Chapter IX: Part 9

On Monday morning, after an early breakfast, we recommenced our journey; and again resting our horses every two hours, arrived about twelve o’clock at a small village, where we dined. In the afternoon, we fell in with a return vehicle, a kind of cabriolet with two horses, going to Nimeguen, which kept company with us till four o’clock; when our driver succeeded in persuading us, that by taking this opportunity we should reach Nimeguen to-night; as the driver would turn off, leaving Cleves on the left, and make a nearer cut by a league; whereas, otherwise we should not be able to advance farther than the latter place this evening, and unable to proceed by diligence, before noon next day. Anxiety to get forward, induced us to avail ourselves of this push; but I think we never, in our whole lives, travelled in so uneasy a vehicle, or over more wretched roads; in addition, it began to rain very fast, and the curtains of our carriage were unable to protect us. After passing through a wood, about seven o’clock, we reached a decent kind of town, where our driver fed his horses well; first with bread, and afterwards with chopped hay and corn, placed before them in the street in a portable manger. After this we proceeded on to Nimeguen, through an exceedingly heavy sandy road. A short time before we reached this place, we left the Prussian and entered the Dutch territories, without the least interruption from the custom-house officers: instead of the usual bureau, we only found an inn for entertainment; nor were we detained in the least on this account, on entering Nimeguen, although it is a strongly fortified and frontier town. We drove to an inn, called the Post Waggon, which, however, we found so full, that we were obliged to have beds made up in our sitting-room; the civility with which we were here treated, induced us to give this arrangement the preference to seeking out another inn. Before retiring to bed, we secured our places for Utrecht in the diligence, or, as it is here called, the Post Waggon, and which was to depart at half after six in the morning.

On Tuesday, soon after leaving Nimeguen, we crossed the Waal (a branch of the Rhine) on a flying bridge, which had two or three small cabins built upon it, and masts with flags flying. We here completed our complement of passengers, and had much disputation respecting places, which a man belonging to the coach settled in a very rough authoritative manner. We were tolerably fortunate in our situation, for the carriage was a clumsy inconvenient machine, with a front, back, and middle seat, intended for nine passengers, and the roof timbers without lining.

This unfortunate outset was, however, succeeded by an unexpected interesting conversation: amongst other agreeable companions, we found a professor of the university of Leyden, who advocated with great warmth the literary character of his country; and asserted, in particular, that it had produced a number of poetical works of higher merit than the world were disposed to admit of; that even his own countrymen had not duly appreciated them; but that he trusted the efforts, which were then making at Leyden, to collect and make them public, would tend to remove this stigma. As none of us were acquainted with the authors he enumerated, he remained, of course, undisputed master of the field.

The professor’s wife, and their son, were also of the party; the latter was a handsome lad of fifteen, who sat in the cabriolet, and occupied himself in smoking a pipe nearly half as long as himself. We expressed our surprise at his being allowed to indulge himself in this manner, but his mother stated that he had entered the college, and therefore was of the age when it was customary to commence inhaling the fumes of this deleterious herb.

“Pernicious weed! whose scent the fair annoys,
Unfriendly to society’s chief joys;
Thy worst effect is banishing for hours,
The sex whose presence civilizes ours.”—COWPER.

But the ladies of Holland are too much used to this custom, to find it disagreeable; not only habit, but an opinion of its utility, tends to reconcile them to it. If it possesses any quality in destroying contagion, I am disposed to imagine that this must depend upon the stronger poison subduing the weaker, like Aaron’s serpent swallowing up the rest.

We had also, in our party, a mild, pleasant, and well-informed Swiss clergyman, the pastor of a protestant church at Hamburgh.

After dining hastily at a village on the road, we continued our journey through a country, which my friend C⸺ described as beautiful, and possessing a novel character; we passed Dry Bergen, or three hills, a place much frequented in summer by the richer inhabitants of Amsterdam and Utrecht; and afterwards a beautiful village, where there is a magnificent chateau inhabited by Moravian missionaries; although the roads were excellent, in consequence of frequently baiting our horses, we did not reach Utrecht before half after four o’clock; having occupied ten hours in accomplishing a journey of only forty-two miles.

CHAP. XXX.

UTRECHT—AMSTERDAM.

On arriving at Utrecht, we were prevented from proceeding to Amsterdam by boat, the same evening, as we had intended, in consequence of heavy rains; and, by the recommendation of one of our passengers, took up our quarters at an inferior inn, near which the diligence stopped. The fire-pan, tobacco, and other accompaniments for smoking, were very shortly placed before us for our entertainment, and the good people seemed much astonished that we should prefer the more simple enjoyment of tea.

