ing a transition from the round to the pointed style of architecture, situated in the Rue St. Bertin. Its east end is of a polygonal termination, with projecting chapels. The interior of the church is in good preservation, and the small Chapel of the Virgin has been lately redecorated. At the extreme end of the street in which this church is situated are to be seen the remains of the once famous Abbey of St. Bertin, formerly the noblest Gothic building in French Flanders. The only fragment now remaining is a stately tower, noble even in its ruins, the mutilated panelling of its walls bespeaking the chaste and superior elegance of its florid Gothic style of ornament. From off the tower, which is propped by a rude buttress of masonry, a fine panoramic view of the town may be had. Thomas à Becket sought refuge in this once-famous abbey, when a fugitive from England, and within its cloister wère passed the last four years of his life. The monastery was suppressed in 1792, but was spared by the Convention. The Directory was less considerate, and under it the roof was taken off, the building stripped of its fixtures and wood work, which were sold. The work of destruction was completed a few years since by the local authorities, who had the walls taken down, in order to find work for some unemployed labourers! It was here existed the celebrated Jesuits' College; founded in 1596 by an English Jesuit, named Parsons. In it were educated many of the conspirators mixed up in the Gunpowder Plot, and some of the wild spirits who intrigued against Elizabeth. This college was succeeded by a seminary, for British Roman Catholics, and in it was educated the famous agitator, the late Daniel O'Connell. English Church Service on Sundays. Hazebrouck (Station). From here a branch line leads to Dunkirk. Refreshments may be had. The following unimportant stations are next passed:-Strazeele, Bailleul, Steenwerck, Armentières, and Perenchies. Lille (Station).-Hotels: Hotel de l'Europe-the best in the town. Paris; Nouveau Monde; Flandre; France; Chemin de fer du Nord. English Church Service on Sundays. The This city is strongly fortified, and forms, on the northern frontiers of France, the central point of defence. With a population of 155,000 inhabitants, it is the seat of thriving industry and of busy manufacture, ranking as the seventh industrial and commercial city of the new empire. town is traversed by the waters of the Haute and Basse Deule, which fill its moats, and work the mill machinery about. They are connected by a canal, so arranged as to be able to inundate the country for one and a half mile around the walls, if necessary. Though the city is spacious and its wealth very great, yet its monuments and buildings are few and unimportant. The Citadel is looked upon as a master specimen of the skill of Vauban, who held the position of governor for many years. The Hotel de Ville is an erection of the 13th century, built by Jean SansPeur, inhabited by Charles V., and was anciently the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. The building is in the early Gothic style, and has in one of its tourelles an exquisitely groined staircase and a chapel. A school of art, containing an interesting and rich collection of drawings by the old masters, occupies one division of the building. This collection consists of 44 paintings by Raphael, some by Masaccio and Fra Bartolommeo, and a few architectural designs by Michael Angelo. An inspection of them will interest and gratify all lovers of the fine arts. Chevr Wicar bequeathed them to the city. Though Sunday is the only day on which there is a public admission, the housekeeper will not hesitate to admit persons of respectability on other days. The Museum will scarcely repay a visit; it, however, contains many curious old portraits of the Dukes of Burgundy and of the Counts of Flanders, besides a painting by Rubens, and two by Arnold de Vuez, a native artist, born in 1642, and considerably eminent in his profession. The former painting represents St. Catherine rescued from the wheel of martyrdom, and the two latter are portraits of Saints Francis and Cecilia. The chief church in Lille is that of St. Maurice, a Gothic building of the 16th century, resting on delicately light pillars, but presenting no appearance of general interest. The Rue Royale, a street one mile long, should be visited, and the immensely large corn stores seen, as also the very fine houses of the Rue Esquirmoise. The suburbs of Lille for miles around, as well as the entire Department du Nord, will strike the traveller strongly resembling the districts On through Lancashire and the West Riding. all sides s heard the busy hum of industry, whilst tall chimneys and numerous mills proclaim the active and vigorous trade being carried on, forming the rather novel combination of a fortress and a manufacturing town. Flax forms the staple manufacture, which is grown in and about the adjacent country. It is spun into ordinary thread, and twisted into Lille thread. Cotton spinning is also carried on to a considerable extent, and in its manufacture Lille has been a considerable rival to England. Its other branches of trade are the manufacture of sugar from beetroot, the extraction of oils from colza and the seeds of rape, poppies, linseed, &c. Its other objects of attraction are the Hospital, founded in 1739, the Bridge, the Concert Hall, the Gaol, the Botanical Gardens, the Triumphal Arch, erected in 1782, in honour of Louis XIV., and the Column raised in memory of the siege sustained by the city in 1792. Railway to Douai and Paris; to Valenciennes, Mons, and Brussels; to Courtray, Ghent, and Brussels. Lille to Brussels, by Douai and Seclin, Carvin, and Leforest Stations, supplying places of no