After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819 Part 28

I have no doubt that some of these days _Sappho_ will be translated into the idiom of modern Greece and acted in that country. The actress, who did the part of Sappho, gave it full effect, and the part of the young Melitta was fairly performed; but I did not approve of the acting of the performer who played Phaon. He overstepped the modesty of nature and the intention of the author; for he was in his gesture and manner grossly rude and insolent to poor Sappho, whereas, tho' his love to Melitta was paramount, he ought to have shown no ordinary struggle in stifling his grat.i.tude to his benefactress Sappho.

I admire the German word _Gebieterinn_ (mistress). It is majestic and harmonious, and the only word, in any modern language that I know of, poetic enough to render aptly the Greek word [Greek: Despoina].

DRESDEN, Decr. 1st.

I have been to visit the famous Gallery of paintings here; but you must not expect from me a description. I shall send you a catalogue. It would be endless to describe the various _chefs-d'oeuvre_ which are contained in this valuable collection. Dresden has always been considered as the Florence of Germany and has always been renowned for its Gallery of paintings; hence the almost innate taste of the Saxons for the _Beaux Arts_ and the great encouragement given to them at all tunes by this Government.

It is here and at Meissen that the best German is thought to be spoken, tho' Hanover disputes this prerogative with Dresden.

I have been to see the antiquities and curiosities of the _j.a.panischer Palast_ (Palace of j.a.pan), as it is called. In this Palace is a quant.i.ty of ancient armour and the most superb collection of porcelain I believe in Europe. The collection of precious stones is also immense; and I never in my life saw such a profusion of diamonds, emeralds, turquoises, sapphirs, amethysts and topazes. In this Museum are three statues found in Herculaneum on its first discovery or excavation, viz., an Athlete, an Esculapius, and a Venus. Here too, and from this circ.u.mstance, the Palace takes its name, is a collection of j.a.panese antiquities and ornaments, lacker work in gold and silver, which is unique in the world. From the Royal Library, a foreigner, on being recommended, may have at his own house all such books to read as can be replaced if lost or spoiled; but the ma.n.u.scripts and scarce and valuable editions are not permitted to be taken out of the Library. Any person once admitted on recommendation may go to read in this Library at stated hours and may consult any book or ma.n.u.script he pleases on applying to the librarian.

A person fond of music will be in a continual state of enjoyment at Dresden. Besides the fine music in the Royal Chapel, the band of the King's Guard is composed of first rate musicians, who attend regularly at Guard mounting and play for an hour together. There is also a band of music every evening during the summer months that plays in the gardens of the _Linkischer Bad_. Then there are various other places of recreation and amus.e.m.e.nt, at all of which musicians are in attendance; for a Saxon cannot enjoy his repast or his pipe without music and good music too to facilitate his digestion. There is a custom in Dresden that on the occasion of the death of a person the young choristers of the Cathedral are sent for to sing hymns, standing in a semi-circle round the door of the house of the defunct. These choristers are all dressed in black and their style of singing is melodious, solemn and impressive.

Smoking is so prevalent here and in all parts of Germany that if you wish to denote one of the male s.e.x, _smoker_ would be quite a synonymous word.

Such is the pa.s.sion for this enjoyment that even at the b.a.l.l.s the young men, the moment they have finished the waltz, quit the hands of their partners and rush into another room in order to smoke; nor would the beauty of Venus nor the wit of Minerva be powerful enough to restrain the young German from giving way to his darling practise. Smoking tobacco has I think this visible effect, that it serves to calm all tumultuous pa.s.sions, and what confirms me in this idea is, that most young Germans, in commencing life as adults, are full of enthusiastic and even exaggerated notions of liberty and equality. They are romantic to a degree that is difficult to be conceived, and seem to be restrained by no selfish or worldly ideas. This you would suppose would tend to render them rather turbulent subjects, under an autocratical government; but all this _Schwarmerey_ evaporates literally in smoke: they take to their pipe, and by degrees the fumes of tobacco cause all these lofty ideas to dissipate: the pipe becomes more and more necessary to their existence, and consoles them for their wrongs real or imaginary; and in three or four years they sit down contentedly to their several occupations, as strait-forward, painstaking, plodding men, quite satisfied to follow the routine chalked out for them, and either totally forget all ambitious views, or become too indolent to make any sacrifice to obtain them, and this _virtue comes from tobacco_!! The German Hippogriff becomes an Ox, dull and domestic, and treads out the corn placed before him, content to have his share thereof in peace and quietness.

