A Foreign View of England in the Reigns of George I. & George II.

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Preface

Ci^SAR DE Saussure, bom in 1705, was a descendant of the French family of that name, his ancestors having left their native province of Lorraine to seek refuge at Lausanne at the time of the persecutions against the Protestants in the reign of Louis XIV. In the spring of 1725, C^sar de Saussure left his home and travelled for eleven years, during the whole of which time he wrote letters describing the principal sights and objects of interest he had come across in his travels, and also relating many amusing incidents and anecdotes, together with personal reflections and opinions. His style, though artless and simple, carries a

^ conviction of veracity with it

^ C&ar de Saussure describes his journey to

England by way of the Rhine and Holland; he

^ tells of the danger his life was in on the sea and

^ through brigands in Turkey. In 1729 he accomvi PREFACE

panied Lord KinnouU, when he went as ambassador to Constantinople, and a little later was given the post of first secretary to the British Embassy, there. In 1733 he left Lord Kinnoull's service for that of Prince Ragotzky, who, after losing his Hungarian and Transylvanian estates, had retired with his suite to Rodosto. After the Prince's death in ^735y C6sar de Saussure returned to Lausanne, but in 1738 he left Switzerland once more for Paris and London.

In 1740 he was fortunate enough to obtain a post as secretary to Lord Cathcart, commanding a portion of the British fleet against the Spanish settlements in America, but Mme. de Saussure

wrote to her son and implored him to go back to her, and though his disappointment at giving up his projected voyage was great, he immediately obeyed her.

M. de Saussure married in 1 743 a Vaudois lady of patrician birth. When at Hertford he had fallen in love with and wished to marry a Miss Black, sister of a wealthy merchant in the City, but her family would not hear of her marrying a foreigner, and this disappointment to his hopes was the principal cause of the journey to Turkey.

PREFACE vii

Cisar de Saussure's letters at the time they were written were received with much interest ; during more than twenty years they were lent to and read by at least two hundred persons in Berne, Geneva, and Lausanne, and this determined him to have them sorted and bound into volumes. In 1755, Monsieur de Voltaire, who was then residing at Montriond, Lausanne, hearing of these letters, begged to be allowed to read them, and having done so returned the volumes with a card, on which was written in his own hand : *' Monsieur de Voltaire et Madame Denis offrent leurs ob^issances k Monsieur et Madame de Saussure et renvoyent les manuscrits. On ne peut trop remercier Monsieur de Saussure de la bont^ qu'il a eue de prSter un ouvrage si amusant et si utile."

C6sar de Saussure wrote several other volumes, amongst them a history of France and one of Switzerland, and also an account of the Emperor Joseph's journey in 1777, with a notice of his visit to Lausanne. I may add that the translator of these letters is by marriage a great-great-granddaughter of C6sar de Saussure.

Lausanne, February^ 1902.

Contents

LETTER I tAom

Journey by water from Yverdon — Lake of Neuchitel — Lake of Bienne — ^The Aar — ^The Rhine — Dangerous passages — Bibttstein — **Saut de Bragg" — Bad inns — Basle — Huninguen — Strasbourg — Philipsbourg — Dispute between two ladies — Mannheim — ^Worms — Mayence — ^Wines of Baccarach — St Goar — Rat Tower — Coblentz — Episode in a church — Bonn — Cologne — Fight on the boat — Dussddorf— Wesel — Culembourg— Rotterdam— Delft— The Hague— Cliffs of England— The Thames — Customs • . • . . . i

Letter II

London — ^The author gets lost — The Court of London — Palace of St. James — Drawing-room or circle — ^About George I., King of England — Of the Prince of Wales and family— St James's Park — ^Abbey of Westminster — ^Tombs of the kings — Palaces of Parliament — House of Peers — House of Commons — ^The King goes in state to Parliament — King's livery . • 3S

Letter III

>Vhitehall Palace — ^The Admiralty — ^The Streets of London — The Watch — Houses of London — Squares and Places — The City— Temple Bar— Fleet Ditch— Ludgate— St Paul's— Guildhall — Stock Exchange — Shop signs — The Monument — London Bridge — Southwark — The Customs — Tower of London — King's Menagerie — Regalia in the Tower — Smtthiield—Moorfield— Bedlam— The Thames . . 64 via

