placed in the Market-place, is altogether plain. This learned Man is
represented in the Habit of a Doctor, holding a Book in his Hand. The
Pedestal is plainly decorated with a _Latin_ Inscription, as is the House
where he was born, which is preserved just as it was then, and is a very
small and mean Building. 'Tis said, that on the same Square where
_Erasmus_'s Statue stands, the Magistrates intend to erect a Stadthouse,
of which they are really in great Need, that which they have being a very
sorry one. If this Project takes, it were to be wished that they may
employ a more able Architect, and a more diligent one than they have made
use of in building an Exchange, which has been a long Time begun, and is
but half finish'd yet. 'Tis true, that as it is, 'tis too large for the
Number of Merchants that meet in it; but after all, 'tis amazing that a
City, which has the Reputation of being wealthy, should let one of its
principal Edifices stand unfinish'd.
There are some magnificent Houses in this Town, but its greatest Ornament
is its Canals, broad and deep enough for the Entrance of Shipping, which
is a great Convenience to its Trade. I know not how sociable the People
are at _Rotterdam_; for tho' I have gone through it several times, I never
stay'd long enough there to make any Acquaintance in it. I always took the
Air for most part upon the fine Kay that runs along the _Maese_, which is
beautified with a pleasant Row of Trees on one Side, and noble Houses on
the other.
From _Rotterdam_ I went thro' _Maeslandsluys_ to the BRILLE, a well
fortified Town upon the _Maese_, near the Mouth of that River. This Town
is famous in the History of the _Netherlands_, because in the Year 1572,
_William de Lumai_, Count _de la Marck_, and some of his Confederates, who
went out to Sea, to avoid falling into the Hands of the Duke of _Alva_,
took it by Surprize, and there laid the first Foundations of the Liberty
of the United Provinces.
When I left the _Brille_, I came to HELVOETSLUYS, the saddest Place in all
_Holland_. The Winds, which have been boisterous for some Days, hinder the
Packet-Boat and me from setting out for _England_. In the mean time, I am
very ill here. I am cramm'd twice a Day with boil'd Ducks, roasted Ducks,
and others tossed up with a high Ragoû, and yet I am ask'd if I will not
please to have more Seasoning. Perhaps it was this Town only that a
certain _Frenchman_ had seen, when he said that he had taken Notice of but
three Things in _Holland_, and they began all three with the Syllable Ca,
_viz._ _Canals_, _Canards_ (Ducks), and _Canaille_, _i. e._ Mob; for
certainly there are other Things to be seen in the rest of Holland, where
there are as many genteel People as in any Country in the World. Nay, I
dare affirm, that a certain Candour prevails here, which is perhaps not so
general elsewhere. 'Tis rare for a _Dutchman_ to know the Arts of Tricking
and Cheating, and he is of a friendly Disposition, if his Purse be out of
the Question. If they were not so much in Love with their Money, there
would be as few Faults to find with this Nation as any. I could like to
live with 'em very well. When one treats them with Civility, one may do
any thing with 'em. And it was a Saying of the Emperor _Charles_ V. _You
must give the_ Dutch _good Words, leave 'em the Shadow of Liberty, but
make them pay well for it_.
Be these People as much as they will for their own Interest, they are
charitable, and would have every one live. They have not perhaps that gay
Wit, which is of all Things so taking; but then they have good Sense. I
have often taken a Place in the Boats, on purpose to hear what was said
there; and have been surprised to find the common People talk of Trade, of
the Interests of the State, and of other Countries, of the Manners of
different People, of the History of their own Country, and in short, of a
thousand other Things, with more Justness, perhaps, than a great many
Epigrammatists, Stanza-makers, and Rhymesters could do elsewhere.
For the rest, this Country is as charming in some Things, as it is
disagreeable in others. 'Tis certain, that the People are now and then too
insolent; yet a _Dutchman_ does not care to be the first to give an
Affront; and unless a Foreigner provokes him by his Pride, or his
Pertness, he will indulge himself in his Phlegm.
I can't imagine why Foreigners take a Pleasure to run down _Holland_, as a
Country where they have been skinn'd. This might have been the Case with
'em in such a Hole as _Helvoetsluys_, or else at _Rotterdam_, when one
_Carpentier_, a _French_ Refugee, kept the Sign there of the Marshal _de
Turenne_; but 'tis not so in a good Town, where every Foreigner, I mean
such as are willing to be sociable, and to eat at the Landlord's Table,
know what they have for their Money. The Ordinary is settled, Wine,
Lodging, and every Thing at a certain Price. Suppers are the only Meals
that plunge deep in a Man's Purse, of which a Foreigner must be cautious.
