^lackie &^ So7i Ljimited T^rivate Library Case .3...CL. ^helf ..J.. iy'.-xwi^if^f,-v:;ri^ STEAM VOYAGES. VOL. I. f : s. .€'^,k |-\-f is i:'-'::,i '» *'rM alines, tlie een- tral spot where all the railways of Belgium meet. We arrived at a quarter before eleven, a.m. Bustle —bustle — bustle in every direction — trains every moment arriving and departing — portmanteaus — bonnet-boxes — hat-cases — dressing-cases — and all sorts of carpet-bags, pulled about by porters here and there, followed by ladies and gentlemen, in feverish watchfulness, to see if they had all their baggage— policemen endeavouring, often in vain, to appease the anxieties af crowds of passengers, some of whom wanted to go to Antwerp, some to Lou- vain, same to Termonde, some to Brussels, some to Liege, all in an instant, everybody fearing, so 174 CARDINAL OF MA LINES. many were the lines of road radiating from this centre, that he might enter a wrong carriage, and instead of o-ettino; forward to his destination, return to the place whence he had set out. Very mucli to the credit of the establishment, however, be it said, that eventually order prevailed. A vast space is o-iven to this general meetingr-rrround of all the rail- to o o O ways, which renders it, with its numerous engines hastening to their proper stations, and its many handsome buildings, one of the most interesting spectacles in Europe. We reached the cathedral in time to hear part of a high mass, at which the Cardinal Archbishop and Primate of Belgium was present. When the divine service was over, he proceeded to a genuflectory in the middle of the sanctuary, where one of the at- tendants held before him a large silver crucifix. Having remained on his knees — almost prostrate — for some time, engaged in profound devotion, he arose, and proceeded down the nave, administering his blessings as he went to tl^e crowds by which the cathedral was filled. Wherever he observed chil- dren near him on the floor, or in their mothers' arms, he laid his right hand on tlieir heads with an CATHEDRAL. 17 J emotion truly paternal. It is understood in the political circles that the primate exercises a power- ful influence upon the management of political affairs in Belgium. The Catholic party, of course, look up to his eminence as their principal support, and they were, no doubt, the party who brought about one of the most justifiable revolutions which has ever taken place in any country. The first object which strikes the eye of a stran- ger, immediately after entering this noble cathedral, is a new monument in white marble, erected in honour of the late archbishop. It is an admirable piece of workmanshij), presenting in its general de- sign and details a degree of good taste, simplicity, and effect not often to be seen in productions of this description. The epitaph tells us that the departed had discharged his arduous functions in the most exemplary manner, under circumstances of no or- dinary difficulty, created by the terrors that every- where attended the march of the barbarians in the service of the French Directory. He was the con- soler of the afflicted, the friend of the poor, the much-beloved pastor of his flock. He is represent- ed kneeling and clothed in his pontifical apparel. 176 SPLENDID MONUMENT. An angel, holding a flaming torch in his hand, seems to announce to him that he is to appear im- mediately before the throne of God, and pointing the torch towards heaven, invites the prelate to fol- low him. The conception is grand, and the exe- cution of it does not impair the strong impression which the scene produces in the first instance upon the eye of a stranger. It is a model of excellence, and must add greatly to the already distinguished reputation of the sculptor, M. Jehotte, of Liege. The cathedral abounds in admirable paintings, the principal of which is Christ crucified between the two thieves, by Vandyk. Sir Joshua Reynolds's criticism upon this picture must supersede all other panegyrics. He pronounces it to be " the most capital of all Vandykes works, in respect to the va- riety and extensiveness of the design and the judi- cious disposition of the whole. In the efforts which the thieves make to disengage themselves from the cross, he has successfully encountered the difficul- ties of the art, and the expression of grief and resig- nation in the Virgin is admirable. This picture, upon the whole, may be considered as one of the first pictures in the world, and gives the highest RUIJENS. 177 idea of Vandykes powers; it shews tliat lie hail truly a genius for historical painting, if it had not been taken off by portraits. The colouring of this picture is certainly not of tlie brightest kind, but it seems as well to correspond with the subject as if it had the freshness of llubcns." Besides the cathedral, there are several churches in Malines well worthy of examination, two of which bear the title of " Notre Dame/"' One of these is so called from a tradition which relates that a boat, having on board a silver statue of the Holy Virgin, which was saved from a church destroyed by fire, stopped of itself, on its way up the Dyle river, and that the church now called Notre Dame d'llanswyk was founded near the spot where the boat rested. In the other church bearing the same name is to be seen the celebrated picture of " the Miraculous Draught of Fishes,'' by Rubens. It is universally admitted to be one of his most masterly productions. His " Adoration of the jVIagi,"" a magnificent composition, is placed in the church of St. John. Indeed, there is hardly an ecclesiastical edifice in jM alines which is not filled with the VOL. I. N 1 178 RUBENS'S CHARGES. works of tliis great painter. But when his friends complimented him upon his great success in his art, he used to say to them, — " If you wish to see the best of my works, you must go to the cliurch of St. John, in Malines." His ordinary charge for the employment of his time was a hundred florins of Brabant a day, and the attendant who shews the stranger over the church just mentioned seldom fails to invite him into the sacristy, where he places before him the receipt written and signed by Ru- bens for eighteen hundred crowns, being the price of eighteen pictures which he painted in as many days for that edifice. Malines, formerly more commonly called Mechlin, was once celebrated for its manufacture of lace. Its reputation for the finest species of that beautiful fabric has passed altogether to Brussels. It is a picturesque town, but wears a desolate air, espe- cially to a traveller who visits it immediately after quitting Ghent, with whose gay and joyous aspect it forms a disadvantageous contrast. We were much pleased, however, with its botanical garden, which is extensive and kept in the neatest order. We dined at the table cVhote of the hotel called " the PORK-PIE. 179 Crane." Malines being famous for the delicacy of a dish composed chiefly of pigs' feet and ears, we expected a specimen of this luxury on the table ; but it was not to be had. In lieu of it, however, there was a pork-pie, which the guests, composed chiefly of the officers of the Lancers, unanimously pronounced to be delicious. A little incident occurred on tliis occasion which I cannot help relating. It appeared that the sur- geon attaclied to the regiment of the Lancers, wlio dined witli us, had been some years ago in Ire- land, where he happened frequently to hear Mr. O'Connell at public meetings. The moment we sat down to the table, I observed tlie doctor look- ing at me with a strong emotion, which I could not comprehend. He whispered to one of the offi- cers near him, and the communication went rapidly round. All eyes were at once turned upon me, with smiles of the utmost good-nature, which not a little increased my astonishment. At length I was asked whether I was not the "Great Agitator" himself.-^ Mr. Bellew and I laughed aloud at this droll mistake. He assured the company that I was not even related in any shape or way to tb.at x2 180 O'CONNELL. celebrated personage. Tlie doctor, however, who seemed to pride himself upon his skill in physio- gnomy, remained for awhile incredulous. " Well," said he, at last, " if 3'ou be not O'Connell, I can only affirm that I have never seen two faces more alike in my life, especially from the lip, upwards," drawing at the same time a line across his upper lip, to add force to his assertion. There was a general laugh at his expense, in which he soon joined with perfect good-humour. We had at dessert some of the gingerbread for which the Malines confectioners are said to be unri- valled. When we arose from the table, the officers very civilly pressed us to take coffee with them at their societe, which they said was just at hand. But we were obliged to decline their friendly invi- tation, as the train was to start in a few minutes for Brussels, where we found ourselves half an hour after we bade them good bye. Assuredly the fable of Fortunatus and his seven-leagued boots is nothing to the realities of the railway. Our first view of Brussels, as we approached it, was not advantageous, owing to the evening being cloudy, with showers of rain. The lofty tower of BRUSSELS. 181 the callicdral looked, even throufirh the mist, grace- ful and imposing, althoug]),bein«r tlien luidcr process of repair, it was surrounded to the very top with scaffolding. AVe took up our quarters at the Hotel Koyal, where we experienced every possible degree of attention. Anxious as we were, the dav after our arrival, to explore all the "lions" of the " Belgian Paris,'' we were detained within doors the greater part of the day by a prolonged and violent thunderstorm and an incessant fall of rain, accompanied by that most uncomfortable of all atmospheric influences, a mist of the true Scottish order. As soon as the weather permitted, we sallied out to the news-room, where we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Dr. Lever, the author of one of the pleasantest books in the world— " Charles O^AIalley." We had to thank him and his amiable lady for many acts of kindness during our sejournt Brussels. AVith the exception of some parts of the old city, where one still encounters public and private edifices in the favourite style of Brabant, there is not much to be seen in Brussels which is in keeping, as the painters say, with sucli towns as Ghent and 182 THE PARK. Bruges. The new quarters of the capital are indeed admirably laid out — the streets, and squares, and boulevards are spacious, and iron gilt railings, and long lines of lofty mansions, and shady trees put one constantly in mind of the gay metropolis of France, thougli they want the busy and lounging multi- tudes by which the places of great resort in Paris are filled, as if they were the scenes of a perpetual carnival. The splendid districts of Brussels present for the most part a lonely though stately appear- ance, and in this respect brought strongly to my mind the ordinarily deserted appearance of the principal street of Madrid, the Calle de Alcala. The palace of the King is not worth visiting ; that of the Prince of Orange is remarkable for the splendid style of its furniture and decorations, in- cluding a vast number of paintings of great value. The King, with a delicacy that confers great credit upon him, has refused to appropriate this sump- tuous edifice to his own use. The park forms one of the handsomest public promenades I ever saw. It was the scene of the most sanguinary contest between the Dutch and the Belgians during the late revolution. Several of the trees still retain the ST. GUDULE. 