The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-29
Foreign Correspondence.
pAnls. ls42.

amphbious city, whose streets in great part ca
nails and where the Of vessels oyertop the chim
neys, even in the very centre of the town Amsters
dam exhibits the same spectacle but on much larger
scale. The number of canals which intersect each
other in every direction every where alike and every
where lined by uniform row If brick houses sadly
perplexes the stranger, and puts his locality to
difficult trial. while the thick brown mixture of mud
and water which forms their sluggish current is
equally offensive to his eyes and nose. Amsterdam
is rendered by its canals quite much city of
islands as is Venice. My guide-book informs me
that there less than ninety five of these islands
and they joined together by 800 bridges The
foundation OF Amsterdam like that of Rotterdam, is
altogether artificial, being formed by driving wooden
piles into the mud. The whole of the surface
occupied by this great city great marsh,
altogether uninhabitabe, except to few fishermen
who found place on il for their hus. The building
of city on such foundation is of the thousand
proofs that meet the eye of the traveller every day in
Holland Of the indomitable perseverance, and al j.
rable industry Of the Dutch and the subsequent his
tory of Amsterdam through all the stages OF prosperi-
ty and increase, until il became the commercial ms
tress of the world, is continued illustration Of the
enterprsing and energetic character Of the people -
But as the Netherlands no longer hold the high pp
ltcal and military rank which they formerly did
when their navy COPIED successfully with that of Great
Britain, and their dominons were extended by colo
nization in almost every quarter Of the globe their
towns no longer retain their pre-emnence in wealth
and commercial power. Amsterdam has still large
commerce, and its port is we'll filled with ships but
their number will hardly strike any who has
the forests of masts at London, Liverpool, or New
York. The port consists chiefly of vast basin shut
in from the Y Gas the of the Zuyder Zee
which Amsterdam stands is called by means of two
immense dams running far out into the stream, and
constructed like the seadykes of stone imported from
foreign countries These dykes are not only useful
in this way but they also Of great Importance in
protecting the town from inundation for Amsterdam
like the Dutch seacoast in general, belongs Of right
to Neptune and he now and then makes desperate
effort to regain his sway Ii he had had any people
but the Dutch to deal with, he would doubtless have
succeeded long ago. But they manage by perpetual
struggle to keep their heads above water, and grow
rich and powerful into the bargain There is large
hayward at Amsterdam, and many other things of
interest to the lover Of ships and the sea- but for my
own part turned willingly aside from these to exa
mine the many curious and admirable things which
the interior of the city contains.
The foundation ofthe houses seem to be less secure
here than in Rotterdam In some of the stree IS
the walls are santing to singular degree, and
ifthe slightest shake would make them tumble down.
Heavy warehouses have been known to sink
down into the mud, by the giving way of the wooden
foundation II is curious to observe the precautions
which are taken to prevent these sinkings and tum
bllngs, by removing far possible all causes which
may be capable ofjarring the ground The stranger
is surprised at the comparative silence which eigns
in the streets of city which affords so many evil
dences of activity and business. There are in fact
very few wheeled vehicles Of any kind particularly
for carrying heavy weights; nearly all the heavy
carriage is done on the canals and many Of the vehi
Giles which perform that office in the streets run
on sleds instead of wheels In addition the streets
naved with hrick instead of stone and the
grel vehicles glide along almost noseessly as if
they were running on snow To diminish the fric-
lon they have on the fore end of the seds little
keg OF water pierced with number of holes throut
which, at every jog, the water spouts out in Jets and
sprlnkles the pavement. Many Of the hackney
coaches, too, are placed runners. The driver in
stead of sitting the box walks by the side of his
horse, and holds the reins in one hand while in the
other he holds rope, to the end of which hangs a
rag well soaked in oil, which he now and then filings
before the runners They are thus kept constantly
oiled, and the vehicle slips along over the level pave
ment in most even and comfortable jog-trot. The
canals are crowded with prodigious number of
round-sterned, clumsy-ookng scows or barges which
stir up the mud from the bottom they scrape along
like (excuse the comparison) many hogs in mud
hole. Many of these boats are employed in bringing
water from the interior Of the country for the town
folks, the water of Amsterdam being absolutely UNI
unless it be chosen as substitute for
physc. The water-barge is moored to the shore
and people go to it with their buckets as they would
to fountain But the sight of the water which these
boats hoated completely turned my stomach against
that which they contained and could not persuade
myself to drink glass of water all the time that
was In Amsterdam. Not small number of families
find their only habtaton in the barges which crowd
the canals. Their sole employment being in pushing
hlther and thther their ugly boats with their daily
cargoes, they provide themselves on board with all
the necessares of family establishment and rarely
feel the necessity Of going on terra tirma
The houses of Amsterdam are built exclusively Of
brick, and have for the most part a monotonons and
nelegant appearance, but the high and fantastical
gabe-ends which crown their fronts and which meet
the eye at every turn, in thousand curious varieties
81 form serve in part to relieve the sameness of the
perspective. Their gables are sort of appendage
mat DO not recoect to have seen any where except
N Holland and Belgium; they are relic of the Span
sh regime, and are said to be of Moorish origin {
rom the front of each house rises kind of shield
d woodwork, painted white, which entirely conceas
ne roof and sharp ridge, and which, sometimes
crowned by cluster of pinnaces sometimes round
I'd like an arch and decorated by carvings and orna
nens OF endless and curious variety, forms not an
inPleasing addition to the exterior of the Dutch
houses The traveller likes to find relief in the con.
emplation of their ever-yarying outline and thnr {