This is all the direct information that I can pick up of the founder and the proceedings of the German Union. The project is coarse, and palpably mean, aiming at the dahlers of entry-money and of annual contribution, and at the publication and profitable sale of Dr. Bahrdt's books. This circumstance gives it strong features of its parentage--Philo speaks of Bahrdt in his _Final Declaration_ in terms of contempt and abhorence. There is nothing ingenious, nothing new, nothing enticing, in the plans; and the immediate purpose of indulging the licentious taste of the public comes so frequently before the eye, that it bears all the marks of that grossness of mind, precipitancy, and impatient oversight that are to be found in all the voluminous writings of Dr. Bahrdt. Many in Germany, however, ascribe the Union to Weishaupt, and say that it is the Illuminati working in another form. There is no denying that the principles, and even the manner of proceeding, are the same in every essential circumstance. Many paragraphs of the declamations circulated through Germany with the plans, are transcribed verbatim from Weishaupt's _Corrected system of Illuminatism_. Much of the work _On Instruction, and the Means for promoting it_, is very nearly a copy of the same work, blended with slovenly extracts from some of his own writings--There is the same series of delusions from the beginning, as in Illuminatism--Free Masonry and Christianity are compounded--first with marks of respect--then Christianity is twisted to a purpose foreign from it, but the same with that aimed at by Weishaupt--then it is thrown away altogether, and Natural Religion and Atheism substituted for it--For no person will have a moment's hesitation in saying, that this is the creed of the author of the books _On Instruction_ and _On the Liberty of the Press_. Nor can he doubt that the political principles are equally anarchical with those of the Illuminati.--The endeavours also to get possession of public offices--of places of education--of the public mind, by the Reading Societies, and by publications--are so many transcripts from the Illuminati. Add to this, that Dr. Bahrdt was an _Illuminatus_--and wrote the _Better than Horus_, at the command of Weishaupt. Nay, it is well known that Weishaupt was twice or thrice at Bahrdt's Ruhe during those transactions, and that he zealously promoted the formation of Reading Societies in several places.--But I am rather of the opinion that Weishaupt made those visits in order to keep Dr. Bahrdt within some bounds of decency, and to hinder him from hurting the cause by his precipitancy, when spurred on by the want of money. Weishaupt could not work in such an unskilful manner. But he would be very glad of such help as this coarse tool could give him--and Bahrdt gave great help; for, when he was imprisoned and his papers seized, his Archives, as he called them, shewed that there were many Reading Societies which his project had drawn together.