CONTENTS ix

Letter IV Ceremonibs, Administration, Etc

PAOB

Investiture of the Knights of the Bath — Procession of the Knights — The Aldermen of London — The Lord Mayor — Lord Mayor's Day — English Manner of dressing — The Duke of Bolton is insulted by a footman — Execution of thirteen criminals — Highwaymen, Footpads, Pickpockets — Jonathan Wild, captain of robbers . . 97

Letter V

Chelsea — Coffee-house of Salter — Kensington — Hyde Park — Marylebone — Islington — Sadler's Wells — Lambeth — East Sheen — Richmond — Richmond Park — Petersham — Hampton Court — High-roads of England — Savage found in the forests of Hanover — King's birthday — Old man presents him with a nosegay . . ... 133

Letter VI

Penny Post — Fire insurance — Fountains of London — York Buildings machinery — Cleanliness of the English— English beer — Taverns and wine shops — Coffee-houses — Newspapers — Inns and Taverns — Hackney Coaches — Sedan Chairs — Boats — Markets of London — ^Aurora Borealis — Knights of the Garter— Mr. Walpole knighted • • 153

Letter VII

Character of the English — ^They are silent, scientific, courageous —The common people — Duels and Fights — Traits of generosity, of ingratitude — Charities — Hospitals — Westminster Hospital — Beggars of London — Story of a beggar — Defects and good qualities of the English— Wine debauches— Sally Salsbury — Englishmen swear — ^Wines given to servants. . 176

X CONTENTS

Letter VIII Pagb

About suicides — Melancholy of the author—Divers odd suicides — Duke of Manchester attempts suicide — Penalties inflicted on suicides — Coroners — Of English women — ^Their style of dressing — Character of English women — They are tender-hearted, but jealous, interested — About lords — Knights — Knights of the Garter — Knights of the Thistle — Baronets and Knights bachelors — Squires — The clergy — Merchants — Artisans — Peasants — The populace of London— EngUsh cooking . . 196

Letter IX

Death of George L— Sir Robert Walpole breaks news to the Prince of Wales — King George IL arrives in London from Richmond — Proclamation — General mourning — About Mr. Chevalier, chief of French Calvinists — ^Amorous adventure — English women . . . ... 224

Letter X Coronation Of George II

Coronation of King George IL — Solemn procession — Ceremonials of the coronation — Return of the procession — Feast after the coronation — Illumination of the hall — The author takes part in the feast — The King's Champion — The tables are given up to the people — Prerogatives of peers, etc., on th6 day of the coronation — Lord Mayor's feast . . . 239

Letter XI

Pleasures of the English — Mr. Fleetwood ruins himself with the theatre — About the opera— About comedy — About tragedy — About pantomimes — ^About gladiators — Ambassadors of Holland — ^Their reception at the Tower — Order of their entrance — Their audience . . . . . . 271

CONTENTS xi

Letter XII Sports, Etc

PACB

Hcnrse racing — English horses — Foot races — Pleasures of the people — Cricket — Benediction of fathers and mothers — Christmas Day — St Valentine's Day — Milkmaids on May Day — Oak leaves — The leeks of Wales — Crosses — Bridewell — About a thief who is there — About a courtesan who is there — About another courtesan ... 288

Letter XIII Country Life, Hertfordshire

Hertford, St. Albans, Ware, Hertfordshire — About parks, roe-deer, rabbits — Marriage of Mr. Warren — The atmosphere of England — About coal — Meadows full of sheep — About a well-known traveller— White niggers ... 305

Letter XIV Religions And Sects

Anglican Church — Ceremonies of the Church — Presbyterians — Sundays in England — Quakers, their language, customs, and dress — Their religion and assemblies — Roman Catholics — Jews, their synagogues — Circumcision of a child — Story of Count Ughi, famous adventurer . $17

Letter XV Government And Revenues

The government and revenues of England — Taxes — Singular laws — Also with regard to women — False witnesses — Mr. Ward in pillory — The pillory — Debtors* prisons — About Tories and Whigs — Jacobites — Tulip trees . 336

Letter XVI

M. de Saussure leaves England for Constantinople on a warship with Lord KinnouU . ... 354

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TO FACB PAGE

St. James's Palace and the Mall in 1741 . . 38

From a pnnt by J. Blftiver*

The Horse Guards Parade in 1742, with a Royal Procession . . 48

From a pnnk by J* Bfftuxer*

New Bedlam and Moorfields in i 710 . . 92

From an engraving by Nntdng.