The German Governments, which are mild and paternal, are fully aware of this and allow the utmost liberty of speech; well knowing that, thanks to that friend and ally of Legitimacy, tobacco, the romantic visionary and somewhat refractory youth will subside into a tranquil _ganz alltaglicher Mann_ and become totally averse to any innovation which demands the sacrifice of repose.

The pipe which has this sedative effect on political effervescence, has a still stronger similar effect, it is said, on the pa.s.sion of love; hence the German husbands are proverbially sluggish. But the ladies, none of whom smoke, preserve their romanticity during their whole lives, and would, if they had their choice, give their hands to foreigners, who are more attentive to them than their own countrymen.

The young ladies here are, 'tis said, extremely romantic in their ideas of love and capable of the strongest attachment. They think that any thing should be pardoned to sincere pa.s.sion. It has been related to me that some time ago a young man, who was devotedly attached to a girl, on the father refusing his consent to the marriage, stabbed the girl and then himself. An immense number of young ladies attended their funeral, to throw flowers over the grave of the two lovers. a.s.suredly the young man was only a noviciate in smoking.

Everybody must, I think, admire the Saxon women. They are in general handsome and have fine shapes; they are warm hearted and affectionate; and they are almost universally well educated. Indeed the whole Saxon people are so amiable that foreigners find themselves so happy here that they are unwilling to quit the country. Very many form matrimonial attachments. In short, this people fully merit the epithet a celebrated English traveller (Sherlock)[127] has bestowed on them when he called them a _herrliches Volk_.

DRESDEN, Jan. 8d, 1819.

I have made an excursion to Meissen which lies on the same bank of the river with the old town of Dresden at a distance of twelve miles. As there is no road on the left bank of the river to Meissen, you must cross the river twice to arrive at it, viz., once at Neustadt and once at Meissen, the road being on the right bank. I put up at the _Hirsch_ (Stag), a very comfortable inn. I went to Meissen with a view of seeing the Russian contingent pa.s.s the Elbe on their return from France, which has been evacuated in consequence of the arrangement at Aix-la-Chapelle. They appeared a fine body of men, clothed _a la francaise_ and seemed in high spirits. They seem to have imbibed liberal ideas during their residence in France, for some of the officers who dined at the inn at Meissen spoke very freely on pa.s.sing events.

The return of the Saxon contingent is expected in Dresden in a day or two, and there will no doubt be a great deal of rejoicing among the military and their relations to meet their old comrades and friends; and potent libations of _Doppel Bier_ will no doubt be made. Meissen is said to be famous for the beauty of its women and the few that I saw in the streets did not contradict this reputation.

DRESDEN, Jany. 5th, 1819.

We have had several b.a.l.l.s here. Waltzing is the only sort of dance in fas.h.i.+on at Dresden, excepting now and then a Polonaise.

I have witnessed an interesting spectacle in the _Grosser Garten_. The pond or basin is completely frozen over, and a Russian Prince, Gallitzin, who is here, has fitted up a sort of _Montagnes Russes_ as they are called. Blocks of ice are placed on an inclined plane to the top of which you mount by means of a staircase; and then, seating yourself in a sort of sledge, you slide down the inclined plane with immense velocity. The Prince often persuades a lady to sit on this sleigh on his lap and descend together; and this no doubt serves to _break the ice_ of many an amorous intrigue. This construction of the Prince Gallitzin has contributed to fill the _Grosser Garten_ with the _beau monde_, every day from twelve to two o'clock; so that you see we are in no want of amus.e.m.e.nts at Dresden.