As to Carriages, either by Land or Water, the Fare is fixed; and 'tis
impossible for a Man to be cheated, unless it be in frosty Weather, when
'tis certain one is at the Mercy both of the Watermen and Coachmen.
'Tis wrong also for some Foreigners to cry out, as they do, against
Justice, which I find more impartial here than elsewhere. But it does not
always act with the Vivacity which a Foreigner would wish for, who often
has neither the Time, nor the Means, nor the Inclination to wait for it.
He then finds fault with Justice, when he ought rather to blame the
Situation of his Affairs.
I fear that you will be angry with me for having abused your Attention by
this long Letter, which I now conclude, by assuring you, that nobody can
be more intirely than I am, &c.
[Illustration]
LETTER LIII.
_SIR_, _London, April 12, 1733._
'Tis not possible for me to be insensible how greatly I am obliged to you
for that Uneasiness which you seem to be under, till you can hear of my
Arrival in some safe Harbour of this Kingdom, tho' 'tis no more than what
I expected from such a Friend as you. I should have prevented your Anxiety
upon this Score, if I had not thought it proper to take a little View of
this Country, before I wrote one Word to you about it; and now I flatter
myself that I am able to satisfy your Curiosity.
I had one of the most favourable Passages that could be; for in less than
eighteen Hours, I came from _Helvoetsluys_ to _Harwich_, which is the
Harbour for the Packet-Boats that pass betwixt this Kingdom and _Holland_.
_Harwich_ not seeming to me to be worth a Traveller's Notice, I only
stopped to hire Horses, and came with all Speed to London. _That City_,
which for its Extent, the Number of its Inhabitants, and their Wealth, may
pass, not only for the Capital of a powerful Kingdom, but even for the
Capital of _Europe_: _That City_, where True Liberty bears Rule; where the
Arts and Sciences are cultivated and protected; where the Inhabitants
enjoy the Goods of Fortune without vain Ostentation; where Merit is
considered, and Birth highly valued, when 'tis accompanied with Virtue:
_That City_, in fine, where are still to be found those _Roman_ Souls,
which other Nations admire, but know not how to imitate.
Yet _London_, with all the Attributes I have now given it, with its
magnificent Structures, both sacred and profane, cannot be rank'd among
the finest Cities; for many of its Streets being dirty and ill-paved, its
Houses of Brick, not very high, nor adorn'd with Architecture, but
blacken'd with the unmerciful Smoke of Coal-fires, gives it a dark Hue,
which renders it far less agreeable than it would be otherwise.
The Riches of _London_, if not of all _England_, are owing to the
_Thames_, and the Citizens set more Value by this River, than by any other
Advantage that they enjoy: Of this a certain old Alderman had the Courage
to give King _Charles_ II. a convincing Proof, at a Time when that Monarch
was so extremely angry with the City of _London_, that when the Lord Mayor
and Aldermen went to Court, with a View to pacify him, he exclaimed
bitterly against them, and told 'em, that he knew how to make them feel
the whole Weight of his Resentment, and that he would for that End remove
his Court to _Oxford_. At this the old Alderman, who pretended to be hard
of Hearing, said to a Nobleman that was present at the Audience, loud
enough to be over-heard by the King, _What says his Majesty_, my Lord?
_Will he in his Wrath take the_ Thames _from us?_ Meaning thereby, that
since the King could not take that River from the City, the Inhabitants
would not be sorry for his going to _Oxford_. Indeed, in all my Travels I
never saw a finer Sight than this River, from its Mouth to
_London_-Bridge: For besides its being continually covered with Ships,
Barges, Boats, &c. going up and down with the Tide, its Banks are adorned
with a Variety of fine Scenes, such as Towns, Villages, and
Country-Houses. Among others, there's the great and magnificent Hospital
of _Greenwich_, founded in the Reign of _Charles_ II. for disabled Seamen,
or the Invalids of the Navy. Tho' this Structure is not yet finish'd, it
may be rank'd amongst the most considerable in _Europe_, and is not
inferior in Grandeur to many Royal Palaces. Its Situation also is so
charming, that were it for that alone, it were worth while to take a Turn
on Purpose to see it.
_London_ stands on the Left-side of the River, where it forms a Crescent.
