Young Americans Abroad
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DEAR CHARLEY:--
I believe the lads have told you what they have seen in Belgium; and as
they are just now busily employed, I shall endeavor to tell you our
doings and enjoyments for the last day in this noble old city. We have
been to see St. James's Church, where the great attraction is the tomb
of Rubens. The altar is exquisitely fine, and was the work of Duquesnoy.
Rubens brought it from Italy. Over the tomb is the famous Holy Family,
in which Rubens has introduced himself as St. George, his father as
Jerome, his wives as Martha and Magdalene, his grandfather as old Time,
and his son as the Angel. This wonderful creation of art was carried off
by Napoleon to the Louvre, but was restored to the church in 1815. From
hence we repaired to St. Paul's Church. It was built in 1679. It has a
noble appearance, and retains its cloisters. In this building we noticed
the Flagellation, by Rubens; Jesus bearing the Cross, by Vandyke; the
Crucifixion and Resurrection, by Jordaens; and the Adoration of the
Shepherds, by Rubens. As we left the church, we visited the Calvary,
which is at the entrance, or, rather, off from it, at the right. It is
meant to represent the place of Christ's death. There are several
statues of prophets and apostles, and a sort of grotto. At the end is
Mount Calvary, and the summit is the scene of the Savior's crucifixion.
Beneath is the tomb, the body, and the stone rolled away; and at the
left are bars and flames, and poor creatures in purgatorial fires. A
more wretched-looking burlesque was never placed in the vicinage of art
and the productions of genius. Popery employs such trickery unblushingly
in Papal countries, but withholds their exhibition from the common sense
of England and America, waiting till our education shall fit us for the
simple, unalloyed system of delusion.
We find the number of priests in Belgium much greater than in France. We
see them in the cars, at the stations, and in every street. At one
station, on our way to Antwerp, we saw a most strangely-dressed man. He
wore a cloak, and the cape formed a sort of hat. His head was shaved,
and his feet were bare. We learnt that he was a monk of La Trappe. He
was as noble a looking man as I have seen in Europe.
We devoted the morning to the Museum, which is so famous for containing
the richest productions of Rubens, Vandyke, Jordaens, and a host of
other great Flemish artists. As we entered, we saw, with interest, the
chair of Rubens, which he used in his studio. It bears his name, and the
date of 1638. It is in a glass case. Rubens has sixteen pictures here,
of high character, and Vandyke several. We were all delighted with No.
215--a Dead Christ on a stone table, and the Virgin mourning at his
side. No. 212 is a wonderful composition--Christ crucified between the
Thieves. The look of the dying penitent at his Savior is not to be
forgotten. The Magdalene of this picture is a creation of beauty indeed.
I have purchased a fine engraving of this picture, and several others by
Rubens, and I hope, by looking at them long, to retain the impression I
had made on my mind as I gazed upon the originals. No. 221--the
Trinity--is a profane and ungracious representation of a Dead Christ in
the arms of a stern old man, who is intended for the Father. This
picture is wonderfully fine, as regards the foreshortening of the dead
body; and I never saw such an exhibition in this respect. No. 218---
Christ showing his Wounds to Thomas--is fine; but the picture has
suffered from damp.
Quentin Matsys has several of his productions here, and we looked with
interest at a fine Sir Thomas More, by Holbein; the Flight into Egypt,
by Memling; Mater Dolorosa, by Albert Durer; and many interiors, by
Flemish artists. I was greatly pleased with No. 382--the Death of
Rubens, by Van Bree, who died in 1839. This is large, and I think a most
effective picture. The two sons, the priest, the wife fainting, and the
two scribes, are admirably disposed; and the open window, through which
the cathedral spire is seen, seems to me exceedingly clever; but I fancy
I admired it more than artists have done. On leaving this noble
collection, we stopped at St. Andrew's Church to see a portrait of Mary,
Queen of Scots, over a monument to the two Ladies Curl, one of whom
waited on her at her execution at Fotheringay Castle. After dinner we
sallied out to see the Exchange, or Bourse, and from which the first
London one was copied. Of course, this gave it an interest to us, as we
could fancy we saw the royal building in which Queen Bess made such a
display, and of which Gresham had so much reason to be proud. It is a
piazza of iron arches and granite pillars, surrounding a square two
hundred feet long by one hundred and sixty wide. It was built in 1531.
