THE LOW COUNTRIES
Dutch arks--Walcheren memories--Earth-covered ships--Cossacks and
keys--Brother alleys--Bergen op Zoom--Cossack shopping--Goat
curricles--Treckschuyt travelling--Booksellers' shops.
After Brussels the travellers proceeded to Holland, and saw Antwerp on
their way. They had now gone beyond the country which Napoleon's
victories had made famous, and the chief military interest of the
country through which they passed, just eleven months before Waterloo,
was derived from two very melancholy events for an Englishman to
record--the Walcheren Expedition and the storming of Bergen op Zoom.
LETTER XII
BERGEN OP ZOOM, _July 31st_.
...On leaving Bruxelles the country immediately loses its character, and
becomes entirely Dutch, by which we exchange for the better, leaving
dirty floors, houses, and coaches for as much cleanliness as soap and
water can produce; I only regret from my experience of last night that
they should be so much occupied in washing as to forget that drying is
also a luxury, but there is no such novelty in this country, and so much
to be seen that I have no time to catch cold. Our Diligence from
Bruxelles held 10 people inside and 3 in front, and we had all ample
elbow room; it was large, as you may suppose, as everything else in
Holland is from top to bottom. Hats, Coats, breeches, pipes, horns,
cows--are all gigantic, and so are the dogs, and because the poor things
happen to be so, they harness a parcel of them together and breed them
up to draw fish-carts. I yesterday met a man driving four-in-hand; in
turning a corner and meeting three of these open-mouthed Mastiffs
panting and pulling, you might almost fancy it was Cerberus drawing the
Chariot of Proserpine--but I am wandering from the Diligence, which
deserves some description. It resembled a little Theatre more than a
coach, with front boxes, pit, &c., lined with common velvet. We had a
curious collection of passengers. Opposite to me sat a prize
thoroughbred Dutch woman as clean and tidy as she was ugly and
phlegmatic, with a close-plaited cap, unruffled white shawl, and golden
cross suspended from her neck. I took a sketch while she stared me in
the face unconscious of the honor conferred. By her side sat a French
woman crowned with the lofty towers of an Oldenburg Bonnet. By my side a
spruce, pretty, Englishwoman, whom I somehow or other suspected had
been serving with his Britannic Majesty's troops now occupying Belgium.
She had on her right hand a huge Brabanter who spoke English, and had
acquired, I have no doubt, a few additional pounds of fat by living in
London. Edward sat behind me in a line with the Brabanter's wife and a
Dutch peasant. These, with two or three minor characters, completed our
cargo, and away we went on the finest road in the world towards Antwerp
between a triple row of Abeles and poplars, and skirting the bank of a
fine canal upon which floated a fleet of Kuyp's barks, and by which
grazed Paul Potter's oxen--the whole road was, in truth, a gallery of
the Flemish school. By the door of every ale-house a living group from
Teniers and Ostade, with here and there bits from Berghem and Hobbema,
&c. Halfway between Bruxelles and Antwerp is Malines. I had began to
fear that I had lost my powers of observation, and was, therefore, no
longer struck with the external appearance of the towns--in fact, that
the novelty was gone, and that my eyes were too much familiarised with
such objects to notice them. Happily Malines undeceived me, and
convinced me I was still fully alive to whatever had any real
peculiarity of character to entitle it to notice. With the exception of
the villages on the Rhine, all the towns and houses I had seen lately
had little to recommend them, and were like half the people in the
world, possessed of no character of their own, their doors and windows
like all other doors and windows, but Malines had doors and windows of
its own, and seemed to take a pride in exhibiting its own little queer
originalities; in every house was a different idea. The people were of a
piece with their dwellings; I could almost fancy I was permitted to
inspect the toys of some Brobdignag baby who washed, cleaned, and combed
the beings before me every morning and locked them up in their separate
boxes every evening. When the nice green doors of the nice painted
houses opened, I bethought me of the Dutch ark you bought for Owen, and
was prepared to make my best bow to Noah and his wife, who I expected to
step forth with Ham and Japhet, and all the birds and beasts behind
them.
We approached Antwerp as the sun was setting behind its beautiful
Cathedral and shining upon the pennants of the fleet which Bonaparte has
kindly built for the accommodation of the allied powers. The Antwerpers
had a well-arranged promenade and tea garden, &c., about a mile from the
house, well wooded. These, with all the houses in the suburbs, the
French entirely destroyed, leaving not a wreck behind. I must acquit
them of wanton cruelty here, however, as in sieges these devastations
are necessary. We passed thro' a complete course of fortifications, and
then entered what, from all I can perceive, is the best town I have seen
on the continent.
It is a mass of fine streets, fine houses, and fine churches; the Tower
of the Cathedral is quite a Bijou 620 steps in height! but the ascent
was well rewarded; from thence a very respectable tour of about 30 miles
in every direction may be accomplished. Walcheren and Lillo (the
celebrated fort which prevented our ascending the Scheld) were visible
without any difficulty, with Cadsand and all the well-known names of
that silly expedition,[90] rendered apparently more silly by seeing how
impossible it would have been to have taken Antwerp unless by a regular
siege, which might have been of endless duration; we might have
bombarded the basons in which the men-of-war were deposited, and with
about as much success as Sir Thos. Graham,[91] who, after expending a
mint of money in bombs and powders, in the course of two days contrived
to send about half a dozen shells on board the line of battleships. I
was on board the _Albania_, which had suffered the most. The extent of
her damage was two shells which passed thro' the decks, exploding
without much mischief, and a round-shot which shivered a quarter gallery
and then fell on the ice--indeed, bombarding vessels, which are objects
so comparatively small, is something like attempting to shoot wild ducks
on Radnor Mere by firing over their heads with ball in hopes that in its
descent it may come in contact with the bird's head.
