Antwerp to Brussels, by Malines. Antwerp, in Route 4. Leaving Antwerp, we pass Berchem (Station), in a commune of 2,800 inhabitants. Here were the head-quarters of the French during the siege of Antwerp, in 1832. It was before this place that Count Fréderic de Merode was mortally wounded in 1830, during the retreat of the Dutch troops. About here we perceive many beautiful country residences, principally belonging to the merchants of Antwerp. Vieux-Dieux (Station), or Oude God in Flemish, near a little hamlet to the right, so called from a Pagan idol adored here, before the establishment of Christianity. Quitting here the line proceeds by the banks of the Nethe. To the right we see Edeghem, a village with 1,063 inhabitants; and a little further on to the left, rising up in the distance, Hove, and soon after arrive at Contich (Station), close to a small place with 3,640 inhabitants. The antiquated castles of Groeningen Hof, de Tanghoff, and d'Altina here, are worth a visit. A branch rail to Herenthals and Turnhout, crosses the Antwerp and Maestricht line. See next route. Duffel (Station) is situated upon the Nethe, traversed by the route from Malines to Lierre Station (near a chief town of a canton in the district of Malines, on the Maestricht line, as above, situated at the confluence of the great and little Nethe, surrounded by ramparts planted with trees, and containing a population of 16,700. (See page 31). Duffel has a population of 3,940 people, and its trade in linen is the chief staple of its industry. Passing Wavre-Ste.-Catherine (Station), we arrive at ROUTE 12. Antwerp to Turnhout.-Distance, about 24 miles by road, and 24 by rail by Oost-Malle, or 35 by rail, by Lierre and Herenthals, The shorter road by rail, opened 1887, passes through Wyneghem and Oost-Malle, where there is a branch to Hoogstraeten. Not far from these two places is West-Malle, near to which is the Cistercian Convent, or Abbey of La Trappe. The monks of this order are remarkable for the strict régime under which they live, as well as for the active and industrial pursuits which they constantly follow. The brothers rarely speak; they rise at two o'clock a.m., and continue in prayer until six o'clock, when they proceed to their daily avocations of field labour and other pursuits. They take but one meal a day, and retire to bed at eight o'clock p.m. The brothers number about sixty, and have reclaimed a barren heath of 400 acres, converting it into a fruitful garden. The visitor is shown through the house by one of the brothers, and in the garden he will see the cemetery, in which a grave is always open to receive him who dies next. They are buried without coffins. Seven miles from West-Malle is It Wortel, the pauper colony established by the Dutch government in 1822, lying north-east. contains 460 inhabitants. In reference to this place we find the following in the Commercial Statistics: "It was placed at its foundation under the direction of Captain Van den Bosch, brother to the General of that name. The company at Wortel contracted to maintain 1,000 paupers for 35 florins each per annum. Other paupers were afterwards taken. Another pauper settlement was undertaken by one person, near Bruges, who also agreed with government to maintain 1,000 paupers for 35 florins per annum; but whether from the separation of Belgium from Holland, or whether from the pauper colonists, chiefly idle vagrants sent from Brussels, being of an inferior class: certain it is, that the pauper settlements of Belgium are far behind the colony of Froniksen in prosperity." Merxplas, a convict station, is situated 4 miles beyond this. Turnhout (Station). Inn: Porte d'Or. Turnhout is on the line from Antwerp and Contech, via Herenthals. Population, 16,000. A great place for leech catchers, Herenthals (Station)-Hotel: De l'Empereur. Population, 4,945. The altar in St. Crispin's church, ornamented with elaborate carving (1470), will repay a visit. By omnibus, 5 miles, to Gheel, in the centre of the Campine, a desolate moor. The chief occupation of the greater part of the inhabitants is taking care of the Lunatics sent here from all parts of Belgium. At Gheel there is a pretty church, dedicated to St. Dympna, an Irish lady and the daughter of an Irish king. From Herenthals, a line turns to the south, past Vesterloo, where it crosses the Nethe; and 10 miles further, after crossing the Deynze, it reaches Aerschot (Station) (on the Antwerp and Maestricht line), which has a church worth visiting. Louvain is 12 miles by rail from Aerschot. This line (68 miles long) runs first to Lierre (pages 31 and 59), whence it is 17 miles to Aerschot, the next station of any importance being Diest. Diest (Station), a little to the east (Hotel: Du Sauvage) has the old Church of St. Sulpice, with the neighbouring Churches of Mont Aigu and Avenboden Convent. Population, 8,000. fluence with the Lomme. Limestone and marble are quarried; and the Grotto may be visited. [Branch line (23 miles) to Rochefort (Station), remarkable as a ruined fortress, where