This city is celebrated for having been the first to shake off the galling yoke of Spain in the year 1579. It was here that the seven provinces formed their alliance, under the counsels of William, prince of Orange, in a conference known as the treaty of Utrecht.

In the morning, we prepared early to set off by the barge or treckschuyt for Amsterdam; but, before leaving, we were destined to meet with a specimen of Dutch manners. The master of the inn made a most exorbitant charge, and, when my friend questioned it, he repeated the sum in a rough manner, without deigning to give any other answer, at the same time, approaching with a menacing aspect; my friend took him by the shoulder and pushed him off; this lowered his tone, but he was aware that we had no time to contest it, as we must either set off instantly to gain the barge, or lose our passage, and therefore obstinately adhered to his original demand, and upon the principle of choosing the least of two evils, we thought prudent to comply with it.

After traversing a great part of the city, we fortunately reached the barge just as it was on the point of starting. There were three cabins, of different prices, and we had the honour of being placed in the best or aftermost, for our conveyance in which, and luggage, we were charged thirty-one stivers each, equal to about half-a-crown; this, for a journey of twenty miles, we could not complain of. The scenery along this canal, my friend stated to be beautiful in the extreme; in short, it is regarded as the most interesting and characteristic picture that this country displays, and realizes the description of our amiable poet, Goldsmith.

“The slow canal, the yellow-blossom’d vale,
The willow-tufted bank, the gliding sail,
The crowded mart, the cultivated plain.”

We heard them very merry in the fore cabin, but had the one we occupied to ourselves until about noon, when two elderly Dutch ladies, who were conversant in French, joined us, and proved agreeable companions, although they were negative characters.

We rested for a short time at a house of entertainment on the banks of the canal, where we were refreshed with buttered rolls, which had slices of cheese laid between the divided halves. At half after two, we arrived at Amsterdam, and took up our residence at the Wapen van Amsterdam, instead of the City of Hamburg Hotel, to which we had been recommended, a mistake we were not aware of until some hours afterwards; however, it was one of the best inns in the place, so that we had no reason to feel disappointed. At the table d’hôte, charged thirty stivers per head, we met with a countryman of ours, Mr. W., with his wife and daughter; and after dinner, were conducted by him to a coffee-house, where, from the English papers, we became acquainted with the particulars of her late majesty’s death.

On the following day, August the 16th, notwithstanding it was disposed to be rainy, we accompanied Mr., Mrs., and Miss W⸺ to Broeck, and Saardam. After passing in a ferry-boat to Brocksluyh, we engaged a tilted carriage, capable of containing nine persons, constructed like a caravan, the sides with neat open work, and canvas curtains to keep out the weather.

We arrived at Broeck for breakfast, and the day now proving fine, our party were delighted with the novel and extraordinary appearance, and cleanliness of this little paradise. In each house, there is one particular door which is always kept closed, except on the occasion of a wedding or funeral. The gardens are the very picture of elegant neatness; in some of them the shrubs are arranged and cut into the shapes of tables and chairs, or other fanciful forms; the ground is laid out in pleasing walks and parterres, and the eye enchanted with the most beautiful variety of flowers.

We now proceeded to Saardam, where the first circumstance which attracted our notice, was a new married couple, returning from church to take coffee, previous to enjoying the wedding dinner; on this occasion, we were informed that the bride’s fortune was a number of _windmills_, an article that Amsterdam and its neighbourhood abounds with. Our leading object, however, was to visit the house once occupied by Peter the Great, consisting of two small rooms with an enclosed recess for a bed; the door of which we opened, while some of us stepped within the frame on which the bed had rested. A board was suspended from the ceiling, with an inscription in the Dutch and Russian languages, of which, the following is a translation.

“Nothing is too little for a great man.”

The Emperor Alexander visited this spot in the year 1813, and left two Latin inscriptions on marble, commemorative of the event.

After this, we walked about the village, visited the church, and returned to Amsterdam for a late dinner, highly gratified with our day’s excursion.

We devoted the greater part of the next day to examining the city of Amsterdam, which is so intersected with streets, canals, and bridges, bearing a strong similarity to each other, that it is not an easy matter to gain an accurate knowledge of it. It takes its name from the river _Amstel_, and _Dam_, signifying a mound, raised to prevent this river from overflowing the surrounding country. The city is principally built upon piles, driven into the morass to form a solid foundation, and of which it is said, that no less than thirteen thousand are fixed under the Stadt-house alone. We visited the Exchange, one of the finest buildings of the kind in Europe. After this, we entered a Jew’s synagogue, the noisy and discordant devotion of which, soon tired us, so that we were glad to take our departure, particularly as we had no expectation of being permitted to bid for the key of the sanctum sanctorum. We regretted this day, parting from our new and agreeable acquaintance, Mr. W⸺ and his family, who left us for Utrecht.