The East and West Sides of London Bridge in about 17 10 96

From a print by Sntton NicboUs.

The GuiLDHALLy London, in 1720 . . . . 108

From a print by TomSi

View of London from the North in 1730, showing (on the left) Sadler's Wells and the New River Head . . . 140

From a print by T. Bowles.

Co VENT Garden in 1741 . . . 172

Front an Indian Ink Drawing by J. Maurer in the Britiih Muieum.

Triumphal Arch designed by W. Kent, and erected at the West End of Westminster Hall for the Coronation of King George IL, October nth, 1727, with the Entry of the King's Champion ........ 240

From a oontemporary print by P. Fomdrinier.

Westminster Hall in 1732 . . . . 264

From a print by H. F. Gravvlot.

Plan of London in 1741 . At the end

Vmai a print by T. BowIm.

A FOREIGN VIEW OF ENGLAND

IN

THE REIGNS OF GEORGE I. & II.

Letter I

Journey by water from Yverdon — Lake of Neuch&tel — Lake of Bienne — The Aar — The Rhine — Dangerous passages — Bad inns—Basle — Huninguen — Strasbourg — Philipsbouig — Dispute between two ladies — Mannheim — Worms — Mayence — Wines of Baccarach — St Goar — Rat Tower — Coblentz — Episode in a church— Bonn — Cologne — Fight on the boat— Dusscldorf— Wesel— Culembourg — Rotterdam — Delft — The Hague — Cliffs of England — The Thames — Customs.

London, May 24, 1725

I AM rejoiced at the thought of giving you pleasure, and I set about doing it with the greatest enjoyment; for surely you cannot doubt of my affection for you, and you may be assured that neither distance nor absence will ever cause my feelings towards you to change.

L— B

You made me promise, when I bade you farewell, that I would write often, and relate all the curious and entertaining things I should come across in my travels, and should I fail to do as you so amiably asked of me, I should assuredly be the loser, for I have no greater pleasure than that of writing to you, or none greater than that of receiving your letters. I therefore seize the first opportunity that presents itself to tell you all about my travels so far.

You know all my reasons for wishing to travel, and you understood my delight and joy when my dear mother consented to allow my present journey to England. Young people like to see new countries and to travel, and I am no exception to the rule.

I left home on the 8th of April of this year, 1725, and arrived at Yverdon on the evening of that day. On the nth I embarked on a big boat with about twenty fellow-passengers, amongst them being Madame de Joffroy, a stout Irish lady, on her way to Ireland with Mister Morrison, her son, come over to escort his mother on her journey ; Mademoiselle de Chaire, with whom you are well

SOLEURE 3

acquainted; Mademoiselle Blanchard, a very nice and charming young person from Vevey, going to join her brother in Holland ; Monsieur Silvestre, a most amiable, pleasant, and witty clergyman, who was not to travel further than Holland; and Monsieur de Pally. We stopped in the evening at Neuchdtel. The wind had been contrary all day, and we were compelled to remain two whole days in this town. On the 13th at midday we re-embarked, and leaving the Lake of Neuchitel, entered the river Thielle, which forms a pretty canal several miles long, flowing into the Lake of Bienne. In the centre of this lake are two small islands belonging to the hospital of Bienne. The weather was very fine, and we were able to cross the lake in its widest part to Nidau, a small town situated where the Thielle leaves the lake. Here we spent a very uncomfortable night in a bad inn. On the 14th, leaving Nidau in the early morning, we entered the river Aar on leaving the Thielle. The river Aar is in some parts very dangerous, with hidden rocks and rapid currents.

