Notes made during a journey thro' part of France, Switzerland, &c, 1822 Jul-Sep
- Creator:
- Vincent, George
- Published/Created:
- 1822 July-September
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. (78 p., with blanks) ; 19 x 13 cm.
- Notes:
- Binding: contemporary dark morocco wallet binding with yellow kid lining; pockets lined with marbled paper. Brass plate and clasp.
For information on the source of acquisition, consult the appropriate curator. - Abstract:
- Holograph diary of Vincent's travels in France, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium with "Mr. Payne and his son William." Apparently from Leeds, Vincent records his impressions of scenery, the countryside and "romantic views;" roads and bridges; the conditions of towns and cities; and tourist attractions. These included major cathedrals, museums, monuments such as the tribute to the Swiss Guards who died at the Tuilleries in 1792; the battlefield at Marengo, and sites dedicated to Voltaire, Erasmus, and Gibbon.
Vincent paid particular attention to Lyons, where he remarks on the city's bloody Revolutionary history and saw "Madame Sarqui the famous rope dancer." In the Swiss Alps, he viewed "Mont Blanc by moonlight," described the progress of the constructions of the new Simplon road, and stayed at the Hospice of St. Bernard, noting an evening of musical entertainment by English ladies and admiring the "good-tempered and tractable dogs." Vincent,however, preferred "Protestant" Zurich, where "the people are cleaner and looked more happy and comfortable." Perhaps due to his lack of German, he makes no note of conversations during three days of sharing a diligence with "a Prussian gentleman, Dr. Schoppenhauer" between Domodossola and Locarno.
The party returned to England via Strasbourg and Belgium, where Vincent admired Brussels and toured the battlefield of Waterloo. After a rough Channel crossing, Vincent concluded his diary with "Thank God, we once more set foot on British ground."
With: manuscript and printed ephemera including Vincent's French passport; notes on sights to see in Paris and Germany; hotel bills; cards; printed advertisement of books for "Travellers on the Continent" printed by S. Leigh; and two white metal souvenir medals of Strasbourg. - Topics:
- Tourism--France
Tourism--Switzerland
Travelers' writings, English - Topics:
- Alps, Swiss (Switzerland)--Description and travel
Alps--Description and travel
Belgium--Description and travel
France--Description and travel
St. Bernard, Great, Alps
Switzerland--description and travel
Waterloo (Belgium)--Description and travel - Topics:
- Schopenhauer, Arthur,--1788-1860
Vincent, George - Genre:
- journals (accounts): diaries (AAT)
- Format:
- Mixed Material
- Rights:
- The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.
- Access Restrictions:
- Public
- Call Number:
- Osborn d398
- Box:
- Box 1
- Folder:
- Folder 1
- Orbis Record:
- 7041502
- Yale Collection:
- Beinecke Library
- Digital Collection:
- James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection
- oid pointer:
- 11253665
- Citation:
- George Vincent, Notes Made During a Journey Thro' Part of France, Switzerland. James Marshall and Marie-Louise Osborn Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
- Extent of digitization:
- Complete folder digitized.
- OID:
- 11253182
- PID:
- digcoll:3968242
