tion, and agriculture; the second devotes itself to natural philosophy; the third to drawing; the fourth to music; and the fifth to general literature.

On the top of the house is an elevated dome, from whence there is a commanding view of the city, and of the rich plains in the neighbourhood, with parts of the Zuyder Zee and the Haarlem-meer on either side. Each department of the society has a cabinet to exemplify, and instruments suited to the exposition and advancement of the particular branch of science or of art which its labours are intended to illustrate.

Amsterdam, like most great commercial towns, is not characterised by excessive cleanliness. Except those by the sides of the canals, which are broad and adorned by rows of fine trees, the streets are dull and narrow. Most of the houses incline forward, so that the streets are necessarily narrower above than below, by which means a portion of day-light is excluded, producing a corresponding degree of darkness and gloom. In the attic story of these houses the winter supplies of fuel, &c. are deposited, after being hoisted up from the street by means of a projecting beam; and I conclude, that this inclination forward, is to prevent any bulky articles from striking against the windows below. The houses are of great height, and chiefly built of brick, and without any relative plan or uniformity of aspect.

There are, however, many dwelling houses which I visited in Amsterdam, particularly in Kiezer's Gragt, and Heeren Gragt, which are built in the most elegant and commodious manner. The steps up to the doors are of a grayish marble-the lobbies are finished with white marble floors-and the different apartments are decorated in the Continental style, with magnificent mirrors. The windows, too, are wide and lofty, many of them consist panes of crown glass, three or four feet long, and of a proportional breadth; and the doors are richly carved and ornamented. Almost every lobby terminates with the view of a little flower garden, which produces a freshness and beauty unknown in most large cities. In as far as I have observed, there are no flag-stones, or foot-path of any kind, even in the finest streets. In the dock-yard I saw three sail of the line, built there by Bonaparte, and

of

went on board one of them, called the Piet Hein, not yet launched. I observe here, that vessels, at least such as I have seen, are built with their prows to the water, whereas with us they are usually launched stern foremost. The cradles, or camels (kamelen), upon which large ships are lifted, and carried over the banks and shoals of the Zuyder Zee, are very curious, though well known. In the model room, there is a ship of the line in miniature, about six or eight feet long, made of mahogany, which opens by hinges at the bow, and shows the whole interior of a hundred gun ship, even to the minutest birth and locker. In the same room there is a model of De Ruyeter's favourite ship, with all her guns, masts, sails, and rigging, in the highest order. On shore there is a vessel kept completely rigged, where young men intended for the navy are taught to run up in the dark; and as by constant exposure to rain, and the want of that minute attention which during a voyage is indispensably necessary, the cordage sometimes gives way, these youths occasionally experience more rapid descents than they consider as entirely consistent with the eternal fitness of things; so that they are at least taught something before they go to sea. A Dutchman, however, in good health, is said never to alight upon his head, and I believe that the fact, though singular, is in exact agreement with our theory_of gravitation. During the only Sunday which I passed in this town, I visited most of the churches; none of which, however, are at all to be compared with those I have already seen. In one of them I found a Scotch clergyman, preaching to his countrymen in the language of his country. He inculcated the doctrine of eternalwith great spirit; frightened the young children, and made the old women turn up the white of their eyes; and appeared, wherewithal, to be somewhat better than wise.

Utrecht.

I LEFT Amsterdam in the evening, with the intention of travelling during the night, as the sky foreboded a sultry day; I was moreover induced to this, from the beauty of the full moon the preceding night. On my way to the treckschuyt, I crossed the Amstel by the Pont Neuf, a magnificent bridge,

600 feet long, and 70 broad. It is built upon 30 arches, and on each side there are iron balustrades. This bridge conducts to the only pleasant public walk which I observed in or near Amsterdam, and I unfortunately did not discover it till the evening of my departure. It was crowded by people of all ranks and ages; and I observed a great many beautiful chariots in miniature, drawn by goats richly and fancifully caparisoned, in which little children, gayly dressed, were seated. Every thing here seems to be put to use. In the market-place, and along the keys, you meet with bull dogs and mastiffs, loaded with heavy burdens, or dragging along little carts; and in a house in which I visited, there was an old cat, whose occupation it was to drive the flies and wasps from some fruit which lay ripening in the sun.

