A A ^^^^= o ^^— ^. en ^^^= o JT — — — -— X 3D 7 9 8 3 3NA £ =^~^=T ^o ^^^^^ 3 4 ^^= -n ■ ^ 4 ^^^^ ~l 8 < Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES CABINET CYCLOPAEDIA, London : Printed by A. & R. Spotriswoode, New-Street-Square. ir$* IP3R3IH©:' THE WOKLD. i-kinti:i> l"K ami JOHB VO ' 1J CABINET CYCLOPAEDIA. CONDUCTED BY THE REV. DIONYSIUS LARDNER, LL.D. F.R.S. L.&E. M.R.I. A. F.L.S. F.Z.S. Hon. F.C.P.S. M.AstS. &c. &c. ASSISTED BY ■ EMINENT LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN. Ceograptjp* THE CITIES AND PRINCIPAL TOWNS OF THE WORLD. VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, REES, OI1ME, BROWN, AND GREEN, PATERNOSTER-ROW ; AND JOHN TAYLOR, ' I'PI.FI I.OULR STREET. 1830. G Ho ADVERTISEMENT. In this work the longitudes have been estimated from the meridian of London. The population is generally expressed in round numbers, allowance being sometimes made for the probable change since the last census. Notices of places of minor importance, statistically considered, have been occasionally introduced, because of the interest which attends them arising from other circumstances. 3023335 CONTENTS. Page ENGLAND. IRELAND. * »gc London 1 Dublin 129 Oxford - 35 Cork 139 Cambridge - 42 Limerick 145 Liverpool 50 Waterford - 149 Bristol 58 Belfast - 151 Birmingham 60 Manchester 61 NETHERLANDS. Sheffield - 65 Brussels 154 Canterbury 66 The Hague 161 York • 73 Amsterdam - 166 Bath 78 Ghent 175 Wells - 82 Antwerp 183 Salisbury- 84 Rotterdam 189 Norwich 88 Liege 193 Lincoln 95 Utrecht 199 Winchester 98 Leyden 204 Windsor - 101 Aix-la-Chapelle - 209 Worcester - - 104 Bruges 214 Lancaster - 105 Louvain 216 Dover - 107 Mechlin 219 Warwick - 109 Haarlem 223 Caernarvon • 111 Namur 226 Alnwick - 113 Spa - - 230 SCOTLAND. FRANCE. Edinburgh - 115 Paris 234 Glasgow - 119 Rouen 250 Stirling • 122 Havre - 256 St. Andrew's ■ 125 Lyons 259 CONTENTS. FRANCE — continued. Page Marseilles - 268 Toulouse - - 273 Bordeaux - 278 Dijon - 283 Grenoble - 285 Avignon - 287 Nimes - 289 SPAIN. Madrid - 294 Barcelona - 298 Seville - 299 SPAIN — continued. Granada - - 302 Almanza - - 307 Cadiz - - 308 Saragossa - - 311 Cordova - - 312 Toledo - - 316 Corunna - - 317 Segovia - - 318 The Escurial, or Escorial - - 319 Gibraltar - - 321 CITIES AND PRINCIPAL TOWNS OF THE WORLD. ENGLAND. LONDON. Lat. 51° 30' N. Population 1,500,000. .LoxDox, the capital of the United Kingdom, situated on the banks of the Thames, about sixty miles, measured by the course of the river, above its discharge into the sea, is the largest congregate mass of human life, arts, science, wealth, power, and architectural splendour, that exists ; or, in almost all these particulars, that ever has existed within the known annals of mankind. It should be recollected that the power of some ancient cities — even of Rome herself — was relatively, but not positively greater ; and that ancient populations have been enormously exaggerated. The only antique supe- riority well attested, is that of architecture and sculpture. It may be safely affirmed in the year 1830, that London contains a population of 1,500,000, occupying, fortunately both for its grandeur and public health, an area still greater tban the ratio of its inhabitants. The magnificence of London is substantially of modern date, beginning with the reign of Charles I., and grown by starts. No city, except Constantinople, has so fre- quently suffered three the most dreadful of human vi- sitations — famine, fire, and the plague. We will ascend VOL. I. B 2 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. for a moment, not to the origin of London, which is un- known, hut to the first authentic mention of it. A fahulous halo has been thrown round its foundation, as in the in- stances of other great cities, but so destitute of the proba- bilities even of poetic fiction as not to be worth citing. London was probably a settlement or stationary camp of Britons at the invasion of Julius Caesar. It cannot, however, be clearly identified with the " Civitas Trino- bantum" named by him. The Romans latinised its British name into Lundinium, the first syllable of which has been preserved through the various subsequent changes of termination. It was called by the Romans in the fourth century " Augusta Trinobantum," from Helena Augusta, mother of Constantine, and a native of Britain. Some are of opinion that the Roman London was founded on the southern bank of the river, and on the site called St. George's-fields. This is contrary to the usage of civilised founders, especially of the Romans, who have uniformly built on eminences, and therefore must have chosen the northern bank, not the flat and marshy ground on the opposite side. Some Roman re- mains found on the left bank only prove that the settle- ment extended across the river in process of time. The only express authority in favour of the southern bank is Ptolemy the geographer, who flourished in the second century of the Christian era, at Canopus near Alexan- dria ; he may, at that distance, have easily mistaken a fact which filled in the Roman empire, and in his eye, a very small space. London had attained some importance as a centre of trade, but not as a military station, in the reign of Nero, when Boadicea, in revenge for an insult offered by the conquerors to herself and her daughters, took advantage of the retreat of Suetonius Paulinus, to burn it to the 3 38 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. the University church, a large ancient Gothic edifice, with a lofty and conspicuous spire. Not far from this is the Radcliffe library, a perfectly beautiful modern structure, with a complete collection of all that has been written, at least all known and worth reading, on natural philosophy. The funds for building it (40,000/.) were bequeathed by the celebrated Dr. Radcliffe, and the foundation was laid in 1737. Its dome affords a wide and magnificent view of Oxford, with its spires and towers, and the adjacent scenery. The architect was Gibbs, who built St. Martin's church, London. Opposite the north gate of the library, with RadclifFe- square between, is the square of the schools ; containing the treasures of the Bodleian (or University) library, founded by sir Thomas Bodley, on the remains of the library of duke Humphrey of Gloucester, the picture gallery, with the Arundel marbles and Pomfret statues. The picture gallery has some few good historic and landscape pieces, with an extensive collection of inte- resting portraits and busts. There are also models of some of the most precious remains of antiquity : — the arch of Constantine at Rome ; the Parthenon ; the temple of Vesta at Tivoli, the Maison carree at Nismes; the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, commonly called the Lantern of Demosthenes, at Athens; the temple of " Fortuna Virilis" at Rome; the theatre of Hercu- laneum, the temples of Erectheus, Pandrosus, and Mi- nerva Polias, on the Acropolis ; the amphitheatre at Verona, and the temple of Vesta at Psestum. The Arundel marbles, collected in Asia, and pre- sented by the duke of Norfolk in 1677., are curious as illustrations of history rather than as works of art. The Pomfret statues were presented by the countess of Pom- fret in 1755. Fronting the divinity school stands the theatre, built by sir Christopher Wren, who had been professor of mathematics at Oxford before he became the first architect of his age. This is regarded as the chief ornament of the university, especially for its in- terior, and painted ceiling. The ground-plan is taken OXFORD. 39 from the theatre of Marcellus at Rome; and the expan- sion of the walls, in imitation of the antique, not ad- mitting an ordinary roof, the ceiling has the appearance of a painted canvass stretched over gilt cordage. It was painted in the time of Charles II., and both the draw- ing and colouring are not without merit : their being better woidd only make it matter of regret that they were there, from the awkwardness of position and pain- ful straining of vision to which painted ceilings are subjected. There is a redundant but irregular display of imagination in the subjects : — passions, powers, qualities, arts and sciences, are personified and grouped. The artist was Streater, serjeant painter to Charles II. There are in this magnificent apartment portraits of his present majesty, the king of Prussia, and the em- peror of Russia, presented by themselves to the univer- sity, and painted by the first portrait painters of Eng- land and France; that of his majesty by sir Thomas Lawrence, the others by Gerard. It was in this hall that king George IV. (then prince regent) and the allied sovereigns, with their illustrious and brilliant suites, were received and pre- sented with honorary degrees in 1814, immediately after the fall of the French empire and the conclusion of peace. The adjoining colleges of " Trinity" and " Baliol" are remarkable, — the former for the beauty of its chapel, ornamented within with simplicity and grace, yet with a variety of embellishments, and without with an elegant square tower, having pilasters, a balustrade, and statuary — the latter for its antiquity, and as the site on which were burned alive Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer. Christchurch, the largest, most splendid, and, if we may use the word, most fashionable college of the uni- versity, presents an elevation of great length, and some grandeur, viewed from the high street of Oxford. It was founded by cardinal Wolsey, who left" its lofty tower unfinished, to be completed in l()83 by sir ( hris- topher Wren. The hall, built and ornamented by Wol- . strikes by its grandeur, its happy embellishments, d 4 40 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. the correctness of its proportions, its decorated roof, and the grand window, with its carved Gothic canopy, at th^ upper end of the south side. ™ Christchurch claims the privilege of receiving the kings of England when they visit the university, and has received Henry VIII., Elizaheth, James I., Charles I., and George IV. Not the least ornament of this hall is the collection of portraits of distinguished persons edu- cated at Christchurch. Among these are the following, — which we select, without order, as they present them- selves. Left hand from the entrance. — Markham arch- bishop of York, by sir J. Reynolds ; Atterbury bishop of Rochester ; Corbet bishop of Norwich, by Vandyke ; King bishop of London, by Cornelius Jansen ; Dr. Cyril Jackson, by Owen ; Boulter archbishop of Armagh. North side. — Mr. Canning, by sir Thomas Law- rence ; lord Grenville (chancellor of Oxford) ; lord Men- dip (Welbore Ellis), by Gainsborough ; Blackbourne archbishop of York (said to have been a buccaneer in his youth) ; duke of Portland, chancellor, by Romney ; lord Arlington, by sir Peter Lely ; the first lord Mans- field ; Stone archbishop of Armagh ; Locke. There are also portraits of Henry VIIL, Elizabeth, and Wolsey, and a bust of George IV. This college has a new and magnificent library, with a collection of paintings in the basement story. It con- tains on its staircase a whole length statue of Locke, by Roubillac, by way of reparation perhaps to that il- lustrious philosopher and patriot for having rejected him from its Jacobite bosom. Merton college is distinguished by two objects : the eastern window of the kind called Catherine wheel, one of the only three in England, remarkable for the fancy and beauty of its tracery more than for its paint- ings, and placed in a chaste and graceful Gothic chapel ; and its lofty tower, which adds greatly at a distance to the picturesque beauty of Oxford. The observatory founded by Dr. RadclifFe is modelled upon the temple of the Winds at Athens, with a light • OXFORD. 41 and graceful centre, and wings well adapted for the Prposes of observation. The new university printing- 's is a building of the Corinthian order, rather heavy and massive than florid or grand in its appearance. A simpler order would have been more judiciously chosen. The heads of colleges and halls have suitable resi- dences in their respective jurisdictions. Music and public readings are the only amusements allowed, with very few exceptions, and by very special leave. Ha- bits of dissipation, and especially gambling and intem- perance, have greatly declined of late years ; whilst the number of students has increased very much since the conclusion of peace. To give any thing like an adequate or intelligible view of the constitution of this renowned university, and its -system of education, would far exceed our limits. We will only say, that there are professors and lectures in all the leading branches of literature and science; cer- tain attendances required, and the ordeal of two exa- minations to be passed, in order to obtain a degree in arts ; — that to acquire academical honours requires a certain degree of capacity and diligence; but that there are few things more easily attained than the ordinary degree, which qualifies for ordination and the other so- called learned professions. The great advantage of this university, and perhaps of every other, is, that it affords the most precious opportunities, which may or may not be seized. Oxford is characterised by what is called elegant li- terature, and tory politics ; whilst Cambridge has the reputation of science and Whiggism. This political op- position was most strongly pronounced at the Revolution. The city and university of Oxford return four mem- bers (two each) to parliament. The distances are, from London, 58 miles; from Cambridge, 87 miles. 42 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. BLENHEIM. AVithin eight miles of Oxford lies Blenheim, magni- ficent for its castle, works of art, portraits of eminent men, and surrounding grounds ; the place named after the most memorable victory of the great duke of Marl- borough, and given to him by his country as the reward of his services. CAMBRIDGE. Lat. 51° 12'N. Long. 0° 6' E. Population 16,000. Cambridge would be still less than Oxford, without its university. Their respective local relations to the learned bodies with which they are associated,, are very happily expressed in the old observation, " that Oxford is an university in a town, Cambridge a town in an university." The fact is so literally in the latter case. The buildings of the university encircle the town of Cambridge. His- tory, however, and the evidence of Roman monuments discovered in its site and immediate vicinity, leave no doubt of its having been a Roman station, and the an- cient " Granta" extending from the castle of Grant- chester to the castle of Chesterton. The fellows of Mag- dalen college walk over a handsome terrace — once a Roman agger or mound. The town of Cambridge lies on a plain, divided into two unequal parts by the river Cam, east and west. The approach to it, accordingly, is by no means pictu- resque, with the exception of a few spires and towers CAMBRIDGE. 43 rising above the trees in which they are embosomed ; and especially those of King's chapel rearing their majestic heads, visible from every spot, and on every side. The streets and houses of the town are, for the most part, unworthy of the university. St. Mary's church, in the centre of the town, is distinguished chiefly as being the university church; St. Sepulchre's by its singular rotunda shape and antiquity ; Trinity church by its lofty spire ; All Saints' by its monument to Kirke White, from the chisel of Chantrey, executed at the cost of an American, who knew Kirke White only by his verses and published life. Of the ancient Norman castle of Cambridge the gates only remain ; the rest having supplied materials and room for a new prison. Addenbrooke's hospital is situated at the south entrance — a handsome building, but more interesting for its benevolent purposes than its architectural beauty. Most of the colleges are ancient; but the university exists as a corporate body only by a charter of Elizabeth, in the thirteenth year of her reign. Its corporate desig- nation is " the chancellor, masters, and scholars ;" but the authority of the chancellor, always absent, is exer- cised by the resident vice-chancellor. The university is divided into seventeen colleges or halls, forming a federal community. The Senate-house,, from its destination and site, about the centre of the town, is the most important, and one of the interesting objects. It is an imposing building of Portland stone, of the Corinthian order, ornamented with pilasters supporting an entablature. The grand entrance is by a flight of steps, beneath a pediment sus- tained by fluted Corinthian columns. The interior is curious, and well arranged to receive the members of the senate, classed by tbeir academical rank, functions, and costume; and when occupied presents a picturesque coup-d'd'il. There are several statues; among which is one of the late Mr. Pitt. The ceiling is wrought in stucco. The university library, forming one side of the quadrangle, is more remarkable and interesting for its 41 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. 150,000 volumes, and some Grecian remains brought home by the late Dr. Clarke or presented by others, than for its architecture — with the exception of the new room, which is a modern and handsome building. The library contains valuable Indian manuscripts, recently acquired; and Gospels and Acts on vellum, in Greek and Latin capitals, presented by Theodore Beza. In the next room are the first editions of the Greek and Latin classics, and several casts after faces of celebrated men, including Charles XII. and Newton. The schools of philosophy, divinity, law, and physic, occupy the ground floor under the south-east and north sides of the library. The Fitzwilliam museum is a valuable collection of books, paintings, drawings, and engravings, bequeathed to the university by viscount Fitzwilliam, lately deceased, and educated at Trinity college. An observatory at_ the seat of learning which produced Newton was long want- ing, and has been recently supplied. The new edifice, situated on an eminence about a mile from Cambridge, is constructed of Bath stone, upon a plinth of granite, with wings and a central Doric portico. The observ- ations are annually printed by the university ; and copies presented to the chief European observatories — of Green- wich, Oxford, Dublin, Paris, and Palermo. The Cam- bridge Philosophical Society is of recent formation ; but has made great progress, and publishes its transactions. St. Peter's college claims to be the most ancient in the university. It has little of architectural character. The repairs are not in accordance with its ancient state. Cardinal Beaufort, archbishop Whitgift, sir Samuel Garth, Gray, and the late lord Ellenborough, were mem- bers of this college. Clare-hall, founded by Richard Badew, or Badow, in 1326, and rebuilt, after a fire, by lady Clare, presents a beautiful front, with two ranges of pilasters, Tuscan and Doric. The hall is spacious and handsome, and has some valuable portraits. But the chief exterior orna- ment of this hall or college, — for at Cambridge these words are synonymous, — is Clare-hall Piece, a charming CAMBRIDGE. 45 and frequented promenade, which commands at once a view of Clare-hall, King's chapel, the new buildings of King's college, and part of St. Mary's church and Trinity college. Archbishop Tillotson ; Ruggle, the author of " Ignoramus," a Latin comedy, performed at Cambridge before James I.; Cudworth, Parkhurst, and the unfortu- nate Dr. Dodd, were members of this college. Pembroke-hall was founded in 1363, by the "virgin wife" of Andomer de Valentia, earl of Pembroke, killed in a tilting match on his wedding day. She renounced the world on this event, and devoted her wealth to the foundation of the college first called " the Hall of Maria de Valentia." The chapel built by bishop Wren, from a design of his brother sir Christopher, is one of the hand- somest in the university. The ancient and venerable ap- pearance of this college drew from queen Elizabeth the exclamation, " O domus antiqua et religiosa ! " Bishop Ridley, Edmund Spenser, and the late Mr. Pitt, were educated here. Corpus Christi college was founded by the incorpora- tion of two societies or guilds called " Corpus Christi" and " the Virgin Mary," begun in 1344, completed by Henry Plantagenet duke of Lancaster, and finally estab- lished as a college, with a master, eight fellows, three Bible clerks, and six scholars, in 1356. Archbishop Parker was a great benefactor to this college, by the addition of fellowships and scholarships, and a collection of printed books and rare manuscripts. The college having fallen into decay, has been recently rebuilt in its original Gothic form : the first stone of the new quadrangle was laid, with great ceremony, by lord Ilard- wicke, high-steward of the university, on July 2, 1823. The chapel, which presents itself first on entering the court, is a beautiful structure in the pointed English style, with two turrets terminating in spires, highly or- namented and finished. The manuscripts in the library of this college, given by archbishop Parker, are particu- larly interesting with reference to the ecclesiastical affairs of the kingdom. The donor annexed, lor die better care 46 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. of them, the condition, that certain visitors of Trinity- hall and Caius college should annually inspect the library, and if so many as twenty-five books were wanting, and not produced within six months, then the whole should devolve to Caius, — with a similar right of visitation to Trinity-hall and Christi, and of resumption to the latter, on the same contingency. — The front of this college to- wards the street is one of the most beautifid facades in the university. Caius college, founded in 1343 by Edward Gonville, rector of Terrington in Norfolk, and bearing his name, greatly extended in 1557 by Dr. Caius, physician to the queen (Mary), and called by his name is situated north of the senate-house. The three courts of which it consists are entered by three gates, built by Dr. Caius, with the following inscriptions : — on the first, built in a simple style, " Humilitatis," (the gate " of hu- mility"); on the second, which forms a noble portico in the middle of the college, " Virtutis" ("of virtue") ; with, on the other side, " Io. Caius posuit sapientiae" ("Jo. Caius erected this gate to wisdom") ; and on the third, also a piece of splendid architecture, " Honoris" (" of honour"). The chapel contains the tomb of Dr. Caius, with an epitaph, probably by himself, and very illus- trative of the exaggerated scale on which men who live in colleges view their characters and reputations : — " Fui Caius ; vivit post funera virtus ;" ("I was Caius; virtue lives after death"). Jeremy Taylor and Dr. Samuel Clarke, — one the most eloquent, the other the most logical, of English divines, — were members of this college. Trinity-hall is chiefly composed of one large court, uniformly and handsomely built of stone, and de- tached from the town towards the river. It is chiefly devoted to the study of civil law, of which it always supplies the university professor. The witty and polite lord Chesterfield was a member. King's college is the most magnificent foundation in Cambridge, and with the King's chapel is that by which Cambridge chiefly maintains a competition with the archi- CAMBRIDGE. 47 KING S COLLEGE CHAPEL. tectural grandeur and splendour of Oxford. It originated in a small seminary founded by Henry VI. in 1441, and changed by him into a college in 1 443. The royal founder was prevented, by the distractions and misfortunes of his reign, from making this, as he intended, one of the most magnificent edifices in the kingdom. Gibbs, the archi- tect of St. Martin's church, erected a range of buildings in the Roman style, to form the side of a quadrangle which should be continued ; and Mr. "Wilkins, archi- tect to the college, has been recently called in to remodel and complete the whole. The new quadrangle measures 280 feet in length and 270 in breadth, yet falls far short of the ancient design. The hall is a grand room, with a ceiling in the maimer of the ancient remains of Crosby- hall in London, and decorated generally in luxuriant but graceful style. The provost's ledge in this college is one of the most finished and ornate specimens of domestic architecture in this country. But King's chapel is the building which forms the architectural pride rjf this col- lege and of the university, and is one of the grandest specimens of (Jothic architecture. It was begun by II' iiv VI., and carried only as far as a portion of the north and south wings. Henry VII. completed the out- side, and Henry VIII. the stalls, carvings, and painted windows. The exterior of this building combines in a remarkable degree that species of size and solidity which it 'died " grandiose," with richness, elegance, and ex- 48 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. quisite decorations of detail. The gigantic buttresses which support the walls are lightened and relieved in their effect by the chapels with which the architect, by a happy artifice, has occupied the intervals. But the inte- rior is the masterpiece of this chapel and of architecture. A vast roof of stone, wrought like fanwork, hangs above the spectator, without the support of a single pillar. Sir Christopher Wren is said to have offered the homage of an annual visit to this grand and exquisitely wrought roof, and to have declared he could build such another, if he but knew where to lay the first stone ; an observ- ation scarcely intelligible, and most likely not his. This inner roof of stone is covered by a second of wood cased in lead, with an interval of about five feet between them. The west side of the interior, built at the time of the marriage of Henry VIII. with Anne Boleyn, is orna- mented with bridal emblems ; a melancholy associa- tion, and not out of unison in this scene of solemn gran- deur, as well as exquisite art and beauty. The softened, dimly-tinged, and mysterious light which comes through the painted windows, heightens the solemnity inspired by the aspect and grandeur of the choir. The east end of the chapel, never wholly finished till within a recent period, was scarcely in keeping with the great general design and execution, yet not without harmony and beauty. More than all these, the twenty- six colossal Gothic windows of this chapel, nearly fifty feet in height, decide the character of magnificence which it has obtained: of these, one only, the great western window, remains plain, for some reason not known. The brilliancy of the windows in colour, striking as that is, yet constitutes a merit subordinate to the conception, grouping, and execution of the paintings. The subjects are all taken from the Old and New Testaments; and the designs attributed, without satisfactory reasons, to Julio Romano, and to Raphael himself. But even the verisimili- tude of such a supposition is a proof of their great merit. The escape of these windows from the iconoclastic van- dalism of the long parliament is ascribed to Cromwell's CAMBRIDGE. 