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
On our return to town, we were informed that this person, who is not a
native of Frankfort, though he has been many years established there,
had applied to the magistrates for liberty to purchase a certain spot
of ground, on which he proposed to build a dwelling-house, &c. which
cannot be done by any but citizens, without the consent of the council.
This being refused, he bought a little piece of land in the territory
of Mentz, immediately beyond that of Frankfort, and on the banks of the
Maine; and being highly piqued by the refusal he had met with from the
magistrates, he had reared a building greatly larger and more extensive
than was necessary, or than he at first had intended, in the full
persuasion that the remorse of the magistrates would be in proportion to
the size of this fabric.
The tobacconist has already expended fifty thousand pounds on this temple
of vengeance, and his wrath against the magistrates seems to be yet
unappeased—for he still lavishes his money with a rancour against these
unfortunate men, that is very unbecoming a Christian. The inhabitants of
Frankfort, while they acknowledge the imprudence of the magistrates, do
not applaud the wisdom of their antagonist, in whose brain they assert
there must be some apartments as empty as any in the vast structure he
is building.
Another day his Grace and I rode to Bergen, a small village which has
been rendered eminent by the attempt made there by Prince Ferdinand on
the French army in the year 1759.
We were accompanied by the Messrs. de Lessener, two gentlemen, now
retired from the service, and living at Frankfort, who had been in the
action, one a Captain in the Hanoverian army, the other of the same rank
in the French.
During the winter of that memorable year, you may remember that the
French, with more policy than justice, had seized upon this neutral city,
and established their head-quarters here. This was attended by great
advantages, securing to them the course of the Maine and Upper Rhine, by
which they received supplies from Strasbourg, and all the intermediate
cities.
Prince Ferdinand having formed the design of driving them from this
advantageous situation, before they could be reinforced, suddenly
assembled his army, which was cantoned about Munster, and after three
days of forced marches, came in sight of the French army, at that time
commanded by the Duke de Broglio, who, having received intelligence of
the Prince’s scheme, had made a very judicious disposition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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