It is situated on the right bank of the river, contains a dockyard, naval arsenal, and has a population of 11,000. 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. A great part of the town was destroyed in 1809, when it was bombarded and taken by the English, under Lord Chatham, on which occasion, 300 of the inhabitants perished. This cruel act was the only result of the naval expedition 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 have since been much strengthened The fort of Rammekens, on the east, and those of Breskens on the opposite side of the river, near three miles wide, together with the works of Flushing, completely command the entrance to the mouth of the river.

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. Diligences run from Flushing every hour to

Middelburg (Stat.), in Walcheren island, the capital of Zeeland, containing about 16,000 inhabitants. It is a very clean town, and has a magnificent Town Hall, with 25 statues of the Counts of Flanders and their Countesses. This town is famed as the spot where the telescope was invented, in 1601, by Hans Lippershey, a spectacle maker. The rail from Goes was opened 1872, and is in progress to Flushing. On the right bank of the river we see Zuid (South) Beveland.

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 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 (Stat.) 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 (1). 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 exchange 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, between the Callto on the left, and Oordam on the right, by means of which he closed the navigation of the river, and so cut off all supplies from the besieged city of Antwerp, which caused it chiefly to surrender.

It was guarded at either

point by two forts, and on it were mounted 97 pieces of cannon. Beside, it was a protecting fleet, which was to assist in repelling any attack. 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 was made by the besieged to destroy the bridge, but it failed, and Antwerp had to surrender.

Opposite the Fort of St. Laurent, immediately

below Antwerp, a young Dutch officer, Van Speyk, blew himself and his ship up, when boarded by the Belgians. A monument for this suicidal act has been erected to his memory. ANTWERP Station (In French,

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.

It is 60 miles from the sea, 27 from Brussels, 32 from Ghent, 150 from Cologne, and 258 from Paris. The 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.

"Astonished, I beheld the adjoining port,

Belgium's emporium, and the famed repute, Of riches maritime; a wondrous sight." 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 at this instant it still appears a bustling thriving city, with only 124,000 persons, 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.

Objects of attraction to be seen in Antwerp :— 1. The Cathedral and Quentin Matsys' Well; 2. |

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 to 2,000,000 florins (£160,000); the sums circulated

every year by the commerce of the town exceeded 500,000,000 florins (£40,000,000). During the reign of the Emperor Charles V., a merchant of Antwerp, named Daens, having received the honour of his sovereign's company at dinner, closed the repast by throwing into the flames the Emperor's acknowledgment for 2,000,000 florins, which he had lent him, saying that the loan was more than repaid❘ by the honour of the visit. It was on this occasion that the Emperor made the remarkable reply, which, coming from such a mouth, is a never-tobe-forgotten tribute to the dignity of commerce, "My friends! the nobles pillage me, the men of letters instruct me, but the merchants enrich me." From the time of the independence of the United Provinces, the importance of Antwerp gradually declined; the Dutch, with their usual policy, having made themselves masters of the Scheldt, blocked up the entrance of the harbour, and by that means transferred to Amsterdam the greater part of the commerce of Antwerp. In 1576, the Spanish garrison having been left for a long time without pay, rose in a revolt, burnt the town-house, pillaged the city, putting to the sword more than 10,000 inhabitants. In 1582, the Duke de Alençon, having been unsuccessful in his attempt to gain the hand of Elizabeth of England, arrived in Antwerp, where he was inaugurated Duke of Brabant, in pursuance of the treaty made in 1580, at Plessisles-Tours. In 1583, the Duke contrived to introduce a numerous body of French troops into the territory, with whose assistance he endeavoured to establish himself as the absolute king of the Low Countries, but, being defeated in his attempt by the resolute resistance of every class of the inhabitants, he retired to Chateau-Thierry, where he died of grief, in June, 1584. It was at Antwerp that the celebrated truce, for twelve years, between Belgium and the United Provinces was signed, on the 9th of April, 1609. In 1700, the Duke of Marlborough took the town, and in 1746 it was successfully besieged by the French, but restored to Austria in 1748, by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. After the French revolution it was frequently taken and re-taken by the French and Austrians, but remained quietly in the possession of the former from 1794 until 1814, when it became part of the new kingdom of the Netherlands. By treat

ade between France and Holland, in 1795,

the mouth of the Scheldt was re-opened, since that period, the commerce of Antwerp has been reviving, and, as the navigation of the Scheldt is now declared open, it is fast regaining, at the expense of Amsterdam, the commercial advantages of which it had been deprived. There is no town in Belgium which possesses so much attraction as Antwerp. It literally abounds in the riches of art, and several days, at least, should be devoted to an attentive examination of its treasures. The churches claim our first notice.

The Cathedral of Nôtre Dame is the most splendid Gothic building in Europe. It was commenced about the middle of the thirteenth century and occupied 84 years in building. It is 600 feet long by 230 wide, and 270 high, and contains 230 vaulted arcades, supported by 125 columns. The beautiful Tower is 406 feet high, and the ascent to it is by 622 steps; it was commenced in 1422 from designs by the architect Amelius, and finished in 1518. The exquisite lightness and purity of proportion exhibited in this tower are unequalled; the view from the summit extends over an immense expanse of flat country, taking in above 120 surrounding steeples. It was intended to have a second tower of the same height, which was commenced, but was never built higher than the first gallery. In 1540 a chime of 84 bells was added to the tower. On entering the cathedral by the principal nave, the eye is struck with the magnificent cupola; in the ceiling is seen the Virgin surrounded by Angels with unfolded wings. Approaching the choir we perceive the grand altar, executed in marble from the designs of Rubens, and ornamented with his immortal work representing the Assumption.

In this cathedral are also the Elevation of the Cross, consisting of a centre with two wings, and the Descent from the Cross, to which have been appended, as wings, the Visitation and the Purification of Mary. These pictures are in Rubens' best style, the anatomical precision with which every muscle is delineated by the Elevation is beyond praise; in the Descent the right arm of our Saviour deserves particular notice. It would be impossible to particularise in detail all the objects of interest in this splendid building, but we must mention the chapel of the Sacrament, the altar of which, executed by Werbruggen, represents the Holy Ark, and is ornamented by a splendid picture of the Disciples