Present State of the Literature of Holland. 



[Feb. 1, 



America may be met with, and stran- 

 gers find these societies a very agree- 

 aJ)le and convenient place of resort. 

 The Dutcli, however, generally spend 

 \{)u much time in them, particularly 

 in the evening when they might he 

 with their families; a Dnfchman in- 

 deed is scarcely ever seen drunk, though 

 they drink considerable quantities from 

 the time they commence with their 

 morning whet. 



There is another kind of clubs or so- 

 cieties which differ from tiiose we have 

 been describing, in being exclusively 

 devoted to literary purposes. Tiie 

 members consist of people of every pro- 

 fession, but most of them are supjiosed 

 to have some taste for letters. They 

 meet once a week or fortniiiht, but fo- 

 reigners are not often present. The 

 business of the evening commences 

 with a lecture or essay being read by a 

 member who always belongs <o some 

 profes!»ion connected witli literature. 

 The fii"st is succeeded by several others, 

 sometimes to the number of five or six 

 in the same evening, mIio treat the 

 audience with (heir own poetical effu- 

 sions. In no country are people fonder 

 of making verses than in Holland, and 

 these assemblies afford the opportunity 

 of reciting them without running the 

 risk of being hissed. 



After the audience have been treated 

 with an essay on some subject connect- 

 ed with ancient or modern literature, 

 by a professor from Leydcn or Utrecht, 

 they are perhaps entertained by a 

 woollen-draper'or upholsterer, \vho re- 

 cites an ode of his own composing, on 

 tiie greatness of Holland, the fame of 

 its authors, &c. and he again may 

 probably be succeeded by his clerk, 

 who with appropriate gestures, gives a 

 translation of some German ballad, or 

 perhaps a short piece of Southey's, if 

 his own muse has not been favourable. 

 An old merchant next makes his ap- 

 pearance, who gives a long account in 

 verse, of the changes and revolutions 

 in commerce and politics he has wit- 

 nessed in the course of his life. But 

 the privilege of pleasing, for nobody 

 ever seems displeasetl, h not wholly 

 engrossed by the male part of the as- 

 sembly, as ladies not unfiequently 

 mount the rostrum and astonish and 

 delight the audience with their softly 

 flowing strains ; but these stiains are 

 sometimes delivered with a force and 

 emphasis which appear f o belong rather 

 to the rougher than the gentler sex, 

 as the Dutch use a great deal of action 



when speaking in public. Perhaps it 

 would be better were thos(! poetical 

 flights less indulged in, and prose es- 

 says, &c, more encouraged, as from 

 I)eing always applauded, though they 

 seldom rise above mediocrity, and an; 

 generally mere trash, a spjrit of self- 

 conceit iind vanity is engendered, and 

 these makers of verses actually (iiink 

 tliemselves poets. Dutch patience is 

 strongly exemplified in the calmness 

 with which they listen to such effu- 

 sions, and wait for the signal to applaud, 

 which is always given by one of [(be 

 directors, commonly a clergyman, who 

 also delivers an eulogium on the p('r- 

 formance. A t these assemblies smoking 

 is allowed till the commencement of 

 business, before Mhich the room is al- 

 ways so completel)^ filled Avith f\imes of 

 tobacco, that the first performer is- 

 heard long before he can be seen, ex- 

 cept by those quite near. Wine, 

 punch, and confectionary constitnte no 

 inconsiderable part of the evening's en- 

 tertainment. 



We must not omit to mention News- 

 papers — a subject so interesting to Eng- 

 lishmen. A Dutch Journal, liowever, 

 differs much from an English one, as 

 it contains nodiing more than the poli- 

 tical intelligence copied from the con- 

 tinental or English papers, with any 

 occurrence (hat has taken place in their 

 own politics. The Gazettes of Brus- 

 sels and (he Hague have alone the pri- 

 vilege of reporting the speeches iu 

 their two Houses of Parliament. No 

 editor, iu any of (he Seven United[Pro- 

 vinces, ever takes upon him to make any 

 political reflections, or to discuss sub- 

 jects of any kind ; and nothing of thivt de- 

 scription ever appears in any Newspaper 

 published in Holland. There is scarcely 

 any domestic intelligence given, and 

 no notice whatever is taken of trials or 

 punishments. AVhile Holland was un- 

 der the dominion of the French, the 

 nation enjoyed the invaluable privilege 

 of trial by jury, and the Courts of Jus- 

 tice were open to the public; but (he 

 (rial by jury was abolished on the 

 King's return from England, and the 

 Courts now sit with shut doors. The 

 press in the Netherlands is not subject 

 to any direct censorship ; but the Edi- 

 tors of some of the Flemish journals 

 have been severely pimishedfor what we 

 would call very slight offences. There 

 are severe penalties to prevent the Edi- 

 tors of newspapers and other periotlical 

 works, from permitting any thing to 

 appear in then- journals reflecting upon 



the 



