The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-08-02
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snfH FS1El&1iN sIkAjH0os
Across the English ch.asei- Bruges an
Brusseas-T The Field Of watarloo-An
werP, Aix7la>Chapelle and Cologne
Voyage Down the Rhine from Cologr
to Mayence- Thence to Weisbaden an
Frankfort. :.
From our own Correspondent. y
The passage across the channel frol
England to the continent has always bee
regarded iaith. horror by travellers and il
reputation for producing misery is doubt
less fairly earned. 1t has the advantage
however, of being short trip, the voyag,
from Dover to Calais being made in less tina.
two hours, and from Dover TO Ostend i
about four hours. The discomforts of tn
lonrneyare largely increased by the fact tina
stfe steamers are small and inconvenient
and as a rule passengers and pigs, poultr,
ana provisions are slowed away indiscrimi
5nately. Our voyage to Ostend was a com
paratively smooth one and we at ono,
took the train for Bruges, where,
In the market place OF Bruees
~
Thrice consumed and thrice rebnilded
sun 1t watches DER the town.
Ihe famous chimes Of which Lonefellog
wrote consist Of forty-eight bells and arf
regarded as among the best in Eurone
The trip up the tower-32O feet to the
.top-ls very satisfactory one, not onl,
on account of the extensive view obtained
but also on account Of the careful explana.
ton given by the custodian of the WORKING
OF the ringing machinery and clock
bruges was one time an important com.
merciaI centre, but nothing except relics. :, Of
OF Its ancient splendor now remain.
The road from Bruges to Brussala--a;r.
,ty-five miles-is through a fiat and unin.
teresting country, but the soil is evidently
good and under high state of cultivation.
the growing crops, which consist largely
OF barley, wheat, potatoes, ETC., looking fine.
Although the capital Of Belgium-Brussels
Is to all appearance French city and in
TACT 1t is frequently spoken of as min
.iature Paris, its public buildings are rich
and tasty, Its business blocks and nr;vate
residences elegant and substantial. and
the pure air and general neatness Of tho
surroundings form very agreeable change
to one who has Just escaped from the foo
and smoke of London. The Hotel de VILE
near the centre Of the city, is regarded as
archltecturaily one of the finest structures
IN Europe. It's tower rises to height of
Il, ,Ho feet and its graceful pinnacles and the
general design of the building are yerv
pleasing. 49, 49, '''7 80.
Twelve miles south of Brussels is the
neld OF Waterloo, where, sixty-nine years
ago, one of the few decisive battles in the
worlds history was fought. The "Lion
Mound" which marks the location of the
English centre, is about mile distant
from the railway station Of Braine pAllend.
and from its summit an excellent view Of
the scene of the battle is obtained. Stand
ing there and looking out over those fer
Tile farms with their growing crops and
green fields, it is difficult to realize the
scenes of carnage OF which this WAS once
the arena. Far away to the south the
French army was marshalled. Along this
rldge the English received those desperate
charges which would have overwhelmed
less determined troops. By that pass from
the east came Rlucher with his Prussians.
just in time to safe the day. But the his
tory OF the battle is too well known to need
repetition here. Grouchy failed to appear
and Napoleon died a prisoner at st. Helena.
In spite, however, of Waterloo and ST.
Helena, in spite of the I" Holy(?) Alliance y
and the Divine Right of Kings" France |
to-day enjoys that for which Napoleon
fought-the right of the people to choose
their own rulers. Who will say that the
world does not move? ss%
Antwerp is only twenty-seyen miles from
Brussels, and yet both are thriving cities.
1t is as thoroughly Dutch as Brussels ia
French, and the contrast between the two
IS very great. In the sixteenth century Ant
werp was the leading commercial city of Eu-
rope, but in the wars with Spain it was
crashed and has never regained it's for
mer supremacy. Its quaint, antiouated
houses and its narrow, crooked streets.
with the many other peculiarities of the old
Flemish city make it q place of more than
ordinary interest to the tourist. Antwerp
was the home Of Van Dyck and the centre
OF the Flemish School of Art. In the cathe-
drai, a massive structure which dates back
70 the fourteenth century, is Rubens' far
famed master piece, The Descent from
the Cross, !" as well as several other works
Of less note by the same artist. The nu-
scum, the largest art collection in belgium,
contains about GOO pictures, including Ru-
bens' "Crucifxion" and large number
BY Rubens, Van Dyck, Matsys and others.
A chime of eighty two bells in the tower
furnishes at times the most delightful mel |
ody and at Others gives forth the most
1oleful and solemn sounds. The Scheldt,
which fiows past the city, is sluggish
stream, but furnishes excellent facilities
Tor commerce, and during the palmy days
'f Antwerp often aoated over 1000 ships !
1t one time. At present this port is Wis
ted by 5000 vessels annually.
Aix7la- Chapelle, or ''Aachen," as it ia !.
'alled by the Germans, is city Of about /
1900 population and is noted for its asso-
'iations with the Emperor Charlemaeue. 5
being the place of his birth, coronation. {
aVorlte residence and burial. For seven I
n after Charlemagne the German :
y, OF ware g crowned here. The cathe- q
lrai was founded in 7ee by the great En- 9
'eror' and was consecrated by Pope Leo. 6
H. assisted by s66 bishops. Among the 9
ttractions of the place for the faithful are t
ne relics which are preserved with great !
are in the treasury. They consist of the