49 affection for the university in which he was educated. Waller the poet and the first lord Camden were mem- bers of King's college. We must pass rapidly over the remaining colleges. Catherine-hall contains some interesting monuments in its chapel. Jesus college is more distinguished by hav- ing educated Cranmer, Bancroft, Hartley, Jortin, and Flamsteed, and by its meadows and grove, than by its edifice. Christ college produced Milton ; and still pos- sesses the decayed but venerable mulberry tree planted by him when a student. This college Avas founded by Margaret, mother of Henry VII. She also, at the insti- gation of he.r confessor, Fisher bishop of Rochester, founded St. John's college ; the exterior of this college is chiefly distinguished by its four towers over the portal on the eastern side. Ben Jonson and Otway were edu- cated here. Magdalen is an ancient, small, and interesting college, with two libraries, and a curious collection of en- gravings and manuscripts. Trinity college, an ancient and magnificent edifice, covers a spacious area, in three qua- drangles, and is entered by two magnificent portals, adorned with statuary, and lofty towers. A new court, called the King's, in a handsome Gothic style, has been recently added. The chapel contains Roubillac's marble statue of Newton, with the inscription which has never been, and probably never will be questioned, — " Qui genus humanum ingenio superavit," who had a genius above mankind. — There is a bust, by Chantrey, of Porson. The library is a superb building, occupying one side of a quadrangle. It contains some fine pieces of statuary and painting, and many curious for their portraiture. Bacon, as well as Newton, was of this society ; and the painter Cipriani, by a whimsical anachronism even in a foreigner, has introduced them in the same picture, with his late majesty George III. — We can but name, in passing, Emanuel college, a noble and extensive building: and Sidney Sussex, to which Cromwell belonged, and which contains his bust, executed by Bernini. The university of Cambridge has the higher reputa- vor.. i. e 50 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. tion in the exact sciences ; ordinary degrees in arts are very easy ; but the first honours of the university are so valuable that they follow the student into the world, and advance his career as a man. Cambridge can assert one decisive, but casual superiority over Oxford, — that of having produced Bacon, Milton, and Newton. LIVERPOOL. Lat. 5.1 D 22' N. Lon. 2° CO' W. Population 130,000. There is scarcely any town of which it would be more interesting to trace minutely the origin and the causes of its present wealth and magnificence than Liverpool. But it is a singular circumstance, that no town in Europe possesses fewer traditions of its foundation and former state. The etymology of its name even has defied the enquiries of the curious ; and the former part of its different appellations of Litherpoole, Liferpcol, Livvepol, Lyrpole, Lerpoole, and Liverpool or Lever- pool, has been traced to words which signify a bird or a sea-weed, and to the name of a family anciently settled in the district. The latter part only of the term has received the same interpretation ; and in this case, as in many others, the situation of the town is the best guide to the true etymology of its name. It is a matter, however, more to be regretted, that we are even in a greater degree ignorant of most of those cir- cumstances respecting Liverpool which form so inte- resting a portion of local history. Camden observes that its name is not to be met with in old writers ; and that all that is known of its beginning is, that Roger of Poictiers, who was endowed with the lordship of that part of the county by William the Conqueror, built a castle there. But some doubts have been started as to. the correctness of the statement respecting the castle ; LIVERPOOL. 51 and the erection of the fortress which formed the cradle of the present mighty emporium, has been attributed to John, when he received from his father, Henry III., the sovereignty of Ireland. A more ancient date, on the other hand, is sometimes assigned; and the first charter which it received is said to have been granted by Henry I. This opinion is not generally credited : but in the charter conferred by king John in 1203 it is called a borough by prescription; and in 122? Henry III. confirmed the privileges which it derived from that grant. Very little is known of Liverpool, or its history, from this period till the sixteenth century, when Leland de- scribes it as " a paved town," but as being still only " a chapelry or hamlet of the parish of Walton. The king," continues he, " hath a castelet there, and the erle of Darbe hath a stone house there. Irish merchants come much thither, as to a good haven. Good mer- chandise at Lyrpool, and much Irish yarn that Man- chester men do bye there. At Lyrpole is small custom paid, that causeth merchants to resort." * To the con- quest of Ireland, indeed, and to the constant intercourse which its inhabitants kept up with that country, it is supposed to have owed its first prospect of wealth and importance. Some time before the period of which we are speaking, it. carried on a tolerably active commerce with the Irish; and in exchange for the iron, woollen cloths, armour, horses, and dogs which it exported, received linen, hides, yarn, and fish. But towards the close of the sixteenth century it seems to have suffered some severe check to its prosperity; the inhabitants peti- tioning queen Elizabeth to grant them an exemption from certain impositions, and using the humble title of " her majesty's poor decayed town of Liverpool." We also learn that it contained only 138 householders, whose principal wealth consisted of twelve barks navigated by seventy-five men. Though it gradually recovered in BOme measure bora this depression, it was, in the I of Charles I., inferior in wealth to most of the other * Itinerary, vol. vii. fid. "<'">. ' i 2 52 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. commercial towns ; as may be learned from the state- ments relative to the ship-money, in which we find Liverpool rated at 251., while Chester was laid at 26/., and Bristol at 1000/. ! At the establishment of the Commonwealth, Liverpool was put under the command of colonel Moore, and was fortified by a strong mud wall, and a ditch twelve yards wide and nearly three deep. A strong castle, also, on the south, and which stood on the site now occupied by St. George's church, commanded the neighbourhood, and was surrounded by a foss twelve feet wide and ten deep. A communication was formed between this fortress and the river by a covered way ; and when the tide was out, the ditch could be filled with water, and the town by that means be supplied with constant reinforcements of men and provisions. On the 26th of June l6'44 prince Rupert commenced the siege of the place ; and after an obstinate defence, in which the Irish protestants are celebrated as having employed vast quantities of wool to cover the ramparts, it was taken by the royalists on the 26th of July. The parliament forces, however, shortly after recovered possession of the town ; and public thanksgiving having been ordered for their suc- cess, a grant was made of 500 tons of timber for re- pairing the edifices which had suffered in the siege. Further improvements were made about the same time, and the fortifications were strengthened; but in 1659 it was dismantled; and in the year 16QQ, having been separated from the parish of Walton, the corporation had power given it to raise 400/. for the building of a new church and rectory-house. At the commencement of the eighteenth century, Liverpool presented a scene of activity and enterprise which promised a rapid encrease in its extent and wealthiness. In 1710 the improvement in its commerce rendered it necessary to construct a wet dock, in the place of the pool or haven from which the town derives its name. In 1716 we find that its fleet of merchantmen, which six years before amounted to only 84, was LIVERPOOL. 53 augmented to 113 ; and that in 1723 it contained 131 vessels. The increase of the population was proportion- ably great. In 1700 the number of the inhabitants was but 5000 ; in 1720 it was 10, 4.40' : that is, more than double in twenty years. New churches and streets be- gan at the same time to occupy the soil hitherto left waste about the town ; and the new stream of commer- cial life, which was shortly to swell every vein of the growing emporium, had already burst from its fountain. The first cause to which, after its situation and natu- ral advantages, the rise of Liverpool is attributed, is the improvement which took place early in the eighteenth century in the manufactures of Manchester. Hitherto merchants, in their very limited trade with Africa and the West Indies, had been only able to supply the ordinary demands of the colonies for the coarse checks and similar commodities which they imported from Scotland. The Bristol traders outsold them in every market ; and their speculations were thus necessarily confined, and only to a slight degree successful. But when the productions of the Manchester looms were ren- dered superior to those of Scotland and the Continent, the connection between that town and Liverpool gave the latter an advantage over its rivals, which it soon learned to use to its unforeseen, and almost unparalleled emolu- ment. From 1720 to 1740 an extensive contraband trade was carried on by its merchants with South Ame- rica, which secured them immense returns; and when this was terminated by the vigilance of the Spanish go- vernment, the slave trade, into which they entered with equal alacrity, supplied them with a new source of wealth. How rapidly the town increased from these advances in its commercial prosperity may be understood from a comparison of its extent at different periods. In 1 765 it covered an area of 1,184,000 square yards. In 1 790 this space was increased to 4,000,000, and em- braced an Exchange, a public infirmary, a charity- school, and additional churches, all erected within late years. e 3 54 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. Having thus taken a rapid glance at the history or this nohle and interesting town, we next turn to a hrief enumeration of the magnificent monuments it contains of the enterprising spirit to which its prosperity is owing. The Exchange is perhaps the most splendid building which a commercial community ever raised from its own resources. This noble pile cost 100,000/. in its erection, and comprehends an area of twice the extent of the Royal Exchange in London. The inside facades on the east and west are composed of a rustic basement supporting rows of rich Corinthian columns and pilasters, which are surmounted by a balustrade. The north front is similarly built, but projects a little in the centre, to correspond with the opposite front of the town hall, which makes part of the quadrangle formed by these two grand and extensive buildings. The portico of the principal entrance consists of eight double Corinthian columns twenty-five feet high, and each of which is hewn out of one solid piece of stone, being the highest of the same measurement to be seen in England. Three piazzas fifteen feet wide add to the beauty and convenience of the structure; news and coffee rooms, an apartment for the underwriters, counting-houses, and extensive warerooms, fill up the remaining space, and furnish the merchants who frequent it with every ac- commodation. The town hall is equally with the Exchange deserving of admiration. Its exterior presents a noble line of Corinthian columns and pilasters supported on a rustic basement, and alternating with handsome windows with circular heads supported by small Corinthian pillars. The capitals of the columns are divided by tablets of bas-reliefs emblematical of commerce, and the whole has a grand and imposing appearance. The interior of this structure was destroyed by fire in 1759) and was rebuilt with increased magnificence at an expense of 110,000/. It contains committee-rooms, rooms for magistrates, and sessions-room. The first story consists of a saloon 30 feet long and 26 broad, a drawing-room to the west 33 LIVERPOOL. 55 feet by 26, another to the east 32 feet by 26, a grand ball-room 90 feet by 4-2, another smaller one 66 feet by 29, and an eating-room 50 feet by 30, of which the arched and ornamented ceding, and the splendid co- lumns of imitation Carniola marble, have obtained general praise. The dome of this ncble building is adorned with a variety of the most beautiful devices, and receives the light by lateral windows. Its elevation, measured from the pavement to its centre, is 104 feet. TOWN HALL, LIVERPOOL. The custcm-house, post-office, corn-exchange, excise- office, and other public buildings of inferior note, deserve to be mentioned, but do not require a particular descrip- tion. The admirable literary institutions with which the town abounds must also come under the same class; but of these, the Athenaeum, the Royal Institution, and the Lyceum, are distinguished as among the most useful in the kingdom. To the Athenaeum, indeed, be- longs the honour of being the earliest establishment of the kind known in England; as its library, and the accom- modations it affords for students of every science, give it a just claim to equality with more ambitious institu- tions. The name of Iloscoe is closely united with the history of this establishment, as it is with the best part of the literary history of this age. The Lyceum, besides containing a library, reading and news rooms, has a coffee-room open to the subscribers to the institution. E 4 56 CITIES AND TOWNS 01' ENGLAND. Of the Royal Institution it is sufficient to name the ob- jects, to give a just view of the liberality and good sense which prevailed among its promoters. To encourage societies founded on a similar plan, to render assistance in projects undertaken for the advancement of the sciences and the arts, to promote the union of men of talent and acquirement, and to provide lectures on subjects of general interest and utility, are the ends proposed by this association ; and success has, to a great degree, at- tended the experiment. The churches, which in other towns are the prin- cipal objects of interest, possess, in Liverpool, few at- tractions. They are all of them, comparatively speaking, of very modern date, and the antiquary can scarcely find in the whole sufficient occupation for a day. The archi- tecture, however, of some of these edifices is deserving of praise ; and the church for the blind (a specimen of pure Grecian art), and the miniature imitation of St. Paul's cathedral in the parish church of that name, generally attract attention. There are several meeting-houses also, a Jew's synagogue, and four Roman Catholic chapels; most of which are built in a style of neat and sober ele- gance. Next to these religious edifices, we may mention the many excellent charitable institutions which provide for the poor of Liverpool the advantages of education and protection against casualties. The public infirmary has sometimes received within its walls 1 500 patients in less than a year. The seamen's hospital is admirably adapted to relieve the necessities of the indigent mariners who inhabit or frequent the town; and receives a great part of its support from the monthly tax of sixpence, which every seaman sailing from the port is obliged to contribute out of his pay. At the blue coat hospital 170 boys and 66 girls are boarded, clothed, and edu- cated ; and the school of industry for the indigent blind affords an asylum for the most helpless of the human race. Besides these establishments, there are a female peni- tentiary, a dispensary, a house of industry, and a society for the relief of insolvent debtors. LIVERPOOL. 57 It still remains for us to mention one of the most striking features of Liverpool; namely, the extensive provision which is made for the reception of the vast quantity of shipping which frequent its port. This consists of several docks, which for size and convenience are among the first in Europe. The old dock, formed in 1710, and at the east end of which is the custom- house, is 195 yards long, and in the broadest part 92 yards wide. The dry dock has a quay 360 yards long, and is connected with the graving docks, in which vessels are laid up for repairs. Salthouse dock was the second constructed, and the quay is 640 yards in length. George's dock is 246 yards long, 100 broad; and its quay, 700 yards long, is lined with extensive ware- houses. It also communicates with the graving docks, so that vessels can pass from it without going into the river. The King's dock, which receives all vessels from America, the East Indies, and the Baltic is 270 yards long and 9-5 broad. This communicates both with the graving docks and with the Queen's dock, which is the largest of all, being 470 yards long and more than 127 broad. The gates of these docks are 42 feet wide and 26 feet deep, and they are each of them provided with a handsome swivel bridge of cast iron. The Prince's dock is also of great extent, and its locks are so constructed as to let vessels in and out at half tide. Besides these, the duke of Bridgewater has a small dock for the ves- sels navigating his canals ; and the length of quay formed by the whole is not to be equalled in the world. To preserve order in the docks, and prevent accidents, each lias a proper overseer or master, and is regulated by a variety of useful laws. The management of the revenue which they produce is vested in the corporation, whose accounts are annually examined by seven com- missioners. Liverpool is not regarded as a manufacturing town in the same sense as Birmingham or Sheffield; but it has several large establishments for the production of cables; and its iron founderies, immense houses for refining 58 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. sugar, and potteries supply a great proportion of its in- habitants with employment. When we have mentioned that this populous and wealthy town is provided with an excellent botanic garden ; a spacious theatre; and a market which abounds in all seasons with the produce of Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, as well as the neighbouring district ; the reader will have sufficient information to judge of the wealth, commercial grandeur, and general convenience of this most noble of English provincial towns. Distance from London 206 miles. BRISTOL. Lat. 51° 30' N. Lon. 2° AG' W, Population 100 3 000. The ancient city of Bristol, situate on the borders of Gloucestershire and Somersetshire, from which English commerce first tried its strength, is formed by the union of the rivers Avon and Frome, which, at high tide, can bring vessels of 1000 tons up to the bridge. Its healthy and advantageous situation was early discovered; and both the Britons and the Saxons had a town here of considerable importance. By the latter it was called Brightstowe, or the pleasant city; and thence, with a trifling alteration, its present name. King Stephen, it will be remembered, was imprisoned in the castle of this city, when defeated by the empress Maud, which affords evidence of its having been at that time a place of considerable strength. But its prosperity and import- ance were greatly increased by Edward III., who estab- lished the wool staple there, since which time it has been one of the first commercial cities in the world. Of the public buildings of Bristol, the first which claims attention is the cathedral, the length of whichis 175 feet, and the height of the tower 130 feet, rising above BRISTOL. 59 the town, with its rich ornaments and pinnacles, and form- ing one of the most picturesque objects which a distant view of the city presents. But this structure is very far surpassed, both in beauty and interest, by the church of St. Mary's Redcliffe, which is one of the very finest of our Gothic edifices. The interior of this exquisite building is equal to its outward magnificence ; and its various curious monuments, its altarpiece by Hogarth, and the recollection that with this church was so closely connected the name of Chatterton, render it altogether an object of universal interest. Temple church is remarkable for its steeple, which leans considerably over the base, and when the bells are rung is felt to shake to and fro. Several of the other religious structures in this town are also dis- tinguished by some circumstance worthy of attention ; and Bristol can not only boast of having eighteen churches, besides chapels, but of their being in general among the most beautiful in the kingdom. The charitable institutions here are numerous, and well supported. St. Peter's hospital is kept up by a re- gular tax, and shelters more than 400 helpless or super- annuated persons. There are also other establishments for a similar purpose ; and the provisions for educating the poor are as extensive as those for their support in afflic- tion. Altogether, it is said, 1 500 persons in this city are provided for entirely by charity ; and fiOOO assisted with money and medicines, according to their immediate wants. Besides the great wealth acquired by Bristol from its commercial importance, it enjoys a large revenue from its extensive brass-works, pin-manufactories, glass, sugar, and soap houses, and distilleries. The corporation of the city consists of a mayor, twelve aldermen, two sheriffs, twenty-eight common councilmen, and inferior officers. It sends two members to parlia- ment, and gives the title of earl to the family of Harvey. Distance from London 1 1 7 miles. CO CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. BIRMINGHAM. Lat. 52° 28' N. Long. 152' W. Population 86,000. Birmingham, situate in Warwickshire, and in the centre of the kingdom, now the most nourishing of English towns, was, it is said, 150 years back, not even pos- sessed of a market. Should we admit, therefore, with Mr. Hutton, its historian, that some kind of manufacture existed here in the time of the early Britons, we should yet require no further evidence to prove that it must have been little prosperous. Carpenters' tools, nails, and coarse agricultural implements, continued to be the only pro- duction of its forges till after the revolution. It then began to be employed in the manufacture of fire-arms ; and when, lastly, the importation of French goods was prohibited, it had grown into sufficient importance to rival, and shortly to surpass, the hardware trade of Lon- don. The commencement of a direct intercourse with foreign markets, and the establishment of an extensive inland navigation, completed the rising prosperity of Birmingham ; and it is now filled with an industrious and wealthy population. Its importance being of such entirely modern growth, there is little in this town to amuse the antiquary ; but the situation of the streets, all of which, except in the north-western quarter, are built on an ascent, and are most of them broad and handsome, gives it an airy and imposing appearance. Among the public buildings are three parish churches ; one of which, St. Philip's, is a structure distinguished for its light and elegant archi- tecture. Besides the churches, there are five episcopal chapels ; one of them, St. Paul's, a very spacious and handsome edifice. But the places of worship for the establishment are far surpassed in number by those of dissenting congregations, there being no less than twenty chapels in this town devoted to nonconformists of every MANCHESTER. 