The Portland daily press., 1895-09-16
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
More About Holland and Its Principal
Cities-Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE PREss.)
Bale, August 90.
ROTTERDAM.

glimpse of the CITY, where Erasmus was
of him with Inscriptions in the great
Market-Place.
The city is intersected by caSals which
are often utilized as streets and markets
by vaultings built up high above. Rail
WAYS and roads are constructed across the
harbor, to and over islands by means OF
draw bridges which open for ships to pass
There are as many handsome quays as
there are valuable harbors, ships starting
from here to all parts of the world. The
Boompjes is the handsomest quay extend
ing for mile alongssthe banks OF the
Mas and from here the Rhine xteamers
start and those to England, France,
Russiagand the Mediterranean coast Also
little boats ply from here to the different
harbors and to all parts of. the town.
Among the noticeable bridges is the
very long enc over the harbor to Moor
dereiland thence to the island of Feye-
noord and to the mainland on the Ant
werp route. A half an hour farther along
is the handsome and famous bridge over
OIL VI tAio oN.'
formed in the fifteenth century, this
bridge having been built at the price of
over two million dollars in 1868. Such
changes as these are very frequent in the
low countries, since nature is always de-
veloping new features in water or land
assisted by man, i'll supporting, under
mining and filling up, adding extensively
to the area and wealth OF the domain.
AMSTERDAM.
On arriving at Amsterdam much of the
primitiveness of Holland seen elsewhere
disappears. This is real metropolis.
with all the business of busy town, for
aside from the ordinary business routine
there has ito be constant foresight OBJ
served in keeping these maritime cities
from sinking back beneath the sea-. 1t is
said that it costs as much in these cities
of Holland to build beneath the surface
as the whole structure above, and these
piles which must be driven into the
spongy soil to make the foundation Sc
cure are always endangered by the wood
worm, so that it costs the city several
thousand forms a day to keep this I'M
derpinning in good condition ktogether
with repairing the dykes and canals.
The older parts of the town show signs
of much decay. The quaint old houses
with beams extending and hooks protrud-
ing in the upper stories are much out OF
perpendicular and very curious to see
foreshadowing general demolition IN
the years to come; though some contend
that the houses were built with the walls
slanting inward on purpose to facilitate
the raising of their goods assisted by
ropes, hook and beam. We know that
they store their things this way for we
noticed, besides many bulkler articles
being hoisted, several baskets of bread
and things of even smaller calibre.
Altogether Amsterdam is a very quaint
and curious town and although 1t has
been called the Venice of Holland the re-
semblances are very few. On entering
the city there is the usual array of cabmen
and omnibus drivers soliciting your Gus
tom and deafening you with their pers1s-
tent call, and also the general noisy
traffic of any commercial town. There
are no gondolas drawn up to the quay as
il Venice, nor any fascinating gondol1ers,
and old men to hold your boat for a sou.
There are no numerous canals to be seen
but only the waters of the Zuyderzee, and
the general shipping of a seaport town.
You simply go to your hotel on foot if
near at hand, to be followed by the usual
quota of porters with your hand luggage,
all asking an exorbitant fee. When you
ask for the ninety islands, the three hun
dred bridges, the seventy gratchens (can-
ais, they reply that they are all in the
moment the street over which you are
walking, a few Years ago, was canal,
leading to the "Dam, now the public
SQUARE in the center of the town with the
Palaces and the Exchange. This square
was, in the thirteenth century the first
embankment here, dyke or dam, a bar
rier against the sea. The Lord of Amstel
l., n v,pofaof;
the town, and thence the name (The
Amstel Damn. From this little island
Amsterdam las sprung, formed by re-
deeming gratchens, draining poldas
(marshes) constantly adding new terri
tory as the centuries have come and gone,
while now they talk of filling up the
Zuyderzee thereby adding an area OF 6o7
square miles. Under such circumstances
the question would arise whether Am
sterdam would become an inland town
and what would become of the present
fine har Dor vying with the best in the
world.
Amsterdam is interesting from many
points of view; again we see hem brandt
and Wourverman and Doud and all tn Sc
old painters who immortallzed the views
and handed down the customs of those
early days. There are many traditions
connected with the town, one about the
Exchange which is turned each August
into a play ground for boys because in
the old Spanish times some boys playing
there discovered conspiracy to take the
town. The wharf near the Schreyerstoren
(Crier's tower) was the quay whence the
ships went out for long voyages and
there the captains and men left their
weeping wives and tear bedimmed child
rem, hence the names of the tower. The
most interesting though not the incest
part of Amsterdam is the Jews quarter
for they form tenth part of the CITY, and
though living squalidlyIare very rich and
influential They have ten synagogues
and own a large number of costly vessels.
Driven from Portuguese oppression they
found here an asylum which they regard
ed as a second Jerusalem. They seem
never to have seen anything outside OF
their swarming quarter, for as we drove
along they surrounded the carriage and
looked most pitiful, asking aims One
woman with little child appealed es-
pecially to our sympathies, but we did
not dare to give her anything for fear the
others would raise mob, for many of
the men had murder in their faces and
looked like criminals and convlcts of the
deepest dye. But nothing can describe
these curious streets with dogs as beasts
of burden and men and women about
there daily toll, curious at the sight of
each new face We left it all for Hanover
musing over a country shut in by en-
tn ry1,a6 ho