there. The other objects are the Virgin and Child, the Marriage of St. Catherine, the Decapitation of St. John the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist at Patmos, with a Crucifixion by Franks, and a Holy Family by Vandyke. The Belegary, or Chasse de St. Ursula, is worth notice, consisting of a wooden coffer, painted by Hemling, in which is the arm of the saint. The sides are painted with representations of St. Ursula's pilgrimages and martyrdom. The history of these paintings is singular and merits a short notice. Hemling was originally a libertine and dissipated character at Bruges. He was engulphed in misery and became a soldier. He was not known as a painter when a wound, received in 1477 at the battle of Nancy, compelled him to enter the hospital as a patient. His wound was healed in a short time, but he so well liked the mode of life, &c., of the hospital, that he remained in it for 6 years, and paid his expenses by painting these pictures.

The Hôtel de Ville is a beautiful Gothic monument, well preserved, founded in 1377, by Count Louis de Maele. It was formerly surmounted by six beautiful towers. The niches seen in front contained 33 statues of the Counts of Flanders, the designs of which are preserved in the beautiful work of M. Delpuire-The Annals of Bruges. Today these niches are empty. In 1792, the troops of the French revolution caused the statues to be destroyed as images of tyrants." They were burnt in the Grand Square in a bonfire, the materials of which were composed of the gallows, scaffold, and the wheel. In the Grand Hall of the building is the public library containing 8,000 volumes and 500 MSS. The staircase of the Hotel deserves notice, and also the paintings adorning it. Palais de Justice is close to the Hôtel de Ville, and was formerly the residence of the Counts of Flanders, and was anciently called Palais du Franc de Bruges-the Palace of the Liberty of Brugesa large district independent of the city. interior contains little remarkable save the council chamber of the magistrates and the magnificent chimney or mantel-piece. It is carved in wood, and is a chef-d'œuvre of sculpture in its way, including statues of Charles V., Mary of Burgundy, Maximilian, Charles the Bold, and Marguerite of York. The Story of Susannah is represented on the marble bas-reliefs decorating it.

The

Tour des Halles, or Market Tower.-In the Grand Square, or market-place, is held the annual fair, commencing 4th May, and lasting 15 days. There are also two horse fairs, of two days each, held the first Thursday after Easter, and the 25th July. The meat market in this square is exquisitely neat and well arranged. At the extremity of the square is a steeple or belfry, the Belfry of Bruges," "old and brown;" celebrated in Longfellow's poem, and also in his "Carillon." It is 320 feet high, and is esteemed one of the most beautiful in Europe; the ascent to it is by 533 steps, and it contains a splendid set of chimes, which are set in motion every quarter of an hour by an immense cylinder, acting like the barrel of an organ, and setting in motion the keys of the instrument.

Near this Belfry is the splendid building formerly occupied as the Drapers' hall; it is now divided into two coffee-houses, and contains a fine vaulted saloon, in which the National Society of Literature hold their meetings. Opposite to this building, and forming the corners of the street of St. Arnaud, were two old houses, one of which was the residence of the Emperor Charles, and of Charles II. of England, during his exile, when he used to shoot here. The burghers of Bruges elected him Roi des Arba letriers, King of the Cross-bowmen. This house has been cleared away for a Normal School; and its neighbour, the Hall of St. Barbara, is now replaced by an English Seminary, founded by the late Sir John Sutton.

The Covered Fish Market, with its granite columns, is a handsome building, lately erected. In the opposite corner of the Rue St. Arnaud is the site of the Craenenberg, traditionally interesting as being the prison of Maximilian in 1487-8.

Near the Rue Noordzand is the Prinssenhof. In it Marguerite of York, sister to Edward IV., was married, in 1468, to Charles the Bold.

The Academy of Painting is in the building known as Het Poorters Huis, formerly the factory of the Biscayens, and contains some very fine old paintings, by J. Van Eyck, Hans Hemling, Pourbus, and Claessens.

The principal manufactures of Bruges are lace, woollen stuffs, camlets, hats, snuff, china, carpets, ticking, dimities, and a blue dye which is peculiar to the loom.

The lack-workers are said to exceed 5,000 in number. There are also numerous salt and sugar refineries, rope walks, dyeing-houses, breweries, distilleries, and bleaching grounds.

Bruges also contains a museum, with a tolerable collection of pictures; a public library, and a botanic garden, a theatre, an academy of fine arts, and several literary and scientific societies.

English church service performed on Sundays. The tract of country surrounding Bruges, for 25 miles, was formerly called the Free Country of Bruges, from the circumstance of the inhabitants having succeeded in throwing off the yoke of both the rival cities of Bruges and Ghent, and obtaining from the Counts of Flanders numerous exclusive privileges, amongst which were those of separate magistrates and tribunals. The high state of cultivation into which this province has been brought by the unremitting exertions of the inhabitants, cannot be too much admired. The southern districts are fertile in flax and rape-seed.