On returning home, we accidentally met with Mr. Vesey, the American
consul. He invited us to his drawing-room, and we had a very pleasant
half hour. But when he found we were to leave next day, he insisted on
taking us to the outskirts and showing us the citadel and
fortifications. In a few minutes he had us in a carriage, and became our
kind and efficient guide till the loss of daylight rendered it useless
to look around. I think we shall never forget the very great attention
and friendship which we all met with from this gentleman; and I was
gratified to hear him say that here, in Europe, nothing seemed to
interest him in relation to mere party strife at home; while the honor
and union of the country seemed to him all and every thing. Mr. Vesey
has a good library and some fine paintings. He is a man of taste, and
marked by energy of character; and is just such a representative of his
country as she needs at such points as Antwerp and other large cities.
Yours truly,
J.O.C.
Letter 36.
HAGUE.
DEAR CHARLEY:--
I assure you we felt sorry to leave Antwerp; it is such a thoroughly
fine old place, has so much of old Spanish history still bound up with
its present aspect, and is so decidedly foreign in its appearance,
language, &c. I have only time left to say a word about the docks of
Antwerp, which were a favorite project of Napoleon Bonaparte. They were
constructed at an enormous outlay; and the emperor expected to make this
place the great rival of London. At the peace of 1814, the dock yards
were demolished; but the great basins still exist, and are used for
purposes of commerce. They are useful in winter, to preserve vessels
from the ice which floats in the Scheldt.
It was a lovely morning when, having parted with our English friends,
who proceeded to Bruges, we entered on board an iron steamer for a
passage of about eight hours to Rotterdam. The boat was neat and clean,
though small, and the cabin was adorned with baskets and pots of flowers
of various kinds. The view of the city and its fortifications was fine,
as the boat receded from the shore. On our way we passed Dort, one of
the finest towns of Holland, and from appearances, I think, one of much
trade. Its population is twenty thousand. Here, in 1618, was held the
famous Synod of Dort, the great labor of which was to settle the claims
of the rival systems of Calvin and Arminius. At this synod, Bishop Hall
was a delegate from the English church; and he, good man, never dreamed
of denying the validity of the ordination of his brethren in that
council. We felt interested, as we sailed along this town, in
remembering that here, in 1421, seventy-two villages and more than one
hundred thousand persons were drowned by the incursion of water from the
dike. The river stretches far away, and looks much like a lake.
If any one looks at the face of the country, he will at once understand
why these regions have been termed the Low Countries. We passed, as you
may see on the map, Gravendeel, Willeinstadt, and the far-famed
fortress of Bergen op Zoom, which is one of the strongest places in
Holland. You know that Antwerp stood a long siege in 1831, when it
suffered severely; and, as we passed Fort St. Laurent, we were pointed
out the spot where a most gallant occurrence happened at that time. A
gun boat, belonging to Holland, got on shore, and the Belgians hastened
to capture her, when her captain, a young man named Van Speyk, rushed
into the magazine, put his cigar upon an open keg of powder, and, in the
explosion, perished, with twenty-eight of his crew out of thirty-one. He
was an orphan, who had been educated at Amsterdam. He has a fine
monument next to Admiral De Ruyter's, and a fine ship of the Dutch navy
bears his name. On board our boat we found two young gentlemen, of about
fifteen or sixteen, belonging to Rotterdam, who were going home for
vacation.. They are pupils at a boarding school in Brussels. They spoke
English very well, and gave us a great deal of pleasing information. The
dinner on the boat was very excellent. On reaching Rotterdam, we merely
rode through it to take the cars for the Hague. It is a fine-looking
town, has seventy-five thousand inhabitants, and some noble East
Indiamen were lying at the wharves. Many of the houses were like those
at Antwerp, and told a Spanish origin. I here noticed looking-glasses
at the windows, so that any one in the parlor can see the reflection up
and down the streets. I was glad to be able to see the bronze statue of
Erasmus, who was born here in 1467. We were delayed by the absence of
the authorities to sign our passports, but were in time to reach the
ears, and then started for the Hague, which is thirteen miles from
Rotterdam; and we were forty minutes on the way. The road is excellent.
We passed through Delft, and here we could not fail to admire the
gardens and country-houses. It was dark as we entered the town; and we
took up our quarters at the Doelen, which is a name indicating that
archers have resorted thither. Whoever goes to this house will be sure
to do well. We obtained capital rooms. Early next morning we called on
Mr. George Folsom, our _charge d'affaires_. This gentleman is an old
friend of mine; and he gave us a most cordial welcome, taking entire
possession of our party for the day. Mr. Folsom resides in very handsome
style upon the Voorhout, the best street of the city, and which, like
every other part of the place, is adorned with noble trees. It seems
strange to call this place a city, it is so thoroughly rural in its
appearance. It hardly shows like a town of sixty-five thousand people on
account of being concealed in shrubbery, cut up by canals, and
overshadowed with forest-trees.