183 traces of that conflict. The museums of paintings and natural history, as well as " the library," deserve to be very fully examined. In the latter there is a great number of very curious missals, several of which are embellished with miniature paintings of matchless beauty, by Van Eyck and his pupils. Here, also, may be seen the celebrated " Chronicle of Hainault," in seven folio volumes, illuminated by the masterly hand of Hemling. The noble tower of the Hotel de Ville attracts the attention of the stranger at once to that remarkable building, which has been justly styled a municipal palace. In its grand hall took place the abdication of Charles V. Its tower is the most imposing structure of the kind to be found in Belgium, On tTfe^ top^is a figure, in copper, of St. Michael, which turns as easily as a small vane with the wind, though seventeen feet high. From the top of the tower the " storied " field of Waterloo may be distinctly seen, weather permitting. The only church in Brussels deserving of par- ticular notice is the cathedral of St. Gudule. The painted glass in its windows is said to exhibit one of the finest specimens of that art which arc to 184 DULLNESS OF BRUSSELS. be found in the world. The nave presents a most imposing appearance, on account of the statues of the twelve apostles which are ranged against its pillars. In one of the side-chapels are still pre- served the " consecrated particles," which ai'e said to have been stolen from the tabernacle in the four- teenth century by a sacrilegious Jew, and subjected by him and his brethren in the synagogue to the most blasphemous insults. I need say nothing in com- mendation of the principal manufactory of Brussels — its unrivalled lace. All my " gentle readers " are, doubtless, aware that every pattern, however minute and fine, is first wrought separately by the hand, and then sewed on a groundwork prepared for it. The "curiosity-shops" in Brussels are abundant and extremely tempting. I much regretted, how- ever, to see in some of them exposed for sale specimens of ingenuity very far from being fit for public exhibition. I had occasion to call upon some esteemed friends of mine on the Boulevards de rObservatoire, which appeared to me a remark- ably cheerful situation for a residence ; they informed me that although Brussels was by no means so DULLNtSS OF BRUSSELS. 185 mucli frequented lately by tlie English as it used to be, nevertheless houses were not to be had u{K)n any thinnr like economical terms. I cannot tliink Brussels a very attractive place for a prolonged sojourn. It is, after all, but an imperfect imita- tion of Paris, and the measures taken to accomplish this object have deprived it, in a great measure, of that peculiarity and antiquity of character which renders most of the other towns of the Netherlands so very attractive. We had letters from Lord Palmerston and a much-valued friend of ours, Mr. St. George, to the minister, Sir G. Seymour. His excellency was not in town for some days after our arrival. As soon as he returned, he most kindly invited us to his hotel, and placed his opera-box at our disposal. We had only time to avail ourselves of his friendly attentions in the latter respect, as our arrangements were already made for a trip to Waterloo, The orchestral and vocal establi.sli- menls at the opera were of a very indifferent order. 186 CHAPTER XIII. Waterloo. Sergeant- Major Cotton, British Bivouac. Incle- ment Weather. Chateau of Hougoumont. Field of Battle. Forest of Soignies. Chapel of Hougoumont. Its Crucifix. Statue of the Virgin. Terrible Slaughter. M. Robiano. Po- sition of the Guards. The Pyramid. The Weather. Antwerp. The Cathedral. The Golden Fleece. Vespers. Painted Win- dows. Dixit Dominus. The Confitebor. The Beatus Vir. The Laudate. The Mass. The Song of Evening. The Mag- nificat. Recal of the Jews. The Procession. During the whole time of our stay at Brussels the weather was gloomy and oppressive, accompa- nied by frequent squalls and showers of rain. The morninp- we set out for Waterloo the rain was in- cessant the whole way. We stopped at the Cou- ronne, and thought that we should have been obliged to return to Brussels without accomplishing our object, as Ave could not stir ten paces beyond our hotel without being drenched to the skin. However, an hour or two after mid-day the weather SERGEANT-MAJOR COTTON. 187 cleared up a little, and we proceeded towards the memorable scene of battle, under the guidance of Sergeant-Major Cotton, who had served in the 7th Hussars, and was himself engaged in the great *' battle of the nations," as somebody has most aj> propriately designated that tremendous combat. The sergeant we soon found to be a " cliarac- ter." He displays his medal on his breast with a very becoming pride ; he is of a good figure ; has much of a veteran military air, and vet seems as ac- tive and as full of spirits as if he had not counted half the number of winters which have passed over his head. A few years ago he married a young English woman, and built himself a house in the village of Waterloo, from the gratuities presented to liim by visitors. We found two or three fat liitle urchins running about his kitchen and a fine infant in a cradle. He is a native of the Isle of Wight, and his commanding ofHcer during the battle was Sir Edward Kerrison. The sergeant commenced operations by pointing cut to us the small inn at which the Duke of Wel- lington established his head-quarters on the even- ing preceding the day that was to fix the destinies 188 BRITISH BIVOUAC. of Europe. Proceeding onwards about a mile, he pointed out the summit of a gentle declivity, on wl)ich the British army bivouacked during the night, under heavy falls of rain, accompanied by violent peals of thunder and continued flashes of lightning. The whole country was covered with standing corn. It was in vain to attempt cooking any thing for supper, as there was no possibility of lighting fires. " Indeed, in some places," said the sergeant, " we were up to our knees in water, and we had nothing to eat except a little dry biscuit." The rain descended still as the morning broke, and did not clear off until about nine o'clock, when the English and French troops appeared in presence of each other. " We were many of us," said our guide, " trying to kindle fires, to boil a little coffee, but before we could succeed, word went round to stand to our arms, as the French were coming.'"' Tliese words make one even now startle, coming from one of the actors in that scene of slaughter. It is unnecessary for me to pursue the narrative of the battle which ensued, already told and sung by historians, and travellers, and poets, and poet- asters of every degree. The famous chateau of FIELD OF BATTLE. 189 Plougouniont, tlie little farm-house of La Ilayc Sainte, at both of which points the contest raf:;e(l with the most terrible fury, still exist ; we in- spected both witli a thrilling interest. The sergeant pointed out at the distance of little more than a mile the village of Genappe, near which the French lines were drawn up, and also the eminence where Napoleon took his station at the commencement of the action. The whole area filled during the day by the contending hosts may be described as a large tract of undulating ground, well calculated for the operations of every description of force. In the rear of the British lines, however, was the forest of Soignies, which, from its being almost entirely with- out brushwood, offered a safe place of retreat for in- fantry, if retreat should have become necessary. The position of the enemy possessed no similar advantage in the rear — nothing, in fact, buthighroads and oj)cn places, where a pursuing cavalry might, as it after- wards did, cut down the fugitives with terrible car- nage. We visited the garden where the IVIarquis of Anglesey's leg is interred beneath a monument. Our attention was particularly attracted by the 190 STATUE OF THE VIRGIN. chapel which still remains in the farm-yard of Hou- goumont. It was set on fire at an early period of the battle, and the still blackened walls attest that the ilames reached every part of the chapel, until they approached the feet of a wooden figure of our Saviour, when they instantly ceased. The con- flagration in a similar manner spared a fallen sta- tue of the Blessed Virgin and child. These are facts that cannot be doubted, for all the figures still remain in the chapel, unscathed by fire, untouched by ball or sabre, just as they were before the battle commenced, although, as everybody knows, it was in this farm-yard, in the chateau of the proprietor hard by, and in this chapel itself, that the fate of the day may be said to have been decided. At one period twelve thousand men, accompanied by nu- merous pieces of artillery, were brought against this post — a post of the last importance to the allied troops then in possession of it. The first attack was bravely repelled; another assault follow- ed, and was made by the French with such impetuosity that the orchard outside the chapel was for a moment abandoned. The firing then on both sidts became awful; in a few minutes PO-SITIOX OF Tin: GLAHDi. 191 fifteen lunulrcd men were slain on the spot. It was then that tlie chateau and chapel were set on fire : both })artics were enveloped in the flames. The ■wounded and tlie dying were heaped upon one an- other ; their shrieks were heard even amidst tlie roar of the artillery : many of them were burnt to ■J J death. The chateau was reduced to a mere shell ; and yet those flames, dealing such awful destruc- tion around them, lost all their fury the moment they approached the precious emblems of the Ca- tholic faith. They recoiled from the spot where sacred figures still may be seen, tcstifvins: an oc- currence which admits of no denial ! Enormous sums have been offered for these figures to the pro- prietor, the Count Robiano, with whom I have the honour to be acquainted. All these offers he has declined. The sergeant also ])ointed out to us the place where, behind a very slight rise, the Guards laid down concealed uniil the French made their last advance, when, at the laconic sununonsof the duke, tlie former arose as one man and decided the fortune of the field. I was satisfied with beholdino- from a distance the vast pyramid of earth intended 192 ANTWERP. to be a perpetual monument of the victory. It is raised on the spot on which the brave Prince of Orange was wounded ; it is nearly 200 feet in height, and is surmounted by a gigantic lion. The field was so much saturated with the rains which had fallen, that those of our party who went in sank to the ankle at every step. The sun, which had been for a short time out, again retired behind the clouds, the rain returned, and I was glad to get back to the village of Waterloo and re-enter our carriage. The roads were so deep that it was late before we arrived at our hotel. The following morning, after hearing High Mass, we proceeded to AntAverp, where we arrived just in time for vespers, which we found going on in the cathedral of Notre Dame, admitted upon all hands to be one of the most splendid specimens of Gothic architecture in the Netherlands. On each side of the nave there are three aisles. It was commenced in the thirteenth century, and took nearly ninety years for its completion. The whole building, with the exception of the tower and choir, was, by one of those accidents to which most of the great churches have been strangely subject, PALMED WINDOW. 