A railway runs to the watering places of Blankenberg and Heyst, near the island of Cadzand, and the Dyke which Dante commemorates in his Inferno as raised by the Flemings, "tra Gazzante è Bruggia" (between Ghent and Bruges), to keep out the sea. Blankenberg is a growing bathing place, with a population of 2,000.

Bruges to Ghent by the direct line. (There is a loop via Eecloo).-Quitting the station at Bruges, the railway is carried a little to the south side of the canal, and passing to the right Oostcamp (Station), it runs through a country no ways interesting, and arrives at Bloemendael (Station), near a little village containing 3,150 inhabitants, and watered by the Splenterbeck, which flows into the canal.

Shortly after leaving this station, the road winds to the left a little distance from the canal from Ghent to Bruges, and entering the district of the commune of St. George, it quits West and enters East Flanders. Shortly after arriving at Aeltre (Station), supplying a commune of the district of Ghent, with a population of 5,400 inhabitants, it is seen to the right of the canal. The road from here passes for some minutes through a cutting, and emerging thence commands a view of Bellem and Hansbeke, the former a village of 1,700 inhabi

tants, the latter one with 2,800. The railway is next carried over, by a bridge, the Canal de Nevile, which joins the canal from Ghent to Bruges, and arrives at Landeghem (Station), a commune of the district of Ghent, with a population of 2,000 souls. Leaving here we cross the Lys by a bridge, and arrive at Ghent.

A description of Ghent will be found in Route 1. Ghent Station is on the south-east side of the town. On the high ground to the left, at the other side of the Scheldt, is the new citadel. The church of St. Pierre, with its dome, is seen on the other side of the hill.

The Grand Canal between Bruges and Ghent is bounded by high banks, and lined with tall trees, entwined by pretty villas and sweet gardens. Ghent to Brussels.- (See Route 10).

ROUTE 4.

London to Antwerp by the Scheldt.
Distance, 210 miles.

The direct route from London to Antwerp, vid the Thames and the Scheldt, is most pleasant and convenient.

The steamers start from St. Katharine's Wharf, London, every Sunday and Wednesday, at noon. They are splendid vessels, with excellent accommodation. Also by the Great Eastern Railway, via Harwich, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Families, in particular, who are going to the Rhine, and wish to include a visit to Antwerp in their tour, will find this route par excellence, the most advantageous. The fares are reasonably low; and the advantage of conveying that indispensable encumbrance-the luggage-from London to Antwerp without a "transfer," will be appreciated by every head of a "family."

The sail down the Thames is fraught with characteristics full of interest. A perfect forest of masts, belonging to ships of all sizes and nations, looms out in the Pool. Colliers, coasters, steamboats, and river craft, throng the Thames in every direction, and the fleet of merchantmen, and the restless activity seen along the banks, give a vast conception of the glories of that commerce which has enriched the city of London. As the vessel proceeds cautiously on, we are interested by the granaries and wharfs on each side, recognised as the largest in the world.

The Tower is on the northern bank of the Thames. It is a large pile of building, including an area of more than 12 acres, and owes its irregularity to having been erected and enlarged by various sovereigns at distant periods of time. Besides being the repository of the regalia, it is now used as a garrison and arsenal. St. Katharine's Docks, adjacent to the tower, occupy 24 acres, and were opened 1828.

The London Docks come next, covering an area of 34 acres. In the vaults, more than 65,500 pipes of wine can be stowed.

The West India Docks, extending across the northern extremity of the Isle of Dogs, from Limehouse to Blackwall, were opened in 1832, and formed the first establishment of the kind in London.

The Commercial Docks are seen on the other side of the river.

Deptford, with its Naval Victualling Yard, and the new Foreign Cattle Market, established by the Corporation on the site of the Dock Yard, next claims our notice. The Dreadnought Hospital Ship, which used to be anchored below this, is now removed.

Greenwich, with its fine Hospital (now turned into a Naval College), and Observatory, standing out boldly and picturesquely from the clustering foliage of the Park, greets our view. For its description and history, see BRADSHAW's Guide through London and its Environs. The Isle of Dogs is on the opposite side of the river, and an abrupt turn in the river brings us to

Blackwall, with its pier, and the handsome terminus of the Blackwall Railway. Just below the railway station, on the left, are the new Victoria Docks, recently opened.

Woolwich on the right, with its rotunda, cannon-foundry, arsenal, and barracks, is now seen. Further down,

Erith, on the right, with its pretty rural church, immediately after.

Gravesend, on the right, with the slope of the Windmill Hill rising proudly behind the town, will next attract our notice. Tilbury Fort, with its gate or blockhouse of the time of Henry VIII., lies across the river; and the widening expanse of water, enlivened by the constant transit of vessels,

presents to us a moving panorama of animated interest.

