CHAPTER XXVIII.

_Stay in England, and return to Ghent._

Among the gentlemen who shortly after my arrival in Liverpool favoured me with a visit, was the American consul, Mr. Maury. He is a native of Virginia, about eighty years of age, and a school-mate of President Jefferson. He is the American consul who, after the treaty of Versailles, came to England with credentials signed by WASHINGTON.

The gloomy and smoky appearance of the city of Liverpool, as well as its many narrow and partly angular streets, had no pleasant effect upon me. However, I found the pavements much better than in America. I visited several splendid porcelain shops, which article is made in the vicinity and in Staffordshire. The chinaware is very fine, the painting and gilding good, and this ware also is very durable. In these stores one likewise finds Wedgewood white and blue crockery, and the so called stone-china, representing landscapes and all kinds of figures, and in solidity much resembling the porcelain of Tournay.

I afterwards visited the House of Correction, which was built seven years ago, and is a mile and a half distant from the city. This institution is the central prison of Lancastershire, and contains prisoners whose time of imprisonment does not exceed three years. Those who have to undergo a more severe punishment, are generally transported to New South Wales. I had a written permission from a magistrate to visit the establishment, through which I was accompanied by the governor; the building stands on a rising ground, enjoys a free circulation of air, and can accommodate eight hundred prisoners; at this period they amounted to six hundred and fifty.

The prisoners are divided into twenty-one classes, thirteen for the men and eight for the women, according to the extent of their crimes and ages. Those who are prisoners for the first time are dressed in gray and yellow garments; those incarcerated for the second time, in blue and red; and those requiring particular attention are dressed in complete suits of blue or gray. The treatment observed towards women and children is pretty much the same, for even the children are divided into different classes, and entirely separated from the grown persons.

For food the prisoners have daily either meat or fish. On Sunday there is service in the chapel, but for each sex separately, and every morning there are prayers. The prisoners were formerly principally employed in spinning or weaving cotton; but as for some months this article had much fallen in value, the working of the prisoners, except those engaged on the tread-mill, had in some measure ceased, and the greater portion of them were idle.

Whipping is expressly forbidden in the prison. The most severe punishment which the governor is allowed to inflict, is three days solitary confinement. Should it become necessary to exercise a greater punishment, application must be made to a committee of magistrates, who meet weekly in the prison, and the punishment is left to their option. A court-house, built of sandstone, adjoins the prison. The grand entry is ornamented with a portico of six Ionic columns: it communicates with the prison by a small back-door, through which the prisoners are conducted unperceived into court. It is two stories high, has large rooms, and is handsomely laid out. The hall for the public sessions is extremely elegant, and is the whole height of the building. The antechambers are destined for the jury, witnesses and judges, to meet in private, and for the different offices attached to the court. One of them is a dressing-room for the judges and lawyers; there are several shelves in it for their wigs and cloaks; for in the English courts the judges and lawyers must in open court be dressed in powdered wigs.

After I had inspected this interesting prison, we went to visit the institution for the blind, of which I had heard such a high character. Unfortunately, the hour for the admission of strangers had passed, and notwithstanding all our intreaties, we were denied admission by a handsome girl, who opened the door.

We next visited a small museum, which was pretty much on the plan of those in America, and like most of these establishments, was furnished with a hand-organ, on which they played at certain hours, to induce people to enter. This museum possesses rare stuffed animals, viz. a large ant-eater, and a quantity of foreign lizards and snakes; many living ones of the same kind I had seen in America; they are attached in a very natural manner to moss-covered rocks. It has likewise a collection of foreign birds and shells; garments and weapons of the savages of America, and the Southern Islands; a boa constrictor coiled round and choking a young antelope, &c. A Miss Brown, a young person, born without arms, was to be seen working with her feet in the most ingenious style. She eats not only with her feet, but likewise pours out a glass of wine, and carries it to her mouth without spilling a drop; she mends a pen, and writes very distinctly with her right foot; she threads a needle, sews, &c.

On the 16th of July, at eight o’clock in the morning, I departed from Liverpool in the stage for Birmingham, with the intention of soon proceeding to the continent. The English stages are better closed, and run easier than the American, but I prefer the latter, because their seats are more comfortable. The distance from Liverpool to Birmingham is one hundred and one miles; the turnpike is most excellent, and the road even the whole way. On one side of the turnpike, along the whole length of the road, there is a side-walk for pedestrians; it has a pebbly surface, and is enclosed on both sides with sandstone, to heighten the pavement. Wherever this side-walk is not paved, it is at least smoothed and lined with small sods; at equal distances two posts are driven into the ground, to prevent the passage of horsemen and wheelbarrows. I admired the peculiar care with which the stones destined for the repairs of the highway, are broken into the smallest pieces. With such stones it is easy to make a good road, and the Americans and other nations might well take example from the British, whenever they wish to have a good road, or to repair one. The number of villages that lay upon our route had a very handsome appearance. The dwellings of the farmers are small, but they have a very neat appearance, owing to the straw-thatched roofs, variegated with small windows, the bowers in front of the doors, and the garlands of roses and ivy, which twine gracefully along the walls; the little flower-gardens by the road side, also enhance the charms of these cottages. On the other hand, the towns have narrow streets, and a gloomy, smoky look.

Soldiers are garrisoned in the towns as far as Wolverhampton. This arrangement had been made for some months past, because several large manufactories in this neighbourhood had stopped working, and the famishing artizans had adopted forcible measures in order to procure bread. The country is very well cultivated; mostly with wheat and barley. The wheat appeared already nearly ripe; the straw was however very small, owing to the want of rain. The green and blooming hedges that ran along the fields had a delightful aspect. In comparing the beautiful and large trees of America, with those of this country, I was astonished at the contrast between the two, the latter consisting of low and miserable woodland. However, in the parks and large gardens, several of which I saw, there are many fine trees; but it is on account of these many parks of the nobility, that a great quantity of land remains uncultivated, which, in a country so populous as England, becomes a matter of the highest importance.

Between Newcastle and Stone we passed through a village called Trentham, where the Marquis of Stafford possesses a large castle, situated in an extensive park; to the left of the road stand large square masses of stone, said to be the burial place of the Stafford family. Near the town of Stafford, which is the capital of Staffordshire, the old castle of Stafford is erected on a high hill. Two of its towers are still remaining, several rooms of which are fitted up for a sporting rendezvous. In former times it is said to have been a very important fortress, but was destroyed during the protectorate of Cromwell. Staffordshire is celebrated for its manufactures of earthenware; there are two very respectable establishments of this kind at Newcastle-under-Lyne, the most excellent of which is that of Wedgewood in Etruria, situated two miles from the aforesaid town. We passed several cotton manufactories, and a silk factory near Congleton, a town on the other side of Knutsford, containing six thousand souls.

