Schelestadt 169 



the mischief was too far advanced to admit of any other conduct 

 than guarding every avenue around, permitting none to go to 

 the scene of action, but letting everyone that pleased retire with 

 his plunder; guards being at the same time placed at the doors 

 of the churches and all public buildings. T was for two hours a 

 spectator at different places of the scene, secure myself from the 

 falling furniture, but near enough to see a fine lad of about 

 fourteen crushed to death by something as he was handing 

 plunder to a woman, I suppose his mother, from the horror that 

 was pictured in her countenance. I remarked several common 

 soldiers, with their white cockades, among the plunderers, and 

 instigating the mob even in sight of the officers of the detach- 

 ment. There were amongst them people so decently dressed 

 that I regarded them with no small surprise: — they destroyed 

 all the public archives ; the streets for some way around strewed 

 with papers; this has been a wanton mischief; for it will be the 

 ruin of many familes unconnected with the magistrates. 



22nd. To Schelestadt. At Strasbourg, and the country I 

 passed, the lower ranks of women wear their hair in a toupee in 

 front, and behind braided into a circular plait, three inches thick, 

 and is most curiously contrived to convince one that they rarely 

 pass a comb through it. I could not but picture them as the 

 nidus of living colonies, that never approach me (they are not 

 burthened with too much beauty) but I scratched my head 

 from sensations of imaginary itching. The moment you are 

 out of a great town all in this country is German; the inns have 

 one common large room, many tables and cloths ready spread, 

 where Qvtxy company dines; gentry at some and the poor at 

 others. Cooker}'^ also German: schnitz is a dish of bacon and 

 fried pears; has the appearance of a mess for the devil; but I 

 was surprised, on tasting, to find it better than passable. At 

 Schelestadt I had the pleasure of finding the Count de la Roche- 

 foucauld, w'hose regiment (of Champagne), of which he is second 

 major, is quartered here. No attentions could be kinder than 

 what I received from him ; they were a renewal of the numerous 

 ones I was in the habit of experiencing from his family; and he 

 introduced me to a good farmer from whom I had the intelligence 

 I wanted. — 25 miles. 



2yd. An agreeable quiet day, with the Count de la Roche- 

 foucauld: dine with the officers of the regiment, the Count de 

 Loumene, the colonel, nephew to the Cardinal de Loumene, 

 present. Sup at my friend's lodgings ; an officer of infantry, a 

 Dutch gentleman who has been much in the East Indies, and 