From hence to the Nore we pass Southend, Sheerness, and its Dockyard; then Herne Bay, Margate (with Shoeburyness opposite it), and the Foreland; and we sail, almost in a straight line, from the Thames to the Scheldt. The latter stream is situated immediately opposite the mouth of the English river and the port of London. It caught the eye of Napoleon as suitable for a two-fold purpose-either to annoy the English in war, or rival them in commerce. Entering the West Scheldt, at the mouth of the river, we see, on the left, Walcheren, the most extensive of the nine islands forming the province of Zeeland. The district lies many feet below sea level.

Various branches of the river Scheldt separate the islands one from the other, which are protected from the inroads of the ocean by sand banks and dykes, or sea walls, measuring more than 300 miles in extent, and kept in repair at an annual cost of 2,000,000 florins. These dykes are divided by engineers into two classes, called polders calamiteux, and polders non-calamiteux-the former maintained at the expense of Government, and the others by private individuals. The country is, as it were, partitioned out by dykes, the interior defences serving as a barrier against the further ravages of the flood, should the outer dykes break. The great dyke of West Kappel ruptured in 1808, and the waters burst in, inundating the greater part of the island. In the streets of Middleburg, the sea was up to the roofs of the houses, and the strength of its walls only saved the town from being destroyed. Corn and madder are the staple produce of the province, which is very fertile. As we ascend the Scheldt, we see, now and then, peering over the artificial mounds enclosing them, the tops of the spires, roofs, and tall chimneys of the towns and villages, in which the province is very populous.

Cadzand we see to the right, facing Walcheren. Flushing (Station), in Dutch, Vlissingen. Inns: Engel; Gouden Appel.

Flushing is the first town we see on our left, It is situated on the right bank of the river, contains a dockyard, naval arsenal, and has a population of 12,000. The largest merchant vessels are enabled to get up to the town, and unload

at the quays, by means of two deep and wide canals communicating with the sea. New Docks have been made at a cost of above a million sterling; they were begun 1867. The harbour outside is always open, and suitable for ships of any tonnage. Flushing is 92 miles from Ramsgate, 100 miles from Dover, 109 miles from Harwich, 160 miles from London, and 63 hours from Sheerness. The Royal Netherlands Steam Boats now run daily between the two ports in connection with the Chatham and Dover Railway. Vessels from the Thames by night are never out of sight of the lights. It is likely to become the great port for the continent, being on the most direct line to Germany. A great part of the town was destroyed in 1809, when it was bombarded and taken by the English, under Lord Chatham. This act was the only result of the "Walcheren expedition" (as it is called) of 1809, which consisted of 37 ships of the line, 23 frigates, and 82 gun-shot boats, with a force of 50,000 men. The defences of Flushing completely command the entrance to the mouth of the river, near three miles wide. This place is remarkable as the birth-place of Admiral de Ruyter, to whom a statue has been erected. The town hall and two churches, together with 100 houses, were destroyed by the bombs and congreve rockets of the English. We can see at West-Kappel, to the best perfection, the construction of the Dykes. There is a gap in the Dunes at this point, which is defended by a dyke 4,700 yards long and 31 feet high: upon the stability of this, the safety of the island mainly depends. Rail to

art of curing herrings. In the church here, a monument was erected to him, and Charles V. and his sister, the Queen of Hungary, visited it through respect to his memory, who founded for Holland the great staple trade of her wealth. An inundation, in 1377, which destroyed 19 small towns and their inhabitants, detached Biervliet from the continent, but every acre lost has since been recovered by Dutch energy and industry.

Terneusen (Station) is seen to the left, on a rail opened to Malines, 1871. The sluice gates closing the entrance to the new canal, extending to Ghent, are close by it. This canal is 15 feet deep, and gives and serves as a drain to carry off the waters of the district through which it passes. There are sluices at Sas Van Gend, which can lay the entire country under water. Piers and breakwaters of piles or masonry protect the artificial embankments of the Scheldt from the currents and floating masses of ice. Both banks of the Scheldt, below this place, belong to Holland, but the river flows through the Belgian territory.

After we pass the terminatory point of the island of Zuid Beveland, which is separated from the mainland by a strait, a passage called Kreek Baky, Antwerp, with its tall and lofty spires, is seen as we approach Forts Lillo (rt) and Liefkenshock (7). These two forts completely command a view of the passage of the river. Up to 1839 they appertained to the Dutch, in whose hands they remained after the Belgic Revolution. In that year they were dismantled and given up to the Belgians, in exchangé for Venloo, and in compliance with the treaty of the Quadruple Alliance.