We crossed at several times to-day two excellent canals, one belonging to the Sankey Navigation Company, and the other to the Duke of Bridgewater. We drove twice under this canal. In Stafford I observed a very decent looking court-house, and upon a hill the central prison of Staffordshire. I also remarked to-day several coal-mines; particularly at the last post between Wolverhampton and Birmingham they are very numerous. For a considerable distance no sign of cultivation was to be seen; nothing was to be seen but coal and iron-works, with steam-machines and colossal chimneys in the form of obelisks, and high flaming furnaces. This district had the appearance of a conflagrated city, several of whose houses were still burning; the sulphurous smell that pervaded the atmosphere, almost took the breath away. As we approached Birmingham, these works began to disappear; we passed through pleasant villages interspersed with charming blooming gardens, and every thing foretold that we were approaching a large and wealthy city. This impression was strengthened on our seeing the citizens returning from the country in their holy-day suits. It was about nine o’clock in the evening, when we reached Birmingham. I took up my quarters in the Royal Hotel, an excellent tavern, where I resided three years previous. In a public advertisement, stating the advantages connected with this establishment, travellers are notified that it is located in the pleasantest part of the town, whereas the finest prospect it presents, opens upon a burial ground, which also answers as a promenade for the inhabitants, and as a playground for children.

In Birmingham three years past, I spent several days; I wished, however, to see several things once more, and therefore sojourned a few days in this city. I went to Mr. Thomason’s show-room, where every thing, manufactured in Birmingham, is to be seen. Several rooms contain uncommonly tasteful plated ware, others trinkets, medals, curiosities, steel ware, guns, works in papier maché, crystals, &c. The well known Warwick castle Vase, I again saw of multifarious dimensions; firstly, of the full size in bronze, for which Mr. Thomason had expressly built a small house adjoining his own; then another of smaller dimensions, likewise of bronze, with the marks and ornaments in silver, or silver-gilt, which must make a very elegant appearance at table. I here likewise saw imitations of the greatest precious stones known, in their exact form, size and colour. This collection, in a very neat box, costs twenty-five guineas.

Mr. Thomason has connected himself with an artist, who, during his residence of many years in Russia, had acquired at Tula the secret of steel working, and was beginning to imitate it here. In his first essay he tried to inlay a silver waiter with steel; in this attempt, however, he did not succeed properly. Should it succeed, the introduction of this invention into England, would be of great importance, as this art being now confined to Russia, is there considered as a very important secret. Mr. Thomason had likewise the politeness to conduct me to an armory; here an immense quantity of various sword-blades was shown me, and also the mode of trying them; they are strained in a machine, by which they are bent to a certain degree, and then unbent; they are then examined, to see if they are not curved, then a block of steel is struck with the flat of the blade, and a wooden one cut with the edge; and if it is proof to this, it is considered sound, and stamped. At this moment, owing to the existence of profound peace, there was little work done in this manufactory, consequently I could not see the sharpening and polishing of the blades, which takes place in a particular workhouse.

In lieu thereof I saw in it the silvering of polished brass wire. This, first of all consists of a piece half an inch thick, which receives a very thin silver covering; it is heated in an oven, seized with tongs, and drawn through different holes, which are cut in pieces of steel, gradually diminishing in size, until they attain the size of a common piece of wire. By this means the wire may be drawn out to the thinness of a hair, and it is remarkable, that it still retains the silver. The tongs are pulled by a patent chain, the links of which are double folded, and for the invention of which, the owner of this establishment has obtained a patent from government. I also visited another show-room, which has only been two years fitted up; it is very splendidly arranged; it has a larger space than Mr. Thomason’s, but is not so richly and well provided.

In the evening I went to the theatre; they exhibited the disagreeable tragedy of Jane Shore, after which we had a tolerable pantomime, called the Village Festival, and it closed with an uninteresting melo-drama, the Woodman’s Hut. In the first piece Miss Lacy, from Covent-garden, personified the character of Jane Shore most capitally, and was well supported by several of the other actors; the piece, however, is abominable in itself, and I can imagine nothing more disgusting than to behold an unfortunate being, struggling on the stage in the arms of death. In this country, however, it is a favourite piece. They endeavoured to produce it on the French boards, but it would not take at all. The theatre is well fitted up: it has a pit, two rows of boxes, and a gallery, which can accommodate a great many spectators; on this occasion it was likewise greatly crowded by a noisy mob. I found in the boxes and pit fewer spectators than I expected, the decorations are well painted, and the interior lighted with gas. The provincial theatres receive generally but little encouragement, and their receipts only increase in summer, when the large London theatres of Covent-garden and Drury-lane are closed, and the celebrated actors there engaged, make a trip to the provinces.

On the 18th of July, at eight o’clock in the morning, I left Birmingham in a post-chaise and proceeded by a circuitous route to Oxford. I sent on my baggage by the direct course in the stage. I went out of my way for the purpose of visiting the ruins of Kenilworth and Warwick castles. The distance from Birmingham to Oxford by this road is seventy-one miles, the turnpike at times hilly, but invariably good. Our route lay through Knowles, a very charming country town. Kenilworth, on the contrary, is a small ill-looking place, but inclosing splendid ruins of the old castle, which have become universally notorious by the romance of Kenilworth. Excepting the ruins of Paulinzelle, those of Kenilworth are the most beautiful I ever beheld. The castle was built at three different periods. The most ancient northern part erroneously called Cæsar’s tower, was erected about the year 1120, by Geoffroy de Clinton, and was a fortress during the early inland strifes between the barons, the scene of many important events. Towards the close of the fourteenth century, it fell into the possession of John of Gaunt, who added to it the western and largest wing, called after him Lancaster buildings. At a later period Queen Elizabeth bestowed it upon her favourite, the Earl of Leicester, who, in 1571, erected the southern portion, called Leicester buildings; he also built between two towers a tilting yard for tournaments, and erected likewise, the large portico, which now is occupied as a dwelling. In this palace he entertained his queen with a splendid feast, that lasted seventeen days, and which is described in a particular book. After the earl’s death, the castle with its extensive domains, escheated to the crown. Cromwell partitioned it among several of his officers, who drained the ditch, that circumscribed the greater portion of the castle walls, and likewise destroyed the park, and ultimately the castle, to sell the timber. Nothing but the tower, containing the portico, remains standing, because one of the officers occupied two rooms over the gateway, he turned this building into a dwelling place. This is still to be seen, and is now inhabited by Lord Clarendon’s agent, whose forefathers received a grant of this castle from Charles II.

Through this building you enter the grounds belonging to the castle, after passing through a file of beggarly children, who offer you a description of the ruins for eighteen pence. Near the old house, called Gateway, there is a sign saying that the chimney-piece may be seen for sixpence. A tidy girl receives this stipend with a smart courtsey, and opens the door leading into an old room; it is one of the two which have been made out of the gateway. The chimney-piece was probably transported from the castle during the sacking of it. It is of alabaster, and bears the inscription, “_Droit et Loyal_,” and on each side the initial letters R. L., Robert Leicester; beneath it is Leicester’s coat of arms, surrounded by the order of the garter; below is inscribed the year 1571, and the motto, _Vivit post funera virtus_. Over the chimney-piece there is a square frame, containing the initial letters E. R., Elizabeth Regina; in the centre of it are holes, which lead one to believe that weapons were formerly fastened in them.

