ments are capable of relieving the whole mass of human wretchedness which this capital, in common with all large cities, must contain, would require a long residence to determine ; but we could not help making the same remark here as in Rotterdam that in all our rambles we had not met with a drunken person in the streets; nay more, that we had not observed a man, woman, or child in rags, or met with a real object of compassion, in any part of the town; and the only beggars that accosted us, and those were in some of the lower parts of the town, were decrepit old men.". Family Tour in S. Holland.

One division of the Spin-house was formerly devoted to the purpose of a house of correction for offences which may rank between a fault and a crime; such as in other countries are punished by the domestic code, but for which family authority is not always sufficiently strict in enforcing punishment; though at the same time the discipline of a prison would be too severe. Thus, a disobedient child, an extravagant wife, or a drunken husband, if their offence were proved against them, and they were sent hither by their friends, were subjected to modified coercion and restraint, until, by penitence and promise of amendment, they should have atoned for their misdemeanors.

The Dutch are not altogether absorbed in commerce, so as to be able to devote no time to literature and the arts; witness the society called. Felix Meritis, which is founded and supported entirely by merchants and citizens. The building is situated in the Keisers Gracht. In its nature it bears some resemblance to the Royal Institution in London. It contains a library, museum, collections of casts of ancient statues, of chemical and mathematical instruments, and a very fine concert-room and observatory. Lectures are given in various branches of art, science, and literature. Though

there is little in the building, perhaps, to take up the time of a stranger merely passing through the city, any intelligent individual, about to reside here, would find in it a most delightful

resource.

There are many other learned socie

ties.

The Royal Dockyard, on the island of Kattenburg, is the largest naval dépòt and arsenal in Holland; there are usually several vessels of war on the stocks. It is not difficult to obtain admission to view it; but an Englishman will find that it is not to be compared with the dockyards of his own country.

Theatres.-There are three theatres, set apart for performances in Dutch, German, and French, besides an Italian opera occasionally.

The notorious Speel Houses still exist, being tolerated by the government. These vile haunts of vice have not even the attractions of splendour to recommend them to notice, and they are merely alluded to as one of the curiosities of Holland; and on account of a strange practice, not yet quite extinct among the sober citizens, of taking their wives and daughters at times to see them, in order to inspire them with a horror for vice, by the sight of it in its most disgusting and odious form.

The Promenades are the plantaadje, or plantation, at the end of the Heeren Gracht, surrounded by canals, and not far from the high bridge over the Amstel, near the place where it enters the town," in a fine broad sheet of water, and with a scarcely perceptible current. The view from the bridge is worth noticing.

The fortifications of Amsterdam are no longer regarded as works of strength on each of the 26 bastions is placed a windmill, and the views from the ramparts are curious.

:

The want of spring-water is a great evil and inconvenience in this large city. The houses are provided with tanks, in which every drop of rain

that falls is treasured up: this is used by the better classes for culinary purposes. Drinking water is brought from Utrecht in stone bottles; but the main supply comes from the river Vecht above Weesp, about 12 miles off, in very large water barges, which may be seen in the various canals; and the poorer classes, who have no cisterns, are obliged to content themselves with this. On the first arrival of these barges, the deck is on a level with the surface of the canal; but a pump is inserted in the middle of it, and, as the cargo is disposed of to customers, the vessel gradually rises, until, when empty, it floats on the top, and is carried back for a fresh supply. the water in the neighbourhood being either brackish or putrid, good water becomes an article of considerable commerce, and this precious commodity is sold at a large price, especially in winter, when it sometimes becomes necessary, in severe weather, to cut a passage through the ice which covers the canals, at a heavy expense, to allow the water barges to pass.

All

A portion of the poorer inhabitants live entirely in the cellars of the houses. There is also a class who live constantly upon the canals, making their vessels their home. "In this and in many other respects the Dutch bear a strong resemblance to the Chinese: like that industrious and economical race, they keep their hogs, their ducks, and other domestic animals constantly on board. Their cabins display the same neatness as the parlours of their countrymen on shore; the women employ themselves in all the domestic offices, and are assiduous in embellishing their little sitting-rooms with the labours of the needle; and many of them have little gardens of tulips, hyacinths, anemones, and various other flowers. Some of these vessels are of great length, but generally narrow, suitable to the canals and sluices of the towns. Each vessel is generally navigated by the members of one family, of which

the female part is by no means the least useful; nothing being more common than to see the women steering, poling, hauling the ropes, or employed on some other duties of the craft."-Family Tour.

Near the east end of the city, by the water side, is a tower, called the Schreijershoek Toren: it is situated near the quay from which vessels used to set sail, and received its name from the tears which were shed by friends, wives and children, at the departure of their husbands and fathers, or other relatives and friends.