On the following morning, one of the partners of the bank of Messrs. Melvil and Co. with whom I had done business the day before, called to rectify some trifling error in the discounts, and understanding that I was proceeding alone, kindly gave me a letter of introduction to a friend at the Hague.

The time was now approaching, when my friend C⸺ felt compelled to separate from me; he had from day to day deferred his departure for St. Petersburg, in hopes of effecting a more agreeable arrangement for his journey, than had previously offered itself; for he would have been obliged to have pursued his journey partly by canal, and partly by land, and the latter night and day, for nearly a week unremittingly, through a wild country, and along dreadful roads. He had, however, some prospect, as far as Hamburg, of the company of the Swiss clergyman, who travelled with us from Nimeguen to Utrecht, but here he was disappointed, for this gentleman was uncertain when he could depart, and on account of the advanced state of the summer, and possibility of the winter setting in early, my friend thought it imprudent to delay any longer; he therefore concluded upon setting out in the evening of Sunday the 19th, by a vessel which crosses the Zuyder sea to Lemner, from whence he was to proceed by diligence or canal to Groningen, where he would find a conveyance to Bremen and Hamburg.

On Sunday morning, we visited the new church, the organ of which is said to be the largest in Europe, and to exceed the celebrated one at Haarlem. After this, we went to the Stadt-house, one of the most magnificent buildings in Europe; the foundation-stone of which, was laid in the year 1648; it is built of freestone, two hundred and eighty-eight feet in length, two hundred and thirty-five broad, and one hundred and sixteen in height, to the top of the roof. The grand saloon is one hundred and twenty feet long, and one hundred high. We ascended the tower, the view from whence my friend C⸺ described to be most extensive, and extremely beautiful, commanding the whole of the town and harbour, and a considerable surface both of land and water.

We were anxious to have visited the dock-yard, and a variety of other places in this interesting city, but it became necessary that we should prepare for our respective departures, as I had determined to set off to Haarlem, on my way to Brussels, at five in the evening; and much of our time was frittered away in the unavoidable arrangements for conveyances, &c. I was induced, in preference to taking the diligence for Rotterdam, to pass by the barge through the Hague, as this would afford me the better opportunity of gaining an acquaintance with the country and its inhabitants.

I shall not attempt to enter into any particular description of the city of Amsterdam, but merely observe, that I was forcibly impressed with an idea of its similarity to Venice; both are situated on marshy grounds, in the immediate vicinity of the sea, and intersected by canals, which divide them into innumerable small islands; but the farther parallel is certainly in favour of the latter; for although Pope tells us, that

“Venice from dirt, and sea-weeds rose;”

yet I think the natural salubrity of its climate, as well as the general superiority of its buildings, and more extensive display of specimens of the fine arts, would prove greater attractions in the eyes of the stranger. With respect to the point of salubrity, the canals of Venice are more uniformly covered with water than those of Amsterdam, which offer a surface of mud, and hence fewer noxious exhalations are here generated; not that I am ignorant that Venice is far from being a healthy summer residence, in consequence of injurious miasmata, raised from its very foundations, by the intensity of the solar ray.

The atmosphere of Amsterdam is greatly impregnated with moisture, and the place necessarily very damp, which must favour the production and aggravation of rheumatic disease; the liability to which, is perhaps the best excuse that can be made for the general use of tobacco by its inhabitants.

It is true, that the above custom also suits the calculating notions of the Dutch. I am on this point forcibly reminded of the observation of a solitary and smoking Dutchman, when Dr. Moore had expressed, through the medium of an interpreter, his regret at being unable to converse with him, in consequence of his ignorance of the Dutch language; and which was to this effect: “They ought to console themselves for the accident of not understanding each other; for as they had no connexions, or dealings in trade together, their conversing could not possibly answer any useful purpose.”

The moment now arrived, when I was to be separated from my very kind friend, with whom I had, on the present tour, travelled more than fourteen hundred miles; we cheered the painful moments of parting, by the anticipations of soon meeting again. We fortunately had little time to spend in useless regrets, for the boat, when we reached the canal, was on the point of setting off, and they make it a rule to wait for no one; even an English gentleman, who was in expectation of the momentary arrival of two friends to accompany him, was obliged to stay behind, because they would not tarry an instant after the signal bell had rung. This was a source of regret to my friend, as he had taken much pains to interest him in my favour, and, indeed, I promised myself some pleasure from travelling in his company. Not that my heart was sufficiently frenchified, to be capable of suddenly expanding to the warmth of a new friendship; no! I preferred indulging in the delightful emotions inspired in it, by the recollections of my late amiable companion; of whose uniform kindness, and anxious concern for me, I shall never—never cease to be most sensible.

