Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/227

 12 s. vii. SEPT. 4, 1920.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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by the way to converse with some ladies whom he met. The road is a tolerably pleasant walk through a wood.

Mr. H. and I went into the House in the Wood, which is a very neat building, about the size of the Queen's palace in St. James' Park. Some handsome apartments were shown to us; and one very fine one, the ball-room, decorated with fine paintings, mostly relating to the actions of Frederic Henry of Orange.

At half past four we set off in the boat for Leyden. The canal for about three miles is bordered with a continued range of sumptuous pleasure-houses, and gardens in the height of thejDutch taste, with tall cut hedges, long vistos, berceau walks, statues, aviaries, and parterres. The summer-houses were full of people drinking tea and smoking. At a village where we changed boats a kind of fair was held, with curious sorts of diversions, very different from a Sunday's scene with us. Nearer Leyden the canal becomes very broad, with fine extensive meadows on each side. Numerous small painted houses and gardens surrounded the vicinity of Leyden, where we arrived at half past seven.

July 12. After breakfast we all sallied forth, and I called at several places to make myself known, in doing which I was obliged to make all possible use of my broken French. My recommendatory letters were of little service, the principal person to whom they were addressed being dead; but the books I took with me served as an introduction. We saw the Burgh a curious artificial mount in the midst of the city, with a sort of fortification at top; and the Stadt house a fine old building, in which are some paintings of Lucas van Leyden. A re- markable one of the Last Judgment, rather comic than terrible, and a striking representation of the raising of the memorable siege of Leyden, attracted our principal notice. As every Dutch town is clean, the great neatness of Leyden ceased to be so striking; but we were really struck on passing through several populous streets inhabited by weavers, which were as clean as the best parts of the city.

July 13. At twelve I went to the College, where I was to be again examined, before the Dean and Faculty of Medicine. The whole Faculty was represented by Prof. Oosterdyck. He was the examiner this day. His questions chiefly related to the diagnostics and cure of diseases. They were fair and candid, and the business was got through with ease. I had two Aphorisms of Hippocrates given me to comment upon against the next day, which made me as busy in the evening as a school-boy with his task. I also went over all my thesis with a Latin school- master, who seemed a clever man and had nothing pedantic in his appearance.

We walked about various other parts of the town, and particularly through more streets of manufactures, not quite so clean as before repre- sented, but all wonderfully quiet and orderly. Very few children are to be seen in the streets; and the lively mischievous character of a boy, as it appears in England and other places, seems not to exist here. Contrary to what I had expected, we found the Dutch to be very civil and polite people. Even the lower sort frequently pull off

their hats to one another in the streets, and make way for each other in passing.

We strolled a good deal about the town this day, and almost finished our survey of it. Leyden is a large, handsome and well-built city, with many very good houses, but few buildings that can be called grand or magnificent. It is re- markably still and quiet, and seems on the decline,, many houses in all the streets being to be let OP sold. At the same time, there is nothing ruinous or shabby. Even the pleasure-houses in the- gardens are all kept in perfect repair.

The sober uniformity o? the Dutch now begins to grow tiresome. There is nothing gay or joyous; no amusements of a lively cast. After business is over, the grave burgher goes to his garden without the walls and smokes his pipe in a summer-house.

We drank tea with a grave young physician,, who showed us his large collection of diseased bones.

July 15. In the morning I sent my thesis to the press; and afterwards viewed the anatomical ' theatres and preparations. After dinner I got the first proof sheet; and having corrected it,, and left proper directions about the remainder, we set off at four in the Haarlem boat. We sailed along a broad, very straight canal, thro ugh fine meadows with many plantations of trees but few people. The sand-hills on the seashore were in view on the left during most of the voyage. We were struck with the civility of the passengers- in boats, who generally saluted each other on- meeting. The masters of the treck-schuyts are commonly decent substantial men, who converse- familiarly with their passengers.

At eight we reached Haarlem. We walked about till dark, and then returned to supper at the ordinary where the company all spoke Dutch. The landlady, however, who was at the table, spoke French very well.

16. We were abroad hi good time to view the town. The cathedral is an extremely large old building, and is well situated in a handsome opening. We saw, but did not hear, the famous organ, which reaches from the floor of the church to the roof. In the old part of Haarlem the streets are narrow; and the rows of trees are

Elanted so near the houses, that they look like a in before a lady's face at church. The new town has some handsome streets, one, in particular, which we admired greatly. A fine broad canal runs in the midst, with handsome bridges; and on each side is a broad pavement, with rows of lofty trees, and some very noble houses, the inhabitants of which, we were told, are chiefly Anabaptists. Our guide also took us to the Wood, adjoining and belonging to the city, of which the people are so proud. It is cut into- stars, avenues, &., and neatly kept; but the trees are contemptible. About it are many elegant pleasure-houses, some belonging to - Amsterdam merchants. The famous florists' gardens too, are hereabouts; and we saw vast numbers of bulbous roots drying upon frames.

At eleven we embarked in the boat for Amster- dam. The canal is extremely straight and hand- some. Half-way we got out of our boat, and walked across a narrow neck of land, between the Haarlem meer on one hand, and the Y, an arm of thej Zuyder-zee on the other. The