A View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany, Vol. 1 (of 2): With Anecdotes Relating to Some Eminent CharactersMoore, John
History
A View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany, Vol. 1 (of 2): With Anecdotes Relating to Some Eminent Characters
Moore, John
Europe -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
The two families with which we are in the greatest degree of intimacy,
are those of Mons. de Barkhause, and Mons. P. Gogle. The former is a
principal person in the magistracy, a man of learning and worth. His lady
is of a noble family in the dukedom of Brunswic, a woman of admirable
good sense and many accomplishments. She is well acquainted with English
and French literature. The French language she speaks like a native,
and though she cannot converse in English without difficulty, she
understands and relishes the works of some of our best authors.
Mr. Gogle has travelled over the greatest part of Europe, and is equally
acquainted with men and books. He has made a plentiful fortune by
commerce, and lives in a very agreeable and hospitable manner.
In these two houses we occasionally meet with the best company of both
the classes of society in this place, and in one or other when there is
no public assembly we generally pass the afternoon.—The former part of
the day (a thaw having lately dissolved the snow) we often pass in jaunts
to the environs of this place, which are very beautiful.
As the D—— of H—— and I were riding one day along the banks of the Maine,
near the village of Heix, which is in the territories of the Elector
of Mentz, we observed a building which seemed to be the residence of
some prince, or bishop at least. We were surprised we never had heard
it spoken of, as it had a more magnificent appearance than any modern
building we had seen since our arrival in Germany. We rode up, and upon
entering it, found that the apartments within, though not laid out in the
best taste, seemed to correspond, in point of expence, with the external
appearance.
We were informed by the workmen, who were employed in finishing these
apartments, that this palace belonged to a tobacconist in Frankfort,
where he still kept shop, and had accumulated a prodigious fortune by
making and selling snuff.
Near to the principal house, there is another great building intended for
a workhouse, in which tobacco is to be manufactured, with many apartments
for the workmen, and vaulted cellars in which the various kinds of snuff
are to be kept moist, till sent for inland sale to Frankfort, or shipped
on the Maine for foreign markets.
The owner informed us, there were exactly three hundred rooms in
both buildings, and the greater number of these belonged to the
dwelling-house. We did not chuse to puzzle the man by difficult
questions, and therefore refrained from enquiring, what use he intended
to make of such an amazing number of rooms, which seemed rather contrived
as barracks for two or three thousand soldiers, than any other purpose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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