The King frequently attends the theatre; he is a tall, fine looking man, and is usually dressed in the uniform of his Foot-Guards, which is scarlet faced with yellow. The poor King has taken much to heart the injustice with which he has been treated by the coalition, and no doubt will not easily forget the ill-bred and insolent letter of Castlereagh to the Congress, wherein he said that the King of Saxony deserved to lose his dominions for adhering to Napoleon. But how the King of Saxony could act otherwise I am at a loss to find: so little could he possibly deserve this treatment for adhering to Napoleon, that had his advice been taken in the year 1805, the French would never have been able to extend their conquests so far, nor to dictate laws to Germany. But Lord Castlereagh seems to have either never known or wilfully forgotten the anterior political conduct of Saxony. Had he been more versed in German affairs, or had studied with more accuracy the events pa.s.sing before his eyes, it would have been a check upon his arrogance; but here was a genuine disciple of the Pitt school (that school of ignorance and insolence), who sets himself up as the moral regenerator of nations and as a distributor of provinces, while he is grossly ignorant of the political system of the country on whose destinies he pretends to decide so peremptorily. Had Castlereagh paid attention to what was going forward in Germany in 1805, he would have seen too that of all powers Prussia was the very _last_ who with any _shadow of justice_ could pretend to an indemnification at the expense of Saxony. In the year 1805, the King, then Elector of Saxony, strongly advised the Prussian Cabinet to forget its ancient rivalry and jealousy of Austria and to coalesce with the latter power, in resisting the encroachments of Napoleon, in order to prevent the latter from attempting the overthrow of the whole fabric of the const.i.tution of the Holy Roman Empire, with the intricacy and fragility of which no prince in Germany was better acquainted than the Elector of Saxony. Prussia however was still reluctant to engage in the contest and gave no support whatever to Austria. Napoleon defeats the Austrians at Austerlitz and dictates peace. Six months after the Prussian Cabinet, excited by a patriotic but rash and ill-calculating party, has recourse to arms, not from any generous policy, but because she sees herself outwitted by Napoleon, who refuses to cede to her Hanover in perpetuity. Prussia begins the war and calls on Saxony, who always moved in her orbit, to join her. To the Elector of Saxony this war (in 1806) appeared then ill-timed and too late; but with that good faith, nevertheless, which invariably characterized him, he remained faithful to his engagement and furnished his quota of troops to Prussia. The Saxon troops fought n.o.bly at the battle of Jena. This battle annihilates all the power of Prussia, and lays Saxony entirely at the mercy of the Conqueror; but Napoleon not only treats Saxony with moderation, but with rare generosity; he does not take from her a single village, but aggrandizes her and gives to her the Duchy of Warsaw and to her Sovereign the t.i.tle of King. Saxony becomes in consequence a member of the confederation of the Rhine and is bound to support the Protector in all his wars offensive and defensive. The Russian war in 1812 begins: every German state, Austria and Prussia in the number, furnishes its contingent of troops. The campaign is unsuccessful, the climate of Russia having annihilated the French Army, and Napoleon returns to Paris.

Saxony is now exposed to invasion and hara.s.sed by the incursions of the Cossacks. The King of Saxony is perplexed in what manner to act, so as to ensure to his subjects that protection which was ever uppermost in his thoughts; feeling however with his usual sagacity that every thing would ultimately depend on the dispositions of Austria, he repairs himself to Prague, in order to have an interview with one of the Austrian ministers, and to sound that Cabinet. Austria however still vacillates and declines stating what her intentions are. Napoleon returns from Paris, defeats the Prussians and Russians at Bautzen and re-occupies all Saxony. He then writes to the King of Saxony to desire him to return immediately to his dominions and to fulfil his engagements. What was the King to do? Austria still refusing to declare herself, was he to sacrifice his crown and dominions uselessly to the vengeance of Napoleon, to please the Emperor of Russia and King of Prussia, who for aught he knew might patch up a peace the next day? and this was the more probable from their having been beaten at Bautzen, which circ.u.mstance also might with equal probability induce Austria to coalesce with, instead of against France. All the other members of the Confederation of the Rhine remained staunch to Napoleon and poured their contingents into Saxony; was he to be the only unfaithful ally and towards a Monarch who had always treated him with the strongest marks of attachment and regard? and when neither Russia nor Prussia were likely to give him the least a.s.sistance? He therefore returned to Dresden; and Napoleon took up his grand position the whole length of the Elbe, from the mountains of Bohemia to Hamburgh, thus covering the whole of Saxony with his army. Austria however at last comes forward to join the coalition.

Fortune changes; the Saxon troops, tired of beholding their country the perpetual theatre of war and trusting to the generosity of the Allies, go over to them in the middle of a battle, and decide, thereby, the fate of the day at Leipzig. The King of Saxony is made a prisoner, and then he is punished for what he could not help. Why was he to be punished more than any other member of the Confederation of the Rhine? One would think that the seasonable defection of his troops at Leipzig should have induced the Allies to treat him with moderation. The other States of the Confederation did not abandon Napoleon until after he was completely beaten at Leipzig; and Austria refused to accede to the coalition until a _carte blanche_ was given her to help herself in Italy.

