Star.
London, England, 1814-10-04 00:00:00

COPENHAGEN, SEPTEMBER 19.

The intercourse with Norway is very lively ; Nor-
wegian vessels arrive daily. The English blockade
is now removed ; the Swedes send corn to the coun-
try both by sea and land. All is now quiet in Nor-
way. The Council of State conducts the Govern-
ment, and Prince Christian resides in the Island of
Ladegoard, where there is a chateau of the last Go.
vernor's, quite retired, to recover his health ; after
which he is expected to go to Sonderberg. General
Ahrenfeld, who distinguished himself in the war, had
his head-quarters at Vellvye, and was Commander-
in-Chief of the Norwegian army.

BERLIN, SEPTEMBER te.
The Ministry of the Home Department has pub-
lished the following very remarkable notification
:
t► It has for a long time been very generally felt
in the Prussian States, that the -form of Divine Wor-
ship, in the newest Protestant Churches, is destitute
of that awefulness and solemnity, which inspiring
and seizing on the mind, can elevate it to religious
feelings and pious sentiments. There are few sym-
bols, and even those which are introduced are not al-
was the most significant, or have lost a part of their
signification ; the sermon is considered as the essential
part of Divine Worship, whereas, though highly im-
portant, ►t is properly only instruction and encourage-
ment to worship ; the liturgies are partly so incom-
plete, partly so unlike, and so imperfect that much is
left to the discretion of the individual clergyman and
the uniformity of the Church rites, one of the princi-
pal conditions towards their beneficent effects is al.
most entirely lost. These defects have become more
visible in these latter times, when the religious dispo-
sition of the people, revived by the great political
events, by the sufferings, the struggles and the tri-
umphs of the country, has profoundly felt the neces-
sity of expressing and pronouncing itself in a worthy
manner.

" It would be to be lamented, if this era, so pecu-
liarly favourable and proper for suitable reforms in
divine worship, should pass over without any advan-
tage being derived from it. In this spirit many of
the worthiest clergymen, particularly of the capital
and the March of Brandenburgh, have applied to his
Majesty the King, requesting that this desired reform
may be prepared and introduced. This pious request
of the Clergy, which fully coincides with his Majesty's
own views on this important point, has been received
by him with peculiar attention and satisfaction. In
consequence his Majesty has selected a num,ber of
Clergymen who, to the purest intentions of promoting
the kingdom of Got, unite a thorough knowledge of,
the whole affairs of the Church, and necessary re-
gard to all circumstances to be attended to ; and his
Majesty has commissioned them, after mature deli
beration, to make proposals for the most suitable -an-
' provements of the public worship, by the highest spi-
ritual authorities, after his teturn from Vienna.
,g The wish and• the will of the King is, that this
select Committee of the Clergy, according to the saying
of the Apostle, gi Try all, and keep the best," may
examine the Liturgies, and all the religious ceremo-
nies of the Foreign Protestant Churches, compare them
with ours, and with the spirit and principles of our
holy religine, to produce the best form fur Liturgy,
which maintaining and preserving the vie doctrines
of the Protestant Church, may, at the same time, gi ye
to public worship new life, and new energy, and con
firm more and more the religious dispositions of the
people..
46 The Clergymen commissioned by his Majesty
to this end, are the Chief Counsellors of the Cons', story,
Sack,Court Chaplain; Ribbeck, Hanstein and Hecker,
Counsellors of the Consistory ; Offelsmeyer and Ey-
lert, Court Chaplains—Contributions and proposals
to promote this end, from judicious and experienced
Clergymen of both the Protestant persuasions, will
be readily received and carefully weighed by the
above Committee, for which reason I invite those who
feel in themselves the call and ability to promote this
impertantcauseby speedily sending their contributions
in writing. •
" Berlin, tieptemher 17. Ministry of die Home Department,
(Signed) “ VOll SCIIVCIIMAsm."

