The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-05-02
Foreign Correspondence.
Pans, January, 1912.

celebratedseat OF learning in Europe. The "Leyden
jar" has perpeuated its in the history Of cleo
trica science. This school is now-a days fallen far
below its ancient character but Leyden is still rich
in interest to the man of science or to the more
rious traveller. examined with int, est its humble
but valuable anatomical museum, where saw many
preparations bearing the names of men iustrious in
the history Of the medical profession and its botan
cal garden, where still seen trees planted by the
hands of sapans long since canonized in the science.
Leyden possesses museum Of natural history which
rivals the splendid collections of the Jardin
DIES Plantes Of Paris, If il does not equal them
There two other collections equally rich in their
way and interesting perhaps to the majority of
travellers One is collection of Egyptian antiqui-
ties and the other is filled with curiosities from China
and Japan have, no where seen museums
rich in these subjects, and the Japanese collection
is, believe, unequ.Iled in Europe | have never
spent day more full of interest or more busiy occu-
pied than that which passed in Leyden, and the
endless riches of its museums entitle it to visit Of
month rather than of day. The Rhine flows
through Leyden in the form of sluggish canal, in
which it would be impossible to recognize the noble
river which flows past Mayence and Cologne. This
is by the largest Of the outlets Of
the waters Of that river, empties itself into the
near Leyden, through artificial mouth More
than thousand years ago, its mouth was closed by
an immense sand-bar thrown up by violent tempest,
and this barrier remained until the year 1909 during
the reign of Louis Bonaparte) when the channel was
re-opened and to prevent the inroads of the sea,
which would have caused the stream to overflow
its banks at every tide of extraordinary height
mammoth sluices or food-gates We're erected, which
command entirely the hux and refux of the tides,
that the of the let in or that of the Rhine
is let out only at the pleasure of the engineers of Ka
twyk
Only ten miles distant from Leyden is the Hague,
the capital of the kingdom of Holland 1t is very
and pretty city sixty thousand inhabitants and
the regularity of its streets, and the perfect cleanliness
of its handsome brick houses, reminded me strongly
of Philadelphia, but every time that turned round
to look at the canals, the force Of the comparison
instantly broken and found myself still in the land
of dtches and the Dutch was delighted with the
Hague, for it is always pleasure, especially in Eu-
rope, to stroll through the streets of clean and
pretty town, even Independently Of the objects of es-
pecal interest which it may contain But the Hague
is not wanting in them; it contains enough of them
to occupy the traveller week. In the first place,
there are the palaces, which visited of course. They
are no very splendid affairs, however either without
or within if except some very admirable paintings
which of them contains. There is a picture gal
lery too, and admirable one it is; it ia rich
with the choicest work OF the Dutch painters, and
almost equal in interest to that of Amsterdam, it con-
so ne If he fin mir hat I hova
where seen. The Hague, like Leyden, has also its
Chinese and japanese museums, which are Of course
very interesting all such things are. The Dutch
being the only European nation which enjoys the
privilege Of trading with Japan they may be said to
have the monopoly in the matter Of Japanese colec-
tons. My {" cicerone' had lived many years in ia
pan and was highly interested with his descriptions
of the manners and customs Of the Japanese and his
expanations Of the various articles which the muse
um contains I must confess was surprised at the
degree ofperection which many of the arts of civil
cation have attained in that remote and little known
country AT the Hague is the largest collection of
trees that saw in Holland. II is the Royal Park
and very fine one is is quite large enough to shut
out fields and houses from the view, when is in
the middle Of tan extent of forest which one might
scarcely expect to find in Holland, considering the
general nakedness of the country. At the end of
this park is little palace fitted up very prettly with
articles Of Japanese manufacture, and variety of
other singular fancies, and containing besides some
very admirable pictures by the celebrated mas
tiers of the Dutch school.
OF the other sights" and curiosities Of the Hague
shall say nothing for did not them; and will
spare you the history of my walk to the shore of the
| German Ocean three miles from the city il being
pretty much the thing as walk to the sea-shore
any where else. Two hours ride brought me back
to Rotterdam, and there stepping on board the Ant
we.p steamer, babe adieu to Holland, highly de-
| lighted with my six days journey through the
country, and only dissatisfied because | could
not stay longer. In taking leave of Holland how
| ever, l must protest against two things which
tormented me amazingly: first, the hotels, which are
very inferior, and very dear secondly, the crowd Of
idle drones who beset the traveller wherever he goes
with oicious offers of their services either to carry
ting rid of them either by kind or by angry words
and at HARLEM, where, as in many other places |
took the liberty of carving my own knapsack Ian
"inaenable right" conceived) was followed and
logged by set of these fellows from the railroad sta
ton to the hotel, and really sppfehended that they
would take my innocent knapsack from me by force,
and run over me into the bargain. There seems to
be police, Ono efficient police at east) in Holland
for if there were travellers would not be subjected
such tormenting ntererences. In Paris, for exam
pie, such things are no where to be seen.
The voyage from Rotterdam to Antwerp by water
lies through series of straits nets and arms of the
sea- which cut up the district lying at the mouths Of
the Meuse and the Scheld into sort of Archipelago
These numerous channels are in many instances the
consequences of foundations, and saw several i'm
mense shoals of sand and mud rising above the sur
face of the water at low tide, and many miles in en-
tent, which once formed habtable, ard even popu-
ous terra .frmd In passing through