We landed at Soleure at midday, and after dinner visited the town. I much admired the church, the first Roman Catholic building I had ever seen, The care with which this church is decorated surprised me, and I was struck with its magnificence, for though it is a small building it is remarkably pretty. The choir is divided from the nave by six marble columns; on the altar are placed several massive silver candlesticks, and a large lamp of the same precious metal hangs from the ceiling by silver chains; I saw several good pictures in this church. We then walked through the town, in which are many fine houses, that of the French Ambassador being especially so. One of the most curious buildings I saw in Soleure was a tower on the bastions; from whatever point of view you looked at it, it seemed to lean.

After leaving Soleure we passed some dangerous spots on the river, the current here being very rapid, with much broken and foaming water. The ladies on board were much alarmed.

At seven o'clock in the evening we reached Wangen, an ugly village, and were conducted to the inn, where, judging from its outward appearance, we had every expectation of being badly

AARAU 5

housed and badly fed. Here a piece of good luck awaited us, however. Madame de Toffen, wife of the chief magistrate of the place, happened to be walking in her garden by the river when our boat went by, and, recognising Mademoiselle de Chaire, with whom she is acquainted, she sent a messenger to invite this lady with six of her friends to spend the night in her house. Madame de Toffen welcomed us most cordially, and we had excellent beds, a contrast to the very bad ones of the previous night.

Leaving Wangen early the next morning, we stopped at Aarau and dined on board, our head boatman not permitting us to land During the meal a little incident occurred which amused some of the party, but not all. Madame de JofTroy owned a silver goblet shaped like a gondola. During dinner Mademoiselle Blanchard, who was very thirsty and wished to drink, asked Madame de Joffroy to be so kind as to lend her her silver goblet; but the current was very rapid, and when Mademoiselle Blanchard dipped the cup into the water to fill it, it was carried out of her hand and lost for ever. On seeing the goblet disappearing rapidly out of sight, Madame de Joffroy flew into a terrible rage ; she scolded us all round and made us very uncomfortable, and the poor culprit had a bad time of it. We left Aarau intending to sleep at Brugg, but after travelling some miles our boat got wedged between two rocks. The ladies were much alarmed, and not unreasonably so, the current being very swift and the water boisterous, bubbling round the boat. We had much difficulty in getting free, and had not a boat come to our aid, I do not know how we should have managed to do it. This accident delayed us by two hours, so that we were forced to pass the night at Biberstein, and were shown to a sort of tavern by the riverside, and in this most uncomfortable abode we were taken to a large room, quite bare save for a table and two wooden benches and a large stove, which was heated, though the weather was sultry. Some big, bearded German peasants were in the room, eating and drinking and making much noise, and we were seated uncomfortably close to them. Our supper was brought to us in two large wooden basins ; it consisted of soup, which we ate with wooden and pewter spoons, followed by cheese and eggs, and

BIBERSTEIN— "SAUT DE BRUGG" 7

very bad wine. When it was time to lie down for the night, the table and benches were removed, straw was laid on the floor, and we rolled ourselves in blankets and tried to sleep, there being no other room in the house.

Next day, April i6th, we were made to pay a high price for this most uncomfortable lodging, so we left it as soon as possible, and stopped at a village two miles distant. Here we engaged four boatmen or pilots to take chaise of our boat, so as to avoid the rocks ahead ; two of these men rowed in the bows and two in the stern, only two of our boatmen remaining in the boat, together with myself and another juvenile passenger, for we both wanted to see the passage of the *' Saut de Bnigg," which is said to be so dangerous that the other passengers preferred to land and join us afterwards. Shortly before reaching the cataract high projecting rocks hem in the water on either side, making it very rapid. I did not think the " Saut de Brugg " very high, but immediately beyond the ** Leap" the current flows very rapidly, zigzagging between the rocks, and herein lies the danger, for if the boatmen did not take the greatest care the boat would touch the rocks and be quickly broken up.

Accidents of this nature sometimes occur, but this time we got through without any mishap beyond a good wetting. We passed under a fine bridge, a single stone arch which gives Brugg its name, " Brugg " in German signifying bridge.