Very early in the day we were kindly provided with carriages, and taken
to Scheveningen, a village about three miles off. Our road lay through a
fine avenue of trees. This is a great fishing-place, and a great
watering-place. It has a large hotel, which we went to for lunch. It is
the great rendezvous of the fashionable part of society in Germany
during the heat of summer. We could not help drawing a contrast between
Scheveningen and Newport, and not much to the advantage of the Dutch
beach. This spot has some celebrity, as the port whence Charles II.
embarked for England at his restoration. On our way back we saw the
residence of the queen dowager, sister to the Emperor of Russia, and of
whom Mr. Folsom speaks highly, as a very excellent and sensible lady.
Mrs. Folsom and the ladies of our party had visited the queen the day
before. The house looked quite snug, and very unpretending. On
returning, we at once repaired to the Museum, which is supposed to be,
in many respects, the finest in Europe. Here, too, is the famous picture
gallery, in which are the best productions of the Flemish and Dutch
schools. You are aware that Holland has had extensive trade with China
and Japan, through her colonies; hence the richness of this museum,
which, so far as Japan is concerned, is unrivalled. I have a catalogue
of this wonderful collection, and to that I must refer you; for, as to
description of what I saw, it would be impossible to tell you a
hundredth part. The Oriental curiosities are very rich and fine. A plan
of Jeddo, the capital of Japan, is very curious--made by natives. The
historical treasures are rich and numerous. Here we saw the armor of De
Ruyter, and that of Van Tromp, well scored with bullets; the sword of
Van Speyk; a part of Czar Peter's bed; the dress of William of Orange
when he was murdered at Delft; the pistol and bullets by which he fell,
&c., &c. We all expected much pleasure from the gallery of paintings,
and I believe we experienced no disappointment; and how could we, with
such treasures of art and genius? Here we noticed with most interest
Rembrandt's Surgeon and Pupils dissecting a dead Body. This is No. 127.
The body is admirable, and the legs are thrown into shadow. The
portraits are lifelike. The portraits of Rembrandt's wives are fine
specimens of coloring. No. 123 is the world-renowned Bull, by Paul
Potter. The glory of this work is its minute adherence to nature. The
leaves and plants, and every appearance of vegetation, impresses the
spectator with the idea of reality. This was carried off to the Louvre,
although the Dutch offered twenty thousand pounds sterling to redeem it.
I liked the pictures of De Ruyter and Van Tromp; but the treat of all to
me was the show of small Dutch pictures, by Gerard Dow, thirty-five in
number; a Battle Field and Hay Cart, by Wouvermans, and many others from
his studio; Flight into Egypt, by Vanderwerp; Fruits and Flowers, by
Breughels; Interiors of Cottages, by A.V. Ostades; a Kitchen, by
Teniers; and a very large Hunting-piece by Snyders, whom I greatly
admire. As to portraits, they are in any number, and some are very fine.
One of Laurence Coster, by Durer, is curious.
We went to see the late King's Palace, and here we found only the relics
of the splendid gallery which was once to be seen. An auction had
recently disposed of more than half the paintings. The late monarch was
a man of taste, but had sadly involved himself in its gratification.
Many of the paintings here are exceedingly fine, and will be disposed of
in a public sale next October. After leaving this palace, we went with
Mr. Folsom to see the Brimenhoff. This is the place where the Dutch
parliament meets. We went into the second chamber and heard the debates,
which were not very edifying. The appearance of the members was very
much like that of a New England assembly of legislators.
The fine Gothic Hall here is said to be the oldest building in the city.
It was on a scaffolding in front of it that Barneveldt, the grand
pensionary of Holland, was beheaded, in 1618, at the age of seventy-two.
We also saw the gateway of the tower in which Cornelius De Witt was
confined, in 1672, on the ridiculous charge of conspiracy against the
Prince of Orange. The populace feared his acquittal, and they by a
manoeuvre induced his brother John De Witt, the grand pensionary, to
visit him in prison. They then broke in, dragged them forth, and tore
them to pieces under the gateway. We went to look at De Witt's
residence, which is plain and unpretending.
