UTRECHT. £53 



cient cathedral church, and ascended the truly lofty tower 

 or steeple, which is termed the Dome *. 



The belfryman and his family inhabit some apartments 

 situate about half-way up. Here we were courteously in- 

 vited to rest ourselves, in a small neat parlour, the window 

 of which commanded a most delightful prospect ; and we 

 were presented with a telescope, to view distant objects. 

 With the aid of this, we could perceive the towers of 

 Nimmegen in the south-west. As far up as the belfry- 

 man's house, the ivy-leaved Snapdragon (Linaria Cym- 

 balaria) was growing from all the outer crevices of the 

 wall, and it was now hanging in long tufts full of flowers. 

 When we reached the top, after having ascended 460 steps, 

 the view became very extensive : we saw distinctly twenty- 

 four miles in every direction around : our view to the west- 

 ward, indeed, which was now clear, was terminated only 

 by the gently swelling hills of the principality of Cleves. 

 Marmonfs Mount or earthen pyramid was a very conspi- 

 cuous object, in the north-west. The bellman told us, that 

 he had been at it, and that he considered it as of equal height 

 with the steeple on which we now stood : in this estimate, 

 however, we are sure he is mistaken : it is probably about 

 one-half, or 150 feet high, including the column 1 which 

 stands on the top of the pyramid of earth. General Mar- 

 mont had the command of many thousand French and 

 Dutch soldiers, who were encamped at the place for seve- 

 ral years ; and this vast Mount, was reared in honour of 

 Napoleon, upon his assuming the imperial dignity. The 

 upper part of the walls of the Dome are strangely rent, 

 the injury having been probably occasioned by lightning: 

 they have been in the same state beyond the memory of 



* From the Italian, duomo* cathedral. 