About a dozen Gun Brigs were sunk, all of which we saw with their masts
above the water; a few houses near the Bason were shattered, and about
20 Townsmen killed. The country round Antwerp is quite flat, and
appears, with the exception of 2 or 3 miles round the town, a perfect
wood; fancy such a wood with the Scheldt winding through it, several
roads radiating in lines straight as arrows, with here and there a
steeple breaking the horizontal line, and you may suppose yourself at
the top of the Cathedral. The Town is large, with the river washing the
whole of one side; on the south are the dockyards, with rope walks and
everything in fine style; the destruction of these might have been
practicable, as they are rather beyond the line of immediate
fortifications, but probably they have works for their express
protection, and the advantage gained must have been in proportion to the
stores and vessels building. I counted 16 or 17 ships of the line on the
Stocks, 2 or 3 of 120 Guns. In the Scheldt floated 13 in a state of
apparent equipment; in the basons 9--all of the line--thus completing a
fleet of 39 fine Ships, besides a few frigates and Gun Brigs
innumerable--of these only two were Dutch.
It was curious to see such a fleet, and some of them were actually worn
out, the utmost extent of whose naval career had been an expedition to
Flushing. On descending the Spire, we examined the Carillons, which are
a Gamut of chiming bells of all sizes--the total number for them and
the Church is 82; by a clock work they play every 7 minutes, so that the
neighbourhood of the Cathedral is a scene of perpetual harmony; they can
also be played by hand. Most of the churches in this country have them.
Our Guards in marching into Alkmaar were surprised and gratified in
hearing the church bells strike up "God Save the King." There are
several good churches in the town, and once all were decorated with the
works of Rubens, which Napoleon carried off. I should, however, be
perfectly satisfied with a selection from the remainder. I saw a Vandyck
on the subject of our Saviour recommending the Virgin Mary to St. John,
which was incomparable; it quite haunts me at this moment, and, however
horrible the effect of the bleeding figure on the Cross, I do not wish
to lose the impression. The Dutch have carried the art of carving in
wood to a most extraordinary pitch of perfection. I am surprised it has
not been more spoken of; some of their pulpits are really quite
marvellous. Religion increases and, I think, improves. There is less
mummery here than at Aix and some other places I have lately seen, with
the exception of a few little Saviours in powdered wigs and gilt satin
and muslin frocks, and a very singular figure as large as life, supposed
to represent the deposition in the holy sepulchre, which was covered by
a shroud of worsted gauze, studded over with enormous artificial flowers
and tinsel like a Lady's court dress.
Wherever we went, at whatever hour, Mass was performing to good
congregations. The women here all dress in long black shawls, or,
rather, hooded wrappers, which, as they knelt before their confessional
boxes, were extremely appropriate and solemn. The English have a church
here for the garrison; it is simplicity itself. They have even removed
several fine pictures, the rooms having been a sort of museum--the
Vandyck I alluded to among the rest....
In our morning's tour we, of course, visited the celebrated basons for
the men-of-war. "Still harping upon these ships," I can fancy you
exclaiming; "when will he have done with them?" You must bear it
patiently. It was on account of these said basons, in a great measure,
that I came to Antwerp, so you must endure their birth, parentage, and
education.
There are two Basons, one calculated for 16, the other for 30 sail of
the line; they are simple excavations. Nature never thought of such a
thing, and gave no helping hand. It was Napoleon's work from first to
last; the labour and expense must have been enormous. They open by dock
gates immediately into the Scheldt, from whence each ship can proceed
armed and fitted cap à pie (if she dares) to fight the English. They
were begun and finished in two years, but improvements were suggested,
and there is no knowing what more the Emperor intended to do.
Precautions had been taken during the bombardment to preserve the
Ships. For instance, all the decks were propped up by a number of spars,
by which means if a bomb fell it did no other mischief than forcing its
way through and carrying all before its immediate course, whereas
without the props it might have shaken the timbers and weakened the
access considerably. In every ship also were 2 cartloads of earth, to
throw over any inflammable substance which might have fallen on board.
From this mole hill of a truth was engendered a mountainous falsehood
for home consumption. I read in the English Papers of the time that the
French had scuttled their ships to the level of the water, and then
covered them over with earth, which was carefully sodded!! Sir Thos.
Graham's batteries were very near the basons, half-way between the
village of Muxham, about 2 miles from the town and the nearest French
battery. From one of the latter we had a perfect conception of the whole
business. Without saying a word about my extreme partiality and fears
for the safety of No. 1, and probable inconvenience which might ensue
from loss of said No. 1 to Nos. 2, 3 and 4, I wonder much whether my
curiosity would have allowed me to sleep quite in the back ground. The
sight must from this point have been superb, as it was the intention to
throw the bombs over this battery so as to make them fall in the bason
amongst the ducks. The top of the Cathedral would have been perfection,
but the Governor most vexatiously kept the keys....
We found abundance of British troops here, remnants of all the regiments
who had survived the storming of Bergen op Zoom, about 3 or 4,000....
They have no reason to complain of their quarters, though it is possible
many of them may be of the same opinion with a soldier of the Guards,
who, in reply to my question of "How do you like Antwerp?" said with
great earnestness, "I like St. James's Park a great deal better." I
observed several ladies with their "petits chapeaux," and I must do them
the justice to say they are much handsomer than the French, German, or
Dutch.... English Curricles, coaches, and Chariots are to be seen, and
some few English horses, which are certainly better calculated for speed
and pleasant driving than the heavy breed of this country. Flanders
Mares--as Henry VIII. tells us by comparing his queen to one--have never
been remarkable for elegance and activity, and I was much entertained in
seeing an Englishman break in a couple of these for a Tandem.