193 both at home and abroad, burnt down in 1533. But by the munificence of the then princely mer- chants of Antwerp, it was restored in the following year. A chapter of the celebrated order of the Golden Fleece was held in the choir twenty-one years after that period by Philip II, of Spain, at which nine kings assisted as Knights of tiie Order. It was truly elevating to the soul to hear the vesper psalms, anthems, and hymns, sung in this majestic temple, the bishop, and a great number of his clergy, including the canons of the catliedral, being all assembled in the most sumptuous attire, the fine organ yielding its ever-enchanting music, tbp junior chaunters raising to the vaulted roof their cherub notes, which sounded in such brilliant contrast to the tenor and bass voices of the graver portion of the choir. Tlie altar was lighted up by numerous wax-lights, but they burned dimly in the rays of the summer sun, whicli streamed in varied magic colours througii the great Avestern O DO window. The rich paintings on tlie glass of that masterly piece of workmanship were all displayed in gorgeous style, and as the penetrating beams VOL. I. o 194 DIXIT DOMINUS. passed over the heads of the people assembled in the church, here a deep purple, in another quarter Vermillion, in another a beautiful azure, now light- ing up the side of a column in dazzling brightness, now bringing into relief the darker parts of some majestic picture, now touching a monument or a statue with a blaze of gold, no true Christian could contemplate such a scene without exclaiming nearly in the words of the Psalmist : " Lord, I do love the beauty of thy house, and the place where thy glory dwelleth." What a meet and fitting temple was this wherein to hear those prophecies triumphantly proclaimed which are now realities — the prophecies now per- formed, that the enemies of the Messiah should eventually be the " footstool of his feet " — that he should hold in his hand the " sceptre of Zion," " rule in the midst of his enemies," surrounded by the " brightness of the saints," and of that eternity wherein he was begotten before the " day star " first arose ; truly a " Priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech ;"" who hath seen " kings broken," nations fallen into " ruin," and yet, with THE VESPERS. 195 undiniinishcd ir.ight, hath stooped to " drink of the torrent in the way," and then, " lifting up his head," hatli proceeded in liis glorious course. Peal on, thou " Tuba mirum spargens sonum," — sing aloud, ye alternate choirs, " Praise the Lord witli all your hearts," exhibit to cur view the " congregation of the just in council," say how the " wonderful works of God " are in all things in exquisite harmony with his designs, deserving of all " admiration," and abounding in " magnifi- cence !" Again and again proclaim His " cove- nants " as " shewn forth to all His people." Bid the Gentiles cherish the beauty of the " inheritance" which they now enjoy, and syllable forth in your — most solemn accents that " Holy and terrible Name, the fear of wliich is the besinnincr of wisdom." Oh ! truly " blessed is the man who fears the Lord," for he shall " delight in His command- ments," and pursue the paths of true " glory." To him shall be given " mercy," " compassion,*^ " judgment," indifference to '^ evil hearing," "hope," "charity," and "justice." Against him the " desires of the wicked shall not prevail." o2 196 THE LAUDATE. Where is the soul, possessing within it a single spark of religious fire, that has ever heard without emotion the " Laudate pueri dominum ?" — or that shout of the angelic choir, — " From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise," — of that Lord, wlio though " above all nations," whose " glory is even above the heavens," still condescends to look down upon the " poorest of His creatures upon earth," lifts them by His spiritual gifts to a level with " the princes of His people," and " mak- eth the barren woman to dwell in her house, the joyful mother of children ?" Such are amongst the ennobling thoughts and aspirations with which the Vesper service of the Catholic church renders her children familiar. The liturgy of the morning sacrifice is indeed of a more grave and majestic character, and performed with a more solemn pomp, on account of the won- derful mysteries which constitute and consecrate its whole character. But there is something pecu- liarly consoling in the evening office of the church. It is a beautiful sequel to her matin occupations, when she displays before the faithful all her energy THE MAGNIFICAT. 197 and grandeur — all her glorious privileges — sum- mons them to join in lur most exulting anthems, to listen to the proclamation of the invariable tenets of lier faith, and to bow down in awe while she repeats the miraculous sounds Avhich change the offerings on her altar into the body and blood of Him who died for the redemption of mankind. The early sun gleams upon her tabernacle while those heavenly functions are in progress. When that sun is about to go down, when all nature is about to sink into repose, while " The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea," while the tenants of the grove are warbling their last hymns in that low tone of happiness, and love, and thanksgivinfj for the blessings of the dav, whicli is so infinitely more endearing than the most thrilling song of the soaring lark ; again does she call her flock around her, and by her psalms, and prayers, and promises, and benedictions, cheers them onward in their journey througli this " valley of tears." It is impossible, I think, for any person of any religion, who has heard the Magnificat sung in one of the fine old Flemish churches, to go away with- 198 RECALL OF THE JEWS. out feeling something of the lofty, ardent spirit of joy, by which that beautiful canticle of the Holy Virgin is, above all others, distinguished. When the moment comes for its being entoned, all the attendant clergy, the choir, and the congregation instantly arise; and, without prelude, forth at once bursts the triumphant exclamation, as if it could be no longer suppressed, " My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour !" But that spirit, privileged though it was beyond all other human beings, fear- ful of its own exultation, trembles lest it should have gone too far, and falls back upon its own natural humility. But why do I rejoice in my Saviour ? It is " because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid ;" and yet how can I feel otherwise than inspired with rapture, when I am assured that " henceforth all generations shall call me blessed ?"" Then flow on in a noble, fervid strain the praises of the Redeeming God : — " Holy is His name " — infinite " His mercy to those who fear Him ;" He hath "scattered the proud," " put down the mighty," given abundance to the " poor," " sent the rich THE PROCESSION'. 199 awav empty," and received back into liis arms, as a "son," the "wandering Israel;" thus fulfilling the promise he had made to " our fathers, to Abra- ham, and his seed for ever." To he.', who was herself of that people, the hopu of their eventual recall to the home in which thev were once so dearly cherished — a people whom, notwithstanding the crimes which they were to expiate, she could not but love, it was a peculiar source of joy, that long as they might wander over the face of the earth, they were still to meet with that mercy which endureth from "generation to generation." The vespers terminated with a magnificent pro- cession, during which the descending sun still con- tinued to shoot its unclouded beams through the great western window, rendering " pale and inef- fectual " the numerous lighted torches which were carried by the clergy, and the long line of attend- ants, and converting into " dust of gold" the clouds of incense by which the canopy over the prelate who bore the host was preceded. The whole cathedral was illumined by a variety of co- lours that seemed as if they had been designed to give peculiar magnificence to the spectacle. 200 CHAPTER XIV. The Blacksmith of Antwerp. The Two Misers. Tower of the Cathedral. View from the Tower. General Chasse. The late King of Holland. Chimes of Antwerp. Tomb of Rubens. St. Jacques. The Holy Family. Fac-simile of Calvary. Church of St. Andrew. The Museum. Departure for Liege. Varied aspect of the Country. Louvaine. The Library. Former Ma- nufactories. Expulsion of the Weavers. Their Guildhall. The University. The Hotel de Ville. The Cathedral. I SPENT some hours the following morning in the cathedral, admiring the numberless works of art by which it is ornamented, many of them master-pieces of Rubens, and well known to amateurs of every description, if not from actual inspection, at least through the eloquent panegyrics of Sir Joshua Reynolds. The curious visitor, be- fore entering; the cathedral, should not fail to look at the iron cover of the pump near the foot of the tower ; it is said to be the work of Quentin Matsys, the "blacksmith of Antwerp," of whom it is BLACKSMITH OF ANTWERP. 201 « related that he had conceived a violent affection for the daughter of a painter, but that her fLithcr having resolved to give her in marriage to no suitor, except of his own profession, he (the blacksmith) imme- diately resolved to abandon his trade, in which he had obtained celebrity for his many ingenious pro- ductions in brass and iron, and to adopt that which would (jualify him to obtain the great object of his solicitude. He speedily became more eminent as a painter than he had been even in his })revious pur- suits, and he eventually won the hand of the lady. Those who have visited Windsor Castle will remember his celebrated painting of the " Two Misers." The museum at Antwerp, however, has the good fortune to possess his master-piece, the " Descent from the Cross," the heads in which are held to be e(pial to any ever produced by Kaffaelle. Wishing to ascend the tower, it was with some difficulty we obtained admittance, as the keeper happened to be out of the way. Some workmen, however, who were engaged in repairing the pinnacles which were knocked down by the Dutch artillery under General Chasse, when they were bombarding the town from the citadel in 1830, 202 VIEW FROM THE TOWER. having opened the door on the inside, we made our way to the upper gallery, whence the prospect is superb. Glimpses may be discerned of the spires of Brussels, Malines, and even of Louvaine, and also of Ghent, Bruges, Flushing, and Bergen- op-Zoom. The winding course of the Scheldt we distinctly traced ; while we were observing it, the steamer from London appeared at a distance of nearly twenty miles, with its black smoke curling upward in the calm atmosphere. The fine old city itself lay beneath us, like a picture painted by one of the old Flemish masters, with its numerous churches, convents, and magnificent public build- ings, its elaborate and extensive fortifications, and its peculiai'ly fine citadel, forming one of the most attractive features in the whole scene, on account of the chivalrous resistance made within its walls by Chasse in 1832 against its French assailants. Heroic as was the conduct of the Dutch general upon that occasion, one can never recall to mind the circumstances which gave rise to it, without abhorring the author of so much unnecessary bloodshed. The obstinacy of the late King of Holland, in attempting to retain possession of the capitol of a city which had already ceased to be a TOMB OF KUBENS. 