The open canals, which come from all the houses, and meander through
the streets, are a great disfigurement to the town.

Half-past three o'clock came only too quickly, and I betook myself
on board the steamer Magdeburg, of sixty-horse power, to proceed to
Hamburgh. Of the passage itself I can say nothing, except that a
journey on a river through execrable scenery is one of the most
miserable things that can well be imagined. When, in addition to
this, the weather is bad, the ship dirty, and one is obliged to pass
a night on board, the discomfort is increased. It was my lot to
endure all this: the weather was bad, the ship was dirty, the
distance more than 100 miles, so that we had the pleasant prospect
of a delightful night on board the ship. There were, moreover, so
many passengers, that we were forced to sit crowded together; so
there we sat with exemplary patience, stared at each other, and
sighed bitterly. Order was entirely out of the question; no one had
time to think of such a thing. Smoking and card-playing were
perseveringly carried on all day and all night; it can easily be
imagined that things did not go so quietly as at an English whist-
party. The incessant rain rendered it impossible to leave the cabin
even for a short time. The only consolation I had was, that I made
the acquaintance of the amiable composer Lorzing, a circumstance
which delighted me the more, as I had always been an admirer of his
beautiful original music.



CHAPTER II