CHAP. XXXI.

JOURNEY FROM AMSTERDAM TO BRUSSELS.

I was now once more left to my own resources, and shortly ascertained, that there were two young Dutchmen on board who were acquainted with English. Their father, I afterward found, was a merchant, retired from business in order to secure, under the present depressed state of trade, the fruits of his former industry. The sons had learnt English, as a necessary accomplishment for the duties of their father’s office, the concerns of which lay chiefly in England.

Haarlem is distant seven miles from Amsterdam, and the journey occupies nearly three hours; about midway we arrived at a village, where we had to change both the canal and barge, walking through the town, our luggage being conveyed by barrowmen. On our arrival at Haarlem, the captain, after arranging with his other passengers, accompanied me to the Lion d’Or, to which I had been recommended. Before entering the inn, I was not a little surprised by the landlord’s daughter inquiring from me in English, where my friend was. I replied that I was alone; and she asked whether I had not had a friend with me; on satisfying her, and saying that he was gone to Hamburg, she offered to take care of me, and in case I was proceeding to the Hague and Rotterdam, to give me letters to houses where I should receive every attention. Of course I endeavoured to learn how she had acquired any knowledge of me, which she explained by stating, that her father had been the day before, at our inn at Amsterdam, and had become acquainted with my intention of visiting Haarlem, and that they looked out for me as an uncommon traveller.

While I was taking refreshment, the gentlemen with a lady, who had been disappointed in their passage by our barge, arrived, and as they were proceeding to Leyden on the following morning, I determined to avail myself of their invitation to accompany them.

We arose early in the morning to walk over the town, which is of great antiquity, having been a flourishing place as early as 1155; but the most interesting object, is the statue of Lawrence Coster, once an alderman of this city, and the asserted inventor of the art of printing, and which stands in the _grand place_. It is true that the honour of the above invention is disputed with Coster and Haarlem, by various other towns of Germany, as Mentz, Strasburg, &c.; but there is strong ground to consider Coster entitled to the priority of claim, as the dates of some of the books of his printing are anterior to those of Faust, or any other of his competitors. Adrianus Junius, who was born at Hoorn, in 1507, tells us, that Coster hit upon this invention as he was walking in a wood near Haarlem, by cutting the bark of beech-trees into letters, and then stamping them upon paper as a seal; and that he afterwards extended and improved his discovery, and set up a printing office in his house, and that Faust, or Fust, who was a servant of his, one day, while the family were at church, stole away his types and other materials, and fled with them to Mentz, where he commenced business as a printer.

The first book which Coster brought out, and his original types, are preserved in the Stadt-house for the inspection of the curious; we had not, however, time to examine them, nor even to hear the celebrated organ of this city, for we did not arrive on the day before until after evening service had concluded; and to hear it at any other time, is a gratification which must be handsomely paid for.

Immediately after breakfast, we set off to take the treckschuyt for Leyden, to which the landlord’s daughter insisted on accompanying me, notwithstanding I was now kindly assisted by my countrymen. I took leave of her, of course, with feelings and expressions of gratitude for her uncommon attention. The barges on these canals are towed by horses, the rope passing from the top of a mast, in order to carry it clear of the ground, and which mast is fixed on a swivel joint to admit of its being lowered at pleasure in passing under bridges. There were in the present boat three cabins, the aftermost, which is considered the best, being occupied by a private party: we were in the middle one, which was very commodious, and had but few companions, and those not very loquacious, for the natives of this country shew little disposition to enter into conversation with strangers. We had a laugh or two at one of our companions, who, finding his seat too hard, requested a cushion, for which accommodation they afterwards made an extra charge; at another time, he got out to walk on the bank, and had much difficulty to keep up with the boat, before an opportunity offered of getting in again. The day was fine, and the country around us said to be highly luxuriant. At twelve o’clock we arrived at Leyden, being a distance of four leagues.

Both this town and Haarlem are famous for the long sieges they supported against the Spaniards, under Frederic, son of the duke of Alva, in the year 1573.

