The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-15
THE DAILY DISPATCH
Tuesday Morning, March rs, 1883.
NV. MR.. BAIRD's LECTURE The third
''.'ufe OF Rev. Mr.. BAIRD took place at the
Athen@um Fr;dsv


.s,'a'e OF Rev. Mr.. BAIRD took place at the
A,hen@um Friday night.
In concluding his las, lecture. he was re.
.auhg an anecdote which he said he did not
'aiiy state. When the Emperor Nicholas nc.
ceded to the throne, he was one morn;ng callod
upon very yunceremoniousIy byt man who had
been great favorite, and had , -.
raoie influence with the preyious E,roous nons'ue
ihis NICHOLAS was aware of. br, -. =.
man presented himself he Questioned h;r, ',s as
10 who sent for him? and how dare he ;',n ;s,d ds
n'tnseii into MS presence without be;nr 80.
tort tie told him that he would NOT 6ad ,e Ie"'
ander 10 him-gave him three days 10 a,rana.
MS affairs, after which he was ordered 10 re,;rs
10 his country estate, and not again 10 re,n,n
TO 81 petersburg until he was sent for. The
man did as he was ordered, and lived re,;,s5
for space of some 90 years, and came hacI
to 81. Petersburg only short time since, iust
before his death. Mr.. B. mentioned this to
show the deter mined and energetic Character
of Nicholas. After brief reference TO some
statistics concerning Sweden, Denmark and
Norway, Mr.. B. proceeded to spea Of
Holland and Belgium These were two
little States OF no great account in siza-not
more than half as ierge as the State of Vir-
ginia-yet they had, together, about seven and
half millions Of inhabitants. In area they
covered about $4,000 square miles, Belgium
about IL 900, and Holland about 13 600. But
small as these countries were they had played
important parts in the history OF the world,
especially Holland. The province of Luxem.
burg, with population of more than 300, 900.
was nearly equally partitioned between the
two. Both Holland and Belgium were very
iow-the former lower than the latter. They
had for this reason been called the Neither.
lands. Much of the country had been re.
claimed by draining and dyking. At certain
seasons, when there were storms setting TO
wards shore from the German or Northern
ocean, the danger of inuudation of the country
was imminent. The tides of the ocean a, such
times rose as high as "a to 25 feet, and some
times 80 feet above the low lands. The sea
was kept out by high ridges formed by the
drifting sands along the shore. The system
OF dykes in both countries was constructed at
great cost, and with great care and laboY-
They were begun in the time of the Roman
dominion. These dykes were very numerous
and extensive. Along the Rhine they were
continued almost up to Cologne. 1t was
by the sea breaking through the barrier on the
coast, that the Zuyder Zee was formed in the
18th century, and subsequently Harlaem Sea
in the 10Th. The dykes were constructed
some distance from the rivers. This was a
plan not pursued by the people along the Mis-
sissippi. They built their dykes close up to
the liver; and they were, therefore, great deal
more liable to breaches than if they were built
some distance off. The dykes in Holland
were, some OF them, half q mile from the river.
In the barriers along the sea, nature had been
of great assistance. In the Summer, when the
sand was dry, the wind blew it inland, and the
heaviest particles falling first, assisted to in
crease the height and strength of the ridge,
h,<,k iaI nffa
high ridges. The people sowed upon these
accumulations kind of grass, which grew and
streng thened the barrier. From storms, floods
and freezes, there was often very great danger
of the dykes giving way; but the Datch were
very careful. AT such times, they kept guards
constantly on the look out, aud the moment the
water broke through the alarm was given, and
the whole population turned out, and it was
astonishing to see what exe:tions they wQuld
make and how promptly they would stop
crevasse that threatened to engulph the neigh.
boring country. These dykes are not serioui ly
injured for ages at time-they are so well
built. There had been periods however, when
the most terrible disasters had been occ casionsJ
by their breaking. Some years there hsd
been as many as from 5000 to 10000 people
drowned.
The Government Of Holland had determined
to reclaim the land covered by Harlas Sea,
and had employed an immense force of steam
pumps for this purpose. He believed tie wa.
ter had been nearly all pumped out. When
ii was reclaimed the land would sell for an
enormous sum. The basin of land frum which
sea had been expelled was called polder.
He had travelled through one ofthese poiders
which included several villages, and was cul
tivated with great care, producing finely. The
water was expelled by the help Of wind-mills,
erected on the dykes, and which lifted the
water up to tch or canal, in which it was
carried off-in some cases the depth of the
marsh below the river or sea was so great tina I
il vas necessary to construct two or more Sc
ries OF ramparts, bitches and mills, and the
water was lifted up from one to the other. On
the tops Of the dykes there were generally car.
riage roads-the dykes being very wide.
Holland was beautiful country and its peo-
pie were remarkable for their habits of sober
industry and their good sense. 1t abounded
with men Of great intelligence and wealth, and
there was a great deal of grandeur in Holland.
The traveller would be surprised 10 6nd such
an appearance of elegance as prevailed there.
The Dutch were amongst the finest looking as
well as most accomplished people of Europe.
Few Of them had come to this country for
many yea-s-our opportunities of judging of
them here were not very good. The better
educated people spoke French fuently, and
IL IL
oinamen'ed by trees and flower gardens.
The Belgians were manufacturing people,
and they cultivated the soil more extensively
than the Dutch, the rearing of live stock and
dairy husbandry being q much more impor-
tant source of national wealth to them than til
lage. A considerable tract of country border.
ing on the sea coast in Belgium and Holland,
was of very little value because of the sand
that is blown over ii from the shore.
The Relgians were not such fLe looking
people as the Hollanders. Their skins were
darker. Nor were the Belgians generally SO
well educated. There was not such a degree
Of elegance and taste to be touad in Belgium.
But Belgium had some ma gni6cent cities -
Brussels, with its 100000 population; Chen,
$4,000; Antwerp $4,000; Leige 10000, &c
There was great deal 10 interest The traveller
in these ecities-especially Brussels. The lee
turer here exhibited map OF Brussels, and
pointed out some ofthe chief points of interest
among them the Hotel de Vile, in front of
which Egmont and Horn were beheaded. The
King resided in Brussels. Within miles was
the field of Waterloo where the last battle of
Napoleon was fought. The armies formed on
opposite sides of a curved rayine--ihe English
on the concaye side, the French on The convex.
The English had the advantage ground. The
lae,urer here pointed out the grounI, and
briefly spoke of The great struggle which WIS