638 
ocean, and made successful inroads upon 
the physical order of the universe. Al- 
though the deception, he adds, gave no 
pang to his conscience, it did not escape 
the lash of many a petty inconvenience, 
and subjected him more than once to 
dilemmas that were even perilous. 
To accompany Sir John Carr minutely, 
through his travels here, would be um- 
possible; though we cannot help noticing 
a few of the pictures he has occasionally 
drawn. One of the most prominent 
occurs in the character of the King of 
Holland. The leading features in the 
constitution of that country, be observes, 
are the guarantee of the payment of the 
national debt; the free and unqualified 
exercise of religion; the predominant au- 
thority vested in the king, the establish-. 
ment of the salique law, for ever exclu- 
ding females from the throne; the de- 
claration that the minority of any future 
king shall expire upon his attaining his 
eighteenth year; that only natives shall 
be eligible to any offices under the state, 
exclusive of those immediately apper- 
taining to the king’s household; that the 
yearly revenue of the king shall be two 
millions of florins, and that the royal 
residences shall be the palaces of the 
Hague, in the Wood, and at Soestdyke. 
“ The King,” adds Sir John Carr, “ has 
given general satisfaction by the choice 
he has made of the persons he has nomi- 
nated to fill the public offices; and if the 
wishes of one who trespassed a little u- 
regularly upon their shores can avail, the - 
brave, frugal, and indefatigable Hollan- 
ders will derive happiness, and, when 
peace is restored to Europe, prosperity 
under their new government.” Having 
visited the principal towns in the coun- 
try, Sir John Carr proceeded from 
Utrecht to Arnheim, about four miles 
from which, after passing a bridge of 
boats at Sevenhal,; he entered a small 
town, at the end of which is the first 
barrier of the new territories of Prince 
Joachim, Grand Admiral of France and 
Duke of Berg. Thence, through Wesel, 
he pursued his route to Dusseldort. 
Cologne, and more particularly Bonn, 
afford some interesting anecdotes. The 
wildness of the scenery, however, ap- 
pears to improve at Andernach and 
Ehrenbreitstein. But in this part of the 
work we no longer read, as nm Holland, 
of the content and merriment of the in- 
habitants, but-of the sad reduction of 
their cities, not only in strength and 
splendour, but in population. At Cob- 
lentz, it is stated, that the inhabitants, 
Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Voyages and Travels. 
including the garrison and the vale of 
Ehrenbreitstein, have been reduced 
within the last twelve years from thirteen 
to nine thousand. Mayence, from the 
peculiar strictness of the police, Sir John 
Carr was content to view at a distance. 
At Frankfort, however, he was more at 
liberty, and gives the following descrip- 
tion of the fair. “I was pleased with 
the fair, although it fell iar short of my 
expectation; the principal booths which 
were erected near the Romer, and also 
parallel with the river Maine, formed a 
very agreeable and sprightly street, en- 
tirely covered with canvas awnings: 
here all sorts of goods, the productions 
of various parts of the globe, were ex- 
posed to sale; and here were also several 
booksellers’ stalls, where the most emi- 
nent works are sold folded in sheets, for 
‘the purchase of lesser merchants in the 
trade. No press in the world is so pro- 
lific as the German ;—the number of in- 
genious works which it annually yields, 
amongst which are many able produc- 
tions, is astonishing. 1 was informed 
that the fair had wasted almost to no- 
thing, in consequence of the various in- 
juries it has sustained from the war, and 
the severe policy of Bonaparte respect- 
ing the introduction of English manufac- 
ture, very little of which was to be found 
at this mart. In the printsellers’ stalls, 
which used to be well supplied from the — 
English school of engraving, were very 
few prints worthy of attention. I saw 
several execrable imitations of some from 
the exquisite pencil of Westall. At the 
end of the principal street of the fair, 
close to the river, were rows of immense’ 
tubs, in which, like Diogenes, many poor 
German tradesmen and their families 
very sagaciously ate and slept, for want 
of a better habitation.” An excursion 
to the beautiful and elegant little sove- 
reign town of Offenbach, about five 
English miles from Frankfort, enabled 
Su John Carr to admire the great pro- 
gress which the Germans have made in 
carriage-building. The last place he 
visited was Darmstadt, beyond which, 
the storm which was at that time ga-_ 
thering against Prussia, hindered him 
from pursuing his journey. He applied 
for permission to the French minister to 
return, pour changer, to Rotterdam by 
the way of Brussels, Antwerp, &c. but 
was refused, and ordered to keep on the 
right bank of the Rhine. Being thus 
forced to retrace the very steps by which 
he had arrived at Darmstadt, he at last 
reached Maesland-sluys, and embarked 
;or 