The famous Bridge upon which Queen _Elizabeth_ caused the Head of the Earl
of _Essex_ to be exposed, after having flatter'd him that he should one
Day be a Partner in her Throne, is eight hundred Feet long, and sixty
broad; but the Prospect of the River is stopp'd by Houses on both Sides,
which are neither fine nor lofty.
St. _Paul_'s Church, the Cathedral of _London_, is, next to St. _Peter_'s
at _Rome_, the greatest and most stately Temple in _Europe;_ and I even
question, whether it would not be more magnificent than St. _Peter_'s, if
it had such a Square or Colonnade before it, as that has; but I mean only
the Outside of it; for as to the Inside, they are not to be compar'd. The
principal Front of St. _Paul_'s is of that sort of Architecture which the
old _Romans_, those Masters in the Art of Building, would not perhaps have
thought unworthy of their Time; tho' 'tis certain this beautiful Front is
render'd the less majestic by two little Towers or Steeples of a very
_Gothic_ Taste, which are placed upon the two Angles of the Building. This
whole Fabric stands by itself, and is built in the Form of a Cross, with
a great Dome in the middle. The Entrance to it is by three grand Porticos
on the North, South, and West. Opposite to the principal Front there's an
Area, encompass'd with an Iron Palisado, in the midst of which is a white
marble Statue of Queen _Anne_, in whose Reign this Church was finish'd;
which was begun so long ago as after the Great Fire, in the Reign of
_Charles_ II. The Queen is there represented standing with all her
Regalia. She holds in her Right hand a Sceptre; but 'tis so much like a
Wax Taper, that one would almost swear she was performing an[123] _Amende
honorable_: And really, this Statue is unworthy of the Queen whom it
represents; of the Church before which it stands, and of the City of
_London_, by whose Order 'twas erected. All the Church is of very white
Stone, which the Smoke, that Bane of _London_, has rendered black on one
Side. The Inside of it is as plain as the Outside is magnificent. The Dome
only is painted of an _Ash_ Colour. The Choir (for the Church of _England_
retains the Use of Choirs) is separated from the Nave, by a Wall of just
such a Height as to support the Organs, which by this Means serve the
Choir and the Nave of the Church alike, but disfigure both. The Seats, or
Stalls of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, when they assist at _Te Deum_, are
of Wood, and built like those of the Canons in our Churches. The
subterraneous Parts are very magnificent, and contain Vaults, in which
are interred such People as they belong to.
The famous Monument erected in Memory of that sad Conflagration which
consumed one Third of the City, in the Reign of King _Charles_ II. is a
very lofty Pillar of the _Doric_ Order, fluted, and has a Stair-case in
the Inside of it, which goes up to a Platform at the Top, from whence
there's a Prospect of the whole City, and a great many fine Scenes.
The _Royal-Exchange_, where the Merchants meet at One o'Clock every Day,
is a large square Building of Free-stone. The grand Portico is adorned
with Columns, and has a Tower on the Top, with Chimes in it. The Inside of
it consists of a Court surrounded with Piazzas, over which are placed the
Statues of the Kings that have reigned in _England_; which are of
Free-stone, and all done by bad Hands. The Statue of King _Charles_ II. in
whose Reign this Edifice was built, stands in the midst of this Court, and
is of white Marble, representing the King in the Habit of a _Roman_
Emperor. This is not one of the worst Statues in _London_; where indeed
Sculpture is of all Arts the least cultivated; but why, I can't conceive;
since most of the _English_ Nobility have been in _Italy_, and have there
acquired a Taste for what is fine and curious.
The famous Tower of _London_, which is, as it were, the Citadel of this
Metropolis, stands on the Bank of the _Thames_, at the Extremity of the
City, going down the River. It contains several Buildings, but without
Uniformity. Here are kept the Jewels of the Crown, and the Crown itself,
Lions, and other outlandish Creatures, and the Arsenal of Arms; and in
this Tower are confined certain Prisoners of State; but thro' good
Fortune, the Reign of King _George_ II. now upon the Throne, has been so
free from Punishment or Severity, that the Tower is empty of Prisoners.
As one goes up the _Thames_ towards St. _James_'s, End of the Town, where
the King and most of the Nobility reside, one passes along by a Palace
called the _Savoy_, because it was built by the Princes of _Savoy_, Uncles
of Queen _Eleanor_ of _Provence_, Wife to _Henry_ III. This Building has
nothing in it from one End to the other, but what is very deformed. The
Chamber is still to be seen here in which _John_ II. King of _France_ was
imprisoned, who, like _Regulus_, came and re-delivered himself into the
Custody of his Conqueror, when he found the Estates of his Kingdom not
disposed to perform the Terms of Peace, which he had signed, and which
were the Condition of his having obtained Leave to go to _France_.