203 part of his dominions, and which he perfectly wlII knew could not be held for any length of time against the forces assembled to wrest it from him, can never be too severely stigmatised. One of the workmen very civilly shewed iis over the ninety- nine bells which form the chimes. The smallest bell is full fifteen inches in diameter. A full-£rrown man might easily sleep without inconvenience in the largest. When this wonderful production of the foundry was baptized, according to the old reli- gious custom of the Netlicrlands, Charles V. stood sponsor for it. We had not the good fortune to hear this Carillon give out its harmonies. The artist-pilgrim will no doubt make his way to the tomb of Rubens, which he will find immedi- ately behind the high altar in the beautiful church of St. Jaques, a pei-fect gem for its paintings, carvings in wood, variegated marbles, and richly painted windows. Here also he will find one of the most precious of all the works of that great master — " The Holy Family" — in wliich the por- trait of the painter appears under the figure of St. George, those of his two wives as Martha and Mary Magdalen, that of his father as St. Jerome, 204 FAC-SIM1LI-: OF CALVARY. of his grandfather as Time, and of his son as an angel. It is a most /owe/// picture, a characteristic which does not usually belong to the works of Rubens. Sir Joshua Reynolds particularly recom- mends it to students as a perfect specimen of co- louring. " It is as bright,"" he says, " as if the sun shone upon it." I went, of course, to see one of the greatest re- ligious curiosities in Belgium — the representation of Calvary, in the Dominican church. It is lite- rally a small hill, formed artificially of rock-work ; on the summit are the crosses, bearing images of the Redeemer and the two thieves ; on the declivi- ties are several kneeling statues of patriarchs, pro- phets, and saints, and at the foot is a grotto, copied from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, containing anodier figure of Christ. I own I did not much admire this elaborate specimen of ingenuity. There is a carved pulpit in St. Andrew's Church, which is reputed to be the finest model of wood- work existing in the Netherlands. Here also is to be seen a monument raised in honour of two Eng- lish iadies named Curie, who had been ladies in waiting to Mary Queen of Scots. Attached to the THE MUSKU.M. 205 monument is a portrait of" tlic ill-fated sovereign, whose name always stirs up our deepest sympathies. Although the museum of Antwerj) is open to the public only on Sundays, on account, I jncsunie, of the number of students, male and female, who assemble there during the week-days, engaged in copying its best pictures, nevertheless we, as stran- gers, were very civilly admitted by the doorkeeper. "We found every part of the gallery redolent with the oils and other ingredients used by the young artists, all of whom were most industriously occupied in pursuing their labours. If I miglit judge from a hasty glance of the many copies I saw in progress, I should say that they generally exhibited highly promising specimens of the talents of these young painters. When I add, that in this museum may be seen several pictures by Rubens, Quentin Matsys, Fran- cis Floris (usually honoured with the title of the Flemish Rafl'aelle), Vandyk (the celebrated portrait painter), de Vos, and Titian, I need not remark that it abounds in attractions of the very first order. The chair of Rubens is preserved here under a glass case. 206 DEPARTURE FOR LIEGE. Returning to Brussels, we took our places for Liege. On our way thither Mr. Bellew paid a flying visit to Louvainc, a name more familiar, perhaps, than that of any other city in Belgium to British and Irish Catholic ears, as it was in the celebrated university established there, in the early part of the fifteenth century, that many of their ecclesiastical students, and the sons of the Catholic nobility and gentry, received that education which the penal laws denied them at home. The country towards Louvaine, and still more towards Lieo-e, begins to assume a much more varied aspect than the lower parts of the Netherlands, which, with but few exceptions, present one entire almost level sur- face, peculiai-ly well adapted for the railway system. The territory, particularly after leaving Malines, becomes undulating, the cuttings are more exten- sive, and Tirlemont is approached through a tunnel of considerable length (1000 yards). The river Dyle, to which the railroad runs parallel occasion- ally, presents many agreeable prospects, and beyond the town of Louvaine is seen a vast extent of forest, said to be a part of the ancient forest of Soignies. It is in this district that the most extensive coal- LOUVAIXE. 207 beds of BL'lfrium are found. Piles of excellent turf may also be observed by the roadside, which mark at once the diderence of character in the country we had now to traverse. A few hours ■were sufficient to enable my friend to visit the " lions " of Louvaine, the more espe- cially as he was most kindly assisted upon the occa- sion by one of the members of the university, whom he had accidentally met on his way to that institution. The library is one of the most mag- nificent chambers of the kind in Europe. It ex- isted more than a century before the university itself, having been originally (1817) constructed as a Guildhall, by the weavers of Louvaine, then a wealthy, numerous, and at all times, until their ex- pulsion, a most turbulent portion of the population. It is recorded that in 1360 there were from three to four hundred cloth manufactories in Louvaine, which afforded employment to 150,000 artizans. The chronicler (Justus Lipsius),upon whose autho- rity this statement chiefly rests, adds that a few minutes before the men engaged in those establish- ments were accustomed to go home to take their meals, the great bell of the cathedral was tolled, in 208 UNIVERSITY. order to caution parents to prevent their children from appearing in the streets, lest they should be trampled down by the multitudes issuing from the manufactories. Acts of the government, of the most impolitic character, subsequently drove all these people from Louvaine, in consequence of various tumults in which they were engaged. Many of them settled in England, whither they were followed by their employers. They most materially assisted in estab- lishing amongst us the woollen manufactures, for which our country has since become so eminent. Their Guildhall was a superb structure, displaying a fine taste ; no expense seems to have been spared to render it worthy of its opulent proprietors. According to the fashion of the times, it was most elaborately ornamented with antique carvings in wood, which are still in admirable preservation. The colleges of the university at one time amounted to nearly fifty in number, giving to the city an ap- pearance not unlike Oxford, and frequented by from five to six thousand students. Scarcely twenty colleges now remain ; the number of the students has dwindled down to four or five hundred. The HOTKL DE VILLE. 209 whole locality in consequence, as well as the city itself, present a deserted and gloomy appearance, the population having been reduced from two hun- dred thousand souls, which were at one time num- bered within its walls, to nearly twenty thousand. There is, nevertheless, a solemn, religious, and classic air about Louvainc, Avhich invests it with an interesting character. The Hotel de Ville is admitted to be the most beautiful edifice of the kind in Europe. It abounds in traceries and orna- ments of the Gothic strain of poetical conception, most exquisitely elaborated. The dilapidations causetl by time from the period (1463) when it was finished, have been recently restored with a degree of skill and genius, not unworthy of the artists by whom the original chiseling was executed. Not exempted from the fate to which almost all old ecclesiastical edifices have been at one time or another sacrificed, the cathedral of Louvaine (dedi- cated to St. Peter), which was founded in 1040, was twice burnt down. A tower, of the extraordi- nary altitude of five hundred and thirty feet, for- merly attached to it, was blown down in 1G04, and has not since been restored. It contains a good VOL. I. P 210 THE CATHEDRAL. many pictures by the elder masters, which are more curious than inspiring. The scholar will be dis- posed to pay a visit to the tower in which Janse- nius composed his peculiar theological works. The stranger cannot be long in Louvaine without feel- ing, from the not unpleasant odours which meet him in all quarters, that he is amidst numerous breweries. The produce of these establishments, which is in high repute, exceeds 200,000 casks per annum, and is consumed all over Belgium. Some part is exported. 211 CHAPTER XV. Arrival at Liege. Its busy appearance. Quentin Durward. The Wonder of Liege. Mineral Fountains. Caverns. Chaud- fontaine. Its many Attractions. Beautiful Landscape. Young Blanchiseuses. A Dwarf. A Bible Distributor. Translations of the Scriptures. The Warm Fountain. Railway to Cologne. The Brigand Idriel. Scheme for his Captiire. The rail-road terminates within three miles of Liege ; the remaining distance is accomplished by omnibuses, one of which conducted xne to the " Pommclette," a very good hotel, and much fre- quented by mercantile men, of whom I saw great numbers here, impressing me at once with the im- portance of this city, as the principal commercial city of Belgium. It strongly reminded me, upon first passing through its narrow, dingy, smoky streets, filled with dirty -looking houses, from which proceeded incessant sounds of hammers and anvils, of Birmingham and Sheffield. Its principal ma- p 2 212 ARRIVAL AT LIEGE. nufactory is that of cannon and fire-arms of every kind. They are said to be inferior to those of France and England, but they are much cheaper ; a good double-barrelled gun may be had for twenty or thirty francs. The workmen generally carry on their several operations at home ; some being employed in forging the bars, others in turning them into the rough barrel, others in boring, and so on with all the other branches of the trade. Notwithstanding the gloomy atmosphere of Liege, and its inferiority to the greater number of the cities of Belgium, in an architectural point of view, nevertheless its murkiness is much relieved by the business-like bustle and hum of industry which prevail in all quarters. There are many iron-mines in the neighbourhood, and also extensive coal floors. The latter have been worked not only to the verge of the town, but beneath it, so much so as to un- dermine many of the streets and houses. The out- skirts present a succession of highly picturesque scenery, characterized by lofty hills, and the broad valley of the Meuse, which is navigable to the sea, and here forms a junction with the Ourthe and the Vesdre. From the summit of the hill of St. QUENTIN DURVVARD. 213 Walberg, upon which several churches and palaces have been erected, the views of tlie country all round constitute a panorama of the most diversific^l and animated description. Those who have read Scott's charming " Quentin Durward," will no doubt set about exploring the localities of Liege with peculiar feelings of interest. But those feelings will be of very short duration, for Sir Walter Scott"'s Liege bears no more resem- blance of the real city than it docs to Edinburgh. He has indeed caught the spirit of its former tur- bulent character, and related with tolerable fidelity, as a chronicler, some of the most exciting passages of its history, for which he is indebted to Monstre- let and Philip de Comines. But upon almost all points of topography, he has allowed his imagina- tion a license, which is rather surprising, consider- ing that if he had paid only a short visit to the scene of his romance, or even taken the trouble to make himself acquainted with it, through the '^ spec- tacles of books," he might have easily avoided all the errors into which he has fallen — errors, however, which, after all, do not impair the attractions of the story. 214 THE WONDER OF LIEGE. There are very few objects in Liege worth the attention of a traveller, except the Church of St. Jacques, the Bishop's palace, and the modern uni- versity. The former is generally called the " Won- der of Liege." It is constructed principally in the Gothic style, intermingled with what has been not inappropriately called the " coquetry" and graces of Arabian art ; it was founded about the year 1014, during the reign of Henry II., Emperor of Germany. It was originally attached to a Ceno- bite convent, in the bosom of a vast forest by which Liege was then surrounded. The nave is vast and majestic, and yet so light in appearance that it seems to lift the soul : the whole style of decora- tion is singularly beautiful. The arches, says Mr. Hope, Avhose architectural skill and taste need no praise from me, are elegantly fringed. It possesses wide and splendid windows of painted glass, ele- gantly mullioned net-work screens, reeded pillars, branching into rich tracery, studded with embossed ornaments, containing within them gay Arabescoes, medallions of saints, sovereigns, and prelates innu- merable. Amongst the medallions, are portraits of the kings, queens, prophets, and prophetesses of MINERAL I'OUNTAINS. 