...At our Table d'hôte, where we met nothing but English merchants, I
heard the report of the day that Belgium was to be a sort of independent
state, under the Prince of Orange's government, according to its old
laws and customs, and that he was to hold a court at Bruxelles.... The
Prince of Orange is now in fact gone to make his public entrance into
Bruxelles....
There is a custom that the key of the town should be presented to the
possessor or Governor of the Town on a magnificent silver-gilt plate.
When the Cossack chief came, as usual, the key was offered, which the
good, simple man quietly took, put into his pocket, and forgot to
return. When I saw the dish, the man told me this anecdote, and lamented
wofully the loss of his key, which may possibly in future turn the lock
of some dirty cupboard or other on the banks of the Don. It seems these
Cossacks were immensely rich. Latterly I have been assured they could
not fight had they been inclined, from the excessive height of their
saddles and weight of their clothes; on the one they could scarcely sit,
and with the others they could scarcely walk. They had always 3 or 4
Coats or coverings, and in the folds of these were unkennelled 1,330
Napoleons on one of them who happened to die at Bruxelles.
We quitted Antwerp after dinner yesterday for Bergen op Zoom by a new
sort of conveyance; by way of variety we "voitured" it, viz., hired a
carriage, driver, and horses for Breda on our way to Amsterdam. It was a
nice sort of Gig Phaeton, with comfortable seats for 4, the Driver on
the front bench. I fear I must retract what I said in the beginning of
this letter, as to the decided change in houses and people here. It was
most conspicuous about Malines, but on this road there was nothing
remarkable one way or the other.
Our road was, however, Dutch throughout. Upon a sort of raised dyke,
between a monotonous avenue of stunted willows, did we jog gently on,
with nothing to relieve the eye but here and there a windmill or a farm.
On our left we saw, as far as eye could reach, the Swamp (or I scarcely
know what to call it), which fills up the spaces between the Main and
South Beveland, and it almost gave me the Walcheren fever to look at it.
The Evening Gun of Flushing saluted the Sun as he sank to rest behind
these muddy isles, and we begun to fear, as night drew on, that we
should have to take up our night's lodging in the Gig, for though he
knew that the gates of the Fortress were closed at 9, our sturdy
Dutchman moved not a peg the faster. However, we escaped the evil, and
10 minutes before 9 we passed the drawbridge of the ditch leading to the
Antwerp gate, which had been the grave of the 1st Column of Guards, led
by General Cooke, on the 8th March....
NOTE.
_Storming of Bergen op Zoom, March 8, 1814._--Sir Thomas Graham had
landed 6,000 men on October 7, 1813, in S. Beveland, in order to
combine with the Prussians to drive the French from Holland.
On March 8, 1814, he led 4,000 British troops against Bergen op
Zoom. They were formed into four columns, of which two were to
attack the fortifications at different points; the third to make a
false attack; the fourth to attack the entrance of the harbour,
which is fordable at low water.
The first, led by Major-General Cooke, incurred some delay in
passing the ditch on the ice, but at length established itself on
the rampart.
The right column, under Major-General Skerret and Brigadier-General
Gore, had forced their way into the body of the place, but the fall
of General Gore and the dangerous wounds of Skerret caused the
column to fall into disorder and suffer great loss in killed,
wounded, and prisoners. The centre column was driven back by the
heavy fire of the place, but re-formed and marched round to join
General Cooke. At daybreak the enemy turned the guns of the place
on the unprotected rampart and much loss and confusion ensued.
General Cooke, despairing of success, directed the retreat of the
Guards, and, finding it impossible to withdraw his weak battalions,
he saved the lives of his remaining men by surrender.
The Governor of Bergen op Zoom agreed to a suspension of
hostilities for an exchange of prisoners. The killed were computed
at 300, prisoners, 1,800.--ED.
LETTER XIII.
HAGUE, _August 4, 1814._
Sterne pities the man who could go from Dan to Beersheba and say that
all was barren, and I must pity the man who travels from Bergen op Zoom
to Amsterdam and says that Holland, with all its flatness, is not worth
visiting.
"Oh Willow, Willow, Willow, here
Each stands bowing to another,
And every Alley finds its brother."
