ART. VIII. De Zedelyke Toeftand der Nederlandfche Natie, &c. i. e. A View of the Manners of the Inhabitants of the United Provinces, toward the Clofe of the Eighteenth Century. By YSBRAND VAN HAMELSVELD. 8vo. pp. 560. Amfterdam.

1791.

To

'o paint, in just and ftriking colours, the character of an age or of a nation, is a tafk to which few, comparatively, are equal. We cannot clafs M. VAN HAMELSVELD among this happy number; for, though there are many important truths in his work, it is, on the whole, rather a defultory and tedious declamation against the manners of the age in general, than an accurate and philofophical view of thofe of his countrymen in particular.

M. VAN HAMELSVELD was a clergyman, and profeffor in the univerfity of Utrecht: his character is unexceptionable, and his learning and abilities are certainly refpectable: but as he was unfortunately attached to the popular, or Anti-Orange party, he was, at the revolution in 1787, difmiffed from his chair, and obliged to lay afide his gown. Whether his political conduct had been fuch as to juftify this feverity, we cannot determine; for as that Palladium of liberty, public trial by jury, is unknown in the United Provinces, the only fecurity which an accufed perfon can have, is the character of his judge; and however excellent this may be, it has not always been found fufficient, in party matters, to prevent men from treating those with harfhnefs, who have incurred their refentment, and whom it is their intereft to ruin. The effects of thefe events on our author are evident in many parts of his work, especially when he has occafion to allude to the late revolution, or to the ftate of the country before and after it: this he does with a reserve and caution, which, however prudent, are apparently the refult of a painful reftraint and apprehenfion, by which his judgment is fettered, and his mind oppreffed.

In the introduction, M. VAN HAMELSVELD inquires whether the humanity and civilization of mankind are greater in the prefent, than they were in preceding ages: he does not chufe to answer this queftion in the affirmative; and we do not think he has fairly ftated the premises. He infifts largely on the cruelties perpetrated in Germany during the war of feven years. These were, indeed, fhocking in themfelves, and difgraceful to human. nature: but it is as unjuft to determine the character of the age from the atrocities of arbitrary princes and worthiefs generals, as it would be to estimate that of a nation from the depredations and barbarities of a band of robbers and murderers, All wars are attended with cruelty; and that, just mentioned, was peculiarly fo: but we think that, in the last war, fome APP. REV. VOL. v.

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circumftances might be mentioned, which indicate a more humane and civilized difpofition than what prevailed in former times. Among thefe, we allude to the orders given, by the courts of England and France, with relation to thofe hips which were abroad on nautical difcoveries; to the behaviour of the English after the attack on Gibraltar; and to other particulars which, in this view, feem to deferve attention. To the English, the author, like most of his party, is inimical; with refpect to what he fays of the American war, we shall leave the vindication of our country to those who are better satisfied, than we are, of the juftice and wisdom of the measures then purfued by the miniftry; which were at that time reprobated by fome of the wifeft and beft men in the nation: but we are aftonished that his credulity fhould render him fo much the dupe of party fpirit, as to retail an abfurd ftory, which appears to have been invented and circulated in Holland merely to irritate the populace against the English; who are faid, in the engagement near the Dogger's Bank, on the 5th of August 1781, to have charged their guns, not only with glass, nails, &c. but also with pieces of pork, in order to render the wounds of their enemies more difficult to cure. The idea of loading great guns with pork, is too ridiculous to deferve a serious refutation; and, as to the rest of the ftory, we venture to affert that it is a grofs falfehood, which has been repeatedly contradicted by Dutch officers who were in the action; from whom it appears that, whatever fubftances of this nature were found in the wounds of their countrymen, proceeded from the damage done by the hot to their own fhips. To this we must add, that we have had opportunities of feeing feveral of the Dutch, who had been prifoners of war in England, and who all speak in the highest terms of the humane and benevolent treatment which, as fuch, they experienced.

M. VAN HAMELSVELD complains, with great reafon, of the invicious manner in which his countrymen are characterized in the Modern Univerfal Hiftory, where they are faid to be

cold, phlegmatic, uninventive, and brutal;-to profecute every meafure with indefatigable perfeverance, to accomplish the moft arduous attempts without a fingle fpark of genius, of liberality, or the true fpirit of enterprize," and to be "diftinguifhed for their want of feeling, of refinement, and of paffion." We are forry that, in a work which, in other refpects, does honour to our preffes, there fhould be a paffage so juftly liable to reprehenfion: it is evident that whoever wrote it, muft have known the Dutch only from the report of thofe fuperficial travellers, who, after pofting from town to town, fcarcely allowing themfelves time to "fee the lions" in each, prefume to determine

the character of a people, of whofe language they are utterly ignorant; and, among whom, their only intercourfe has been with poftilions, boatmen, and innkeepers.