The Palace of _Whitehall_, which is the common Landing-place for People
that come out of the City by Water, is nothing to what it was possibly
before the unhappy Fire began, by which it was consumed in the Reign of
_William_ and _Mary_. There's a Pile of Building yet standing, which is
magnificent, and is called the _Banquetting-House_. I was here shewn the
very Window which the unfortunate _Charles_ I. came out of, when the
Usurper _Cromwel_ made him walk from the Throne to the Scaffold. All the
Buildings called by the Name of _Whitehall_, are now in the Hands of
private Owners, by Grants of the late King _George_ I.
St. _James_'s Palace, where the King lives, is only separated from
_Whitehall_ by St. _James_'s Park. This House has nothing in it answerable
to the Majesty of the Prince who resides in it, and there are few Princes
in _Europe_ worse lodged than the King of _England_. I have been assured,
that the Nation offered the late King _George_ I. to build him a new
Palace; but that he made Answer, that since so many Kings, his
Predecessors, had lived in that Palace, and been content with it, he
thought it would do as well for him; and that he did not desire, that, for
the sake of accommodating him, the Nation should be put to any sort of
Inconvenience; but that its Funds might be employed in something that was
more urgent, and more useful.
St. _James_'s Park is the same Thing here as the _Thuilleries_ are at
_Paris_; only this Park is more plain and artless; for here is Meadow
Ground, with Walks of Trees, and a Canal in the middle of the whole. Mean
time this Simplicity has a certain Beauty, which cannot be describ'd, tho'
the Spectator feels it, and prefers it to the finest Gardens. _Charles_
II. who was vastly fond of walking out for the Air, had a mind to make
Embellishments in the Park, and for this End sent to _Paris_ for the
famous _Le Neautre_, the Man that laid out the Garden of the
_Thuilleries_, and the Park at _Versailles_. But this _Frenchman_, after
having viewed the Park well, advised the King to let it stand as it did,
assuring him that he could not make any thing better than it was. The
grand Walk called the Mall, is full of People every Hour of the Day, but
especially in the Morning and Evening; and their Majesties often walk in
it with the Royal Family, who are attended only by half a dozen Yeomen of
the Guard, and permit all Persons, without Distinction of Rank or
Character, to walk there at the same Time with 'em; for which Reason the
Crowd of People here is sometimes too great; but then it forms one of the
most diversified Scenes imaginable: The Ladies and Gentlemen always appear
here in rich Dresses; for the _English_, who Twenty Years ago did not wear
Gold lace, but in their Army, are now embroidered and bedawb'd as much as
the _French_; I speak of Persons of Quality; for the Citizen still
contents himself with a Suit of fine Cloth, a good Hat and Wig, and fine
Linen: Every body in general is well clad here, and even the Beggars don't
make so ragged an Appearance as they do elsewhere.
Of the fine Houses that open to the Park, those of _Marlborough_ and
_Buckingham_ are the most considerable. The former is very richly
furnished, and adorned with admirable Paintings. 'Tis occupied by the
Dowager of that great Duke of _Marlborough_, who led the _English_ to
triumph where-ever he came, and made the proudest of Kings to tremble.
_Buckingham_ House is not so big as _Marlborough_ House, but infinitely
better situate; for it fronts the great Walk of St. _James_'s Park, and is
only separated from it by Grates of Iron. 'Tis one grand Building, with
two advanced Wings, one on each Side, that are united to the main Body of
the Building, by two open Galleries, forming a Semi-circle. In the middle
of the Court there's a fine Water-work, and behind the House a great and
magnificent Garden, at the End whereof there was to be a Canal, which was
actually begun, but remains unfinish'd. This fine House is occupied by the
Duchess Dowager of _Buckingham_, a natural Daughter of King _James_ II.
St. _James_'s Quarter of the Town, and all the Out-parts of _London_ in
general, are very regularly built, the Streets strait, broad and airy, and
want nothing but to be better paved; which is a great Misfortune, that
cannot be remedied but by an excessive Expence. They say, that _Lewis_
XIV. offered _Charles_ II. to furnish him Stones enough to pave _London_,
provided _Charles_ would furnish him with Gravel from _England_, to lay in
the Gardens of his Royal Palaces. Whether this be true, I know not; but
it seems to me that the Advantage would have been for the _English_
Prince. Be it as it will, the Bargain was not struck, and _London_ is
still the Sufferer for want of it.
