New-York tribune., 1902-11-15
COUNT KIELMANSEGGE.
HIS NOTES ON ENGLAND IN THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

The author of this book was a German noble
man Of some official importance. who left his
HanoVerian home early in September. 1851, TO
be present at the coronation of King George III
and Queen Sophia Charlotte. Seven months
later he returned TO his native land. II was
brief absence, but he managed to see a great
deal, and his diary contains many interesting
notes. showing what travel was like in the
eighteenth century, and what manner of society
surrounded the English King. The roads were
unsafe. and made the journey considerable
enterprise. Not long after the counts departure
from Hanover he had to change his route, be-
cause some French marauders had been troub-
ling the region. At Briel, in the Low Countries,
he noticed a curious custom with regard to the
ordering of post horses When travellers
rived the post master rang a bell three times,
after the third peal bringing out a board on
which dice were then thrown Each driver had
one throw with two dice, and the one who threw
the higher number got the fare! Meanwhile the
poor traveller sat waiting. using much
patience he could command On the packet
which took the count from Helvoetsluis to Har-
wich, vessel with inadequate accommodations
for travellers, but, in view OF the perils OF the
time well found in men and guns, he noticed
another oddity. ITO the postbag," he says,
which was lying next the rudder and above IL,
large pieces of stone iron were fastened with
overheard, this being the duty of the captain
should the packet boat have TO surrender
What travellers had to put up with in that
epoch is further hinted by the counts jubila-
tiOn arriving in England and being able TO
undress and sleep between sheets. 1t the
first time in ten nights. Soon afterward he
reaches the extensive town of London" and his
real adventures begin. Everything he sees fills
him with a kind of quiet amazement. He notices
hat At aob icFinp sc MAJ hp
tween several classes: that you not ex-
pected 10 know whether any members of the
royal family are present not, unless you
actually come across them, and that you do not
need to dof your hat TO them. The theatre alb
serbs him. and his remarks on the plays he sees
are sometimes very quaint play Of Cibber's
strikes him quite in the English tragic
style-very bloody" and performance of king
Lear" moves him TO the writing of passage
which gives such a curious glimpse of earlier
German taste that must quote it intact. He
says
This play is very much ia the style Of the old
English plays in fashion when the author wrote
ii. in which most Of the characters go mad, or
get blind, die; hut English taste has
changed latterly. many alterations have been
made in this tragedy; amongst others the omis-
sion of the court Jester, who in the original
brings his orfooleries i'm everywhere, in
the most tragic scenes: but he is the only ser
want who remains faithful TO his old king and
master.
His remarks on the coronation are brief and of
great value He purposely gave little atten-
tion TO the subject in his diary. preferring TO
take home with him the printed descriptions he
obtained in London. He tells us only such facts
as that it took him an hour and half TO get
from Pail Mall TO Charing Cross, the crowd
being so great, and that account of the
cessive length of the ceremony arrangements
made enabling you to purchase all sorts of
refreshments at a certain place set apart
for the purpose in the Abbey" He was much
impressed 10y the splendor Of the peers and peer
esses. They gave the ceremony and procession
majestic appearance, he observes, ''and believe
that its like could not be seen anywhere else"
But if he is careless about his coronation
periences. he is most particular TO set down the
little things that came under his notice through
ont his stay in England. At Newmarket in
der that he may be able to say that he had
betted there he puts a guinea on-the wrong
horse. He astonished by the way in which
bets were made at the races "A thousand peo-
pie or more perhaps. TO be horse
hack, who crowd together like a drove Of sheep
and bet pell nell together so that the Offerer of
odds see by the raising of hands that his
odds have been accepted, but most frequently
does not know by whom. You would think that
fifty or more Of such bets, when made at the same
time, would cause frequent occasion for guar
rels but these never occur, as every one is
convinced that he will be paid in case he wins,
even II the sum should be a large one. An Eng
lishman. who would have compunction about
taking in his neighbors in other things, will
never be found defaulter in this respect" He
repeats his tribute to the British spOrtsmsn's
sense OF honor in the matter OF bets when he
comes 10 describe a cockhght he witnessed. A
grim spectacle that afforded much diversion TO
the London buck of that time he thus sketches:
on the morning of the 18th Of November we
went TO Tyburn, TO man hanged a Pan
glaise-a young man named Lee, who had been
employed as clerk or bookkeeper at a trades
mans, and had been tempted 10 issue false bills
upon his former employer in order TO get suffi-
cient money for his amuSements. This was
found out before much damage had been DONE
and the consequences of such forgeries are
very disastrous. especially in this commercial
country, the penalty is death He was not in
sOlent, but had courage enough to read to the
public, sufficiently loud, speech IN which he
represented himself as an example and warn
ing TO his hearers. AS he was Methodist, one
OF the clergymen Of that denomination got on
the cart after the chaplain had left IL, and
prayed with him for time.
During the whole time, whilst he stood on the
cart underneath the gallows. a rope was kept
round his neck. When he had finished his de-
votiOns. and had taken leave OF his friends, who
had come UP the cart 10 him, the cart
with all the people standing on II drove or, and
he remained hanging His best friends at once
held him down by the feet, and kept holding
him there, so that from the first moment no.
body noticed the slightest movement. The
corpse must remain hanging an hour, and is
then dealt with according to the crime, being
either hung up by chains at the place where the
crime was committed, is done in the case of
murderers and highwaymen. or taken to the
school for anatomy.
Count Kielmansegge went, of course TO many
rOuts and parties, which he enjoyed with all the
gusto Of man who danced well and had good
appetite and he duly notes the skill ard grace