About eight in the evening, I embarked on board the treckschuyt for Utrecht. The ruif, as it is called, or place for the gentry, was engaged, so I entered the ruim with a most motley group. This is the larger part of the boat, and may contain near forty people, whereas the ruif, or small cabinlike partition near the stern, does not admit more than eight. It is lighted from the ceiling by a lamp, and is so low in the roof that a man of ordinary stature cannot stand upright. A long range of seats occupies each side, and there is a similar range down the centre. I took my place in an obscure corner, where I had a complete view of this curious and novel scene.

There were in all about three-andthirty persons, and by accident they had grouped themselves in the most picturesque and striking attitudes. Immediately before me lay a band of weary labourers, with their scythes and pruning-hooks, all in the arms of Morpheus. The lamp was now lighted, and threw a broad unnatural light on the objects in its immediate neighbourhood; whilst a pale and sickly gleam irradiated the more distant parts, serving merely to render darkness visible. The two principal figures were reclining on each side of the lamp. On the one side there lay a gigantic dragoon, with huge mustachios and a long sabre; he had a black patch on his forehead, and wore on his breast a badge of honour. He was lying on the ground, with his head and chest somewhat raised in his right hand he held

his sabre; and his left, which supported his head, hung over his plumed helmet. On the other side of the lamp, upon a bench, lay a tall thin figure, with a sallow complexion; a nose and chin handsome, but rather too much hooked; and the blackest and most fiery eyes I ever experienced. He seemed about 50 years of age or upwards, and wore a long blue great coat, with a head-dress of white muslin, resembling a turkish turban, and red morocco shoes. He lay upon his side, with his face to the light; his head supported by his right hand, and in his left there was a book, which he perused most attentively and leisurely. Every two or three minutes he raised his head, and fixed his sight on the lamp, as if meditating on the contents of the volume. I could have believed him some powerful magician engrossed with the study of the magic art, or even the Prince of Darkness himself, "Of regal port, tho' faded splendour wan.'

19

In the back-ground were figures and faces of every kind-men, women, and children; some of which, from the unsteady light of the lamp, appeared to advance and recede like the representations of the Phantasmagoria. But all were asleep, save Satan and myself. Seldom have I seen any countenance which impressed me more with the idea of a person whose ways were not those of the world; and, though we are now perhaps some hundred miles from each other, in imagination I still behold his fiery countenance, and almost tremble at "the trouble of his darkened eye."

At four in the morning I arrived at Utrecht; and being attracted by the beauty of an eiderdown coverlet, and fatigued by my watching in the night, I went to bed for some hours.

I am much pleased with my residence here, and have passed my time much more happily than in Amsterdam. Utrecht is the sweetest town I have yet seen in Holland. The ramparts are high and broad, and command a fine view of the adjacent country, which is rich and beautiful. The walls are surrounded by a broad fosse; on the other side of which, as in Leyden, there is a delightful walk all round the town. The stripe of ground between the walls and the fosse is divided into small and elegant gardens, in many of which there are

summer-houses of great beauty. The contrast between these fairy parterres and the venerable walls which tower above them is very fine; and the whole is reflected by the water, which in many places is bordered by two of the most picturesque trees in nature, the willow and the weeping birch.

Within the walls the streets are clean and cheerful, and present more the healthy aspect of a country village than of a walled city. With regard to any object of curiosity which U trecht may contain, I am ignorant, as the greater part of my time, from sunrise to sunset, was spent on the battle ments. The morning after my arrival I met with a Dutchman, ex facie a schoolmaster, who spoke to me in Latin. At this I was somewhat alarmed; but I thought it better, at least, to appear as learned as he. So I told him, in French, that I was an Hungarian priest; that Latin was my vernacular tongue; and that I was travelling to Paris to acquire a more perfect knowledge of the French language, to speak which I was anxious 1 to avail myself of every opportunity before visiting the capital. This had the desired effect. He tried no other dead language; and as he spoke French with as much awkwardness as I did myself, I escaped detection. Among other pieces of information, he told me, what I perhaps ought to have known before, that Utrecht is one of the oldest towns in Holland; that in the time of the Romans it was a mere ferry, called Trajectum, afterwards Trajectum Ulpii, out of respect to Ulpius Trajan; and that from these the present name was derived. He also informed me, that there is in this neighbourhood a colony of Moravian brethren, of the simplicity and propriety of whose manners he gave an interesting account. The females are distinguished, according to their age, by a difference in the colour of the riband upon their caps. Rose colour characterizes the children under twelve years old; from that period till the age of eighteen, yellow and a deeper red are worn; a pale rose colour is then assumed, which is kept till marriage; after which the colour is sky blue. Widows wear white ribands, 'jusq' a la mort ;" but I forgot to ask if any change is affected in this matter by a second marriage.