The garden lies to the right of this building. Close thereto is the dungeon, which stands on rising ground between the castle and the moat, which is now transformed into meadow-ground, and it runs north, west, and south, round the castle to the tilting ground. The bank of the moat was lined by a wall, crowned with several towers, one of which was called the Swan-tower. On the left hand one perceives a large yard, in the rear of which are the out-houses, and behind them lie the fortified walls with several towers. On ascending to the right of the castle, you arrive at the grand court, which is now only encompassed on three sides by ruins of edifices; of the buildings that were situated on the fourth side, no trace is remaining. The first ruin that you discover on the right is that called Cæsar’s tower; of this building, which was quadrangular, three sides are still standing; the walls are on an average sixteen feet thick. Here a flight of stairs lead to a door, now built up, which opened to the garden. Here is the only fountain which has as yet been discovered among the ruins. It is, like the whole castle, built of red sandstone, and cut, farther down, out of the hard rock; it is seventy feet deep, but is gradually filling up by the many stones cast into it. The kitchen adjoins Cæsar’s tower, and must have been a considerably large building, but there are only a few remains of it. The place where the furnaces and large kettles stood is still perceptible.

Adjoining the kitchen is the strong tower, forming the north-west corner; it is here that the Lancaster buildings commence. In this tower, which is also supported by uncommonly strong walls, are several tolerably well preserved winding stairs, by means of which one can ascend the walls to enjoy a fine and delightful prospect. Here are likewise cellars, still in good condition. The corners of this tower lead to small outer-towers provided with port-holes, which must have served for the defence of the place. Left of this building you reach the great hall. You observe in the basement story the servant’s hall, vaulted and furnished with central columns, which support the broken arches to the right and left. Over those arches is still to be seen where the flooring of the grand banquet-hall stood. The windows of this hall are very high, in a Gothic style, with columns in their centre. In the recesses of the windows are still several stone benches, and there are also two chimney-pieces to be seen in this hall. A smaller room is connected with it, having likewise a fire-place, which served as a chapel; and there is also a small closet, which the folks here call Queen Elizabeth’s dressing-room.

The great hall forms the south-west corner of the castle, and the ruins connected with it, belong to the southern wing. Close to the great hall, there are two ruins, of which but little remains to be seen, the first is called the white hall, the other the presence chamber. The so called privy chamber is next to them, in which a window and fire-place are still distinguishable; they say, that the chimney-piece, now in the gate-house, was taken from this place. Here begins the newest part of the castle, or the Leicester buildings. They consist of a large, quadrangular tower, four stories high, in which the place for the staircase, as well as the different stories, may still be clearly distinguished. And here terminate these uncommonly interesting and picturesque ruins, to the beauties of which the creeping ivy, which has grown very thickly over them, adds considerably. Fortunately, Lord Clarendon has forbidden, that any portion of the ruins should be taken away, for previous to the prohibition of such an abuse, the peasantry were in the habit of carrying away stones from the ruins to build their houses and for repairing their garden-walls.

From Kenilworth I travelled five miles through a lovely country to the town of Warwick, the capital of Warwickshire, to behold the Earl of Warwick’s castle, at that place. Two miles from this town, lie the now much visited and fashionable springs of Leamington, where with the exception of the company, nothing remarkable is to be seen. Warwick stands on stony heights, on the banks of the river Avon, contains about nine thousand inhabitants, and though a very ancient city, has a tolerably agreeable appearance. The principal church has an ancient and venerable aspect, as also two gateways, the remains of the old city walls, now standing in the middle of the streets. The court-house is a new edifice, and as the town assizes were then holding, several splendid equipages were drawn up in front of it.

I immediately afterwards proceeded to the castle close to the city. It is a very old building, the foundation of which, it is said, was laid before the conquest of England by the Normans; the walls and towers still standing, which environ the court-yard of the castle, are said to have been erected at that period. The castle stands upon a rock by the bank of the Avon, and commands a view of a surprisingly romantic country. At the foot of this ancient castle, at the water’s edge, are the castle mills, which on account of their venerable appearance, and the waterfall, caused by a dam in the river, greatly enhance the beauty of the scene. Behind the mill are to be seen the ruins of a bridge which led over the river, and is now overgrown with ivy. Quite in the back ground, one discovers the new bridge over which the road from Leamington runs. These groups produce an uncommonly pleasing prospect.

On approaching the castle from the city, you see a gate with a Gothic tower, which serves as a habitation for the gate-keeper. Hence, after inscribing your name in a book, you continue on your way to the castle. This road leads through the park, and is mostly cut in the rock, the sides of which are very picturesquely overgrown with ivy.

On attaining an open space, the whole castle stands in view; it is approached over a stone bridge, through a gate furnished with a portcullis, and then you find yourself in a spacious court-yard, the castle standing to your left, in front, and to the right the lofty walls that surround the court-yard, studded with towers. Grated gates lead underneath the towers, to the park that surrounds the castle. I entered the castle up a handsome spacious staircase, and there I found the neat house-keeper, who for money and good words, shows strangers the interior of the castle.

First you enter the great hall, the walls are lined with carved oak wood, and ornamented with scutcheons and ancient arms, and with three real colossal elk-horns, the largest of which was found in Ireland, and the other two in America. From this hall there is a fine view into a considerable suite of rooms, and from the windows the charming prospect of the Avon, and the before-mentioned mills and bridges.

From the hall you proceed into the ante-room; here I admired two paintings by Van Dyk; one represents a lady as large as life, belonging to the Brooke family, with her son; the other is the portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, the consort of Charles the first. In the same room is to be seen, the extremely handsome portrait of Queen Johanna of Naples, by Raphael; also the portrait of the Marquis Spinola, armed cap-à-pied, a painting of Rubens; the portrait of count Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, near the court of James I., a production of Don Diego Velasquez de Silva; and two very charming landscapes, by Poussin, which however, require to be retouched. In the same room there is a table inlaid in Florentine mosaic, two vases of lava, several Etruscan vases and lances, which are to be seen in almost all the rooms, a marble bust of the present Lord Warwick, by Nollekens, and a book-case of tortoise shell inlaid with brass.

Adjoining this chamber is the cedar drawing-room, so called, because the walls are wainscoted with cedar wood, which, notwithstanding its antiquity, sends forth a charming odour. There is likewise in this room a handsome fire-place, and a marble table, inlaid with lava. Among the paintings are five by Van Dyk, viz. the Countess of Carlisle, Charles I., the Duke of Alba, the Marquis of Montrose and the landscape painter, Martin Ryckaerds. Beside these there is a Circe of Guido, a very beautiful piece, and two paintings of less value, one by Romney, representing the celebrated E. W. Montague in a Turkish costume, and the other by Patoun, representing a muse.