215 Scripture, with their names and the verses relating to them, which form on each side of the nave a continued inscription, written in Gothic charac- ters. The whole of this district of Belgium offers many objects of great interest to geologists. Not far from it commences that series of warm fountains of mineral waters which, taking an eastern and north-eastern direction, extend to Spa, Aix-la- Chapelle, and so on to Germany. To the south are many hills and mountains, bearing decided tokens of volcanic action, presenting external fea- tures of the most diversified and extraordinary character, and containing within their bosom ca- verns of great extent, filled with stalactites, fossil bones of men and animals, and other very curious objects, of which specimens may be seen in the mu- seum at Liege, and also rendered particularly inte- resting by the romantic lakes, galleries, vaulted chambers and halls which have been recently disco- vered in their recesses. It is a country, in fact, which has not been yet sufficiently explored ; it has even a language of its own — the "Walloon— 216 CHAUD-FONTAINE. which is said to resemble the old French of Nor- mandy more than any other dialect. In former ages, the Walloons, like the Swiss, served in the army of any state that would pay them. From Liege we took an excursion to Chaud- fontaine, by a diligence which plies twice a day between those two places. The distance being little more than five miles, we found ourselves in about an hour before the Hotel des Bains, having journeyed through a very charming country, and by the light of a brilliant sun, which was peculiarly refreshing to us after leaving the dismal climate of Liege. Outside of the hotel benches were arranged, on which were seated several invalids, who were undergoing a course of warm bathing. The baths are under the superintendence of government, and are got up in a very handsome style. The hot spring rises in an island of the Vesdre just hard by, and is pumped up by a wheel turned by the current of the river. The waters of the fountain are remarkably clear ; the valley in which the village is situated is extremely picturesque; the river abounds in grayling, offering sport to the angler ; BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE. 217 the country around aflbrds many enchanting j^ros- pects, and most agreeable walks and rides for those who are in search of health or amusement. I was quite struck with this pleasant village, and wished that I could repose a few days within its quiet and beautiful retreats. While I stood upon its wooden bridge, looking towards the east, I ranged in fancy over a lofty hill in that direction, whose declivities and summits were ornamented by groups of trees, dressed out in all their summer foliage. The Vesdre beneath me, swollen by the late rains, and tinged >vith a yellow colour, rolled rapidly through the arches, sending out angry voices as it pursued its course. A cascade just near, added to the chorus which they formed ; and, as if for my particular entertainment at the mo- ment, an Italian organist stood for a while at the end of the bridge, playing some of Mozart's most ex- quisite airs, whose modulations seemed to receive fresh powers of fascination from the hoarse mur- murs of the neighbouring waters. The shrubs and green turf of the island were spread with clothes which had been just washed in the river. While the sun was drying them, the 218 A BIBLE DISTRIBUTOR. fair and youtliful blanchiseuses amused themselves by various games ; some running over the island in cliase of one another ; some laughing, some sinsina:, some dancing^ ; all full of meriment incon- trollable, A weaned traveller, dressed in a blue blouse, now and then trudged his way over the bridge, stopping a few minutes to admire the in- dustry and talents of a dwarf, who, born without arms, nevertheless taught himself to write with his toes, which he used with all the facility that fingers could have given him. Asa characteristic of the times in which we live, I may mention among the passengers on the bridge, an English Bible distributor, attended by a youth from Highgate, whom he appeared to have captivated by his discourses. He addressed me, at the same time placing in my hand a tract in the French language, very neatly printed at the " Bel- gian Evangelical Repository," in Brussels, and entitled, " Why does your curate forbid you to read the Bible in the vulgar tongue ?" The form of the question is odd enough, for assuming the veto to have been issued, it would extend, upon the hypothesis, only to Bibles in the vulgar tongue, A BIBLE DISIIIIBUTOR. 219 and not to the Greek or Latin ! The tract was in the form of a dialogue between a messenger engaged in carrying about Bibles for distribution, and a labouring man, to wliom lie offers a copy, but whom he could not persuade at first to accept it, because the peasant is made to say, that his curate had forbidden him to read that book. In the course of the dialogue, the poor man is made to declare, that even if he did read the Bible, he could not un- derstand much of it, and that he preferred saying his rosary — a well-known form of Catholic ])rayer — always repeated in the language of the country where it is used. The tractarian, however, is pleased to represent the ignorant peasant as reciting his rosary in Latin ! My eye happening to light on this passage, I pointed out to my evangelical ac- quaintance the pretty chapel of the village, where, if he attended in the evening, he would very pro- bably hear the rosary repeated, not in Latin, but in the lancjuage of the conKres^ition. These Bible distributors and their employers are all, I really believe, well-intentioned persons ; but marvellous is the number of chimeras which they put fortli in their publications, as forming parts of the faith or . 220 TRANSLATIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES. discipline of the Catholic Church. Every well- instructed member of that church perfectly well knows that he is not forbidden to read the Bible ; that it was first translated into Latin by one of the brilliant line of fathers belonging to that church ; that it was first printed in the original Hebrew and Greek, and first translated into all the modern languages of Europe, by members of that church ; that the English Bible used by the dissenters, of every hue of doctrine, is for the most part only a copy of the one originally translated into our lan- guage by English Catholic clergymen, who were obliged to seek refuge in the colleges of Douay from the persecutions of the British government ; and tiiat in the United Kingdom at this moment, reprints of that admirable translation may be found in the hands of everybody who chooses to purchase them. The veto of the cure, or rather of the church itself, is not against the reading of the Bible, but against the interpretation of it by any person not duly authorized by her to perform a task admitted on all hands to be at once so delicate and so arduous. Towards the west is a double row of poplars, RAILWAY TO COLOGNE. 221 between whicli there is a handsome promenade along the margin of the Vesdre, whose waters are said to he remarkably cold at all times of the year. This coldness is the more remarkable, as the springs which are found in the island just mentioned are rather warm (32" 50'), though more temperate than those of Aix-la-Chapclle, or Borcette. Nor is the interest which this pleasant village excites at all diminished by the constant clacking of a water- mill hard by, which is connected with a series of forges for the manufacture of guns and pistols. While I was standing on the bridge, my eye was attractcxl to the heights beyond, by the sudden rush of a number of workmen down the hill. They had not descended far when a loud explosion followed, caused by the blasting of rocks in the line marked out for the prolongation of the line of the railway from Liege to Cologne. It must have been the most ex})ensive of any of the Belgian railways, as it has required a great number of cuttings and tun- nels through the hills, and of bridges over the rivers which it passes on its course. Not far from Chaud-fontaine are the ruins of the famous stronghold of Chievremont, built during 222 THE BRIGAND IDRIEL. the times of the earliest kings of France, upon the summit of a mass of rocks inaccessible on all sides. In the tenth century it was occupied by a brigand named Idriel, who supported a numerous train of followers by plundering the country around him, fearless of all consequences, as he was sure to find an impregnable refuge from his enemies in his castle. His motto was, as the old chroniclers say — " The enemy of all men, the friend of God alone P' His sanguinary proceedings roused the anger of the Bishop of Liege, who meditated all kinds of pro- jects for seizing on the castle by surprise, but to no effect, as the walls, besides being so well fortified by nature, were always carefully guarded. At length the birth of an heir to Idriel offered the much desired opportunity for the accomplishment of the prelate's designs. The brigand despatched a messenger to him to request that he would repair to the castle to baptize the infant. The bishop eagerly accepted the invitation, and proceeded to the chateau, attended by a numerous retinue, as if with the view of giving to the ceremony the greatest possible degree of pomp and pageantry. His fol- lowers all wore coats of mail beneath their clerical SCHEME FOR HIS CAPTURE. 223 dresses, which served also to conceal their weapons of war. When they were all assemhlccl in the church, at a given signal, they threw off" their ex- ternal habits, and proceeded to cut down without mercy the guardians of the castle. Idriel, finding himself betrayed, grapsed his child in his arms, and taking with him also his only daughter, he precipitated himself from the walls, and perished, together with his children, on the spot. In the place where the castle stood there is now a small chapel. \ 224 CHAPTER XVI. Visit to Spa. Castle of Franchimont. Its concealed Treasures. Appearance of Spa. Its Public Establishments. Its Waters. Their dangerous Effects. Ardennes Ponies. Country round Spa. Curious Cave. Toys of Spa. Return to Liege. Depar- ture from Liege. Serang. Messrs. Cockerill's Establishments. Vineyards. Banks of the Meuse. Huy. Its Citadel. Jour- ney to Namur. Extraordinary Rocks. Their strange Configu- rations. A beautiful Solitude-View of Namur. We had an excellent dinner at the table d'hote of Chaud-fontaine, after which we intended to re- turn to Liege, but a diligence coming up on its way to Spa, we mounted it, and immediately drove off. The road is for a part of the way parallel with the charminor banks of the Vesdre as far as Pepinster ; thence it turns off to the right and pro- ceeds to Spa. The ancient village of Theuse, in the neighbourhood, is rendered peculiarly interest- ing to all lovers of romance, as having been formerly the capital of the Marquisate of Franchimont, the \ SPA. 225 the ruins of whose renowned castle are seen tower- ing over a pile of lofty rocks. If any credit be due to the legendary history of the castle, there is a vast treasure buried in its vaults, amassed by its lords from time to time by plundering tlie adjacent country. The treasure is kept in an iron chest, and guarded by a demon in the garb of a huntsman, who is constantly sitting upon it. No human hand can draw the bolts by which the lid of this chest is made fast until some favoured mortal shall arrive who can repeat the very words of the spell which the last lord pronounced when he com- mitted the treasure to the care of the demon-hunts- man. Spa is also within the ancient Marquisate of Franchimont, and was a miserable little village until its mineral springs were discovered in the fourteenth century. It is now a very handsome though irregularly built town situated in a beautiful valley of the Ardennes mountains. Its general appearance is cheerful, and a visitor would at once say that it seems the very abode of health. It was for centuries the most frequented watering-place in Europe, and is celebrated as the spot where monarchs VOL. I. fi 226 THE WATERS. often assembled in Congress to discuss and arrange their affairs. We found it almost wholly deserted, though in the height of the season. The establishments constructed for the accommo- dation and amusement of the visitors are all upon a very splendid scale. The principal are the Re- doute, and a very handsome colonnade erected at the expense of Peter the Great, as a memorial of his gratitude for the benefit which he received from the waters of the spring that rises in the very centre of the town. The Redoute is a very extensive building, containing within its compass a ball- room, rooms for gambling, a cafe, and a theatre. The colonnade includes a large pump-room, where those who are able to take exercise may walk when the weather is unfavourable. The waters of Spa are carried in well-sealed bottles to all parts of Europe. They are con- sidered as particularly useful in cases of bilious and nervous disorders. They are strongly impregnated with iron — more so, the chemists say, than any other mineral spring which has been yet discovered. They are, moreover, so replete with carbonic acid gas, that they require to be used at first with very ARDENNES PONIES. 