A Tour Through the Batavian Republic
A
TOUR
THROUGH THE
BATAVIAN REPUBLIC
DURING
THE LATTER PART OF THE YEAR 1800
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE REVOLUTION AND RECENT
EVENTS IN THAT COUNTRY
By R. FELL
Quid verum, atque decens curo et rogo, Et omnis in hoc sum. |
Horat. Epist. |
LONDON:
Printed for R. PHILLIPS, St. Paul's Church-yard.
sold by t. hurst, and west and hughes, paternoster-
row; carpenter and co. old bond-street; e. balfour,
edinburgh; and j. archer, dublin
________________
1801
[T. Davison, White-Friars]
ADVERTISEMENT.
THE following letters were, in part, written during the Tour which they describe, with a view to publication. They were addressed to my Brother, and to that circumstance must be attributed the use of the word you wherever it incongruously appears.
To many of my statements, I have avoided giving the authority of the Names of the Persons from whom I derived them; in all such cases I have been influenced by this motive:—recently established and feeble governments are often tyrannical, and were I to name the persons from whom I had my information, when I speak of the Batavian Government with censure, I might probably expose to disagreeable consequences most deserving individuals.
March 31, 1800.
CONTENTS.
Capture of the Author on the Coast of Yorkshire, by a French privateer. Character of the prize-master and his crew: their ignorance of navigation. The Dutch pilot: his advice. Arrival off the Briel. Politeness and hospitality of the Dutch commodore. Account of the Briel. The tree of liberty. The face of the country. |
1 |
Civility of the Dutch commodore: singular learning of his chief Officer. A Batavian patriot: his suspicions and rudeness. Dutch tardiness. The unpleasantness of detention. The great influence of the French in Holland. |
17 |
End of the Author's detention through the means of General Chorié. Impoverished state of Maaslandsluys. Road to Delft, The Artillery of General Chorié's Brigade, Character of the General. The environs of Rotterdam, State-house of that city. George the Second. |
26 |
{{dotted TOC page listing||Rotterdam − Its convenient situation for trade − The impoverished state of its commerce. A singular preference given to cloth of English manufacture. Amicable system of privateering. Corsairs belonging to British subjects which sailed under the French flag. Abuses corrected by Bonaparte. The streets of Rotterdam.
Architectural taste of the Dutch. Statue of Erasmus. Consternation with which the progress of the French armies are viewed at Rotterdam. Flight of the English servants. Arrival of the French. The municipality. Anecdotes of marigolds and oranges. The concert. The theatre. Religion. Public charities. |
36 |
A storm. The village of Overschie — Its miserable accommodations. Delft. The mischiefs of the storm. Beauties of the road. The Hague — Its elegant buildings. Removal of armorial bearings. Palace of the directory. First chamber of representatives. Tree of liberty. Storks. House in the wood. Catalogue of pictures. The portraits of the Stadtholder and his family not to be seen. Gardens belonging to the House in the Wood. |
60 |
{{dotted TOC page listing||The prince's cabinet of curiosities removed to Paris. What would probably have been its fate had it been transported to England. Scheveling. Distress of the fishermen of Scheveling on the departure of the Prince of Orange — Rejoicings at the Hague on the same occasion. Sketch of the history of the Stadtholders. Reports to the disadvantage of the present Prince of Orange. Discontents in Holland. Imprudence of the Princess of Orange. Effects of the French revolution in the United Provinces. Animosity of the Dutch towards the British troops. Moderation of the French. Some account of General Daendals. The revolution of Holland effected without blood. French emigrants. What would be the reception of an Englishman in the French army. A citizen of the world.|88|entry-width=100%|entry-align=justify|symbol=_|spaces=10}}
The road from the Hague to Scheveling. Destruction occasioned by the late storm. The beach at Scheveling. Aversion of the Dutch to the air of the sea; The fisheries of Holland. Theatre at the Hague. A member of the Batavian directory. Impoverishment of the Hague. Thoughts concerning the restoration of the Stadtholder. Character of his deceased son. Account of the present King of Prussia. Literary traffic of the Hague. Great diminution of its magnificence. French troops. Their pay. |
113 |
Departure from the Hague. Description of a treckschuyt. Custom of smoking in Holland. Exchange between London and Rotterdam. Depreciation of the notes of the Bank of England. Forgeries. Delft. Decay of its potteries. Treatment of the sick and wounded of the British army in 1795 by the burghers of Delft. Breweries. Politeness of a French soldier. Leyden. Dutch houses. Streets of Leyden. Stadthouse. Pictures. Vigorous defence of the inhabitants of Leyden against the Spaniards in 1573. Noble sentiments of a burgomaster. University of Leyden. Number of students. |
140 |
{{dotted TOC page listing||The botanic garden. Palm-tree. Antiques. Theatre of anatomy. Public library. Portraits of illustrious Dutchmen. Medallions of English republicans. St. Peter's church, a place of confinement for the English and Russian prisoners. The gazette of Leyden. Dutch newspapers. Woollen manufactures of Leyden. Probable state of the university when peace shall be restored.|162|entry-width=100%|entry-align=justify|symbol=_|spaces=10}}
Departure from Leyden. Haerlem. Dutch cleanliness. Custom of smoking. Prevalency of the use of tobacco in Holland. Famous organ of Haerlem. The revolution has not altered the dress or manners of the Dutch. Coins of the same as before the revolution. House of Mr. Hope. Haerlem claims the honour of having invented the art of printing. Laurence Costar. Defence of Haerlem against the Spaniards. Violation of the articles of capitulation by Frederic of Toledo. The infancy of the republic the brightest period in its annals. Gueses. Museum of natural history. Its scientific arrangement. Teylerian institution. Bleacheries of Haerlem. |
178 |
