Autograph letter signed : Brussels, to Sir William Pulteney, 1781 July.

Describing, in detail, the tragedy of the fireworks celebrations that were part of the Inauguration ceremonies for Emperor Joseph II who did not attend but rather sent Albert, Duke of Saxe Teschen and his consort the Archduchess Maria Christina on his behalf; saying "In the Place de Ville there was erected an Elegant Temple of beautiful architecture & the Feu d'Artifice was dispersed all over this Temple which was a kind of Octagon; on the Cornice there were four Female Figures Justice, Prudence, Fortitude & Wisdom or Minerva which with [illegible] &c enriched the Building and made it truely elegant; the beginning was the Discharge of a grand Battery of Bombs which were very loud, Catharine Wheels - Serpent Boxes &c increased the Noise for a long Time & Fire flew about the whole Square & dispersed itself amongst the Mob, who were packed so close that they could not avoid it. The Explosion of the squibs (which were without Number) either blew the peoples Eyes out burnt their hair or did them some mischief. They even darted into many of the Windows & might have burned Curtains, beds & even the Houses were it not that they were extinguished by persons in the Rooms; This, which I was a witness of, makes one think that Fire works ought always on public occasions to be in some Field or large piece of Ground & not in a very confined Square like the place DeVille, children w'd not then have been crushed to Death in their Nurses' Arms or persons hurt as they have been; The Fire Works however were superb to the last degree & continued to increase in Brilliancy & Noise till every person had almost lost his hearing, repeated Explosions as loud as that of Mount Vesuvius added & superadded New Brilliancies with such Rapidity that the whole Square was as light as noon day & the Temple was like the Temple of the Sun ornamented by all the Fixed Stars in the Firmament. The Statues were all in a blaze & every person with Reason admired them and imputed it no doubt to the Radiancy of their Divinity. For my part tho I was as much Struck as other persons with the Grandeur of the Scene, yet when I saw Minerva lose her head, Fortitude give way, Prudence fall to pieces, Justice turn'd Cheat, and let fall her Scales & her Sword, I really could not divine the meaning of the appearance or why those female Divinities who perished in the Flames & Tumbled down sh'd be sacrificed in honor of the Duke & Archduchess to whom doubtless Compliments were due and intended by the Fireworks, yet the people round re-echoed the Praises of the Fireworks & the Elegance of his Taste, & insisted the Fire was nothing more than what was proper & intended to be shwen; But alas how dreadfully they were mistaken. the Joy we felt was transient as the Blaze, little did we think that what delighted us so much did at the same time reduce to last Extremity above 30 of our Fellow Creatures within side the Temple, in short five were burned to a Cinde[r] five died next day & several perhaps have died since for 23 were carryed to the Hospital. If the first fire worker had been of the Number (tho some say he was) he would have deserved it, at least much more than those who did Suffer, for had he not been such a fool as to line the arches & other parts with dry Canvas which acted like Tinder, & if he had conceived that there are other Substances combustable as well as powder, those persons would not have suffered such cruel Death, and the accidental Explosion of the Magazine might not have set fire to the Timber. The persons injured were composed of Carpenters & people who payed for going in thro' Curiosity, two were seen to leap of the Top into the Square."