When On The Ramparts Of
The City To The North And West An Immense Plain As Far As The Eye Can Reach
Presents Itself To View; A Few Trees And Sandhills Form The Only Relief To
The Picture.
The town itself is neat, clean and dull, like all Dutch towns.
The fortifications are strong and well worth inspection.
The most
remarkable thing in the neighbourhood of Maastricht is the Montagne de St
Pierre, which from having been much excavated for the purpose of procuring
stone, forms a labyrinth of a most intricate nature. I advise every
traveller to visit it, and if he has a classical imagination he may fancy
himself in the labyrinth of Crete.
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, 29th June.
We started in the morning of the 28th from Maastricht in the diligence for
Aix-la-Chapelle and arrived here at twelve o'clock, putting up at Van
Guelpen's Hotel, Zum Pfaelzischen Hofe (a la Cour palatine), which I
recommend as an excellent inn and the hosts as very good people. The price
of our journey from Liege to Maastricht in the water-diligence was 2-1/2
franks, and from Maastricht to Aix-la-Chapelle by land was 7 franks the
person. The road from Maastricht to this place is not very good, but the
country at a short distance from Maastricht becomes picturesque, much
diversified by hill and dale and well wooded. As the Meuse forms the
boundary between the Belgic and Prussian territory, we enter the latter
sooner after leaving Maastricht. I find my friend L. a most agreeable
travelling companion; travelling seems to be his passion, as it is mine;
and fortune has so far favoured me in this particular, that my professional
duties and private affairs have led me to visit the four quarters of the
globe. After dinner, on the first day of our arrival here, we went to visit
the Hotel de Ville, before which stands on a pedestal in a bason an
ancient bronze statue of Charlemagne. It has nothing to recommend it but
its antiquity. The Hotel de Ville is similar to other Gothic buildings
used for the same purpose. In the great hall thereof there is a large
picture representing the ambassadors of all the powers who assisted at the
signing of the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1742; and a full length
portrait of the present King of Prussia, as master of the city, occupies
the place where once stood that of Napoleon, its late lord. We next went to
see the Cathedral and sat down on the throne on which the German Caesars
used to be crowned. We viewed likewise the various costly articles of
plate, the gifts of pious princes. The most remarkable things among them
are several superb dresses of gold and silver embroidery, so thickly laid
on that they are of exceeding weight. These dresses form part of the
wardrobe of the Virgin Mary. Next to be seen is a case or chest of massy
silver, adorned with innumerable precious stones of great value; which case
contains the bones or ashes of Charlemagne. His right arm bone is however
preserved separate in a glass case. The sword of this prince too, and the
Imperial crown is to be seen here. The sacristan next proceeded to show to
us the other relics, but having begun with the exhibition of a rag dipped
in the sweat of Jesus Christ and a nail of the Holy Cross, we began to
think we had seen enough and went away perfectly satisfied. There is no
other monument in honour of Charlemagne, but a plain stone on the floor of
the Church with the simple inscription "Carolo Magno." On going out of the
city thro' one of the gates, and at a short distance from it, we ascended
the mountain or rather hill called the Louisberg on which are built a
Ridotto and Cafe, as also a Column erected in honour of Napoleon with a
suitable inscription; the inscription is effaced and is about to be
replaced by another in the German language in commemoration of the downfall
of the Tyrant, as the Coalition are pleased to call him. This Tyrant is
however extremely regretted by the inhabitants of Aix-la-Chapelle and not
without reason, for he was a great benefactor to them and continually
embellished the city, confirming and increasing its privileges. The
inhabitants are not at all pleased with their new masters; for the
behaviour of the Prussian military has been so insulting and overbearing
towards the burghers and students that it is, I am told, a common
exclamation among the latter, alluding to the Prussians having stiled
themselves their deliverers: De nostris liberatoribus, Domine, libera
nos. Indeed, I can evidently discern that they are not particularly
pleased at the result of the battle of Waterloo.
In the evening I went to the theatre, which has the most inconvenient form
imaginable, being a rectangle. As anti-Gallicanism is the order of the day,
only German dramas are allowed to be performed and this night it was the
tragedy of Faust, or Dr Faustus as we term him in England, not the Faust of
Goethe, which is not meant for nor at all adapted to the stage, but a drama
of that name written by Klingmann.[18] It is a strange wild piece, quite in
the German style and full of horrors and diableries. In this piece the
sublime and terrible border close on the ridiculous; for instance the Devil
and Faust come to drink in a beer-schenk or ale-house. 'Tis true the Devil
is incognito at the time and is called "der Fremde" or "the Stranger"; it
is only towards the conclusion of the piece that he discovers himself to be
Satan.... The actor who played the part of the Stranger had something in
his physiognomy very terrific and awe-inspiring. In another scene, which to
us would appear laughable and absurd, but which pleases a German audience,
three women in masks come on the stage to meet Faust, in a churchyard, and
on unmasking display three skeleton heads.
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