Adjoining this hall there is a room, which, owing to the heavy gildings on its walls, is called the gilt-room. Here are two paintings by Rubens, the one of Lord Arundel, the collector of the celebrated antiquities at Oxford, known by the name of the Arundelian marbles, and the other representing St. Ignatius. This piece was painted by Rubens, for the Jesuits College at Antwerp, and was transported hither from that city. There is also a well painted portrait of Prince Rupert, by an unknown artist, another of the Prince of Orange, by Holbein; the portrait of a lady, by Sir Peter Lely; several of Vandyk’s productions, one representing Admiral Russell, and another a Spanish General; by the same master hand, the portraits of Charles I., Lord Northumberland, Queen Henrietta Maria, two portraits of the celebrated Lord Stafford, one of them representing this unfortunate statesman in his earlier, and the other in his latter years, the portrait of Lord Warwick, a full-size portrait of Prince Rupert, and another of the Marquis of Huntley. Those portraits are altogether executed in a masterly manner. The portrait of a lady, by Sir Peter Lely; two small Murillos, one representing a girl with a pen, and the other a child, blowing soap-bubbles; moreover, a portrait of Lord Lindsay of Charles 1st’s time, by Cornelius Janssen, and a Tintoretto, representing the Italian sage Davila. It it a pity that several of these pictures hung in the shade, and that in the usually clouded atmosphere of England, they cannot be properly seen. In this as well as in the ante-room, were several vessels by Majolica, ornamented with handsome paintings copied from drawings of Raphael.

You next proceed to the state bed-room, hung with old tapestry, representing French gardens. The richly ornamented bed is said to have been fitted up by the order of Queen Ann. It contains a bust of the Black Prince in full armour by Wildon, and three paintings, a full-size portrait of the Duchess Margaret of Parma, by Titian, a family portrait by Sir Peter Lely, and a profile of the unhappy Earl of Essex, done by Zucchero, an Italian painter, whom political causes had driven from his native land to England, where he received protection, patronage, and a friendly reception from Queen Elizabeth.

Next to this room is the small state dressing-room, from the windows of which there is an extensive and fine prospect. It contains a precious collection of paintings; one by Paul Veronese; a very grand sketch by Rubens, of the four evangelists; two old men’s heads by the same master; two landscapes by Salvator Rosa; four Vandyk’s, consisting of the second Earl of Bedford; tritons and sea-horses; a study; a sketch of St. Sebastian, and a bacchanalian scene; two by Gerard Douw, one an excellent portrait of a Mrs. Digby, abbess of a convent, and the other an effect of light, representing an old woman eating; two by Teniers, scenes of witches and the interior of a watch-house, hung with armour; three Holbeins, the first a portrait of Luther, the second the unfortunate Ann Boleyn, and the third her sister Catharine Boleyn, aunt and tutress of Queen Elizabeth, and in the midst of these portraits, that of Henry VIII. in his childhood. There are two pieces by Steenwyck, one representing St. Peter in prison, and the other his liberation therefrom. Portraits of two of Charles the second’s mistresses are likewise to be seen here, as also a copy of a portrait of Henry IV. of France, by Patoun.

A small cabinet, called the Compass Window, adjoins the just mentioned apartment; it takes its name from a painted window. Among the paintings in this room are a battle piece by Schut, a sea-storm by Vandervelde, and several invaluable pieces.

From this cabinet you enter the chapel by a gallery which runs in the rear of the before-mentioned room. I remarked in it a full-length portrait of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyk, and a half-length portrait of Oliver Cromwell, by R. Walker. The chapel is rather small, contains the arms of the Warwick family, and over the altar Gothic ornaments, carved in wood.

On returning to the large hall, you reach the dining-room through it. It is a splendid, large hall, containing an ancient marble table, and three large portraits of the Prince of Wales, grandfather of the present king, his consort a princess of Gotha, holding George III. in baby-clothes on her lap; a Lord Brook, a copy by Patoun, who, as preceptor to Lord Warwick, was more of an amateur than a painter. These paintings are devoid of taste, and the best things about them are their heavy gilt and ornamented frames. Over the portrait of the princess are the arms of Saxony.

Adjoining the large hall is likewise the breakfast-room. In this room are the following most excellently executed paintings: Charles 1st’s children, by Vandyk, and a portrait of a female, by the same artist; two lions, by Rubens; and a full-length portrait of Admiral Tromp, by Rembrandt. Three paintings by an unknown master; the unfortunate Mary Stuart, with her son as a child; a Lord Brooke, and Sir Philip Sydney.

After I had inspected the castle, I passed out through a private gate in the lofty wall of the castle-yard, and proceeded to the park over a stone bridge that crosses the dry castle moat. Groves are beautifully interspersed with bowling greens in this park; a solid pebbled path takes you round the park in about half an hour. There are several fine prospects, and the place is well stocked with evergreens, which during the last winter, I had many opportunities of admiring in a state of nature. Three years ago, while journeying for the first time through Great Britain, I could not help admiring in the English parks, the luxurious abundance of evergreens and their lovely growth; but after beholding these plants in their native land, growing in their full vigour, the most splendid English gardens dwindled into insignificance, when compared with the beauties of nature in America. I observed a number of fine lofty cedars of Lebanon, which are to be found in most of the extensive English gardens. In this park there is also a very large hot-house, the plants raised in which are now elegantly distributed throughout the garden. In this hot-house I perceived the celebrated antique vase, the copy of which, in bronze, I had seen at Mr. Thomason’s in Birmingham. This remarkable antique was found not far from Hadrian’s Villa in the vicinity of Tivoli. It was first purchased by Sir William Hamilton, then English ambassador at Naples, who sold it to the late Lord Warwick. It is of white marble, round in form, and will hold one hundred and sixty-three gallons. It has two handles of entwined vine branches, which with their elegant leaves and heavy clusters of grapes, wind themselves round the upper part of the vase. On the under part is seen the panther’s skin, and on it several well finished heads of satyrs, as well as several thyrsus and augur staves. The vase is in a state of high preservation, and only one satyr’s head is replaced; the remaining ornaments are not in the least injured.

During my walk through the park, I passed along the bank of the Avon, which runs at the foot of the rock, on which the castle is built. On a small black slate, attached to the rock, there is an inscription, stating that a young man, one of the Bagot family, was drowned there while bathing. The unfortunate father has erected this little monument to the memory of his son. On my return to the castle, I ascended one of the towers, called Gay’s tower, about one hundred and fifty feet high; this tower is very well preserved, and is provided with fortifications. In the interior there is a small room, and from the top of the tower there is a fine and extensive prospect.

