New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-08-13
AT EUROPE. No. XXXV.
BELGIUM

tAe Western frontier (near Verlers) q Rnenlsh
Prsse Ia, and thus OF Germany, is g miles. Fof
most Of she way. the country IS rat ana 'e'''i''
and m GOOD part devoted 10 grazing, ;hosgh con
siderable Whea, il grown. The farming = no.
.o,,.,t,tlv oood ard the general aspect oeiI's
a region which for two thousand years mas D.s'
40. nf,e, The arena Of fierce and bloody conflict
ke,xeeu the armies of great nations. Coioghe
asef, though place Of no natural Strength hA7
been fortified 20 an extent and At an evident cOsi
hevond all American conception. All over TINS
~, az Furoue. and 10 a less degree throughout
nalv the amount Of expenditure on walls and
korts hastlons, bitches, batteries, &C IS rhca!cu-
kably great. cannot doubt that any nation, ~
x,.e,y expending half 50 mach N systematic Ell
Sots 10 educate, employ steadily and reward am
.lv nc poorer classes, would have been strength
..ed and ensured against invasion far more than
II could be by walls like precipices and belt OF
fsrresses as impregnable as Gibraltar But ms
wisdom u slowly learned by rulers, and IS nol
No, very widely appreciated. Whenever II shall
h.. 'Othello's occupation will be gone, not Tor
Otbello only, but for all who would 1--we by the
sword
For some miles before il reaches the from
u.r. and for a much larger distance alter enter
me Belgium, the Railroad passes through a de-
sldedly broken, hllly, up-and down country most
nphke the popular conception Of Flanders or
Belgium Precipices of naked rock are noe un-
Geouent, and the region is wisely gwen up
mainly TO Wood and Grass, the former engToss-
,sg most OF the hi-sldes and the latter flourish
mo IN the valleys This Railroad has more
tunnels in the course Of fifty miles than ever
before me; with think not less than dozen
while the grading and bridging must have been
,ery expensive. Such a country is oi course
prolific in running streams, on which many small
and some larger manufacturing towns and WI
lagos are located. At length, It ascends a con-
siderable inclined plane al liege, once very
poprIar, powerful and still handsome and I'M
portant manufacturing town with 10000 mhabn-
ants aud here the beautiful and nagnbcen'y
fertile table lands OF Belgium spread out like a
vast prairie before the traveller. In tact, the
peasant cultlyators are so commonly located IN
villages leaving long stretches OF the rarely
fenced though well cultivated plan without a
habitation. that the resemblance 20 level pralnes
which have been planted and sCwn IS more
sinking than would be imagined. But the grow
ing crops are too clearly and carefully weeded
and TOO uniformly good TO protract the ILLUSION
Sometimes hundreds OF acres are unbrokenly
covered with Wheat, which has the largest area
Of any one staple but more commonly breadth
of this IS succeeded by one OF Rye, that by one
Of Potatoes then Wheat again, then Glover, then
Rive, then Wheat, thea Potatoes, then Glover Or
ether Grass and so on. never before saw so
extensive and uniformly thrifty growth Of Po-
tatoes, while the acres upon acres OF Bects, also
10 regular rows and kept carefully free from
weeds present at this season beautiful appear
ance ] apprehend that not half so much atten
Non has been gwen III our country 10 the growth
Of this and the kindred roots AS would have been
richly rewarded OF course, 1t is IDLE TO SOW
Mets on any but rich land with a generous
depth of soil and the mos thorough cultivation,
hut wrb such cultivation the red lands Of New
Jersey and the iniervales of our rivers might be
prcfitabiy and extensively devoted TO the Beet
culture and to that of the larger Turnips. !
have seen nothing in Europe that made better
appearance or promised more bountliui return
than the large tracts of Belgium and the neigh
boring district cf France sown 10 Beets.
Indian Corn and the Vine are scarcely, or not
a, all, seen in Belgium Beggars are no, abund-
ant but women required to labor quite eN
.ensiyely in the fields The habtatlons of the
poor are less wrctched than those OF Italy, but
not equal TO those oi the fertile portion OF Swift
zcrland Irrigation Is quite extensively practiced,
but is Tar from universal. The few cattle kept
IN the wholly arabic ans thoroughly cultivated
portion of the country are seldom allowed 10
range, because of the lack OF fences, bu; are kept
up and fec throughout the wear Women cutting
grass n all by-placcs, and carrying II home 10y
back leads 10 feed their stock, is a common spec
taclc throuehout central Europe Trees some
times line he roads and streams, or irrlgatlne
canals, and sometimes have piece OF ground
allotted them wherein to grow a, random, nut
are rather scarce throughout this region, and
think saw square miles entirely devoid o them
Fruit,rees are clearly too scarce. though Cher
mes in abundance were offered for sale as We
passed On the whole, Belgium Is not only a
iertile, but prosperous country.
At Liege, the Railroad We traverScd leaves -
westerly tor a north-wes, course, running past
THlemon, 10 Manes (Mechhn) and thence IL
Antwerp; bu, We took sharp turn 70 the south
west Of MalneS IN order 10 reach Brussels, which
though the capitol and the largest city OF Bel
gum, is barely point or stopping'place on a
riehl line. while Liege. Namur, Client and Bour-
res are each the point 81 junction Of two OF
mor, completed roads. Brussels has slept while
this network has been woven over the country,
and will awake 10 discover herself shorn of her
Grade and sinking into mslgnlhcance ii she
does not immediately bcStir herself. Her loca-
non is fine one, on ground which ri>es very
gradually from the great plain to a modest hill
southwark and she IS among the best bull, Of
modern cities But already she Is OH the direct