I do wish you could have been with us in our ride through the Bosch, a
fine park of forest-trees near to the town. The forest never looked more
pleasant to me than here. May is a sweet month, and especially when,
with all her verdant beauty, she is just about to rush into the arms of
June. We all talked of you in the charming drive, and Mr. Folsom made
kind inquiries after you. On reaching home, we went with our kind guide
to see the house which was occupied by John Adams when he was at this
court negotiating a treaty with Holland in aid of our independence.
We are to spend to-morrow and next day at Harlem, on our way to
Amsterdam; and the boys will tell you what we see there.
Affectionately yours,
J.O.C.
Letter 37.
AMSTERDAM.
DEAR CHARLEY:--
In order that we might enjoy an opportunity to hear the great organ at
Harlem to advantage, Mr. Folsom advised us to spend a Sabbath day there,
which we did, in company with his family. We took the rail to Leyden,
ten miles. Here we saw the Dunes, or Sand Hills, which guard the Dutch
coast, and which are from one to four miles in width, and are from
thirty to fifty feet high. These immense piles would soon be scattered
by the strong winds if they were not regularly sown with reed grass, the
roots of which often spread from twenty to thirty feet, binding the
banks, and the decayed vegetation furnishing good soil for potatoes. The
existence of Holland and its population is only insured by perpetual
strife maintained against the sea and winds of heaven. We could not look
at Leyden and forget that the Pilgrim Fathers of New England were once
exiles at this place. They called it a "goodly and pleasant city," and
here they spent twelve years; and we looked at the scenery with interest
as we thought of their wanderings, and how much preparation was expended
in establishing the glorious foundations of our own New England. The
city has about forty thousand inhabitants. Its University is still
famous, and the hall of the institution is rich in portraits of the
great and good. The Museum of Natural History is very large, and is
quite curious in Oriental and Egyptian relics. In Japanese curiosities,
the Dutch museums are far more affluent than any others of Europe, as
they maintain almost exclusive traffic with Japan.
The history of Leyden is very interesting. In 1573-4, this town suffered
an awful siege from the Spaniards for four months, and lost more than
five thousand inhabitants by war and famine. At last the elements
conspired in their favor, and an incursion of the sea destroyed the
Spaniards and brought succor to the Dutch. Rembrandt the painter was
born at Leyden, in a wind mill. By the way, there are literally
thousands of wind mills in this country, and some of them are very
pretty objects. The sails of these mills are immensely large, and I
think I saw some that were quite one hundred feet long. Many of the best
men of England have studied at Leyden; and if you read the lives of
Evelyn and Goldsmith, you will find they were much attached to this
place. Boerhaave, the great physician, was a professor here, and go were
Arminius and his rival Gomarus. Gerard Dow or Douw, Jan Steen, and
Vandervelde, the artists, were born here. Near Leyden the Rhine enters
the sea, by the aid of a canal and sluice gates; and here are great salt
works, carried on by evaporation. From Leyden we took the rail to
Harlem, eighteen miles; and we found the road very good, and the
first-class cars perfectly luxurious. We noticed on our right hand the
Warmond Catholic Seminary for Popish priests, and saw the young men in
large numbers, walking about. The road runs through a sandy tract of
country, and much of it is made land. Approaching Harlem, we found the
cottages and country-houses very numerous and exceedingly pretty; and we
were pointed to the castle of the unfortunate Jacqueline, whose history,
you know, has been so charmingly written by our friend Mr. T.C. Grattan.
We made our home at the Golden Lion, and found the place comfortable and
very thoroughly Dutch. The landlady is a brisk, bustling body, and
speaks English tolerably well. Harlem has about twenty-fire thousand
inhabitants. On Sunday morning we went to the Church of St. Bavon. We
found a large congregation, and they sung most heartily. The dominie had
a cocked hat hanging up behind him in the pulpit; and he was, beyond
doubt, a very eloquent man. The great organ, built in 1738, was long
deemed _the_ organ of Europe, but is now supposed to be excelled at
Friburg. We heard it during service several times, and in a voluntary.
It unquestionably is an instrument of great sweetness as well as power.
It has five thousand pipes. The church is lofty, and looks plain enough
after what we have seen in Antwerp. Of course, we went to see the
statue of Coster, who is said to have been the inventor of printing in
1420-28, twelve years before Guttemberg made his experiments. The Dutch
are strong advocates for their inventor; but I think evidence in favor
of metal type lies with the man of Mayence.