6l description. The general hospital is an extensive esta- blishment for the reception of the sick poor, and the asylum for the deaf and dumb claims the praise of every benevolent mind. In a place like Birmingham, too much attention cannot be paid to the education of the lower classes. It is only by the greatest care and judi- cious liberality in this respect, that the happiness or security of such a population can be properly promoted. Three charity schools, accordingly, already exist ; and it would be well for the town, if no street was without its place of instruction both for infants and adults. A large and elegant theatre, and spacious assembly- rooms, provide the inhabitants with means of amuse- ment ; and two large public libraries, and a philosophical society, establishes the claims of the town to literary respectability. Not having any charter, it is under the jurisdiction of two bailiffs and two constables, chosen annually from among the respectable inhabitants. Distance from London 109 miles. MANCHESTER. Lat. 53° 29' N. Long. 2° 16' W. Population 180,000. Manchester, situate in Lancashire, has been the subject of curious antiquarian labour. If we are to believe some of the most patient and learned enquirers that have writ- ten on the question, it was founded by an ancient British tribe, from which it was called Mancenion, and subse- quently became a strong Roman station with the name of MaiKiiniuin. Extensive remains of this encampment have been discovered within the last century, and sufficiently indicate the esteem in which the situation was held byAgri- cola and his followers. The town was subjected to repeated attacks during the wars of the Saxons with each other, but it continued to increase ; and in Domesday Book it is 62 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. mentioned as possessing two churches, St. Mary's and St. Michael's. In the fourteenth century it obtained a charter ; and in the fifteenth the college was founded, which, after being several times broken up, was re-estab- lished and made to consist of a warden or master, four fellows, ten chaplains, two clerks — one of whom is in orders, — and several choristers. Bishop Oldham founded a grammar-school in the next century ; and his charitable example was followed by the establishment of an in- firmary, dispensary, hospital, and lunatic asylum, — all of which are now united in an extensive building in the highest quarter of the town. Manchester is very densely populated, and its streets and lanes seem crowded together without any regard either to regularity or convenience. The river Irwell passes nearly through its centre, and is met by the Irk at a short distance from the collegiate church. Salford, the adjoining town, has the same relation to Man- chester which Southwark has to London. The commu- nication is by three bridges : of which one, called the Hanging Bridge, is very ancient ; and another, the New Bridge, very elegant, being built of stone, and consisting of four well-proportioned arches. Over the Irk tbere are six bridges ; and over the Medlock, another and larger stream, nine ; so that every quarter of the town may be reached with the utmost facility. Several new streets and squares have been added of late years ; of these Portland-place, Grosvenor-square, and Mosley- street, may be mentioned as the most elegant. The churches, like those of Liverpool, are, with the excep- tion of that pertaining to the college, uninteresting structures. The one, however, which we except, is an ancient and beautiful building ; and the stalls, screens, and lattice-work of the choir, are described by Dr.Whit- aker as exceeding in beauty any thing he had seen. Besides the charitable foundations already mentioned, there are several others devoted either to the education or the support of the poor and infirm ; and in alluding to this circumstance, it may not be foreign to our purpose -MANCHESTER. Go to remark how distinguished the large manufacturing and trading towns are above all others in the variety and extent of their benevolent institutions. Nor is Manchester without numerous establishments for the promotion of literature. Its Philosophical Society is universally known by its excellent published memoirs. The Philological Society has also produced many evidences of its utility; and two or three public libraries furnish the inhabitants with ample means of information. But it is as a manufacturing town that Manchester principally claims attention. So early as the reign of Edward VI. its cottons and friezes are mentioned as the materials of woollen cloths. In 1 650 its trade is said, in cotemporary documents, to employ men, women, and children, and to be scarcely inferior to that of any place in the kingdom. It was, however, to the ingenuity of one man that it owed its most rapid increase ; and that the manufactures, in fact, of England in general were en- abled to outstrip those of every other part of Europe. Cotton yarn was originally all spun on the common one- thread wheel, by which the material produced was not only very limited in quantity, but not sufficiently regular and fine to be woven into delicate fabrics. At length Hargreave invented the spinning jenny, by which thirty or forty threads could be woven at once ; and it was next found that two or three threads thus spun would answer the purpose of the warp, which had uniformly been of linen. The celebrated -sir Richard Arkwright carried the admir- able invention of Hargreave to perfection; and in 1775 took out a patent for machinery, by which innumerable Ilea could be worked, and a single thread produced suf- ficiently fine and strong for the warp. This improvement in the method of production occasioned a corresponding ge in the sale of the goods manufactured. " The rapid ays the Annals of Commerce, " in the number pinning jennies, which took place in consequence of Arkwright's patent, forms a new era, not only in manufac- and commerce, but also in the dress of both i The common use of silk, if it were only to be worn while 64 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. it retains its lustre, is proper only for ladies of ample for- tune ; and yet women of all ranks affected to wear it ; and many of the lower classes of the middle ranks of so- ciety distressed their husbands, parents, and brothers, to procure that expensive finery : neither was a handsome cotton gown attainable by women in humbler circum- stances ; and hence the cottons were mixed with linen yarn, to reduce their price. But now, cotton yarn is cheaper than linen yarn ; and cotton goods are very much used in place of cambrics, lawns, and other expensive fabrics of flax ; and they have almost totally superseded the silks. Women of all ranks, from the highest to the lowest, are clothed in British manufactures of cottons, from the muslin cap on the crown of the head to the cotton stocking under the sole of the foot. The inge- nuity of the calico-printers has kept pace with the inge- nuity of the weavers and others concerned in the preceding stages of the manufacture, and produced patterns of printed goods, which for elegance of drawing exceed any thing that was imported, and for durability of colour generally stand the washing so well, as to appear fresh and new every time they are washed, and give an air of neatness and cleanliness to the wearer beyond the elegance of silk in the first freshness of its transitory lustre. But even the most elegant prints are excelled by the superior beauty and virgin purity of the muslins, the growth and the manufacture of the British dominions." To give a simple idea of the prodigious increase which took place in the demand thus excited, it is, perhaps, sufficient merely to mention, that a short time before sir Richard Arkwright invented his machinery, the number of spindles employed in cotton spinningwas about 50,000, and the annual produce of the trade under 200,000/. ; but that a very few years after, 200,000 spindles were in action, and the revenue increased to above 7,000,000/. Manchester is governed by a headborough and two constables, who are annually chosen by the most respect- able of the inhabitants. Distance from London 185 miles. SHEFFIELD. 65 SHEFFIELD. Lat. 53° 22' N. Long. 1° 29' W. Population 65,000. Few manufacturing towns are either so beautifully situ- ated or so well built as Sheffield. At the foot of the eminence on which it stands flow the Sheaf and the Don; the one bounding the town on the east, the other on the north-east. The Lady's-bridge, over the latter of these rivers, is built of stone, and has five arches ; another, which crosses the Sheaf, has but one arch ; but neither of them are remarkable for beauty. Not- withstanding the advantages which this town possesses both in situation and in the style of its buildings, it has not an inviting appearance when first entered. The ex- tensive manufactories and numberless forges always in active operation cloud the atmosphere with smoke ; and the handsome regular streets are thus deprived of much of their beauty. The principal public buildings of Sheffield are its four churches, of which that dedicated to the Holy Trinity is the oldest and most interesting. The style of this edifice is Gothic, and from the centre rises a handsome spire. Its interior is divided into a nave, two side aisles, and a chancel. The Shrewsbury chapel, on the south side of the altar, contains several monuments of the earls Talbot: and at the entrance of the chancel is shown the tomb of the supposed executioner of Charles I. Next to the churches may be mentioned the duke of Norfolk's hos- pital, originally endowed by Henry earl of Norwich in 1 OJO. The building consists of two quadrangles ; one of which is occupied by eighteen poor men, and the other by the same number of women, each of whom receives five shillings a-week, with coals and clothing. The chapel attached to the- foundation is an octagon, and adapted to a large congregation. The general infirmary is about half a mile out of the town ; and its benevolent regula- tions require only evidences of sickness, and distress, to VOL. I. P 66 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. admit the applicant within its walls. There are also an hospital founded by Mr. Hollis for the widows of poor cutlers, and some other institutions of a similar excellent character. The barracks, theatre, assembly-rooms, and market-place, are the remaining objects worthy of notice in this town ; but the visitor who has opportunities for inspecting its manufactories of cutlery, will find much more to interest him than can be afforded by any place not peculiarly rich in antiquities. Sheffield, as far back as the thirteenth century, was distinguished for its hardwares ; but in 1750 one of its most spirited manufacturers began to trade with the Continent ; and the Don was made navigable to within a short distance of the town. A few years after this, another of its inhabitants introduced the silver plating of brass and copper buttons ; and the profitable manufac- ture of plated goods in general shortly increased to a great extent. A corporate body exists here, composed of the master tradesmen, under the title of the " Company of Cutlers of Hallamshire" — the name of the district in which Sheffield stands. Distance from London 162 miles. CANTERBURY. Lat. 51°16'N. Lon. 1°4'E. Population 13,000. Canterbury, the capital city of Kent, is distinguished among all other English cities for its ancient importance as the metropolitan seat of the national church. It is supposed that an archiepiscopal see existed in London before St. Augustine founded that of this city ; but the traditions on which the opinion is established are some- what obscure; and whatever was the importance attached to London in those early times, it is probable that the religious establishment there was of too imperfect and CANTERBURY. 67 undefined a character to be compared with the regular foundation of the see of Canterbury. Christianity also, though already partially diffused over the island, was little understood either in its doctrines or precepts ; and the arrival of Augustine forms the real commencement of English ecclesiastical history. The account of the la- bours undergone by the Roman missionary, and of the measures he pursued on his arrival in Kent, is among the most interesting passages of our church records. Fortu- nately for the saint, the wife of Ethelbert king of the dis- trict had been converted to the faith in France, her native country ; " when, therefore, he and his companions," says the Book of the Church, " landed in the isle of Thanet, they were sure of the queen's favour : they came also, not as obscure men unprotected and unac- credited, but with recommendations from the king of France, and as messengers from a potentate whose spi- ritual authority was acknowledged and obeyed through- out that part of the world to which the northern nations were accustomed to look as the seat of empire and su- perior civilisation. They made their arrival known to Ethelbert, and requested an audience. The king of Kent, though not altogether ignorant of the nature of his queen's religion, nor unfavourably disposed towards it, was yet afraid of that miraculous power which the Romish clergy were then believed to possess, and which they were not backward at claiming for themselves. For this reason he would not receive them within the walls of his royal city of Canterbury, nor under a roof ; but went into the island with his nobles, and took his seat to await them in the open air ; imagining that thus he should be secure from the influence of their spells or incantations. They approached in procession, bearing a silver crucifix, and a portrait of our Saviour upon a banner adorned with gold, and chanting the Litany. The king welcomed them courteously, and ordered them to be seated ; after which Augustine stood up, and, through an interpreter whom he had brought from France, delivered the purport of his mission in a brief 68 PITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. but well ordered and impressive discourse. " He was come to the king, and to that kingdom (he said), for their eternal good, a messenger of good tidings ; offering to their acceptance perpetual happiness here and hereafter, if they would accept his words. The Creator and Redeemer had opened the kingdom of heaven to the human race ; for God so loved the world that he had sent into it his only Son, as that Son himself testified, to become a man among the children of men, and suffer death upon the cross in atonement for their sins." To this address, which was protracted to some length, the king returned a doubtful but gracious answer : his con- version shortly after followed. He gave up his palace to the missionaries, and Augustine obtained a bull from the pope to found the see of Canterbury. From this period it was regarded with the highest veneration; but in the invasions of the Danes, both the church and city suffered the most grievous ruin, and no less than eight thousand persons are said to have perished at one time in the desolated town. At the sera of the Conquest, however, it had so far recovered from all its catastrophes as to have more houses than London, and William re- garded it as of sufficient importance to build a castle there of immense strength. The cathedral, with its accompanying monastic establishment, was in the mean time in a flourishing condition ; and though it suffered more than once from accidents by fire, it increased every century both in size and grandeur. Almost every arch- bishop, from the celebrated Lanfranc, gave largely of his revenues to enlarge and beautify this magnificent structure; and it is chiefly, if not altogether, owing to their pious munificence that it exists in its present noble form. The general plan of this cathedral is a double cross, terminating circularly at the east end. At the opposite extremity rise two massive towers ; and from the inter- section of the nave and west transept rise another, but loftier and of a lighter and more ornamented character. The entrance of the west front is low and recessed, and CANTKRBURY. 6,Q ililu~. CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. in the pointed style. The window above it, and the two side towers, are all greatly admired for their rich ornaments and massive appearance. The south porch is now used as the principal entrance, and has a beau- tiful embattled roof, vaulted with stone : it also acts as a support to the lofty tower just mentioned, and which is generally called the Chichely steeple, from the bishop who erected it. But it would require a much longer space than we can allow to describe, even briefly, all the parts of this superb building ; we must not, however, omit to mention, that the view from the south porch into the interior of the church is one of the most beautiful that cathedral architecture can af- ford. The nave is of considerable length, and its lofty vaulted roof adds greatly to its solemn appearance. It is divided from the aisles by rows of columns ; and its area conducts by a triple flight of steps into the choir, the entrance to which is adorned by a stone screen of exquisite workmanship, over which stands the organ. In six niches, which ornament the sides of this entrance to the choir, are placed the statues of kings. Of the west transept the northern division is celebrated for having been the scene of Becket's murder; from which event it has received the name of the Martyrdom. The great window at this end of the transept was so rich i- 8 70 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. in sculpture and stained glass, that it provoked the wrath of the puritans to destroy a large portion of its tracery ; but it is still a beautiful specimen of this spe- cies of structure. The chapel of the Holy Trinity is surrounded by the semicircular arch at the end of the church, which communicates with the aisles of the choir by flights of steps. In the centre stood Becket's shrine. Wonderful but well-authenticated stories are told of the immense wealth which this monument attracted ; nor can any more monstrous impostures be found recorded than those employed to establish its popularity. Every part of the prelate's body was sought for by churches and abbeys, to aid them in their practices upon the mul- titude ; and, as if it were not sufficient that the ordi- nances of men should be substituted for the command- ments of God, the great Head of the church himself was scarcely regarded as equal to the new St. Thomas. When, fifty years after his death, his bones were re- moved from the crypt where he was originally buried, a jubilee was kept to celebrate the event ; and this solem- nity was repeated every fifty years, till the dissolution of the monastic establishments put an end to such wretched mummeries and falsehoods. A plenary indulgence was given to all persons who attended the festival ; and not less than 100,000 pilgrims were sometimes present at one time, whose offerings, and those of other visitors at the shrine, amounted to more than 600/. in the year, — an immense sum at that period: while those at the altar of St. Mary were only about 51. ; and the shrine of the Saviour was left without any. The semi- circular aisle communicates, by wide arches, with the circular building called Becket's Crown ; and from the extremity of this part of the cathedral to the entrance the edifice measures 514 feet. The extreme height of the great tower is 235 feet, of the south-west tower 130 feet, and of the north-west 100 feet. Beneath the whole of the building is the crypt, the east end of which was used by the French and Walloon protestants as their place of worship for many years. The solemnity CANTERBURY. 71 of this subterranean retreat, and its interesting relics of antiquity, render it one of the most remarkable parts of the cathedral. Near the middle of it stood the chapel of the Virgin ; and in it, as has been already mentioned, the remains of Becket were first deposited. Few ancient churches are richer in monuments than this cathedral ; among the most conspicuous are those of Henry IV. and the Black Prince. Besides the main body of the structure above described, there is a chapter-house ninety-two feet long and thirty-seven broad. It was built in the year 1400, and has been for many years used as a chapel for preaching. The cloisters open into the area they surround by eight arches or windows on each side, which were once glazed, but the masonry and sculpture are all that is left. Of the original episcopal palace few remains exist ; but the precincts of the cathe- dral, with the deanery, school, and the ruins of St. Au- gustine's abbey at a short distance, are all marks of the long established grandeur of the metropolitan see. A very curious account is given by the old writer Gervase of the destruction which the cathedral suffered by fire ; and, according to his description, it must have existed in a state of great magnificence before it assumed its present form. " On the 5th of September," says he, " about nine o'clock, the wind blowing from the south with a fury almost beyond conception, a fire broke out before the church gate, without the walls of the churchyard, by which three small houses were almost burnt down. While the citizens were there assembled and employed in extinguishing the flames, the sparks and ashes, whirled aloft by the violence of the storm, were lodged on the church, and by the violence of the wind, insinu- ating themselves between the joints of the lead, settled on the planks, which were almost rotten ; and thus, by degrees, the heat increasing, the decayed joints were set on fire. After this the large rafters, with their ligatures, no one seeing or regarding, took fire : below, the ceiling finely painted ; above, the sheets of lead; concealed the f 4 72 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. fire that raged within. Meantime, the three small houses which had occasioned this misfortune were pulled down ; and the tumult of the people being ap- peased, all returned home. Christ Church alone, no one being yet apprised of it, was oppressed, as it were, with intestine flames. For 'the rafters and their liga- tures being on fire, and the flame rising even to the top of the roof, the sheets of lead, unable any longer to resist so much heat, began by degrees to melt. The tempestuous wind then finding a free passage, increased extremely the fury of the inner flames ; and, on a sudden, the flames just appearing, there was a general cry in the churchyard, ' Alas ! alas ! the church is on fire !' Many of the laity ran, together with the monks ; draw water, brandish axes, mount ladders ; eager to succour Christ Church, now just on the point of destruction. They reached the roof ; and, behold ! all was filled with a horrible smoke and a scorching flame. In despair, therefore, they were obliged to consult their own safety by retiring. And now the joists of the rafters, and of the pegs, being consumed by the fire, the half-burnt timbers fell down into the choir upon the seats of the monks ; which being thus set on fire by the great mass of timber, the calamity increased on all sides. In this conflagration, a wonderful or rather a miraculous sight appeared ; for that glorious choir, consumed by flames, consumed itself still worse : for the flames, increased by such a heap of timber to the height of fifteen cubits, burnt the walls, and especially the pillars of the church. Thus the house of God, hitherto delightful, like a para- dise of pleasure, then lay contemptible in the ashes of the fire ; and reduced, as it were, to a solitude, was ex- posed to the injuries of the weather. Not only the choir was consumed in these flames, but also the infirm- ary, with Saint Mary's Chapel, and some other offices of the court." Canterbury possesses many remains of ancient build- ings besides those connected with the cathedral, and few cities in the kingdom offer more attractions to the YORK. 73 curious traveller. The town itself is also very pleasantly situated, being surrounded by a varied and fertile coun- try ; while the river Stour, which intersects it, adds greatly to the purity and freshness of its atmosphere. The four principal streets form a cross, and are divided into six wards ; the corporation being composed of a mayor, recorder, twelve aldermen, twenty-four common councilmen, a sheriff, and several inferior officers. The principal modern buildings are the guildhall, the mar- ket, the theatre, and assembly-rooms. The public ave- nues are well paved ; and along the old ramparts, and an elevated piece of ground called Dane John hill, is formed one of the most beautiful walks in England. There are eleven parish churches in the city and three in the suburbs, most of which contain some object of curiosity. Of the six gates which were the ancient entrances to the town, that on the west is the only one standing, and the walls are almost every where broken down. The city is represented by two members in parliament ; and of the population, the greater part is employed in the manufacture of muslins and silk goods, or in the extensive hop grounds of the neighbourhood. Distance from London 55 miles. YORK. Lat. 53° 58' N. Lon. 1° 7'W. Population 36,000. York, anciently Eboracum, the capital of the extensive district to which it gives name was a celebrated city in the most ancient period of our history. As the royal residence of many of the Roman emperors, it grew rapidly in wealth and extent; and but for the advan- tageous situation of London, it would probably have remained the metropolis of the kingdom. Its present celebrity, however, is owing neither to its importance as a trading city nor to its superior wealth or popu- 74 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. lousness; its noble cathedral, and other ancient structures, forming its principal claim to dignity. YORK MINSTER. With the name of York cathedral are associated ideas of all that is most magnificent and impressive in ecclesiastical architecture. Its origin carries us back into the primitive times of Christianity itself, the bishop of this diocese having been present at the council of Aries held in 347. But the city, both from its situation and the high rank it held, was exposed to the worst effects of the revolutions which subsequently took place ; and when destroyed by the Danes in the ninth century, the cathedral is supposed to have shared the general ruin. It is a remarkable circumstance in the history of this edifice, that it has so many times suf- fered by conflagration : for, having been rebuilt after its ruin by the Danes, it was burnt to the ground in 1069; and when once more restored, and in a style of superior splendour, it was again nearly destroyed by fire in 1137. The piety, however, of the archbishop induced him to repair the injury ; but nothing remains, it is said, of the edifice as it then stood — the south transept, which is the oldest part of the present structure, having been built by Walter de Grey in the thirteenth century. Subse- quent to this period, it appears to have been the laud- able ambition of successive prelates to continue the work YORK. 75 begun by Walter ; and at the end of about two hundred years the cathedral was completed. The entire length of this splendid church is 524J feet ; the height of the grand lantern tower is 2 1 3 feet ; that of the two western towers 196 feet. The western front is remarkable for its magnificence, and must have been still more so before its niches were deprived of the figures for which they were intended. The east end, being of later date, is in a more florid style and has a much lighter appearance. The lantern tower, and the towers in the western front, present the same diver- sity in their styles, having been erected at different periods. The south transept is more ancient than the rest of the edifice, and is characterised by slender pillars and pointed arches, and by its being unsup- ported by prominent buttresses. The same style is also apparent in the windows, and their pillars and other ornaments; while massy columns and numerous pinnacles render this whole side of the building extremely beautiful. The northern side is equally splendid and deserving of admiration. The delight of the spectator is still further increased when he enters the church. The cross aisle is one of the grandest specimens that exist of the style which prevailed in the time of Henry III. The pillars are angular, encompassed by small columns a little detached, and ornamented with leafy capitals remarkable for their fulness. The windows are pointed, and long and nar- row. Those in the south end are arranged in three tiers, and contain representations of several saints and archbishops. Of the western entrance a distinguished observer remarks — "Architecture has never produced, nor can imagination easily conceive, a vista of greater magnifi- cence and beauty. The screen which separates the nave from the choir, rising only just high enough to form a sup- port for the organ, does not intercept the view of the eastern end of the church, witli its columns, its arches, and its most superb window. In proceeding from the western to the eastern end of the cathedral the progressive improve- 76 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. ments in the architecture are visible, and the style of the cross aisle may be contrasted with that of the later periods. The pillars and shafts of the nave are not detached as in the transepts, but form a part of the co- lumns that support the arches of the side aisle : the vaulting of the roof springs not here from slender pillars rising from flowery corbels placed above the capitals of the clustered columns, but upon tall and elegant pillars rising from the ground and attached to these columns. Tracery of the richest kind appears in the windows, es- pecially in that which occupies a large portion of the western front, and, when illumined by the rays of the declining sun, displays a grandeur surpassing the powers of description. The figures of the first eight archbishops decorate the lowermost compartment, and above are re- presented eight saints. Under this window, on each side of the great door, is placed an escutcheon : one bearing the arms of the king of England, probably Ed- ward II. or Edward III., in the beginning of whose reign this part of the structure was completed ; the other is supposed to be those of the Saxon prince Ulphius, one of the chief benefactors of the church. The upper windows, though not so richly decorated as those below, are elegantly adorned with imagery and escutcheons. Under these runs an open gallery, in which, exactly over the point of the arches, formerly stood images of the tutelar saints or patrons of the several nations of Christ- endom. Most of these have been displaced, but that of St. George remains ; and the resemblance of a dragon protruding itself from a neighbouring recess seems to give defiance to the sword of the holy champion." The screen, the choir, the beautiful chapter-house, and the crypt, but especially the grand eastern window, are the objects which next merit attention ; the latter having been unrivalled either in size or magnificence. But it is a melancholy reflection, that this description must be read rather as of the things which have been than as of those which actually exist. It is, however, to be hoped, that the late unfortunate accident which destroyed YORK. 77 a part of this venerable structure will have only served to prove the estimation in which it is held by the nation at large. York possesses twenty parochial churches, besides the cathedral ; but of these only three are remarkable for any peculiarity in the style of their architecture or other circumstance. All-hallows was partly constructed out of the ruins of the ancient city, and its Gothic tower is very generally admired. A few remains still exist of the abbey of St. Mary, one of the most extensive reli- gious establishments in the kingdom. Its walls are supposed to have embraced a space near three quarters of a mile in extent. The ruins of a castle, also, may yet be seen on an elevated spot about a hundred yards dis- tant from the river Ouse. Of the six bridges thrown over the Foss and the Ouse, on the banks of which the city is built, one only is remarkable for its antiquity. Being surrounded by walls, York is entered by four great gates or bars, and five posterns. Of these that called Micklegate Bar is most worthy of attention. It is highly orna- mented, and formerly led to a priory dedicated to the Holy Trinity, part of the grounds of which are now called the Trinity Gardens. Besides these monuments of its ancient splendour, York contains a great number of excellent modern edifices ; the chief of which are the Basilica or new county hall, the Mansion-house, the guildhall, the theatre and assembly-rooms, public hos- pitals, dissenting chapels, &c. York sends two mem- bers to parliament, Distance from London 196 miles. 