On my return to the city, the stage for Stratford-on-Avon was about starting; I took a seat, and after eight miles journey, found myself once more on the grand turnpike leading from Birmingham to Oxford.

Stratford is a small, inconsiderable, ill-built town, but celebrated as the birth place of SHAKSPEARE. One of the smallest houses bears the following inscription, “in this house the great Shakspeare was born.” It is now a butcher’s stall and belongs to strangers, to whom Shakspeare’s posterity were compelled by poverty to dispose of it. It is said that he was born in a room of the Upper story; in this apartment are several old pieces of furniture, the existence of which they flatteringly endeavour to trace from the days of Shakspeare, also a poor portrait of the poet, and a copy of his will; and a spectacle case made of the wood of a mulberry tree, which they say was planted by him.

At Stratford I took a post-chaise, proceeded on my journey, and at ten o’clock in the evening reached Oxford, which is thirty-nine miles from Stratford. I took up my lodgings in the Star Hotel. As I had seen Oxford three years previous, I merely sojourned there half a day, with the intention of beholding once more, in the Bodleïan Library, the lovely portrait of the unfortunate Mary Stuart, painted by Zucchero, and which had formerly pleased me so much that I considered it as the best likeness I had ever seen of that interesting woman. I therefore proceeded to that library: I hurried through the library hall, but made a much longer stay in the gallery of paintings. The sight of the portrait of Mary Stuart renewed all my old impressions, and I gazed intently upon it for a considerable time with the greatest pleasure. I likewise remarked a collection of seven paintings by Schalk, effects of light, representing the seven mortal sins, very well painted, moreover a number of pieces by English painters, and a number of portraits of the patrons and benefactors of the university, of its chancellors, and several of the most celebrated literati who had resided in the university. Also a few by Holbein, among which, the portraits of Luther and Erasmus, pleased me the most. A full-length likeness of Charles XII. of Sweden, by Schroeder, is uncommonly well finished; of the same size, and next to it, hangs the portrait of Frederic William I. King of Prussia. The physiognomy of the former, and the entire form, are expressive of the great and original genius of that monarch; there is something abhorrent, pedantic, and tyrannical in the features of the latter.

The library contains several models of Grecian architecture, which are skilful imitations in plaster; also a model of the Parthenon at Athens, which very agreeably recalled to my mind Philadelphia and the Bank of the United States. Here is likewise to be seen a model of the Amphitheatre of Verona, cut in cork, and an elegant collection of the Elgin marble bas reliefs, well imitated in plaster. A full-length statue of one of the Lords of Warwick, in bronze, representing him in a warlike costume, is also well worthy of the attention of travellers.

After having here satisfied my curiosity, I went to the Radcliff Library, which is built in the form of a cupola, in order to enjoy a view of the city from its roof. Fortunately the weather was very clear, which seldom occurs in England, and as there are no manufactories and steam-engines in Oxford, the atmosphere is not obscured by coal smoke. The city, owing to its ancient university and churches, has a singular appearance, and though I had seen during my travels a great many cities, still I found none to be compared with Oxford. The university, its twenty colleges, and five halls, have the appearance of so many old castles: such is also the appearance of the Bodleïan Library, that stands near the Radcliff library. In the court-yard of the former, there is a gate, in which the five orders of architecture are placed over each other, which produces a strange effect. Near the gate are four Tuscan pillars, over these four Doric, above these four Ionic, and again over these four Corinthian, and this strange conjunction is terminated by four Roman columns. Two columns are always joined together. Between the fourth row, the statue of James I. stands in a niche, next which, on the right, as I believe, there is a Minerva, and on the left the university is personified by a kneeling figure, to whom the learned king most graciously tenders his own works. Four thousand students are said to belong to the university, but there were very few then present, it being vacation time. Therefore the city with its ancient buildings, looked rather dull.

At twelve o’clock, noon, on the 19th of July, I left Oxford in the post-chaise, and proceeded to London, which although fifty-eight miles from Oxford, I reached in six hours. It is incredible how fast one travels on this route and how quick they change horses. I was by chance enabled to retain the chaise all the way from Oxford to Hounslow. The moment I arrived at a post-house, a servant came instantly to demand, whether I wished to stop or proceed; no sooner did I answer in the affirmative, than he would call out for horses, and the whole proceeding lasted at the utmost one minute. The leader was brought out, ready harnessed, and put to; the postillion followed on the saddle-horse from the stable, and remained in the saddle while they were gearing the horses; the stable boy then requested his fee, and off we went. During this journey, I was only detained three minutes at each post. They charge for carriage and horses, eighteen pence a mile, and the drink-money, three pence per mile. Since my journeying in this country three years previous, postage had been raised three pence.

The road lay through a cultivated and woody country, and we traversed several rising grounds. We passed many fine large country-seats, surrounded by extensive parks. From Salt Hill, which is a very pretty little place, there is on the right, a charming view of the castle of Windsor, two miles distant, on the lofty round tower of which was displayed the royal standard as a sign that the king was there. The castle has really a very imposing appearance. The large Gothic church of Eton College, recalled unpleasant recollections to my mind. For on my visit to this college, three years past, they showed me on a shelf a number of elegantly tied, long birch rods, with which youth, engaged there in study, are flogged, and for the supply of which, a regular contract is made with the steward. In a handsome village, called Slough, stands the dwelling of the celebrated German astronomer, Herschel; there is still to be seen in the garden, the stand supporting the telescope, forty-eight feet long, by five feet in diameter, with which Herschel made his great astronomical discoveries. Hounslow is a charming town, and very lively, owing to its proximity to London. The number of stages and other carriage, which I met with in this neighbourhood, is scarcely to be credited. This concourse of vehicles, and afterwards the multitude of country-seats, which follow one another in rapid succession, together with the chain of towns, that continually present themselves, indicated clearly, that I was approaching the greatest city in Europe, and perhaps in the world. I remarked in Hammersmith and in Kensington, a considerable number of new and handsomely built houses, that had been erected within the last three years. We drove through Hyde Park into Piccadilly street, and thence into Albemarle street, where I found excellent quarters in Grillion’s hotel.

I made a stay of six days in London. To speak of the circle of my acquaintance in which I moved during my residence in this bustling city, would ill become this book, and to make any mention of London itself would be both useless and superfluous. Consequently, I shall present but a few particulars.

