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board, ornamented with a considerable quantity of lace, fastened to a house; upon inquiry, I found that the lady of the inansion, where I saw it, had lately lain in, and that it was the custom of the country to expose this board, which contained an account ofthe lady's health, for the satisfaction of her enquiring friends, who were by this excellent plan informed of her situation, without disturbing her by knocking at the door, and by personal enquiries." This is a square board of six inches, with a frame and glass, fastened by day on the street-door, during the lying-in month, and underneath is placed a small bulletin, or certificate of the state of the lady and child's health. The frame contains a piece -of point lace, on a red silk ground, if a boy is born; a blue ground if a girl; if twins, doubled; if of different sexes, both colours, party-per-pale; if a dead child, a black ground. During the time the door is thus ornamented the husband cannot be arrested for debt. It is called a kraam-kloppertje, (child bed knocker.) Without the lace it becomes only a mere notice of the health of a sick person, and is no protection against arrests.

The Amsterdam sledges are mentioned, on which the body of a coach is drawn by one horse, the driver walking by the side of it. Our author says the French call it un pot de chambre. This is a mistake, as that name is given to a vehicle used in Paris only, which is a sedan chair on two wheels, pushed or drawn by a man.

"Some of the shop boards or signs, have ridiculous verses inscribed on them."

To this might have been added, many have ingenious epigrams: numerous collections of these are in print. A very good account of the terrible dungeons under the Stadthouse, at Amsterdam, is given, to which we refer.

From Amsterdam our traveller proceeded through Naarden and Zoestdyk to Zeist, where he saw

"The vast pyramid erected by the French troops who were encamped in the immense open place in which it stands, amounting to thirty thousand men, under the command of General Marmont.

"The whole was designed by the chief of the battalion of engineers. The total height of this stupendous monument is about 110 French feet; that of the obelisk, exclusive of

the socle, is about 42 French feet. One end of the base of the pyramid is 148 feet."

There are inscriptions on each of the four fronts, saying that the troops

"Erected this monument to the glory of the Emperor of the French, Napoleon the First, at the epoch of his ascending the throne, and as a token of admiration and love; generals, officers, and soldiers, have all co-operated with equal ardour; it was commenced the 24th of Fructidor, an. 12. (10th September, 1804), and finished in thirty-two days.

"From the summit of the obelisk the eye ranges over a vast extent of country-Utrecht, Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Haarlem, the Hague, Dordrecht, Leyden, Gorkum, Breda, Arnheim, Nymezen, Bois-le-duc, Cleves, Zutphen, Deventer, Zwol, and a great part of the Zuyderzee, may be seen distinctly on a clear day."

A handsome print accompanies the description, and the whole of the four inscriptions, except the long list of the names of the officers, are given. Perhaps the prospect being mentioned as from the sum mit of the "obelisk," may be a mistake of the printer, for "pyramid," as the former appears to be inaccessible.

We know not of any other station from which sixteen capital cities can be seen.

The building inhabited by the Herenhuthers, or Moravians, is afterwards de scribed, to which we refer.

Sir John says,

"The Princes of Germany differ very much from those of our own country, by the plain and unostentatious manner in which they move about. At Dusseldorf, one morning when I was crossing the court of my in to go to breakfast, I saw a little boy fencing with a stick with one of the ostlers; as I was pleased with his appearance, I asked him if he was the son of the maitre d'hôtel, to which he replied, No, Sir, I am hereditary Prince Von Salm, &c.'

Of Cologne, our author says,

"This city was formerly celebrated for the number of its devotees and prostitutes, which the French police has very much reduced.”

We do not know which of these two classes are here meant, probably the former, as totally useless for the welfare of the city.

With respect to the chapel of St. Ursula, a whimsical circumstance occurred some years since; in this depository, for a great length of time have reposed the bones of St. Ursula, and

"This rock was supplied with water from a well 280 feet deep, which occupied three years in digging, in the year 1481, (and the two following years.) In the time of the Swedish war, the attacks of eighty thousand French troops on the southern side of it, and of forty thousand on the northern, could make no impression on it; however, still maintaining its invulnerable character it was destined to bend to a foe, before which all local advantage is useless, and all enterprize unavail

eleven thousand virgins, her companions; they came from England in a little boat, in the year 640, to convert the Huus, who had taken possession of this city; and these men, instead of being moved by their sweet cloquence and cherub-like looks, put an end to their argument, by putting them all to death. Some doubt whether any country could have spared so many virgins, and a surgeon, somewhat of a wag, upon examining the consecrated bones, declared that most of them were the bones of full grown female mastiffs; for which dis-ing; after bravely sustaining a blockade for a covery he was expelled the city."