After ordering dinner at the Golden Lion, we sallied forth to examine the town, of which it is impossible I can give any thing like a description, from so slight a perambulation, as it is said to comprise eight gates, twenty-four canals, fifty islands, one hundred and eighty streets, and one hundred and forty-five bridges. It was here that the electric battery, named the Leyden Jar, was first invented, and that the illustrious Boerhaave, filled with an eclat never surpassed, the professorship of medicine in this celebrated university. This great man was born at Voorhoot, a village near this place, in the year 1688, and died in 1738. There is a proverb of his which deserves a marked attention, “The sparks of calumny will presently be extinct of themselves, unless you blow them.”

I should have felt pleasure in staying longer at this place, but that I was desirous of getting to Brussels without delay. I therefore, in company with Mr. T—, one of the English gentlemen, the other staying behind with his lady, set off by the barge to the Hague. In our way, we passed the village of Leysendam, which we walked through to another barge, on the right of which is Catwick, where the last branch of the Rhine, which retains its original name, loses itself in the sands. At eight o’clock in the evening we reached the Hague, after a journey of three hours, and took up our quarters at the hotel of Marshal Turenne.

On the following morning, Tuesday, Aug. 21st, we arose early, and took a walk through the town before breakfast, and which we afterwards extended to Scheveling. The road to this place is excellent, shaded on both sides by trees. The village itself is large and extremely neat, situated near the sea, and much resorted to as a bathing-place during the summer; the sea, however, is not visible from the town, a sand-hill being interposed between these points.

We returned from our walk in sufficient time to set out by the treckschuyt for Rotterdam, which is thirteen miles distant from the Hague. My companion was much pleased with the palaces and walks about this place, which he thought must be a delightful residence.

After travelling about an hour and a quarter, we reached Delft, where we landed, and traversed the city to another barge on the opposite side of it. Delft is a fine clean city, with canals running through the streets, and rows of trees on each side of them. In one of the churches are deposited the remains of William the First of Nassau, prince of Orange, who, at the instigation of Philip the Second, was assassinated at this place. Delft is also famous as the birth-place of Hugo Grotius, the immortal author of a Treatise on the Truth of the Christian Religion, as well as of many other works of high estimation; and every one has heard of its manufactory of earthenware, termed Delft China.

From Delft, we proceeded in a very large and handsome barge to Rotterdam. At four o’clock we passed Schiedam, leaving it a mile on our right, and at five arrived at Rotterdam. It happened to be the day of a fair, and we had to traverse a great part of the city, through the midst of a mass of people, before we reached the bath-house hotel, to which we had been recommended. This house was full of company, but they found us accommodations in a detached building in the garden.

On making inquiries respecting the conveyances to Antwerp, I found there were two every day, one by Breda, the other by Bergen-op-Zoom; I preferred the latter, and secured my place for twenty-five francs.

On entering the common sitting-room of our hotel, I almost fancied myself transported into an English boarding-house, the party present being all countrymen or Americans. We retired early to our bed-room, and had the mortification to find the sheets wringing wet. This is not unfrequently the case in Holland, where the table linen and napkins are very commonly sent in perfectly damp; it is no doubt attributable to the humid state of the atmosphere on the one hand, and the expense of fuel to dry with on the other. We summoned the chamber-maid, waiter, and master of the inn in succession, who all endeavoured to convince us that they were perfectly dry. We had no alternative but to make the best use we could of the warming-pan; and it is fortunate that we sustained no injury.

My stay at Rotterdam was too brief to enable me to say much about the city. It is a place of considerable commercial importance, and, in some respects, has advantages over Amsterdam; as the merchant vessels have only to come fifteen miles up a fine river, and are able to discharge their cargoes at the very doors of the warehouses. I was informed, that it enjoys a more extended trade than either Amsterdam or Antwerp. It is also considered the handsomest city in Holland, and obtains no little renown from having been the birth-place of the celebrated Erasmus, whose statue in bronze, ornaments the city.

On Wednesday, the 22nd of August, I left Rotterdam for Antwerp, at five in the morning. We were conveyed, in a temporary carriage, to the banks of a river, which we crossed to the island of Ysselmond, where the regular diligence was awaiting our arrival. After traversing this island, we embarked on a flying bridge, and were transported across the Maese to the island of Voorn; from the opposite side of which we crossed an arm of the sea, named Holland’s Diep, to Williamstadt, a strong fortified town, built by the unfortunate William before mentioned, as having been assassinated at Delft. This place held out successfully against the French in 1793. After leaving Williamstadt, we crossed a fourth, and then a fifth river, when we arrived at Steenbergen; a small, but strongly fortified town, surrounded by double walls and ditches, and distant seven miles from Bergen-op-Zoom. We reached the latter place at two o’clock for dinner. This town is only noted for its strong fortifications, being defended by double walls, with immense ditches, and confirmed by extensive outworks. I could not avoid a melancholy retrospection of the unfortunate attack made upon this place, by my brave countrymen in the late war. We recommenced our journey at three o’clock, and soon afterwards entered the Netherlands, when the road became so sandy and heavy, that we could not proceed at a greater rate than a foot’s pace; when, however, we arrived within three miles of Antwerp, it changed into a _pavê_, which continued until we reached that town at half after eight in the evening; when I accompanied an English gentleman, Mr. S⸺, who had travelled with us all day, to the Hotel d’Angleterre.