78 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. BATH. Lat. 51° 23' N. Lon. 2° 22' W. Population 37,000. The city of Bath is beautifully situated on the river Avon, in Somersetshire. Its foundation is generally ascribed to the Romans. A rude tradition, however, exists, which would carry its origin back into more distant times, and attribute the honour of its commencement to one of the earliest British kings, who, being expelled while a prince from his father's court, cured himself of leprosy by accidentally washing in its waters. But rejecting what ap- pears most fabulous in this tale, it is not improbable that the inhabitants of the district were well acquainted with the virtue of the springs before the arrival of the invad- ers, and that the elements of a town or village existed there from very early times. The Romans, characteristi- cally luxurious in their baths, and choosing their situa- tions with the most scrupulous care, were not likely to neglect the advantages which such a neighbourhood pre- sented. The mildness of the air, and the lovely amphi- theatre of hills which surrounds this valley of waters, would tend still farther to delight them with the station, — the best counterpart of their own Italy which the unculti- vated land afforded, — and we accordingly learn from the best accredited accounts thatit shortly became thefavcurite residence of the Roman governors, and sometimes of the emperors. The form in which the city was first built was a parallelogram, extending from east to west about 400 yards, and from north to south about 380. It was fortified by a wall twenty feet high, and of a thickness varying from sixteen feet at the base to eight at the top. Several strong towers supported its angles ; and its four gates stood one at each extremity of the two grand streets, which intersected each other, and divided the city into four parts. Near the centre of the town were built those splendid baths, of which the ruins were discovered in 1755 at the depth of twenty feet below the surface BATH. 79 of the ground. Several other Roman relics have been also dug up in late years; and among them a head of Minerva, reckoned one of the most valuable remains of antiquity In the time of William the Conqueror it was named as one of the royal demesnes ; and in that of Rufus it was erected into a see by John de Villula, who removed thither from Wells. After undergoing several changes during the political convulsions of the following centuries, it received a charter from queen Elizabeth in 1590, which was renewed and modified in 1794. Ac- cording to this charter, it is governed by a mayor, eight aldermen, and twenty-four common councilmen ; and sends two members to parliament. The situation of Bath affords every advantage for ar- chitectural effect ; and the arrangement of its streets and terraces, the splendour and richly ornamented character of the buildings, together with the luxurious beauty of the intervening gardens and villas, form one of the loveliest scenes that can be found in any city of these northern climes. The hills on which it is built open on the two opposite sides to admit the Avon, which, flowing through the valley, and being the principal channel for the trade of the neighbouring counties, adds greatly to the beauty and liveliness of the prospect. As the streets rise one above the other, according to the gradual elevation of the hills, the principal part of the city at a distance has a close resemblance to the interior of a mighty theatre, which gave rise to Smollet's well-known sarcasm, " an antique amphitheatre turned inside out." The opinion of the novelist has not been unsupported by others ; and it is argued by persons of the best taste, that however imposing the prospect of Bath is at a distance, the archi- tecture, when more closely inspected, is greatly defective in taste and correctness of design. The city is divided into four parishes — St. Peter's and St. Paul, St. James's, St. Michael's, and Walcot; be- sides which there are some out-parishes, now closely connected with the more ancient part of the town. The abbey church is regarded as one of the most beautiful 80 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. specimens of the richly ornamented style of Gothic archi- tecture that exist, but its numerous windows, amounting to fifty-two, have gained it the appellation of the lantern of England. Some of the monuments it contains are very much admired ; and the oratory of prior Bird, who died in the early part of the sixteenth century, is ex- tremely rich in monumental beauties. Among the tombs which generally attract attention in this church, are those of lady Waller, wife of the celebrated sir William Waller ; of the noted comedian Quin, of bishop Mon- tague, and Beau Nash, tbe well-known originator of most of the regulations of Bath etiquette. There are few names connected with the history of the city better known to fame than that of this celebrated master of fashion ; and his fortunes are well calculated to point a moral for the place of which he was the hero. He was born in 1674, at Swansea in Glamorganshire, and was intended for the law, but entered the army; which, taking disgust at the discipline and his subordinate rank, he soon forsook, and took chambers in the Temple. Here he devoted himself entirely to pleasure and fashion ; and when king William visited the Inn, he was chosen as master of the pageant with which it was customary to welcome the monarch. So pleased was William with the entertainment, that he offered him the honour of knighthood ; but Nash refused it, saying, " Please your majesty, if you intend to make me a knight, I wish it may be one of your poor knights of Windsor, and then I shall have a fortune at least equal to support my title." In 1704 he was appointed master of the ceremonies at Bath; and immediately instituted a set of regulations, as remarkable for their strictness as for their judicious adaptation to the wants and society of the place. While in the plenitude of his power and popularity, Nash lived in the most splendid style of elegance, supporting his expenses by a long run of success at the gaming table. His dress was covered with expensive lace, and he wore a large white cocked hat. The chariot in which he rode was drawn by six grey horses, and attended BATH. 8 1 by a long cavalcade of servants, some on horses, others on foot ; while his progress through the streets was made known by a band of French horns and other in- struments. His common title was the King of Bath ; and his reign continued, with undiminished splendour, for more than fifteen years. His health then began to decline, and his resources grew less plentiful. As the change in his spirits and circumstances became more evident, his former acquaintances gradually forsook him ; and he died at the age of eighty-eight, in comparative indigence and solitude. His character, however, was so estimated by the corporation of the city, that he was buried with great magnificence at its expense; and his epitaph, a neat tribute to his memory, was written by Dr. Harrington. The Crescent, the North and South Parades, the Circus, and Pulteney-street, are the principal public avenues ; but the great points of attraction for the visitors of Bath are the pump and ball-rooms: the former is 85 feet long; the interior is surrounded by three-quarter Corinthian columns, crowned with entablatures and surmounted by a five-feet coving. At the west end is a music gallery; and a recess at the east is occupied by a statue of Nash. In the centre of the south side stands the marble vase, from which the water is taken by an attendant and handed to the company. The public baths are, the king's and queen's, the hot bath, and the cross bath ; besides which, there are the duke of Kingston's, the corporation's, and some other private ones. The kind's is on the south side of the pump-room, and is rather more than 65 feet long and 40 broad, containing, when filled, more than 346 tuns of water : it is surrounded by a Doric colonnade ; and in the centre, where tin.- s^rinu' rises, is a brass hand-rail. In the hottest part of the bath the thermometer stands at 111°; in the coolest, at 100°. The hot bath raises it to 117°. There are several public charities in this city of great utility. The general hospital, which was founded at the benevolent instigation of Nash, receives poor persons, to VOL. i. <; 82 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. whom the waters are likely to be beneficial, from all parts of the kingdom. Two or three establishments also exist for the support of aged men and women ; and early in the last century the venerable Robert Nelson founded a charity school for fifty boys and fifty girls. Nor is Bath wanting in provisions for literary and scientific pursuits : it has a large public library, a society for the promotion of agriculture, and a philosophical society. Bath is 107 miles west from London, and 12 miles east from Bristol. WELLS. Lat. 51° 12' N. Lon. 2° 36' W. Population 6000. Wells, a city of Somersetshire, and the seat of a bishopric united with that of Bath, first began to acquire importance in the reign of Richard I., by whom it was incorporated. In that of John it was declared a free borough ; and from Elizabeth it received the charter according to which it is now governed. Its name is said to be derived from the springs in the neighbourhood of the bishop's palace ; which, after filling the moat surrounding that edifice, flow in a considerable stream through the city. The situation of Wells at the southern base of the Mendip hills is generally admired for the beauty of the prospects it commands, and for the mildness and salu- brity of the climate. The only objects of importance in the town are the cathedral and the episcopal palace. The former of these edifices is surpassed by few churches, either in antiquity or grandeur of architecture. By far the greater part of it was built in the beginning of the thirteenth century, by Joceline bishop of the diocese. It is in the form of a cross ; and the length of its interior, from east to west, is 381 feet. A large qua- drangular tower, 178 feet high, rises from the centre of the transepts, and is supported upon four arches, with WELLS. So inverted arches,, and piers of immense thickness. The choir is 111 feet long; and behind the altar is a very ?M&k*£^ WELLS CATHEDRAL. beautiful chapel dedicated to St. Mary. The windows of the latter afford exquisite specimens of the most delicate ornamental architecture ; and some of them are equally rich in the beauty of their painted glass. But the portion of the cathedral most admired is the west front, whcih may vie with the ecclesiastical structures of the continent for fulness and variety of ornament. The principal buttresses are on each side, occupied by the images of popes, kings, and cardinals. Along the front is a representation of the Resurrection, in which the sculptor has exercised all the fertility of his imagination; and the niches contain figures of the apostles and saints, many of which are executed with great skill. The bishop's palace, which stands on the south of the cathedral, is surrounded by walls that embrace seven acres of ground, and are flanked at the angles by bastion towers. The foss before mentioned, with its bridge and gate-house, serves still further to defend the epis- copal residence, and to give it the appearance of a forti- fied castle. The corporation of Wells consists of a mayor, recorder, seven masters, and sixteen common councilmen. The two members which it returns to parliament are chosen by the mayor, masters, hurgesses, and freemen ; the num- ber of voters being about 500. Wells is Vl\ miles from London. r. 9 84 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. SALISBURY or NEW SARUM. Lat. 51° 4' N. Lon. 1° 47' W. Population 9000. Salisbury is situated in Wiltshire, in a broad valley near the confluence of the Avon, the Nadder, and the Willey, the waters of which supply canals which are conducted through its streets. The origin of this city is uniformly attributed to bishop Poore, who, by the command of pope Honorius, founded the cathedral in the year 1220. The establishment of the monastery in this situation induced most of the inhabitants of Old Sarum to follow the example of the clergy, and leave the bleak and inconvenient tract of ground they had hitherto oc- cupied for the more pleasant site of the present city. The early history of the place is remarkable for the struggles which occurred between the citizens and the bishops; and it was not till the reign of James I. that their respective rights were finally settled. One of the most striking characteristics of Salisbury is the great number of bridges by which every quarter of the town is crossed, and which are rendered necessary by the sluices above mentioned, which intersect most of the streets, and which in a great measure contribute to that healthiness of climate for which this city is noted. Of the public buildings of Salisbury the cathedral is by far the most interesting, and is considered as one of the noblest specimens which exist of the architectural genius of our forefathers. Its erection was begun in the year 1220, and was continued till 1262, when the whole, with the exception of the spire, was nearly completed as it at present appears. There is more uniformity in the general style of this cathedral than in most others; owing, no doubt, to the uninterrupted labour employed in the building. The west front is the principal varia- tion from the quiet and solemn beauty of the other parts ; being highly ornamented, and covered with a profusion of statues and other embellishments. The tower and SALISBURY, 85 spire are also richly wrought, and form a beautiful con- trast, by their lightness and elegance, with the massive SALISBURY CATHEDRAL. grandeur of the edifice they surmount. The interior is equally perfect in design and general effect. It is com- posed of a nave with two lateral aisles, a lofty porch, a noble transept with eastern aisle, a choir with lateral aisles, and a small transept with an aisle and chapel at each end. The chapter-house and cloisters on the south side of the church are deserving of attention, both for their architecture and the many curious specimens they exhibit of ornamental sculpture. The episcopal palace is an extensive building, and has received a great variety of improvements and additions since its original erec- tion ; but it is destitute of elegance or uniformity. Salisbury, it is remarked, is distinctly divided into two parts: the one of which, named the Close, is occu- pied by the cathedral, the bishop's palace, the residences of the clergy and others connected with the church ; while the other assumes more particularly the name of the City. In this part of the town the large and excellent market-place is greatly admired; and the regular dispo 86 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. sition of the streets, five of which run north and south, and five east and west, crossing each other at right angles. Three parish churches provide for the religious wants of the inhabitants; and the grammar-school is rendered celebrated by Addison's having received the early part of his education in it. The noble council- house, erected at the sole expense of the earl of Radnor, is a splendid ornament to the market-place, and one of the most striking monuments of private munificence which exist. Besides these buildings, Salisbury pos- sesses a theatre, a spacious infirmary, and other edifices devoted to purposes of benevolence. An active and extensive trade is carried on by this town in flannels and fancy woollens ; and its cutlery manufactories are said to produce the best articles of the kind made in England. That its prosperity has been increasing within late years, appears from the fact, that in 1811 the population was 8243, while in 1821 it was 9000. The city is governed by a mayor, twenty-four aldermen, and thirty assistants, together with inferior officers ; and sends two members to parliament. Its distance from London is 81 miles. In the middle of the immense plain to which it gives name, stands the most remarkable monument of genuine British antiquity. The rude and massy simplicity of Stonehenge, connected with the extreme remoteness of its origin, renders it an object of deep interest. Though manifesting scarcely any traces of invention, it irresistibly impresses us with an idea that the people who constructed it were of a grand and imaginative character, that their religion was the parent of whatever knowledge they possessed of art, and that they employed considerable labour and attention in providing for their devotional rites. Among the contradictory suppositions Avhich have been started respecting the design of the structure, there seems to be little to oppose to the commonly received no- tion of its being a druidical temple. Its great antiquity also, though disputed, appears to be equally well proved ; and Dr. Stukely's opinion, that it was erected as far back SALISBURY. 87 as 460 years before the present era, is received by many eminent antiquaries. SIOXEHEXGE. The general appearance of this mysterious ruin is that of an immense pile of stones, or rather, perhaps, of masses of rock, torn and flung to a distance by some great convulsion of nature. On examining it, however, it still affords very marked evidences of design. A ditch and vallum of earth surround the outward wall ; and the entrance, which is on the north-east, is marked by a bank and ditch branching off in two opposite directions. In this avenue stands a huge stone sixteen feet high, to which tradition has given the name of the Friar's Heel. A hundred feet from this, within the vallum, are others lying, which measure above twenty feet in length; and the whole circumference of the outer circle is supposed to have been composed of thirty upright pieces, seventeen of which only are standing, but on some of these the stones are still fixed, which, being connected together, formed the architraves of the circles. About eight feet distant is another wall of a similar character, but formed of smaller stones ; and out of the forty which composed the circle oidy eight are standing — twelve others being scattered on the ground. It is not, however, till these circles are past, that the stranger stands within the part of the temple most sacred to religion. Protected by two elliptical rows, formed into what are termed trili- thons — that is, two upright stones, surmounted by a horizontal one — the immense slab which covered the altar is still preserved entire. What was the nature of the gloomy rites which were intermixed with the better and more humanizing qualities of druidism is not to be easily determined ; but many a human victim, it is pro- G 1 88 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. bable, bled upon the fallen altar of Stonehenge ; and it is not easy to turn away from this monument of our idola- trous forefathers, without a thankful feeling for the mighty change that has taken place since its erection. Distance from London 106 miles. NORWICH. Lat. 52°31'N. Lon. 1° 18' E. Population 50,000. ~ m This city, the capital of Norfolk, one of the most fruitful agricultural counties in the kingdom, owes its origin, though probably not its foundation, to the Romans. After the breaking up of their camp at Castor, the celebrated Venta Icenorum, the rude beginnings of a town became visible along the part of the road which led from the encampment to the site of the present city. In propor- tion as Castor was deserted, Norwich acquired form and extent ; and an old distich is still repeated, which strongly tends to confirm this traditionary account of its origin : — " Castor was a city when Norwich was none, And Norwich was built of Castor stone." At what period the castle was built, antiquaries have not been able to determine with any certainty. The most probable account is, that the present structure was erected by Roger Bigod in the time of William Rufus, but that a building of inferior strength had existed long before that era on the same site. Ample evidence, indeed, exists to prove that both during the heptarchy, and when the nation was infested by the earliest incur- sions of the Danes, Norwich was a place of considerable strength, and of sufficient importance to provoke the frequent attacks of the enemy. The fortifications with which it was surrounded in later times may still be traced, and must have rendered the place, before the invention of cannon, nearly impregnable. Three ballia, each supported by a vallum and deep foss, surrounded NORWICH. 89 the fortress, the principal entrance to which was by Bar or Bere street; towers being placed at short intervals to support the other parts of the fortification. But it was in the fourteenth century that Norwich began to exhibit signs of its future respectability as a manufacturing town. About that period the Flemings, driven from their own country by many distresses, sought a refuge in this city, and, by introducing the manufacture of worsted stuffs, laid the foundation of its present very extensive trade. About two hundred years after this it received another accession both to the number of its most useful inhabitants and to its trade, by the arrival of several Dutch and Walloons who fled thither from the blind fury of the duke of Alva. The wealth and population of the city rapidly increased from that time ; but it suffered considerably during the civil wars, and the plague more than once threatened its ruin. Till the revolution in l6'88 it was also kept in a continual state of uncertainty respecting its charter, which it repeatedly lost ; but in the reign of William III. it received a confirmation of all its ancient privileges, and its corporation was made to consist of a mayor, recorder, steward, two sheriffs, twenty-four aldermen, and sixty common councilmen. Norwich once contained no less than fifty churches. The present number is thirty-six ; but they possess few objects of any remarkable antiquity. That of St. Peter's Mancroft is the largest and handsomest. St. Stephen's and St. Andrew's are also spacious and elegant buildings ; but the little and obscure church of St. Julian is sup- posed to be the most ancient. The cathedral is a struc- ture of great beauty and antiquity. It was founded by Herbert de Losinga in 10[)6, when he removed with the monks of his monastery at Thetford to the more convenient neighbourhood of Norwich. The general style of the building is Norman, characterised by the semicircular arch and short bulky column ; but it is supposed to have undergone several improvements before it assumed its present appearance. Considerable diversity 90 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. is still visible in its architecture ; and some of its parts are said to be very defective in propriety. Its plan NORWICH CATHEDRAL. presents a nave with side aisles ; a transept ; a choir, ending towards the east in a semicircle, and an aisle which surrounds it. Connected with these different divisions are two chapels, a consistory court, a chapter- house, a precinct gaol, and cloisters. The whole length of the building from east to west is 41 1 feet, and the cloisters form a square of 174 feet. At the south-west angle of the latter is a large lavatory ; and the door-way which leads from the eastern aisle to the nave is gene- rally admired for its canopied niches and splendidly carved crockets. The west front is divided into three compartments, corresponding with the width and height of the nave and of the side aisles. In the central divi- sion is a large and richly adorned window ; and the grand door-way beneath is rich in the variety of its orna- ments; but the turrets which surmount the compartments of this front are a great detriment to its beauty. The NORWICH. 