The most marvellous part of this story is the skill of the anatomist who could so accurately determine the sex of the animal from only seeing the ancient bones, probably by some such occult knowledge as the famous waterologer (ouranopolos), possessed, who was so expert, that he could tell by a man's working-day's water, what trade; and by his Sunday's water, what religion he was of.

"Gallantry forbids my passing over the name of Anna Maria Schurman, born here, (at Utretcht in 1607). Excess of genius and learning made her melancholy mad, and she died (in Cologne) from an inordinate debauch in eating spiders."

We should have been glad to have been told what authority there was for this assertion, we thought she died in Friesland, in 1678, and never before heard of her madness, or spider-eating.

The rock of Ehrenbreitstein is said to be eight hundred feet perpendicular above the level of the Rhine. The fortifications are all roofless and dismantled.

"In the centre of the square, or parade, upon the top was formerly mounted the celebrated cannon called the Griffon, cast at Frankfort in 1528. It weighed thirty thousand pounds, and was capable of projecting a ball of one hundred and eighty pounds, to a distance of sixteen miles."

Which is only twelve miles, or four times further than we ever heard of a ball's being

carried.

whole year, by the troops of the French republic, the garrison having endured with the greatest fortitude almost every description of privation, were obliged to surrender to famine, and capitulated on the 28th of January 1799. Soon after which the French covered this

mighty rock with the ruins of those wonderful

fortifications.

66

"I frequently had an opportunity of admiring the astonishing activity and genius of the French, who have, since they became masters of the left bank of the Rhine, nearly finished one of the finest roads in the world, extending from Mentz to Cologne, in the course of which they have cut through many rocks impending over the river, and triumphed over some of the most formidable obstacles nature could present to the achievement of so wonderful a

design. This magnificent undertaking, worthy of Rome in the most shining periods of her history, was executed by the French troops, who, under the direction of able engineers, preferred leaving these monuments of indefatitheir time, during the cessation of arms, in gable toil and elevated enterprize, to passing towns and barracks, in a state of indolence and inutility.”

The last extract we shall make from this traveller's book, is his account of the floats on the Rhine.

"On the banks leading to this city (Audernach), I saw part of one of those amazing floats of timber, which are formed of lesser ones, conveyed hither from the forests adjoining the Rhine, the Mozelle, &c.; these floats generally of the enormous dimensions of eight are fastened to each other, and form a platform sixty in breadth, upon which a little village, conhundred feet in length, and one hundred and

We know there is still preserved in Dover castle a cannon, on which is in-taining about eighty wooden houses is erected scribed,

Load me well, and keep me clean, I'll carry o'er to Calais green; which, however, proves nothing. We refer to Baron Munchausen's travels for an account of other marvellous guns.

for the accommodation of those who are interested in, and assist in navigating this stupenduous ratt, frequently amounting to seven or eight hundred persons, men, women, and children; besides these buildings, there are stalls for cattle, slaughter-houses, and magazines for

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provisions. The float is prevented from striking against the shores, where the turnings are abrupt, by the application of thirty or forty anchors, which, with the necessary cables, are conveyed in fourteen or fifteen boats which precede it, and its course is safely directed by German and Dutch pilots, who are hired for the purpose.

tion; beautiful eulogium; diab lic design; elegant city of Leyden; elegant and witty gentleman (naming him); very entertaining and interesting memoirs, &c.These memoirs also are reviewed in the above-mentioned Supplement,

The word undulated is very frequently repeated. "The gardens would be very beautiful, if the ground undulated a little more." We do not know how ground undulates, unless during an earthquake.

There is no mention made in this quarto

"After great rains, when the current is rapid, the whole is entrusted to its repelling force; otherwise several hundred persons are employed in rowing, who move their oars at a given word of command. The whole of these wonderful moving masses is under the direc-of the play called Koloen, which is one of tion of a governor or superintendant, and several officers under him. Sometimes the floats are some months in performing their voyage, in consequence of the water being low, in which case they are obliged to wait till the In this manner river is swollen by the rains. they float from the high to the low countries; and upon their arrival at the place of destination, the whole is broken up, and finds a ready market.