As I only rested thirty-six hours in this fine and extensive city, it would be presumptuous to attempt a description of it. The beauty of the town, cathedral, and various churches, and the richness of its cabinets of paintings, and the fine arts, are well known. An academy of painting has lately been formed, or rather re-established here, under the title of Rueben’s school.

At the table d’hôte, which was crowded with people of various nations, I was fortunately placed near one of my countrymen, who, hearing that I had lately arrived from Italy, entered into conversation with me respecting some friends, and in particular a cousin of his, whom I had known at Naples; he afterwards contributed to make the remainder of the day pass away pleasantly.

He informed me, that Antwerp was not unlikely to regain a considerable degree of its former commercial importance. It was already vying with Rotterdam, and was expected to surpass it as a trading town, in consequence of a law having passed to lower the transit duties, and which was to take effect in January 1822.

Before retiring early to-bed, I secured my place in the diligence to Brussels, for the following morning; at which place I proposed to rest for some time, after so long a series of travelling; during which, in the course of three months, I had never slept more than four nights in the same bed; and farther, I was induced to select this place, for my repose, as I hoped to meet with some old friends there.

We commenced our journey at seven o’clock; about ten we stopped to change horses at Mechlin, the city so celebrated for its manufacture of fine lace of that name. The cathedral here is said to be a very grand structure and well worth seeing. About noon, we arrived at Brussels, after a journey of twenty-five miles from Antwerp.

CHAP. XXXII.

BRUSSELS, GHENT, OSTEND, AND RETURN TO ENGLAND.

On the recommendation of M. G. Mignon, the French gentleman with whom I had travelled from Berne to Cologne, and who had arrived in Brussels the day before myself, I fixed my residence at the Hotel de la Paix, Rue Violet.

The great anxiety of various countries to become the masters of this city, may alone be regarded as a strong indication of its importance. It is extensive, handsomely built in an eligible situation, and its inhabitants regarded as a polished people; their politeness towards the English visitors, has, however, been latterly no little tempered by political or commercial jealousy, arising from our being able to furnish better and cheaper commodities than they can manufacture; while, at the same time, they have been subjected to heavy imposts, and deprived of the advantage of exchanging their productions for French wines and goods. They do not hesitate to express their preference of the French government, under which they had been so long subjected, and even the wish to return to it; indeed their habits and characters assimilate more with the French than the Dutch, with whom they are now connected.

The manufactories of carpets, lace, &c. carried on at this place, are well known; few of the former are, however, actually the productions of this city, but made in a number of the towns around, particularly Tournay; they are conveyed, however, into the merchants’ stores at this place, and then come out as real Brussels carpets.

Brussels appears to have had a particular partiality for the number seven; hence there were formerly seven public fountains; seven principal streets that centre in the great market-place; seven parish churches; seven principal noble families; and seven gates of Doric architecture.

There is a canal encircling the town, and forming it into a kind of island, planted with trees, and which runs to Willibrook, a village on the Scheldt, at the distance of fifteen miles; along the banks of this canal lies an excellent road, shaded with four rows of trees on each side, upon which the ladies of Brussels take the air in their carriages. The treckschuyts pass by this canal from Brussels to Antwerp, twice every day.

The great market-place is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. One side is occupied by the Stadt-house. The states of Brabant used formerly to meet in a palace in this square, which was most richly adorned. In three large rooms the resignation of his empire, by Charles the Fifth, is wrought in tapestry. The other rooms, which belonged to this august assembly, were embellished with fine original paintings. In this square are also situated the halls of the various trading companies of Brussels, the fronts of which are adorned with exquisite sculpture and workmanship.

The herb-market is also a fine square, as well as the horse-market or sablon; both of which are environed by some excellent buildings. The Place Royal, situated near the palace and park, is an airy situation, and contains the two principal hotels, the Bellevue, and the Hotel de Flandres. The museum, and the botanic garden are also situated by this square; in the former is deposited the cradle of Charles the Fifth, and the chair in which

“The Spaniard, when the lust of sway
Had lost its quickening spell,
Cast crowns for rosaries away,
An empire for a cell.”

