The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-10-02
A CINCINNATIAN ABROAD.
What He Thinks Of Some Of the Sights
In Europe.

We are kindly permitted TO make the
following extracts from letter written
by Mr.. Elias Shank, a resident of this
city, but now travelling in Europe. The
letter Is written to citizen Of Cinein-
natl merely as private communication,
but abounds in much interesting ana
nseful information. 1t is dated at Co.
logne, and Gays: Since I wrote you last
I have taken q tour through Holland
and Belgium. I sailed from Lon
aon- for Rotterdam, and then
took the cars for UtrechJ, Amsterdam
and The Hague. Holland found to be
: very eurIous, novel, and awkward
country for one TO be in that could not
speak their Mngo--it is not language as
it is spoken among the masses. The
country is novelty, with the hundreds
of windmills, dykes, and innumerable
bitches, and its peasantry with wooden
dresses worn by the more wealthy
country people,. Ifyou could see them
YOU would agree with me that for a
gaudy and elaborate display OF gold and
laces. buckles and belts, they are as lar
from being civilized as our American In
dams.
OF all the queer looking places AM
sterdam is the Queerest. Fully one half
of tie buildings look as ii they would la.l
down. In some OF the narrow streets,
say ten or twelve feet wide, the fronts OF
the buildings being the heaviest, and no
piles having beendriven under the walls
when built, the front walls have settled,
throwing the buildings toward each
al In
the street, The streets are also very
crooked and irregular. am willing to
pronounce the city at large one OF the
most uninteresting and forbidding that
have yet seen.
Rotterdam Is better In appearances
and social status and has large amount
of tonnage aud foreign traffic and COM
merce with its countries B0rneo and
Java, l have heard what is to be the
finest and largest organ in Europe, or
even In the world. !, however, famed to
appreciate IL. As a novelty 1t may 90,
but for fine musical effects give me q
small organ for y cent.
The Hague has some charming sur
roundings and one OF the finest sea bath
ing places In Holland. The city is neat
and clean, as are most OF the cities here.
In fact, they are all, as rule, cleaner
than the people, and their neatness, con-
sidering the low ground ana detective
drainage, 10 surprising.
From The Hague got down into Bel
gum, where every one speaks Flemish
Or French. So here is more of the con.
fusion OF tongues and money, anu also
OF traveller about my size. l arrived
at Antwerp during one Of its historical
fetes, illustrating the peculiarities oil
the old Spanish rule and all the different
epoehs Of the city and country down
to the present time. Antwerp boasts oil
having one OF the finest old calhedrals
in Belgium. For its architectural BEAU
ty and the height of its tower 4OS feet
and its tine chime of SO bells tis justly
celebrated. The tone and sweetness oi
the bells are as perfect and musical as
tnat OF a music box OF the finest size and
class. AnLW erp, like most OF European
cities, has very crooked and irregular
streets, so that one is almost forced to
believe that when they We're laid out the
engineers must have been all lunatlcs
or all drunk. The great city of Brussels
ssels is not exempted from these irregu
larties, especially in the old part. the
new or modern part, however, has wide
boulevards, parks and arcades, and with
stately blocks OF business houses and
palatial residences, it Is justly called
The Paris OF Belgium.
Leige is also quite o city, containing
10000 inhabitants. Its principal busi-
ness is the manufacture OF war material,
cannon, guns and ammunition, and it is
a sort OF Sheffield to Belgium. Verviers,
and a dozen other places along the line,
are exclusively engaged in the manufac-
ture OF woolen goods. They all have the
appearance of wealth and; Ihe surround
ings OF happy and comfortable homes.
AK la Chappelle, which is now under
German rule, is thriving city of O,0OO,
and is also exclusively employed in the
manufacture Of cloth and woolen fabrics
for ladies' wear.
From here shall take q trip up the
Rhine latter visiting Dusseldorf and a few
other places, l shall 20 to Coblentz. and
the Lo aer Rhine country and to Heidel-
berg. Thence / 20 to Kissingen, where
Il expect 10 meet friends from Cincinnati
and COvinutOn.