interest or importance, are passed efore arriving at Douai (Station). Hotels: Hotel De Flandre; Du Commerce. Population, 23,600. The town is conveniently situated on the river Scarpe, which communicates with the canal of Sensé, and is surrounded by fortifications, which the railway twice crosses. An old detached fort on the left bank serves as a defence for the town, which belongs to Department du Nord. It has a very picturesque belfry in the market-place, surmounting the Hôtel de Ville, a Gothic building of the 15th century, in which is the library, containing 30,000 vols. A rather curious spectacle greets the traveller's eye here in the early part of each July, when a procession takes place called Géant Gayant; a large osier giant, 30 feet high, attired in armour, and accompanied by a family of proportionate size, consisting of his wife and children, perambulate the streets, accompanied by the populace. Eight men enclosed within this giant fabric move it. Douai has been famed for its college, founded by Cardinal Allen in 1569. In it Roman Catholic priests for England and Ireland have been educated. Daniel O'Connell also studied here. A good trade in flax is carried on. Here the Northern of France Railway divides into two branches, the one proceeding to join the Belgian Railways by Valenciennes; the other by Arras and Amiens to Paris. Montigny, Somain, Wallers, and Raismes Stations are passed previous to our arrival at Valenciennes (Station). Hotels: Du Commerce; Des Princes; Du Mouton Blanc; De Moulin ; De Brussels; Des Flandre. Conveyances at the station, a quarter of a mile distant from the town; there is a good Buffet here. Population, 25,000. A place of considerable trade and wealth, situated on the Great Northern Railway; also strongly fortified by its position on the Scheldt, at its confluence with the Rhendelle, by which it may be surrounded for threefourths of its circumference by water, retained by means of sluices in the fortifications. The town is well built; the houses are generally of brick and white stone. The Hôtel de Ville, in which the Gothic style is mingled with several orders of architecture, will claim attention; it is highly decorated; the handsome façade is surmounted by an attic, adorned with Caryatide figures, representing the four seasons. The hospital and the theatre are also remarkable. agreeable promenades will be found-the Cours Bourbon, the Place-Verte, the Embankment between the city and the suburbs, the circuit of the outer fortifications from the Mons Gate to the Quesnoy Gate, the Faubourg Cambrai. From the Citadel the valley of the Scheldt is seen to advantage. Froissart, the historian of the 14th century, was born here. VALENCIENNES TO BRUSSELS, see above Many Lille to Brussels, viâ Mouscron, Courtray, 93 English miles. population of 75,987. manufacture. Roubaix (Station). An industrious and manufacturing town, which has lately risen into great importance and still continues to increase in population and trade. Hotel: Frreaille. It has a Its staple trade is cotton Close to it, the English, under the Duke of York, suffered a severe defeat from the French, commanded by Pichegru, on May 18th, 1794. They lost in that sanguinary affray, 1,000 killed, 2,000 prisoners, and 60 cannon. Tourcoing (Station), 7 miles from Lille. A town with 43,322 inhabitants, no way remarkable in its general appearance, but famed for its manufactures of table linen. Mouscron (Station), in Belgium, 11 miles from Lille. The town is seen on an eminence to the right, with its beautiful church built of bricks. Its chief importance arises from the fact of its being situated on the frontier. It is the chief place of its commune, and contains a population of 5,536 souls. The country about is rich and well cultivated, producing wheat and rich pastures. Passports and baggage are examined at this station. Facing Mouscron, to the left, is the village of Luingues. Here (junction of the railway from Tournay) a change of carriage and an examination of luggage takes place. Travellers for Brussels, via Jurbise, also to Namur, should take especial care and get into the proper train. From this station the railway proceeds on through a beautiful country, until its arrival at Courtray, on nearing which the country appears highly cultivated and picturesquely agreeable. Courtray (Station)-In Flemish, Kortryck. Population (1873), 26,641. A fortified town, and the chief place of a judicial and administrative district of West Flanders. It is situated on the Lys, which divides it into two parts, securing to it a communication with the principal towns in the north of France. The streets are large, and finely built. Under the name of Cortoriacum it existed in the time of the Romans. The first cloths were made here in 1268, and two hundred years afterwards it contained 6,000 weavers, In 1312, Philip of Burgundy carried away a celebrated clock, considered at that time one of the wonders of the age, and the two figures (Jacquemart and his wife) which struck the hours. The regularity of the motions of these latter gave rise to a proverb which still exists in Courtray, when speaking of the love existing between a couple, "They agree like Jacquemart and his wife." It is still famous for its manufacture of table linen and other damask, with which it supplies all parts of Europe. The surrounding country is noted for its growth of flax, with which it supplies, not only its own manufactories, but many of the markets of Europe. In the neighbourhood are large and extensive bleaching-grounds. The flax is steeped in the waters of the Lys, esteemed peculiarly favourable for bleaching purposes. In a plain near Courtray was fought, n 1302, the sanguinary battle of the Golden Spurs, between the French troops, under