Слике страница
PDF
ePub

wrong. The man gave him his word that he was not Jamie Sword. "O, but that's naething," said Aedie, "I give you my word that you are, and I think my word's as good as yours ony day." Finally, he told the man, that if he would not acknowledge that he was wrong, and confess that he was Jamie Sword, he would fight him.He did so, and got himself severely thrashed.

The following is a copy of a letter, written by Aedie to a great personage, dated Aberlosk, May 27th, 1806.* "To George the Third, London. DEAR SIR, I went thirty miles on foot yesterday to pay your taxes, and, after all, the bodies would not take them, saying, that I was too late, and that they must now be recovered, with expenses, by regular course of law. I thought if your Majesty was like me, money would never come wrong to you, although it were a few days too late; so I enclose you £27 in notes, and half-a-guinea, which is the amount of what they charge me for last year, and fourpence halfpenny over. You must send me a receipt when the coach comes back, else they will not believe that I have paid you.

Direct to the care of Andrew Wilson, butcher in Hawick.

I am, dear Sir, your most humble

servant,

To the King.

A*** B****.

P. S.-This way of taxing the farmers will never do; you will see the upshot."

It has been reported over all that country, that this letter reached its destination, and that a receipt was returned in due course of post; but the truth is (and, for the joke's sake, it is a great pity it should have been so), that the singularity of the address caused some friends to open the letter, and return it, with the money, to the owner; but not before they had taken a copy of it, from which the above is exactly transcribed. H.

(To be continued.)

In case our readers should imagine that this curious epistle is a mere coinage of our facetious correspondent, we are enabled, from undoubted authority, to assure them, that both Aedie and his letter are faithful transcripts from real and existing originals. EDITOR.

ANECDOTES OF THE INQUISITION.

[The following anecdotes are extracted from a letter, dated July 29th 1815, addressed to us from Italy, by a friend who had resided in Spain during the preceding spring.]

"THIS season it had not rained in Catalonia for six months to gether. The country was burnt up and parched like an African desert, and the peasants were crowding in numerous groups to the churches, to supplicate the mercy of Heaven. The priesthood, with their usual craft and adroitness, had observed the signs of the times, and anticipating that the change of the moon in April would probably produce rain, announced that a procession to the Virgin would take place on the very day of change. It did take place: all Barcelona was in motion. Ere next morning the rain fell in torrents and, behold! a miracle!

Next day, while it continued to rain, a Spanish officer was conversing with a lady of his acquaintance in a public coffee-house-(for here, as well as over the Continent, the most respectable ladies frequent these places as publicly the fashion)-the lady spoke of the as they do the theatre or opera: such is miracle of the blessed Virgin-of the sanctity of the priesthood, &c. with rapture. The officer, on the contrary, though quite aware how dangerous it was to controvert such opinions,smiled at her exclamations, and, confiding in the honour and discreetness of his friend, simply said, Surely you do not believe it was the Virgin that sent the rain!' The lady went to confession-acknowledged that she had heard such a one speak disrespectfully of 'the mother of God,' without reproving him-and, in a few hours afterwards, the officer was seized in the public street, and lodged in the Inquisition. We heard no more of him.

Mr C, an eminent Spanish merchant in Barcelona, informed me, that at one time having purchased an English bible, some of his friends denounced him to the holy office for having such a heretical book in his possession. He was summoned before them, and told, that he must either instantly deliver up the book to the Holy Tribunal, or walk in.Mr C., aware of the consequences of such a step, submitted to the other alternative, but begged they would let him have a Spanish bible in its stead. He told

them it had cost him five shillings, reminding them at the same time, that they had only two editions of the bible in Spanish, one of which costs fifteen pounds, and the other fifty pounds sterling per copy. They replied, he must submit unconditionally, or. He did so, gave them his bible, and walked out."

SKETCHES OF FOREIGN SCENERY AND MANNERS.