"About twelve of them arrive annually at Dort, in Holland, in he months of July and August, where these German timber merchants, having converted their floats into Dutch ducats, return to their own country with their families, to enjoy the produce of their labour and enterprise."

the amusing exercises peculiar to Holland, and of which a particular account was pub lished a twelvemonth before Sir John set out on these travels..

In our quotations we have taken the liberty to obviate the frequent ambiguities of the original.

We lament to see continually, whenever two or three French words occur, that they are generally faulty in spelling or in grammar. For this inattention there can be no excuse; for, making every allowance for a traveller's ignorance, in such a place as London, thousands of persons may be found capable of correcting the errors in any language. This book swarms with errors of the press in the Dutch tongue; these last we imagine few readers will mind; but they cannot avoid being startled at finding ladies called "fair voyageurs,” “mauvais honte," &c.

of

We have now concluded our review of this work. As to the general account of the literary attainments of this author, we refer to the review of the same author's Stranger in Ireland, in the Supplement to the first volume of LA BELLE ASSEMBLEE, The map is constructed like our maps especially to what is said about manufac the roads in England, without degrees or turing books in quarto. In the book we scale. Instead of the north point being at have just dismissed, if all the accounts of top, it is on the right, where the east ought painters taken from Pilkington's Dictionary, to be. The part of the river which our which certainly convey no new informa-author visited is cut iu halves, and one half tion, and all the other pages of irrelevant matter had been omitted, it would have brought the whole into the compass of an

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placed under the other. A plate of the same size as that, with an outline of the country travelled through, the author's track, and the names of the chief towns, divested of the crowd of insignificant villages which now ornament the borders of the river, would gratify the reader, and give him a clear idea of the tour.

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HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF AUSTRIA. ·

ART. III.-History of the House of Austria, from the Foundation of the Monarchy by Rhodolph, of Hapsburgh, to the Death of Leopold the Second, 1918 to 1792. By William Coxe, F. R. S. F. A. S. Archdeacon of Wilts, and Rector of Bemerton.1807.

of knowledge still more interesting, as it brings the passions of men more effectually into action, it is modern history. Let us look around us, we perceive mighty empires towering to the skies. The broad basis upon which they rest, the extent of their | power, and the opulence of their cities, seem to announce that for ages they have flourished in peace and prosperity. But let us glance at the mirror which modern history holds to our view, and there we shall trace their feeble roots throwing forth their first shoots; we shall see them bending, like the yielding reed, before the storms that threaten their weakness; and after conquering the dangers which incessantly hover around them, burst on a sudden in the full vigour of youth. The fate of our native land may have been entwined with their own; our countrymen may bled or triumphed on their soil, may have wielded their sceptre; the reverse may also have happened; and in either case, our attention will be powerfully arrested, our national pride awakened, and though, perhaps, still partial judges, we shall become more enlightened and improved.

How various and abundant are the || sources of information that flow around us! and how justly fitted is the mind of man to gather improvement from every object he beholds, every situation in which he is placed, and every incident which diversifies the course of his existence ! The wide extent of nature, the different regions which it contains, and the various productions of which they are composed, spread the most delightful fields for study to our sight; captivate the attention of the ignorant by the astonishing phenomena they present, and widen the sphere of the philosopher's researches. But the most important, if not the most pleasing path of instruction, is that which leads us through the darkness of the past, to crowds of distant events; and with the help of history as our interpreter, enables us to converse with the bards, warriers, lawgivers, statesmen, and philosophers, who flourished in former ages. Then stealing into the sanctuary where the records of time are preserved, the actions of our fellow-creatures of every nation and in every clime, the revolutions that have shaken the globe,, the birth of the arts, the progress of the sciences, and the discoveries useful to humanity, stand revealed before us. Divested of all partiality, and led solely by the wish of ascertaining beneficial truths, of grasping at experience without waiting till rolling years have showered it upon us, we exert the whole powers of our judgment, dive into the causes of events, compare together their effects in various countries, and the influence which genius, talents, virtue, courage, and the contrary vices, exercise over the happiness of mankind. such a strict and candid examination good alone can flow; and therefore the study of ancient history cannot be too strenuously recommended. There is another branch Supplement-Vol. III.