Near the Saardam stairs, also on the quay, stood the Herring Packery Tower. It was very ancient, and once formed part of the city defences. It received its name from a row of small houses, occupied by rope-sellers, dealers in marine stores, &c. ; in front of which, during the season of the herring fishery, all the business connected with the examining, sorting the fish, and repacking them for foreign markets, was transacted in the presence of officers appointed by the authorities. Every proceeding with respect to the herring fishery is regulated by a committee of managers, or shareholders, called Commissioners of the Great Fishery (by which is meant the herring fishery), approved of by the government, and under the inspection of officers appointed by them. These regulations are exceedingly minute and precise. "The period when the fishery might begin is fixed at 5 minutes past 12 o'clock, on the night of the 24th June; and the master and pilot of every vessel leaving Holland for the fishery are obliged to make oath that they will respect the regulation. The species of salt to be used in curing the different sorts of herrings is also fixed by law; and there are endless regulations with respect to the size of the barrels, the number and thickness of the staves of which they were to be made, the guttings and packing of the herring, the branding of the barrel.

These regulations are intended to secure to the Hollanders that supericrity which they had early attained in the fishery, to obtain for the Dutch herrings the best price in foreign markets, and to prevent the herrings being injured by the bad faith of individuals."― Macculloch's Dictionary of Commerce.

The fishery, however, is sadly fallen off at present; in 1818, only 200 herring vessels were sent out, instead of 2000, the number employed in former days. Still the arrival of the herrings is looked forward to with much anticipation at Amsterdam: a premium is given to the first buss which lands a cargo, and small kegs are then sold at a high price. The art of curing herrings was invented by one William Beukels, of Biervliet, a Fleming; but it is not the fact that the Dutch and English derive from his name the word PICKLE; which is nothing more than the Dutch pekel (brine). In veneration for one who had conferred so great a benefit on his country, the emperor Charles V. made a pilgrimage to his tomb.

Excellent curaçoa is made at Amsterdam, at two thirds of the English price: it may be purchased very good at Wynand Folkinks, in de Pylsteeg. Anisette is another good liqueur manufactured here: the best may be got of Bols, in het Losjes.

Conveyances.-There are diligences several times a day from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and Utrecht, and a great many trekschuits.

A steamer goes to Hamburg, every 10 days from April to November, setting off early in the morning; so that it is necessary to go on board before 12 at night. A place in the first cabin costs 50 guilders; in the after cabin, 20; 4-wheel carriages, 70 grs. When two or more passengers take places together, they pay 10 florins less.

A steam-boat runs twice a day to Saardam.

A ferry-boat is constantly plying to Buiksloot and the mouth of the Texel canal.

The Post Office is on the Voorburgwal, behind the Palace.

The Passport Office is in the Staal Straat.

ROUTE 111.

EXCURSION FROM AMSTERDAM TO BROEK, SAARDAM, AND THE GREAT NORTH HOLLAND SHIP CANAL.

A steamer runs 2 or 3 times a day between Amsterdam and Saardam, in about an hour. It returns immediately, and a person who goes by it, to visit Peter the Great's cottage, must remain at Saardam 2 or 3 hours, until the vessel makes another passage

across.

The entire excursion will occupy the greater part of a day. The nature of it, and the most agreeable mode of making it, may be understood from the following extract from a MS. Journal:

"One of the ferry-boats which are constantly crossing between Amsterdam and North Holland, conveyed us to Buiksloot, a distance of about a mile.

The harbour of Amsterdam is fenced in with a long line of piles driven into the mud, having open spaces at intervals, to allow vessels to enter and depart. These openings are closed at night with booms, or large trees covered with iron spikes, which are drawn across and fastened with chains. Not many years ago, it was discovered that some molluscous animal had committed such extensive ravages in the woodwork, that though the piles were. of the finest heart of oak, they were in a short time reduced to a state resembling honeycomb, so as to require constant renewal.

In traversing the harbour, we remarked long rows of little pavilions, or cabinets, raised upon wooden piers, stretching far out from shore, several feet above the water. These are summer-houses belonging to the citizens, the owners of pleasure-boats, who delight to come hither and smoke

D

their pipes and sip their beer or coffee. From the spot where we landed, we could not fail to stop and admire the prospect presented of Amsterdam, seen through a net-work, as it were, of rigging, spars, and masts : above which rise steeples and towers without number, that of the Old Stadhuis being the most conspicuous. Nowhere is the city seen to greater advantage; as far as the eye can reach up and down, there seems no end to the long line of vessels. It is a picture of wealth and industry, bearing testimony to the extent of the trade, which is still carried on with almost all parts of the globe. Buiksloot is a large village at the Waterland dyke, where carriages are kept for hire, to convey travellers to the two celebrated places Broek and Saardam. The sum we paid for the hire of a two-horse vehicle was 10 guilders. On the way to Buiksloot every body should turn aside to view the Grand Ship Canal of North Holland which commences here, directly opposite Amsterdam, and extends all the way to Helder and the Texel, a distance of 50 miles. At the surface it is 125 ft. wide, at the bottom 36 ft., a breadth sufficient to admit two frigates to pass, and probably greater than that of any other canal in the world; and it is 22 ft. deep. The lock gates at the entrance exceed in dimensions the largest in the docks of Liverpool; they are founded upon piles driven through the mud into sand. The level of the canal at Buiksloot is 10 ft. below the mean height of the sea, and of course many feet below high tides. As a work of utility this canal deserves the highest praise, since it enables vessels to enter and quit the port of Amsterdam with the greatest safety, and without any delay, in defiance of contrary winds, and unimpeded either by the storms or the thousand sand-banks of the Zuider Zee (one of the most dangerous of seas) : at the same time they avoid the trouble and risk of passing the bar at the mouth of the Y, called the Pampus, over