227 great caution, as they have been known in some instances to fly to the head and to produce dan- gerous effects, A friend of mine told me that his memory was so much affected by the first glass of the spring, which he drank early in the morning, that he foro;ot to eat his breakfast ! The finely wooded heights which overhang the town, present on all sides prospects of the most varied and interesting description. Desirous of becoming more nearly acquainted with them, we hired a pair of the capital Ardennes ponies, which abound in Spa, and set off at full gallop. I placed the bridle upon my steed's head, and desired hira to take me wherever he liked. He, I suppose, knowing what he ought to do upon the occasion, conducted me at once up the nearest hill, along the bed of a winter torrent ; then descending by a bridle-road, he trotted on until we found ourselves upon a splendid ]\Iac-Adamised road, whence I had a vast view, limited only by the horizon, over fine plains and shghtly undulating grounds, towards the Prussian boundary. The morning was mild and balmy, and I came easily to the conclusion that the invalid who cannot recover his health in q2 228 TOYS OF SPA. Spa and its environs, may as well make up his mind at once for a journey towards that bourne whence there is no return. I was anxious to pay a visit to Adseaux, where, I was informed, a river precipitated itself into a natural grotto, taking its course subsequently through a subterraneous channel of several miles in extent, to the cave of Remouchamps, which it traverses. Although I made all due inquiry as to the locality of Adseaux, I missed my way. Some few years ago a discovery of a new cavern was made by an Englishman, the entry to which is through the floor of the cave of Remouchamps, which had long been well known. It is much more extensive than the latter, and is filled with stalac- tites. The rock in which these caverns are situ- ated is composed of limestone, alternating with clay slate. Near Spa may be seen the ruins of the castle once occupied by William de la Marck, the celebrated " Boar of Ardennes." The shop win- dows of the town display, in abundance, specimens of the wooden toys for which Spa is famous. They are after the fashion of our Tonbridge ware, but rather more elegantly painted. The wood of RETURN TO LIEGE. 229 whicli they are manufactured is steeped in the mineral springs before it is used, and when taken out, is curiously stained by the iron ingredient of the waters. Unfortunately for the many poor ar- tisans who have been brought up to this species of employment, the rush of the fashionable crowds of hypochondriacs has been for some time towards the wells of Nassau and Bavaria, although the doctors assure us that there is hardly any malady affecting the digestive or nervous system which may not be relieved, if not even effectually cured, by the inter- nal or external application of one or other of the fountains in Spa and its environs. If one glass be sufficiently potent to make a man forget his break- fast, and five be certain to make him quite drunk, I confess I should like to have seen the Great Peter after his morning dose of no fewer than twenty-one glasses of this formidable beverage ! Leaving behind us the numerous empty, and by no means economical hotels of this place, the at- tractions of its Ardennes mutton, which almost tempted us to prolong our visit, and the pretty scene of the loves of Lubin and Annette, celebrated by Marmontel, we returned to Liege, where we 230 MESSRS. COCKERILL*S ESTABLISHMENTS. were once more immerged in all the horrors of that dismal atmosphere — the more dismal to us afte^ having enjoyed the pure skies of Spa and Chaud- fontainc. We therefore set out (11th July) as early as we could upon our journey southward, quitting Liege by the magnificent quay of the Meuse, under a deluge that had been pouring down all the morning. By the time we reached Seraing, however, the heavy clouds began to dis- sipate, and to reveal some azure fields in the hea- vens, which promised more agreeable weather. Columns of fire rising in the air out of numerous chimneys, indicated our approach to the celebrated manufacturing establishments of the Messrs. Cock- erill, justly styled, when they were in the height of their prosperity, one of the wonders of Belgium. The principal edifice visible from the road, was formerly the palace of the Prince Bishops of Liege. It subsequently became the property of the crown, and was purchased by the late Mr. Cockerill, who had previously erected in Liege several founderies for the fabrication of machinery. Upon its being discovered that coal and iron ore were to be ob- tained in the immediate neighbourhood of each SERAING. 231 Other, within the precincts of the land aiijacent to the palace, he enclosed the whole within a high wall, beneath which flows the Meuse. Thus, within the limits of one establishment, were produced coal, iron, steam-engines, and all kinds of iron machinery, foi- which the proprietors received orders. In con- sequence, however, of the vicissitudes in trade which had occurred in Belgium, soon after its separation from Holland, and particularly since the contracts for the riiilroads have been nearly all executed, the Morks at Seraing have been con- ducted lately upon a limited scale. They are said to have, at one time, given employment constantly to upwards of two thousand men. Seraing consists of a single street, of nearly a mile in length, and occupies a valley, over which tower on each side lofty cliffs, crowned with villas and convents. The human " face divine'' does not, certainly, shew itself to much advantage in these districts; but, by way of compensation, it was pleasant to observe that the inhabitants in gene- ral, male and female, were comfortably clothed. The Annd, which had been blowing coldlv all the morning, ceased at noon, when the sun broke 232 HUY. through the clouds, and bestowed a cheerful aspect to the banks of the Meuse, near which we still pursued our course. Vineyards began already to make their appearance, interspersed with neat cottages, and occasionally with immense formations of limestone in an inclined direction, and huge walls of brown stone, which give a wild and peculiar character to the scenery. Plantations of hops were now and then to be observed amongst the vineyards, and also gardens for the production of vegetables wherever strips of cultivable soil were to be found between the enormous cliffs. Nearer to the river, on either side, there are tracts of alluvial soil, every part of which was turned to advantage, the whole teeming with wheat, oats, barley, and what is here called saigle — that is, bere, — chiefly used, when mixed with a small proportion of wheaten flour, for bread. Lucerne, clovei', and poppies were also abundant on the margin of the river, and occasionally considerable fields of pasturage. The approach to Huy is striking. Towering high above the town is its magnificent citadel, not long before the Belgian revolution repaired, and CITADEL. 233 greatly extended upon the most approved plans, by English engineers, under the direction of Colo- nel IJlanshard, and at the expense of the King of Holland. It is seated upon a lofty and precipitous rock, and completely conmiands the passage of the Meuse, by which this old town, wearing the aspect of a former age, but still hardy and vigorous in its condition, is divided. Beneath the citadel we beheld the cathedral, and in every part of the town the steeples and spires of many churches. All round were very curious-looking rocks, like the fragments of ruined castles. We stopped at the Hotel de la Poste — beds not bad — dinner indifferent — wines not drinkable. According to my habit, I repaired to the bridge, to fix in my memory some general idea of the town. To the south, the fortress, the cathedral — beyond the fortress, a bold ridge of rocks running to a considerable distance parallel with the river, and in some parts well wooded — beneath it some of the streets of the town. To the north, a lonjj street of rather mean-looking houses near the bank of the Meuse — wiiich rolled beneath me, turbulent and yeUow from the recent rains. The whole aspect of 234 JOURNEY TO NAMUR. the place was cheerless, owing perhaps, in a great measure, to the state of the weather, which, though sunny and warm in the early part of the after- noon, became exceedingly cold and cloudy in the evening. I ascended the fortress by an easy winding road, which terminates at the gate. Thence I proceeded by flights of stairs, and rambled at discretion over every part of the pile, without meeting a single human being. The vaults are chiefly excavated out of the solid rock, and the thick massive walls would seem capable of offering great resistance to a host of assailants. But strong as the whole bul- wark may be, I fancy it could not long hold out against the shells and bombs and powerful artillery of the present day. Moreover it is commanded by the neighbouring heights. In one of the suburbs may be traced the ruins of an abbey founded by Peter the Hermit, the preacher of the first Crusade. His remains were interred in the abbey. We left Huy by diligence at five o''clock in the morning (12th July) for Namur, having the Meuse, which had been hitherto to our left, now on our right. We passed by several factories, one of EXTRAORDINARY ROCKS. 235 which was a paper-mill, established l)y the late Mr. Cockerill. The weather was still remarkably cold. The river, though navigable, exhibited no sign of commerce. We had scarcely advanced three leagues from Iluy when our attention was drawn to the extraordinary features of the lime- stone rocks which presented themselves for a con- siderable distance along the opposite side of the river. Some of these started up to a great height, isolated, and of slender shape, bearing a close re- semblance to so many towers belonging to fortifi- cations, which it scarcely required any force of imagination to trace in the masses of rock from Avhich they stood out. Some of these tower-like columns were clustered close together, as if for the purpose of strengthening each other. As we advanced, a still more interesting succes- sion of these sports of nature became visible on our left, the great designer passing from one side of the river to the other, apparently while in some of her most fanciful and capricious moods of creation- The objects shaped out in a thousand varying forms, were upon a more gigantic scale, hoary with age, indented by many a winter's violent rain, and 236 A BEAUTIFUL SOLITUDE exhibiting frequently horizontal strata of black marble, which added not a little to the peculiarity of their appearance, especially where the formations stretched inwards like perpendicular walls, as if to guard some once proud, but now ruined, capital of the elder days. These mural precipices, sublime in their effect, from their great height, vast extent, and solid construction, were crowned occasionally with round castles, the work also of nature, follow- ing up the idea of fortifying the whole of that line, and commanding the passage of the noble river be- low. High above the most elevated of these towers, a falcon was observed soaring on his expanded wings, engaged in pursuit of quarry, which seemed destined soon to become his prey. It was a meet accessory to the picture we had been contemplating with such profound interest. As if to diversify the prospect, a deep ravine suddenly presented itself to the view, in which, amidst rich foliage, were embosomed a charming villa, two or three neat white cottages, and a small church with its tapering spire. The smoke curling from the chimney-tops of the mansion and the cottages, shewed that they were not unoccupied. VIEW OF NAMLR. 