We remained at Brugg that day. It is a small but pretty town ; the town hall and most of the houses are painted on the outside with frescoes. Here there may be seen pictures of kings or emperors painted on the houses, or those of generals on foot and on horseback ; and again on other houses there are animals, such as lions, tigers, elephants, or sometimes landscapes, the effect of all these painted houses being very curious and pretty.

Brugg is the last town in the Canton of Berne ; we left it on the 17th at midday, and dined at Klingnau ; two hours afterwards we entered the Rhine where it joins the Aar at Waldshut. When we reached Laufenburg we all left the boat, for here there is a high fall of from thirty to forty feet The merchandise and baggage were removed and laden on carts, which were to rejoin the boat beyond the fall. We went to walk on the Esplanade just opposite the cataract, and we

BASLE 9

saw our boat being let down by the help of ropes, about a dozen men being busy with this job, and they had much trouble over it, for the boat might easily have been destroyed. We were told that when the water is very low boats have to be transported on carts below the cataract The merchandise being safely packed once more, the travellers got in, and we slept at Seckingen, reaching Basle next day.

Basle is the largest as well as one of the finest towns in Switzerland, and almost all its inhabitants are merchants. The river Rhine divides the town into two parts, Basle and Litde Basle, which are joined together by a fine wooden bridge. At one of the ends of this bridge is a tower containing a fine clock, and you have to pass through the gate of this tower to cross the bridge. Above the gate is a large wooden head representing a bearded old man, who at each minute opens his huge mouth and puts his tongue out at Little Basle. The clocks of Basle are one hour in advance of those in other places, the reason for this being, I was told, that once upon a time a conspiracy between the two Basles had been dislo JOURNEY TO ENGLAND

covered owing to a clock being too fast, and the custom has come down from that time.

We went to see the Dance of Death, a fresco painted by the famous Holbein on a wall in the cemetery of a church. Connoisseurs admire this painting for its delicacy and beauty ; time has unfortunately harmed it in many places. The women of Basle are very good-looking ; I thought their dress suited them to perfection. On their heads they wear small three-pointed caps made of velvet or of rich silken stuff; little bodices tighten their waists and give them trim figures ; their skirts are short, and their feet are neatly and carefully shod. I was told that the women of Basle are by no means inimical to Cupid.

On the 19th we visited Huninguen, a French fortress, and on the 21st, after dinner, we started once more on our travels. So far we had not much enjoyed our journey by water ; it had rained almost all the time. The river Aar, with its swift current and hidden dangerous rocks, had often frightened the ladies of our party. On the Rhine so far we had not been much more fortunate, but happily the remainder of our journey was much

STRASBOURG ii

pleasanter than the beginning had been, and the weather became much finer. That night we slept at Breisach in Breisgau, a town belonging to the Emperor. We arrived late and left early, and I could not see what manner of place it was. On the 22nd we stopped to visit Strasbourg, one of the largest and finest towns that belong to the King of France. The cathedral is magnificent, and its steeple very curious. It is built in the Gothic style, but is pierced all over in designs; it is said to be the most interesting in France. In this steeple there is a wonderful clock with a perpetual almanack and many curious things. When the clock is about to strike, a gilt cock perched above the clock flaps its wings and crows three times; then a little painted copper figure representing the Virgin opens the door. At midday the Twelve Apostles come out ; they pass along a gallery, and when half-way through their journey they stop, and with a hammer which each holds in his hand strike upon a bell ; they then proceed to the end of the gallery, where the Angel Gabriel opens a door and closes it behind them. At one o'clock one apostle appears, at two o'clock two apostles, and so on. I was told that the maker of this marvellous clock had made one also for Lyons, and that the governors of Strasbourg, jealous lest the man should make a third and perhaps finer clock than the other two, had ordered him to be blinded in order to prevent his ever working again.

The women of Strasbourg are dressed much like those of Basle, but I thought them even more attractive and better-looking. Strasbourg is a big town and well fortified for modern warfare, the garrison numbering seven or eight thousand men. We made acquaintance with some officers of the de Villars regiment, and we were invited to assist at a play and to partake of an excellent little supper.