Lafayette was confined by the Austrians. Very beautiful limestone caves. Omnibus to the Trou de Han, (Hotel Brasseur, first-class), another fine stalactitic cavern. Hence to St. Hubert in the Forest of Ardennes. The line is continued to Eprave.] Poix (Station), in Belgian Luxembourg, from which it is an hour's run by omnibus to St. Hubert (Hotel de Luxembourg; population, 2,700), a small place in the Forest, with an old Abbey, and the Chapel dedicated to the patron saint of sportsmen. Libramont (Station). Branch to Limerlé, by Bastogne, close to a small town (2,000 inhabitants), with an old church. There is also a branch to Bertrix. Longlier (Station), near NEUFCHÂTEAU, a small town on a branch of the Semoy or Semois. At Marbehan, a branch goes off to Poncelle, Virton, and Lamorteau, on the Montmedy and Ecouviez line. From Virton, a branch goes to From Diest to Hasselt (see page 64) is 12 43 miles, see page 75), and Gedinnes, in the Izel Florenville, Bertrix (branch to Gouvy, miles, and the rail continues to follow the valley of the Demer, which it entered at Aerschot, as far as Maestricht, page 64. Namur to Luxembourg and Trèves, by the Great Luxembourg Railway, in 5 hours, through the Forest of Ardennes. Namur, see Route 8. Then Nannines, near the village of Vivier l'Agneau. Assesses, before reaching the village of Emftennes, on the left. Then Natoye, and Ciney, on a branch of the Meuse, formerly a town of the Condrusi, in Roman times. Here a line from Huy (page 54) comes in. Aye, the best station for MARCHE, a pretty town, in the Famène corn district. Marloie, where the direct line from Liége, along the Valley of the Ourthe, falls in. Jemelle, in the Valley of the Wamme, at its con Forest of Ardennes, near the French frontier. Florenville is the station for the extensive ruins of Orval Abbey, founded in 1124, Arlon (Station). Hotels: Du Nord; Europe. The small capital (7,330 inhabitants) of the Belgian part of the province of Luxembourg, 1,250 feet above sea, and surmised to be the Orolaunum of the Romans. Rail to Longuyon, past Athus, where there is a connection with the Prince Henry line from Petange and Esch (towards Metz); and from which the new line (called the Meuse line) works round, via Signeulx, to Virton, for Florenville, &c., as above. At Esch a connection is opened with Deutsch Oth (Station), Redingen (Station), &c., on the Alsace-Lorraine lines. At Bettingen (Station) is the Dutch douane, Examination at Luxembourg. The German language begins to be spoken. LUXEMBOURG (Station). Hotels: De Cologne, in the centre of the town, an old house, affording good accommodation, Hotel de l'Europe. Grand Hotel Brasseur; English spoken. The town, not less singularly than picturesquely situated, is the capital of the independent duchy of the same name, and contains 20,000 inhabitants. Of the public buildings, the most noteworthy is the old Hotel du Gouvernement, which dates from 1443, and was then the Hotel de Ville. The most remarkable spot is the Gateway, in the lower town, a broken fragment, and sole surviving memorial of the palace of Peter Ernest of Mansfeldt, the Spanish Stadtholder. The town is hemmed in by high rocks, so that, coming from the Brussels side, you do not get a glimpse of it until at its very portals. It is divided into the upper and lower towns, the former being connected only on the west with the neighbouring country. It has a precipitous descent 200 feet deep on the other sides. Its valley, which will well repay a walk, is enclosed by bold and rugged rocks of lofty dimensions, and watered by the streams of Alzette and Peltrusbach. The lower town is full of active industry, and has a great number of mills and dyeworks. A projecting rock, known as Le Bouc, divides it into two quarters, which communicate with the upper town by means of zig-zag streets and flights of steps. A fine and striking view of the town may be obtained from the road to Trèves, and this is decidedly the best point if the traveller desires to carry away a characteristic remembrance of this singularly built and situated town. The fortifications were successively added to and strengthened by various towers until it was considered to be the strongest defence in Europe, after Gibraltar. According to a Decree emanating from a Conference of the Great Powers, held in London, (May, 1867), the Forts were dismantled, the whole of the Prussian garrison withdrawn, and the Duchy has become neutral territory under the control of the King of Holland. The Fosse is now filled up; a fine park occupies the site of the fortifications; and new buildings are rising up outside at the best points of view. On entering the gate of the city, the passport may be demanded, and must be given up. A receipt or certificate (Schein) is given, on the production of which, on the following day, at the Polizei, the passport is returned. If, however, the traveller wishes to proceed on his journey the same day, his passport may also be obtained. Excursion on Whit-Tuesday to Echternach (page 137), which has a church of the 13th