Nature never abhorred a vacuum more than she herself is abhorred by
these Dutchmen; here rivers run above their levels and cattle feed where
fishes were by nature intended to swim. Hogarth's line of beauty is
unknown in Holland. No line can be either beautiful or palatable except
that which (defined mathematically) is the shortest that can be drawn
between two given points. But I have yet a great deal to say before I
come to these roads. I left you at Bergen op Zoom, just arrived. On
Sunday morning, after a little enquiry, we were glad to find there was a
Protestant French Church in the town, and thither we went. I cannot say
much for the sermon; it was on I Cor. vii. 20, in which a great deal of
French display of vehemence and action made up in some degree for a
feeble prolixity of words; in one part, however, he made an appeal,
which has at least had the effect of eloquence and certainly came home
to the heart. He described the miseries the country had so long endured
and the happy change which had now taken place. But while he blest the
change he lamented the tears which must be shed from the fatal effects
of the war which produced it; and then turning to us, whom he perceived
to be Englishmen, he proceeded: "It is for us to lament the sad disaster
which this town was doomed to witness in the loss of our friends (our
Compatriots, I may say), who shed their blood for the restoration of our
liberties." After church I went into the vestry to tell him who and what
I was. As an Englishman he shook me by the hand, and when he understood
I was a Protestant minister he shook it again. Had he asked me to dine I
should have accepted his invitation, but unluckily he lost my company by
paying what he conceived to be a greater compliment. Like an Indian
warrior, he offered the calumet of peace and begged I would go home and
_smoke_ with him. Now, I would have gone through a good deal to have had
some conversation with him, but really on one of the hottest days of
July, when I was anxious, moreover, to inspect the fortification,
smoking would not do, and taking our leave he sent his schoolmaster, an
intelligent man who had a brother a Captain in one of our assaulting
regiments, to be our guide and tell the melancholy tale.... And now let
me see if I can make that clear to you which has never been made clear
to anybody yet. "At 10 o'clock," said our guide, "I was at supper with a
little party, some French officers being present; about half after 10
some musket shots were heard; this was no uncommon sound and we took no
notice; however, it rather increased, and the French sent a sergeant to
know the cause, and remained chatting quietly. In about ten minutes in
burst the sergeant, 'Vite, vite, à vos portes! Les Anglais sont dans la
ville.'" I need not add the party broke up in a hurry; our Guide sallied
forth with the rest, and went on the Ramparts for _curiosity_, but
whilst he was gratifying this passion, on a pitch dark night, down drops
a man who stood near him, and whiz flew some bullets, upon which he took
to his heels, got home, and saw no more; indeed, had he been inclined it
would have been impossible, for Patrols paraded the streets and shot
every one who was not a French soldier. Thus far our schoolmaster was an
eye-witness; for the remainder you must trust to my account from as
minute an enquiry as I could make upon the spot with Sir T. Graham's
dispatches in my hand, which threw very little light upon the subject.
[Illustration: BERGEN OP ZOOM.
A. The Steenbergen Gate.
B. Breda Gate.
C. Antwerp Gate.
D. Water Gate.
E. Picket of veteran French Soldiers.
F. River or creek running into the town.
G. Side from whence the English approach.
H. Bastion near Breda Gate.
Under the guidance of some inhabitants who had fled to the English, soon
after 10 o'clock, March 8th, the ground covered with snow and ice, our
troops marched in silence to their respective posts. The Guards, led by
General Cooke, were to go round towards B and C, at A a false attack was
to be made; another column was to force open the gates at B, and the
4th column, led by Generals Skerret and Gore, proceeded by the dotted
line, crossed the river up to their middle, and skirting round between
the works were the first to enter the town behind some houses which
fronted the Quay. Hitherto all went on well, and the object of all the
Columns was to concentrate at G, but no sooner had the 4th Column gained
its point (from what cause nobody knows, for I cannot conceive that the
immediate loss of its two Generals was the sole cause) than all
subordination seems to have been at an end, and the men, instead of
going on, occupied themselves with revelling and drinking and getting
warm in the houses by the Quay, and though many prisoners were taken,
they were imprudently left unguarded with arms in their hands, which
they very soon turned against their captors with fatal success. The
doors and windows in this part of the town bore evidence of the business
which for a short time was carried on. The Guards gained their point,
and so did the Column at B in part, for the French were killed in great
numbers on Bastion H, in fact, eleven Bastions were taken, and all
before midnight; but from this period till 7 in the morning, when the
affair closed, I can give you no clear account. Nobody seemed to know
what was doing, all appears to have been confusion--not a gun was
spiked, none were turned towards the Town. In the meantime the French
were no inactive observers of what was passing; they came forward most
manfully, fighting hand to hand, and though I could not find out that
there was the slightest reason for suspecting they were at all prepared
beyond what was usual, or aware of the attack, they contrived to be
instantly at the right point, and though with barely 3,000 men to defend
works, the inner circle of which is at least 2 miles in circumference,
and with 3,900 men attacking, they remained master of the field, killing
near 400 and taking 1,500 prisoners. The French General was an elderly
man who left all to his Aide de Camp. He was, in fact, the head, and has
been rewarded most deservedly in the ribbon of the Legion of Honor. The
French, it is supposed, lost 5 or 600 men. The number was certainly
great, and they were aware of it, for they buried their dead directly,
to prevent the possibility of counting. The Bergen op Zoom people say it
is utterly impossible to account for the failure of the assault but on
the supposition that the English were led to conclude that the French
would make no resistance or that they were badly officered. I should be
sorry to believe the latter, and yet I heard from good authority that
many of these, instead of encouraging their men at the Water post gate,
were actually busied in collecting braziers and fires to warm themselves
and rest upon their arms.
It may be supposed that wading on such a night upwards of 50 yards in
mud and water must have been dreadfully cold, but I can scarcely
conceive that upon a service so important cold could have any influence;
however, never having led an assault under such circumstances I can be
no judge. Were I to give my own opinion, it would be this: That the
affair was entrusted to certain General officers who were unfortunately
killed in the beginning of the action; that no precautions appear to
have been provided against such accidents, and no remedy applied to the
confusion thereby created--the Columns knew not what to do, each on
gaining its point possibly waiting for orders to proceed; that the
darkness increased the confusion--in short, that "the right hand knew
not what the left hand did," and that the French acted with incomparable
bravery and skill. It should be added that most of their troops were
conscripts. It is an ugly story altogether, and I shall say no more. A
sketch of the works in and near the Antwerp gate will give you some idea
of the spot which has proved the grave of so many fine officers and men.
At 4 o'clock we quitted the town for Breda--the greatest part of the
road inexorably flat and uninteresting; but what is lost in the country
is gained in the Towns, villages, and people--they are _sui generis_.