91 nave and aisle contain five tiers of windows, intermixed with semicircular arches and buttresses. The sides and front of the transept correspond in their principal features with this department; and from their intersection rise the tower and spire, to the height of 315 feet. The exterior of the choir and its aisles are greatly varied in their windows and ornaments ; those of the former being surmounted by pointed arches, and the latter by square heads. The interior of the church is fitted up with much beauty; and its long aisles, containing many ancient monuments, impress the mind with a deep feeling of solemnity and repose. Few of our ancient ecclesias- tical structures offer a retreat so favourable to reflection as either this part of the cathedral or the cloisters. The small and lonely spot of ground inclosed by the latter is a burial-place, which has the appearance of having been long deserted even by mourners. The tracery of the arches is here and there covered with moss, and in other places is fast crumbling away; while the complete stillness which generally prevails, and is broken only by the occa- sional footfall of the aged vergers, or the faint sound of the organ, connects a thousand affecting associations with the hoar antiquity of the place. Near the cathedral stands the episcopal palace, built by bishop Salmon in 1318; the former having been de- stroyed. The same prelate also founded the free gram- mar-school, one of the most distinguished institutions of the kind in England. Connected with it are the names of Samuel Parr and Edward Valpy ; to the latter of whom both the classical and theological student are in- debted for invaluable guides in their enquiries. A few remains still exist of other ancient ecclesiastical and charitable institutions in Norwich ; but they must be left to the researches of the professed antiquary. Of the public buildings of this city, the town and guild halls; the hospital, an extensive institution con- ducted on the most judicious principles; the theatre, ami new corn-cxcliange ; deserve particular mention. The admirable market also merits notice. Of the streets, 92 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. three only — St. Giles, St. Augustine, and that named Surrey-street — are of sufficient breadth to be termed handsome. Besides possessing as many charitable in- stitutions as, perhaps, any city of the size in Europe, Norwich offers many conveniences for literary and commercial pursuits. It has two public libraries, one of which has existed for many years; and to the beneficial effects of which is in a great measure owing the intelli- gence which characterises the middle class of the inha- bitants. The history of Norwich as a manufacturing town is highly interesting, and would form a useful volume. " In the time of Henry VIII.," it is said, " according to Blomefield, the sale of stuffs made in the city of Norwich only amounted to the annual sum of 200,000/.; exclusive of stockings, which was computed at 60,000/. more. Not only did the trade thus flourish at Norwich and Unstead, but it had now spread over the county ; for by an act passed in the fourteenth year of this reign, it appears that the making of worsteds, saies, and stammins, which had greatly increased in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk, was now practised more busily and diligently than in times past at Yar- mouth and Lynn. The wardens of these towns, there- fore, were put under the control of the jurisdiction of Norwich. During the reigns of Edward VI. and queen Mary new articles of manufacture continued to be in- troduced, and new regulations passed for the making of russells, satins, satins-reverses, and Naples fustians, as had been done before for the making of hats, domicks, and coverlets ; and the manufacturers of such new ar- ticles were formed into a corporation endowed with exclusive privileges. Subsequent to this the trade fell into decay, and a new era of its revival commenced. By the advice of the duke of Norfolk, queen Elizabeth was induced to offer an asylum in her dominions to the inhabitants of the Low Countries, from the cruel persecu- tion of the duke of Alva, as before stated. These people brought with them their arts and their industry, and quickly evinced the folly of attempting compulsion in NORWICH. Q3 religious matters, and the wisdom and policy of an enlightened toleration. They were allowed to settle in Norfolk, and each master to bring with him ten servants at the duke's charge. They rapidly increased, and the county was essentially benefitted by their skill and ex- ertions. New fabrications were introduced by the inter- mixture of silk, mohair, and wool; and several new articles were manufactured, as various in their qualities as their names; such as bayes, saies, arras, and nerchades. In 157-"', the Dutch elders presented in court a specimen of a novel work, called bombazines ; for the manufacturing of which elegant stuff the city has ever since been famed. In the reign of George I. an act passed to compel the makers of any kind of stuff to become free- men of Norwich, as the manufacturers of russells and fustians had formerly been. The preamble states, that it was made to furnish the city with a proper supply of able magistrates ; but the policy of the measure lay deeper than the statement. In the twenty-fifth year of George II. a statute was enacted to open the port of Great Yarmouth for the importation of wool and woollen yarn ; a circumstance which proved highly beneficial to the general trade of the city and county." The trade, however, though of great extent and profit, had been hitherto confined almost entirely to home markets ; but " about forty years ago, the tide of fashion running .strongly in favour of the light and elegant manufactures of India, excited in the genius of Britain a spirit of imitation. The stuff trade had been long on the de- cline, through the prevalence of Manchester cottons ; and from the facility and cheapness with which these were manufactured hy the wonderful inventions of Arkwright and other ingenious mechanics, the destruc- tion of the home trade was almost completed. The merchants and manufacturers were roused to extraordi- nary exertions, and the channels of trade were goon entirely changed. They improved and extended their Continental connections ; their travellers were seen in every kingdom of Europe; and the great annual marls 94 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. of Frankfort, Leipsic, and Salerno, were crowded with purchasers for Norwich goods. By these means, though excluded from their usual share of the internal trade, they amply compensated that loss. The tradesmen now sent their sons to be educated in Germany, Italy, and Spain, that by learning the languages and manners of the different people they might enlarge their views and strengthen their foreign relations. The taste of every country and the habits of every clime were consulted, from the frozen north to the sultry south. Hence Norwich, and the country for twenty miles round it, quickly became crowded with looms. Though the distaff and the spin- ning-wheel were incessantly plied through the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, — and in the former only, it is computed, fifty thousand tods of wool were annually spun, — yet the produce was inadequate to the demand. It became necessary to import yarn as well as wool; and of the importation of bay yarn from Ireland only, more was at that period consumed here than had been a few years before imported into the whole kingdom. Exclu- sive of this, great quantities of yarn were purchased from the neighbouring counties ; and Scotland also was induced to contribute a share. At that proud meridian of its prosperity, the trade, from the capriciousness of fashion, began to show some symptoms of decay ; and the disastrous war breaking out, abridged its communi- cations, dissolved its continental connections, annihilated all incentives to speculation, depressed the spirit of en- terprise, and paralysed the hands of industry." Norwich has never recovered the prosperity it enjoyed in the times just described ; but it is still a wealthy and busy city, and its manufacturers are distinguished for then- spirit and enterprising abilities. The neighbourhood is pleasant and highly cultivated. The river Wensum, which has been lately widened so as to make Norwich a port, passes through the town, and is crossed by several neat bridges. It sends two members to parliament. Distance from London 112 miles. 95 LINCOLN. Lat. 53° 15' N. Lon. 0° 35' W. Population 10,000. Lincoln*, the capital of the county of the same name, is surrounded with evidences of its Roman origin ; and several distinguished antiquaries have described its numerous relics of ancient times with great taste and learning. In 1739 three stone coffins were disco- vered, beneath which was a tesselated pavement, and lower down a Roman hypocaust. In 1782 a sudatory was discovered, which is thus described : — " On a floor, composed of two courses of bricks and two layers of terrace mortar, stood a number of arches four feet high, their crown eight inches and a half thick, supported by pillars of bricks sixteen inches by twelve; which, as well as the arches, were covered over with two coats of mortar, and supported a floor composed of terrace and bricks irregularly intermixed. The intervals between the pil- lars were two feet three inches, two feet five inches, and two feet seven inches : several of the pillars were gone. To the north, beyond two rows of these pillars, whose floors rise one inch a half from north to south, were passages, at the end of which the arches began again : but the discovery was pursued no farther that way ; for the external wall, which is six feet thick, of brick and stone intermixed, extends northward beyond the width of one arch ; but how much farther cannot be traced, the arches being broken in and filled with rubbish. Where the second set of arches commences was found a hole that goes sloping up into the outer wall, beginning at the crown of the arches, and seems to have communicated with some part above. By the joints in the work, it is conjectured that the place with pillars and the one with passages had been built at different times. On the south was an entrance whose floor falls five inches, and is con- tinued beyond the jamb: the surface of the floor is thirteen feet six inches beneath the pavement of the Street, and seventeen feet five inches below the garden 96 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. in which it is situated. Numbers of fragments of urns, paterae, and other earthen vessels, but none very orna- mental, were found amongst the rubbish ; also earthen bottles terminating in a point, without any orifice. The external walls were built of stone intermixed with brick. The ruins of this hypocaust still exist, and are accessible at all times to the curious traveller." Thus much must suffice for a specimen of the evidence which remains of the Romans being once the inhabitants of Lincoln. In the earliest chronicles of the struggles carried on be- tween the Saxons, Danes, and Normans, its name frequently occurs ; and at the era of the Conquest it is said to have been one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the kingdom. The castle, erected in 1086' on the brow of a hill, was regarded for many centuries as almost impregnable, and in the time of the civil wars was anxiously contended for by the royal and parlia- mentary forces. LINCOLN CATHEDRAL. The cathedral, or minster, its most common name, is remarkable for its elevation, and was founded in 1086. It has suffered many injuries, and been rebuilt in all its principal parts. As it at present stands, it consists of a nave with its aisles, a transept at the w T est end, and two other transepts — one near the centre, and another LINCOLN. 97 towards the eastern end; and of a choir and chancel with their aisles : with these divisions are also connected three chapels, cloisters, Sec. The height of the western tower, formerly surmounted by a spire, is 180 feet: the great tower from the ground to the corner pinnacle is 300 feet high. The exterior length of the church is 524 feet, the interior 482 feet. Every thing about this cathedral is grand and highly ornamented, and its western front has been denominated the noblest specimen of that species of architecture in Eu- rope. Besides the magnificence displayed in the separate parts of the building, which defy abridged description, it is also said to have once possessed more riches than almost any church in the nation. Henry VIII., according to some authors, took from it not less than 2621 ounces of gold and 4-285 ounces of silver, besides an innumerable quan- tity of precious stones. Some of its shrines were of pure gold, others of silver ; and the mitre of the bishop had not its equal for the richness of its jewels. Several very curious monuments ornament different parts of the aisles and cloisters ; and the chapels, chapter-house, and library, are all highly interesting. Besides the cathedral, Lincoln contains eleven parish churches : it had for- merly more than fifty ; but of those which remain, few are mentioned as meriting particular attention. But Lincoln has claims upon the regard of the anti- quary, in addition to those which it possesses in its cathedral and the vestiges of its Roman population. The castle, which w r as built by William the Conqueror, has yet sufficient left of its mighty walls and embattled towers to give an idea of its former strength and gran- deur. From a building called Fort Lucy tower an underground communication is said to have existed from the quarter of the town where it stands to the citadel. The priory, about which antiquaries are in doubt Whe- ther to consider it as originally a religious or a military edifice, has one of its walls curiously built in the form of a niched tomb. The exchequer gate, the mint-wall, and castelets or watch-towers, are also interesting remains VOL. I. H 98 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. of past ages ; but few objects in this ancient city are more worthy of notice than the site and what little still exists of John of Gaunt's house, which formerly added greatly both to its strength and magnificence. An ancient building, known by the name of the Jew's House, is also regarded as a venerable relic of the past: while the deanery, erected in 1254 ; the episcopal palace, and the vicars' college, though of later date ; would, in a town less rich in antiquities, claim particular notice. Lincoln was not rendered thus splendid by the mere spirit or industry of its inhabitants : to a succession of royal and noble visitors it owed the greatest part both of its wealth and architectural magnificence. It was in this city Henry II. repeated the ceremony of his corona- tion, and Edward I. held a parliament there in the year 1301. The situation of the city is very picturesque; part of it being built on a lofty hill, down the sides of which run the main streets, which communicate with what is called the Low Town, and near which flows the river Witham. The principal modern buildings worthy of notice are the theatre, assembly-rooms, market-house, and hospitals. Its trade in corn and wool is very con- siderable, and contributes to the main support of the population, which is represented by two members in parliament, and governed by a corporation consisting of a mayor, twelve aldermen, two sheriffs, twenty-eight common councilmen, four chamberlains, a recorder, and inferior officers. Lincoln is 131 miles north of London. WINCHESTER. Lat. 51° 7' N. Lon. 1° 22' W. Population 8000. This city is one of the most ancient in the kingdom, and under the reign of the Saxon king Egbert was the WINCHESTER. QQ metropolis of the whole country. The superiority, how- ever, of London was fully established by the time of Edward I. ; and though it long enjoyed an important share in the wool trade, it was unable to resist the changes which gradually took place in its commercial relations. The dissolution also of its monastery by Henry VIII. served greatly to diminish its wealth, and the civil wars tended still further to affect its prosperity. Winchester is built on the eastern declivity of a hill which overlooks the river Itchen, and is said to have owed its original name of the White City, to the chalky cliffs which surround it. Though having altogether the air of a very ancient place, its streets are broad and airy; and many of its public buildings of late erection, such as its theatre, market-house, public infirmary, &c. are distinguished for neatness of design. But few cities possess more attractions for the antiquary. Its eight churches are most of them of great date, and the cathe- dral is as celebrated for its magnificent architecture as for the remote antiquity of its origin. This splendid edi- fice was preceded by a structure raised by the zeal and piety of the Saxons. It was much altered and improved in the succeeding ages ; and, in the sixteenth century, bishop Fox rebuilt it according to the style in which it now appears. The length of the building is 545 feet. The nave is adorned by grand and lofty columns ; and the view into the choir would have a very imposing effect but for a Grecian screen, by which it is inter- rupted, and the propriety of the original design de- stroyed. Several monuments both in the nave and chantry afford interesting specimens of ancient taste, and the choir impresses the spectator at the first entrance with deep and awful sensations. By a singularity in this cathedral, the great tower is placed over the choir instead of over the entrance to the edifice; but the ceiling and many of the additions which were made in the reign of Charles I. greatly deteriorate the grandeur and beauty of the church as it first stood. The can -I screen behind the altar is said to be the most exquisite H 2 100 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. thing of the kind in England. The splendid painted window through which the light streams upon this beau- tiful screen is also equally admired : and in the chapels of bishop Fox, of Wayneflete, Langton, and cardinal Beaufort, and in those of Our Lady, the eye is de- lighted with an incessant variety of the richest and most perfect ornamental carvings. The cloisters, except that leading to the infirmary, were destroyed in the reign of Elizabeth. The refectory and its subterranean kitchens, supported by pillars and Norman arches, still remain. WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL. Next to the cathedral must be mentioned the college of Winchester, which was founded by William of Wykeham towards the end of the fourteenth century. The budding is divided into two courts; the entrance to the former of which is under a large gateway orna- mented with busts of the founder and Edward III. The centre tower, over the entrance into the second court, is admired for its niches and pinnacled canopies ; and the chapel and hall, which occupy the south wing of this court, are supported by massy buttresses sur- mounted by a line of noble windows. On entering the chapel, the spectator is both awed and charmed with the rich glow of melancholy light that streams on the pave- ment and splendid tracery of the walls, from the painted glass for which this magnificent building is famed. To the south of the chapel are the cloisters, in the middle of which is the library ; and on the west of the WINDSOR. 101 college is a building for students not on the foundation, which consists of a warden, ten fellows, seventy scholars, three chaplains, six choristers, with masters and sub- ordinate officers. There are still to be seen the ruins of the ancient episcopal palace called Wolvesey castle, which was destroyed by Cromwell in l6'46. But a more interest- ing relic of former times is the chapel of the castle, which formed the principal defence of the city during the different attacks to which it was exposed. Little remains of the other part of the building ; and this, from having been converted into a county hall, has lost much of its original appearance. The curious, how- ever, are gratified by seeing Arthur's Round Table sus- pended at the east end — the most ancient, and almost the only, memento which remains of the earliest age of English chivalry. Charles II. built a palace on the site of the castle, which contains l60 apartments. Winchester is governed by a mayor, recorder, six aldermen, a town clerk, two coroners, two constables, and twenty common councilmen. It sends two members to parliament, chosen by the corporation and freemen of the city. "Winchester is 62^ miles W.S.W. from London. WINDSOR. Lat. 51° 28' N. Lon. 0° 37' W. Population 6000. Windsor, situate in Berkshire, has been a royal demesne since the time of William the Conqueror, who received it from the abbot of Westminster in exchange for lands in Essex. Its name is derived from a Saxon term signifying winding banks ; and the beauty of the Thames at tliis part of its course, the richly wooded country through which it flows, and the many historical associations connected with 102 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. the neighbourhood, render it a favourite and interesting place of resort. The town, which received its first charter from Edward I., and its last in the time of William III., is governed by a corporation of twenty- eight or thirty brethren, of whom ten are called alder- men, and the rest benchers and burgesses. From the former a mayor and justice, and from the latter two bailiffs, are chosen annually. Tbe principal public building is the guildhall, which contains some noble rooms, and is adorned with portraits of most of the English sovereigns. The church is very ancient, and the monuments in it are many of them highly curious. But Windsor in itself possesses few objects of attrac- tion ; and it is to the scenery in its vicinity, and espe- cially to its noble forest and castle, that it chiefly owes its celebrity. From the time of the Conqueror to the reign of Edward III. the palace of Windsor continued to receive various additions and improvements ; but the latter prince, who was born within its walls, pulled down the greater part of the ancient structure and rebuilt it in its present form. William of Wykeham, afterwards bishop of Winchester, was the architect ; and, according to the commonly received tradition, his fortune was made by the skill and genius he manifested in the design. So arbitrary, however, was the manner in which the work- men were engaged, that the king ordered all who should offer them more wages than himself to be deprived of their property, and the men themselves who should ac- cept the offer to be imprisoned in Newgate. The com- missioners also, who had the office of providing the building materials, were empowered to seize whatever carriages they might require for its conveyance ; but by these means the structure was rapidly advanced, and it is supposed that before the death of Edward it had approached completion. Many improvements were made by the successors of this its second founder ; and his present majesty has a just claim to be ranked among the foremost of those who have contributed to its grandeur. sj. • ' \ WINDSOR. 103 The two courts into which the castle is divided are separated by the keep or round tower, which is defended with a moat, and commands, by its elevated situation, a wide extent of country. From the summit of this tower the eye wanders over one of the richest and most extensive prospects in England. No less than twelve counties are embraced in the lovely panorama; while the landscape immediately beneath is covered with green and luxuriant foliage, under the refreshing shades of which the Thames is seen flowing in his greatest glory. In the interior of the building is a guard-chamber, filled with ancient armour and every species of warlike wea- pons. Among other valuable relics of this description are the coats of mail said to have belonged to John king of France and David of Scotland, who were once pri- soners in the castle. The upper ward contains the royal apartments, the chapel-royal, and St. George's hah\ In the centre of the court is an ecmestrian statue of Charles II.; and a splendid collection of paintings adorn the royal apart- ments, to describe which would require a volume. St. George's hall is principally devoted to the rites and ceremonies connected with the order of the Garter. The royal chapel is embellished with many superb carvings by the celebrated Gibbons ; and in the lower ward of the castle is the chapel of St. George, more beautiful in de- sign and more sumptuously furnished than any similar structure in the kingdom. Its vaults are the burial- place of many of our sovereigns, and connected with it is the charitable institution of the poor knights of Wind- sor, who receive a yearly allowance of about 40/., and blue cloaks embroidered with the cross of St. George. On the south side of the town is the great park, which, even before it was enlarged by the inclosure act, was 14 miles in circumference. The forest embraces an extent of 56 miles, and has been the scene of many a royal chase. Windsor sends two members to parlia- ment. Its distance from London is 21 miles, ii I 104- CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. WORCESTER. Lat. 52° 10' N. Lon. 2° 12' W. Population 17,000. This beautiful city is situated in the fertile valley of the Severn ; and both in the regularity of its streets, and the general character of the scenery amidst which it is built, rivals most of the provincial capitals of England. Ethelred king of Mercia is supposed to have founded the cathedral here, as early as the year 680 ; and from that period it gradually grew to its present state of wealth and respectability. As the scene of some of the most memorable events in English history, it has an additional claim to regard ; and while its modern buildings and manufactures are admired for their taste and elegance, it is scarcely possible to pace the streets or the surrounding fields without the mind being constantly occupied with interesting recollections. The cathedral is considered as one of the most beau- tiful in the kingdom. It is built in the Gothic style, but its front is remarkable for great simplicity and absence of ornament. The ancient structure was de- stroyed by fire, and two others which successively rose from its ashes shared the same fate. The present edifice was consecrated in the reign of Henry III., who was present at the ceremony with all the pomp of his court, and who thus marked his respect for the sacred spot in which his father king John was buried. The whole building, however, underwent such a complete repair between the years 1320 and 1386, principally at the expense of bishop Wakefield, that that prelate may be considered as its second founder. The interior is of a much more ornamented character than the exterior, and is richly furnished with every species of sculpture and carvings. Its plan is that of a double cross ; and the nave and aisles are distinguished by their noble propor- tions and solid architecture. The chief attraction which Worcester possesses, after LANCASTER. 