The author allows that a phlegmatic difpofition is rather prevalent among his countrymen, and that their paffions are lefs eafily excited than thofe of other nations: but, he justly obferves, that this temper, within proper limits, and under good regulations, is productive of compofure of mind and decency of conduct, and not unfriendly to the virtues of domeftic life, and the happiness of fociety. The Dutch are, in general, fond of tranquillity; and, provided they can enjoy this, they will bear many things with indifference, which would provoke the refentment of a more lively people. Attached to old habits and cuftoms, they are averfe from change; and, on this account, will fometimes oppofe even improvements, with unreasonable obftinacy. Though flow to anger, yet, when once rouzed, they are faid not to be foon pacified; and, in this refpect, they have been compared to their own fuel, which is not easily lighted, but, when it has once taken fire, continues burning till it is confumed to afhes. We apprehend, however, that this obfervation is rather built on general hypothefis, than on real fact. We have seen the paffions of the populace in Holland worked up to a great height, during the late war, and the domeftic contentions that fucceeded it: but we do not recollect their being guilty of any deliberate acts of cruelty, that can justify their being ftigmatized as being more implacable than other nations. On the contrary, we are perfuaded that fimilar circumstances, in any other country, would have been productive of much greater inhumanity. All things confidered, the riots that took place were few; and, when compared with popular tumults in France, and even in England, were inconfiderable with refpect to their duration, and to the mischief which they occafioned. One, indeed, we must except, which happened at Bois le Duc, and was attended with fhocking circumftances of violence: but this was a riot, not of the people, but of the foldiers; most of whom were foreigners. Amid all the difturbances which prevailed from the year 1780 to 1787, the British, who refided in Holland, fo far from being generally ill treated, experienced great kindnefs and civility; though they were nationaliy the objects of popular refentment, filt on account of the war, and afterward from their fuppofed attachment to the house of Orange: but what, in this respect, fhews the character of the Dutch in a very advantageous light, is that, in the year 1787, when the government of Amfterdam was in fact in the hands of the popriace, and this city was the afylum of armed fugitives of the vanquished party, who had lost their 002

all

all in the conteft, and might be fuppofed to be prepared for any defperate mischief, no riots nor diforders took place, notwithflanding the attempts of a few worthlefs individuals to excite them by inflammatory papers; and, amid a concurrence of circumftances, that feemed the most unfavourable to public order, one might walk along the streets, by night as well as by day, with as much fecurity as in the moft tranquil times.

The difpofition of the Dutch is induftrious rather than laborious; and they attain their ends rather by a patient and affiduous application, than by a ftrenuous exertion of their powers. The love of gain, with which they are fo often reproached, is the natural confequence of their commercial fpirit and purfuits nor do we obferve it to be much greater than that of other mercantile people: perhaps the contrary opinion may be owing to a minutenefs and punctuality of attention in their mode of carrying on trade, which the nature of their business requires. That they are very far from being deficient in compaffion and generofity, is evident from the ready affiftance adminiftered to accidental fufferers, from the large provifion made for the relief of the poor, which depends in a great meafure on voluntary contribution, and from the fums that have been given toward the fupport of Proteftant churches in Roman Catholic countries, as well as of thofe in Pennsylvania. We may add, that there is no country in Europe in which foreigners are better protected, may live more comfortably, nor experience greater kindness from the natives. In fhort, on a fair comparison with other nations, the Dutch will by no means appear to difadvantage: they may indeed want some of those fhewy qualities, which command the admiration of mankind: but what is moft fplendid is not always the most valuable, either in a moral or in a political view. They have, however, as many virtues, and as few vices, as any nation; and if, inftead of encouraging the expenfive follies and licentious manners, with which the court of France infected every country of Europe, they fudy to improve their national character, without affecting to defert it, they may long remain a happy and a refpectable people.

Our author's obfervations on the present ftate of manners are diftributed under the different heads of education, domestic life, focial virtues, learning, tafte, and religion. He accuses his countrymen of forfaking the manners of their ancestors, and of copying not only the follies but the vices of foreigners. It must be acknowleged that much of his reproof is juft: but the cafe is nearly the fame in other countries; and we always find that, in proportion to the increase of trade and the prevalence of luxury, folid acquifitions and fubftantial happiness

are

are lefs cultivated than fhewy accomplishments and fplendid appearance. In thefe modifh refinements, the Dutch, till within these ten years, were far behind their neighbours but a remarkable change has fince taken place, and the manner of drefs and living is not lefs fhewy and expenfive in Amsterdam than in any city in Europe.

With the state of learning and tafte, M. VAN HAMELSVELD is greatly diffatisfied: he complains of the grofs ignorance of the common people; though we apprehend, this is not greater now than it was in former times, and, in our opinion, not fo general as in other nations :-but, in this refpect, there is a confiderable difference between those who live. in towns, and the country people; and alfo between one part of the country and another. In most of the cities at least, and throughout the province of Holland, there are very few who cannot write, and fcarcely any that cannot read; and, whatever may be faid of the degeneracy of the prefent age, it has not been deficient in affociations and establishments for the diffufion of these fundamental branches of knowlege among the common people.

With respect to thofe in the middle ranks, we think the author's complaints equally void of foundation: like many other literary men, he seems to expect more from these claffes, than their fituation and circumftances will allow. The man who has been educated merely with a view to trade, to which he is obliged to pay a close attention during the greatest part of his life, cannot be expected to devote his time to the acquifition of that knowlege, of which he does not difcern the immediate neceffity. When he reads, it is to relax his mind after the fatigues of bufinefs; entertainment, therefore, rather than ftudy, must generally be his object; and books of amufement will naturally be more in request among this kind of readers, than works of greater importance, which require more thought, and a greater degree of mental exertion. However, there is fcarcely a town in Holland in which there is not fome fociety, confifting chiefly of perfons in trade, who, for their amufement, purfue either mathematics and natural philofophy, or poetry and literature; and, though it fhould be faid that the fcience of the former is fuperficial, or the productions of the latter beneath the notice of critics, yet they fhew that there is at least a defire of improvement, and they diffufe a general knowlege of things, concerning which the fame clafs of people were formerly entirely ignorant; and of which, in moft other countries, they have no idea.

M. VAN HAMELSVELD obferves, that very few original works of merit are now publifhed in Holland; and that most