For 3 hours did we toil through a deep sand between parallel lines of
willows of the same size, shape, and dimensions; then for 3 hours more
did we proceed at a foot pace over a common; this brought us to Breda
just in time for the gates, through which we trotted to the usual rattle
of drawbridges, chains, &c. By the bright light of the moon at night and
earliest dawn of the following morning we rambled through the streets.
Breda was one of the last towns which got rid of its French garrison
without a siege; it departed one night without beat of drum, and the
Cossacks came in to breakfast, leaving the trembling inhabitants to
doubt whether in escaping Scylla they were not approaching Charybdis.
However, they behaved tolerably well. "Did they pillage?" said I to a
Breda lady who travelled with us in the Diligence. "Oh non," she
replied; "seulement quelque fois ils prenaient des choses sans payer."
Thus a Cossack comes into a Shop, makes signs he wants some Cloth. The
Dutchman, delighted with the idea of accommodating a new purchaser,
takes down his best pieces. The Cossack looks them over, fixes on one,
takes it up, pops it under his arm, and walks off, leaving the
astonished vendor gaping behind his counter to meditate on the Profits
of this new verbal ceremony.
After the Cossacks came the Prussians, who remained a long time and were
little better than the French--they lodged in free quarters, domineered
without mercy, and paid for nothing. All the Prussian officers I have
seen appeared gentleman-like men, but they are nowhere popular. The
English succeeded the Prussians, they were all "charmants"; then came
the Dutch who were "comme ça," but then "n'importe" they were their own
countrymen. I rather begin to like the Dutch women. The next day in the
Diligence we had my present informant, a lively, talkative damsel of
Breda, a very pretty girl of the same town who talked nothing but
Dutch, and an old Lady who would have been perfect if everything had
been as charming as her Dress.
[Illustration: DUTCH DILIGENCE ON BOARD A BOAT.]
The Ladies are elegant and apparently well-behaved, with all the
liveliness of the French. We met with no adventures till we came to a
river; here a regiment of Dutch cavalry impeded our progress and luckily
gave us time to get our breakfast; the next river brought us in contact
with a detachment of Artillery waggons. Our Diligence consisted of a
Machine with 6 seats inside, a cabriolet in which sat Edward and myself,
on a little seat before us the driver with his legs dangling for want of
a footboard. His patience had been rather put to the test by the
cavalry, but the Artillery quite upset him, and on getting entangled
amongst their train, uttering two of the French words he had learnt from
his servitude under the Emperor, viz., "sacré bleu," he popped his pipe
into his pocket, threw the reins into my hands, and jumped down to
request the Officer's permission to pass. Under existing circumstances I
confess I did not much like the responsibility of the charge committed
to me, but fortunately our conductor soon returned with permission to
pass. We got out while he drove his 4 in hand quietly into the boat,
every cranny of which was filled up by soldiers and artillery horses,
which, as if to shew off the pomp of war, capered and reared before our
sedate steeds, who only wanted pipes in their mouths to rival the
impenetrable gravity of their driver. It is necessary to cross the Waal
before you get to Gorum. When we got to the bank not a boat was to be
had. With some difficulty at last our Coachman procured a miserable punt
with a boy. What with our Trunks and passengers we were quite enough for
it; indeed, the female part of our crew hesitated for some time; and
well they might, for no sooner had we shoved from the shore than a leak
was discovered which threatened serious consequences. It gained rapidly;
the old Lady above mentioned was in despair, and sat with her thumb
crammed over the spouting orifice the whole time, while a young man
baled with his shoes as fast as possible. This was not all. The Stream
carried us down, and our driver--no great sailor--caught crabs at every
other pull; then we got upon a bank. Really I begun to think it would be
quite as well to be safe now, but as for _fear_, it was out of the
question, the lamentations of the women, and terrors of the old lady in
particular, kept us quite in Spirits. The last event was the total
overthrow of the driver by a sudden bump against the bank. Poor fellow!
he was not only well drenched, but his head cut by falling against the
seat of the boat in his overturn. Though every nerve vibrated with
compassion, it was quite impossible to avoid laughing. Luckily a glass
of vinegar well rubbed upon the wound soon set him to rights and good
humor. Gorum and Naard were the last two towns which the French
retained, and poor Gorum suffered sadly. The Suburbs, Tea gardens,
avenues, walks, &c., were all destroyed by the French to prevent the
Prussians coming in, and their houses and heads knocked about with shot
and shells to drive the French out. Luckily the French listened to the
entreaties of the people and capitulated.
I wish they would bombard Knutsford or Macclesfield or some of our Towns
for an hour or two, just to shew them what war is. Bang, whiz, down
comes a shell and away goes a house. War and slavery have quite
reconciled the Dutch to the abdication of Napoleon. In answer to the
question, "Êtes vous content de ces changements?" you meet with no
doubtful shrug of the shoulders, no ambiguous "mais que, oui"; an
instantaneous extra whiff of satisfaction is puffed forth, accompanied
with the synonimous terms, "Napoleon et Diable." On leaving Gorum we
acquired an accession of passengers--a protestant clergyman and a fat
man, who looked much like a conjurer or alchymist. A protestant
clergyman in Holland may be known by his dress--a cocked hat of a
peculiar model covers a lank head of unpowdered hair. Nothing white
appears throughout but the pipe in his mouth and cravat round his neck,
a long black coat down to his ancles, with black worsted stockings and
gold-headed cane. I must say they do not look over and above agreeable,
and as they hate all innovations few have learnt French, so that I have
been foiled in most of my attempts at conversation.
