The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-09-28
HOLLAND AND THE Low DUTCH.

HOLLAND AND THE Low DUTCH.
The following paragraphs arc taken
from the European correspondence Of the
San francisco Fleming BuitE". Of late
date. They are highly interesting and
will vel! repay for their Pcru>a!:
Holland has peculiariiics that, DESPITE
its universal ilatne>S and the mon"tpny0f
its scenery, surprise and interest the trav-
cler. All things considered. it * not on
ly the most w"ndrriuI of lands, ,bnt totally
unlike any other uOuntry "n the globe.
How HOLLAND Is KEsCUED TEoV TIE SEA.
\ large portion of Holland is 4 delta,
fnmtd Il the nluviuin deposited 10y the
Rhine aud other rivers. in the >amc innn.
nrr aS the Delta II Egypt has been form
c'l nv the Nile. The greater portion # it
has been prrscvringiv rescued from the
Watr, t. whose drtEinion il may he said
10 belong, bv the cohtinunl efforts and III
gcnuitv oi nan, and III \ lott: scri,S of
~ Ncar-. Much "f ii is mul driven mp by
the sea, in return for whntit carrir> away
from S4hnc part "f tie coast. Were tn
man agency aud care rcn"vcl hut Er SIX
months, the waves would. vi hout doubt,
regain their ancirnt dominion much
ii the land lies below the level "f the SEA;
aud an extensive tract Of the country
would b. reduced to the state Of those
vast water>. COMPOSED Of sand and mud.
banks, quite unfit GDr human habitnti"n,
which now lie at the mouths Of the Nile
and Mississippi
LGwER THAN THE LEVEL OF TIE OCEAN.
What cl>ewhtre would be considered as
impossible has here in IlollandD been car
ried into effect, and incongruiiies have
bcrn rendered consistent. Tile h0uSe
built vpoM the Mnd may here be seen
ainRdibg ; neither Amesteidam nor Rot
terdam has any better foundation than
sand. into which piles are driven through
many feet Of superintendent bog.earth;
and to form q correct idea OF these and
other wonderful cities and towns stand
ing on the mOrASS, one must not forget
the millions of solid beams hidden under
ground that support them. We speak
conteInptuOuSiy Of anything which is
held together by straws. yet . long line
Nf coast Of several provinces is cOnSolida-
ted by no other means than q few reeds
intcrmixed with straw wisps, or woven
into mats. Without this frail but effect
uAl support, the tickle dunes, or sand.
hills, would be driven about into the in.
terror, and would overwhelm whole dis.
tricTS of cultivated land In Holland the
laws Of nature seem to be reversed; the
sen is hiOLer than the land; the lowest
ground in the country is "a feet below
high.watcr mark, and when the tide is
driven high by the wind, 80 feet limo
other country do the kccls Of the ships
float from tho chimncys Of the houses.
and no where else does the frog crOaking
from among the bulrusheS, look down
upon the swallow on the hOuSe-tOp!
Where rivers take their course, it is not
in beds Of their own choosing; they are
compelled to pass through canals, and are
confined within fixed bounds by the STU
penduous bounds imposed on them by
human art, which has also succeeded in
overcoming the everywhere else rcsstless
impetuosity Of the ocean here, and no
where else, does the sea appear to have
half Obeyed the command, "Thus far
shalt thou 90 and no farther"
wIxD. MILLS AND wATER.wHEELS
The Dutchman may be said to have
made even the winds his slave. Itmght
be supposed that the universal flatness,
and the absence Of those elevations which
afford shelter TO other countries, would
jeave this at the mercy Of every blast that
blows, to sweep everything before it So
far is this from bCing the case, that
not breath Of air is allowed to, pass
without paying toll, as 1t were, by turn
a0g a Windmill. These machines are so
numerous that they may be said to be
Deycr out Of sight In Dutch landscape.
In the suburbs Of the great cities they
are congregated like armies Of giants,
spreading out their broad arms az II to
protect the streets and houses which they
overlook. And here the
Dutch have most ingenuOusly set the
wind to encounter the water. At least
one-half Of the wind.mills have water
wheels attached to them. which act as
pumps, and, by constantly raising the
water into the canals, alone keep the low
land dry and fit for cultivation and the
habitation OF man. They
are constructed Of much larger dimen-
sions than with US. A single sail is often
100 feet long, and the usual length 10 30
feet. There are said to be 1900 wind
mills In Holland, and the annual ex-
pense is estimated at $1,000, ,OOS in Uni
ted States currency.