Page:A Tour Through the Batavian Republic.djvu/199

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THE BATAVIAN REPUBLIC
187

one uses the appellation of mynheer, without fear or restraint. The old calendar is adhered to in all public ordinances, proclamations, &c. with the invariable addition of ——— year of Batavian liberty: and no alteration has taken place in the devices or legends of the coins of the United Provinces. A guilder or florin of 1700 is precisely the same as a guilder of 1800. There have been yearly coinages of silver to a considerable amount, since the overthrow of the ancient government.

At a short distance from Haerlem is the house of Mr. Hope, the head of a family long distinguished for its immense riches. On the revolution, this gentleman fled to England, and his property is now in a state of sequestration. We could not obtain a sight of the inside of this magnificent villa. Its architecture is beautiful, and were the building of stone, would be grand; but unfortunately it is of brick, covered with stucco, and the dampness of the atmosphere, with want of proper care, has caused much of the plaster to fall off; so that in many places the red