The Polders are seen on the left bank above Fort Liefkenshock. These remained under water during the contest with the Dutch. Before arriving at Antwerp, we pass several other forts. The Duke of Parma, in 1505, threw across the Scheldt his celebrated Bridge, 2,400 feet long,

Biervliet, a small town, a short distance off, on the left bank, is only famous as the birth-place of William Beukels, who invented, in 1386, the

the right, by means of which he closed the navigation of the river, and so cut off all supplies from the besieged city, which chiefly caused it to surrender.

A foreign engineer, residing at Antwerp, invented fire-ships, which were sent against the bridge and blew up one of the stockades, killing

800 Spanish soldiers. Another attempt made by the besieged to destroy the bridge also failed. Opposite the Fort of St. Laurent, immediately below Antwerp, a young Dutch officer, Van Speyk, blew himself up, with his crew and ship, rather than surrender to the Belgians, 1880. A monument for this suicidal act has been erected by the Dutch to his memory.

ANTWERP (Station)-in French, Anvers; 60 miles from the sea, 27 from Brussels, 32 from Ghent, 150 from Cologne, and 258 from Paris.

Population (1871), 141,910. Hotels:

Hotel St. Antoine has again reverted to its former proprietor, Mr. Schmidt Spaenhoven, and will no doubt resume its high position.

Hotel de l'Europe, on the place Verte, close to the Cathedral; exceedingly good in every respect, and charges reasonable.

Hotel de la Paix, Rue des Menuisiers, opened the 1st of May, 1869.

Hotel du Grand Laboureur, Place de Meir, firstclass Hotel; clean and reasonable. Recommended. Stroobant's Hotel de Hollande, a second-class hotel; moderate charges.

Hotel du Bien Etre, second-class hotel, near the Place de Meir.

Ship Broker, Mr. B. Kennedy, agent of the General Steam Navigation Company.

Post Office is in the Place Verte. A British Consul is resident. English Church, Rue des Tanneurs. Flemish and French Theatres.

On the Quay Van Dyck, on the opposite bank of the river, is the station of the direct railway to Ghent. Omnibuses call at the hotels. The stand for Vigilantes is by the Post Office and Place de Meir.

The commercial capital of Belgium is situated on the banks of the Scheldt. It is celebrated for its magnificent Docks, constructed under the direction of Napoleon, which are capable of receiving 2,000 ships. At a former period of its history, Antwerp contained a population of 200,000 souls, and it still appears a bustling thriving city, with only three-fourths of that number, who find employment in the occupations afforded by its maritime commerce, and its manufactories of black silk, its sugar refineries, its manufacture, bleaching, and embroidery of lace. Commerce is increasing, in consequence, it is said, of leaving Havre. The South Citadel has been moved to give better accommodation; and the port and quays have been enlarged.

Objects of attraction to be seen in Antwerp:— 1. The Cathedral and Quentin Matsys' Well; 2. Church of St. Jacques; 3. Rubens' House; 4. Church of St. Paul-Paintings and Calvary; 5. Church of the Augustines-Pictures by Rubens, Vandyke, and Jordaens; 6. The Museum-Collection of Paintings; 7. Statue of Rubens, Place Verte; 8. The Citadel; 9. Zoological Gardens, near the railway station; 10. Statues of Teniers, near the station of Budnognatus; the Belgian chief against Cæsar, in Boulevard Leopold; and King Leopold, near it. Teniers, Neefs, and Snyders, are other artists of the Antwerp school, whose works may be looked for.

Tradition ascribes its origin to a giant, who inhabited a fortress on the banks of the Scheldt, and exacted a heavy tribute from all who wished to cross the stream, under pain of losing their right hand. This continued until Brabon (who gave his name to Brabant) succeeded in destroying the monster, whose right hand he cut off, and threw it into the river, thence the residence of the giant obtained the name of Handwerpen, from hand, werpen, to throw. The memory of this fabulous legend is preserved in the city arms, which contain two amputated hands, a triangular castle. It is, however, historically certain that this town was in existence as early as the fourth century. In 630 a church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul was built by St. Amand, who first preached the Gospel here. The town was afterwards ravaged by the Normans, and from 886 to 980 was in the possession of the Moors, who were annihilated in the latter year by the inhabitants of Flanders. In the 12th century the commercial privileges granted to Antwerp by the Dukes of Brabant, had attracted so many strangers, that the town was insufficient to contain them, and in 1304 John II. enlarged it considerably. Its harbour was open to ships of all nations, and Antwerp became in the sixteenth century, the first commercial city in the world. The Scheldt was navigable for the largest vessels, being 20 feet deep, at low water, and 40 feet at high water. At this period the population of the city exceeded 200,000, among whom were 300 painters and 124 goldsmiths; 500 vessels entered the harbour daily, and 2,500 was the average number of those at anchor before the city. The taxes received in the city annually amounted