Early in the morning of April 23rd we left Strasbourg, and at eleven o'clock passed the fortress of St Louis. A sentinel called to us several times to stop, but I do not know whether our head boatman hoped to get by without paying toll, or whether he could not manage the boat properly ; anyhow, the sentinel evidently thought we did not mean to stop, and he ran alongside, pointing his

PHILIPSB0UR6 13

gun at our boat Whilst this soldier was running along the bank he tripped over a stone and fell. Unluckily for him, he happened to be smoking at the time ; his pipe, breaking in his mouth, no doubt hurt him, and this made him so angry that as soon as he had risen to his feet he fired his gun at us. We heard the bullet whizzing over our heads. More soldiers came to their comrade's help, and they seemed inclined to shoot at us too. The ladies in our boat, more dead than alive with fright, made such a noise and uproar that they at last forced our men to land us. The soldiers seized our head boatman and put him in prison, but we interceded for him and gave money to the commandant of the place, who soon ordered his release, so that we were not delayed. We arrived very late at Seltz, and had only straw to sleep on.

On the 24th, in the early morning, we left this inhospitable place, but we reached Philipsbourg late that night, and the gates of the town were already closed We were forced to put up at a bad inn frequented by soldiers, and oould only have one room amongst us all. After a very bad supper, some straw was laid down on the floor, and we had to sleep on it as best we could. A gentleman of the party, seeing that one of the ladies was cold, went across the room to her with the intention of offering her his cloak. Our stout friend, Madame de Joffroy, perceiving that a man had come over to the ladies' side of the room, made such a commotion that she wakened everybody, had the one candle relit, and ordered the gallant knight to go back to his end of the room. The funny part of this episode was that the lady who had felt cold was so offended with Madame de Joffroy's vigilance, which seemed to imply that her conduct was not above suspicion, that she gave Madame de Joffroy a piece of her mind, and this lady being somewhat of a shrew, there ensued a fierce discussion which amused us exceedingly. Gradually, however, the ladies calmed down, and in about an hour's time we were all sleeping peacefully.

On April 25th we passed Spires, but only stopped to pay toll, and reached Mannheim at midday. This town is the usual residence of the Elector Palatine, and was built in 1688, shortly after the destruction of Heidelberg by the French. We wished to spend the night here, so as to attend

WORMS— MAYENCE 15

the theatre in the evening, where we should have seen the Elector and all his court, but our head boatman would not consent to this arrangement, and we had to make up our minds to continue our journey. Immediately after leaving Mannheim we came across some curious water-mills on flat, wooden boats, the latter anchored in the river.

At eight o'clock we arrived at Worms. The gates being closed and the town at some distance, we had to put up at two little inns by the riverside. A bridal feast was taking place in one of these inns. We were made welcome to it, partook of good food, and danced all night, being encouraged in these festivities by the presence of several pretty girls; but next day, April 26th, we were made to pay pretty heavily for our dissipation. At three o'clock we reached Mayence, this being a fine fortified town. We visited the Elector's gardens ; they are very fine, and have many fountains and statues. On the big terrace are three pavilions or summer-houses, all decorated with frescoes, gilding, and sculpture. We would not quit this town before tasting its famous Mayence hams, and we took a certain number with us on i6 JOURNEY TO ENGLAND

board as supplies for the journey. These hams were delicious.

On the 27th we embarked late in the day and landed at Bacharach, where we had time to taste the famous and excellent wines, said to be the best on the Rhine. We found these wines so much to our taste that we laid in a small store of them. On the 28th, in the early morning, we left Bacharach, and stopped at St Goar, an ugly, dirty little garrison town. On coming to the gates of the town we were much surprised to see that some of our fellow-travellers who had preceded us had been stopped by the soldiers ; but our surprise was still greater when we saw that one of our friends wore a silver pillory collar round his neck, the soldiers laughingly explaining that the customs of the place forbade anyone who was not a Christian from being permitted to enter the town. No stranger, being a heathen, Jew, or Mahometan, might enter; therefore the custom was that he should be christened, and our fellow-traveller was allowed to choose whether the rite should be performed with water or not Our friend answered he was not aware that one could be christened with aught but water.