The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-07-21

was "rlIten by prominent gentleman
OF this city to his little boy, and we have
been kindly allowed to publish it.
AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND.
My Dear Son,-I have wanted to
write to you for some days, but have
hardly had the time, l have been so
busy running about and seeing the
strange things in this country. I left
London on the 3rd of the month and
sailed over the German Ocean to the
mouth of the Rhine river and then up
that stream to Rotterdam, when saw
for the first time the continent of Europe.
From Rotterdam we came to the Hague,
and then through Leyden and Haar-
lem to this city. You must get aunt
Getty to show you on the map all of
these places, and where Holland is-the
Dutch live here, not the Germans.
These last live in very different country.
Holland is property under the water.
only the water in drained off, and kent
off by great care and watchfulness. The
whole land has been robbed from the
sea, to which it used to belong, and great
earth-works like the Notifications around
Richmond, keep the sea from taking it
back again, and sometimes the old
ocean .seems to be mad because it has
been cheated out of this land, and it gets
furious and tries to break down the
earth-works and the people have to 90
out and build them stronger and higher
The earth-works look very strong, they
are as high as your grandma's house.
and three or four times as wide. The
land thus taken from the sea is very fat.
and the whole country is said to be like
an enormous tin plate turned up at its
edges. 1t is not simply fat but hollow
in the middle-and through the whole
OF this land, canals, without number, run
in every direction. These canals, when
they are large enough, are filed with
boats and ships, and when they are
smaller they divide the farms from one
fields; for they have no fences here.
The farms are very beautiful, covered
with rich green grass, and thousands of
cattle and sheep feed on these plains.
and all over the country, as far as the
eye can see, are great big wind mills.
which cre&k ON their hinges, and are
constantly tapping in the air their
great huge arms. They look like some
enormous birds Tapping their wings.
The people look so funny to us too.
They wear such queer caps, the girls do,
that you could hardly keep from laugh
ing-trom under their caps they have
coming over. each temple a coil of gold
wire, which sticks out like a horn, and
some of them, silver OF gold plates, which
cover half the head and shine through
the thin cap. The peasant women,
have a piece of wood, called a yoke,
going across their shoulders, and at each
end Of the yoke, bucket filed with
water, or other matter They carry
fish and other things for sale in this
way, and their cries, as they 90 through
the streets, are funny. At the Hague,
we saw the King, who is a good man,
and the people love him, and we saw
Prince Henri, the Kings brother, who
has just married German Princess, and
the people were giving them grand re-
ception. Every house had flags flying
from the windows, and they had beauti-
tul arches In the streets, and music, and
shouting, ETC. After we looked at the won
derful palaces and great picture galleries
Of Hague, we went out to a celebrated
watering place, called Scheveninpen.
(You must tell me that name when | get
ho1ne)Y 1t is on the German Ocean,
and something like Long Branch, but
the hotel and houses are larger and finer
than those in America. Here we saw
the people bathing in the sea--and
great crowd sitting in the open air, or
under the trees, drinking beer and ale
and coffee, etc, and listening to the
music-and thatnight, because the Prince
and his bride were there, they had Ere
works, more beautiful and wonderful than
any ever saw before. 1t does one good
to see such q pretty scene; it shows there
is 50 much life and happiness in this old
world, and that it is our fault if we some
times don't find it.
But the queerest old place you ever
heard Of Is this city Of Amsterdam. 1t
is built on piles, like those you see in
James river, only bigger ones, and more
Of them, and these piles sink down some
times into the mud, and then the houses
built on them lean over, as if they would
fall When Won look down ono of 4ba