237 One could not avoid associating ideas of liapjiiness with that scene of beautiful solitude. Further on, those fine rocky walls were still con- tinued, but the most imposing efl'ect having been ap]\arently yielded to those already passed, those which now came within sight were veiled within a long line of poplar trees. By degrees the sublime descended to gracefulness ; variety of form still kept up the charm of a picture perpetually chang- inor, as if under the influence of some scene-shifter possessing magic power over the whole of this re- markable territory, and shewing occasionally the most skilful contrasts between ranges of barren rock and gentle declivities clothed in rich green herbage, until at length this procession of unrivalled grandeur and loveliness, having reached its ter- mination, it was succeeded by a style of scenery altogether rustic in its character, until at length the fortresses, steeples, and ample domes of Namur, came within our horizon, glistening under the va- rx'mcr lights of the noon-dav sun, and reminding mc forcibly of my first view of Constantinople. 238 CHAPTER XVII. Namur. Church of St. Loup. Jesuit College. Journey to Dinant. First View of Dinant. Origin of its Name. The Cave of Trou de Hans. Road to the Cave. The Royal Hunting Lodge. Pretty Scenery. Forest of Ardennes. Its abundant Game. Open Country. Its Hungarian Appearance. Our Voiturier. The Village of Hans. M. Lefevre. Discovery of the Cave. Namur is seated near the junction of the Sambre and the Meuse, a position which, combined with the neighbouring heights, their richly cultivated declivities, gardens, masses of fine foliage, villas, vineyards, and scattered hamlets, the two magnifi- cent rivers, one of which comes as a tributary from France, renders it singularly picturesque. It has nearly twenty thousand inhabitants, who find am- ple employment in the quarries of valuable marble, and the coal and iron mines in its neighbourhood, and in the manufacture of brass ware and cutlery. It is called the " Belgian Sheffield.'" It has been NAMUR. 239 tlie scene of much strife in its time, and especially during the war between the English and French, during the reign of William III. Sterne would have us believe that uncle Toby was present at the re-capture of this city by the English in 169o, after a siege of ten weeks, and that his much boasted wound was received on the point of the " advanced counterscarp, before the gate of St. Nicholas; which enclosed the great sluice in one of the toises, from the returning angle of the demi-bastion of St. Roche " — a description sufficiently minute, but which, I fear, would prove of little assistance to any military traveller, who woiUd endeavour to find out the said counterscarp, sluice, or demi-bastion, at the present day. The history of the siege was written by Racine, and forms the subject of one of the odes of Boileau. The cathedral is of comparatively recent con- struction, having been finished as late as 1767. It is dedicated in honour of St. Aubin, whose relics it contains, is constructed in the Corinthian order, surmounted by a beautiful dome, and may be con- sidered as one of the handsomest modern churches in Belgium. The most interesting ecclesiastical edifice 240 JESUIT COLLEGE. in Namur is, however, that of St. Loup, which was erected in the year 1642. The vaulted roof is com- posed of solid white stone, most elaborately chased in the Arabesque style, all executed by the hand of a single artist, a Jesuit, under whose superinten- dence the temple was raised from its foundation. The roof is sustained by twelve rustic columns of highly polished porphyry and red jasper, with Ionian capitals ; and the floor is of variegated mar- bles, the produce of the neighbouring quarries. The confessionals are also of marble, richly carved; and the sides of the high altar present a variety of the same material, which, in every part of the church, is also gilt to an extent that rather palls upon the eye. The Jesuits, to whom this church belongs, have established a college also in Namur, under the tu- telage of " Notre Dame de la Paix." It is under- stood to be exceedingly well conducted, and upon very economical terms. The scope of its studies embraces, courses in grammar, literature, ancient and modern, rhetoric, mathematics, philosophy, zoology, botany, chemistry, algebra, and practical geometry. Public examinations are held in the FIRST VIEW OF DINANT. 241 month of August. There are some En<^lish j)upils in this establishment, but the great majority of the students are Belgian. From Namur to Dinant, we still pursued the charming valley of the Meuse. The scenerv, for some time after quitting the former city, was in- deed of a less striking character than that which we had witnessed on our ap])roach to it ; but as we advanced on our course, the river presented a wider expanse, rolling more rapidly and with a grander effect, between bold and lofty declivities, sometimes densely wooded, sometimes utterly barren of vege- tation and blanched by age. The first view of Dinant constitutes a very peculiar and imposing picture. Immediately above the town rises, in a broken pyramidal form, to a great height, an accumulation of limestone cliffs, crowned by one of those costly fortresses which were arranged to be erected under the terms of the treaty of 1815. The cathedral, with its lofty and singular tower, partaking somewhat of the shape of a Chinese pagoda, occupies a commanding position, and the principal street runs along the bank of the river, which here opens out still more widely than VOL. I. £ 242 CAVE OF TROU DE HANS. before. The city is a very ancient one, and is said to have taken its name from Diana, who is supposed to have had a temple here dedicated to her worship ; it lias figured a good deal in the wars between Louis XI. and the Duke of Bur- gundy. The population, at the present day, does not much exceed five thousand souls. I have already stated that in most of the moun- tains in this district of Belgium, numerous and very curious caverns have been discovered from time to time. Having been informed by our esteemed friend, the Rev. Thomas Tyrwhitt (vicar of Whitterborne church, near Blandford, Dorset- shire), whose name I have already mentioned, and whom we had again the good fortune to meet at Dinant, that the cave about fifteen miles distant from this place, called the " Trou de Hans," was well worth examination, and that he and his amiable lady had just returned from visiting it, we engaged a voiture to proceed thither forthwith. Quitting Dinant by the road which leads be- tween a steep declivity and a remarkably tall isolated mass of rock, to which the people here have given the well-known chivalrous name of Bayard, PRETTY SCENERY. 243 we soon gained the open country. The morning was bright and genial ; butterflies were chasing each otlicr along the fields and hedges, and we met several peasant girls wending their way to the market with baskets of flowers. It was not long: before we entered upon a tract of forest, a part of which King Leopold has purchased for his hunting expeditions. He has constructed upon a very pic- turesque eminence a hunting-lodge, which, without any pretensions to show, bears about it every sign of convenience and comfort. The cottage is on the right of the road ; the forest is on the left, and presents here and there openings in which bridle-roads have been formed, for the accom- modation of the royal sportsman and his com- panions. We passed also in the way by two or three other handsome villas, one of which belongs to the Duchess of Beaufort. A pretty little scene presented itself to our view as we drove along. In a smiling valley on our left the waters of a brook were dammed up until they formed a sufficient power to turn a mill beneath them. The mill seemed full of business, and in its neighbourhood were a few rustic cottages, which R 2 244 FOREST OF ARDENNES. seemed quite away from all the cares of the world. A little farther on we came upon a deep ravine, the sides of which were well wooded with ash, oak, birch, and beech ; a torrent tumbling down the rocks fell into the bottom of the ravine, producing a pleasing murmur, and along the margin of the stream which supphed the waters of the torrent there was a path, which is said to be a favourite haunt of Leopold when he visits this part of his happy kingdom. His majesty has also a farm on the left of the road, in the cultivation of which he is said to feel a lively country-gentleman-like sort of interest. The day continued delightful ; a refreshing breeze was in the air, repaying us by its balmy healthy odours for all the late cold and rainy weather which we had experienced. Corn-fields and copses served to give variety to our route, until descending towards a small stream, our voi- turier informed us that it was the Lesse, which passes through the cavern we were about to visit. The forest of Ardennes here assumes a most mag- nificent character, extending to an apparently boundless extent on our right. We caught at some distance a glimpse of a white house, which ABUNDANT GAME. 245 indicated the village of Hans. Could ue have gone thither as the crow flies, we might apparently have reached it in less than half an hour ; but the road takes a very circuitous course, leading us, however, through a tract of country by no means destitute of romantic features. In this neighbouriiood the Count de Kirk, for- merly an officer in the guards of Napoleon, possesses an extensive property. The roacl now passes partly through the forest, through which the hunting-paths presented us occasionally with some charming vistas. The forest is said to abound with foxes, hares, rabbits, wild boars, and several other kinds of game. We were cheered by the notes of the thrush, the blackbird, and the nightingale, and by ^^the sports of the beautiful squirrel, who gamboled merrily from tree to tree. Emerging from the forest, we passed through a wild and heathy country, until we reached a turn on the left, where we quitted the capital road which we had hitherto traversed, exchanging it for a rougii cart-way, that threatened to u]:set our vehicle every moment. The scene through which we were now passing 246 OPEN COUNTRY. reminded me a good deal of my rides over the plains of Hungary. Groups of sheep, with their shepherds and shepherdesses, were assembled wher- ever a green oasis supplied a scanty herbage. We had a vast open horizon, and upon ascending an eminence of considerable height, our voiturier stopped awhile to rest his horses and to enable us to take a view of the country beneath, which was indeed well worthy of all the praise he gave it, including a great part of the forest of Ardennes, lying behind us, and a boundless sweep of undu- lating territory in the distance, permitting us to catch, far beyond all, glimpses of mountains so much the colour of the azure sky, that they were scarcely discernible from it. We drank in with renewed delight the healthy breezes which visited these rarely-trodden wilds. Remounting our carriage, we proceeded towards our destination, observing how carefully any little spot which was at all capable of cultivation was turned to the greatest possible advantage. We had already become great friends with our voitu- rier, whose name was Antoine Baugne, and who shewed a great deal more of intelligence and, I OUR VOITURIER. 