The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-09-01
For The Cecil Whis
TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENCE.

4 BRUSSELS, Belgium, August 3, 1877.
| DEAR WmG:-We left Dover yesterday
Thursday and arrived safely at Ostend
after pleasant sail by steamer of four and
half hours across the English Channel
and part of the North Sea. No one of our
immediate party was sick, although you
could count them by dozens who were
mostly ladies. Just before sailing we were
delighted to meet again Two ladies and a
gentleman-Mr., Mrs. and Miss Perott-
whom we had the pleasure of meeting upon
the Indiana. With this pleasant addition
to our party we will make the tour of the
Rhine together.
| To-day has been our first experience at
"sight- seeing" where our mother tongue
no longer serves as a guide. Two of ouI
party, however, know a little French, and
with the assistance of a phrase book, it is
quite jolly fun interrogating into matters.
"Innocents Abroad " isn't circumstance
/ don't know of anything more laughable
than to see and hear an individual trying
to make himself understood by using a few
words of foreign tongue, and making up
! for deficiency in very loud tones of his
own, and in despair diving spasmodically
/ into phrase book to relieve himself from
/ the extreme situation. To-day has opened
extremely amusing in that way. In others
| it has been full of interest and instruction.
This morning we took cars for Antwerp,
and visited first, the Museum. Here is a
most superb collection of gems of old mas
! tiers. ] do not profess to be connoisseur
/ in art-scarce an amateur in Judgment
but to see what is sympathetic and exalting
in conception of idea and color, is but to
visit these galleries The best known and
most interesting authors are Rubens, and
his student, Van Dyck Most of their pic.
lures were brought hither from suppressed
converts and churches, and our visit to this
| city was made expressly to see these famed
works. At the entrance. under "A GLASS
case, stands the chair of Rubens. The
man is worshiped here next to God. He
was born in Cologne, but his after life was
mostly spent in Antwerp. His principal
/ pictures in the Museum are "The Crucifix-
| ion, - 'The Virgin with the Parrot" and
"Triptych, "The Dead Christi &c.
We afterwards visited the Cathedral Here
are his wonderful pictures OF g The Descent
from the Cross perfectly grand and uni
versally admitted to be one of the noblest
PAINTINGS in existence. The picture is pro-
| tected by foldinp doors painted on both
| sides which when omen nresent "The
| Sanitation of the Viroin. ;, and closed the
Presentation in the Temple.'' This is in
the sonth TRANSIENT and inst onnosed in the
north TRANSIENT ;s biS M Iess wonrhrfpl MI.
tnre ssThe Elevation of the Gross y I
lave rad the GOOD fnrtnne TO saonra nboto-
graphic comics of these, In the Plare IRE
Is very handsome statne of Rnhens in
h,onza In another section of tbe c;tv is
ono of Van Dvck. also a rary fine ons of
KING Leonold.
KING J,eonold is now here at his Town
! Palace which nreclndes ne from sneipp tLo
inside Of il Ha ;S vary nuch I'LL Lnt ic
cr;tic;Sad somewb,t NV tho 7 ;hor,l C.tbo
lies for his extreme in1ividn,I davo,ion IN
the Church and Indifference to State, This
| is a thoroughly Roman Catholic country,
the numerous churches and cathedra1s being
kent m for centuries in the most elahorate
stvlo
Tooether wifi, tho Cathedral ye visited
the Church of ST Jacunas h,,ilt in 1lst
Hare the Rnbans family are hnr;ed and a
chanel is erected to his honor Inst above
his tomb is a nicture Inv bimseIf-his two
wives. mis- father. grandfather. his son. and
bimself-;n the character IF a boIv family
The brilliancy in color of this nearly three
century.old picture IS really wonderful
At the Church of St. Andrew, rebuilt in
H-wDnI
renown. by Van Gheel. 1t represents Christ
calling Peter and Andrew from their nets.
The figures are about three fourths of life
size. 1t is certainly the most exquisite and
wonderful piece of wood carving in exist
ence. Christ is presented as walking upon
the beach, and one of the chosen is Just
stepping out of the boat, while the other
is in the act of rising, the countenances
having a wonderful sense of recognition.
The streets of this city are mostly mar
row, many houses, however being very fine
Here you see numbers of the lower classes,
with their wooden shoes, the antiuuated
bonnets and caps, and the constant dog
cart. This animal is one of much use
here, drawing very heavy burdens and most
obediently broken into service.
In Brussels, the capital of the kingdom,
you do not see so much of these individual
characters This is more of a coSmopol-
tan city, and is termed bv MANY "The
Miniature Paris" Many of its streets are
certainly very beautiful. Splendid boule-
cards, with numerous rows of spreading
trees, making up perspective exceedingly
enchanting. Here we visited, first, the
smallest in stature, but one of the oldest
| IN lntereSt-tne renowned Manneken Foun.
| tain. This little effigy has an interesting
history and nossaSSaS endousd ,,ronar+y
a., 60 dans 10 :; 49, ,,,t !; ~, ~
VII lele udyS he Is TlSSeu OUT Ill gay COS
tune to suit the occasion. and eDiOyS the
nroron,t;yo of , sol.r;o1 ors+od;,n
Pin,oS"o''S y, '""t 'ou C"S'oo'"h'
The Cathedral, magnificent IN archltec-
tufe, presents Ine eXempllncatlOn IN the
| hiSloiy VI tho at VI Soloieu anu sIaihe'i
glass, dating BACK from the thirteenth cen
tury up to the present time
! Tho d. ,,:o IL =, Nt;a, ,o,, ,,,ol Co..,
iue "'"s "o :" -'"''"'' NJ" "Se" ~,
| the Legislative Chambers, contains several
historical uaintinuS nf great merit and ey
| -. ro:.,:- a. p..l r w.. ).
tioho i"ao,n'e'ou Di''ie Va "'oiioo'
battle OF Lepante, "Battle OF NEWPORT,