Let every impartial man therefore review the whole of this proceeding and then say whether the King of Saxony, so proverbial for his probity, so adored by his subjects, deserved to be insulted by such an unfeeling letter as that of Castlereagh. No! the King of Saxony better deserves to reign than any King of them all. Would they had even a small share of his virtues! Another proof and a still stronger one of the great integrity and honor of this excellent Prince, is, that when Napoleon offered to mediatize in his favor the various ducal Houses in Saxony, such as Weimar, Gotha, Cobourg, etc., and to annex these countries to his dominions, he declined the offer. Would Prussia, Austria, or Hanover have been so scrupulous?

The young ladies here, tho' well versed and delighting in various branches of litterature, cannot overcome that strong national propensity to tales and romances wherein the _terrific and supernatural_ abounds; in all their romances accordingly this taste prevails strongly; nay, even in some of the romances, where the scene is laid in later times, there is some such anachronism as the story of a spectre.

I recollect reading a novel, the scene of which is laid in Italy about the time of the battle of Marengo, wherein a ghost is introduced who contributes mainly to the unravelling of the piece. A young lady here of considerable talent and of general information confessed to me, when I asked her, what subjects pleased her most in the way of reading, that nothing gave her so much delight as "_Geistergeschichten_." Lewis' romance of "_The Monk_" is a great favorite in Germany.[128] By the bye, his poetical tale of _Alonzo and Imogen_ is evidently taken from a similar subject in the _Volks-mahrchen_.

The weather has set in very cold and the Elbe is nearly frozen over. It is impossible to go out of the house without a _Pelz_ or cloak lined with fur; for otherwise, on leaving a room heated by a stove, the effect of the cold is almost instantaneous and brings on an ague fit. This I attribute to the excessive heat kept up in the rooms and houses by the stoves. As smoking is so prevalent here, this contributes much also to keeping the body in a praeternatural heat and rendering it still more obnoxious to cold on removal from a room to the open air. It has been remarked by a medical author, in the Russian campaign in 1812, that the soldiers of the southern nations and provinces, viz., Provencaux, Gascons, Italians, Spaniards, and Portuguese, endured the cold much better and suffered less from it than the Germans and Hollanders. The reason is sufficiently obvious: the former live in the open air even in the middle of winter and seldom make use of a fire to warm themselves; whereas the Germans and Dutch live in an atmosphere of stove-heat and smoke and seldom like to stir abroad in the open air during winter, unless necessity obliges them. Hence they become half-baked, as it were; their nerves are unstrung, their flesh flabby and they become so chilly, as to suffer from the smallest exposure to the atmosphere. In the houses in Germany, on account of the stoves, the cold is never felt, whereas it is very severely in Italy and Spain where many of the houses have no fireplaces. On this account I prefer Germany as a winter residence, for I think there is no sensation so disagreeable as to feel cold in the house. In the open air I do not care a fig for it, for my cloak lined with bearskin protects me amply. The climate here in winter is a dry cold, which is much more salubrious and agreeable to me than the changeable, humid climate of Great Britain, where, though the cold is not so great, it is much more severely felt.

[126] Tacitus, _Germania_, C, VIII.--ED.

[127] Martin Sherlock (d. 1797), author of _Lettres d'un voyageur anglais_, which were published in Paris 1779 and, the year after, in London.

[128] Matthew Gregory Lewis, 1775-1818, published _Ambrosio or the Monk_ in 1795.--ED.

CHAPTER XVIII

MARCH-APRIL 1819

Journey from Dresden to Leipzig--The University of Leipzig--Liberal spirit--The English disliked in Saxony--The English Government hostile to liberty--Journey to Frankfort--From Frankfort to Metz and Paris--A.F.

Lemaitre--_Bon voyage_ to the Allies--Return to England.