MR EDITOR,

In your first Number I observed a communication, being the first of an intended series of a similar nature, from a correspondent, who entitles himself a "View-Hunter." I have often thought it a pity, that the remarks of tourists, whether descriptive or meditative, and however rapidly sketched, should, during a period like the present, when the travelling mania appears to rage so generally, and with such violence, be entirely lost to the more sober part of the community, who remain in peace at home, decently prosecuting their several avocations, or, at furthest, be confined to the wondering ears of the friends and relatives of the much-admired traveller. I am aware, that many men have thought and written, that we are at present completely overstocked with tours, journals, sketches, travels, and recollections, and that the scribbling propensity of the existing generation is sufficient to deter the more highly gifted of the sons of men from favouring the world with their lucubrations, through the fear of being associated, in succeeding times, with the flippant ebullitions of the present day. I have, however, long been of opinion, that the unconnected observations of the passing traveller may, sometimes accidentally, throw light on a subject which has remained in obscurity, notwithstand..ing the laboured investigations of the professed tourist; and the unaffected narrative of a journey, however un-skilled the author may be in the delineation of character, or the descrip>ition of external scenery, may occasionally present us with a picture of nature, bearing a closer resemblance to theoriginal than that which more accustomed hands have been able to convey. These observations have been suggested, by reflecting on the vast concourse of the natives of this country Liwho are now travelling on the continent of Europe, to which access had

f

been so long denied, and on the mass of amusement and information which might be collected, if every one who was in any degree interested in his journey would furnish his notes, however circumscribed, on the different towns and countries through which he had passed. The greater proportion of our tourists are no doubt careless of what is going on around them, and travel either for the sake of making the time hang less heavily on their hands, (on account of their having nothing else to do) or that they may talk of having been in such places, and of having seen certain sights, although the situations in which they have been placed, and the objects which they may have beheld, are not in anywise interesting to them, except in as far as they form the fashionable topics of conversation in those circles in which they are anxious to shine. The obser vations of such men would be of little value, and if communicated to the public, would experience an existence as ephemeral as the impression which a contemplation of the sublimest scenes in nature, or the most curious traits of character, made on the minds from which they emanated.

But I would fain hope, that there are many thousands at this moment journeying through the land of strangers, under different impressions, and with other views,-men who are careful to remark the singularities of nature and of art,-and on whom the wonders of this green earth are not bestowed in vain. The remarks of such men, however devoid of literary excellence, could not fail of being in some degree interesting, as affording a view of the most characteristic traits in the scenery and manners of different countries, and would be amusing from the contrast which might be observed in the descriptions of tourists, and in the objects which excited attention, according to the peculiar bias of the observer's mind, as well as in relation to the difference in the impression, which the same objects produced on the mind of different individuals.

It is probable that most men are in the habit of occasionally writing down such ideas as suggest themselves in the course of a tour, and particularly during a first visit to a foreign country, when every thing is new, and many things are strange. From the long period which has elapsed since the Continent was open to the visits of

our countrymen for any length of time, it is believed that the generality of those who are at present emigrating from Britain adventure for the first time to a foreign land, and, consequently, that their minds are in a state of higher excitement,—their impressions stronger, and their recollections more vivid,-than will be found to be the case in the same persons in after years. That much valuable information has been collected no one can doubt, from what is already known and published; and that much more is sleeping in journals, soon to be thrown aside and forgotten, may easily be credited. Want of leisure, and the opportunity of cultivating those studies, which enable an author to appear before the world with credit to himself and pleasure to his readers, must frequently deter those who are otherwise both able and will ing to add something to the stock of general information, from attempting to benefit those who may afterwards pursue a similar course.

Whoever contributes to the extension of knowledge, or the diffusion of the means by which it is either communicated or acquired, confers an obligation on society, and deserves well of mankind. I would therefore recommend, as a measure well worthy of your attention, to collect the notes, or journals, of such of your friends and acquaintances as have recently visited, or may be now visiting, the Continent, as it is probable, that in most of them, though written without an idea of their ever being exposed to the public eye, there may be found occasional sources of amusement and information.

Having recently travelled, though somewhat too rapidly, through some parts of the Continent, I feel inclined to follow up the example of the “ViewHunter," by furnishing you with a few brief sketches of some of the countries through which I passed. They remain entirely in the form in which they were drawn up at the time, and I have, at present, neither leisure nor inclination to revise them. My leisure is interrupted by the fulfilment of higher duties, and my inclination somewhat damped, by reflecting on the death of a most amiable young man, with whom I travelled in the capacity of tutor, and whose bad health was the mournful cause of my quitting, for a time, my

[blocks in formation]

wind ;

Pass we the joys and sorrows sailors find, Cooped in their winged sea-girt citadel; The foul, the fair, the contrary, the kind, As breezes rise and fall, and billows swell, Till on some jocund mern,-lo, land! and all is well." BYRON.

