One day, amongst other amusements in the suburbs, I was present at that of shooting the popinjay, which consists in placing the figure of a bird at the top of a long pole, and shooting at it with bows and arrows; the person who succeeds in displacing the mark, is remunerated with a gold or silver watch, or whatever prize may be contended for; it did not appear, however, an easy matter to effect this, as it was four o’clock when we were there, and they had been engaged the whole day, without being able to remove the popinjay. During my stay at Brussels, I discovered very few symptoms of gaiety, although the royal family were at the time resident. The English families were many of them gone to different bathing places. I had, however, the gratification of finding there my friend, Admiral D⸺, whose great condescension and hospitality, demand my warmest acknowledgments, and have left an indelible impression of gratitude and esteem; nor can I forget the kind attentions of his friend Mr. P. H⸺. On the 10th of September, I received a letter from my friend C⸺, dated at the port of Lubec, describing his progress towards St. Petersburg, and which gave me unfeigned pleasure. Being desirous of reaching England, before the equinoctial gales might come on, on the 12th of September I took my place for Ghent, in one of the many coaches that go daily to that city; after an early dinner, I left Brussels at half past two o’clock, occupying the same seat with an English gentleman and his dog; the middle seat was taken up by a Dutch captain, from Batavia, with a parrot and dog; while a pair of monkies belonging to him, enjoyed the fresh air on the roof, and amused the people as they passed along. We arrived at the fine city of Ghent about half past eight o’clock, and, at the recommendation of Admiral D⸺, I went to the Hotel de Vienne, in the _merché au blê_, where, in consequence of using his name, I was treated with particular attention, and charged reasonably for very superior accommodations. This city derives no little of its celebrity from having been the birth-place of Charles the Fifth, as well as our John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and son of Edward the Third. We were now in what was formerly called Flanders, the Austrians possessing the larger part with this city for their capital; the French, the south-west, comprising Lisle and Dunkirk; and the Dutch, the north-east, with the strong fortress of Sluys.