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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 137
that they cut the body in pieces, and took away with them lumps of flefh, which they
fold fome days afterwards, at a hich price, to thofe who had not enjoyed the fatisfaction
of being prefent at this maflacre. The people, who are ferocious brutes, delighting al-
ways in extremes, becaufe deftitute of reafon, and either too timid-or too rafh, have
already repented of this aGtion. They are fenfible, that the law was made for their
interefts ; and the Penfionary’s death was the firft check which the Republic received.
The United Provinces are indebted, under heaven, to the Princes of Orange for
their liberty, who forced the King of Spain to fign the treaty, and to recognize the
Dutch as a free people, independent of every other, which is a very remarkable cir-
cumftance. ‘William the Firft cemented with his blood, the foundation of the Repub-
lic. Maurice and Henry, his fons, advanced its glory, by being conquerors in feveral
engagements. William the Second, not inferior to the reft, died very young, and left
as the fucceflor of his virtues William the Third of the fame name, the prefent Prince
of Orange, fon of William the Second, and Mary Stewart, eldeft daughter of Charles
the Firft, King of England, who was beheaded. In the thirty-fixth or thirty-feventh
year of William the Second’s age, William the Third was born, who has fince mar-
ried the daughter of the Duke of York. He was not born till after his father’s death,
and he was, when eleven years of age, deprived of the Princefs Royal his mother,
who died at London, of the fmall-pox, the fame difeafe which had carried off her
hufband, William the Second.
It is known to all the world, that Holland is a ftate purely republican ; but it
will be proper to fay fomething more particular refpecting its government.
Every city is governed by a magiftrate, burgo-mafters, and counfellors, befides a
bailiff, in criminal caufes, who difcharges his office at the will of the council, and who
determines abfolutely, in criminal affairs, of the fentence of the burgo-mafters. Above
a certain fum, an appeal may be made to the provincial court, to which every city fends
a councillor.
The deputies from the cities compofe the States of the Province ; and the deputies
from the Provinces form the States General, who enter into alliances, form treaties, im-
pofe taxes, and attend to the general interefts of the republic. The Provinces have all
equally the fame influence; but the Province of Amfterdam generally fways the
balance, and influences the decifions, according to its wifh. That city alone is con-
fidered a province. It isa natural conclufion that the fovereignty is not refident in
the States General, who confift folely of envoys from the cities for the purpofe of
propofing in the counil, thofe matters which they wifh to be confidered.
The Hague is the place where the Dutch nobility refide, and it is, perhaps, the
moft charming refidence in the world. A large foreft of tall trees, bounded on every
fide, by magnificent palaces, and furrounded by extenfive and beautiful meadows,
renders its appearance one of the moft pleafant in Europe. Before the .Stadthoufe,
there is a pond furrounded with pieces of hewn {tone, while large trees on its borders
adorn the palace of the Prince. One can travel in a quarter of an hour from the
Hague to the fea, by a charming road. In going thither, we faw a chariot with fails,
which the Prince of Orange had caufed to be conftructed, and we went into a place,
where they ride round a ring on wooden horfes. We went to view a refidence of the
Prince where he paffes part of the year, and maintains a number of curious beai{tss
We alfo faw fome cows from Calicut, of a peculiar ftructure, with bunches on their
backs, befides a number of ftags. We left the Hague, and dined at Leyden, which is
called Lugdunum Batavorum, and which is refpectable on account of its univerfity, its
anatomical preparations, and the propriety of its buildings ; itis in my opinion, the moft
LGveril- x. T refpectable
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