AMSTERDAM, a city, formerly the capital of the seven United Provinces, and though, since the formation of the kingdom of the Netherlands, no longer the capital, is still [7:2:672]by far the largest and most important place in that kingdom. It is the chief of the arrondissement of the same name, the seat of the commanders of the naval and military departments, and of the courts of justice. It is built in the shape of a half-moon, the two horns of which terminate in the river Y on the north side, while on the other sides it is surrounded by meadows, gardens, and country houses. The river Amstett, which supplies it with fresh water, in part runs through the city, and is distributed into several branches which terminate in the Y. The ancient fortifications are neglected, and some parts of them converted into public walks. .A great number of canals, mostly navigable for small craft, form 90 islands, which are joined by no less than 280 bridges, part of stone and part of wood. The borders of these canals are commonly planted with trees, which, with the stagnant state of much of the water, is thought to be prejudicial to health, and, among other causes, produces a mortality greater in proportion to the number of inhabitants than in any other city of Europe. The foundation of all the houses and public buildings is formed by driving piles from 50 to 60 feet in length, through the swampy ground, till they rest firmly on a solid bank of sand below the morass: the upper ends of the piles are then sawed to a level height, and thick planks are nailed to them, on which the masonry is constructed. This makes the foundation the most expensive part of the edifice. The stadthouse, a most ponderous mass of building, is said to have required for its foundation not less than 11,000 of the piles above described. The buildings are, however, most firmly connected together, insomuch that, though many of them have declined from the perpendicular, they are still considered to be perfectly secured against falling, though they are not secured against sinking, if the sand on which the piles rest should give way, as was the case a few years ago, when a stack of warehouses, heavily filled with corn, sunk and totally disappeared.

The public buildings are neither numerous nor very much distinguished by their beauty. The stadthouse, formerly the bank, under Buonaparte the imperial palace, and now occasionally a royal residence, is a very large, lofty, heavy building, but the interior was magnificently furnished with every thing new on the occasion òs a short visit made by Napoleon and his empress, when Holland was united to France. The only other buildings worthy of notice are, the exchange, the admiralty, the East India house and warehouses, the barracks, the new Lutheran church, the old church, the new church, and the west church. The private buildings are lofty, narrow, with large windows, and have cellars beneath them, which are mostly occupied by the working classes as separate tenements.

The inhabitants of Amsterdam amount, by the latest accounts, to about 235,000; of these about 48,000 are Catholics, 24,000 Jews, and the rest Protestants of various sects, all of which are alike protected, but the greater part belong to the Calvinistic communion. The commerce with all parts of the world is very extensive, but said to be on the decline, owing to the more favourable circumstances of the rival cities Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg. About 2500 vessels, great and small, enter and depart annually by the sea, and about 350 by the rivers Rhine, Meuse, and the various canals. It is a great entrepôt for corn, tobacco, wine, and the tropical productions both of the East and West Indies. It is also a great theatre for money transactions in banking, in loans, and in exchanges. The fisheries, especially that of whales, are still objects of importance. No city in Europe, for its extent, possesses so large a portion of disposable capital as

Amsterdam, and hence, in spite of its unfavourable situation, it continues to be a place of the first commercial importance. This has been manifested within the last few years, by the great operation of constructing a canal,, which is navigable for ships of the line from Amsterdam to the Helder.

The manufactures here are very numerously produced. Cottons are made and printed extensively. Woollen goods of various kinds, sugar, snuff, tobacco, silver wire, gold and silver leaf, copperplate, iron-work, lead and pewter work, painters’ colours, hair pencils and painters’ brushes, sealing-wax, wafers, soap, paper-hangings, porcelain, gin, and numerous other commodities. The cutting of diamonds and other precious stones has long been extensively practised here. Ship-building is an important branch of industry. The materials of iron, copper, sailcloth, cordage, and the other requisites, are prepared in the city. The theatres and other amusements are similar to those in other cities of the same extent and opulence. The police is remarkably well regulated, and the· utmost cleanliness is maintained both in the avenues, streets, and approaches. Owing to the intense fogs in winter, ropes are fastened along the paths by the sides of the canals, to prevent passengers from walking into them. There are some literary societies, but they seem more adapted to encourage the fine arts than either science or literature. Long. 4. 40. 6. E. Lat. 52. 22. 5. N. (g.) Amsterdam, or Tongataboo, is also the name of an island in the South Sea, said to have been discovered by Tasman, a Dutch navigator. Its greatest extent from east to west is about 21 miles, and from north to south about 13. It is broad at the east end, and runs taper towards the west, where it turns, and runs to a point due north. It is about six leagues to the west of Middleburg. The shore is surrounded by a coral rock, and its most elevated parts are not above six or eight yards above the level of the sea. It is wholly laid out in plantations, in which are cultivated some of the richest productions of nature. Long. 175. W. Lat. 21.11. S.