322 THE HERRENHUTTERS. ciples. In short, it is a society of amiable, industrious, and agreeable men, who form a coalition of ingenuity and diligence for their support, and benevolently remit the surplus of their income, after defraying their own expences, to their brethren established in the East and West Indies, and other parts of the world. They marry whenever they please; but those who taste of this blissful state are not permitted to have the chambers in the house, although they may contribute their labours, and receive their quota of subsistence from it. 323 CHAPTER XIX. THE MALL OF UTRECHT A GASCONADE-THE RHINE-CONQUEST OF UTRECHT THE CATHEDRAL-BEAUTIFUL LINES-ANECDOTES OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONS BORN AT UTRECHT-THE ANTIENT INHABITANTS A DIRECTION-THE CITY OF ARNHEIM-ANEDCOTE OF BECK DUCHY OF BERG-CLEVES-ANECDOTE OF THIRKA TEDIOUS FORM-ANECDOTE OF BROWN BREAD-THE CONTRAST-THE RECEPTION BONAPARTE'S HATRED OF ENGLISH. AFTER we had amused ourselves with roving about this agreeable place, we set off for Utrecht. I have before mentioned the manner in which the Dutch compute distances, and although I had for some time been accustomed to hear hours substituted for miles, yet as I was no longer on the canals, it sounded somewhat strange to hear a charming lady of our party observe, which she did with perfect Dutch propriety, when we were speaking of the probable time in which we should arrive at Utrecht: Surely our horses must be poor indeed if they cannot go six hours in three." Our road lay through a very rich and beautiful country, well drained, abounding with neat compact little farms, orchards, wood plantations, the lofty and venerable towers of Utrecht appearing full in our view all the way. We passed by the mall, which has a handsome stone entrance, is upwards of a mile in length, and is bordered with a triple row of trees, with a carriageroad on each side. When this city surrendered to the arms of Louis the Fourteenth in 1672, he was uncom→ monly delighted with this walk, yet, from knowing that it was equally admired by the citizens, he threatened to have every tree felled to the ground, unless they raised a very large contribution, which was immediately produced, and the mall preserved. If the menace of the conqueror was sincere, which I can scarcely believe, he united the tasteless barbarism of a Vandal to the ferocious rapacity of a tyrant. Louis overran this province, and the greatest part of Guelderland, Overyssel, and Holland, at the head of one hundred thousand men, in less than a month, a rapidity of victory almost incredible, though infinitely surpassed by the arms of France in the present times. The progress of the French king was celebrated in the following gasconade : Una dies Lotharos, Burgundos hebdomas una, I think Utrecht one of the most beautiful cities in Holland, next to the Hague, which it is said to exceed in size. The streets are wide, and the buildings handsome, amongst which the hand of the Spanish architect is fre |