August 22, 1834
At eight o’clock four o’clock in the morning on board the steamboat Zeuw (or Nederlander), which sailed at daybreak for Nimwegen. The weather was cool and windy. A light rain fell intermittently. We soon reached Dordrecht, then Gorkum [Gorinchem], where many young soldiers were seen. The exit from the ship was blocked by a noncommissioned officer and four men. We stopped a long time; on our ship were many Englishmen. Then we sailed past Bommel [Zaltbommel], a small town. Many sailing ships and boats had good wind [going] upriver.
The area is low [and] covered with willows and poplars. The [villages] lay in the depth behind the dams; we frequently saw only their roofs. In several places, dams were being worked on. In many places, warpingdams [?] were constructed—some sat almost [at a] right angle [to] the bank. We came across Rhine rafts, some of them with eight wooden huts.
About four o’clock in the afternoon, we reached Nimwegen [Nijmegen]. The boat was occupied by four soldiers. An officer took our passports, which held us up for a long time. We remained there for the night, went for a walk through town, [and] saw the park on the height above the town where paths with benches were placed in the high shade and from where there is an excellent view of the Rhine and the area of Arnhem. Nimwegen is built at a gentle rise; like all Dutch towns, [it is] attractive and clean. It was now full of troops, especially artillery, engineers, and sappers.