the Count d'Artois, and the Flemish under John, Count of Namur, in which the former were totally defeated, and the Count d'Artois and the Constable of France, together with upwards of twelve hundred knights and several thousand men, left dead on the field. The battle derived its name from the immense number (700) of the gilt spurs worn by the knights, which fell into the hands of the victors. To the right of the road is seen a small chapel, erected in 1831 to commemorate the event. It is outside the Porte de Gand, and marks the centre of the battlefield. The public buildings and monuments of Courtray are not numerous. We will describe shortly the principal. Hotel de Ville: the interior possesses two chimneys, one placed in the police court or hall, the other in the council room; their sculpture is of exquisite delicacy and highly finished, and worthy of attention. Church of Saint Martin: this church was founded about the year 650 by Saint Eloi. It is remarkable for the tower (one of the loftiest in Belgium) which surmounts the portico. There is a tabernacle in the interior most admirably sculptured, and a picture by Vleirick, a painter of the 16th century, representing the "Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles," and on the two wings, "The Sleep of Adam in Paradise," and "The Baptism of It was Christ." There is another picture by Van Manderen, the historian and poet, representing "A scene of Martyrdom at Rome." The rich ornaments made use of in Divine worship are worthy of notice for the beauty of the chasing and engraving. Notre Dame: this church is worthy of notice, chiefly from the richness of its marbles. founded in 1238 by Baldwin, Count of Flanders and Emperor of Constantinople. It deserves to be visited on account of the richness and grandeur of its ornaments, particularly a chef-d'œuvre of Van Dyck, placed behind the high altar, and representing the Elevation of the Cross. The tabernacle, a fine piece of carving, by the famous Lefevre, of Tournay; two bas-reliefs by Godecharles; and Christ at the Tomb, deserve to be noticed. This church once possessed the small ivory statue of the Virgin, known as the Virgin of Oroeningen, celebrated for the miracles which, according to many, it performed; it is now in the church of Saint Michael, and still attracts crowds of pilgrims to its shrine. The two towers, called BrotomTorren, built in 1413, are remarkable for the extreme strength and thickness of the walls; they are united by a bridge over the Lys, built in the year 1465. [Route 1. Leaving Courtray for Ghent, the railway runs parallel to the paved road, and shortly arrives at Haerlebeke (Station). A commune and chief taining a population of 4,486 souls. place of a canton in the district of Courtray, conoldest town in Flanders, and the residence of the It was the first governors of the country. Antiquities have frequently been found here. The church is remarkable for its architecture, and contains a superb pulpit, a masterpiece of Decreux, of Tournay. It was formerly an important fortress, and suffered It has manufactures of woollens, cloths, tobacco, many vicissitudes in the 9th and 10th centuries. &c. Waereghem (Station). An important and ancient commune of the district of Courtray; population, 7,220. It has a considerable trade in linen. Situated four miles north-west of it, is the village of Roosbeke, remarkable as the spot where Philip Van Artevelde, the brewer of Ghent, suffered defeat by the French in 1382, losing his own life, with 20,000 of his countrymen. Shortly after leaving Waereghem the railway crosses the stype, and, quitting West Flanders, enters into East Flanders, passes Zulte, a town containing 2,000 inhabitants, and arrives at Deynze, after running in a right line, passing Olsene and then Mochelen; the former a commune of the district of Ghent, with a population of 2,600, and the latter a town of the same district, containing a population of 2,100 The Market Houses are seen in all their ancient simplicity in the centre of the town; the front of the building is adorned by five elegant turrets. There was formerly a high tower in the centre of the structure, in which the celebrated clock pre-inhabitants. viously mentioned was placed. A modern building has been erected for market purposes. Theatre: this is remarkable for the beauty of its decorations; it forms part of the new market building. Promenades: the ramparts or boulevards surrounding Courtray form a fine walk, from which may be had a beautiful view of the city. The park of Saint George is likewise a delightful place; but by far the most agreeable of the public walks is the esplanade; it is planted with chestnut and lime trees, and has nicely laid out plots of green, furnished here and there with elegant and comfortable seats. Railway to Bruges and Ostend; also to Ypres, Poperinghe, Renaix, Mons, &c.; and direct to Brussels, via Audenarde, Sotteghem, Denderleeuw. Deynze (Station) is situated on the left bank of the Lys. On the opposite bank, between the road and the river, is Peteghem, a small commune containing 1,400 souls. Deynze is the chief place of a canton in the district of Ghent, and an ancient town; its population is 3,800. The principal Church, Nôtre Dame, is an old Gothic building, containing a fine picture, attributed to Jordaens, representing the Birth of Christ. Audenarde or Oudenarde. Thielt (Station) is the Railway to Thielt, and to chief place of a canton in the district of Bruges. It is the birth-place of Oliver le Daim, the celebrated barber of Louis XI. Pop,, 12,000. Oudenarde (Station) is of very ancient origin, where Marlborough and Prince Eugene defeated the French, 11th July, 1708. Great numbers of medals of the Gauls and first Kings of France have been found here. |