I was now once more left to my own resources, and shortly ascertained, that there were two young Dutchmen on board who were acquainted with English. Their father, I afterward found, was a merchant, retired from business in order to secure, under the present depressed state of trade, the fruits of his former industry. The sons had learnt English, as a necessary accomplishment for the duties of their father’s office, the concerns of which lay chiefly in England.
Haarlem is distant seven miles from Amsterdam, and the journey occupies nearly three hours; about midway we arrived at a village, where we had to change both the canal and barge, walking through the town, our luggage being conveyed by barrowmen. On our arrival at Haarlem, the captain, after arranging with his other passengers, accompanied me to the Lion d’Or, to which I had been recommended. Before entering the inn, I was not a little surprised by the landlord’s daughter inquiring from me in English, where my friend was. I replied that I was alone; and she asked whether I had not had a friend with me; on satisfying her, and saying that he was gone to Hamburg, she offered to take care of me, and in case I was proceeding to the Hague and Rotterdam, to give me letters to houses where I should receive every attention. Of course I endeavoured to learn how she had acquired any knowledge of me, which she explained by stating, that her father had been the day before, at our inn at Amsterdam, and had become acquainted with my intention of visiting Haarlem, and that they looked out for me as an uncommon traveller.
While I was taking refreshment, the gentlemen with a lady, who had been disappointed in their passage by our barge, arrived, and as they were proceeding to Leyden on the following morning, I determined to avail myself of their invitation to accompany them.
We arose early in the morning to walk over the town, which is of great antiquity, having been a flourishing place as early as 1155; but the most interesting object, is the statue of Lawrence Coster, once an alderman of this city, and the asserted inventor of the art of printing, and which stands in the grand place. It is true that the honour of the above invention is disputed with Coster and Haarlem, by various other towns of Germany, as Mentz, Strasburg, &c.; but there is strong ground to consider Coster entitled to the priority of claim, as the dates of some of the books of his printing are anterior to those of Faust, or any other of his competitors. Adrianus Junius, who was born at Hoorn, in 1507, tells us, that Coster hit upon this invention as he was walking in a wood near Haarlem, by cutting the bark of beech-trees into letters, and then stamping them upon paper as a seal; and that he afterwards extended and improved his discovery, and set up a printing office in his house, and that Faust, or Fust, who was a servant of his, one day, while the family were at church, stole away his types and other materials, and fled with them to Mentz, where he commenced business as a printer.
The first book which Coster brought out, and his original types, are preserved in the Stadt-house for the inspection of the curious; we had not, however, time to examine them, nor even to hear the celebrated organ of this city, for we did not arrive on the day before until after evening service had concluded; and to hear it at any other time, is a gratification which must be handsomely paid for.
Immediately after breakfast, we set off to take the treckschuyt for Leyden, to which the landlord’s daughter insisted on accompanying me, notwithstanding I was now kindly assisted by my countrymen. I took leave of her, of course, with feelings and expressions of gratitude for her uncommon attention. The barges on these canals are towed by horses, the rope passing from the top of a mast, in order to carry it clear of the ground, and which mast is fixed on a swivel joint to admit of its being lowered at pleasure in passing under bridges. There were in the present boat three cabins, the aftermost, which is considered the best, being occupied by a private party: we were in the middle one, which was very commodious, and had but few companions, and those not very loquacious, for the natives of this country shew little disposition to enter into conversation with strangers. We had a laugh or two at one of our companions, who, finding his seat too hard, requested a cushion, for which accommodation they afterwards made an extra charge; at another time, he got out to walk on the bank, and had much difficulty to keep up with the boat, before an opportunity offered of getting in again. The day was fine, and the country around us said to be highly luxuriant. At twelve o’clock we arrived at Leyden, being a distance of four leagues.
Both this town and Haarlem are famous for the long sieges they supported against the Spaniards, under Frederic, son of the duke of Alva, in the year 1573.
After ordering dinner at the Golden Lion, we sallied forth to examine the town, of which it is impossible I can give any thing like a description, from so slight a perambulation, as it is said to comprise eight gates, twenty-four canals, fifty islands, one hundred and eighty streets, and one hundred and forty-five bridges. It was here that the electric battery, named the Leyden Jar, was first invented, and that the illustrious Boerhaave, filled with an eclat never surpassed, the professorship of medicine in this celebrated university. This great man was born at Voorhoot, a village near this place, in the year 1688, and died in 1738. There is a proverb of his which deserves a marked attention, “The sparks of calumny will presently be extinct of themselves, unless you blow them.”
I should have felt pleasure in staying longer at this place, but that I was desirous of getting to Brussels without delay. I therefore, in company with Mr. T—, one of the English gentlemen, the other staying behind with his lady, set off by the barge to the Hague. In our way, we passed the village of Leysendam, which we walked through to another barge, on the right of which is Catwick, where the last branch of the Rhine, which retains its original name, loses itself in the sands. At eight o’clock in the evening we reached the Hague, after a journey of three hours, and took up our quarters at the hotel of Marshal Turenne.
On the following morning, Tuesday, Aug. 21st, we arose early, and took a walk through the town before breakfast, and which we afterwards extended to Scheveling. The road to this place is excellent, shaded on both sides by trees. The village itself is large and extremely neat, situated near the sea, and much resorted to as a bathing-place during the summer; the sea, however, is not visible from the town, a sand-hill being interposed between these points.