Arrival at Amsterdam. Politeness of a Dutch lady. The English Bible. Servants of hotels in Holland. Condition of servants in general throughout the United Provinces. The French theatre. Profusion of diamonds worn by the ladies. A sledge coach. Examination of passports. General d'Henisdal. The Doele hotel stadthouse of Amsterdam. Apartment in which sentence of death is pronounced on criminals. Bassorelievos. Great hall of the stadthouse. Pictures. Carillons. Prison for felons and debtors. Humane laws of the republic respecting debtors. Few persons are punished with death in Holland. Bank of Amsterdam. |
196 |
Streets of Amsterdam. Canals. Shopkeepers. Begging prohibited in Amsterdam. A little pedlar boy. The Exchange. A literary society, the Felix Meritis. Extent of Amsterdam. Number of houses. Population. Police. Watchmen. Fire centinels. City militia. The
Rasp-house of Amsterdam, Labour of the criminals confined in it. Expedient formerly used to oblige refractory criminals to work. General appearance of the prisoners. Terms of confinement. Account of a man sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. Exemption from labour to be purchased. Figure over the gate of the Rasp-house. The Spin-house or Bride-well for women. Licensed brothels of Amsterdam. |
225 |
Places, of religious worship in Amsterdam. The new and old churches. The Portuguese synagogue. Number of Jews in Amsterdam. State of religion. Toleration. Quakers. Charitable institutions in Amsterdam. Vaccine inoculation. Dutch theatre. Account of the principal female performer. State of the Dutch stage. Old-fashioned female dress. Women of Holland. Inebriety imputed to the stadtholder - To his majesty. A caricature print. Ideas entertained in Holland respecting the person who attempted to assassinate the king. Dress of children. Customs observed with regard to lying-in women. |
252 |
Attachment of Amsterdam to the cause of liberty. The patriots discharged from their employments in 1787. Emigrations from Holland. The majority of the Dutch nation averse to the war with France. Measures to suppress popular meetings. An inundation of the country proposed. The citizens of Amsterdam remonstrate against that design. Imprisonment of the patriots. The stadtholderian party struck with consternation at the progress of the French. Entrance of General Pichegru into Amsterdam. Proclamations from the revolutionary committee of Amsterdam, and from the representatives of the French people. The regents of Amsterdam displaced. Provisional representatives of Holland. P. Paulus chosen president. Declaration of the rights of man. |
274 |
{{dotted TOC page listing||Conduct of the provisional representatives of Amsterdam. Inquiries respecting the solvency of the bank. Official report on the subject. Deficiency of cash. Nature of bank credits and receipts. Indignation against the members of the old government. Violent measures strongly recommended. Wise proclamation of the representatives of Amsterdam. Its beneficial effects. Abolition of the stadtholderate. Expressions of public joy at Amsterdam on that occasion. The French representatives and generals occupied comparatively but little attention during these revolutionary movements. Character of General Pichegru in Holland. The inhabitants of the United Provinces required to deliver up their plate for the use of the nation. This ordinance chearfully complied with through animosity to Great Britain. Attention of the Dutch to their marine. Removal of large bodies of the French troops. Estimate of the amount of the contributions paid to the French.|291|entry-width=100%|entry-align=justify|symbol=_|spaces=10}}
Progress of the revolution. Emigrations, Treaty between the French and the Batavian republics. Severe terms imposed on the Dutch — Establishment of a directorial government. Opinions of the Dutch concerning their losses abroad. Sea fight of the 11th of October, 1797. Account of Admiral De Winter. Violent measures pursued with the legislators. Further extortions of the French. Treatment of the Dutch soldiers in the service of France. Discontents in Holland. Representations of the stadtholderian party. The English expedition. Opposition to the landing of the British forces. Surrender of the Dutch fleet. Culpable inactivity of the English forces. Opinion of a French officer concerning the merit of the British generals. Proclamation of the hereditary Prince of Orange. Successes of the British and Russian troops. Unexpected retreat of the army under the Duke of York. A convention concluded with General Brune. The terms displeasing to the Batavian directory. Suspicions attached to General Brune. Report of the French of the behaviour of the English during the campaign. Prince William of Gloucester. Treatment of the British and Russian prisoners. Honourable conduct of the English army in Holland. The petty warfare carried on by the navy. Reflections on the expedition. |
315 |
Commerce of Amsterdam. Number of ships dismantled. The Dutch East-India Company. Account of Colonel Gordon, governor of the Cape of Good Hope. Intercourse with Batavia by means of American vessels. The sentiments entertained in Holland respecting Bonaparte. Some account of that great man. Madame Bonaparte. Assurances of the first consul of the French republic to the Batavian government. Last requisition made by the French to the Dutch. Estimate of the contributions levied in Holland by the French. Measures to be pursued by the Dutch at the conclusion of the war. |
342 |
Climate of Amsterdam. Dutch physiognomies. The village of Broek. Custom of having two doors to each house in North Holland. Carvings over the doors. The houses and gardens of Broek. Extreme cleanliness of its streets. Phlegm of the inhabitants of Broek. Saardam. Number of windmills. Decay of trade. House where Peter the Great resided. A funeral. Departure from Amsterdam. The canal from Amsterdam to Utrecht. Utrecht. Its surrender to Lewis XIV. in 1672, and to the Prussians in 1787. The university of Utrecht. Nimeguen. Return to Rotterdam. Departure for England. Detention at Maaslandsluys. |
357 |
380 |
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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