Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.: with remarks on the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and anecdotes of distiguished public characters. In a series of letters by a German Prince.Pückler-Muskau, Hermann, Fürst von
History
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.: with remarks on the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and anecdotes of distiguished public characters. In a series of letters by a German Prince.
Pückler-Muskau, Hermann, Fürst von
Great Britain -- Description and travel; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
My carriage had followed, and Lord
Harewood now gave the postillion instructions which way to drive through
the park, that I might see the most beautiful points, and then sauntered
home accompanied by two great water-dogs and a jet-black spaniel. He was
in fox-hunting costume,--a scarlet coat that looks like a livery.
I forgot to say that we had first made a tour through the house, which
is richly and handsomely furnished, and contains family pictures by
Vandyk, Reynolds, and Lawrence, the three best painters of England in
their several centuries. There was one work of art in the principal
apartment quite peculiar,--red curtains painted on wood, so admirably
executed that Rauch himself would have been astounded at the flow of the
drapery. Though I was told what they were, I could scarcely believe it
till I convinced myself by the touch, so completely deceptive was the
imitation of the silken stuff. Another uncommon decoration consisted in
having the ceilings of all the rooms of the same designs as the carpets;
a very expensive thing, if, as I imagine, the carpets were all woven
after the pattern of the ceilings.
The long drive through the park, a good league, was very delightful. The
road lay at first along the lake, with a majestic view of the house, and
then through the wood to the river, which forms various cascades and
little lakes. The wood itself was full of variety,--now thick and almost
impervious to the view; then grove-like; then open patches with a dense
enclosure; or young copse from which deer were peeping out; or anon a
long and narrow vista to the distant mountains.
A nobleman thus situated is a dignified representative of his class; and
it is very natural that, thus favoured by nature and by fortune, he
should appear kind, benevolent, respectable, and happy, like this noble
Earl, whose image will always afford me as delightful and refreshing a
subject of recollection, as the beautiful landscape it graces.
Very different from the impression of the day, and yet not less
agreeable, was that of the evening. I reached the great manufacturing
town of Leeds just in the twilight. A transparent cloud of smoke was
diffused over the whole space which it occupies, on and between several
hills; a hundred red fires shot upwards into the sky, and as many
towering chimneys poured forth columns of black smoke.
The huge manufactories, five stories high, in which every window was
illuminated, had a grand and striking effect. Here the toiling artisan
labours far into the night. And that some romantic features might not be
wanting in the whirl of business and the illumination of industry, two
ancient Gothic churches reared their heads above the mass of houses, and
the moon poured her silver light upon their towers, and seemed to damp
the hard glare of the busy crowd below, with her serene majesty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account