This museum contains also a number of interesting objects of nature and art; amongst the former a good collection of minerals, and amongst the latter, an extensive one of paintings; and which comprises a few valuable originals.

In company with a friend, Mr. M’M⸺, to whom my warmest acknowledgments are due for his unceasing attentions in conducting me to, and explaining its various parts, I made the complete tour of this city along the ramparts, commencing at the gate of Namur. These ramparts appeared in a bad state, not calculated for a fashionable promenade; we passed an old fort with a very few guns upon it, and these certainly not in fighting order. We did not complete the tour on the first day, but left off at what was lately named Port Napoleon, but now Port Guillaume; this is a handsome modern structure.

On the following day we completed our tour, finishing at Port Namur; in the course of this walk we passed a number of persons employed in making a boulevard, and building a wall from a depth of six feet to the surface to support it.

One afternoon we went to examine the environs around the royal palace of Lacken, and might without much difficulty have been admitted into the palace itself, had it not been too late in the afternoon; we were informed, however, that it offered nothing particularly magnificent or interesting; with its grounds it is enclosed within a wooden fence, which altogether does not comprise an area of two miles in circumference, certainly not an extensive domain for a royal residence, in the neighbourhood of so fine a city.

The churches at Brussels are very fine, particularly that of St. Gudulo, which is a magnificent building with two steeples. There are two places of worship, where the English service is performed in an impressive manner, by their respective preachers; the one the church of St. Augustine, for morning, the other a chapel in the Place Royal, for evening service.

Brussels is almost wholly supplied with firing, from the forest of Soignè, which covers a tract of sixteen or seventeen thousand acres of land, one sixtieth part of which is allowed to be cut down annually, and thus a constant supply ensured.

Lodgings and all kinds of provision are very reasonable, but French wines now comparatively dear. We one day went to a coach-maker’s, where we saw vehicles of every description, which my friend on examining into, declared were as well got up as they generally are in England, and at about two-thirds of the customary English prices. We visited also the lace manufactories, where my companion made some purchases, but I did not choose to run the risk of being laughed at, for taking back the produce of my own country, which, I am assured, is now frequently put off as the manufacture of Flanders.

One evening I went to the larger theatre, with Mr. S⸺, for the express purpose of hearing the celebrated Mademoiselle Mars, in the character of the Femme Colère in the play of that name. I thought the piece very inferior, and to comprise common place incidents, and trifling dialogues. The plot is founded upon the stratagem of a peaceable kind of husband, to quell the turbulent temper of his wife, and who succeeds in convincing her of her folly, by shewing the impropriety of such conduct in himself; for this purpose, on one occasion, when she has been enraged at her waiting-maid, he throws himself into a still greater passion; upsets the tables, chairs, and every thing that comes in his way; she hears, sees, and is astonished at his violence, becoming proportionately tame, as his rage increases, and at length convinced of her error, determines to reform.

The stage of this theatre I thought not sufficiently advanced towards the audience, the greater part of the sound appearing to be retained upon it.

One day, amongst other amusements in the suburbs, I was present at that of shooting the popinjay, which consists in placing the figure of a bird at the top of a long pole, and shooting at it with bows and arrows; the person who succeeds in displacing the mark, is remunerated with a gold or silver watch, or whatever prize may be contended for; it did not appear, however, an easy matter to effect this, as it was four o’clock when we were there, and they had been engaged the whole day, without being able to remove the popinjay.

During my stay at Brussels, I discovered very few symptoms of gaiety, although the royal family were at the time resident. The English families were many of them gone to different bathing places. I had, however, the gratification of finding there my friend, Admiral D⸺, whose great condescension and hospitality, demand my warmest acknowledgments, and have left an indelible impression of gratitude and esteem; nor can I forget the kind attentions of his friend Mr. P. H⸺.

On the 10th of September, I received a letter from my friend C⸺, dated at the port of Lubec, describing his progress towards St. Petersburg, and which gave me unfeigned pleasure.

Being desirous of reaching England, before the equinoctial gales might come on, on the 12th of September I took my place for Ghent, in one of the many coaches that go daily to that city; after an early dinner, I left Brussels at half past two o’clock, occupying the same seat with an English gentleman and his dog; the middle seat was taken up by a Dutch captain, from Batavia, with a parrot and dog; while a pair of monkies belonging to him, enjoyed the fresh air on the roof, and amused the people as they passed along. We arrived at the fine city of Ghent about half past eight o’clock, and, at the recommendation of Admiral D⸺, I went to the Hotel de Vienne, in the _merché au blê_, where, in consequence of using his name, I was treated with particular attention, and charged reasonably for very superior accommodations.

