National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-10-18
FROM THE OLD WORLD.
Antwerp - Its Ctaracteristics - Caths'
drals-Rubens and his Famous Paint
with the Custom. House.


with the Custom House.
Antwerp. like all the old cities of the
region formerly known as "the Low
Countries" abounds in works OF art.
Here the painter, Peter Paul Rubens,
achieved his grandest triumphs, and here
his descendants are living in great wealth
and rcspectability The labors of Rubens
and seen and admired everywhere; and as
you are pointed out the originals of his
genius in every gallery of Europe, you
are impressed as much by his fertility and
industry as by his conceded genius.
Our hotel was close by the Place Verte
on the opposite side Of which is the Cathe-
dral, and to this we went the following
morning, anxious to see the principal at
traction of the place, Rubens' descent
from The Cross" We found the paintings
covered with screens, which would not be
removed till noon, after mass was over.
The Cathedral is the largest Gothic church
in the Netherlands, and its spire is one OF
the highest in Europe In part Of it is an
iron covering TO q well, said TO have been
the work of Quentin Matsys, who, for love,
left the hammer and the forge, placed n
palette on his dexter thumb and became
| a painter. We noticed a tablet on the
wall of the Cathedral, which is said to
record the fact. Having nearly three
hours to wait before we could see the
paintings, we drove to the CItidal of Ant
werp, where the general Of the Dutch
forces sustained a seige in 1892, and from
thence across the esplanade, and around
She bouleyards- which have taken the
place of the original Notifications, and are
rapidly becoming a new Antwerp-to the
Grand and Petit Basin opening from the
Scheldt, and thence along the noble Quays
that line the bank of the river. We then
visited the Church of st. Jaques, and saw.
the tomb of Rubens and his family, and
IN our way back TO the Cathedral we
passed the statues of Rembrandt and that
of his pupil and rival Nandyck, On en-
tering the Cathedral we found quite a
arge number of persons viewing the
paintings on the walls, but nearly all were
grouped in front of the Descent from
the Gross This celebrated painting,
ike "The Last Supper" by Da Incl, is
familiar to all the world. There are few
who will not recollect the figure of our
Saviour, relieved against the white cloth,
one portion of which, the man leaning
over the arm of the cross holds in his
teeth. that e NAV freely use his hands in
aiding to lover the body. Sir Joshua
Reynolds pail it the highest tribute OF
praise, saying, Rubens' Christ Is one
Of the finest figures ever invented; 1t Is
most correctly drawn, and in an attitude
most difficult to execute. The hanging OF
the head on the shoulder, aud the falling
of the body on one side, give 1T such an
appearance of heaviness of death that
nothing can exceed it,"
One of Rubsns' characteristics was to
paint his relations in nearly all his sacred
pictures, and his first and second wives,
his children, his father, his father-in-law
and even his uncle, are respectively made
to figure as the Mary's, the Infant Saviour,
joseph, the Wise Men of the East etc,
etc: and in one of his master pieces
Rubens has painted himself as the Cen
tur.. N. The interior of this great temple,
divided into seven aisles, is nearly four
hundred feet long and two hundred and
fifty wide and the vast and lofty choir and
nave, with these great divisions on either
side, is very grand.
We afterwards visited the silk factories,
where we saw the process of manulactur-
ing the celebrated Antwerp silk, which
Is very wide and can be washed like a
piece of muslin. We must do Cologne
Justice in saying, that the dirtiest city we
were in on the continent, is Antwerp, and
| if the river Rhine ran near it, it would
do good service in cleaning some of its
filthy streets. When citizen of Antwerp
arrives in New York, the dirty condition
of the streets there, must strikingly re-
mind him of his own native city.
We left on the 6 P. NJ, train for Brus-
sells, where we arrived after quick run
of an hour, and were comfortly located
in Hotel de PEuropc.
Brussels is great relief to those who
have been passing through the narrow
streets and dirty thoroughfares of many
of the Continental cities. AS we drove
through the city by their noble parks,
with their majestic elms, making gigantic
avenues and alleys of shades; the sounds
of music from the concerts in the gardens,
the monuments in the squares, the higl
bright houses, and the broad and busy
streets of trade gave it quite Parisiar
/. look, and justified the strong compliments
, of the guide books, that all name it "tht
little Paris" On our way back to the
/ hotel, after having drove through the
principal streets, We stopped at the Galarit
? St. Hubert-interior to the grand Galarl'
] at Milan, to be sure, but o very nice
I affair notwithstanding. Around the en-
trance to Galarie were a number of an
cient news-woman, wearing sabots ant
yelling out in stentorian tones the fourth
! ! edition. of the Brussels Telegram orsom'
other evening paper. The afternoon wa
: devoted to a drive through the new park
which is in progress OF construction, In
! cuding part of the forest of Soignies
: When completed, it will be most roya
, domain. The 27th OF July was passed il
= BRUSSELS; and so much has been dom
. during the preceding day, and while w
, were here last May, in the way OF sigh
2 seeing, that we were comparatively a
. rest nearly the whole day.
7 We left at 9.05 A. NJ, for Paris, in the eI
;. press train. fare for my wife and mysel
. 60. so, and our trunk 20 cents. As
r was only four weeks since the city ha'
, been open TO the world asain, after tn
- defeat of the Communists, we heard be
y fore leaving Brussels the most exagger
: a,ed stories about the difficulty in procur
e ing anything to eat in the hotels or res
# taurants, and as to procuring carrlag
:. to take US from the depot on our arrival
that was simply an impossibillty, as ther
were no horses in the city to draw tn
o.r;orae tbav bavinp oil haen eaten III