247 may add, of sentiment, than one generally meets in persons of iiis vocation. He was well accjuainted with the road, and never failed to call our attention to any object whicii lie thought might interest us. Seeing my note-book and pencil constantly in my hand, he surmised that I was preparing to give an account of my travels. He was much pleased when I asked him to give me his name, and added that I should recommend him to my countrymen who might be disposed to visit the cavern of Hans- on-Lesse. Descending through an agreeable valley, whose declivities on either side were well stocked with sheep, we passed by the village of Epraffe, and then came within sight of the hill, not quite lofty enough to be called a mountain, within whose bosom was situated the object of our journey. The hill is thickly wooded, and the cavern opens a way through it from one side to the other, thus affording a passage to the Lesse, which had already begun to assume the appearance of a considerable river. Arriving near an old wooden bridge, which passes over it, but is wide enough only for pedef- trians, Antoine was obliged to drive through the 248 THE VILLAGE OF HANS. current, which was somewhat deeper than usual, on account of the recent rains. We walked across the bridge, and followed our vehicle to the village of Hans, which was close by. Hans has much the appearance of a Spanish village ; its church and spire gave an air to the picture, which, seen from a distance, would have tempted a traveller to visit it, expecting that he might find here a neat and pleasant resting-place from the heat of the day ; but true to the simili- tude I have stated, Hans presents every token of wretchedness: ruined cabins, broken windows, a scarcely passable road, groups of little naked urchins staring at the new comers, as if they had never seen a decently-clad person before, and nu- merous dunghills tainting the air. The cabaret of the place is kept by the guide, John Joseph Le- fevre, who, in company with a labouring peasant named Francois Maree, first accidentally discovered the cavern so far back as the year 1814 ; but it at- tracted no attention until within these last few vears, when a short notice of it having appeared in a scientific journal, some geologists were induced to explore it. Very few tourists, however, have taken DISCOVERY OF THE CAVE. 249 the trouble to go out of tlie usual tracks to ex- amine this great natural curiosity. The names of the visitors wliich we found in the guide's l)ort, where the best of the most celebrated wines of the Moselle are produced. One perceives immediately in the more imposing size of several houses, and in the appearance of the people of the village, who crowded the bank as we approached it, all the in- dications of a country teeminfr with the choicest gifts of nature. They were all neatly dressed, healthy, and joyous : the women were comely and gay. They had only to look at the fine hills alxjvc their village, which seemed all one vineyard, and in the most promising condition, to assure themselves of the abundant wealth which the approaching vin- tage had in store for them. There is a handsome old church in the village, with three towers, one of which is crowned by a dome, and in the early Gothic style. The cottages near the margin of the stream are remarkably neat, and every one had in its windows bouquets of flowers. Reluctantly quitting this charming village, wc almost instantly lost sight of it, as we wheeled about abruptly to the right, and steamed away in a south- eastern direction, as if we had no sort of intention of going on to Coblenz, like a lover running away 316 CHARMING LANDSCAPES. from his mistress in a momentary despair. But we had no feeling of that description, for the pros- pects that opened upon us every moment seemed the work of magic, varying in outline, feature, and colour, but all contending with each other in beauty : rich successions of hills planted with vines to the summit, but affording space below for num- berless villages and churches, whose spires peep up over groups of trees, which afforded a welcome shade from the now brilliant sun to the comfortable cottages embosomed amongst them. Gardens well stocked with vegetables, and all the flowers of the season, were near enough to the smooth mirror of the Moselle to behold themselves reflected there in all their charms. After taking a peep at the interior of the country in a southern direction, we resumed our course northward, and curving westward slightly, reached Dusemont, whence the amateur of Moselle wines derives that exquisite kind denominated Brauner- berger. The picturesque hills upon which the wine is grown are separated from Dusemont by the Moselle ; so that the inhabitants of the village have in view before them not only the sources of COLD WINDS. 317 their wealth, hut alsd ranrjcs of the most delicious scenery whieh can he found in any part of the world. The Brainierhcri;-, the iiill upon whieii the wine grows, is of a peculiarly graceful form, ri.sing from an ample base below, and gradually tapering upwards, but not to a ])oint, gently rounded in every direction, until it terminates in a convex. It is often remarkable that \vherc nature bestows her most valuable gifts, she signalizes them also with some marks of her own beauty. At a short distance from Dusemont is jMulheini, where two small brooks, coming from the south, fall into the Moselle. One of these is said to contain particles of gold. We proceeded between banks increasing, as wc advanced, in attractions, well peopled by smiling villagers, and })rcsenting tokens of general content and happiness such as one rarely meets with elsewhere. We hail occa- sional drawbacks upon the sensations with which these scenes inspired us, in gusts of wind so cold, ^that it seemed as if they came from the pole itself. To guard against them we were obliged instantly to snatch up our cloaks and wrap tliem closely around us. 318 CARDINAL DE CUSA. Just before arriving at the rather important town of Berncastle, we passed Cues, famous for its hospi- tal, which was founded in the year 1438 by the cele- brated Cardinal de Cusa, a native of the village, and said, but incorrectly, to have been the son of a poor fisherman. It was intended for the reception of thirty-three invalids, in honour of the number of years during which our Saviour lived upon earth. Six of these were to be priests, six gentlemen, and twenty-one of the class of bourgeoisie. Although the revenues of the establishment increased con- siderably in the course of time, the number of invalids always continued the same. Upon entering the hospital they made a vow of obedience and fidelity to the rector, and assumed a grey habit. They had cells assigned to them, but they lived in common, and had all the external appearance of being members of a religious order. A curious letter is extant, written by an arch- bishop who was one of the appointed visitors of the hospital, which pretty well shews that this asylum for old age and infirmity was not always the abode of perfect sobriety and peace. It is dated in De- cember in 1673, and is addressed to the lay- HIS LETTER. 319 brothers of the hospital. The letter runs thus: — " We have learned from unquestionable sources, that some amongst you frequent the cabarets, and drink to excess; that you withhold the obedience wliich is due to tlie rector, and that you even strike with your naketl fists, knock down, and violently beat the peaceful and orderly brethren of the house, whom you keep constantly in fear of their lives. All this displeases me exceedingly. You are tliereforc hereby required, each and every one of you, to abstain, henceforth, from making a racket or noise of any kind or degree whatsoever; carefully to avoid tippling and drunk- enness; to pay to the rector all due obedience; not to oppose his orders by word or deed; to be very careful not to lay your hands upon him; not to offend him in any way, nor to attack him by force of arms. In line, I hereby require of you to observe each and every of the statutes and rules of the hospital, such as they are read to you every quar- ter. Tiiis is our inflexible wilk" Berncastle, which is a little below Cues, is a 320 BERNCASTLE. town of at least 2,000 inhabitants. We stopped here for nearly an hour, as our captain had some merchandize to deliver. It is situated in a very narrow valley, beneath a lofty precipitous pile of the Hunstruck mountains, which press boldly here upon the Moselle. Indeed, below the town, so closely do the mountains approach the shore, that the road is scarcely wide enough to allow of two carriages passing one another. Upon the highest point of the mountain are seen the ruins of an ancient castle, of which two towers, one called the Mandatthiirme, the other the Castle, remained in good preservation until they were destroyed by the French in the early part of the revolutionary wars. From these ruins, one of the most magnificent views of the Moselle, and of the country on each side, to a vast distance, may be obtained. The situation of the town itself is peculiarly beautiful, seated beneath savage rocks, from which a fine cascade tumbles, until it reaches the river, having nearly opposite to it the noble hospital of Cuss, and possessing within its own precincts an ex- tremely handsome parish church, dedicated to St. ANCIENT MAXXERS. 321 Michael, and an ancient convent of the Capuchins. The steeple of the church is tall and graceful, rising to an almost inipcrcoptibk' point. Ei^ht small towers, besides, decorate the edifice, wliich is erected in the pointed style. The view on the opposite side of the IMoselle, upon wiiich no moun- tain appears, hut an undulating plain, richly culti- vated, contrasts in a most striking manner with the precipitous heights of the Hunstruck, and charms the mind with its smiling, animated, varied, ex- panded fields of beauty, perfect in all its attri- butes. It does not injure this picture to add, that the inhabitants of Berncastle are said still to retain much of their ancient customs, and that they present in their conduct towards each other, and also to strangers, the most amiable dispositions. Frank in their manners, cordial in their friendships, deeply attached to the religion of their fathers, which they practise with a most becoming piety, they uniformly wear an air of cheerfulness and even of gaiety, which speaks the innocence of the heart within. This character belonged formerly VOL. I. Y 322 CHARACTER OF THE MOSELLE. to most of the population, who, to borrow a classic phrase, " drank of the waters " of the Moselle. Churches, monasteries, and religious houses appear to have been in no part of Christendom so nume- rous as they were in the middle ages', and down even to a later period, upon the banks, or at least not remote from the confines of this enchanting river. Nor is this surprising. The pervading charac- ter of the Moselle is beauty ; not beauty of a kind that may be passed by and easily forgotten, but strongly defined ; never aspiring to the sublime, but next to it in the diapason of that heavenly harmony which breathes throughout the creation. I have seen those parts of the Rhine which are admitted, universally, to comprehend its principal attractions, but they are, according to my taste, inferior to those of the Moselle. They want the inspi- ration of design, the completeness of outline, the true grace of form, the disposition of principal and accessorial objects, the exquisite sunshine and etherial shade, which the Moselle and its banks exhibit. Those who admire Dante would prefer CHARACTER OF THE MOSELLE. 323 the Rhine; those wlio worshii) Milton ourrht to seek the grandeur of tlie Danube ; but they who love Tasso and his gardens of the IlesiKrides would find on the Moselle much to remind them of the genius of that immortal poet. Ey:i) OF VOLUME I. J. L. COX & SONS, PRINTERS TO THE HONOURABLE EAST-INDIA COMPANY, 74 & 75, Gt. Queen St. Lincoln's-Inn Fields. v.i THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. II iS'^J^f''-;'?FM..,, AA 000 328 32 1 ■■>