noble family of the Fuggers, who are lords of the adjacent country, consists of several streets crosswise, containing 106 houses; the poor people that inhabit them are maintained by an annual pension. Its magnificent town-house is little inferior to that of Amsterdam, being a vast square stone building, with a marble portico; at the top of the front, within the pediment, is a large spread eagle, holding a sceptre and globe in its talons, of brass gilt, said to weigh 2200 weight; the great portal is of a very beautiful reddish marble, over which is a balcony of the same colour, supported by two pillars of white marble; over the gate there are two large griffins of brass. brass; most of the rooms are wainscotted and ceiled with very fine timber: the great hall is very magnificent, and paved with marble; it is 110 feet long, 58 broad, and 52 high, and its roof is supported by eight columns of red marble: the ceiling of the upper wall is of very curious workmanship of polished ash, consisting of compartments, the squares and panels of which are enriched with gilded sculptures, and filled with pictures and other ornaments; this is likewise supported by eight pillars, with bases and chapiters of brass: the other rooms are handsomely adorned with very fine paintings.

In the square, near the town-house, is the fountain of Augustus, which is a marble basin, surrounded with iron balustrades finely wrought: at the four corners are four brass statues, as big as the life, two of which are women and two men; in the middle of the basin is a pedestal, at the foot of which are four large sphinxes squirting water out of their breasts; a little above these are four infants holding four dolphins in their arms, which pour water out of their mouths; and over these infants are festoons and pine-apples all of brass; upon the pedestal, is the statue of Augustus as large as the life. The fountain most remarkable next to this is that of Hercules, which is a hexagon basin with several brass figures, particularly Hercules engaging the hydra. Another curiosity is the secret gate, which was contrived to let in persons safely in time of war: it has so many engines and divisions with gates, and keys, and apartments for guards at some distance from each other, where passengers are examined, that it is impossible for the town to be surprised this way; the gates are bolted and unbolted, opened and shut, by unseen operators, insomuch that it looks like enchantment. The water-towers are also very curious, of which there are three seated on a branch of the river Lech, which runs through the city in such a torrent as to drive many mills, which work a number of pumps that raise the water in large leaden pipes to the tops of the towers; one of these sends water to the public fountains, and the rest to near 1000 houses in the city.

The Lutherans have a college here, which is a vast square building, with a fine clock on the top of the front. In this there are seven different classes, a hall for public disputations, and a theatre for dramatic representations. The cathedral is a large, gloomy, Gothic building, with two spire steeples; it is adorned with paintings upon whimsical subjects, and has a great gate all of brass, over which are several scripture passages well represented in basso-relievo. The Jesuits had a splendid college here, with a church full of gilding, painting, and carving; and a fine library. Though half the inhabitants are Lutherans, there are a great many Popish processions. There are no Jews in the town, nor are they suffered to lie there; but they inhabit a village at about a league distance, and pay so much an hour for the liberty of trading in the daytime. The Benedictine abbey is a vast Gothic building, the ceiling of which is said to be the highest in Germany, and overlooks all the rest of the churches; it is adorned with several statues, and has one very grand altar. The church of St Croix is one of the handsomest in Augsburg for architecture, painting, sculpture, gilding, and a fine spire.

The inhabitants look upon Augustus Caesar as the founder of the town: it is true, that that emperor sent Augsburg a colony there; but the town was already founded, though he gave it the name of Augusta Vindelicorum. Augsburg, indeed, is one of the oldest towns in Germany, and one of the most remarkable of them, as it is there and at Nuremberg that you meet with the oldest marks of German art and industry. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the commerce of this town was the most extensive of any part of south Germany, and contributed much to the civilization of the country, by the works of art and variety of necessaries to the comfort and convenience of life which it was the means of introducing. Many things originated in this town which have had a great influence on the happiness of mankind. Not to mention the many important diets of the empire held here; here, in 932, did a council confirm the order for the celibacy of priests; here, in 1532, was the confession of faith of the Protestants laid before the emperor and other estates of Germany; and here, in 1555, was signed the famous treaty of peace, by which religious liberty was secured to Germany.

Though the Protestants were very powerful at Augsburg, they could not keep their ground: for the Bavarians drove them from thence: but Gustavus Adolphus restored them again in 1632; since which time they have continued there, and share the government with the Catholics. In 1703, the elector of Bavaria took the city after a siege of seven days, and demolished the fortifications: however the battle of Hochstedt restored their liberty, which they enjoyed under the government of their own magistrates, till the French revolution. It was suffered to continue a free city in 1803, but was united to Bavaria in 1807. The chapter is composed of persons of quality, who are to bring proofs of their nobility, and the canons have a right of electing their own bishop.

The police of the place is very good: and though the town has no territory, it has no debts. Augsburg is, however, no longer what it was. It no longer has a Fugger and a Welser in it to lend the emperor millions. In this large and handsome town, formerly one of the greatest trading towns in Germany, there are no merchants at present to be found who have capitals of more than 20,000l. The others, most of whom have their coaches, go creeping on with capitals of 3000l. or 4000l. and do the business of brokers and commissioners. Some houses, however, carry on a little banking trade; and the way through Tyrol and Graubunden occasions some little exchange between this place and Germany. After these brokers and doers of business by commission, the engravers, statuaries, and painters, are the most reputable of the labouring part of the city. Their productions, like the toys of Nuremberg, go everywhere. There are always some people of genius amongst them; but the small demand for their art affords them so little encouragement, that to prevent starving they are mostly confined to the small religious works which are done elsewhere by Capuchin monks. They furnish all Germany with little pictures for prayer books, and to hang in the citizens houses. There is an academy of arts instituted here under the protection of the magistrates: the principal aim of which is to produce good mechanics, and preserve the manufactures of the city. This town, which is nine miles and a half in circumference, contains, according to Mr Riesbeck, hardly 30,000 inhabitants; but Mr Nicolai makes them about 35,000.

This city has its drinking water from the river Lech, which runs at some distance from it; and the aqueducts which convey the water are much to be admired. It is a central depositary of the Neckar, Tyrolese, Italian, and Greek wines. Another important branch of traffic here is that of bookselling and publishing, especially in Catholic literature. The Catholics have six churches and eight monasteries here, and the Lutherans six churches; but the former considerably exceed the latter in point of numbers. This city was first constituted the capital of the circle of the Lech, but was joined in 1810 to that of the Iller, of which Kempten is now the chief town. The elector of Treves fixed his residence here after the secularization of his territories. A wooden bridge of ingenious structure was built over the Lech at Augsburg in 1808. In the war of 1756, the citizens were divided into equal parties for the two courts. The Catholics considered the emperor as their god, and the Protestants did the same by the king of Prussia. The flame of religion had almost kindled a bloody civil war amongst them.—The bishop takes his name from this town, but resides at Dillingen. He has an income of about 20,000l. per annum. As a proof of the catholicism of this place, the Pope throughout his whole progress met nowhere with such honours as he did here. This he owed to his friends the Jesuits, who had great influence in this place. E. Long. 10. 58. N. Lat. 48. 24.

Augsburg Confession, denotes a celebrated confession of faith drawn up by Luther and Melanchthon, on behalf of themselves and other ancient reformers, and presented in 1530 to the emperor Charles V. at the diet of Augusta or Augsburg, in the name of the evangelic body. This confession contains 28 chapters; of which the greatest part is employed in representing, with perspicuity and truth, the religious opinions of the Protestants, and the rest in pointing out the errors and abuses that occasioned their separation from the church of Rome.