 | Letters of Mrs. Adams, |  |
TO MRS. CRANCH.
I AM again safe arrived in this city, after an absence
of five weeks. By the last vessels, I wrote some of
my friends that I was going to visit Holland. That
I had a desire to see that country you will not
wonder at, as one of those theatres, upon which my
partner and fellow-traveller had exhibited some of
his most important actions, and rendered to his
country lasting blessings. It has been the policy of
some of our allies to keep, as much as possible,
these events out of sight, and of some of our countrymen
to lessen their value in the eyes of mankind.
I have seen two Histories of the American war,
written in French, and one lately published in English
by a Mr. Andrews. In one of them, no notice
is taken, or mention made, of our alliance with Holland,
and the two others mention it as slightly as
possible; and our own countrymen set them the
our independence, and to aid us with
men and money, and ought always to be first ranked
amongst our friends; but Holland, surely, ought
not to be totally neglected. From whence have we
drawn our supplies for these five years past, even to
pay to France the interest upon her loan, and where
else could we now look in case of a pressing emergency?
Yet have I observed, in sermons upon
public occasions, in orations, &c., France is always
mentioned with great esteem, Holland totally neglected.
This is neither policy nor justice. I have
been led to a more particular reflection upon this
subject, from my late visit to that country. The
respect, attention, civility, and politeness, which we
received from that people, wherever we went, was
a striking proof, not only of their personal esteem,
but of the ideas they entertain with respect to the
revolution which gave birth to their connexion with
us, and laid, as they say, the foundation for their
restoration to privileges, which had been wrested
from them, and which they are now exerting themselves
to recover. The spirit of liberty appears to
be all alive in them; but whether they will be able
to accomplish their views, without a scene of blood
and carnage, is very doubtful.
As to the country, I do not wonder that Swift
gave it the name of "Nick Frog," though I do not
carry the idea so far as some, who insist that the
people resemble the frog in the shape of their faces
and the form of their bodies. They appear to
Very few objects of wretchedness present themselves
to your view, even amidst the immense concourse
of people in the city of Amsterdam. They
have many public institutions which do honor to
humanity, and to the particular directors of them.
The money allotted to benevolent purposes is applied
solely to the benefit of the charities, instead of
being wasted and expended in public dinners to the
guardians of them, which is said to be the case too
much in this country. The civil government, or
police, must be well regulated, since rapine, murder,
and robbery are very seldom found amongst them.
The Exchange of Amsterdam is a great curiosity.
As such, they carried me to see it. I was with Mr.
Van Staphorst; and, though the crowd of people
was immense, I met with no difficulty in passing
through, every person opening a passage for me.
The Exchange is a large square, surrounded with
a piazza. Here, from twelve till two o'clock, all
and every person who has business of any kind
to transact, meet, sure of finding the person they
want; and it is not unusual to see ten thousand
persons collected at once. I was in a chamber
above the Exchange; the buzz from below was
like the swarming of bees. The most important
places which I visited, were Rotterdam, Delft, the
Hague, Leyden, Haarlem, Amsterdam, and Utrecht.
I went through many other villages and towns; the
names I do not recollect. I was eight days at the
Hague, and visited every village round it, amongst
of King Charles. From Utrecht I visited
Zest, a small town belonging wholly to the Moravians,
who maintain the same doctrines with the Moravians
at Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, but which,
are not the best calculated for fulfilling the great
command of replenishing the earth. I visited Gouda,
and saw the most celebrated paintings upon
glass which are to be found. These were immense
windows, reaching from the top to the bottom of a
very high church, and containing Scripture history.
Neither the faces nor attitudes had any thing striking;
but the colors, which had stood for near two hundred
years, were beautiful beyond imagination. From
Amsterdam, we made a party one day to Saardam,
a few hours' sail only. It was their annual fair, and
I had an opportunity of seeing the people in their
holiday suits. This place is famous for being the
abode of the Czar Peter, whose ship-carpenter's
shop they still show. At every place of note, I visited
the cabinets of paintings and natural history, and
all the public buildings of distinction, as well as the
seats of several private gentlemen, and the Prince
of Orange's house at the Hague, where he holds his
court during the summer months; but the difference,
which subsists between him and the States, occasioned
his retreat to Loo. Consequently I had no
opportunity of being presented to that Court. We
were invited to dine one day at Sir James Harris's,
the British minister at that Court, who appears a
very sensible, agreeable man. Lady Harris, who is
the first of English beauties. She was married at
seventeen, and has four fine children; but, though
very pretty, her Ladyship has no dignity in her manners,
nor solidity in her deportment. She rather
seems of the good-humored, giggling class,—a
mere trifler; at least, I saw nothing to the contrary.