105 those already mentioned, is its extensive porcelain manu- facture, the different branches of which are conducted in the most ingenious manner. The principal warehouses and workshops are always open to the visitor ; and the whole process is shown, from the first rough moulding of the clay into form, to its receiving the exquisite colours of the designer. The glove and hosiery manufactures of this city are also carried on to a great extent; and the inhabitants are thus well furnished with employment. Worcester is governed by a corporation, consisting of a mayor, recorder, sheriff], six aldermen, twenty-four common councilmen, forty-eight assistants, besides in- ferior officers ; and sends two members to parliament. Distance from London 115 miles. LANCASTER CASTLE. LANCASTER. Lat. 54° 3' N. Lon. 2° 47' W. Population 20,000. Lancaster is advantageously situated on the river Loyne or Lune ; and numerous antiquities, dug up at different times in the neighbourhood, attest its having been a Roman station of some importance. It was not, how- ever, till Edward III. bestowed it, with the grant of 106 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. ducal privileges, on John of Gaunt, that it began to as- sume the consequence it has from that time enjoyed. The castle, which is generally believed to have been erected about the period above mentioned, gave it a formidable character during the civil wars ; but those disastrous convulsions had the effect of nearly ruining its popula- tion, and it is said to have been inhabited for many years after by only a few poor husbandmen. As it gradually recovered its former consideration, and began to enjoy a portion of foreign trade, its population again greatly increased ; and the town at present contains several fine public buildings, and some streets which may be regarded as handsome. The castle, for which this town is principally noted, suffered greatly in the civil wars, and was left almost a ruin ; but its walls remain sufficiently entire to give an idea of its former strength and extent. It occupies the summit of a lofty eminence, and covers a considerable space of ground. The chief entrance is by the eastern gate, which is under a fortified tower ; and this conducts into a spacious court-yard, surrounded by other towers of immense strength. Opposite to the entrance is the keep, — a square building, containing several large apart- ments, and formerly supported by powerful military works. This once mighty fortress is now the county gaol ; and the courts, and various parts of the modern building, are greatly admired for their adaptation to the purposes for which they were erected. Close to the castle is the parish church, which is handsome and spacious, and possesses some monuments of great antiquity. The town hall is distinguished for its beautiful portico and interior arrangement ; and the several places of worship for dissenters, as well as an episcopal chapel, are neat and convenient edifices. The town is under the jurisdiction of a corporation consisting of a mayor, recorder, twelve aldermen, twenty- four burgesses, and inferior officers. It sends two mem- bers to parliament. Distance from London 2 40 miles. 107 DOVER CASTLE. DOVER. Lat. 51°G'N. Lon. 1°19'E. Population 10,000. No seaport of England is so abundant in interesting objects as Dover. The place itself, owing to its situation beneath the cliffs, has a romrntic air, which is pleasantly contrasted with the incessant stir and variety of the har- bour. Many relics of remote times are also found in dif- ferent quarters of the town ; and immediately at its back are hills which command a prospect over the most fertile district in the island ; over the busy channel-sea, more awakening to English feelings than any other part of the ocean; and beyond its opposite shore, over the plains of France. Or were the castle which crowns these cliffs their only interesting feature, they would claim the fre- quent visit of the stranger; nor would he want an ample reward for often labouring up the steep to inspect such a fortress. The antiquity of Dover castle is undisputed. Re- mains of a Roman fortification still exist near its site ; and when William the Conqueror was meditating the inva- sion of the country, it was of such far-famed strength, that he made it a part of Harold's oath that that unfor- tunate nohlfinan should resign it to him on his landing. Every subsequent improvement made in the art of forti- fication seems to have occasioned a change in the castle and its outworks. Till the reign of Charles I. it was 108 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. generally considered to be unassailable on the side next the sea ; but its annals record the desperate but success- ful attempt of a merchant, who, with only ten or twenty men, scaled the chff, and made himself master of the place for the republicans. After the termination of the civil war, its importance was not felt, and it was almost entirely neglected till the signs of an European war and the threats of France again called attention to its advan- tageous situation. According to the general plan of the fortress, it is divided into two courts, distinguished by the names of the lower and upper. The former of these areas is defended by a wall or curtain, supported by several towers of different age and construction, and is con- nected with the other by means of a bridge and postern. In the centre of the second court stands the keep, which formerly contained a chapel, several good apartments, and a strong dungeon, but it is now used as a magazine, and has been rendered bomb-proof. Other towers of considerable strength are seen in different quarters, and under one of these is a well said to be 370 feet deep. But the most remarkable feature of the fortification is the shafts, which have been cut at immense expense through the solid rock, and by means of which a communication is continued through every part of the citadel, and light and air secured to the subterranean barracks. To any but a military eye, the castle thus fortified by every means that the most refined science could invent, would seem impregnable; but on looking towards the land, it is found to be commanded by some heights at a short dis- tance, which would render a siege, though of the utmost difficulty, practicable. The entire area of the fortress embraces thirty-six acres of ground; and its elevation above the sea is 320 feet. Of the seven parish churches, which this town once possessed, two only remain ; of these St. Mary's is the principal, and is much admired for its beautiful western front. The other public buildings are the town hall, theatre, and custom-house. WARWICK. 109 Dover is one of the cinque ports, and sends two mem- bers to parliament. Distance from London 71 miles. WARWICK CASTLE. WARWICK. Lat. 52° 17' N. Lon. 1° 38' W. Population 8500. The conspicuous figure which this town has made in English history has in some measure taken from our interest in the enquiry respecting its remoter origin. It is generally supposed, however, not to have had its com- mencement till the time of the Saxons ; but soon after the Conquest it is mentioned as a borough, and is said to contain 26 1 houses. Shortly after this it was erected into an earldom, and its consequence and prosperity then gradually advanced. From Leland's description of it in the reign of Henry VIII., a correct idea may be formed both of its situation and general appearance, when per- haps in its most flourishing condition. " The town of Warwick," says that old and excellent topographer, " hath been right strongly defended and walled, having a com- pass of a good mile within the wall. The dike (appa- rently the remains of some more ancient fortification) is most manifestly perceived from the castle to the uy s t 110 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. gate ; and there is a great crest of earth that the wall stood on. Within the precincts of the town is but one parish church, dedicated to St. Mary, standing in the middle of the town, fair and large. The town stands on a main, rocky hill, rising from east to west. The beauty and glory of it is in two streets, whereof the High-street goes from east to west, having a right goodly cross (since taken down) in the middle of it ; and the other crosseth the middle of it, making a quadrivium, and goeth from north to south." The principal church is that of St. Mary mentioned above — a very beautiful structure originally, but of which only the ancient choir remains, the rest having been destroyed by a fire which consumed the whole of the town in l6'94. The part of the original structure left standing is greatly admired for the exquisite elegance of its Gothic architecture ; but the modern building, though profuse in ornament and expensive workmanship, is generally regarded as a specimen of the worst taste that can prevail in ecclesiastical edifices. The beautiful marble floors, however, and the grand painted windows with which this church is adorned, merit admiration ; and the adjoining chapel of Our Lady is rich in every species of sculpture, both architectural and monumental. The tomb of the founder is regarded as only inferior in splendour to that of Henry VII. in Westminster abbey. The existence and fame of Warwick are intimately connected with its castle. This noble fortress, built on the brow of a rock that rises precipitously from the river Avon, was esteemed in the earliest periods of our history as one of the strongest safeguards of the kingdom. It would occupy too much of our space to trace its annals; and it is sufficient to mention, that after being in the possession of several earls of Warwick — a name so con- spicuous in our eventful history — it was degraded into a common prison for the county, till restored to its former condition by lord Brooke, to whom it was granted by James I. It is still preserved in a state of excellent repair; and in addition to the remains of its ancient grandeur as a place of defence, embraces within its walls CAERNARVON'. Ill all the luxurious conveniences of a modern palace. The approach to this celebrated structure is by a long avenue cut through the solid cliff, and the grand front is flanked by three strong towers, from one of which, known by the name of Ciesar's tower, the stone turret projects whence the warder formerly challenged the approaching stranger. The broad deep moat, which once formed the most for- midable obstacle to any hostile attempt, is now dry, and covered along its bottom and sides by grass and shrubs ; the stone bridge by which it is crossed is unguarded, and the battlements are clothed with ivy of some cen- turies' growth. As soon as the gloomy archway of the entrance is past, the eye is delighted with the sight of a broad green sward, presenting every appearance of peace- ful repose, but surrounded by massive and embattled towers, and inspiring a deeper feeling of security from the stern and warlike character of the inclosure. The part of the castle at present inhabited is on the left of this court, and consists of an extensive suite of apart- ments furnished in a style of princely grandeur. The park and pleasure grounds are laid out with similar taste, and contain objects which may delight both the antiquary and the lover of the picturesque. Besides the edifices already mentioned, Warwick pos- sesses a court-house, county gaol, and other public build- ings. Its trade consists in hosiery and calico manufac- tures. The corporation is composed of a mayor, recorder, twelve brethren or aldermen, and twenty-four common councilmen ; and it sends two members to parliament. Distance from London QO miles. CAERNARVON. Lat. 53° 6' N. Lon. 4? 30' W. Population GOOO. Phw cities in Europe are more romantically situated than Caernarvon. Beneath it flow the turbulent waters of the Mcnai strait; and the surrounding mountains, only here and there covered with foliage, tower behind 112 CITIES AND TOWNS OP ENGLAND. it in bold magnificence. The remains of a fort on the precipitous bank of the Sciout, and other vestiges of the same nature, prove that the Romans had once a station here ; but the most interesting object which the town at present possesses is the stately castle built by Edward I. shortly after his final subjugation of Llewellyn : though greatly dilapidated, sufficient of its w T alls and embattled CAERNARVON CASTLE. turrets remain to present the remembrance of its original grandeur and extent. Nothing appears to have been spared by the monarch, to render it a fortress of the greatest strength, and a residence fitted to the rank and power of the founder. The funds from which he drew the money for this expensive undertaking were amply sufficient for the purpose ; but in an age when every thing pertaining to the church was regarded with the most devout respect, it is with some little wonder we find it recorded, that Edward built this castle out of the revenues of the see of York, which was then vacant, and probably continued so as long as it lay in his power to keep it unfilled. It was in this castle that Edward II. first saw the light ; and from him arose that long line of English princes of Wales which from him downwards have been heirs apparent to the throne of this country. In the civil wars it was besieged and taken by the par- liamentary forces ; soon after which period it began to be neglected, and finally fell into the dilapidated state in which it is now seen. The walls are from eight to ten feet thick ; and the eagle tow T er, which rises above ALNWICK. 113 several others of inferior magnitude and strength, is ornamented with three beautiful turrets. Another noble tower surmounts the principal entrance, which has all the gloomy stateliness which characterised the royal and baronial mansions of former ages. Over the gateway is an image of Edward I. standing in an attitude of defiance and holding a sword half drawn from the scabbard. The principal employment and materials for com- merce which the inhabitants of this town enjoy, are furnished them by immense quarries of slate in the neighbourhood. The harbour is good ; but difficult of access, owing to a dangerous bar of sand which is con- tinually shifting its position, and which renders it hazardous for large vessels to approach till four hours after flood tide. Besides the objects already mentioned, Caernarvon contains a town hall, a county hall, market- house, and an excellent public promenade. Distance from London 235 miles. ALNWICK. Lat. 53° 23' N. Lon. 1° 34' W. Population .5500. This small but pleasant town can boast of its origin in the most remote era of our history. In the reign of William Rufus it was strongly fortified, and resisted for a length of time the forces of Malcolm III., who had laid siege to it. From this danger it was delivered by VOL. I. I 1 1 4 CITIES AND TOWNS OF ENGLAND. the unwarlike treachery of one of the officers of the garrison, who, pretending to deliver up the keys to the Scottish monarch, drew his dagger and stabbed him to the heart. In the early part of the fourteenth century, the castle, to which the town has from time immemorial owed its importance, became the property of the earls of Northumberland ; and its subsequent history is, in fact, that of this princely house. During the adverse fortunes of its ambitious possessors it was suffered to fall into decay ; but in the eighteenth century it was thoroughly repaired by the first duke of Northumberland, who in- herited it by virtue of his marriage with the daughter of the preceding earl. The alterations, it appears, were conducted with the most admirable taste, the original cha- racter of the building having been carefully preserved, and the additions which were made being of a kind to increase the proper effect of the structure. Situated on the south bank of the river Alne, it commands a wide extent of scenery, and is itself at the same time a noble ornament to the surrounding country. The entrance is formed by a gateway of great solidity, the gloomy arch of which gives a striking idea of the strength of the ancient fort- ress. The whole interior of the castle is divided into three courts, and occupies with the outworks about five acres of ground. Sixteen towers augment the defences of the outer walls, and the battlements are everywhere covered with grotesque figures of ancient warriors. In the inner court stands the citadel, which contains a noble suite of apartments, arranged and fitted up in the most perfect style of elegance. The drawing-room measures 46 feet by 35, and the dining-room 54 feet by 21. But even this part of the edifice is surpassed in beauty by the superb chapel of the castle. This sumptuous structure contains an imitation in its several parts of the most ad- mired objects in the finest specimens of religious archi- tecture. Thus the walls are painted like those of the cathedral at Milan : the great eastern window is a copy of that in York minster, and the roof is after a model of that of King's college chapel. Distance from London 308 miles. 115 SCOTLAND. EDINBURGH. Lat. 5.5° 58' N. Lon. 3° 12' W. Population 145,000. Edinburgh has been regarded as the capital of Scot- land for about 400 years ; and the earliest authentic mention of it is of so late a date as the year 955. In the beginning of the twelfth century David I. founded Holyrood-house ; and a connection being formed be- tween this religious establishment and the castle, which had existed for many centuries, the town gradually ac- quired form and extent. The first time the parliament of the kingdom assembled there was in 1215. From that period it began to acquire importance ; and in 1437 it became the general residence of the monarch, and the metropolis of the country. The situation of this interesting city is worthy of the capital of such a romantic land. Built on three lofty eminences, the interior arrangement of its streets and public edifices, and the surrounding scenery, afford a spectacle of the greatest beauty and variety. The castle, from which it originated, is built on the rocky verge of the central hill, and marks, with Ilolyrood-house on the opposite side, the limits of the Old Town. The north- ern division is occupied by the New Town, which is as remarkable for the neatness of its buildings and the elegance of its streets and squares, as the more ancient quarter is for its closeness and irregularity. The two di- visions are connected by a bridge thrown over the inter- vening hollow, and an artificial hillock called tlie Mound. The southern quarter is less distinguished lor regularity of plan than the New ■Town, but contains several import- ant public buildings, and is joined to the other parts of the city bj Bridge-street, formed of the north and south i 2 1 If> CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. bridges, which respectively cross the two lakes, now dry, that formerly separated the different eminences on which it stands. About a mile and a half distant is the Frith of Forth. On the east rise the precipitous rocks named Calton-hill, Arthur's-seat, and Salisbury-crags ; the Corstorphine-hills bound the prospect on the west ; and the Pentland mountains, with those of Braid, form the romantic landscape of the south. The principal part of the Old Town consists of the High-street, which is more than a mile long, and in some parts ninety feet wide ; of Cowgate, which runs parallel with the former; and of innumerable lanes and alleys which form the com- munication between these great avenues. Owing to the narrowness of the inferior streets, and to the ex- treme height of the houses in the larger ones, this quarter of the city has to strangers an unpleasant ap- pearance ; but when viewed without relation to the ad- vantages of domestic comfort, there is something very imposing in its massy extent of building ; while the beautiful bridge across the southern valley, covered as it is on each side by rows of handsome houses, offers an object as picturesque as it is singular. The New Town is intersected by George- street, which is terminated by St. Andrew's-square on the east, and Charlotte-square on the west, and is 115 feet wide. The principal streets parallel with this are Princes-street and Queen-street, which are crossed by others of proportionate width and extent. But every year is adding to the size and beauty of this elegant capital. The road by which it is con- nected with Leith has become a street, and the new road over the Calton-hill has opened another magnificent pas- sage for its growing wealth. Of the public buildings of Edinburgh the most inte- resting are the palace and abbey of Holyrood. The forme; is a quadrangular edifice, surrounding a spacious court, the sides of which are ornamented with piazzas. The west front is supported by circular towers at the angles, and has a portico and cupola resting on Doric columns. It was in a small apartment of the north-west tower that EDINBURGH. 117 Rizzio was murdered while attending the unfortunate queen Mary ; and the bedchamber which she occupied, with some relics of its furniture, are still shown. The great gallery is 1 50 feet long by 72 wide ; and is now used by the nobility when they elect their sixteen repre- sentatives in parliament. Of the ancient abbey only the walls remain standing, but the spot marked out as its burial-ground possesses the dust of a long line of kings. The castle is at present employed as a barrack, and can hold about 3000 men. It was once a place of great strength ; the rock on which it is situated being near 200 feet above the plain beneath, and in some places overhanging the base. Palisades, a dry ditch surmounted by a drawbridge, and two batteries to protect the gate, form the principal defences of the fortress ; the area of the whole occupying about seven acres. Of the religious edifices of Edinburgh, the church of St. Giles is the principal and the most ancient. Charles I. made it the cathedral of the new diocese, and it was a collegiate church as early as the year 1460*. It is built in the form of a cross, and occupies one entire side of the Parliament-square. The most remarkable circumstance connected with it is, that it is divided into four parts, each of which is a distinct church. It is here also that the General Assembly is held, and that the affairs of the Scottish church are ordered by its rul- ing ministers. The part of the building most admired is the elegant tower and spire, which rise from the centre of the edifice to the height of ]()'l feet, and are ornamented by richly wrought arches. Of the other churches it is only necessary to mention that of Trinity college, founded by .Mary of Gueldres in 146'2, a noble < 'otliic structure; and those of St. Andrew's and St. George, which are elegant buildings of modern erection. Besides these, which belong to the national church, there are six episcopal chapels, of which St. Paul's and St. John's, raised within late years, are amongst the grandest of modern structures : the former is after the model of King's college chapel, Cambridge; and the latter is a I 3 118 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. parallelogram, the parts of which are composed in the richest Gothic style. A Roman Catholic chapel, built in 1814, is greatly admired for a similar species of ar- chitecture ; and almost every class of dissenters has its appropriate place of worship. The university was founded in the year 1582, but at that period had only one professor : another, however, was soon after appointed, and then a third, till the num- ber increased to twenty-seven, the present establishment. The original building belonging to the university was so ill adapted to its increasing celebrity, that in 1789 it was partly taken down, and a new structure commenced ; but from want of funds the work was for many years delayed, and was not till of late resumed, and then on a diminished scale. The university library contains more than 50,000 volumes ; and the number of students is, on an average, 2000. Next to this establishment we may mention the high school, founded in the sixteenth century, and con- sisting of a rector, four masters, and near 500 scholars. The charitable institutions are numerous, and some of them richly endowed. The hospital, established by the celebrated jeweller of James VI., George Heriot, is a handsome Gothic edifice ; and under its venerable roof 180 boys are boarded and educated with benevolent care. Watson's hospital is also on a similar plan ; and there are others for the support of decayed tradesmen, their wives, and daughters. Of the literary and scientific institutions of Edinburgh, the Royal, Antiquarian, and Wernerian societies are deservedly distinguished ; and there is no other city in Europe where the men of let- ters and scientific ability bear so great a proportion to the number of the inhabitants. No particular manufacture is carried on in this city; the working and trading classes being chiefly supported by the production and sale of the more general articles of domestic use. Edinburgh sends one member to parlia- ment. Distance N. N. W. of London 3Q6 miles. 