peared during my refidence there. 
1800.] 
volution, ‘a colle&ion of pictures, taken 
from the ‘different public buildings, has 
been placed in a large apartment of the 
Town-loule. In this collection there are 
many exccllent pieces; athong others, 
Rembrandt’s celebrated night-piece-— Lhe 
Patrole, oe | 
“This, then, is all-T have to fay to you 
of the ftate of learning in Amfterdam.— 
I thould, indeedy with ‘to make a few re- 
marks on the here prevalent mode of edu- 
cation, but this is, perhaps, not the pro- 
per place for fuch difcuffions: .and as wil- 
lingly will you difpenfe with my. treating 
of the fagoutite theme of the Amfterdam- 
ers, viz. theology, as here likewife I muft 
lead you through fields overgrown with 
thorns and fthiitles, and could entertain 
you only with proofs of the good inten- 
tions and reftlets zeal of the Dutch divines, 
efpecially if you gave me permiffion to 
ferve up a catalogue of the refutations of 
Paine’s deiftical principles, which ap- 
I now 
conduct you to the public amufements : 
you may yourfelf decide, whether the cul- 
tivated: ftrangéer will find in them a com- 
penfation for the want of literary enter- 
tainment. 
In this lift, the firft place is due to the 
theatres. ‘There are three of them, the 
German, French, and Duich. At the 
firft, operas only are performed, in which 
Mad. Lange (who acted before on the 
Hamburg ie the principal 
parts, and Mr. Gelhaar gains much ap- 
plaufe as buffoon. ‘The orchefira is pret- 
ty good—and the mufic generally com- 
mences with fome patriotic air ;—as in- 
deed it does at all the theatres. He who 
can accommodate himfelf to the tafte of 
the Holianders, will not be altogether un- 
fatisfied at the Dutch theatre. Several of 
the actors perform tolerably well: the moh 
efteemed are, Mr. and Mrs, Suvek, who 
act the heroic parts.. No regard is here 
paid to the felecting of proper pieces, or 
rather there are no good ones to felec&t, at 
Jeaft I faw only bad ones, and feveral that 
properly were only fit for children. » The 
_ dreffes and {cenery at this theatre are ex- 
cellent ; and the dancers have arrived at 
very great proficiency in their art. It is 
worth the while to fee fuch a ballet as 
Lodsifka, in which managers and dancers 
exert all their powers to fatisfy the con- 
noifleurk—At the French theatre, M. 
Bertin and Schwenzer particularly diftin- 
guifhed themfelves: and by ‘their depar- 
ture the company loft two of its chief fup-, 
ports. A: Parfian actor, named Bap- 
tifte, who, during my ftay at Amiter- 
5 Sketch of Amfterdam. 
dam, feveral times made his appearance 
in the buffoon-parts, defervedly excited ex. 
traordinary attention.—At this theatre, 
2.29 - 
too, the choice of pieces for reprefenta- 
tion is regulated folely by the untortunate- 
ly very corrupt tafte of the public: fome- 
times, however, they. performed plays 
which were interefting on account of their 
allufions and reference to the hiftory of the - 
day. 
Concerts are very frequent in Amfter- 
dam; and, as may be fuppofed, differ 
much as to their degree of excellence. 
The beft are given in the concert.room at 
the Felix Meritis, but to thefe no one is 
admitted without a ticket from a member 
of the fociety. The other concerts are 
very feldom attended by perfons of rank, 
* Public balls, routs, and danciig: par= 
ties, are indeed very often advertized 3 
but there likewife one feldom meets with 
_perfons of a fuperior rank: thefe enter- 
tainments are only for the lower clafles, 
and by the molt of thefe they are fre- 
quented, not merely for the amufement of 
dancing, but with other by-views, | 
For men, the coffee-boufe is the chief 
place of recreation and centre of amufe- 
ment. This appears from the extraordi- 
nary number of fuch houfes, which’ are 
always crowded, Politicks form the prin- 
cipal part of the entertainment here. They 
read as many newipapers as poflible, and 
then dilcufs their contents, whilft {moak- 
ing’a pipe of tobacco. A few indeed oc- 
cafionally play at chefs or billiards ; but 
‘rarely, however, and for the moft part 
only young people. . 
From this fhort fketch you fee that a 
man of a cultivated tafte can find no re- 
creation in the public amufements of Am- 
fterdam: anc his lot will appear ftill more 
worthy of commileration, when I affure 
you, that jor the polifhed ftranger there 
is not entertainment to be found in private 
companies. 
want of hofpitality or obliging difpofition 
on the part of the citizens of Amfterdim, 
but to their contraéted and partial views 
of things. A letter of recommendation to 
a merchant of Hamburg procures innu- 
merable advantages, interefting acquaint- 
ances, repeated invitations, inftruétors 
and companions to fhew him the curiofi- 
ties of the city—in fhort, oNg recomin-h- 
dation is fuffictent to render a fojournn 
in Hamburg extremely agreeable.-—In 
hae ati on the contrary, “the mer- 
chant, to whom you have a letter of in- 
cab bb ee 
He 
troduction, gives you a moft polite recep- 
tion, invites you to dinner on that or the 
following day. 
This 1s not owing to any 
Here you find the com- 
pany 
