The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-04-02
MISCELLANY.
Old Amsterdam.

article of his series, A Farmers va
cation" which begins III Scribner for
April:
1t is one of the pecnliarities Of Hol-
land that we go down into it from the
sea, and the further in we go the deeper
down we get The metropolis lies on a
river or estuary called flor short) the
IL. Into this we entered through
ponderous granite-built lock-one of an
assorted series, of various sizes, adjusted
to vessels of larger or smaller dimen-
sions. After we had been shut into our
compartment the valves were opened,
and we followed the declinsng water un-
til it reached the level of the II when
the gates were swung back and we
steamed on to the city.
And here we were in Amsterdam
the mother Of the "Nieuw Amsterdam"
of Peter Stuyvesant and Wouter Van
Twiller. The guide-books Ito which
the reader is respectfully referred) are
fond of calling this town 'the Venice of
the NORTH" which misleads the imagina-
tion. Like Venice, it is built on piles.
Erasmus speaks of its people living like
birds perched on the tops of trees-and
some of its obscurer narrow alleys are
only canals. Beyond this, the resem-
blances are only differences. The canals
penetrate many Of the principal streets,
it is true, but these are wide thorough
fares, with broad, well-paved roadway
and sidewalk, and often with four rows
of trees-the waterway being between
the center rows. Carriages ard heavy
drays are moving in every direction,
and the canals are but little used for in
ternal traffic. Canal-boats, lighters, and
in some parts even square-rigged ships
are foated opposite to the warehouses
which are to receive or to deliver their
cargoes; but the city has roar and
hum that would at once destroy the
dreamy charm of Venice.
There is much in Amsterdam that is
magnificent, and in which we were
greatly interested, bnt my present pur-
pose is mainly connected with those of
its features which seldom engage the
attention of travellers. Rising at day
break, l strolled out to see the street
life of the early morning. Market men
and market women from the country,
near and far, dressed in their widely
varying local costumes, were plying
their traffic in the streets and on the
canals; and housemaids were scrubbing
steps and sidewalks, and sweeping to the
middle of the carriage way, or hurrying
home with prayer book or market bas-
ket. The town was alive with a popu
lation which few hours later would
make way for those who are only known
to the broader day.
Canal boats were arriving and depart
ing; moving out from their berths
through a crowd of other craft, with
that mysterious kind of silent help that
moving canal-boat always gets from
the crews of its neighbors at rest,-its
sides are prodded with boat-hooks from
here and from there, and it slowly floats
out from the crowd and starts on its way
"sans not dire" turf boats were floating
into the Dam Rak, flIrling their sails
and lowering their masta; cargoes of
cabbages were being tossed, one by one,
from men in boats to men on shore; here
the clatter of knives and forks was heard
through low back window and cabin
hatch, and here the vrouw was
washing up the breakfast things in a
slat-hoored kitchen sink hanging from
the traffrail; strange looking people
were doing strange-looking things
throughout all the Strengthening feet,
and all with the air of its being in nc
wise unusual or peculiar. On shore, a
street vendor was attracting custom with
watchman's rattle; men were hosting
baskets of turf to the cellar, at the toI
Of high house gable; women and
children were going from basement
with the sign "water en- vuur te koop,
with neatly painted iron buckets, each
having kettle of boiling water at the
top, and lump of burning turf at the
bottom,-going home to make the morn
ing tea; at every quarter-hour, the CARL
lon jingled from all the steeples. The
gin shops were already we'll patronized
for it seems universal habit, in thi:
moist northern climate, to take "eer
sneeuwballetje" of gin and sugar as 6
frequent prophylactic. At this early
hour, and about the canals, the gilded
heads and odd bonnets of the peasan
women are more frequent than else
where, or later in the day.