Before and after Waterloo: Letters from Edward Stanley, sometime Bishop of Norwich (1802; 1814; 1816) — John Shaqi
Before and after Waterloo: Letters from Edward Stanley, sometime Bishop of Norwich (1802; 1814; 1816)Stanley, Edward
History
Before and after Waterloo: Letters from Edward Stanley, sometime Bishop of Norwich (1802; 1814; 1816)
Stanley, Edward
Europe -- Description and travel; France -- History -- Consulate and First Empire, 1799-1815
I have just paid a visit to Madame de D. She received me very
graciously, & strongly pressed me to stay till 14th of July to be
present at the Grand Day. She says Paris is not now worth seeing, but
then every Person will be in Town. If there is no other way of seeing
Buonaparte I believe I shall stay--but I do not wish it--I shall prefer
Geneva.
_Edward Stanley to his brother, J. T. Stanley._
HOTEL DE BOSTON, RUE VIVIENNE,
_June 21, 1802_.
MY DEAR BROTHER,-- ... I sailed from Brighton on the evening of 8th and
was wafted by a fine Breeze towards this Coast, which we made early on
the morning of 9th, but owing to the tide, which had drifted us too much
to leeward of Dieppe, we were unable to land before noon. We were
carried before the Officer of the municipality, who after taking down
our names, ages, & destination, left us to ramble about at pleasure.
Whatever Dieppe might have been before the Revolution, it is now a
melancholy-looking place. Large houses falling to ruin. Inhabitants
poor, Streets full of Soldiers, & Churches turned into Stables,
Barracks, or Magazines. We staid there but one night & then proceeded in
one of their Diligences to Rouen. These Conveyances you of course have
often seen; they are not as Speedy in their motion as an English Mail
Coach, or as easy as a Curricle, but we have found them very convenient,
& shall not complain of our travelling accommodation if we are always
fortunate enough to meet with these vehicles. At Rouen we staid four
days, as the Town is large and well worth seeing; I then made an attempt
to procure you some painted glass; as almost all the Churches and all
the Convents are destroyed, their fine windows are neglected, & the
panes broken or carried off by almost every person. The _Stable_ from
whence our Diligence started had some beautiful windows, and had I
thought of it in time I think I might have sent you some. As it was I
went to the owner of the Churches & asked him if he would sell any of
the windows. Now tho' ever since he has had possession of them Everybody
has been permitted to demolish at pleasure, he no sooner found that a
Stranger was anxious to procure what to him was of no value, & what he
had hitherto thought worth nothing, than he began to think he might take
advantage & therefore told me that he would give me an answer in a few
days if I would wait till he could see what they were worth. As I was
going the next morning I could not hear the result, but I think you
could for one guinea purchase nearly a whole Church window, at least it
may be worth your while to send to Liverpool to know if any Ship is at
any time going there. The Proprietor of these Churches is a Banker, by
name Tezart; he lives in la Rue aux Ours.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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