119 GLASGOW. Lat. 55° 51' 10" N. Lon. 4° 15' 51" W. Population 180,000. Glasgow is the capital of the western part of Scotland ; and though not equal to Edinburgh in the beauty of its public buildings or general appearance, is its superior in populousness and commercial importance. Like many other towns of the north, its origin is ascribed to an ecclesiastic ; St. Kentigern, or St. Mungo as he is some- times called, being generally acknowledged as its founder. William, surnamed the Lion, who was its next great patron, erected it into a barony subject to the bishop ; and in 14.30 James II. made it a regality, still subject to the bishop, who appointed nobles to the office of bailie. This dignity was at last perpetually vested in the dukes of Lennox, who continued to enjoy it till it was again resigned to the crown. In the early part of the sixteenth century, James VI. granted the city a very advantageous charter and made it a royal burgh. For several centuries the chief support of Glasgow- was its herring and salmon fishery, which enabled it to carry on a profitable commerce with France, whence it imported wines, brandy, and salt. But at the union a new field was opened to the careful and industrious merchants of Scotland, and numerous ships were freighted to America with the produce of their rising manufactories. So rapidly did the trade of this city increase, that in a few years the inhabitants determined to make it a seaport ; and from that period Glasgow has continued to be the emporium of Scottish commerce. How greatly it continued to flourish during the last half century is sufficiently evidenced by the accounts given of its population at different periods: thus, in 1780 the number of inhabitants was 42,800 ; in 1821, 147,000; giving an increase of 101,200 in forty-one years. Hut its increase in the last nine years, amounting to about 70,000, is still more astonishing. The cathedral of Glasgow is the only perfect Bjteci- i 4 120 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. men of Gothic architecture existing in the country ; all the other churches of equal antiquity having, with the exception of St. Magnus in Kirkwall, fallen a sacrifice to the zeal of the reformers. The present structure was GLASGOW CATHEDRAL. raised by John Achaius bishop of the diocese, at the beginning of the twelfth century. Its interior length from east to west is 319 feet ; but it is now divided into several distinct parts, known by the names of the inner church and the outer church, the choir, &c, in all of which the marks of change and violence are still visible. The whole of what is called the inner church, together with the arched roof of the adjoining vestry, is greatly admired for the beauty of the architecture and sculpture; but the most remarkable part of the edifice is the vaulted cemetery which runs under the portion of the building just mentioned. This melancholy but interesting sub- terranean retreat impresses all who visit it with emotions partaking of curiosity and dread : its gloomy darkness, the dampness and silence which seem embodied within its walls, and the traditions which have peopled it with phantoms of the past, all favour the inclination to super- stition which is experienced on entering it ; and the powerful description which sir Walter Scott gives of it in Rob Roy seems to be as true to natural feeling as it is romantic in the detail. Except that of St. Andrew's, the university of Glas- gow is the oldest in Scotland. The foundation originally GLASiiuW. 121 consisted of a rector, a dean of faculty, a principal who united with that office the duties of a theological pro- fessor, and three regents or professors of philosophy. At the period of the Reformation, the chancellor James Beatoun, brother of the celebrated cardinal of that name, fled from the pursuit of the reformers, and took with him to France both the charter and all the other public documents of the university. Its rights and privileges, however, were restored by James VI. ; and the esta- blishment is now formed of a chancellor, a rector, a dean of faculty, a principal, and eighteen professors. The college is a neat and spacious building ; its east front extending along the high street more than 300 feet. The interior is divided into two courts, of which the larger is 103 feet long and 79 wide. Attached to the institution is an excellent library, containing above 40,000 volumes; and the Hunterian museum, one of the noblest collections of natural curiosities in the world. Besides the cathedral and college, Glasgow contains many other interesting edifices, though of later date. The town-house presents a front of great magnificence, elevated on rusticated pillars, and adorned with Ionic pilasters; the former affording an excellent piazza for the merchants and other men of business assembling there. The theatre is said to be the largest and most beautiful of any out of London ; and the royal infirmary, the new gaol, and the Tontine coffee-house, are all of them edifices of great extent and utility. The situation of Glasgow is healthy and picturesque ; and the Clyde, which is here a broad and deep channel, is as advantageous to the city in point of cleanliness and comfort as in respect to commerce. As the city is built on an ascent gradually rising from the bank of the river, many of its edifices command a wide view over the surrounding country ; and the disposition of the four principal streets, which cross each other at right angles, greatly contributes to its uniformity and convenience. Of the parish churches, that of St. Andrew's, built after the plan of St. Martin's in London, is regarded as a fine 122 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. specimen of modern workmanship : the episcopal chapels of St. John and St. George are also magnificent struc- tures ; besides which there is a spacious and elegant Roman Catholic chapel, and several places of dissenting worship. The population of the city has been already mentioned : the corporation consists of a provost and three bailiffs, a dean of guild, a deacon convener, and a treasurer of guild ; united with these is a common council of thirteen merchants and twelve mechanics, from the former of whom are chosen the provost and two bailiffs — one bailiff only being elected from the latter. In sending a representative to parliament, Glasgow shares that privilege with Rutherglen, Renfrew, and Dumbarton. Distance from Edinburgh 45 miles. STIRLING. Lat. 56° 6' N. Lon. 3° 59' W. Population 5820. From the midst of the extensive plain which is watered by the Forth rises the abrupt and rocky eminence on which Stirling is situated, with its dismantled castle, once so conspicuous in the revolutions of Scotland. The town itself, though the capital of the county, contains but two churches, known by the names of the East Kirk and the West Kirk. The former was built by cardinal Beatoun : the latter, which is extremely ancient, was till late years in a state of great dilapidation : but since it has been repaired, it is regarded as one of the most interesting specimens existing of the old Gothic style of architecture. The stream which flows by the town is here of considerable depth, and vessels of be- tween sixty and seventy tons burden are able to un- lade their goods on the excellent quay by which it is bordered. The remote history of the town is somewhat obscure ; but it is known, that as early as the year 420 it received a charter, and that it was shortly after made STIRLING. 123 a royal residence, and one of the burghs, so called. In the middle of the seventeenth century it manufactured large quantities of shalloons ; and it has since carried on a tolerably active trade in cotton goods, carpets, &c. Its salmon fishery also contributes to the support of the inhabitants ; and the number of persons who frequent it on business connected with the local authorities still further aid in preserving its respectability. The cor- poration by which it is governed consists of a provost, four bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and fourteen councillors, with inferior officers. Of the buildings which Stirling contains, the town hall, hospitals, gram- mar school, and excellent new public library, deserve to be mentioned ; but the principal object for which it is remarkable is the remains of its noble castle. The STIRLING CASTLE. ancient gateway and interior court of this building retain their original form, and impress the mind with a strong idea of the primitive strength and spaciousness of the fortress. But it is now only in the pages of the historian that its glory endures. Its royal apartments and superb chapels are converted into barrack-rooms ; and the bat- tery, with the few guns by which it is surmounted, is a mockery of the original defences of this once famous stronghold of the Scots. Many memorable transactions have taken place within, or in sight of, this castle. Twelve great battles, it is said, have been fought in its 124 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. neighbourhood. The heroic Robert Bruce made it his prize, after it had been held ten years by Edward of England. It was the favourite residence of James I. ; and within its walls the second of that name murdered the earl of Douglas. This unfortunate nobleman, who was at the head of a league to humble the power of the mon- arch, was persuaded, after receiving a safe-conduct signed by the royal seal, to attend the king's invitation to Stirling. He was no sooner there than James commanded him to break up the party he had formed against his autho- rity. The appeal, however, was without effect; and the king, drawing his dagger and exclaiming, " If you will not dissolve the confederacy, this shall/' buried it in his heart. The vassals of Douglas immediately assembled to revenge the death of their lord ; and pro- ceeding to Stirling, dragging the safe promise of James at a horse's tail, they burned the town, and were pre- paring to besiege the castle, when the alarmed monarch found it necessary to enter into an accommodation. James III. built a spacious and superb apartment here for the meetings of his parliament ; and, in the reign of the unfortunate Mary it became the frequent scene of contention. It was here that the council, composed of her bitterest enemies, assembled, and that one of the most striking occurrences in Scottish history took place in consequence. " After the example of the parliament at Edinburgh," says Robertson, " that at Stirling began with framing acts against the opposite faction. But, in the midst of all the security which confidence in their own numbers or distance from danger could inspire, they were awakened early in the morning of September 3, by the shouts of the enemy in the heart of the town. In a moment the houses of every person of distinction were surrounded, and, before they knew what to think of so strange an event, the regent, the earls of Argyle, Morton, &c. were all made prisoners, and mounted behind troopers, who were t.o carry them to Edinburgh. Kirkaldy was the author of this daring enterprise ; and if he had not been induced by the ill- st. Andrew's. 125 timed solicitude of his friends about his safety not to hazard his own person in conducting it, that day might have terminated the contest between the two factions, and have restored peace to his country. By his direc- tion 400 men, under the command of Huntly, &c, set out from Edinburgh ; and the better to conceal their design, marched towards the south. But they soon wheeled to the right, and, horses having been provided for the infantry, rode straight to Stirling. By four in the morning they arrived there : not one sentry was posted on the walls ; not a single man was awake about the place. They met with no resistance from any person whom they attempted to seize, except Morton. The boldness of this nobleman saved his party. The noise occasioned by the unequal conflict he waged roused the garrison. The earl of Mar sallied out with thirty sol- diers, and fired briskly upon the enemy, of whom almost none but the officers kept together in a body. The townsmen took arms to assist the governor; a sudden panic struck the assailants ; some fled, some surrendered themselves to their own prisoners; and had not the bor- derers who followed the Scots prevented a pursuit by carrying off all the horses within the place, not a man would have escaped." The castle, now reduced to a mere military station, is under the control of a governor, deputy governor, fort-major, and three subalterns. Distance from Edinburgh 30 miles. ST. ANDREW'S. Lat. 5G° 19' 33" N. Lou. 2° 50' W. Population 3300. However strange the legends of former ages may sound to modern ears, many of them are in such perfect keep- ing with the opinions which prevailed when they were current, that they may frequently be safely received as only exaggerated history. Thus, St. Andrew's is said to have been founded by St. Itegulus, who was warned 126 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. in a dream to leave Greece, his native country, and carry the bones of St. Andrew to the distant isle of Albion. Being driven by a violent tempest on the rocky coast of the frith of Tay, where the city now stands, he sought the protection of Hengistus king, of the Picts, and had the good fortune so far to obtain the favour of the monarch, that he was permitted to build a church and establish himself in his territories. About the middle of the twelfth century, David I. erected the town into a royal burgh, and the privileges which it thus obtained were confirmed by Malcolm II. In the wars of subsequent times, it was more than once the object of bloody contention between the loyalists and the mal- contents ; and at the commencement of the Reformation it suffered its full share in the violences which were committed. ST. ANDREW S CATHEDRAL. The cathedral, which was once the glory of the city, is now a ruin. It is said to have been not less than 157 years in building, but was nearly destroyed in one day, the assailants leaving only sufficient of it standing to indicate its former magnitude and great antiquity. The remains consist of part of the east and west ends, and of the south side, together with the chapel of St. llegulus, the entire body and great tower of which still exist. Tlie latter is 103 feet high, and forms an immense equila- teral triangle, each side being twenty feet broad. ST. Andrew's. 127 The ancient castle retains as little of its original gran- deur as the cathedral ; but it is still remembered as the scene of many a desperate struggle in former times. It was from one of the windows of this building that car- dinal Beatoun beheld his unjust sentence of the heroic reformer "Wishart put in execution ; and it was before the same window that his own body was laid after his assassination by the friends of the reformer. The university of St. Andrew's is the oldest in Scot- land, and originally consisted of three colleges — St. Sal- vator's, St. Leonard's, and St. Mary's or the new college. Its government is formed of a chancellor, who, previous to the Reformation, was the archbishop of the diocese, but since then has been elected by the professor, and of the principals of the colleges. The number of students seldom exceeds 300 ; but both the healthy situation of the town and its accommodations for study give it great advantages as a place of education. The college of St. Mary is devoted entirely to students in theology; that of St. Salvator to the sciences in general. The extensive library of the university contains near 40,000 volumes, and numerous manuscripts. Dr. Johnson visited this city in his tour through Scotland, and speaks of it with more than usual urbanity. ' ; We found," says he, " that, by the interposition of some invisible friend, lodgings had been provided for us at the house of one of the professors, whose easy civility quickly made us forget that we were strangers ; and in the whole time of our stay we were gratified by every mode of kindness and entertained with all the elegance of lettered hospitality. In the morning we rose to per- ambulate a city which only history shows to have once flourished; and surveyed the remains of ancient mag- nificence, of which even the ruins cannot long be visible, unless some care be taken to preserve them ; and where is the pleasure of preserving such mournful memorials ? They have been till very lately so much neglected, that every man carried away the stones, who fancied that he wanted them. The university within a few years eon- 128 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SCOTLAND. sisted of three colleges, but is now reduced to two ; the college of St. Leonard being lately dissolved by the sale of its buildings and the appropriation of its revenues to the professors of the two others. The chapel of the alienated college is yet standing — a fabric not inelegant of external structure ; but I was always by some civil excuse hindered from entering it. The dissolution of St. Leonard's college was doubtless necessary ; but of that necessity there is reason to complain. It is surely not without just reproach, that a nation, of which the com- merce is hourly extending and the wealth increasing, denies any participation of its prosperity to its literary societies, and, while its merchants or its nobles are raising palaces, suffers its universities to moulder into dust." In the year 1683, the tomb of bishop Kennedy in the college church was opened, and six silver maces were found in it of very beautiful workmanship. The other religious structures of this town are interesting for their antiquity ; and the principal church, which is suf- ficiently large to hold between two and three thousand people, contains the monument of archbishop Sharpe, who was murdered near the town by the covenanters, and whose tragical history is displayed in rude sculpture on one of the walls. Till the Reformation, St. Andrew's enjoyed the high distinction of being the metropolitan see of the Scottish kingdom. It also carried on a profitable trade; and, in the time of Charles I., possessed between thirty and forty vessels. Both its commerce and its manufactures have of late years been reduced to a low ebb, and the manufac- ture of golf-balls is now the only one that exists. It is associated with Dundee, Cupar, Perth, and Forfar, in sending one member to parliament. Distance from Edinburgh 30 miles. 129 IRELAND. DUBLIN. Lat. 53° 21' N. Lon. 6° C 15" W. Population 200,000. Dublin, the metropolis of Ireland, lies at the mouth of the river Liffy, or Anna Liffy, on the eastern coast, facing that of North Wales, nearly equidistant from the two extreme points of the island. There is no authentic account of its founders, or of the date of its foundation. The Irish chronicles, in both prose and verse, are to be received as evidence only of its existence, and no more, before the invasion of the Danes; — but whether as a city, or as the mere head-quarters of a petty clan calling itself a monarchy, or as a congregation of dwellings still more subordinate, it were vain to enquire. It appears to have been first ravaged, and then rebuilt and walled, by the Danes, in the ninth century, — the period of their occupation of Ireland; but it was not the first city of Ireland, either in commerce, population, or dignity, when Brian Boru, so renowned in Irish chronicles, routed the Danes, and subverted their dominion, at Clon- tarf, one of its present outskirts, in 1014. Limerick, Waterford, and Cork, were then more important places. It must have been still inconsiderable in 1 1 T-5, when Henry II. found it necessary to erect what is called a temporary palace to receive the homage of the Irish chieftains. King .John, who was " Lord of Ireland," and governed it some time in person, improved and extended Dublin; established courts of justice; began irOIi. I. K 130 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. the division by counties; and brought the coin of the country to the standard of that of England ; in short, anticipated, by many centuries, the recent equalisation of the English and Irish currencies. Henry III. ex- tended Magna Charta to the inhabitants of Dublin, sold the fee of the city to the citizens, and thus originated the corporation. The chief municipal officer, at first called a bailiff, assumed or was invested with the title of mayor in 1409, and became lord mayor by patent from Charles II., who granted him at the same time a guard of foot soldiers and a pension of 500/. a year. It was not till the reign of George II. that the cor- poration assumed its present form. In 1729 a step was attempted towards abolishing parliaments altogether in Ireland. It was proposed that the supplies should be granted for twenty-one years; at the end of which, doubtless, they would have been levied by prerogative and the privy council. The mo- tion was rejected by a majority of only one member, whose appearance on the occasion became a memorable incident, not from his giving his casting vote, which, it was said, saved his country, but from his having pre- sented himself to the honourable house in his boots. Nothing but the speed of life and death with which he came to Dublin, the urgency of the time, and the safety of the commonwealth, excused such a breach of the deco- rum of the toilet in those days. Yet the Irish parliament at the time had little autho- rity beyond the mere passive confirmation of acts pro- posed and dictated by the parliament of England. In 1783 it burst its bonds and asserted its parliamentary independence. In 1800 it was incorporated with that of England by mutual agreement, and on specific con- ditions. The city lies up the river, about a mile from the bay, which is much more remarkable for its picturesque beauty on either side than for its navigable uses. This bay has been compared, rather idly, by some person in the first instance, with that of Naples; and after him, DUBLIN. 131 still more idly, by a thousand others. It forms a vast semicircular basin, about eight miles in diameter, peril- ous from its shallows and breakers ; which are, however, counteracted by a long and massive central mole running into it, with a lighthouse at its extremity, and two piers on either side at its entrance. A bold peninsular promontory, called the hill of Howth, shelters it on the north, having a range of lowlands from its base skirting the sea, luxuriantly wooded and varied, with, embosomed here and there, a church, a mansion, or a pretty villa ; whilst, on the south, it is bordered, at a short distance, by the picturesque and beautiful range of hills called the WIcklow mountains. Dublin resembles the cities to be met on the conti- nent much more than those of England, in the frequent juxtaposition of magnificence and meanness. The late Mr. Curran compared it to a man with a new coat over a dingy under dress. Its square area of about two miles and a half contains more noble edifices, wretched habit- ations, and public charities, than will be found within the same compass elsewhere. It is in form a rectangle, divided by the river into two nearly equal parls. We will suppose the spectator in the open space called Col- lege-green, on the left bank of the river and eastern side of the city. Looking eastward, he beholds the Bank of Ireland, formerly the parliament house, on his left; and the University immediately facing him, witli a bronze equestrian statue of king William between. This is the statue, the annual decoration of which was for e everal years the cause of so much party and popular violence, but which the reason and good feeling of the peo- ple have happily, though but recently, outgrown. It was, however, in the latter half of the last century an affair of state, as appears from an allusion in the witty notes to the clever but forgotten "epistle to Gorges Edmond Howard." " The corporation of Dublin," says the author, "are remarkable for loyalty and thick legs; in token whereof they go in procession annually round the statue of king William, in their carriages, on his 132 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. THE BANK OF IRELAND. birthday." The Bank presents a noble, simple, and really classic mass of Grecian architecture. Its prin- cipal front is a grand Ionic colonnade, 147 feet long, resting on an elevated plane, reached by a flight of steps. It is entered by lofty arcades on either side. The central columns are surmounted by the royal arms, and the pediment by well-executed allegorical statues. The east lateral front is a Corinthian portico of six columns, and the western an Ionic portico; both sur- mounted by statues, and connected with the grand front by a screen wall, with niches and sections of plain columns, the height of the building. The interior of this building is well distributed, and contains some few objects of curiosity and art. The front of the University, at a right angle with the Bank, is a long and florid Corinthian facade; the cen- tral columns surmounted by a pediment, and the whole terminated by Corinthian pavilions, with coupled pilas- ters of the same order. An octagonal vestibule, with the museum on the right, leads from the town into the first of three squares, which is built of hewn stone, and contains three principal buildings ; — the chapel, presenting a beautiful Corinthian colonnade, on the left; the theatre or examination-hall on the right, exactly corresponding; and beyond this square, on the left hand, forming the smaller side of a rectangle, with a simple pilastered front, the hall in which the fellows and students of the whole university dine. The university, by the way, DUBLIN. 