66

I was much delighted with my VOL. I.

journey hither from Amsterdam. It was a lovely night, with a glorious moon; and the sky was brighter and more blue than I should have expected to see it in so low a country as Holland. The sides of the canal are adorned with many villas, surrounded by gardens and shrubberies, which have summer-houses close upon the water's edge; and those balmy airs, which I have already described, were more than usually refreshing, after the close and heated atmosphere of the ruim. We glided smoothly along from one fine grove to another, with the moon and her attendant image on the still water, either sailing along with us, as if competing with each other, or suddenly obscured and darkened by the dense foliage of some majestic

tree.

Rotterdam.

Having been rather amused with the scene presented by my last nocturnal voyage, I again embarked in the evening, and travelled during the night from Utrecht to Gouda. In the ruim I found as motley a group as on the former occasion. The company was, however, very musically inclined. One man commenced operations by whistling a tune, another hummed, and a third sung aloud. Matters did not stop here. A young man produced a flute, and an old one a fiddle, and to it they set, whistlers, hummers, singers, flute-players, and fiddlers, all together, and produced amongst them no inharmonious concert. The love of music, indeed, seems a prominent feature in the character of the lower classes in Holland, and the only amusement which I have observed capable of making them withdraw their tobacco-pipes from their mouths. This effect, however, it does not always produce, for I have frequently seen them smoke and sing at the same time. In Holland, indeed, a pipe is absolutely necessary in the performance of every duty-moral, physical, and commercial.

I arrived at Gouda just as the sun. appeared above the horizon, which in this country is at a very early hour. As there is not a cliff or mountain "within the visible diurnal sphere," the sun is seen emerging, as if from the plain of the ocean, without an object to intercept his horizontal rays. There is indeed a feature of the pic

4 F

turesque in Holland, and a very grand one too, which I have never seen mentioned by any traveller. A short time before sunrise, each field and meadow, as far as the eye can reach, is covered by an impenetrable mass of the whitest mist, resembling a sea of cotton, through which, like so many beautiful oazes in the desert, the tops of villages, with the spires of churches and tall poplars, are seen in every direction. These vapours, when about to be dispersed by the solar beams, assume a variety of forms and colours, and exhibit, through their airy casements, rich glimpses of the verdant meadows sparkling with the morning dew.

I believe there is nothing remarkable in Gouda. In it the two Crabreths flourished, celebrated as glasspainters, I think, in the sixteenth century. Some of their works adorn the windows of the principal church. It is also worthy of remembrance as the birthplace of Hartsoeker.

From Gouda to Rotterdam, probably owing to the nature of the country, there is no direct conveyance by water; so, after being obliged to submit to an affectionate salute from an old man, with whom I had a good deal of conversation in Dutch, (not very classical-its chief ingredient, on my part, being borrowed from a sister language, the broad Scotch,) and who insisted upon treating me to a glass of gin, which, together with the snuff from his shirt-ruffle, brought tears to my eyes on this most melancholy occasion, I departed in the diligence, and arrived at Rotterdam in good time for breakfast.

Here I fancy myself quite at home, from the aspect of a few streets and canals being familiar to me, in consequence of my former visit. I believe I shall not be able to discover any thing new in Rotterdam, or worthy of note; and shall therefore, in all probability, prepare to-morrow for my journey to the Netherlands.

I consider the Dutch to be a civil obliging people, willing enough to accommodate travellers, though probably seldom inclined to sacrifice their own interests for the welfare of others. In as far as I have gone, I can say, with truth, that I am not sensible of having been imposed upon by any one, or of having been treated with neglect where I had any right to expect atten

tion. Their cleanliness and sobriety are beyond praise; and their honesty

with the exception of coasters and idle seamen, who proffer their services in taking you on shore, and who are rogues all the world over-I have had no reason to doubt. The love of gain seems their ruling passion; but, ex-. clusive of Jews, who are very numerous in this country, I am not aware that they employ any mean or dishonourable artifices to promote its gratifi cation.