This city derives no little of its celebrity from having been the birth-place of Charles the Fifth, as well as our John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and son of Edward the Third.

We were now in what was formerly called Flanders, the Austrians possessing the larger part with this city for their capital; the French, the south-west, comprising Lisle and Dunkirk; and the Dutch, the north-east, with the strong fortress of Sluys.

On the following morning we breakfasted at seven o’clock, and, after taking a short walk into the town, set off for the barge to Bruges, which lay at a considerable distance from the hotel, and starts at nine o’clock in the morning. The day was unfavourable; it blew hard, and we had frequent showers of rain; however, we were better situated for these gales than had we been in the packet midway between Ostend and Margate. Between twelve and one o’clock, a better dinner was placed before us, than I had met with at any table d’hôte in France, Germany, or the Low Countries, and the wine was universally praised. I certainly had as good a pint of Burgundy as I had met with on the continent, for which, with my dinner, and the fare for thirty miles’ journey, including the conveyance of baggage, I was only charged seven francs and a half. Our dinner concluded with a magnificent dessert; we had more baskets of peaches than we could make use of, grapes (the first I had met with this season), and abundance of the more common fruits. We arrived at Bruges at half-past three, and, without tarrying, immediately traversed the city to the barge for Ostend, on a canal at the opposite side of it. All I know of this place is, that we walked through the town for nearly two miles before we reached the boat.

Our barge from Bruges, as well as our party, was much smaller than the one we had travelled with from Ghent; soon after seven o’clock we arrived at Sas van Ghent, a small village, about a mile from Ostend, where we rested a few minutes, after which we proceeded into the town, when about eight o’clock I reached the Wellington hotel, an inn conveniently situated for the custom-house, and the packets sailing to and from England, and which has been established by an Englishman, lately the head waiter from Nicholson’s hotel.

On our arrival at Ostend we found two packets intending to sail for England, a private one for Margate and London, on the following day, and a government one for Dover on the succeeding day to that; those to whom time is of importance, however, unless a vessel is on the point of sailing from hence, and the wind favourable, will do well to take the barge to Dunkirk, and travel from that place to Calais by the diligence.

On the Friday the wind was unfavourable, and we had nothing to do but amuse ourselves as we pleased; in the morning we walked about the town, and in the evening visited again the village of Sas van Ghent, with the object of examining Paren’s museum, which, as the sole collection of a humble individual, the proprietor of a small inn at this place, is by no means contemptible. He had great variety of land and sea animals, several of the former coming under the head of _lusus naturæ_. No remuneration is expected for seeing his curiosities; but we could not do less than take refreshment at his house of business; and I presented him with a small piece of Mosaic work which I had brought from Rome, with which he appeared highly pleased, never having seen any before. On returning to our hotel we found the captain intending to sail at midnight, and therefore we did not go to-bed until we ascertained that he had abandoned this intention.

On Saturday the morning was delightful, and the wind favourable; at one o’clock, a.m. we took leave of the town and harbour of Ostend, in the Fox packet, commanded by Captain Fox, with whom I engaged to be landed at Margate. The Dover packet immediately followed, but soon steered a more westerly course. The wind, at first fresh, gradually decreased until midnight, when it became calm, and the weather foggy. At day-break a slight breeze sprung up; at eleven o’clock the fog cleared off; we found ourselves close under the North Foreland; and at twelve myself and a few other passengers were put on board a lugger, which soon landed us upon the pier of Margate.

The indescribable delight with which I hailed my native land, after so long an absence, was not a little enhanced by the general improvement my health had experienced; the restoration of which, had formed one of my leading motives for undertaking the journey.

On a retrospective view of the various incidents and circumstances to which I had been exposed, I found no reason to think that my tour had been defective in interest, or that I had returned without commensurate advantages. Amongst other results, I felt enabled to contrast the advantages of our happy isle, with the less substantial comforts, and more specious characters, of its continential neighbours, and to appreciate its superiority; an inference, which, should it be deemed erroneous or unphilosophical, I am proud to attribute to that spirit of patriotism, which ought to pervade every human bosom, and like the magnetic influence, incline its affections to their native pole.

“Such is the patriot’s boast! where’er we roam,
His first, best country, ever is at home.”

FINIS.

Printed by W. WOODCOCK, St. Helena Place, Spa Fields.