century, originally founded in the 11th. Rail to Diekirch and Spa, to Thionville and Trèves, crossing the ravines by good viaducts. Our line to Trèves passes through a hilly country, to Oetringen (Station), or Etrange, on the Sire. Then Roodt (Station) and Wecker (Station), near GREVENMACHERN, where the line reaches the Moselle, and follows its left bank, through scenery of attractive beauty, until our arrival at Trèves. Mertert (Station), between the Sire and Moselle. At Wasserbillig (Station) we cross the bridge spanning the Sire, and arrive at the Prussian frontier and custom-house, where the examination (of baggage, &c.), a rigid but polite one, takes place. Igel is the next station, where is visible from the line the Igel, a curious Roman monument. The village is a small one, and has, standing in its midst, a magnificent Roman structure, known as the monument of Igel. It is a quadrangular Obelisk, 75 feet high, ornamented with inscriptions, carvings, engravings, &c., but so mutilated as to render the discovery of its origin or designation all but impossible. Many, indeed, have been the explanations given of it, as many, probably, as the number of antiquarians, who exhausted all their lore in endeavours to decipher its hieroglyphics. Some claim it as a commemoration of Constantine's marriage with Helena, others would ascribe its erection to record the birth of Caligula, and others consider it an allusion to the apotheosis of some imperial family. However, speculation seems to be merged in the plain fact, that it was erected by two brothers called Secundinus, for a twofold purpose; that is, to commemorate a marriage of their sister, and be a mourning memorial for the memory of their deceased relatives. Its style of architecture would denote it as belonging to the Constantine era. The Secundini, by whom it was erected, it would appear, were a noble and powerful family, wh occupied several posts under the Roman Karthaus (Station). Here the line crosses the Moselle, and the Saarbrück line, in the valley of the Sarre. Government, some of which may be denoted by the | cruix, situated three leagues east of Mons. Near mythological devices on the monument. Bracquegnies the railway, after repeatedly passing the Haine, crosses it for the last time. From this place onwards, the soil, less level, is diversified by several hills, between which lie narrow valleys. On the right and left of the road are numerous coal works, established in carboniferous strata connected with the basin of the east of Mons. Löwenbrücken (Station). 1 mile from ROUTE 14. Mons to Manage. Mons (Station), as in Route 7. The railway starts from the Government Station, where it joins the line from Brussels to the frontier of France. Nimy (Station), near a small village containing a population of 2,000 souls. It is remarkable for an earthenware manufactory, that at one time employed three hundred men, which number has fallen below fifty since the introduction of English potteries. The ware made at Nimy is composed of clay and silex, and is susceptible of receiving the most graceful forms, and has the advantage, from its cheapness, of being within the reach of all classes of purchasers. Nimy, through which the high road from Mons to Brussels passes, is much frequented during the fine season, and is considered a pleasant residence. Obourg (Station) is 1 league from Mons, at the confluence of the Haine and Aubechuelle, surrounded by pasture land and meadows, from which it derives its chief riches. It contains a population of 4,000 inhabitants. The line of wood which bounds the horizon on the left, beyond Obourg, contains the old Castle of Rocult, one of the most remarkable in Belgium. It is built on a hill, sloped by a magnificent park, spreading from grove to grove and lawn to lawn, with incomparable grace. Havre (Station), near Harre-Ville, which is situated in the vicinity of Obourg, and possesses a Gothic castle, built in 1603. It is seen to the right of the railway, in the midst of a park. The wood of Havre and the castle of the Duke of Croy, are favourite country walks with the inhabitants of Mons. Bracquegnies (Station). The place is a mere dependency of Strepy, a village of the canton of Roe Bois-du-Luc (Station) the great coal works of that name, consisting of five pits. The collieries of La Paix, on the territory of the parish of St. Vaast forms the sixth intermediate station. These coal pits present a most picturesque aspect, situated in a woody hollow, penetrated in a graceful curve by a road, which disappears in the shade. La Louvière (Station), the last stop between Mons and Manage, is the principal station on the line. It is one of the most important coal districts on the territory of St. Vaast, where the new quays have been established along the branch of the canal from Charleroi to Brussels. At this station the Branch Rail towards L'Olive and Bascoup begins. Between La Louvière and L'Olive there are five stations, Housseau, Beaume, La Verrière, St. Adolphe, and Mariemont. This branch traverses the centre of