Spiers: Memoranda of an autumn tour in 1836

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CONT. AUG. 15 MON.

brimmed beaver of a quaker."

The architecture of Namur is more akin to French which has in it something of vastness but little of the picturesque. But there is much of interest in it to those who have enjoyed my Uncle Toby's ?romance in Tristram Shandy for it was in the memorable siege of this place that he was engaged. While visiting the vast & powerful & commanding citadel, I thought of him & of his leader King William III who took in sight of an army of 100,000 French, and altho' there were 60,000 men in its garrison. Since his time tho' the fortress has been much improved & is now said to be, as one would indeed imagine, impregnable. The view from its heights of the town & the rivers & the beautiful country around is superb. -

We did not omit to see my uncle Toby's "Porte St Nicholas". -

The shops were all partly closed & everyone seemed to have put off their working dresses. I wished to have some pockets attached to my bleuse but was told it was impossible today. In fact it is kept holy in the same manner as our Xmas day, but happens at a more fortunate season for out of doors gaiety. When I said no work was to be done, I had forgotten that in some of the back streets we saw what might not be a work of supererogation & in some women very busily engaged in removing colonies of moving things that creep upon the head from their children. Some who perhaps had not children to exercise their eye sight upon were similarly engaged with dogs. This place is much celebrated for cutlery: I bought some, it is by no means bad, but dear for its quality.

Our friend Inglis in his "Solitary Walks through many lands" says that of the 4837 inns wherein during his life he has breakfasted dined supped & slept the Hotel d'Harschamp at this place is beyond all comparison the best. This was a pleasing thing to think of while we were hungrily toiling up the heights of the citadel. The excellent dinner we had promised ourselves quite equalled our expectations & its pleasure was wonderfully increased by our meeting with the Baron de

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