bly and happily under him, and answerable to this aufpicious be that his reign may bee alwayes ginning. I am, Sir, &c. (Directed) To the Rev. Mr. Francis Roper, Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. On the NATIONAL CHARACTER of the DUTCH.* [FROM THE MANUSCRIPT NOTES OF A GERMAN.] THE first thing that offends a foreigner upon his entrance into Holland, is a certain indifference and coldnefs of manners. He hears none of those warm expreffions of kindnefs which in other countries are a part of good breeding, and which, though they coff little or nothing to the fpeaker, fo agreeably flatter thofe to whom they are addreffed: he witneffes none of thofe eager marks of efteem, friendship and folicitude, which indeed are feldom ferioufly meant; in fhort, none of what are generally confidered as the principal ingredients of politenefs. A ftranger, when he delivers his letters of introduction to a fashionable Hollander, will be difgufted by his cold and ceremonious reception of him and feel himfelf compelled by the monofyllabic abruptness of his converfation immediately to enter upon the bufinefs which has brought him to Holland, and particularly : occafioned that vifit. The Dutchman will then with due formality exprefs the fuggeftions of the moment, promife his affistance, and then, pleading an immediate engagement, make an appointment at the exchange; the place of common refort for every kind of bufinefs and our traveller may congratulate himself if he be now and then invited to his table (op un Kabbeljaawitje or Tongotje) or in fummer to his country-house : as to every thing elfe, he is left entirely to himfelf, on the fuppofition, that at his hotel, or at fome coffee-houfe, he will meet with perfons, who for a gratuity will point out to him what is worthy of obfervation in the town, or affift him in paffing away the time. Every vifit, not upon bufinefs, which he makes at the houfe to which he was introduced, will difcover to him that he is an incumbrance both to the master of it and all his family. On the other hand, civility and hofpitality The following notes were occafioned by reading a little work, "The familiar letters of a Dane," and afterwards "Riem's Travels through Holland." Amongst the many obfervations made by thefe travellers during their very rapid journey, are fome precipitate and but half true. Against this error I am perhaps protected by a nine years' refidence in Holland, 'till the spring of 1798. Befides, what will enfure credibility to my affertions, George Forster, who of all travellers has moft profoundly and accurately examined the character of the Dutch, as well as of other nations, and whofe " Views" I had the means of comparing with the foilowing remarks, immediately after they were written, has in many points cftablished the same conclufious. D. EINS. hofpitality generally prevail among the middle claffes of the people, in proportion as they are lefs defirous to imitate the higher orders. The anecdote in "Forfter's Views" of the landlord who pulled off his warm flippers to offer them to a traveller, is a ftriking reprefentation of the good difpofitions of the wealthy Dutch citizens; however, the contraft between them and thofe of more fashionable life is not always fo remarkable. And, generally fpeaking, there is no country where humanity and civilization are more completely found among the middling claffes than in Holland; and even among the rich and fashionable in the fmaller towns, if not at Amfterdam, an unaffuming civility and kindness are found in a confiderable degree. A ftranger who has loft his way, or cannot find the place to which he is going, may venture to inquire of the firft perfon he meets in the street, or ring at the next house, whether the door be open or fhut: The perfon addreffed will, if he can any-how guefs his meaning, affift him with the greateft readiness, or if he does not understand or cannot inform him, will call to fome one who is paffing by; fo that a ftranger may occafionally find himself surrounded by perfons, every one of whom is defirous of affifting him. And all this takes place without the leaft pretenfions or expectation of praife. It often happens that a perfon, obferving a tranger apparently ignorant of the town, will anticipate his inquiries and offer his fervice. It is never advifeable rudely to refufe any request whatever, as for inftance, to help a porter with a heavily laden wheelbarrow over a bridge. A man who was fmoaking before his door, was driven into the house by the hiffes of a mob, which foon collected, because he refused to light the pipe of a day-labourer who was paffing by. In other refpects, it is found here, particularly at Amfterdam, that in proportion to his rank and riches a man lofes his natural goodnefs of difpofition; and fuffers himself to be meanly and narrowly limited in every word and action by felfish confiderations of profit and lofs. No perfons talk more about