Talking of the gentlemen, leads, by a natural transition, to the ladies. They are in general a handsome race, though, I believe, in proportion to their numbers, there are more beauti ful women among the Jews in Holland than among the Dutch, properly so called. The beauty of the higher ranks did not appear to me to be in any degree peculiar or national, but admitted of great variety; as I frequently observed, in the same town, features which would have been considered, in the respective countries, as characteristic of Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. The Batavian embonpoint is more frequently exemplified by the men than by the women.

In some parts of Holland, particularly at Haarlem and Enchuisen, on the occasion of a birth, a piece of silk, with a lace border, four or five inches in diameter, sometimes round, sometimes square, is pasted on the outside of the lady's door, as an intimation to the world, that is, the neighbour on each side of her house, of this important event. In our own country, as I was informed by an elderly gentleman in Amsterdam, the same information, however attempted to be disguised, and indeed solemnly denied, were you to assert such a thing, is conveyed by a paper, entitled, "Please call at the low door," as if, the old gentleman added, any gentleman not paid for it, would accept of such an invitation, or call by a route appropriated exclusively for servants, attorneys' clerks, sick-nurses in long silk cloaks, and square-sterned femmes sages. Many of our remote ancestors, I am credibly assured by several old women and some antiquaries, had only it seems one door, and that sometimes low enough. Even at present, I am told, that some decentlooking people reside at this moment in many parts of Britain, up sometimes one pair of stairs, and sometimes up

half a dozen; that there they contrive, nobody knows how, actually to have children, and that

"Buirdly chiels and clever hizzies, Are bred in sic a way as this is." Long before the days of Tristram Shandy, there must have been something magnificent naturally associated with the idea of parturition, I mean among females; for as to the male animal chiefly concerned, it has been remarked, that on such occasions he has rather a sober, pitiful, sneaking, aspect. Even a hen in an outhouse cannot drop an egg quietly. No there is incontinently such a clack and hullyballoo set up in the neighbourhood, in which the cock, too, like a fool, sometimes joins, as is absolutely intolerable. A learned friend of mine, who has studied all languages, particularly that of birds, and who pretends he can converse with them, assures me, that all this cackle and uproar in the hen-house, is nothing more than

"Please call at the low door."*

X.Y.Z.

GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON

STRATHEARN.

MR EDITOR,

THE wonderful revolutions to which the surface of the globe has been subjected since its primary formation, have of late years claimed the attention of philosophers. Those changes, almost every where apparent, have given rise to new theories no less singular than satisfactory, and have excited a desire in mankind to become acquainted with the causes by which those extraordinary phenomena have been occasioned, and which, in former times, either escaped their notice, or appeared so mysterious and inscrutable as to preclude all research.

The human mind cannot now form any conception of that aspect which the surface of the earth originally had assumed, though it cannot be doubted, that, from the various agents employed in the mighty operations of nature, exerted in giving form and stability to our planet, considerable irregularity must all along have diversi

fied it; but those immense masses, which constitute what are called the primary mountains, seem in a great. measure to have remained unaltered during the subsequent convulsions that produced the secondary structure, and gave to the universal body its present unequal appearance ;-But a smooth and uninterrupted surface was incompatible with those laws which are supposed to have been called into action in the formation of the earth; and though it is not necessary, on the present occasion, to enter into the merits of the contending Volcanic and Neptunian theories, we must still be conscious, that many series of facts constantly presented to our view on the exterior, as well as those that have been explored in the bowels of the earth, are consistent with, and may very plausibly be attributed to, the influence of both powers.

For the purpose of exhibiting an object of geology more immediately

within the reach of our own observation, we shall confine our remarks to an extraordinary change to which the beautiful and fertile valley of Strathearn has anciently been subjected; and which, though perhaps of less importance to the naturalist than the prodigious altitudes, and extensive dales of the Alps and Andes, are still worthy of admiration, as this tract possesses a variety of subjects interesting to the student of nature, and to the lover of her sublime and picturesque beauties.

The great chain of the Grampian mountains, which constitutes the northern, as the Ochil hills do the southern, boundary of this valley, are in many parts composed of primitive matter; but in several places this formation is surmounted by secondary rock of various character and diversity of alternation and position. The portion of those mountains in the vicinity of Lochearn, and what forms the immediate limits of that lake, is not wholly granitic, their exterior being covered with wacke, different species of shistus, lime, and sandstone. Some beds of trap are also visible in its usual linear direction, traversing these rocks without regard to their stratification, and always disposed in vertical walls.

But the most striking features in the district of Strathearn are, the surprising changes that the ground has