From Gorum to Utrecht the country improves; we had hitherto travelled
sometimes on Dyke tops, sometimes in Dyke bottoms which only required
the efforts of a few able-bodied rats to let the water in upon us. It is
quite surprising to see on what a precarious tenure Holland is held.
Take but a Dyke away, overturn one dam, and see what discord
follows--and this does sometimes happen. In 1809 the Ice broke through
near Gorum and carried away countless houses, men, cattle, &c. I have
said the country improved, _i.e._, we got into a land of villas and
Trees, some of them beautifully laid out, and all, stable included,
bright and clean as possible. Each, too, has its Summer house perched by
the Canal side and (the Evening being fine) well filled with parties of
ladies and gentlemen. The road for many miles was ornamented with wooden
triumphal arches and hung with festoons of flowers, &c., as a compliment
to the Emperor Alexander, who passed about a month ago....
...We arrived at Amsterdam on Monday night; here, again, all was new.
Hitherto we had rode in Carriages of various descriptions _with_ wheels,
but in Amsterdam you have them without wheels, drawn by a fine horse and
driven by a man who walks by the side with his long reins....
[Illustration: GOAT CARRIAGE FOR THE LITTLE KING OF ROME.]
But what delighted me more than anything else was the prospect of
suiting Owen and Mary exactly. What think you of a Goat Curricle? Goats
are regularly trained for draught, and are the prettiest things in the
world, trotting in neat harness with two or three children. I shall,
if I have time at Rotterdam, see if I can get a pair. Buonaparte was so
delighted with them that he ordered 4 for the King of Rome. Amsterdam is
a very large, gloomy town, intersected in all directions by water,
monotonous in the extreme. Had I not been convinced by the evidence of
my senses in looking down from a house top on several objects I had
visited in different parts of the town, I should have suspected that our
Laquais de place had amused himself by walking up and down the same
street where Canals with trees on each side do not keep the houses
asunder; high buildings and narrow streets of dark, small brown brick
constitute the character of the town, and, having seen one, you have
seen the whole. In the course of my walk I heard that two or three
Englishmen were settled in the town. I called on one, the Revd. Mr.
Lowe, with little of the Englishman left but the language. He had been
there 30 years and held a Presbyterian Church. I asked him if Napoleon
troubled the English settlers during the war. He said that, provided
they conformed quickly to the laws and regulations, they experienced no
persecution. Upon my asking if it was at all necessary to conceal his
extraction, he exclaimed, "What, conceal my extraction, deny my country?
Not for all the Emperors in the world. No, I have too much conscience
and independence. To be sure, I was obliged by law to pray for the
health and prosperity of Buonaparte every Sunday. But what signified
that? God Almighty understood very well what I meant, and that I
heartily wished his death all the time." By long residence in Holland,
he had adopted a good portion of Dutch impenetrability and slowness. He
assured us nothing short of a week could give us the least chance of
seeing the curiosities of Amsterdam, and when I told him that we were
(according to our common custom of early rising) to be in North Holland
by 6 o'clock in the morning, and had seen all by 11 o'clock which
occupies a Dutchman's whole day, and gave him a few instances of our
mode of operation, he threw himself back, raised his cocked hat to
examine us more thoroughly, put his arms akimbo and exclaimed, "How do
you support human nature. It must expire under such fatigue," and I
found it quite impossible to convince him that my health for the last
month had been infinitely better than usual. But, after all, I fear you
will find me growing old. I had a compliment paid to my grey hairs, in
coming from Utrecht, which must be mentioned. The fat Alchymist, above
mentioned, squeezed himself into Edward's place in the Diligence; on
remonstrating to a young Dutch gentleman who spoke French, he replied,
"Que c'était vraiment impoli mais que c'était un viellard à qui on
devait céder quelque chose, et je vous assure, Monsieur, comme vous êtes
aussi un peu agé si vous aviez pris ma place je vous l'aurais cédé." In
Amsterdam there is little to be seen but the Palais, in which there is a
splendid collection of Flemish pictures--two or three of the finest of
Rembrandt--and without exception the most splendid room I have seen in
Europe. It is the great Hall of audience; King Louis[92] has fitted up
everything in grand style. We went over what the Dutchmen cry up as an
object which it would be unpardonable not to see--the Felix meritus, a
sort of Lecture room with some wretched museums attached. I found
nothing to interest me but a capital figure of a Dutchman, who came also
to see the wonders. Nothing could exceed his attitudes as he looked with
an eye of incredulity whilst they explained a planetarium, examined with
an air of conscious safety a snake corked up in a bottle, and ogled with
terror a skeleton which grinned at him out of his case. I walked round
and tried his perspective in all directions, and rather blushed when,
with treacherous condescension, I requested him to use my Glass that I
might see how he looked peeping thro' a Telescope. This is such a Museum
as will furnish me with samples of oddities for the rest of my life.
LETTER XIV.
_August_ 6, 1814.
Luckily we have a commodious cabin in the _Trechschuyt_, and no smoke or
other intruders, so where I finished my last I will begin another.
[Illustration: TABLE D'HOTE, AMSTERDAM.
