Travel Diaries and Journals

W. Kinsey diary, 1817.

UPenn Ms. Coll. 919

Diary of an Englishman, possibly W. Kinsey of Bognor Regis, England. The first nine pages of the diary are written in pencil with the remainder in ink. The journal begins on 4 July 1817 as Kinsey embarks on his trip from London, England on his way to France. In the first few pages Kinsey mentions he is traveling with a companion named Henry. Kinsey includes detailed descriptions of all his destinations. He describes the streets in large cities and small villages, activities he observes, the people, and relevant historical events or anecdotal stories. Kinsey observes the evening ritual in Paris, as people pour out of their homes crowding every street, some being entertained by jugglers. He visits major museums, cathedrals, large cities, and small villages. Highlights of his travels in France include Rouen, St. Cloud, and Lyon. At the beginning of August, Kinsey enters Switzerland, where he spends a large portion of his journey. Kinsey takes a three-day guided tour from Geneva to Marigny. After this tour Kinsey gives the reader travel advice on guided tours. He describes the valleys, the mountains, lakes, and landscape of Switzerland. In the journal Kinsey has sewn in small cut out engravings of some of the mountain areas in Switzerland. Also sewn in the journal is a folded paper strip of hand drawn, colored coats of arms representing twenty-two cities in Switzerland. By 10 September 1817 Kinsey is touring Germany and talks of the Danube and the Rhine Rivers. He visits Manheim, Cologne, and Münster, among other cities. Throughout his travels Kinsey records the hotels and inns where he stayed and the prices. He writes of the bookshops he goes to and the books and maps he buys on the journey. Kinsey also records when he posts and receives mail. By early October 1817 Kinsey returns to England. The last four leaves of the volume contain a catalog of books he has purchased and the city. A plan for a trip to Holland follows the list. On the second-to-last leaf of the volume is a colored engraving with the words "S. Vulnera Jesu," Kinsey writes: "Given by the Capuchin monk at Staatz."

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of the Rhine - its houses are old - I generally painted with a red color bearing the name of its inhabitant I dated its [illegible?] built - with a [deorceus?] the door - the streets are narrow, [&?] badly paved - yet thre is an appearance of commercial [ae?] - thority + even opulence notwithstanding the [sumptuary?] laws, among the inhabitants - it had two large Churches, that of [munster?] + that of S. Jean - in the 15th century the in- -habitants of this town, on the point of fallig under the tyranny of their nobles again, + the domination of Aus- -tria entered into an alliance with the [Swiss?] - fought bravely with the confederates against the [Bourgeng?]- -nons, + the othe enemies of Switzerland, + in 1501. by way of recompence was admitted a Canton of the con- -federation - durig the year 1798 [to?] 1800 the town was occu -pied alternately y the French + Austrian troops + in October 1799 the [Rafriacir?] retreated from Switzerland [over?] the Rhine here - the superb bridge of wood thrown a- -cross the Rhine in 1758 by Groubenmann (an ordi-nary carpenter) covered, 365 ft long - [Lrentig?] solely on its two extremities - was burnt in 1799 by the French at the moment the austrians [reczed?] [Schaffhouse?] the Canton is one of the smallest in Switzerland - + [is situated?] wholly on the right, or Northern bank of the Rhine & it is the gate of Switzerland on the German side - Car: from Zurich by route to Basle - [Trap?] 3-7.5-&c 2 Fr.

--XIth.-- At 7 a:m: we continued our route from Schaffhouse for Baile thro Bennigen, [nearkirch?], Dradengen, Gysslengen to Lauchingen, where we rented two houses - the country thro which we travelled thur for had nothing par - -ticularly interesting in it - a strait + dirty road + a [large?] cultivated plain on either side without a tree on it - the whole way is on the northern side of the Rhine - between the [illegible?] + the road [illegible?] down to the Rhine, to the left

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W. Kinsey diary, 1817.

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