You may be sure that, when we were so fortunate as to be here early in
June, we did not fail to go into the nurseries and gardens, and see the
hyacinths, tulips, narcissuses, anemones, ranunculuses, &c. We went to
the extensive grounds of Mr. Krelage, the first florist of Holland, No.
146 Kleine Houtweg; and here we were greatly delighted. The tulips were
exceedingly fine, and under cover they receive as much attention as if
they were babies. The hyacinths surpassed in beauty and variety any
thing we are accustomed to. I noticed a double blue, called Gloria
Mundi; Van Speyk, L'Importante, same color; Goethe, double yellow;
L'Eclair, crimson; and Emicus, white, which were particularly beautiful.
But we were all, perhaps, most pleased with the extensive beds of
anemones and ranunculuses, which rarely do well in our hot climate, and
here flourish in a humid atmosphere. Certainly they are the prettiest
flowers I ever saw; but they lack perfume. Here we saw them by
thousands. The exquisite order and condition of these large gardens
pleased us much. The young gentleman who kindly devoted three hours to
us spoke English well, and was very courteous and attentive. I have
brought away a catalogue of the flowers, with the prices. The soil of
Harlem is every where a deep sand, and every thing appears to flourish.
The vicinage of this place is very pleasant; and we rode for two hours
through a noble wood, fringed with sweet villas, and made a visit to a
palace built by the great banker, Hope, of Amsterdam, and which was the
residence of King Louis Bonaparte. It is now a picture gallery, and
contains some good historical pictures, and many fine small ones, of the
best artists of Holland. I think the boys forgot to tell you that, at
the Hague, we found the annual exhibition of paintings by the living
artists of Holland, just opened, and the treat was very great. It is
quite clear that the art is not lost here, and that rare excellence is
still to be found among the Dutch painters. We were all delighted with a
picture of Charles IX. of France, and his surgeon, Ambrose Pare. The
time is just before the Bartholomew massacre; and Catharine is in the
room, plotting with her wretched son. Some of the portraits were
remarkable productions, and evince a power rarely seen in this
department. Some of the interiors of houses and churches were quite in
the style of Ostade, Neefs, and Gerard Dow. A picture of the Virgin,
and Jesus and John, by Schwartze, of Amsterdam, received general praise.
Of this artist I shall have more to say.
The great Lake of Harlem, which is thirty miles in circumference, is to
be drained; and for several years operations have been in progress to
this end. The immense works employed for this purpose are worthy of
notice.
After leaving Harlem, and taking leave of our kind friend the minister
at the Hague, with his amiable family, we again entered the cars, and,
after riding twelve miles, reached Amsterdam. The chief feature on the
way was the everlasting wind mill, employed here to grind wheat, &c. We
went to the Hotel Doelen, and found it all that Mr. Folsom had said.
This is a great city, of two hundred and twenty-five thousand
inhabitants. The canals are immense affairs, and the ships and vessels
of all sorts give it a very active appearance. All round the city is a
wide fosse; and there are four great canals inside, with many minor
cuts. Some of these canals are more than one hundred and twenty-five
feet wide, and are edged with very fine houses; and the intercourse of
the city is kept up by some two hundred and fifty bridges. The city is
about eight miles round. Every one seems actively employed.
Yours affectionately,
J.O.C.
Letter 38.
AMSTERDAM.
DEAR CHARLEY:--
The next morning after reaching this fine, but queer city, we called on
the American consul, and he gave us a very friendly reception. He is
quite a young man, but seems to be full of energy. At his house we met a
Mr. J. G. Schwartze, a native of Philadelphia, but who came to Holland
very young, and has made this city his residence. He is highly
distinguished as an artist; and we saw a fine production of his at the
exhibition at the Hague. Mr. Schwartze is a charming companion--full of
enthusiasm; and when he found that I was fond of pictures, he at once
volunteered to be our guide to the galleries here; and in all our
movements here our kind friend has been with us. The most imposing
building here is the Stadhuis, or Palace. It was finished in 1655, and
used to be the seat of the town councils. Louis Bonaparte used it as his
residence; and the king occupies it when he comes here. The marble hall
is esteemed one of the noblest rooms in Europe, and is one hundred and
twenty feet long, fifty-seven wide, and nearly one hundred feet high.
From the top of this building you get a capital view of the town, cut up
into artificial islands by the intersection of canals, &c. In this
building is much fine statuary, and a few historical paintings.
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