_To face page 226._]
As to the country, a peep once an hour will be sufficient; I will look
out of the window and give you the result--five plover, a few fat cows,
a good many rushes, and a canal bridge. At Amsterdam we dined at a
regular Dutch table d'hôte; about 20 people, all of them eaters, few
talkers; the quantity of vegetables consumed was quite surprising. With
the last dish a boy came round with pipes and hot coals, which were soon
followed by a tremendous explosion of Tobacco from a double line of
smokers, and as if the simple operation of puffing in and puffing out
was too much for these drowsy operators, many of them leaned back in
their chairs, put their hands in their breeches pockets, shut their
eyes, and carried on the war with one end of the pipe in their mouths
and the other leaning on their plates. On Wednesday, Aug. 3rd, we
crossed the Gulf by sun rise on a little tour into North Holland, to see
the Village of Brock and Saardam, where the house in which the Czar
Peter worked still exists. We landed at Buiksloot, from whence carriages
are hired to different parts of the country. From Breda to Amsterdam
they varied the Diligences according to the number of travellers;
sometimes we had a coach and four, and then a machine and three, and as
our number diminished we were forwarded the last stage or two in a
vehicle perfectly nondescript with two horses; it was a sort of cart
painted white, hung upon springs, with an awning, but it was reserved
for this morning to see us in a carriage far beyond anything before seen
or heard of. I am inclined to think it must have been the identical
equipage (for it was a little the worse for wear) which the fairy
produced from the gourd for the service of Cinderella--a sort of Phaeton
lined with red flowered velvet, the whole moulding beautifully carved
and gilt, the panels well painted with flowers, birds, urns, &c., the
wheels red and gold. It contained two seats for four persons, and a
coach box painted, carved, and gilt like the body of the carriage; the
whole was in a Lilliput style drawn by two gigantic black horses, whose
tails reached above the level of our heads. It was exactly suited to the
place where we were going, the village of Brock, which, like our
vehicle, was unlike anything I had seen before. I have, in former
letters, talked of Dutch cleanliness and neatness, but what is all I
have said compared with Brock? Even the people have their jokes upon its
superiority in this particular, and assert that the inhabitants actually
wash and scrub their wood before they put it on the fire. Lady Penrhyn's
cottages must yield the palm, they are only internally washed and
painted, but in Brock, Tops and bottoms, Outside and in, bricks and all,
are constantly under the discipline of the paint brush, and as if Nature
was not sufficiently clean in her operations, the stems of several of
their trees were white washed too! In fact, nothing seemed to
escape--the Milk pails were either burnished brass or painted buckets,
and the little straw baskets the women carried in their hands came in
for their share of blue, red, or green. They have such a dread of dirt,
that entrance is limited to the back door only, the opening of the
front door being reserved for grand occasions, such as weddings,
funerals, &c. It is not accessible by carriages and horses, on account
of several canals which intersect it; these sometimes widen, and in one
part the houses stand round a pretty little lake. I can give you no
better idea of the scene than a Chinese paper, whose neat summer houses
and painted boats are all mixed together. Most houses have each a
separate garden, kept in style equally clean. I really believe my own
dusty shoes were the most impure things in the whole village.
We returned to Buiksloot and then proceeded to Saardam, on the top of a
Dyke, which keeps the sea from inundating the vast levels of North
Holland. Saardam might be held up as the pattern of neatness had I not
visited Brock first; as it is, I can only say that, though four times as
large, it seems to be its rival in cleanliness and paint. The number of
windmills is quite astonishing; it would require an army of Don
Quixotes. I counted myself upwards of 130 in and close to the town; they
say there are 1,200. Windmills seem great favourites with the Dutch. In
the Diligence near Utrecht my neighbour roused me by a sudden
exclamation, "Oh la vue superbe!" I looked, and beheld 14 of them in a
Dyke! and yesterday, on asking the Laquais de place if we should see
anything curious at Saardam besides the Czar's house, he replied, "Oh
que, oui--beaucoup de Moulins!" Peter the Great's house is a small
wooden cottage close to the town, remarkable for nothing but having been
his.
[Illustration: SAARDAM.
_To face page 228._]
Alexander had put up two little marble Tablets over the fireplace,
commemorating his visit to the Imperial residence, on which something
good and pointed might have been inscribed; as they are, it is merely
stated that Alexander placed them on, and that Mrs. Von Tets Von Groudam
stood by, delighted to see him so employed. We returned to Amsterdam by
3 o'clock and left it at 4 for Haarlem. In Protestant countries
Cathedrals are not always open; we found that at Haarlem open and a
numerous congregation listening to a very respectable, venerable-looking
preacher, whose voice and manner, style and action approached
perfection. His eloquence, however, seemed to be in vain, for I observed
many sleepers; and what had an odd effect, though customary in their
country, the men with their hats on; they take them off, I believe,
during prayers, but put them down during the sermon; we ascended the
tower and enjoyed as extensive a view as heart could wish. The sea of
Haarlem is an immense lake separated from the Gulf by a flood gate and
narrow dam. The French had a block house and batteries here. In truth,
Holland does not require above 20 guns to keep out all the enemies in
the world. Different, indeed, are the Dutch from the French in the
facility and liberality of access to their curiosities. It required some
eloquence and more money to induce the key-keeper to let us go up; and
on asking whether the Organ was to play, he assured us it was not, but
that if we wished it, the performer would sound the notes for 16
_shillings_; this was a gross imposition to which we were little
inclined to submit; but luckily, as we were coming down, we heard it
opening its great bellows and re-echoing through the body of the church.
We almost broke our necks in running downstairs, and leaving the Dutch
guide to take care of himself, we found our way into the Organ loft, to
the visible annoyance of the performer, who, seeing we were strangers,
thought himself sure of his eight florins, but his duty and the Church
service compelled him to go on, and he shook his head and growled in
vain at our guide, who at this time appeared, intimating that he should
take us away, as having no business there, but in vain. I heard the
Organ, counted the 68 stops, examined at my leisure the stupendous
instrument, while he was under the necessity of continuing his
involuntary voluntary, till my curiosity was satisfied. We took up our
residence at an Hotel _in the Wood_, so-called from being the place of
promenade and site of the new palace, but _ci-devant_ residence of Mrs.