We returned from our walk in sufficient time to set out by the treckschuyt for Rotterdam, which is thirteen miles distant from the Hague. My companion was much pleased with the palaces and walks about this place, which he thought must be a delightful residence.
After travelling about an hour and a quarter, we reached Delft, where we landed, and traversed the city to another barge on the opposite side of it. Delft is a fine clean city, with canals running through the streets, and rows of trees on each side of them. In one of the churches are deposited the remains of William the First of Nassau, prince of Orange, who, at the instigation of Philip the Second, was assassinated at this place. Delft is also famous as the birth-place of Hugo Grotius, the immortal author of a Treatise on the Truth of the Christian Religion, as well as of many other works of high estimation; and every one has heard of its manufactory of earthenware, termed Delft China.
From Delft, we proceeded in a very large and handsome barge to Rotterdam. At four o’clock we passed Schiedam, leaving it a mile on our right, and at five arrived at Rotterdam. It happened to be the day of a fair, and we had to traverse a great part of the city, through the midst of a mass of people, before we reached the bath-house hotel, to which we had been recommended. This house was full of company, but they found us accommodations in a detached building in the garden.
On making inquiries respecting the conveyances to Antwerp, I found there were two every day, one by Breda, the other by Bergen-op-Zoom; I preferred the latter, and secured my place for twenty-five francs.
On entering the common sitting-room of our hotel, I almost fancied myself transported into an English boarding-house, the party present being all countrymen or Americans. We retired early to our bed-room, and had the mortification to find the sheets wringing wet. This is not unfrequently the case in Holland, where the table linen and napkins are very commonly sent in perfectly damp; it is no doubt attributable to the humid state of the atmosphere on the one hand, and the expense of fuel to dry with on the other. We summoned the chamber-maid, waiter, and master of the inn in succession, who all endeavoured to convince us that they were perfectly dry. We had no alternative but to make the best use we could of the warming-pan; and it is fortunate that we sustained no injury.
My stay at Rotterdam was too brief to enable me to say much about the city. It is a place of considerable commercial importance, and, in some respects, has advantages over Amsterdam; as the merchant vessels have only to come fifteen miles up a fine river, and are able to discharge their cargoes at the very doors of the warehouses. I was informed, that it enjoys a more extended trade than either Amsterdam or Antwerp. It is also considered the handsomest city in Holland, and obtains no little renown from having been the birth-place of the celebrated Erasmus, whose statue in bronze, ornaments the city.
On Wednesday, the 22nd of August, I left Rotterdam for Antwerp, at five in the morning. We were conveyed, in a temporary carriage, to the banks of a river, which we crossed to the island of Ysselmond, where the regular diligence was awaiting our arrival. After traversing this island, we embarked on a flying bridge, and were transported across the Maese to the island of Voorn; from the opposite side of which we crossed an arm of the sea, named Holland’s Diep, to Williamstadt, a strong fortified town, built by the unfortunate William before mentioned, as having been assassinated at Delft. This place held out successfully against the French in 1793. After leaving Williamstadt, we crossed a fourth, and then a fifth river, when we arrived at Steenbergen; a small, but strongly fortified town, surrounded by double walls and ditches, and distant seven miles from Bergen-op-Zoom. We reached the latter place at two o’clock for dinner. This town is only noted for its strong fortifications, being defended by double walls, with immense ditches, and confirmed by extensive outworks. I could not avoid a melancholy retrospection of the unfortunate attack made upon this place, by my brave countrymen in the late war. We recommenced our journey at three o’clock, and soon afterwards entered the Netherlands, when the road became so sandy and heavy, that we could not proceed at a greater rate than a foot’s pace; when, however, we arrived within three miles of Antwerp, it changed into a pavê, which continued until we reached that town at half after eight in the evening; when I accompanied an English gentleman, Mr. S—, who had travelled with us all day, to the Hotel d’Angleterre.
As I only rested thirty-six hours in this fine and extensive city, it would be presumptuous to attempt a description of it. The beauty of the town, cathedral, and various churches, and the richness of its cabinets of paintings, and the fine arts, are well known. An academy of painting has lately been formed, or rather re-established here, under the title of Rueben’s school.
At the table d’hôte, which was crowded with people of various nations, I was fortunately placed near one of my countrymen, who, hearing that I had lately arrived from Italy, entered into conversation with me respecting some friends, and in particular a cousin of his, whom I had known at Naples; he afterwards contributed to make the remainder of the day pass away pleasantly.
He informed me, that Antwerp was not unlikely to regain a considerable degree of its former commercial importance. It was already vying with Rotterdam, and was expected to surpass it as a trading town, in consequence of a law having passed to lower the transit duties, and which was to take effect in January 1822.
Before retiring early to-bed, I secured my place in the diligence to Brussels, for the following morning; at which place I proposed to rest for some time, after so long a series of travelling; during which, in the course of three months, I had never slept more than four nights in the same bed; and farther, I was induced to select this place, for my repose, as I hoped to meet with some old friends there.
We commenced our journey at seven o’clock; about ten we stopped to change horses at Mechlin, the city so celebrated for its manufacture of fine lace of that name. The cathedral here is said to be a very grand structure and well worth seeing. About noon, we arrived at Brussels, after a journey of twenty-five miles from Antwerp.