good-breeding, (bebeefdheid) or pride themselves more upon it, than the Dutch; but their goodbreeding is nothing but a stiff and cold ceremonial comprehending fome half dozen mighty points; one of the most important of which is, a certain appropriate falutation of acquaintances in the street; and a formal inquiry after the healths of themselves and family (hoe vaart RUVE en Mevroun, en de Familie ;) which is practifed even towards foreigners when seen for the first time. And their good-breeding by no means precludes them from being guilty of ill manners and rudeness the most offenfive. It is however only certain purfe proud citizens of no education who can be accused of this, and not the inhabitants in general, to whom, nevertheless, Riem, has imputed it.* too, they know very well how to diftinguish the man of education from the upstart, though in Reife durch Holland, p. 346. Here, deed deed much will be overlooked in in the latter if he be rich, and can render himself useful or injurious to one of more fafhion, An ab ftaining from oaths is not, as Riem fuppofes, peculiar only to the pietil, but, as fhould be the cafe every where, generally marks the man of education. On the other hand, young perfons affect French manners, the effence of which they unfortunately fancy to confift in trifling, which from the poverty of their own minds finks into mere abfurdity, and, from their want of French delicacy, becomes a monstrous compound of fprucenefs, affectation and awkwardness. With this ceremonious stiffness is connected an unfocial temper, an unwillingness to affociate intimately with any but thofe with whom they have been long acquainted, and before whom they feel no reftraint. Hofpitality too is at a low ebb with them. It is true that foreigners who have good letters of introduction are fometimes invited to entertainments, but, for the most part, they are made only when some commercial advantage is expected to be derived from them; at fuch times their pride is gratified by displaying their riches before foreigners of rank. Vifiting almoft altogether confifts of family-parties to which ftrangers are never or feldom admitted. It is here that the Dutchman feels himself free from all re ftraint, and indulges in merriment, which the appearance of a fingle foreigner would immediately convert into formality; a circumstance which alone renders it difficult for travellers to judge of the national character of the Dutch. In general, Hollanders have a decided in clination towards a domestic life." Whether at home or abroad, they devote most of their leisure hours to their family, fpending them in familiar converfation and amufements, and often in the inftruction of their children. In fuch family parties and clubs (Kolegien) or felect focieties, formed of large numbers, confift almost all the focial pleafures of the Dutch, To thefe clubs none are admitted but by ballot, and thofe only against whofe characters and opinions no one of the members has any objection, and who are fufficiently known to the greater part of the fociety, fo that they can affociate without restraint and with perfect confidence. They are held in gardens in the neighbourhood of the town. The time is spent partly in various games, particularly a national one called kolven, (in which, very thick and hard balls are ftruck with sticks bent at the end into a blunt angle, and plated with copper, from a perfectly fmooth pavement, against pales fet up at both fides, and the game depends on the distance from the boundary at which the ball ftops after the rebound) and partly in chatting and fmoaking tobacco with the ladies. The clubs of the fame kind formed of young men are fufficiently noify and intemperate, and ferve to promote every kind of extravagance rather than rational recreation. Befides thefe, there are alfo political and literary focieties. Of the former, the principal at Amsterdam is, the Society pro Concordia et Libertate, and of the latter, Felix Meritis ; both confift of patriotic members, and are fupported by the weight, number and influence of their par tizans. tizans. Among the middling claffes there is little fociety out of their family circles, but foreigners find in them fewer impediments, and feel themselves lefs intrufive. The principal causes of this may be found in a third prominent feature in the Dutch character,—the Jove of repofe. Various perfons who have refided in Holland have imagined, that the want of fufficient elasticity in the air relaxes the nerves, and weakens the activity and energy of the mind. But, independently of this, the uniformity of a mercantile life obliges them මෙමම to have recourfe to diversions, which exclude every thing that might exhauft the fpirits, or dif turb the placidity of their amufe ments. Bufinefs being difmiffed, fmoaking a pipe at home or at his club, reading in the gazettes the common occurrences, chatting about the news of the day, or join. ing a party at cards, is the