which lay the only outlet to the sea before this canal was made. Large vessels were formerly obliged to discharge their cargoes on the outside of the harbour of Amsterdam, and were then lifted out of the water, and floated over the bar, by means of a machine called a camel. This is a species of double chest of wood, the two halves of which are shaped to fit the hull of a ship. Being filled with water, and sunk, they are attached to the sides of the vessel to be lifted. The water is then pumped out of them, and of course, as they become buoyant, they raise the ship with them. The time employed in tracking a vessel from Amsterdam to the Texel by the canal is 18 hours, and vessels were not unfrequently detained as many weeks by tempestuous weather and other obstacles, before they could make this short voyage by sea. The canal has several locks, opposite Amsterdam, at Buiksloot, Purmerende, Zype, and Nieuwdeep.

It was finished in 1825, at a cost of from 10 to 12 million guilders, nearly one million sterling. The only disadvantage to which it is liable is that of being choked up by ice in winter. Some years ago, 35,000 guilders, about 3,000l., were expended in cutting a passage through the ice for several outward-bound vessels.

But to return to Buiksloot. The road to Broek we found very bad and very dull, running by the side of a canal, along which men and women, harnessed like horses to the towing rope, were submitting to the drudgery of tracking barges laden with fruit and vegetables for the Amsterdam market. The habitations which we passed on the way are mostly cottages of one story, surmounted by roofs nearly twice as high as the walls; these serve as store-rooms for the winter stock of hay.

After a very severe jolting we reached BROEK [pronounced Brook], celebrated as the cleanest village in the world.

It is a place of considerable ex

tent, built on the border of a large pond or lake: its 800 inhabitants are either taken up with the manufacture of those little round cheeses known all over the world as Dutch cheeses, an article of great traffic and source of considerable wealth to the province of North Holland; or they are retired merchants, landed proprietors, stockbrokers, or tradesmen who have already amassed large fortunes. There is neither horse nor cart road through the place; so we were obliged to leave our vehicle at a small inn on its outskirts, and to walk through it. The lanes or passages which intersect it are paved with bricks or little stones set in patterns. Broek has been the subject of many exaggerated descriptions: this, for instance, is dignified in the Guide-books by the name of mosaic. The paths are strewed with sand or shells also arranged in patterns, so precise is the neatness which here prevails. The houses are mostly of wood, very scrupulously painted white and green; indeed, it has been said that some people here keep a painter in their house all the year round, that the building may always preserve the same freshness of aspect within and with out; but this is another exaggeration. Almost all the houses glitter in the sun with roofs of polished tiles of different colours; the habitations of the poorer classes are usually only of one story; those of the rich are for the most part of the style which has been appropriately called "the florid Cockney," something between Grecian, Chinese, and Saracenic: one has a pasteboard-looking front, intended to represent a temple; another is painted with such various colours as to call to mind the scenery of a theatre; all vie with one another in extravagance and absurdity. It must be confessed that Broek has an inanimate and listless appearance, chiefly owing to the custom of barring the front door, and closing the windows next the street with shutters. No one should visit Broek without entering

into one of the houses, as the interior is far more curious than the outside. The greater part of the houses are private dwellings, and of course strangers are not admitted without an introduction to their owners. Not being provided with such recommendation, we were content to enter one of the numerous cottages, or dairy farms, where cheese is made, and where a small present procured us admission. It was amusing to observe the anxiety with which one of the children of the house laid down a wet cloth before us at the door, in order that we might clean our feet upon it, and thus introduce no pollution into their dwelling. Before almost every house in the place we had remarked a large collection of shoes and sabots, for the inmates usually put them off at the door, like the Turks, and walk through the house in slippers or stockings; and even the Emperor Alexander, it is said, on visiting Broek, was compelled to comply with this usage. We were introduced at the side: the main entrance to this and the other houses of the place, according to the custom peculiar to North Holland, remains closed, save upon great occasions, such as a marriage, a funeral, or christening,

On entering the house, we found a stable for the cows in winter running round three sides of it, the centre and remaining side being set apart for human beings. The cows were all absent from home in their summer quarters, the fields. I am sure that nine-tenths of the poor people of England, and a much larger proportion of the Irish, are not so well and cleanly lodged as the brutes in this country. The pavement was of Dutch tiles, the walls of deal boards, not painted or rough sawn, but as smooth and as clean as a dining-table in an English farm house. From one end of the stable to the other runs a gutter, and above it, over each stall, a hook is fastened in the ceiling. When the cattle are within doors, their tails, from motives of cleanliness, that