241 
H O L 
to paralyse the commerce of the country, there are others 
which are independent even of thefe circumftances. The 
great increafe of money, augmenting the price of labour, 
could not fail to afieft thole manufactories which were al¬ 
ready leflened by the erection of fimilar ones in the neigh¬ 
bouring ftates, during the laft century. It is well known, 
that in Denmark, Sweden, and Ruffia, certain branches 
of induftry were unknown, even at the conclufion of the 
feventeenth century. The Dutch Eaft-India Company 
chiefly felt the eft-efts of this decreafe. The aimoft exclu- 
ftve progrefs which the Englilli made in India, leflened its 
traffic, and oonfequently the returns and profits. That 
which fupported the trade of Holland, down to the period 
of the French revolution, was the immenfe capital to be 
found in that country. Amfterdam became the general 
bank, and pre/cribed the courfe of exchange to Europe ; 
the facility with which the merchants could draw upon 
their correfpondents in that city, for the amount of the 
goods they fold, has preferved in Holland certain branches 
of commerce, which othenvife would not have flourilhed. 
Under the new conftitution, every religious feft is equal 
in the eye of the law; and their refpeftive minilters are 
all equally excluded from any of the functions dependent 
on the government. The provincial fynods are nine in 
number, forming a total of fifty-three clafles, to which 
are attached fifteen hundred and feventy preachers. The 
Roman catholics have three hundred churches, which are 
attended by four hundred priefts. The Arminians are 
fpread through the provinces of Guelderiand, Holland, 
Utrecht, and Friefland ; this fociety confifts of thirty-four 
communities, at the head of which are forty-three preach¬ 
ers. The other lefts chiefly tolerated in Holland, are the 
Lutherans, the Anabaptifts, the Moravian brethren, dif- 
tinguifhed by the name of the Evangelical Fraternity, the 
Greeks, Arminian Chriftians, Quakers, and the Jews. Of 
all the ftates of Europe, Holland is the one where the Jews 
have, for a long time back, been admitted to a civil ex¬ 
igence-, they are divided, as elfewhere, into German and 
Portuguefe Jews. The latter are the richeft; their man¬ 
ners are more polijhed, and they are farther removed than 
the Germans from the vices and cuftoms with which this 
nation is reproached in certain parts of Europe. By a 
decree palled in 1796, the Jews, like the Catholics, have 
acquired certain political rights. Amfterdam owes a great 
part of its flourifhing fituation to the Portuguefe Jews 5 
they are looked upon as the moil enlightened among the 
Ifraelites, and at this day w'e could enumerate many men 
of fcience and learning among them. The remark which 
fir William Temple made on Holland, is extremely to the 
purpofe: “ There may be countries where religion does 
more good ; but I am pretty certain there are none where 
it <Joes fo little harm.” 
The Dutch language, as we obferved above, is a dialect 
of the German. Though it may appear faulty to ftrangers, 
yet it is infinitely more rich in lubftantives than any other 
language, ancient or modern, the Greek alone excepted. 
The whole of the fciences can be exprefied in Dutch, 
without borrowing a Angle word from the Greek or Latin. 
The French is, however, now fo much in ufe, that all 
negociations between-Holland and other ftates are carried 
on in that language. French, Englifh, and German, are 
commonly fpoken over Holland. 
Public juftice is adminiftered in Holland, as to the civil 
law, like mod other countries; but the criminal jurif- 
prudence does honour to human nature, without encou¬ 
raging diforders. The Dutch judges never forget that 
the criminal is a man: as incorruptible as the law, they 
pronounce with feverity, but always with regret. There 
is no country in Europe where fewer crimes are com¬ 
mitted ; and juftice has rarely occafion to make ufe of ex¬ 
treme rigour. Continual employment, no doubt, contri¬ 
butes to this prefervation of good order, as well as the 
yigilance of the magiftrates. The management of their 
prifons leaves nothing to wifli for: in this inftance, Hol¬ 
land offers a moll perfeft model. There are hou/es of con- 
Vol. X. No. 657. 