WE are at last safe at Rotterdam, after a long and boisterous passage. I must confess I left Hamburgh with regret, although my heart is not bound to it by many dear ties, and I have, moreover, the prospect of visiting countries entirely new to me, some of which I have long been anxious to see, and, till lately, without a hope of my wish being ever accomplished. When one leaves a place where they have been happy, a feeling of sorrow is experienced similar to that at bidding farewell to an old friend. There is a melancholy pleasure in retracing the happy moments we have spent with each, and a kind of foreboding that perhaps we may never meet again; but should I live a hundred years, I shall never forget the kindness of Mr M. and his interesting family.

Rotterdam is a pleasant and cheerful town; at least, every one who is fortunate enough to enjoy fine wea ther, and who lodges in the Boomjies, must think so. The name last mentioned, which is not sufficiently beau tiful to require repetition, is that of the main street, and a very fine one it is. It consists of a single row of handsome houses, many of them very large and elegant, built by the side of a broad navigable branch of the river Meuse, which is here affected by the tide, and enlivened by the constant going up and coming down of numberless vessels from all countries, and of every shape and size. Between the houses and the river side, there is a

row of old trees bordering the outer edge of the causeway; and beneath these, during the fine evenings of summer, there is an immense concourse of people constantly assembled to enjoy the fresh breeze from the river, and admire the dexterity and skill of the helmsmen in directing their vessels through the currents. This street may be about a mile in length, stretching throughout its whole extent along the side of the river; it is also sufficiently broad, and is always kept clean. There is, however, no regular pavement or foot-way to walk upon in wet weather. The side of the street, next to the houses, is paved with bricks, which are smooth on their surface, and neatly disposed, but on these it is in vain to walk, because the steps leading to the principal door of each house project towards the causeway, and intersect this side-path every ten or twelve yards. The houses are remarkably clean, as well on the outside as in the interior. The public rooms are for the most part furnished with mirrors, which project from the base of the window, on the outside, towards thestreet,-by means of which, those who are seated near the windows have a view of every thing which may be going on in that part of the street to which their back is turned. This, I believe, is customary throughout Holland and the Netherlands.

Most of the other streets in Rotterdam are double, that is, have a canal in the centre, with a row of houses and a causeway on each side,-and the causeway is for the most part on the side next to the canal, bordered with fine trees, which add much to the appearance of the whole, and, particularly during moonlight, produce a beautiful effect. The streets are usually crowded with porters, sailors, and men of business, all in a state of activity.

I was amused by the appearance of the horses, whose shoes are terminated by three long points, on which they rest, and which give the appearance of their being mounted upon pattens. They are used in conveying the smallest barrel or parcel from one house to another, and the clattering of their hoofs produces a singular noise. The particular shape of the shoe is probably intended to prevent their slipping on the streets, which, from the constant conveyance of goods upon sledges, or carts without wheels, are in many VOL. I.

[ocr errors]

places very smooth. There are numerous bridges over the canals; in some quarters, however, there are none, and there the communication is kept up by what are called doit-boats, which constantly ply from sunrise to sunset, and convey the passengers across for the reasonable sum of one doit, or the eighth part of a penny. Every thing here is lively and in motion, except the canals, which are sluggish, and in very hot weather must emit a disagreeable odour. It is on this account chiefly that I should prefer the street before mentioned, as the constantly returning tide, and natural current of the river, prevent any approach to stagnation in the waters of that neighbourhood.

In this city, I believe, there are few works of art, at least I was not so fortunate as to discover any. It is the birthplace of Erasmus, in honour of whose memory the magistrates erected a statue of brass, in an open part of the town. He is represented with a book in his hand, rather larger than life, and clothed in a doctorial gown. No notice of this sort has been taken of Bayle, the sceptic of Rotterdam, who unfortunately had involved himself in some contentions with the church; and from the acts of the consistory of the Walloon congregation of Rotterdam, prefixed to the Historical and Critical Dictionary, it would seem that Le Page, and some other of the Dutch Ecclesiastics, were apt to despise the profane virtues of sincerity and moderation. I was informed that the public library contained the original drawings, or rather sketches, by Rubens, of the Luxembourg gallery.