Whoever is obliged to make many visits to London, or whose business takes him to many houses, loses an enormous quantity of time; to him one day is as nothing. From my hotel to Mr. Goeman’s,[II-40] who resides in the city, in the neighbourhood of the East India company’s stores, it took me three quarters of an hour. At first to a stranger, a walk of this kind is by no means tedious, on account of the great and strange bustle surrounding him. In the stirring part of the city there is a store in almost every house, and as the English are known to possess much taste in displaying their wares, these stores have an amusing, interesting, and charming appearance. In most of the streets the pavement had been cast aside, and the streets were Macadamised; an improvement which is both beneficial to those who ride, and to the poor-built houses, which, owing to the rolling of heavy carriages along the pavement, were dreadfully shaken. I had long been aware that several merchants and tradesmen decorated their signs with the names of those members of the royal family, by whom they were particularly patronised, viz. corset inventress to the Dutchess of Kent, &c.; this time I remarked in Knight’s bridge, on my way to Kensington, a sign bearing the inscription of “only purveyor of asses milk to the royal family.” Through the medium of Mr. Goeman, I received from the celebrated engineer Brunel, an admission to visit the new tunnel, under the Thames; it was a five miles drive from my lodgings. The entrance is near the church of Rotherhithe. To commence the work they had to dig a round pit seventy-five feet deep, above twenty feet in diameter, and walled in with bricks. In the centre of this pit they have constructed a quadrangular wooden scaffold. On this is erected a pumping machine, by which the spring water that gushes out from the tunnel, is pumped off. The water collects itself in a basin under the scaffold. The ejection of it is accomplished by means of an iron pump, which draws off the water from the basin, and forces it into an iron tube, which passes out from the pit. Another pump and tube is in reserve to be immediately used, in case the former should require repair. In the interior of this scaffold there are two buckets, to hoist the earth from out the tunnel, one of which comes up filled while the other goes down empty. These buckets have four small iron wheels, and rest upon a board. The moment it reaches the top, it is received by a workman, who carries it twenty feet along a railway, to the place for depositing the earth, and after emptying it carries it back on its board; that it may be let down while the other is coming up filled. The place, into which the earth is thrown, is a large wooden receiver, which is erected in the manner of a bridge. In the bottom of this receiver are several holes, which can be opened and closed by means of slides. The wagons destined for carrying away the earth, drive underneath such a hole, the slide then is drawn back, and the wagon is filled with earth and drives off. Up to this time none but silicious earth has been dug out of the tunnel, and this was appropriated to the filling up of the swampy ground, near Southwark. But now they find clay, which is used in burning bricks. The machinery, by which the buckets are hoisted and lowered, and that moves the pump, is set in motion by a species of steam-engine, called the expansive engine, an invention of Mr. Brunel. I did not perfectly comprehend its mechanism, and could only perceive that it occupies a very small space, and acts with great facility; there are two boilers and two machines, one of which is unemployed, but can immediately be set in motion, whenever any thing happens to the other, so that nothing may stop the work.

[Footnote II-40: A respectable London merchant, and native of Flanders, to whom I am much indebted for very important services.]

Around the wooden scaffold, stairs run down to the bottom of the pit. My guide, Mr. Armstrong, who inspects the work under Mr. Brunel’s direction, conducted me. When arrived at the bottom of the pit, we found ourselves at the entrance of the tunnel, which then ran already, one hundred and twenty feet under ground, to the bed of the Thames. It was conceived that about one-third part of the work had been completed. The tunnel consists of two vaults for two passages, one of them is for carriages passing in, and the other for those going out. Along the partition wall of those two vaults, there is on each side a somewhat elevated side-walk for pedestrians; this wall is open in some places in order to admit of a communication between both walks. It is lighted by means of portable gas, which is contained in copper barrels.

The manner that the work is conducted, cannot be clearly explained without a drawing. The scaffold, upon which the workmen stand who are employed in digging out the earth, consists of thirty-six small boxes, lying in three rows above each other. This scaffold is at the end of the tunnel, and rests exactly against the earth to be taken away. There are three men in each box, one to break the ground with a pick-axe, the other to shovel it out of the box, and the third to throw it on a cart, in which it is carried into the pit, whence it is raised in the buckets. For the safety of the workmen, cross-timbers are used to prop up the earth that is to be dug out. The first workman, on beginning his excavation, removes the upper beam and hacks out the earth behind it; which done, he takes away the second beam, and removes the second tier of earth, then the third, &c. If sufficient earth, about a foot wide, has been dug away from behind the first box, then the two boxes adjoining, begin the same operation. During this time the masons are not idle; for they continue working in the same proportion at the vault which has to support the earth above the tunnel. When, however, all the earth before the whole scaffold has been taken away, it is moved forward by means of steel screws. Both above and below the scaffold there are iron plates, with sharp edges, to facilitate the moving of it. On this plan the work proceeds at the rate of two feet in twenty-four hours; it is hoped that it would be completed in two years time; they have been over a year already working at it. I regret very much my not having met with Mr. Brunel, who is likewise the inventor of the block-machine at Portsmouth, and other very useful engines.

In Leicester square there were two fine panoramas; one representing the city of Edinburgh, and the other that of Mexico;[II-41] the former panoramic view was taken from Caltonhill, and I recognized every place, owing to my having been there three years previous. In beholding the second, I regretted anew that my affairs during the last winter did not permit me to undertake a journey to Mexico. The beautiful blue sky reminded me of the happy days I passed in New Orleans, and I recognized the lofty Andes from the description, which I have so often read of them. Mexico deserves, if I am to judge from the panorama, to be called the city of palaces, as it is generally styled. In order to give an idea of the manners of the people, the artist gives a representation of the circus on the great square during the time of a bull-fight, and not far from it a procession.

[Footnote II-41: [Now exhibiting in New York.]--TRANS.]

At Regent’s place a diorama was to be seen. You are conducted into a pretty dark round saloon, and you perceive there, through a square hole, a painting that is lighted in a manner which cannot be discovered. The painting represents a church in Scotland called Rosslyn chapel. You seem to be at the entrance of the church, and you see that the sun darts his beams from the side and causes multifarious shades, on account of the bushes and trees in front of the windows of the church. In the rear of the church you see a small door, leading to a yard, planted with underwood, and in the back ground, a Gothic building. By and by the sun disappears, and you perceive by the effect of light, that a storm is approaching; then you see the effect of rain, and after this disappears, you enjoy the finest sunshine. The illusion is so perfect, that you seem to hear the rain. In the interior of the church several objects are represented with the greatest accuracy, viz. a part of a scaffold, to which ropes are attached, a basket with tools, &c. The Gothic pillars of the church display a particularly handsome view.

After having contemplated this painting for a considerable time, a signal is given with a bell. The floor on which the spectators stand, turns to another opening through which you have a view of the city of Rouen, in France. Now the same effects of light as in the other piece are displayed, and you imagine yourself to be in the place, which is represented to your sight. But the first piece made the best impression on me. The finest part of this diorama is the representation of interior parts of buildings.