From

have

It is not astonishing, therefore, that the field of modern history (by modern we understand that period which began with the fall of the Roman empire) holding forth such promising hopes, should have been cultivated by so many men of talents and genius. Whilst Gibbon alone pondered over the ruins of Rome, Hume, Robertson, Watson, Smollett, &c. explored the annals of England, Scotland, America, and India, followed the brilliant career of Charles V. and examined the impolitic conduct of Philip III. After the decease of these celebrated authors, the historical muse was sparing of her inspirations, though a few learned men did not fear to tread the same path as their predecesD

sors. Soon, however, Bisset gratified the
public, tired with the loquacious biography
of a Boswell, with a faithful account of a
portion of time, which death had not per-
mitted any of the preceding great his-
torians to illustrate. But it was not until
the author of Leo the Tenth appeared as
a candidate for well-deserved fame, that
history awoke from its momentary slum-
bers, like the sun from the shades of night,
and glowed with renewed splendour. He
proved that many sources remained open ||
to the researches of genius; that instruc-
tion, however frequently imported into
our land, might still be conveyed through
new channels, and meet with new admirers;
and, by his noble example, probably en-
couraged others to unchain their native
activity, and seek for new subjects upon
which to bend its powers.

narchy. Born in 1218, a petty count of Hapsburg, and inheriting limited possessions from his ancestors, Rhodolph spent his youth in the court and camp of Fre derick the Second. Taught by a valiant father the use of arms, he had few rivals in military prowess, and soon resolved upon aggrandizing bis dominions. After a series of wars with the neighbouring barons and counts, in which, if justice was not often on his side, fortune always was, he succeeded in encreasing his territories and his power, and his alliance was courted by monarchs; for taking part with Ottocar, King of Bohemia, against Bela, King of Hungary, he greatly contributed to the victory won by the former over his enemy. In 1245 he married Gertrude Anne, daugh ter of Burcard, count of Hohenburgh and Hagenlock, whose dowry added considerably to his possessions in Alsace. In 1263 the counties of Kyburgh, Lentzburgh, and Baden, fell into his hands, and extended his influence in Alsace, Switzerland, and the circle of the Lower Rhine. We will now let our author depict the conduct of his favourite hero.

The annals of one of the most extensive and celebrated empires of Europe, that of Germany, were wrapped in darkness. The reigns of a few princes had been related, it is true, but mostly on account of the connections they had formed with other states, whose history was necessarily intermixed with their own. Others, indeed, had filled too conspicuous a station in the European wars and revolutions, to be passed over in silence; but biography alone had recorded their actions, and no general, extensive, and judicious work like the present, had, in any language, embodied the scattered accounts of the different reigns which followed each other in Germany. Mr. Coxe resolved to supply this deficiency in the stores of knowledge, and the fruit of his labours forms three large quarto volumes, full of information and interest. He has entitled this new production of his fertile genius a "History of the House of Austria," but has been obliged, by the nature of his subject, to take a review of the whole German empire, and of the principal actions of the numerous members of which it was composed, their undertakings, their fortunes, and the vicissitudes by which they were depressed, or exalted to superior authority. His work might, therefore, be justly called a history of Germany fromfidence of the neighbouring republics. Many the year 1218 to 1792.

"As inactivity was neither conformable to the spirit or circumstances of Rhodolph, his new territories furnished sufficient employment both for negotiation and action, and in volved him in a series of long and almost uninterrupted hostilities. But although at this period of his life war seems to have been his favourite and constant occupation, he did not follow the example of the turbulent barons, who harrassed the peasants with incessant depredations, and pillaged defenceless travellers. On the contrary, he adopted a system of conduct which distinguished him with ho nour in those times of misrule and confusion. He delivered the highways from numerous banditti, and protected the citizens and freemen from the tyranny of the nobles; he principally levelled his attacks against the turbu lent barons, or the haughty prelates, who con cealed their ambitious designs under the sacred name of religion. Such was his reputation, and such the general opinion entertained of his justice and prowess, that he gained the cou

chose him arbiter of their internal disquiets; some confided to him the command of their

The first volume opens with a most interesting account of Rhodolph, of Haps-armies; and others appointed him their pre

urgh, the founder of the Austrian mo

fect and protector."

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