higheft enjoyment of a Dutch mer chant; an enjoyment, which, ftrongly contrafted with what other nations confider as fuch, gives much occafion to the derifion of foreigners. (To be continued.) hoods of her imagination. But to our political Father, the faithful page of history is panegyric, and the happiness of his country is the monument of his fame. An EULOGY on the late Gen. WASHINGTON, pronounced before the Inhabitants of the Town of BOSTON, at the Request of their Committee, by GEORGE R. MINOT, ▲. м. A, A. S. OUR duty, my Fellow-Townfmen, on this diftreffing occafion, is dictated by the dignity and refplendent virtue of the beloved Man whofe death we deplore. We affemble to pay a debt to departed merit, a debt which we can only pay by the fincerity of our grief, and the refpectful effufions of gratitude; for the higheft eulogy left us to bestow upon our lamented WASHINGTON, is the strict narration of the truth, and the loftieft character which we can affign to him, is the very difplay of himself. When am bition allies itself to guilt, when power tramples upon right, when victory triumphs in blood, when piety fits clouded in fuperftition, when humility is affected by cunning, when patriotism is founded on selfishness; then let adulation fpread her prostituted mantle, to fcreen the difgraces of her patrons, and amufe with the falfe Come, then, Warriors! Statef men! Philofophers! Citizens ! affemble round the tomb of this favourite son of virtue; with all the luxury of forrow, recollect the important events of his life, and partake of the greatest legacy which a mortal could bequeath you, in the contemplation of his example. Whilft we folemnize this act, his disembodied spirit, if it be permitted to retrace the fcenes of its terreftrial existence, will fmile with approbation on the instructive rite. Your anniversaries have long honored the eleventh of February, one thousand seven hundred and thirty two, as the birth day of our illuftrious Chief, and the par ith of his own name in Weftmoreland county, in Virginia, boafts itfelf the place of his nativity. But to fouls like his, local restrictions are not attached. Where liberty was, there would be his country Happy for us, the Genius of Liberty, refponfive to his affections, refolved that where WASHINGTON was, there alfo fhould be her abode. Educated by private inftruction, his virtue grew with his knowledge, and the useful branches of literature, occupied the whole powers of his mind. Exemplary for folidity of thought, and chastity of morals, he was honoured by the government of Virginia, with an important miffion, at an age when the levities of the human character feldom yield to the earlieft operation of reafon. At the opening of the great war of encroachments upon our western frontiers, he was the bearer of the remonftrance to the French. Such was the addrefs, fidelity and perfeverance, with which he executed this important trust, that he was honoured at twenty two years of age, with the command of a regiment raif ed by his province. His military talents were foon called to the teft. At Redstone, Victory perched upon his ftandard; but with that volatility by which fhe tries the powers of her favourite heroes, fhe in a few months afterwards left him, by his own exertions, to fave the honours of war for his little band, in an unequal, but well-fupported battle. In Braddock's flaughtered army, he was a witnefs to fcenes of horror, which his caution, kad it been adopted, would have prevented, and which his steady courage affifted much to retrieve. During the remainder of this war, he was employed in fortifyipg his native province, in ar ranging and perfecting its militia, and in checking the incurfions of the enemy, until the crisis of the conteft had paffed in this country, when he refigned his command. Retirement to him was only a different mode of action, and his repofe partook not of indolence. Amidst the honourable pursuits of agriculture, he discharged various civil offices, until we find him rifing amongst the patriots of our country, as a delegate from Virginia, in the first American Congrefs. We fhall ever remember the fifteenth day of June, one thoufand feven hundred and feventyfive, when Providence directed to his appointment as the commander in chief of our revolutionary army. In this neighbourhood he first drew his fword. Many of you, my Fellow-Townfmen, were then languishing under the fetters of tyranny, or were imprisoned within the joyless confines of your own habitations. Your hope was fixed on him. His command, independent of the refources of his own mind, afforded no ground for the fupport of your feelings. He had an army brave indeed, but with little difcipline; naked, at the approach of winter; and almost fubject to diffolution from temporary enliftments; a paymaster without money; a commiffary ftruggling on the utmost stretch of credit. A veteran army lay under his eye, ftrongly fortified, regularly |