I supped at the Marquis de Verac's, the
French Ambassador's, with about fifty gentlemen
and ladies. His own lady is dead. He has a daughter-in-law,
who usually lives with him, but was now
absent in France.
Upon the whole, I was much gratified with my
excursion to a country, which cannot show its like
again. The whole appearance of it is that of a
meadow. What are called the dikes, are the roads,
which, being raised, separate the canals. Upon
these you ride, through rows of willow trees upon
each side. Not a hill to be seen. It is all a continued
plain, so that trees, meadows, and canals,
canals, trees, and meadows, are the unvaried scene.
The houses are all brick, and the streets are paved
with brick. It is very unusual to see a single square
of glass broken, or a brick out of place, even in the
meanest house. They paint every piece of wood
within and without their houses; and, what I thought
not so wholesome, their milk-pails are painted, within
and without, and so are their horse-carts; but it
is upon a principle of economy. The country is
exceeding fruitful, and every house has a garden
spot, plentifully stored with vegetables. The dress
it was two hundred years ago, and has been handed
down from generation to generation unimpaired.
You recollect the short petticoats, and long short-gowns,
round-eared caps with straight borders, and
large straw hats, which the German women wore
when they first settled at Germantown. Such is
now the dress of all the lower class of people, who
do not even attempt to imitate the gentry. I was
pleased with the trig neatness of the women; many
of them wear black tammy aprons, thick quilted
coats, or russet skirts, and small hoops; but only
figure to yourself a child of three or four, dressed
in the same way. They cut a figure, I assure you.
Gold ear-rings are universally worn by them, and
bracelets upon holidays. The dress of the men
is full as old-fashioned; but the Court and genteel
people dress part English and part French. They
generally speak both the languages, but French
most. Since their intercourse with America, the
English language is considered as an essential part
of education. I would not omit to mention that I
visited the church at Leyden, in which our forefathers
worshipped, when they fled from hierarchical
tyranny and persecution. I felt a respect and
veneration upon entering the doors, like what the
ancients paid to their Druids.
Upon my return home, I found that Captain
Cushing had arrived in my absence, and a noble
packet was handed to me by your niece soon after
I arrived; but, as we had not seen, each other for
that, I had not closed my eyes for two days and
nights, having had a stormy, boisterous passage of
three days, attended with no small danger; and, as I
had rode seventy-five miles that day, they all voted
against my opening my letters that night. Mortifying
as it was, I submitted, being almost light-headed
with want of rest, and fatigue. But I rose early the
next morning and read them all before breakfast;
and here let me thank my dear sister for the entertainment
hers afforded me; but, like most of the
scenes of life, the pleasure was mixed with pain.
The account of the death of our dear and worthy
aunt reached me in a letter from cousin W. Smith,
the week before I went my journey. Although I
took a final leave of her when I quitted America,
yet I have been willing to flatter myself with the
hope that I might be mistaken, and that her life
would be prolonged beyond my expectations. How
often has her image appeared to my mind in the
same form in which she addressed me when I left her
house. You know how susceptible her heart was
to every tender impression. She saw how much I
was distressed, and strove herself for a magnanimity
that gave to her whole appearance a placid solemnity
which spoke more forcibly than words. There
was a something indescribable, which to me seemed
angelic, in her whole manner and appearance, that
most powerfully impressed my mind; and I could
not refrain, when I arrived here, from mentioning it
to Mr. Smith, who, I dare say, will recollect it. Like
fitted by a life of piety and benevolence to join her
kindred spirits. She has left us her example, and
the memory of her many virtues, to comfort our afflicted
hearts. Beloved, regretted, and lamented!
She was like a parent to me, and my full heart has
paid the tributary tears to her memory.
| Letters of Mrs. Adams, | |