JOURNAL of so RICIIRSION to FRANCE,
IN A MIES OF IA MRS ;
IMINTAINING RIMARKS MORAL, HISTORICAL* TOPOGRA-
PHICAL, ITC.

le

[Cootlasted front the Svaa of the :In int
LETTha 11, 11011101., 1814.
There are three modes of travelliog in France, vie.
by the Diligence, by posting, or hiring a carriage
and horses for the journey. The first is generally
the cheapest mode ; but you cannot calculate on tra-
veiling on the average more than three miles and a
half an hour by this conveyance, allowing for stop-
page. Posting is the most expeditious, and most ex-
pensive ; but whatever mode is adopted, it will be
the fault of the traveller if it cost him much mitre
than half the sum which a like conveyance would
amnunt to in England.
The distance from Dieppe to this place is nearly
40 miles. The fare by the Diligence is eight francs.
A voiture, capable of holding four persons, and
drawn by three horse', may be hired for about 30
francs, to go to Rouen. Having engaged such a
eartiage from the host, I left Dieppe, and on the top
of the hill had a view of the village of Argues, three
or four miles on the left, famed as the spot whereon
Henry IV. aided by our Elizabeth, gained a vic- .
tory over the leaguers in 1590. The road is excel-
lent, and lined for the most part with fruit trees, in
the midst of ample fields of waving corn, fitc. as far
is the eye can reach, which give a beauty and rich-
ness to the scenery seldom to be met with in England.
In this part of France apples and pears are much
cultivated for the making of cyder and Petry, for
which Normandy is as much celebrated as Hereford-
shire. It is not the custom in France to inter the
dead in their cities, but at a little distance from the
town. This prevented me from visiting their sepul-
chral monuments in any of the places which I visited.
In the church-yard of Totes, however, a village half
way between Dieppe and Rouen, I saw a small
wooden cross erected over the grave of the parish
Cure, with a suitable inscription, ending, as French
epitaphs usually do, with the words—" Pries Din
Vas de sen ants.,,
Having dined at Totes, I set forward, and reached
this place before dark. The road is in great part
fenced with frultrees, and as good as in any part of
England, thourt it has no turnpikes. It is repaired
at the expense of Government. At the entrance of
Rotten there are gates for the collection of rates
levied on merchandise. Nothing can exceed the
beauty of the country about this place. A range of
bills, covered with luxuriant wood, extends for miles;
and on approaching the city, you discover it from
the hill at the distance of a mile, spreading on 4
fruitful plain, watered by the playful meanderings of
the Seine, which here form a number of verdag
islets, some of which are peopled.
The city of Rouen, or Roan, in the Pay: de Caw:,
one of the most ancient and populous in the country,
is the capital of Normandy, and the see of an Arch-
bishop. The entrance into the city from the North
is through a broad and elegant boulevard, planted
on each side with double rows of lofty elms. The
poplar also grows to a great height, and is very or-
namental. -There is much to engage the attention
of the traveller in Roan. It is built on the banks of
the Seine, over whit t there is a curious strong bridge
of boats, paved in the centre, and 270 paces in leegih.
The ancient name of the city is Rothomagus. Cesar,
as well as Pliny, is thought to describe this place and
people under the name of Vellocnsses. There is a
fine quay of considerable extent, and I saw a great
number of vessels, the river rising by the tide, and
being navigable for ships of 200 tons, and by vessels
of a smaller draught of water all the way to Paris.
It contains 37 parishes, and formerly could boast of
Ilmaintaining 48 convents for both sexes ; and of
churches, end other religious structures, it numbered
more than 80. Many of these have been destroyed
or suppressed during the revolution, and a great
number of the dismantled churches are now inde-
cently occupied as warehouses, Sm. Nineteen is, I
think, the number of churches which now remain :
of these three, it is said, were built by the English
Dukes of Normandy, and are the largest of any.—
Rouen contained, besides, seven hospitals, and fire
laxarettoes. The population is now reckoned to be
about 100,000; and it is said to have lost 20,000 of
its inhabitants by the revolution. From the great
site of the city, the narrowness of the streets, and the
height of the houses, I should think its population is
greater than 100,000.
The metropolitan church of Notre Dame, though
not to be compared with Westminster Abbey, is a
noble edifice, and was rebuilt, or rather enlarged, ha
the eleventh century. It is 414 French feet long ;
and it has, besides a high tower, a pyramid 380 feet
high. The old pyramid was much higher than the
present, but was destroyed by fire through the negli-
gence of some workmen, in the year 1514. The
tower of St. Romain, built by that Prelate in 6251 is
still remaining, but out of repair. It is impossible
for any Englishman to visit this cathedral without
-interest, for it was not only rebuilt about the period
of the Norman conquest, but it contains the ashes of
heroes, some of whom are intimately connected with
British History. The first memorial of these I shall
mention is the tomb of Rollo, the renowned first
Duke of Normandy, who died in the year 917, and
whose bones were removed from the nave of the old
church, and placed here by Maurice, Archbishop of
this place, anno 1063. The next is that of William,
surnamed Lev Sword, son of Rollo, Duke of Nor-
mandy, killed in the year 94'2. To the right of the
altar, there is a diamond-shaped stone in the floor,
with this inscription, which, like the rest, is in Latin,
" Here lies Henry 11. King of England, brother to
the .Lion's heart, who died in the year 1183 ;" and on
the corresponding left side of the altar, there is at.
(Aber, with these words—" The heart of Richard 1.
King of England, Duke of Normandy, called Coeur
de Lion : he died in 1199." Behind the altar is an-
other stone, which states that " John, Duke of Bed-
ford, Viceroy of Normandy, lies on the right hind
side Of the altar, and that he died in 1435.'1 13
middle of the choir lies also the heart of Chat le, V.
King of France. In this church there is a fine librat j,
which is usually :hewn to strangers.
The Hotel de Ville is a very large fine building,
and was formerly a Benedictine monastery. In this
palace there is a museum, or gallery of pictures, SOO
ieet long. The paintings are mostly the productions
~)1 French artiste ; but the collection contains many

