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THE BATAVIAN REPUBLIC
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and forms a beautiful semi-circle of about six miles extent. On this beach was tried the famous flying chariot of Stevinus[1], which my uncle Toby has introduced to the acquaintance of most readers; and I doubt whether the engineer could have found in Europe another plain better suited to his purpose. But, such is the unaccountable prejudice of the Dutch, this beach, which were it in any part of England would create an extensive town in its neighborhood, and be yearly the resort of the gay, the luxurious, the debilitated and infirm, is neglected and avoided by all persons here. We met on the road to Scheveling three or four carriages with company, and expected to find as many on the sand; but neither seeing equipages, nor any marks of wheels on the beech where we wandered, which was as firm and solid as a garden walk, I enquired the cause, and learnt that the Dutch have a strong antipathy to the air of the sea. They equally dislike<references>

  1. I could obtain no account of this famous machine, and some persons doubted whether it ever existed but in the fertile imagination of the engineer