The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1878-11-14
For Tus Posr.
European Correspondent.
LETTER No. 7.
Rey1;,fo,
Beigian,.

Beigiun,.
The horrors Of the passage frou
England to tho continent have Dov
er been overestimated The rout,
T from London TO Flushing in Hol
land, is better now than ut ON
former passage, for now and better
steamers ply between tho places
This year, however, there has been
so much moro tIavcl than usual that
even tho new boats are over-crowd-
ed. The passage is made in the
night and in the early morning the
I low shores Of Holland aro in eight,
and two hours later our steamer is
between tho ombankmonts Of the
Scheldt. We can Just sec the
church spires and chiuncys of hous-
es over the dykos, which indicates
that the river level is dozen feet
above the streets of the city. TAX.
; lug cars for Antwerp wo ut onco res
alize that we are in foreign coun-
TRY.
The strange guttcral Dutch and
old Flemish which seems to fill the
air around us, the dykes extending
away as far rs the eye can reach, the
squatty tile-covered houses, the
drches aud rows Of trees which take
the place of fences, the little patches
of different kinds of grain which
seems to fly by as the train moves
along, aud most Of oll tho short,
broad, big footed women wearing
wooden shoes, doing most of the
work in the fields, ali are SO differ.
ont from what we SEQ ut homo that
tho traveller cannot but be greatly
Interested. The crops grown are
largely wheat. barley and potatoes.
No cattle are in sight pasturing, as
land here is too valuable. Most of
the animal labor is done by cows or
donkeys. Careful cultivation and
economy of land is especially motto
able, No spot large enough to raise
hill OF potatoes even is upcultiva,
ted, aud grass il harvested almost
up to the track of the railroad.
as We near Antwerp the dykes
arc not 80 high and finally nearly
disappear aud there is occasionally
II low hill We at length pass
through heavy Notifications and en-
ter Antwerp, which although it has
experienced the many vicissitudcs OF
u varied fortune is now on whole
the most important city OF Belgium.
Ia tho 10Th century IT was the most
wealthy and prosperous city on the
Continent, surpasslnS even Nenince.
1t received i,s death blow, commer-
ciaiiy, III the wnis with spain.
Driving FROM tho depot to our hotel
We see strange things on every side
Of Us. he great draft horses which
we pass, (celeDratod the world over)
baye immense collars running up to
a point two feet abovo the horses
shoulders while the traces arc gen
orally made OF ropes. Small loads
are drawn by cows, donkeys, men
aud women and frequently by dogs.
A team OF live dogs drew u cart Of
wood which would DO called by an
American farmer u good load for
one horse. Most Of the streets,
particularly of tho old city, are nar>
row and winding. The upper stor-
les of the houses frequently project
over tho lower, aud NJ the corners of
the stceets there are Often little
shrines built iUto the second stories
of the houses. Artistically, Ant
werp is famous rs tho birthplace and
home of the artist Van Dyck, as one
of the several places in which it is
claimed Rubeus was born, and as
the center Of the celebrated Flemish
School of Art, which in the 10th and
k7th centuries was of world wide re-
pute. Like every continental city
of tho least pretentions. Antwerp
has cathedral dating back for its
foundation FROM 400 to $40 years
ago, u good assortment OF churches.
which the tourist is compelled to
visit or be considered lunatic, and
museums and SO called art galleries
sufficient 20 worry the life out of the
average man il he consents to see
them all The cathedral contains
Reuben's far-iamed masterpiece, the
Descent from the Cross, which ranks
among the first three or four paint
ings in the world. The museum,
the finest art gallery in Belgium,
contains 600 pictures a number of
them by Reubens and Van Dyck
n early all the paintings are ancient
and have been mostly taken from
the suppressed monasteries.
II the traveller generously gives q
day to tho museum he will go
through at the rate Of Ave pictures
| in three minutes, which will just
about give him time to find the name
| in the catalogue and the picture on
the wall, and leave him no time to
look at the painting.
The church OF st. James has some
OF the finest and most intricate work
ever executed in marble.
The cathedral has o chime OF 80
bells, on which the most solemn and
long winded Dutch times are played
nearly al the day. ~
Within the past forty years The
|old orti6cations " the oity have
| been removed and : 6ue boulevard,
with some & The way three carriage