Hope, and, in fact, from being also a respectable wood of tolerably
sized trees.
[Illustration: PETER THE GREAT'S HOUSE, SAARDAM.
_To face p. 230._]
By the best chance in the world here, too, we fell in with a fête on the
river. Some great Burgomaster had married himself, and all the world of
Haarlem came forth in boats, decorated with colors, and bands of music
in procession up the river to pass in review before the Princess of
Orange, an elderly-looking woman. She sat in the window of a summer
house overlooking the river, and the festive procession assembled before
her. It was a lovely evening, and nothing could be more gay and
animating than the scene. We this morning at 6 quitted Haarlem in the
boat in which I am now writing as comfortably as in my own room, the
motion scarcely perceptible, about 5 miles an hour; by good luck few
passengers, and those above looking at a man who is at this incessant
Dutch employment of painting. The boat is as clean as a china dish, but
possibly it may not have been painted since last week. Edward has just
daubed his hand by looking out of the window. I am rather puzzled in
getting on here. Very little French is spoken; among the common people
none, and we converse by signs.
...Their money, too, is puzzling beyond measure. My stock consists of 5
franc pieces (French), upon which, exclusive of their not always
understanding what they are, there is a discount; this, of course, adds
to the confusion, and now I despair of understanding the infinite
variety of square, hexagon, round coins of copper and silver and base
metal which pass through my hands.
We passed two hours at Leyden as actively employed as a Foxhunter. We
found a man who spoke French, told him our wishes, gave him a list of
what was to be seen in the town, and then desired him to start,
following him on the full trot up and down churches, colleges,
Townhalls, &c. These towns are so much alike, that having seen one the
interest is considerably lessened. Leyden, however, has the honour of
possessing one of the finest streets in Holland; though capable of
accommodating 65,000 souls, there are not more than 20,000, which gives
it a melancholy appearance. In one part there is an area of about 3 or 4
Cheshire acres planted with trees and divided with walls, which in 1807
was covered, like the rest of the town, with good houses, but it
happened that a barge full of gunpowder passing through the canal, blew
up, killed 200 people, including a very clever Professor Lugai, and
destroyed all the houses. It was a sad catastrophe, to be sure; but now,
as it is all over, and all the good people's mourning laid aside, I
think the Town may be congratulated as a gainer. I could fill up my
letter with the anatomical preparations of the celebrated Albinus; but
though I am very partial to these sights, I doubt whether you would be
amused by a description of dried men, with their hearts, lungs, and
brains suspended in different bottles. The town is full of booksellers'
shops, in which capital Classics might be procured and divers others old
books. The windows were also well filled with new works translated into
Dutch; few, I think, original; amongst others, I saw "Ida of
Athens!"[93] ...
[Illustration: DUTCH FISHERMEN.]
It is not easy to trace the sieges of Philip 2nd in these towns, as the
fortifications are most of them extinct, fortresses of more modern
construction being now the keys of the country. Neat villas and gardens
by the canal side marked our approach to the seat of government--and a
very first-rate Town the Hague is, though I cannot conceive how the
people escape agues and colds in Autumn. Stagnant canals and pools, with
all circulation of air checked by rows of trees, cannot be healthy.
Unfortunately for us, Lord Clancarty is at Bruxelles with the Prince of
Orange. The Hague appears, from what I have seen, to be a better town
for permanent residence than Bruxelles or Antwerp. The houses are all
good, which implies a superior quality of inhabitants. In the evening we
took a drive to Scheveningen, a fishing village about 2 or 3 miles
distant, through a delightful avenue. It is one of the fashionable
resorts of the town, and is absolute perfection on a hot day, though
pregnant with damp and dew in the evening. I told you of dog carts at
Bruxelles, but here seems to be the region of despotic sway of the poor
beasts. I believe that I am not wrong in stating that nearly all the
fish is carried by them from Scheveningen to the Hague; and the weight
they draw is surprising. We passed many canine equipages; in one sat a
fisherman and his wife drawn by three dogs not much bigger than
Pompey--he with his pipe in his mouth, she with an enormous Umbrella
Hat, as grave as Pluto and Proserpine. I saw several nice goat gigs;
moreover, I am determined to have one for Owen....
...It is quite extraordinary with what excessive silence and gravity
these people carry on their affairs. On returning from Scheveningen at a
good round trot, we came in contact with another carriage. Luckily no
other accident happened than breaking their traces and grinding their
wheels. But though disabled by our driver, not a syllable of complaint
or commiseration was uttered by one party or the other. Our driver
proceeded, leaving them to take care of themselves. I observed, too,
that in manoeuvering the Vessel in passing the Gulf yesterday, where some
tacks were necessary, all was performed in perfect silence; no
halloo-ing--a nod or a puff was alone sufficient....
And so are we coming to the close of our Tour--our next stage will be
Rotterdam, from whence I shall bear my own dispatches.... In the course
of my life this last month will bear a conspicuous place from the
interesting and delightful scenes it has afforded me. I must confess I
left England with some waverings and misgivings; the accounts of others
led me to expect that disappointments, difficulties, and great expense
would be the inevitable accompaniments of my course. But in no instance
have I been disappointed, the difficulties too trifling to deserve the
name, the expense nothing compared with the profits derived, and I have
seen enough of men and manners, of things animate and inanimate, to make
me quite at home in some of the great scenes which have just been
performed....
[Illustration: DUTCH CARRIAGE.]