by the first painters, such as Itapbael, Reubens, tce.
Sbile of the pictures have been fescued from churches
and other places destroyed during the revolutionary
frenzs-.
The gallery is open two days in the week to the
nit yes, but every day to foreigners. Artists are per-
mitted to copy the pictures. Here is ako a fine pub.
he obrai y, in a very large room adjoining.
The Halle•aux.toiles, or cloth market, is not un.
worthy of the stranger's notice ; as well as the cotton,
stuff, and thread markets. An incredible quantity of
those :,rticles are exposed to sale in halls, from 2 to
300 feet in length. The stuffs are of the Manufac-
ture of the province, and are sold wholesale every
Friday.

There are many other places in Rouen deserving
of attention, but lest you should think me too tedious
I shAll dismiss some of them briefly.
The 'rheft,re, which is open every Sunday, t am
told is of a convenient size, both for the actor arid the
auditer ; but, if in this respect it has greatly the ad-
vantage ot Covent-Garden and Drury.la;,e, it faUs
much short ot these large 'Theatres in variety of sce-
nery, in interior decoration, in brilliancy of lighting,
and in cleanliness. I saw nothing but two or three
old tattered scenes, and the orchestra was composed
of a sorry band indeed, in respect to numbers, which
would nit be tolerated in any of our country play-
houses.
The breed of Roan horses was formerly, no doubt,
brought to England from this place, as I observed a
great number of horses of the same colour here.
Tne Hotel-Dieu is a large building, and holds 1200
patients. It has a most magnificent chapel, supported
by beautiful Corinthian columns, with lonic volutes.'
There is a fine Exchange, built by Louis XV.
The traveller should not quit Rouen without seeing
the Hill of St. Catharine, which overlooks the city,
and commancil a most extensive and beautiful pros-
pect of the city, the windings of the river, and of up-1
wards of twenty islands in the Seine.
Ove of the tirst things which strikes the eye of an
Englishman in visiting a French town, is the narrow-
ness of the streets ; the next is the want of a flag foot
pavement at the sides, for the convenience and secu-
rity ot pedestrians; and not less remarkable is the
appearance of an ugly gutter, with a slope is .the very
centre ut the street.

Prov►sums are abundant, and not expensive, at
Rouen. The rent of land, in the track between Dieppe
and this place, ►s in m 2.5 to 40 francs the acre. Rich
meadow land, including fruit trees, costa about the
latter sum ; but, I believe, land is subject to little or
no tax, compared wits► the land-tax in England : and
there is no such thing as tithes known ; so much is
France superiui to us ►n this respect. I imagine, all
things considered, that a family might live at Rouen
fat less than halt the expence which it would cost in
English& The feeding of one horse might be about
-or 10d a-day. •
Icanaot finish my account of Rouen without saying
that it was in the market•place of this city that the
renowned Maid of Orleans was burnt alive, during
the Viceroyalty of the Duke of Bedford. This female
warrior, the terror of her enemies, unfortunately fell
into the hands of the Duke of Burgundy, in a sortie
at the siege of Compiegne ; was afterwards purchased,
-condemned, and barbarously delivered over to the
flames, by the English, under the pretence of heresy;
surd-magic on die 144th of June, 1431. A -statue
. was erected to her on the spot where she suffered for
her courage. This savage act tarnished the otherwise
who and virtuous reign of the Duke of Bedford.
Vs be eentineed.)