LAND. 
finement for every fort of crime. That known by the 
name of the Wtrkhuis , at Amfterdam, is a pattern in its 
way; it is a large building divided into two parts, one of 
which is called the Rafphuis ; the prifoners being employed 
in rafping dying woods; it ferves to employ thole who 
have been guilty of petty crimes. The other, known by 
the name of the Spinkuis, is appropriated to females of 
a diilolute and vicious lire, who are there compelled to 
earn their bread by /’pinning. The town of Bergen-op- 
Zoom contains a prifon excluftvely relerved fo ■ the mili¬ 
tary, who have been guilty of crimes; they are employed 
on public works. 
The eftabliihments of public charities are very numer¬ 
ous throughout Holland. There is not a towm which 
has not its Werhhuis, or its orphan-houfe; and many vil¬ 
lages have them likewife. Several difpenfaries have been 
eftabliihed, where medicines are diftributed gratis to the 
poor; and there is a central hofpital for the vaccine ino¬ 
culation. Speedy aftiftance is given to perfons found 
drov.'ned, which, in a country fo interiefted by water, too 
frequently happens. In faft, every day is giving rife to 
fome inftitution of public utility. An eftabliihment, def- 
tined to the fupport of difabled feamen, was much want¬ 
ing in Holland. King Louis has lately commanded that a 
large building, at Delfshaven, on the banks of the Meufe, 
which formerlybelonged to the Eaft-lndia company, Ihould 
be appropriated to this moll eilential purpofe._ 
Fidelity and good faith form the diitinguifhing charac- 
teriftic of the Hollander. He is naturally phlegmatic, la¬ 
borious, and per/evering in his refolutions. It is lufficient 
to look over the early annals of the United Provinces, in 
order to form a judgment of what a nation is capable of 
undertaking, which wifnes to /hake oft" the yoke of ty¬ 
ranny. Neither ought we to defcribe them as a people in 
whom avarice has itifled every noble and generous fenti- 
ment. It is true, however, that the manners of the Dutch 
are much changed within a century. We do not fee them 
toiling inceflantly, with the lofs of eafe and comfort, to 
heap up wealth, in order to leave it to their heirs; but it 
is no lefs true, that Holland is Hill the country where 
luxury has made the lead progrefs. It is but very rare 
that their expences can equal their revenue; and, when 
that is the cafe, the Dutch think the year very badly em¬ 
ployed : this mode of living takes away from a man’s cre¬ 
dit and reputation, as much as a wanton and profile ex¬ 
travagance does in other parts of Europe. A Dutchman, 
therefore, is loft in the opinion of the public, when it is 
known that he has diftipated his fortune, either through 
unforefeen circumftances or his own mifconduft. 
It is to this economy that the Dutch mull attribute the 
beauty and utility of their public works, the multiplicity 
of bridges and high roads. This economy enables the 
community at large to pay the taxes, which by this means 
are lefs fenfibly felt than elfewhere. In no country are 
commercial engagements more religioufly obferved, and 
no where are domeftic virtues held in higher eftimation. 
Far from blaming in the Dutch thofe qualities which they 
have maintained even to the very day we write, we ftiould 
on the contrary applaud them for having preferved that 
fpirit of order, which is infeparable from real economy, 
and render them the juftice which is their due. Far from 
dreaming of excurfions of pleafure, or of vifiting foreign 
countries for a more falubrious air, the Dutchman is only 
happy amidft his /hipping and canals; and if, through in- 
terefted motives, he is induced to leave his native foil, he 
delights to find in his new abode a fimilar local fituation, 
and its accuftomed habits; it is for this reafon that Hol¬ 
land, from its low, flat, marffiy, pofition, makes him for¬ 
get the /’pace which divides him from the Texel. “The 
Dutch, (fays M. Garrat, in his Memoir on Holland,) have, 
I may fay, built Holland; they aimoft appear to lay to 
themlelves, What we have done, is well done.” 
Bread is not, as in other countries, the principal food 
of the people; it conftitutes but a /’mail part of their daily 
wants; a whole Dutch family will not confume in a day 
3 Q io 