I left Dresden on the 2nd March, 1819. A _Landkutsche_ conveyed me as far as Leipzig in a day and half, stopping the first night at Oschaly, where there is a good inn. At Leipzig I put up at the _Hotel de Baviere_ and remained five days. Leipzig is a fine old Gothic city. It is, as everybody knows, famous for its University and its Fair, which is held twice a year, in spring and in autumn, and which is the greatest mart for books perhaps in the world. The University of Leipzig and indeed all the Universities of Germany are in bad repute among the _Obscuranten_ and _eteignoirs_ of the day, on account of the liberal ideas professed by the teachers and scholars. In the University of Leipzig every thing may be learned by those who chuse to apply, but those who prefer remaining idle may do so, as there is less compulsion than at the English Universities. There is however such a national enthusiasm for learning, in all parts of Germany, that the most careless and ill-disposed youth would never be about to support the ridicule of his fellow students were he backward in obtaining prizes, but after all I have heard of the dissipation, lawlessness, and want of discipline at Leipzig, I can safely affirm that all these stories are grossly exaggerated: and I fancy there is little other dissipation going forward than amours with _Stubenmadchen_. I do not hear of any drunkenness, gaming or horse racing; nor do the professors themselves, who ought to be the best judges of what is going on, complain of the insubordination of their pupils. But what I princ.i.p.ally admire in this, and indeed in other German Universities, is that there are no distinctions of rank, such as gold ta.s.sels, etc., no servile attention paid to sprigs of n.o.bility, as in the Universities in England, where the Heads of Colleges and Fellows are singularly condescending to the son of a Peer, a Minister, or a Bishop.

Perfect equality prevails in Leipzig and the son of the proudest _Reichsgraf_ is allowed no more priviledges than the son of a barber; nor do the professors make the least difference between them. In fact, in spite of the vulgar belief in England respecting the _hauteur_ of the German _n.o.blesse_ and the va.s.salage of the other cla.s.ses, I must say, from experience, that the German n.o.bility show far less _hauteur_ and have in general more really liberal ideas than most part of our English aristocracy, and a German burgher or shop-keeper would disdain to cringe before a n.o.bleman as many shopkeepers, aye, and even gentry, are sometimes known to do in England. Another circ.u.mstance too proves on how much more liberal a footing Leipzig and other German Universities are than our English ones, which is, that in England none but those who profess the religion of the Church of England, or conform to its ritual, are admitted; but here all sects are tolerated and admitted, and all live in perfect harmony with each other. The students are at liberty to chuse their place of wors.h.i.+p and the sermons that are preached in the Catholic as well as the Protestant churches are such as sensible men of whatever opinion might listen to with profit, and without being shocked by absurdities or intolerant ideas.

Mysteries, theologic sophistry and politics are carefully avoided, and a pure morality, a simple theosophy, comprehensible to the meanest understanding, pervades these simple discourses. The consequence of this toleration and liberal spirit is that an union between the Lutheran and Calvinistic churches has been effected.

I met a number of mercantile people at the _table d'hote_ at Leipzig in the _Hotel de Baviere_, and I entered a good deal into conversation with them; but when they discovered I was an Englishman, I could see a sudden coldness and restraint in their demeanour, for we are very unpopular in Germany, owing to the conduct of our Cabinet, and they have a great distrust of us.

The Saxons complain terribly of our Government for sanctioning the dismemberment of their country and of the insolent letter of Castlereagh.

It is singular enough that Saxony is the only country where English goods are allowed to be imported free of duty; but our great and good ally the King of Prussia (as these goods must pa.s.s thro' his territory) has imposed a tolerably heavy transit duty. I am glad of it; this is as it should be. I rejoice at any obstacles that are put to British commerce; I rejoice when I hear of our merchants suffering and I quite delight to hear of a bankruptcy. They, the English merchants, contributed with their gold to uphold the corrupt system of Pitt and to carry on unjust, unreasonable and liberticide wars. Yes! it is perfectly fit and proper that the despotic governments they have contributed to restore should make them feel their grat.i.tude. If the French since their Revolution have not always fought for liberty, they have done so invariably for science; and wherever they carried their victorious arms, abuses were abolished, ameliorations of all kinds followed, and the arts of life were improved. Our Government since the accession of George III has never raised its arm except in favor of old abuses, to uphold despotism and unfair privileges, or to establish commercial monopoly. Our victories so far from being of beneficial effect to the countries wherein we gained them, have been their curse. We can interfere and be prodigal of money and blood to crush any attempt of the continental nations towards obtaining their liberty; but when it is necessary to intercede in favour of oppressed patriots, then we are told that we have no right to interfere with the domestic policy of other nations. We can send s.h.i.+ps to protect and carry off in safety a worthless Royal family, as at Naples in 1799, but we can view with heartless indifference, and even complacency, the murders committed in Spain by the infamous Ferdinand and his severities against those to whom he owes his crown, all of whom had the strongest daim to our protection as having fought with us in the same cause and contributed to our success.

The _Platz_ at Leipzig is large and here it is that the fair is held. The theatre is an elegant building and lies just outside one of the gates of the city. Innumerable shops of booksellers are here and it is astonis.h.i.+ng at how cheap a rate printing in all languages is carried forward.

