merly inhabited by the people whom Julius Cæfar, in his Commentaries, has mentioned under the names of the Menapii, Ufipetes, Gugerni, and Sicambri. Besides the county of Zutphen; Guelderland confifts of twenty-two confiderable towns, and more than three hundred villages. It has already been under the government of Signiors, Counts, Dukes, and Chancellors. In point of air, water, and elevation of country, it lifts itself pre-eminently above any of the United Provinces; and a traveller, after refiding at the reft, will regale himself in Guelderland, and gratulate himfelf on the exchange. I have trod, and re-trod, at different times, every part of it with pleasure, and am again preparing to pay ita vifit; the particulars of which fhall be in due place imparted to you. The Dutchy of Guelderland is connected with the county of Zutphen, as dependencies of the States General. Although as I have before obferved, the province of Holland is the most powerful, that of Guelderland is confidered as deferving to take the lead as to elegance, health, and fertility, or rather imagery of country. The capital towns are Arnheim and Nimeguen, of both Which which my promifed accounts will include a description. At present the weather relents, the world of ice yields to a genial thaw that has been gently unbinding the froft fome days; the fluices once п:ore open a paffage for the Trechfcuyts, in one of which I fhall to-morrow morning fet off for Leyden, but not before I have expreffed my hopes that my ftay at Rotterdam has been productive of fome amusement and information. The poft awaits my pacquet, and I must say adieu. AFTER being fo long weather-bound in a town I found a trip by water quite a relief, which was perhaps not a little affifted by the companions of my voyage; for the fchuyt was fertile of characters, amongst which was a Dutch lady, who having at least twice doubled the matrimonial Cape of Good Hope, and juft efcaped the rocks of defperate virginity, was going to bestow her hand on a perfon who ftill thought either it, or the the weight of gelt (money) it brought, an object of efpoufal. She refided at a village in the way to Leyden, and had been at Rotterdam to purchase finery for her bridals. The company were foon amufed with the fight of the articles, which the difplayed with an oftentation that fhewed her vanity both as to property and perfon; and it is often lucky for the poffeffors that vanity like love is blind, otherwife this good lady would have feen that neither her perfon nor property were just objects of critical obfervation; the one being coarse, and the other paltry. It would have highly delighted you who have a correct tafte, to have been an eye-witness of this splendid vulgarity. The immenfe bracelets, the ponderous ear-rings, the feven-fold necklaces beftudded with huge fhining ftones of many colours, indeed of all hues but the gentle, modeft and retiring ones. But far above the rest, fuperior and alone," on a head made into a thick pafte with powder and pomatum, fhone forth a maffy hair-pin of rose diamonds, which inftead of being airily fastened, seemed nailed to her forehead, on each fide of which ftuck a couple of new coquet-temple-patches, "round "as a fhield," of the size of an English half-crown, and spreading to the very eye brow. will call your attention to four tawdry rings ornamenting four ugly brown fingers, which the amiable owner of them difplayed as if they had been fhaped by the goddefs of fymmetry. It is nor eafily poffible to fee a worfe afforted fuite of decorations upon a more inelegant form; and ftill more difficult would it be for any body to have a better opinion of either that form, or of thofe decorations than the fair object to whom they belonged. How fortunately it is ordered that our very awkwardneffes are thus converted into objects of happiness by our felf-love, and that nothing more feems neceffary to the felicity Lof the inelegant than that, whatever may be ano..ther's idea of their tafte or attractions, they fhould be upon the beft terms with themfelves. Hence what you may contemn as vulgar, and regret as unfit for the fashion of the hour, is appreciated by conceit, and thought to be both beautiful and becoming. A well-bred perfon on the contrary, is for the fake of his affociates often obliged, to facrifice even his vanity; at leaft his vanity depends more on others than on himfelf, and cannot be gratified without the approbation of the refined part of the world; concerning which, honeft ill-bred vulgarity is altogether careless, unless the applaufes of the world happen to concur with the estimate it forms of itfelf. Our Our Dutch virgin however in her own adornment, did not forget to accommodate her intended bridegroom, whofe tafte fhe affured us fhe had confulted no lefs than her own (a lucky fimilarity you will fay) in the choice of her decorations. But to demonstrate in a more particular manner her loving kindness towards him, fhe now fhewed her fellow-paffengers a curious tobacco-pipe of the finest porcelain, on which was bepainted in glaring colours a dowdy Venus, and a fquabby pair of Cupids, the one taking fnuff and the others fending their whiffs at one another. Of this inftrument the stopper was filver, and the chain to which it was attached, of the fame metal: and that the gift might be complete, our ancient maiden had bought a china fpitting bafon, on which allo was depicted certain emblems of her delicate paffion. How few of our English maidens would have thus administered to the accomplishments of their lovers. A tobacco-pipe and spitting-box as a nuptial gift! Profit ye votaries of the belle paffion by the example. A droll fellow who fat on the oppofite fide, malignly affured me that about a twelvemonth ago he had, under the favour of Providence, got rid of the halter with which the fair Hollander was about to hang herself. All this time two Dutch X 2 |