the richest coal region. The tourist will do well to visit this vast workshop, which employs a numerous and intelligent population. The country besides offers more than one site worthy of attention. One view in particular, of the most charming character, is to be found at Mariemont, where the magnificent residence of M. Warocque contrasts in its modern luxury with the highly picturesque ruins of the residence of the Archdukes of Austria. Leaving the station of La Louvière the main line crosses the branches of the Charleroi canal, on a fixed and a swing bridge. Numerous industrial establishments continue to appear on both sides of the railway, which passes through a well cultivated country, with some orchards, whose aspect relieves the monotony of the landscape. Finally, on the high road from Nivelles to Mons, the railway enters the station at Manage, which it shares in common with the government railway. Manage (Station), a few years ago, was close to an insignificant hamlet, forming a part of the village of Leneffe. The place is now daily rising in importance since the building of the Government and Namur and Liége railway stations there. Rail to Braine-le-Comte. Charleroi, and Nivelles, towards Brussels and Louvain, see page 49, ROUTE 15. Charleroi to Morialmé and Givet. Between Charleroi and Marchienne-au-Pont, this railway turns off from the Brussels and Namur line, and passes through a district rich in minerals, and having an extensive trade in iron, coke, and coal. It strikes the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse a few miles above Givet, and likewise at Charleroi and Mézières. Starting from the government station at Charleroi, the train passes La Sambre, Montigny-le-Tilleul, Bomerée, Jamioulx, Ham-sur-Heure, and arrives at Berzée, where a branch railway leads by ThyleChâteau to Laneffe. Another short branch to Thuillies. Thence 2 miles to Walcourt, where there is again a branch to Yves, where one line runs off to Morialme, while others proceed to Florenne and Philippeville. The Charleroi-Vireux line is continued from Walcourt to Mariembourg, whence it is 10 miles (across the frontier) to Vireux, which is close to Givet. At Mariembourg, there is a short branch (4 miles) to Couvin. For Givet see next page. 16. Namur to Dinant and Givet, up the Meuse, in 1 hour. Namur (Station), as in Route 8. Though the Meuse above Namur is less visited, it is not less interestingly attractive there than below it. Escarpments of limestone, magnificent in their lofty outline and bold projecting heights, hem in the river as it flows gently along its pebbly bed, the entire landscape forming a tout ensemble resembling the vales of Derbyshire. At Dinant the road crosses the river by a stone bridge, and at Yvoir, 4 miles below, are some intermittent springs, rising and sinking regularly, every seven minutes. Passing several picturesque villas and chateaux we perceive, about 3 miles below Dinant, the ruins of the Castle of Poilvache, taken and destroyed, by Bishop Jean de Heynsberg. To the left, on the summit of a rock, half a mile before reaching Dinant, is seen the ruined Castle of Bouvignes or Crèvecoeur. A thrilling tale of female heroism is connected with the history of this castle, and tradition does not fail to perpetuate and hand it down to each succeeding generation. The French, under the Duke de Nevers, besieged this castle in 1554, and three beautiful women, with their husbands, took refuge in the tower of Crèvecoeur, designing to aid the garrison by their succour and presence. The besieged were all slain save the three females, who, rather than submit to the brutality of their conquerors, threw themselves from the top of the battlements, and were dashed into atoms on the rocks beneath. Dinant (Station).--Hotels: Tête D'Or, good and reasonable; recommended, good trout fishing. Des Postes. Population, 6,485. It is situated in a romantic position at the base of limestone cliffs, with the citadel and church crowning their summits. The The Bouvignese and people of Dinant were rivals in the manufacture of copper, and from this arose a hostile animus on both sides, which led to the most cruel and sanguinary encounters. two parties fought constantly against each other. The castles of Crèvecœur and Montorgueil were built, the former by the Bouvignese, and the latter by the Dinantese, for the purpose of mutual annoyance. In 1467 Dinant was besieged by Philip the Good, with an army of 30,000 men. On being summoned to surrender, they hung the messengers sent with the terms of capitulation, which so enraged the duke that, on the town being forced to surrender, he gave it up to pillage for three days, and then burned it to the ground, ordering eight hundred of the inhabitants, bound two and two, to be thrown into the Meuse. The town was rebuilt by his son, Charles the Bold, but was again pillaged and sacked, in 1554, by the French, under the Duke de Nevers, who, history tells us, was provoked to this cruel act by the answer of the townspeople to his summons to surrender. They |