I was delighted at the fine view of the newly-finished buildings of Regent’s park, the construction of which was begun during my visit three years ago. This new quarter consists of palaces. At Mr. Ackermann’s store I enjoyed a sight of the greatest variety of fancy articles. It is only to be regretted that the works published at his establishment are so very expensive. I had the pleasure of becoming personally acquainted with Mr. Ackermann, this venerable philanthropist is plain in appearance, but is very interesting in his conversation. He spoke much with me about my happily finished travels, and invited me to his country-seat; but I was obliged to decline this invitation on account of the short time which remained at my disposal. I next visited the store of another German, a cutler and manufacturer of surgical instruments, Mr. Weiss; he is a native of Rostock, but already more than thirty years established in this city, and particularly in making surgical instruments, he is said to be the first manufacturer in England. He showed me several apparatus and instruments, among which there was one for removing a stone, without the necessity of performing the operation of cutting. He showed me the cast of a stone as large as a chesnut, which had been extracted from the bladder of a man, without any cutting operation. Moreover, he showed me a poison pump of his own invention, by means of which, poisons that have been swallowed, may be extracted from the stomach. This machine consists of a brass tube which contains the pump; to this is attached a long tube of elastic gum, which terminates in a sack of the same substance provided with holes. This tube is passed through the throat into the stomach, and when the sack has entered the stomach, the poison is pumped through the flexible tube into the brass one. By turning the handle of the pump the gum tube is closed; then it is forced down again, by means of which another valve on the other side of the brass tube opens, and to this another elastic tube is attached, through which the extracted poison is ejected. Then the handle is turned a second time, which closes this valve and opens the first one, leading to the tube that is fixed in the stomach, and the operation is continued until no poison is left in the stomach. Mr. Weiss told me, that some weeks ago, by means of this instrument, his son had saved the life of a girl, who had taken a considerable dose of arsenic in a fit of amorous desperation.

The English nobility give, at certain times, in the British institution, Pallmall street, a public exhibition of their collections of precious paintings. Just now there was the king’s collection of paintings from his palace, Carlton-house, because they were about to demolish this palace, and in its place erect an edifice after the model of the Parthenon at Athens, which is calculated to contain the works of English artists. This is a fine idea, and certainly encouraging for the artists of this nation, but it is a pity that it causes the destruction of this elegant palace. The British institution is a building which consists of three large halls, and which receive their light from above. The collection mostly contained paintings of Flemish artists, some English, and a few Italian and French. There were seven pieces by Rubens, amongst which I particularly noticed his own likeness and that of his first wife, finished in the same manner as those in the collection of Mr. Schamp at Ghent, and at Warwick Castle; besides these, a landscape with figures, representing the history of St. George, with the portraits of Queen Henrietta Maria and Charles I. for whom it was done. Seven paintings by Vandyk, among which the portraits of Charles I. in three views, which his lady had sent to the statuary Bernini at Rome, to finish the bust of the king therefrom. A sketch, studies of horses and horsemen, of remarkable value, and a full-size portrait of Gaston de France, and two portraits of Queen Henrietta Maria, which, like that of her unfortunate husband, I might call unavoidable, because it is to be found almost in every collection of paintings in England. I found seven pieces by Rembrandt, among which were several excellent portraits, and his own; they were all easily distinguished by his particular colouring. Fourteen paintings by Teniers, collections of people; small portraits; a view of the towns of Holland, and a couple of landscapes, one of which represents likewise, the artist, his wife, and his gardener; a real ornament to this collection. One of these pieces, representing a village festival, had been on the artist’s harpsichord. I admired two other pieces, in the same style, by J. Ostade, and seven by A. Ostade; six by Jan Steen. One of the latter, very excellently finished, represented an elderly man, just rising from bed, who is listening to the reproaches of a young girl, for his niggardliness; she holds forth to him a trifle of money, and an old woman is urging him to be more generous. Four effects of light, by Schalken, and a portrait by Holbein, are likewise worthy of attention. Nine pieces by Wouverman are easily distinguished by the white horses, representing skirmishes and country scenes. Seven pictures by Mieris are to be known by their fine keeping. Three pieces are by G. Douw, one by Slingelandt, and five by Metzu. A landscape by Ruisdael, and two by Hobbema, attracted my particular attention, as well as eleven pieces by Vandevelde, representing sea-pieces, landscapes, and views of several cities of Holland; two of the latter are finished by him and Vanderheyden jointly; I observed likewise, four very fine pieces by Vanderwerff, one of them representing the Roman Mercy, the other a concert, the third Lot with his daughters, and the fourth two children.

The collection is likewise rich in paintings of animals; there are four capital works by G. Potter, one of them representing two hogs, as true as if they were living. A piece by Hondekoeter, representing a chicken, belongs likewise to this class, as well as ten pieces by Cuyp, in which the landscapes are very well finished. Among these I enjoyed particularly a camp-scene with a horseman in the fore-ground, engaged in currying his horse. Six very good pieces, by Berghem ought not to be omitted, nor a handsome sea-piece by Buckhuizen, with a view of Briel in the back-ground.

Besides these pieces, there is a good collection of other paintings of the same school, but it would lead me too far, to mention them all. From other schools there are but a few and of less value. A landscape with sheep, by Titian; Christ taken down from the Cross, by Michael Angelo and Venusti, and another piece by Gonzalez. Among the paintings of modern times, I found the portrait of Garrick and his wife, by Hogarth; a domestic scene, by Greuze, and several pieces of an Italian painter, Zeffani. One of them, which has become more generally known by the copperplate of Bartolozzi, represents the Royal Academy of London, and the other the Gallery of Florence, with the portraits of several Englishmen of note, who sojourned at that time in Florence. By the same artist I saw two pieces, representing the interior of two royal palaces, with the children of George III. and their mother. These tasteless pieces, compared with the before-mentioned elegant paintings, make an unpleasant impression. I saw eight pieces by Sir Joshua Reynolds, among which his own portrait and two full-size portraits of the Portuguese Chief Marshal Count von der Lippe, and of the English General Marquis of Granby. These two pieces are masterly works, and full of expression. You distinguish in the countenance of Count von der Lippe and in his whole posture, his profound and enterprising spirit, and in the features of Lord Granby his great benevolence, which procured him in the army the name of the soldier’s friend. The features of the count excite respect, while those of the lord claim your attachment. I was much less pleased with the historical pieces of Sir Joshua. The most handsome of the newer paintings was undoubtedly the interior of the choir of a Capuchin chapel by the French painter Granet. The expression of the countenances of the monks is unparalleled; in some you see piety, in others listlessness; another couple make sport of the exceeding piety of a monk, kneeling in the middle of the hall; the countenance of a young, tall, stout monk, is the personification of fanaticism. Near the altar stands a monk in the sacerdotal habit, with two choristers and tapers in their hands, the monk singing a hymn. The light is very well executed; it enters through a large window in the back ground, and makes a fine effect on the bare crown of the head and the gray beard of the priest. I think this piece one of the finest of the whole collection. I saw here a great many gentlemen and ladies, and it is said to be fashionable to visit this splendid gallery in the afternoon.

