And Arrived Here Yesterday Morning
At Twelve O'clock.
I experienced considerable difficulty in procuring a
passport to quit Bruxelles, my name having been included in that of General
Wilson, which he carried back with him to England.
Our Ambassador was
absent, and I was bandied about from bureau to bureau without success; so
that I began at last to think that I should be necessitated to remain at
Bruxelles all my life, when fortunately it occurred to Mr L. that he was
intimately acquainted with the English Consul, and he kindly undertook to
procure me one and succeeded. On arrival here we put up at the Pommelette
d'Or. The price of a place in the diligence from Bruxelles to Liege is
fifteen franks. We passed thro' Louvain, but too late to see anything. The
country about Liege is extremely striking and picturesque; the river Meuse
flows thro' the city, and the banks of the river outside the town are very
riants and agreeable. Liege is a large, well-built city, but rather
gloomy as to its appearance, and lies in a hollow completely surrounded by
lofty hills. The remains of its ancient citadel stand on a height which
completely commands the city; on another height stands a monastery, a
magnificent building. There are a great many coal-pits in the vicinity of
Liege, and a great commerce of coals is carried on between this city and
Holland by the treckschuyte on the Meuse. We visited the ancient
Episcopal palace and the Churches. The Palace is completely dismantled.
This city suffered much during the revolt of the Belgian provinces against
the Emperor Joseph II, and having distinguished itself by the obstinacy of
its defence, it was treated with great rigour by the Austrian Government.
The fortifications were blown up, and nothing now remains on the site of
the old citadel but a large barrack. I remained two whole hours on this
height to contemplate the beauties of the expanse below. The banks of the
river, which meanders much in these parts, and the numerous maisons de
campagne with the public promenades and allees lined with trees,
exhilarate the scene of the environs, for the city itself is dull enough.
Several pretty villas are situated also on the heights, and were I to dwell
here I should choose one of them and seldom descend into the valley and
city below,
Where narrow cares and strife and envy dwell.
Liege, however sombre in its appearance, is a place of much opulence and
commerce. A Belgian garrison does duty here. At the inn, after dinner, I
fell into conversation with a Belgian priest, and as I was dressed in black
he fancied I was one of the cloth, and he asked me if I were a Belgian, for
that I spoke French with a Belgian accent; "Apparemment Monsieur est
ecclesiastique? - Monsieur, je suis ne Anglais et protestant." He then began
to talk about and declaim against the French Revolution, for that is the
doctrine now constantly dinned into the ears of all those who take orders;
and he concluded by saying that things would never go on well in Europe
until they restored to God the things they had taken from Him.
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