There are many churches in Rotterdam, some of them handsome, and for all sects in religion-Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Jews. The Jews are very numerous. A Jewish girl and a young boy passed under my windows every day, and serenaded for half an hour. The girl's voice was the most mellow and full toned I ever heard, and the boy's was clear and sonorous. Among other songs she sung the Tyrolese song of liberty, in a manner which I never heard before equalled. They avoided, in some degree, the frequent repetition of the same notes and words which renders the English version rather monotonous, and infused into it a wild spirit, and a pathos which would have

2 K

honoured even the echoes of the Tyrol. I understand that the music of the synagogue is very fine, though I unfortunately had not an opportunity of hearing it.

With regard to the dress and general appearance of the inhabitants, such of the higher classes as I have seen are very similar to the Scotch and English. The head-dress of the ladies, however, is usually more highly ornamented, and seems to partake in some measure of the French fashion.

During my short stay here, I took a walk into the country, and was amply repaid for my trouble by the amusement which it afforded me. The appearance of the middle and lower ranks, particularly at some distance from any considerable town, is entertaining beyond all description. The sight of any little girl of six or seven years old, attired in her Sunday's costume, is quite sufficient to excite one's laughter for a month. She moves within the massy folds of some apparently antiquated gown, and beneath the far-spreading brims of a prodigious straw bonnet, with the grave deportment of a woman of seventy years of age; and with this appearance, every look and every gesture corresponds. During a short excursion in one of the Dutch stage-coaches, many of which are furnished with three rows of seats in the interior, I found myself seated behind a venerable old lady, who seemed so far declined into the vale of years, that she was obliged to hold the arm of an elderly domestic who sat beside her. On arriving at our destination, I of course offered my arm to assist her feeble and emaciated frame in descending from the vehicle. My attention was first excited by the infantine beauty of the little hand which was presented to me; and you may judge of my surprise, when, on raising my head, instead of the wrinkled visage of a superannuated woman, I beheld the smiling countenance of a rosy child, with bright blue eyes and beautiful flaxen hair.

The head-dress certainly forms the most singular part of a Dutch countrywoman's attire. This is, for the most part, not inelegant, and is frequently very rich and costly. It consists of different substances, and variously shaped and modified, according to the taste of the individual. Having never attempted the description of a female

dress, I fear I shall be guilty of many mistakes and inaccuracies, if I commence with so difficult and unaccustomed an object. Nevertheless, with the full conviction that what I am now writing will never fall into the hands of any Dutch lady, who, severe in youthful and rotund beauty, might expose my ignorance to the world, I shall briefly state my ideas on the subject. In the first place, then, I am of opinion, that immediately upon the head there is a small hood or cap, probably made of linen and bordered with broad lace, which lies close upon the forehead, and depends upon the back of the neck, where it is fastened by means of a small curl, or twist of the hair, and gold bodkins. The most characteristic feature of this head-dress, however, consists of a broad semicircular piece of gold, which embraces the hinder part of the head, and terminates in golden knobs or plates, of about the size of a halfpenny at both temples. Near the ear, this singular appendage is deflected for an inch or two, and at the extremity of this deflexion there are usually suspended large and richly worked ear-rings, of gold, silver, mother of pearl, &c. varying in splendour and magnificence according to the wealth and importance of the bearer. Such parts of the head as are not secured by this metallic covering, are adorned with patches of black or coloured silks; and over the whole, there is imposed a cap of lace and cambric, beautifully intermingled, through the interstices and open stitching of which, the golden ornament and coloured substances which border it are distinctly visible. Sometimes, instead of the golden plates over each temple, there are black patches of a substance resembling leather, but of the nature of these I do not mean at present to hazard a decided opinion. Besides what I have stated, there are, no doubt, many accessories of lesser import, but what I have detailed are the more prominent and striking cha

racters.

In regard to the golden ornament before mentioned, the vulgar proverb must be kept in mind, that it is not all gold which glitters. That piece of dress, among the poorer people, is either gilt, or made of silver. The wealthier classes, however, have it of fine gold, sometimes richly carved and ornamented with precious stones.

« ПретходнаНастави »