On the 26th of July, (the anniversary of the day on which I first landed on American ground at Boston,) I went to the custom-house for the purpose of taking passage for Ostend on board the steam-boat Earl of Liverpool, Captain Peak, which was laying there at anchor. At the custom-house I was quite surprised. I expected to see the splendid, newly-erected palace for the offices of the custom-house, the same which, three years ago, I had admired so much, and instead of it, found nothing but ruins. They said that the foundation had not been well enough examined upon which the custom-house had been built by contract; the building cracked, the large, splendid hall was near falling down, and in order to prevent this accident, they were obliged to demolish the centre building; both wings of the building were yet supported by beams, but they soon will have to demolish them likewise, in order to build an entirely new house. The gentleman who made the contract to have the house built, lays the blame of this bad work upon the architect, and he upon a commission, under whose control he acted.

The Earl of Liverpool, of one hundred and thirty tons, with two engines, left London at eleven o’clock, A. M., and on the next morning at six o’clock I landed at Ostend. At four o’clock, P. M. I proceeded by the way of Bruegge to Ghent. During this journey I remembered an observation which I had heard frequently in America, that upon an American visiting Europe for the first time, nothing makes a greater impression than the old monuments, which trace the time past for many centuries, and which are a proof of the prosperity and good taste of preceding generations. I found this observation perfectly true, by my own feelings on returning from America, which exhibits none but new objects, and has nothing but a bustling present struggling for future improvement.

On the 28th of July, at four o’clock, P. M., I arrived at Ghent.

THE END.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Errors and Inconsistencies (noted by transcriber)

Spelling was corrected if the mistake was clearly mechanical, or inconsistent with the author’s (or translator’s) usage elsewhere. This includes some spellings that were acceptable in 1828, but are different from other occurrences of the same word.

All commas are as printed. Inconsistent italicization of ships’ names is as in the original. The notation “invisible” means that there is an appropriately sized empty space, but the punctuation itself is missing.

“Bodleïan” is written with dieresis “chesnut” is standard for the time and is used consistently “team boat” (referring to canals) is not an error

“lime-stone” and “sand-stone” are hyphenated at the beginning of the book but later become single words “free-stone” or “freestone” are not frequent enough to establish a pattern “country seat” starts out as two words, but later becomes hyphenated “country-seat” the inconsistent spacing of “no( )where” “every( )where” and “else( )where” is unchanged “back ground” is generally two words; “fore-ground” occurs only once

Spelling (unchanged):

appointed him his aid present as aid to the Emperor Mr. Butler, his aid [_the spelling “aid” is used consistently_] the tatoed and dried head of a New Zealand chief roast-beef, plumb-pudding, &c. This place is called the antichamber. it is fixed in a cramp [_text unchanged: error for “clamp”?_] some negroes, who were frolicing during the Christmas holy-days corset inventress to the Dutchess of Kent [_“Duchess” and “Dutchess” are each used once_]

French (corrected):

From the left wing a line runs _en crémaillère_ [crémaillére] When a lady is left sitting, she is said to be “bredouille.” [bredouillè] so that they would consider their labour in the light of a corvée. [corveè]

Errors (corrected):

strange bas-reliefs, representing ancient hunting scenes [bass-reliefs] the rooms are not large; the beds [is not] On the top of the capitol is a cupola [cupalo] the pen is too feeble to delineate the simultaneous feelings of insignificance and grandeur [simultaneons ... insignificence] then a company of sappers and miners, [minors] in which again each sex has its own side [each sect] There are two paintings by Teniers [painting] the office and place of deposit for bound bibles [deposite] They recall to memory Glenn’s Falls on the Hudson [recal; _“recall” is used consistently elsewhere_] the other loses by faint colouring [looses] an English copy of the illustrations of Göthe’s Faust laid open. [illustratrations; _spelling “Göthe” with umlaut unchanged_] In a hollow place there is a basin, or rather a reservoir [their is] close by it stands the prison, or county gaol, [goal] this journey of one hundred and ninety-eight miles [ninty-eight] the log houses were only employed as negro cabins [onegr] we might lie several days, perhaps weeks here [several day] because they had not received their pay for some time. [_missing “not”_] Several of the French families here settled [familes] so as not to lose themselves in the woods [loose] and on this account, the proceeding to me appeared arbitrary [acount] has followed me even in America like an evil genius [and evil] an inspection on the Red river, the Arkansas, and New Orleans [Arkansa; _“Arkansas” is used consistently elsewhere_] a great part of the houses are built of brick; [_missing “a”_] We frequently rode along the new national turnpike road [frequently road] over some stone bridges of sumptuous construction [contruction] about the right bank of the Alleghany and Ohio [righ] parallel ridges, called Laurel hill. [callel] the girls learn to sew and knit [sow] The gentlemen above named accompanied me to the vessel. [accompaned] every thing, manufactured in Birmingham, [Burmingham] a fine view into a considerable suite of rooms [considerble] until no poison is left in the stomach [stomuch]

Spacing, hyphenization, capitalization:

By his highness, Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach. [_capitalized as shown_] two stories besides a ground floor, and may contain [floor,and] so that it is excellently adapted to waterworks [_anomalous missing hyphen unchanged_] They have a large kitchen garden [they have] The corpse is put in the corpse-house [the corpse] views of Monticello, Mount Vernon, the principal buildings in Washington [Mount-Vernon] many evergreen trees and bushes. [ever green] with Madam Herries; he is a Frenchman [Herries;he] This is, however, the case with most of the stores [this is]

Punctuation:

Footnote I-4: [This manuscript .... of London.]--TRANS. [_printed “of London.--TRANS.]”: changed for consistency_] On the 9th, at 6 A. M. she arrived at _Falmouth_. [6 A. M] Schenectady.-- Utica.-- Rochester. [--Utica--] and produce much vexation in consequence of the baggage. [_final . missing_] the village of St. Regis, the last belonging to the United States. [_final . missing_] a monument erected by the colony in honour of Lord Nelson. [_final . missing_] to protect the place of embarkation by a fort. [_final . missing_] On the ensuing morning I went with Mr. Halbach to Mr. Vaux [Mr Vaux: _period invisible_] mineralogy and geology.-- ... lectures on chemistry. [_missing . after “geology” and “chemistry”_] drawing of the human figure.-- [_final . missing_] The cotton cleaned from its seed is put into a large chest, pressed in, and packed up. [_final . missing_] Mr. Nott studied in England and France [Mr Nott: _period invisible_] the 16th ultimo from Liverpool [ultimo.] [Footnote II-9: [... within these accursed walls.]--TRANS. [_missing -- before “Trans.”_] the river is fordable in many places above the falls.” [_close quote missing_] a diameter of one hundred and fifty yards during forty miles.” [_close quote missing_] even this navigation so expensive and destructive to the wood, will cease [_punctuation unchanged_] one hundred and twenty horses, which daily work here, [work here.] in the neighbourhood of Lake Ontario and the river St. Lawrence [St Lawrence]