The Marshal Count de Bourg preserves a stately Mien in an advanced Age, and one may easily perceive he has been a very fine Man in his time. He was Page to Philip of France Duke of Orleans, Brother to Lewis the Great, and to that Duke's Favour his Advancement to Military Employments is very much owing, tho' 'tis true that he has distinguished himself in the Service. On the
26th of August 1709, he defeated near Rumersheim the Count de Mercy, who commanded a flying Camp of 9000 Men detach'd from the Army of the Empire, then under Command of the Elector of Hanover, afterwards George I. King of Great Britain. This Victory gain'd M. de Bourg the blue Ribbon. King Lewis XV. gave him the Staff of a Marshal of France, and confirmed him in the Government of Strasbourg. The French Officers accuse this Marshal of Pride, but for my part, I have all the Reason that can be to love him for his Civility.
M. Dangervilliers is really more engaging than the Marshal, and is therefore more beloved by the Officers. He is affable and civil, complaisant to Foreigners, and lives with a vast deal of Splendor. The Princes of the Empire that border upon Alsace like him very well, and think he is more candid, and less haughty than his Predecessors.
There's not many of the Nobility settled in this City, and of these few that are wealthy; and therefore they live very much retir'd. The Canons of the Great Chapter who ought all to be Princes or Counts, are not of very great Service, because most of 'em holding other Benefices, only come to Strasbourg to pass away three Months there of their Residence, and by consequence they are here as Strangers. The best Houses therefore are the Intendant's and the King's Lieutenant's. There are always a great many Officers here who are indeed amiable Fellows, and know how to serve, and to be good Company too upon occasion. The Commandants of the Corps are in Years, and Officers of Experience, and the rest are clever smart Youths who long sadly to be fighting, and would fain make you believe the four Corners of the World will quickly be on fire. I have not seen finer Infantry than the French Infantry at this present time. There
are very fine Gentlemen too in the Cavalry, but then they are not near so well mounted as ours. You know the Cry with us is that the French are ruin'd, and not able to do any thing more. How the Case stands with them, I really know not, but if one may judge of it by Appearances, it cannot be so. No Troops were ever better cloathed, better paid, more spruce, nor finer. The Officers are splendid; they game, divert themselves, and eat and drink well, which does not seem to me to be the Life of People in want. Upon these terms, I would be content to be in such want all my Life long.
The Garrison maintains a Company of Comedians who are paid by the Captains, and commanding Officers, for the Subalterns are admitted gratis. The Theatre, which is one of the prettiest in the Country, is maintain'd by the City.
A Man that has a Taste for a plain home-bred Girl may here find Amusement and good Blood. 'Tis observ'd that the Lutheran Women are the most beautiful, and the Sex at this Place is said to be very indulgent, and very tractable; so that I should be apt to think, a Man need not be very open-hearted to them.
Tho' Strasbourg may be reckon'd among the finest Towns in France, one can't say there's a single House in it that is magnificent, or makes a grand Appearance. The Cathedral is a very stately Building of Gothic Architecture; its famous Spire is one of the most lofty, and of the neatest Workmanship of any in Europe. Misson, who 'tis like always carried his Plummet and Foot-Rule in his Pocket, because he never fails to give the Length and Breadth and Height of a Thing, says that 'tis 574 Foot in height; and I believe he is not mistaken. Erkivin de Stembach who was the Architect, finish'd it in the Year 1449. 'Tis said that Lewis XIV. had a mind to have a Spire erected upon the second
Tower which seems to have been built with that View. He order'd M. de Vauban to draw a Model of it, and to compute the Cost, which he found would amount to several Millions of Livres. The King thinking that he could employ that Sum to a better purpose, contented himself with making a Present to the Cathedral of the Ornaments, and all the Priests Vestments for celebrating Mass upon the several annual Festivals; the whole of which is extraordinary sumptuous, and becoming the Magnificence of one of the greatest Kings in the World. 'Twas in the Cathedral of Strasbourg that the Duke of Orleans the first Prince of the Blood of France married as Proxy to Lewis XV. Mary Lescinski, the Daughter of King Stanislaus. This Ceremony, at which I was present, was more magnificent than what was observ'd at Fontainbleau at the Queen's Arrival; and the Concourse of German Noblemen and Princes hither upon the Occasion was prodigious. The Cardinal de Rohan, as Bishop of Strasbourg, gave the Nuptial Benediction. Nothing can be finer than the Speeches which his Eminency made upon that Solemnity: As they fell into my hands, I think I ought to communicate them to you. You will find them verbatim at the End of this Letter. Poland in this Instance, made a worthy Restitution to France, which many Years ago gave the Poles a King who was afterwards the unfortunate Henry III; and they have now in their turn given a Queen to France. But Germany may boast that the Queen derives from the Empire that Fund of Virtue which is the Source of her Happiness, and makes her admir'd by the Universe. France had for a long time left off sending to our Climates for her Queens. Mary-Anne Victoria of Bavaria was in a fair way to be one, but she died a Dauphiness[125]. Lorrain, Scotland, Italy and Spain,
had as it were engross'd the Crown of France for their Princesses. But I hope the Virtues of the present Queen and the other German[126] Princesses who are now at the Court of France will oblige the French to confess that if our Princesses have not Crowns for their Dowries like the Infanta's of Spain, they have an Estate of more Value than all the Wealth in the World, viz. Piety, Charity, and Love for the People.