There are some pleasant promenades in the environs of Leipzig; but this is not a time of the year to judge of the beauty of the country. I went, however, to view the house occupied by Napoleon on the eve of the battle of Leipzig. A monument is to be erected to the memory of Poniatowsky in the spot where he perished.

I started from Leipzig on 7th March at eleven o'clock. I was five days en route from Leipzig to Frankfort, tho' the distance does not exceed forty-five German miles. I travelled in the diligence, but had I known that the arrangements were so uncomfortable, I should have preferred going in a _Landkutsche_, which would have made the journey in seven days and afforded me an opportunity of stopping every night to repose; whereas in the diligence, tho' they go _en poste_, they travel exceedingly slow and it is impossible to persuade the postillion to accelerate his usual pace. He is far more careful of his horses than of his pa.s.sengers. This I however excuse; but it is of the frequent stoppages and bad arrangement of them that I complain. Instead of stopping at some town for one whole night or two whole nights out of the five, they stop almost at every town for three, four and five hours; so that these short stoppages do not give you time enough to go to bed and they are besides generally made in the day time or early in the morning and evening. We pa.s.sed thro' the following cities and places of eminence, viz., Lutzen; the spot where Gustavus Adolphus was killed is close to the road on the left hand with a plain stone and the initials G.A. inscribed on it. Weimar is a very neat city and where I should like much to have staid; but I had only time to view the outside of the Palace and the _Stadthaus_. Erfurt and Gotha are both fine looking cities. In Gotha I had only time to see the outside of the _Residenz Schloss_ or Ducal Palace, which is agreeably situated on an eminence, and to remark in the _Neumarkt Kirche_ the portrait of Duke Bernard of Saxe Weimar and the monuments of the princes of that family. At Erfurt there is the tomb of a Count Gleichen who was made prisoner in the Holy Land, in the time of the Crusades, and was released by a Mahometan Princess on condition of his espousing her. The Count was already married in Germany and there he had left his wife; but such was his grat.i.tude to the fair Musulmane, that he married her with the full consent of his German wife and they all three lived happily together. Fulda, where we stopped four hours, appears a fine city, and is situated on an eminence commanding a n.o.ble view of a very fertile and extensive plain. The Episcopal Palace and the churches are magnificent, and the general appearance of the town is striking. The Bishopric of Fulda was formerly an independent ecclesiastical state, but was secularised at the treaty of Luneville and now forms part of the territory of Hesse-Ca.s.sel.

The _Feld-zeichen_ of Hesse-Ca.s.sel is green and red. After pa.s.sing thro'

Hanau, where we halted three hours, which gave me an opportunity of viewing the field of battle there, we proceeded to Frankfort and arrived there at twelve o'clock the 12th of March. I put up at the _Swan_ inn. In summer time the country about Fulda and in general between Fulda and Frankfort must be very pleasing from the variety of the features of the ground. We lived very well and very cheap on the road. The price of the diligence from Leipzig to Frankfort was eleven _Reichsthaler_.

After remaining three days to repose at Frankfort I took my place to Mayence and from thence to Metz and Paris. In the diligence from Mayence and indeed all the way to Paris I found a very amusing society. There were two physicians and M. L[emaitre], a most entertaining man and of inexhaustible colloquial talent; for, except when he slept, he never ceased to talk. His conversation was however always interesting and entertaining, for he had figured in the early part of the French Revolution and was well known in the political and litterary world as the editor of a famous journal called _Le Bonhomme Richard_.[129]

Metz is a large, well built and strongly fortified city. Verdun, thro'

which we pa.s.sed, became quite an English colony during the war from the number of _detenus_ of that nation who were compelled to reside there. At Epernay we drank a few bottles of Champagne and a toast was given by one of the company, which met with general applause. It was _Bon voyage_ to the Allies who have now finally evacuated France to the great joy of the whole nation, except of the towns where they were cantoned, where they contributed much towards enriching the shopkeepers and inhabitants.

I remained in Paris six days and then proceeded to England.

[129] _Le bonhomme Richard aux bonnes gens_ was not a "famous journal," as only two numbers appeared in 1790 (M. Tourneux, _Bibliographie de l'histoire de Paris pendant la Revolution_, vol. 11, p. 585, n. 10, 511). The publisher, Antoine-Francois Lemaitre, whom Major Erye mentions in this pa.s.sage, was the author of some other revolutionary pamphlets, e.g., _Lettres bougrement patriotiques_, etc.--ED.