There are several great and fine Squares here, some of which, in my
Opinion, would be more beautiful, were it not for the Fancy of adorning
them with Gardens, which perhaps is owing to the Want of Stones for paving
them. As these are encompassed with Iron Palisadoes, they look very much
like Church-yards. St. _James_'s Square is the most considerable in
_London_, not only for its Bigness, but for the Residence of Persons of
the greatest Quality. Instead of a Garden, it contains a great fine Piece
of Water, surrounded with an iron Balustrade. Three Sides of this Square
are very regular; and it were to be wished, that the Proprietors of the
fourth Side would be prevailed to build that in the same Manner. In this
Square live the Earl of _Strafford_, Ambassador from Queen _Anne_ to the
Congress at _Utrecht_; and the Duke of _Norfolk_, a _Roman_ Catholic, Earl
Marshal, first Duke, and first Baron of _England_, Chief of the
Illustrious Family of _Howard_; from whence was descended _Catharine_ the
Fifth Wife of _Henry_ VIII. who had not a more happy Fate than the
unfortunate _Anne Bullen_, who preceded her. The Duke of _Norfolk_'s House
here has very fine Furniture, and most magnificent Pictures.
_Grosvenor_'s Square, which is just finished, is even larger than St.
_James_'s Square, and its Houses are much more magnificent. In the middle
of the Garden is the Statue of King _George_ I. on Horseback, of Lead,
gilt, and indeed very ill executed. Of the many Statues that there are in
_London_, the best is that of _Charles_ I. represented on Horseback in
Brass. It owes its Preservation to a sort of Miracle: The Usurper
_Cromwell_ having caused it to be pulled down, and exposed to Sale, a
Founder, who happen'd to be a zealous Royalist, bought it, and buried it
under Ground, till the Restoration of _Charles_ II. to whom he made a
Present of it; and this Prince caused it to be set up at _Charing-Cross_,
where it still continues. When I see it, I always look upon it as an Image
that has escap'd the Fury of the _Iconoclastes_.
Since, the Accession of the _Hanover_ Family to the Throne of _Great
Britain_, _London_ is infinitely larger than it was. There's one intire
Quarter goes by the Name of _Hanover_. The Parliament being apprehensive,
that in Process of Time the Town would grow too big to support itself,
pass'd an Act some Years ago for restraining the building on new
Foundations; and if this had been done twenty Years ago, this City would
nevertheless have been too large.
I say nothing to you of the other Squares, because my Design is only to
give you a general Idea of _London_, and not a very exact Plan, that being
a Business which I leave to some Traveller who is better instructed.
Besides, to tell you the plain Truth, I am quite weary of entertaining you
with Towers and Walls. Therefore I shall only say a Word or two more as to
Houses and Churches. The House of the Duke of _Montagu_, Son-in-Law to the
late Duke of _Marlborough_, is the most considerable. The Apartments are
large and well laid out, and the Cielings exceeding fine, particularly
those of the great Stair-case and Salon, wherein the Story of _Phaethon_
is represented in a wonderful Manner. But all these fine Apartments are
not furnish'd, and 'tis even said, that the Duke intends to lett his House
to the Count _de Montijo_, the _Spanish_ Ambassador.
Of the modern Churches that of St. _James_, which is the Parochial Church
of the Court, is the finest, having a Portico before it, supported by
Columns, after the Manner of the _Rotunda_ at _Rome_.
The Abby Church of _Westminster_, in which the Kings are crown'd and
interred, is a great Fabric, which contains the Tombs of several Kings,
and other Persons illustrious either for their Birth or Merit. _Henry_ the
VIIth's Chapel, wherein that wise King is interred with his Queen, is very
magnificent, as is also the Tomb of the Dukes of _Newcastle_. That of the
late Mr. _Craggs_, who was Secretary of State to King _George_ the Ist, is
plain, but of a beautiful Contrivance: It represents that Minister in the
_Grecian_ Manner, and leaning in a very noble Attitude upon an Urn. The
famous _St. Evremont_ has a Place here amongst the Men of Learning: The
Representation of him is in Form of a large Medal, on which there is a
short Inscription, denoting that this Mausoleum was erected for him by his
Friend my Lord _Galloway_.