When The Whole Was Over, The Rampant Spirit Of Liberty And The Wild
Impatience Of A Genuine English Mob Were Exhibited In Perfection.
In A Very Few Minutes The Whole Scaffolding, Benches, And Chairs,
And Everything Else, Was Completely Destroyed.
And the mat with
which it had been covered torn into ten thousand long strips, or
pieces, or strings, with which they encircled or enclosed multitudes
of people of all ranks.
These they hurried along with them, and
everything else that came in their way, as trophies of joy; and
thus, in the midst of exultation and triumph, they paraded through
many of the most populous streets of London.
Whilst in Prussia poets only speak of the love of country as one of
the dearest of all human affections, here there is no man who does
not feel, and describe with rapture, how much he loves his country.
"Yes, for my country I'll shed the last drop of my blood!" often
exclaims little Jacky, the fine boy here in the house where I live,
who is yet only about twelve years old. The love of their country,
and its unparalleled feats in war are, in general, the subject of
their ballads and popular songs, which are sung about the streets by
women, who sell them for a few farthings. It was only the other day
our Jacky brought one home, in which the history of an admiral was
celebrated who bravely continued to command, even after his two legs
were shot off and he was obliged to be supported. I know not well
by what means it has happened that the King of England, who is
certainly one of the best the nation ever had, is become unpopular.
I know not how many times I have heard people of all sorts object to
their king at the same time that they praised the King of Prussia to
the skies. Indeed, with some the veneration for our monarch went so
far that they seriously wished he was their king. All that seems to
shock and dishearten them is the prodigious armies he keeps up, and
the immense number of soldiers quartered in Berlin alone. Whereas
in London, at least in the city, not a single troop of soldiers of
the King's guard dare make their appearance.
A few days ago I saw what is here deemed a great sight - viz., a lord
mayor's procession. The lord mayor was in an enormous large gilt
coach, which was followed by an astonishing number of most showy
carriages, in which the rest of the city magistrates, more properly
called aldermen of London, were seated. But enough for the present.
CHAPTER VI.
London, June 17th, 1782.
I have now been pretty nearly all over London, and, according to my
own notions, have now seen most of the things I was most anxious to
see. Hereafter, then, I propose to make an excursion into the
country; and this purpose, by the blessing of God, I hope to be able
to carry into effect in a very few days, for my curiosity is here
almost satiated. I seem to be tired and sick of the smoke of these
sea-coal fires, and I long, with almost childish impatience, once
more to breathe a fresher and clearer air.
It must, I think, be owned, that upon the whole, London is neither
so handsomely nor so well built as Berlin is; but then it certainly
has far more fine squares. Of these there are many that in real
magnificence and beautiful symmetry far surpass our Gens d'Armes
Markt, our Denhoschen and William's Place. The squares or
quadrangular places contain the best and most beautiful buildings of
London; a spacious street, next to the houses, goes all round them,
and within that there is generally a round grass-plot, railed in
with iron rails, in the centre of which, in many of them, there is a
statue, which statues most commonly are equestrian and gilt. In
Grosvenor Square, instead of this green plot or area, there is a
little circular wood, intended, no doubt, to give one the idea of
rus in urbe.
One of the longest and pleasantest walks I have yet taken is from
Paddington to Islington; where to the left you have a fine prospect
of the neighbouring hills, and in particular of the village of
Hampstead, which is built on one of them; and to the right the
streets of London furnish an endless variety of interesting views.
It is true that it is dangerous to walk here alone, especially in
the afternoon and in an evening, or at night, for it was only last
week that a man was robbed and murdered on this very same road. But
I now hasten to another and a more pleasing topic:
The British Museum.
I have had the happiness to become acquainted with the Rev. Mr.
Woide; who, though well known all over Europe to be one of the most
learned men of the age, is yet, if possible, less estimable for his
learning than he is for his unaffected goodness of heart. He holds
a respectable office in the museum, and was obliging enough to
procure me permission to see it, luckily the day before it was shut
up. In general you must give in your name a fortnight before you
can he admitted. But after all, I am sorry to say, it was the
rooms, the glass cases, the shelves, or the repository for the books
in the British Museum which I saw, and not the museum itself, we
were hurried on so rapidly through the apartments. The company, who
saw it when and as I did, was various, and some of all sorts; some,
I believe, of the very lowest classes of the people, of both sexes;
for, as it is the property of the nation, every one has the same
right (I use the term of the country) to see it that another has.
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