133 consists of but one " college of the holy and undivided Trinity." Farther on is the second square, of which the library, with a piazza (if this received misuse of the word be admissible) beneath, forms one side. This library, though inferior to many others in the number of volumes, is one of the most complete and precious in Europe ; con- taining rich materials of bibliography. It consists of two compartments; the ancient library of the university, entered at one end, and presenting a long and noble vista, with, on either side, a gallery and balustrade above. The books are admirably arranged in stalls beneath. At the remote end is a handsome pavilion, containing the Fagel library, a gem in its kind, once the family library of the Fagels, grand pensionaries of Holland, and pur- chased by the university. There is, again, archbishop Usher's library, left by him to the university, of which he was the founder, — containing many books noted and commented on with his own hand. There is, lastly, a collection of valuable, or at least curious, manuscripts, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, and Irish. Graduates of the university only, as in the Bodleian, have the privilege of reading ; but studious strangers are admitted, upon a proper introduction to the provost and board. The corporate body, which has the elective franchise, consists of the provost, fellows (senior and junior), and scholars; besides whom, there are about 1600 students. The executive, entire, and almost absolute government is vested in the provost and senior fellows: this unlimited power is, with few exceptions, exercised by them with discretion and moderation. The practical business of education devolves upon the junior fellows, and occupies ■ a considerable portion of their day. To the left of this square, and parallel to it, a new square has been recently built. The chapel and theatre were built from the designs of sir W. Chambers; the latter contains a monumental marble group in memory of provost Baldwin, full of grace, sentiment, and beauty, and not sufficiently appre- k 3 134 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. dated or known. There are also some mediocre por- traits, including one of Swift, in whom, by the way, his Dublin alma mater could discover only ill nature and incapacity. King George IV., on his visit to Ireland in 1821, was received by the university in the library, and enter- tained in the theatre ; and is said to have expressed high approbation of both buildings, especially of the long gallery of the library. The spectator returns to his former place, goes up Dame-street, and meets at its extremity on the left hand THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. the Royal Exchange, on an elevated site, a quadrangle of which the principal facade presents a Corinthian portico surmounted by Corinthian pilasters and a balustrade, over which is visible the summit of the dome. The interior is a rotunda formed by twelve fluted Corinthian columns, and richly stuccoed. Immediately to the left is the Castle, the residence of the vice-regal court. The upper castle-yard or court is a quadrangle, with an Ionic struc- ture crowned with a Corinthian tower and cupola, from which the vice-regal flag waves; and on the opposite side a colonnade leads to the vice-regal apartments. In the lower chapel-yard is observed a Gothic chapel built by a living architect of Dublin : it is a very graceful spe- cimen of the pointed Gothic. 135 ■ THE LAW COURTS. Crossing the river to the north side, the Law Courts present themselves ; a noble edifice, ill-placed on a low site, looking immediately over the river: it is a modern building, the first stone having been laid by the duke of Rutland, lord lieutenant, in 1786. The whole facade is 450 feet, with a central portico of Corinthian columns surmounted by a pediment, and allegorical statues over these, — the wings connected in a right line with the front by arched screen walls with areas behind. The hall, a circular area, lighted from the top and sur- mounted by a dome with a mosaic ceiling, is paced round and round, or occupied in groups, by barristers, attorneys, and strangers, while business is proceeding in the several courts, which are in the periphery of the hall. Returning on the same side, and descending with the river, Sackville-street, a spacious and even noble avenue, opens on the left. At about half its length appears Nelson's pillar, a heavy column, placed in its centre, with a perverseness of absurdity rarely seen to break a fine and complete view. The new Post-office, a fine building, with an Ionic fluted portico surmounted by a pediment and several allegorical figures, is in this sheet immediately near Nelson's pillar ; and at the remote end another handsome mass of buildings, comprising the Lying-in Hospital and Rotunda Assem- bly-rooms. A little further on are the Bang's Inns, com- prising the record-office and prerogative court; a recent edifice, with much of architectural and well-executed k 4 135' CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. sculptural ornament. Having retraced his steps to the river, and followed its course a short way, the observer beholds the Custom-house, with its principal front nearly at the water's edge — its centre a Doric portico, support- ing an entablature and frieze rather too ornamental, with various allegorical groups and single figures, — and a noble dome, supported by columns and surmounted at its vertex by a colossal statue of Hope, — placed there most inaus- piciously, — for all idea of customs or commerce has been abandoned even in expectancy, and the building re- ceives another destination. Crossing again to the left bank or south side of the town, the spectator should halt for a moment on Carlisle-bridge to view Sackville- street, — unfortunately broken and disfigured by Nelson's pillar, but adorned by its own breadth and elegance, — the portico of the Post-office, and the Rotunda in the distance; the south front of the Custom-house, and a noble line of walled quays, over an innavigable river flowing into a bay without ships; Westmoreland-street, with on either side a portico of the Bank and a pavilion of the Uni- versity ; and d'Olier-street, with the Dublin Library, and a view of the front of the new square of Trinity- college. A little further on to the south is the theatre, a handsome building, and well adapted to its pur- poses, built in 1821 by Mr. Henry Harris, whose name is honourably associated with the English drama. It is built on the site of the old Dublin Society's house, which has transferred itself to the once princely residence of the duke of Leinster in Kildare-street, and a truly worthy temple of science and the arts. We pass over other buildings not without merit, destined to municipal, scientific, or benevolent purposes. There are in Dublin five squares ; three on the south and two on the north side of the river; of which one, called Stephen's-green, may be called magnificent, from its space, ornament, and edifices. The river is crossed by seven bridges within the city, all, with one exception, modern and well built, and one of them of cast iron. Sarah's bridge, so called from Sarah countess of West- DUBLIN. 137 moreland. who laid the first stone in 1791) is about a mile above the city ; consisting of a single arch, beauti- fully constructed and of very picturesque effect. Dublin is an archiepiscopal see, and is singular in the United Kingdom as having two cathedrals, both of which are more interesting for their antiquity and monumental associations than for their architecture. St. Patrick's cathedral, founded in 1190, but commenced in its pre- 1 'MlfJiPlifl st. Patrick's cathedral. sent form in 1370, is a Gothic structure, beautiful only for its arched stuccoed ceiling ; and containing, among many other monuments, that of Jonathan Swift, dean of St. Patrick's, " one who loved virtue, liberty, and his country ; and here only released from the torture of his honest indignation;" — " ubi " — to use his own words in his epitaph — Ubi sa?va indignatio Ulterius cor laicrarc nequit. Alii viator, Kt imitarr si poteris Strenuum pro virili Libertatii rindicatorem. Christ-church cathedral, founded, it is stated, in 1038, but constructed successively some centuries later, is a dilapidated Gothic edifice, containing some interesting monuments : among them that of earl Strongbow, the first English invader of Ireland. There are, besides the two cathedrals, nineteen churches and two chapels of ease ; of which few are deserving of particular notice. 138 CITIES AND TOWNS OP IRELAND. St. Andrew's is a vain and unfinished attempt after the church of the Rotonda at Rome. St. Werburgh's ex- hibits the Ionic, Corinthian, and composite, in its fa- cade; and contains the remains, but not the monument, of lord Edward Fitzgerald. St. George's is a modern edifice, with a handsome Ionic fluted portico and a light and lofty steeple. St. Michan's church is remarkable only for the antiseptic property which preserves the human body from decomposition for several years : in it lie the remains of John Shears, a barrister executed with his brother Henry in the rebellion of 17.98 ; the features still distinguishable, and " the hand," which he said, in a letter to his sister, should "next day be mouldering in the tomb," still slowly undergoing that melancholy process. St. Peter's is remarkable as the largest parish church in Dublin ; as that in which Kirwan " ex- hausted the lamp of life in feeding the lamp of charity," to use the words of Mr. Grattan ; and as the church of which Maturin, the author of some striking works which yet do not do justice to his real talent, was curate. Here, also, a simple slab indicates the place in which lie the remains of John Fitzgibbon earl of Clare. There are in Dublin twenty Roman Catholic chapels. The metropolitan chapel, built by subscription, and be- gun in 18 16, is in the best taste, — a large edifice, with a simple but majestic Doric portico, resting on an elevated plane, approached by a flight of steps, and sustaining a marble pediment. The places of worship for dissent- ing non-catholic congregations are also very numerous, and exceed, in proportion, the number in any other part of the United Kingdom. There are about a hundred public hospitals, and other benevolent public institutions and private associations, for the relief, protection, re- formation, and education of the poor. Dublin contains one public and two large subscription libraries ; the Dublin Society, for purposes of science and art j the royal Irish academy, and several others. Li- terature, however, in Dublin is rather an accessory ac- complishment than a profession : there is no authorship, CORK. 139 no publishing trade. The university sends forth well educated and disciplined generations, but does no more: the junior fellows are occupied with the " cramberepetita" of public and private lectures, and other academic duties, whilst the senior fellows live in opulence and learned ease. The medical and surgical schools are well supplied with professors and all the other means of knowledge, — much frequented, and in high repute. Several at- tempts have been made in Dublin, but without success, to establish a school of art : men conscious of their genius, or who have proved it, migrate to London. From these may be singled out, without distinguishing invidiously, the president of the royal academy in London (Mr. Shee), and Mr. Mulready. The chief manufactures of Dublin are, what are called Irish poplins, tabinets, silks, cottons, woollens, and hardware, — of which last the extent does not at all equal the excellence. Dublin occupies a square area of about two miles and a half. It is distant 102 miles from Belfast, 95 from Waterford, 122 from Limerick, and 156' from Cork. CORK. Lat. 51° 53' 54" N. Lon. 8° SO W. Population 101,000. The city of Cork ranks next to Dublin in extent, and far surpasses it in commerce. It is a seaport near the south-east extremity of the island, the chief town of a populous and rich county, and nearly at the mouth of the Lee, which embraces it, as Spenser says, " with its divided flood." All who read, and even many who do not read verse, in Cork, repeat complacently these verses of " The Faery Queen : " — " There alio wa the wide embayed Mayre; pleuaunt Bandon crownd with many a wood ; The »prcading Lee that, like an islam! fay re, Encloacth Corkc with bit divided Hood." 140 CITIES AND TOWNS OP IRELAND. The site was unfavourably chosen for every purpose but that of maritime communication. Built originally in a marshy islet, and " enclosed," as Spenser says, between two arms of the river, its locality did not admit of strong defence, and it has been visited to the present time, occasionally, by the diseases incident to swampy and watery situations. The authentic history of Cork begins with the Danes, — notwithstanding the long preceding importance claim- ed for it by the Irish chroniclers, — and the formidable expedition which it sent into Britain in the year 309 of the Christian era. The Danes, it is said, ravaged and utterly destroyed it several times, but it almost imme- diately recovered its former splendour. This rapidity of regeneration, even admitting it true, would only prove Cork, at the time, an insignificant place. The Danes or Ostmen, tired of destroying, or become wiser, walled and fortified it in the ninth century, about the time of their establishment in Waterford, Limerick, and Dublin. They continued in possession, though by no means unmolested, until their total defeat in the beginning of the eleventh century ; and even after this the seaports were essentially Danish settlements. The Danes un- derstood maritime trade, and had better means of carry- ing it on; and the Irish had the good sense to tolerate them in the country after their subjugation. The earl Strongbow took possession of Cork in 11 72, with very little difficulty. Upon his death, and the sud- den departure of count Raymond from the south, it renounced its homage to Henry II. ; was again easily reduced; and profited in the general good government of the country by king, or rather prince John, who, though a feeble and despotic king of England, was a mild and beneficent " Lord of Ireland." Cork shared the agitations of the south of Ireland, caused partly by renunciations of English dominion, partly by the bar- barous rivalries and feuds of the native chieftains. At the close of the fifteenth century Perkin Warbeck pre- sented himself twice to the people of Cork, who received CORK. 1-il him most favourably, and believed him, as he represented himself, the legitimate prince. They were punished se- verely. Henry VII. deprived them of the few privileges they possessed, and their mayor John "Walters, who was a supporter of the pretender Perkin, was hanged and be- headed with him at Tyburn. During the reign of Elizabeth, the insurrections of the earls of Desmond and Kildare, and the Spanish invasions, Cork and its immediate country, — then de- signated, not by its English denomination of a countv, so frequently as by the name of the chieftain to whom each district belonged, — was the theatre of protracted and barbarous warfare. Frequent mention is made of it in the " Hibernia Pacata" of sir George Carew, lord president of Munster. His book contains a curious plan of Cork, as it existed in his time. The city in an elliptic form occupies the central part of the islet, bounded by marshes east and west, and surrounded by a turreted wall ; with, however, many detached abbeys, churches, and castles beyond this wall and the arms of the river, among which Sanden abbey and '■' y e lord Borris castell," on the north ; the "abbey of y e ilond," " y e cathedral church of old Corke," "y e watch tower," " Saint Austine," "Galwaie's castell," " y e Black Rock," on the south. A smaller central branch of the river passes by a sluice, called " a Watergate," through the city or island, which is entered north and south by a for- tified drawbridge. Cork, in the midst of the desultory and inhuman warfare recorded in the Hibernia Pacata, suffered comparatively but little, and owed this chiefly to its undefended state. The plains were the scenes of action, and the strong castles the objects of siege and pillage. Camden describes Cork at this period as " a pretty town of merchandise, well peopled, and much resorted to; but so beset on every side with rebels neighbouring upon it, that they are fain to keep alwaies a set watch and ward, as if they had continual Biege laid unto the city; and dare not move their daughters forth into the country, but make marriages one with another 142 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. among themselves, whereby all the citizens are linked together in some degree of kindred and affinity." On the death of queen Elizabeth, whose government, was willingly obeyed in Cork, the inhabitants mani- fested a strong disinclination for " a Scottish king" in James I., refused to proclaim him, and followed up the refusal with their usual feebleness. Their resistance to Cromwell was still more pusillanimous. During this period Cork obtained the distinction of being the place in which William Penn became a quaker, from having acci- dentally witnessed the preaching of one William Lowe. Cork took part with James II.; but the duke (then earl) of Marlborough besieged and reduced it with a facility which was the subject of much jest and ridicule against the garrison and the town. From the settlement at the Revolution its trade and wealth increased uniformly ; and during the war of the French revolution, very rapidly, with, however, some violent fluctuations. Some of the leading streets in Cork are spacious and convenient, but few are well built. The Parade, South Mall, and a few other streets, are well proportioned ; but the houses are irregular and discordant, and tins discord is heightened by varieties of colour; — in one place, a red- dish brown ; in another, a cold gray tint ; and in many instances, the houses roofed and sheathed with blue and purple slate. One side of the conspicuous steeple of St. Anne's has been built with a red stone, and the remaining three with limestones. The new quays and new street leading to the Mardyke walk, a fine promenade, are a recent and great improvement. The ancient religious edifices of Cork have supplied building materials, and sometimes sites, to the modern and profane buildings. The abbey of St. Barr bas wholly disappeared, though famous in the annals of ancient Cork ; so also has the Dominican abbey of St. Mary; — both existing in a per- fect state in the reign of Elizabeth. The Augustine priory, founded in 1 420 by lord Kinsale, is now a sugar refinery. St. Stephen's, an institution for receiving and secluding lepers, has made way for the Blue Coat Hospital. cork. 1 4.3 Among the chief public buildings are the Exchange, built by an Italian architect in 1710, with Tuscan and Doric columns, and more remarkable for heaviness than simplicity; rhe Custom-house, of hewn stone, a plain building, with a pediment and the arms of the United Kingdom; the market-house ; the barracks; the chamber of commerce; the two club-houses on the grand parade; and the theatre, built by the celebrated tragedian Barry. There are, among the charitable institutions, the house of industry, which provides for 700 persons; the fever hospital, the Magdalen asylum, the lunatic asylum, the foundling hospital, and other charitable associations and schools. The principal improvements within a few years are the removal of the old gaols which terminated the main street, and the disappearance of the portcullis from St. Patrick's bridge. The city of Cork owes all its importance to its har- bour; the extent of which admits of an indefinite number of vessels in security, whilst its depth admits vessels of the largest size to discharge their cargoes. The mouth of the harbour is narrow, scarcely exceeding a mile across, commanded by two forts, and opening as it is entered into an expanse of water truly magnificent. This local advantage, with its geographical position, have obtained for Cork its pre-eminence in maritime trade over the other cities of Ireland. The exports are chiefly provisions of all kinds; including beef, pork, butter, bacon, corn, flour, live cattle ; tallow, hides, woollen, and linen. The im- ports are tea, coffee, sugar, iron and earthen ware, cloth, coals, timber, wine, oil, brandy, rum, flaxseed, tar, tur- pentine. The chief manufactures are glass, paper, glue, leather, sailcloth, coarse cloth, and distilled liquors. The markets are well and cheaply supplied. The village called Cove lies on a hill, picturesque and imposing at a distance, but only at a distance, and in gliding by. The view from the height above ( love is striking and animated. The bay, in appearance a lake, seems capable of receiving the whole navy of the United Kingdom. In it are seen merchant vessels at their moorings; a i'cw ships of war in 14i CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. their majesty; numerous pleasure-boats gliding in all directions; some picturesque islands rising above the surface ; the shores of the great island, which forms the north side of the harbour, studded with villas. The population of the island of Cove, chiefly pilots, sailors, and fishermen, amounts to ten thousand — a rude, hardy, and joyous race. Black Rock, covered with well- built houses and neat cottages, forming a peninsula on the river Lee, forms an outlet to the city, about three miles distant. Blarney castle, which is so frequently mentioned as a place of strength by sir George Carew, and which was taken after a siege by king William, is situated on a rock about three miles from the city. The people of Cork may be characterised as essentially commercial and social: party spirit, religious and political, has caused vehement divisions and contests, especially since the rebellion of 1 798, but without virulence : it would seem to evaporate at the elections, and in the elo- quence of vestry meetings and parish politics ; all are orators, and no public business is transacted without a public debate. Another marked trait is the indulgence of practical jokes upon strangers and each ether, the latitude or licence of which is redeemed only by their irresistible whim and humour. Cork is governed by its mayor, aldermen, burgesses, and sheriff; and is the only Irish city, except Dublin, which returns two members to parliament. The election is popular, and usually contested. It is a bishop's see. Some attempts were made since the beginning of the present century to found a school of arts, by opening an exhi- bition, but without success. The city of Cork covers about 124 square acres, ac- cording to the report of a commission made six years back (in 1824), and it has not since materially extended. Its distance from Dublin is 156 miles. 145 LIMERICK. Lat. 52° 41' 30'' N. Lon. 8° 31' W. Population 60,000. Limerick, situated on the river Shannon, and partly on an island in its bosom, about sixty miles above the em- bouchure by which that noble river discharges itself, be- tween Loop-head and Kerry-head, into the Atlantic, is the most ancient and historic, if not the only historic, city of Ireland. The importance of its religious edifices, and the references made to it in territorial divisions, prove it to have been a place of note and strength in the fourth century. A Danish squadron in 812 sailed up the Shannon, pillaged Limerick, was attacked in its turn, and compelled to abandon the conquest. Tur- gesius, described as a fierce Norwegian, arrived in 815 ; reconquered Limerick and the whole south; proclaimed himself king ; and after reigning some years, lost his kingdom, his life, and his " collar of gold," to that " Malachy" prince of Meath, Avho has been immortal- ised by Moore. The Danes, having regained their dominion in 855, fortified instead of ravaging Limerick. They were again subdued and made tributary in 9^0, previous to their final subjugation. The relative magnitude of Dublin and Limerick at this period is estimated from the fact that the former paid in tribute only a hundred and fifty pipes, wbilst the latter paid three hundred and sixty pipes of claret. Henry II. received the homage of Limerick, immediately on his landing at Waterford in 1 \7~. Henry returned to England, leaving Limerick under the command of the gallant knight Raymond Legros, who had taken it by storm. Raymond, being Called to Dublin by the death of Strongbow, left Lime- rick in the keeping of Donald O'Brien, ex-king of Limerick, now a baron, having done homage to king Henry. Donald promised the most strict execution of hia trust j but no sooner had Raymond crossed the 146 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. bridge, than Donald broke it down, and set fire to the four corners of the city, declaring that it should no longer be a nest for foreigners. John, on his second visit to Ireland, resided some time at Limerick; built the castle, of which there are still considerable ruins, and a bridge, nearly horizontal, of such skilful construc- tion and durable materials, that it exists at this day in safe condition, after the lapse of six centuries and all the assaults of wind and flood. Limerick boasts that Richard I, granted it a charter to elect a mayor in 1197;, ten years before the election of a mayor in London. This city remained secure and tranquil during the reign of Elizabeth, notwithstanding the insurrections of Kil- dare and Desmond, and the several Spanish invasions. Besieged by the republican general lreton in 16*51, it made a long and brave resistance, and fell at last from internal discord, treachery, and the plague. lreton put several to death by public execution ; among them, the Roman Catholic bishop of Emly, who refused a bribe of forty thousand pounds to betray the city, and died heroically, having at his last hour summoned lreton to meet him in the next world before eight days. lreton took the plague and died of it at Limerick, to keep his appointment with the bishop, according to the popular belief in Limerick to this day. The siege of Limerick by king William, his failure, the continued resistance to Ginckle, and the honourable capitulation obtained after a gallant defence, are matter of British and even European history. " Sixty years were allowed," says Mr. Crofton Croker, in his " Researches, " * " to elapse after the siege, before its gates were thrown open and its bastions were permitted to remain without sentinels. No less than seventeen gates were in exist- ence about the middle of the last century, which were regularly guarded and locked every night." Limerick is divided, as it is common in Ireland, into * Researches in the South of Ireland, by T. Crofton Croker, Esq. ; a work which contains the most curious and interesting illustrations of Irish anti- quities, scenery, and manners. LIMERICK. 147 the English town and Irish town, to which may be added New Town Pery, built, between 1770 and 1780, by lord Pery, father of the present earl of Limerick. New Town Pery, on the bank of the river and an elevated site, commands some beautiful views. The city of Limerick in its full extent, with the Tipperary hills in the distance, on the east; the broad and winding river, with its romantic scenery, on the west ; king John's castle and Thomond bridge on the north ; and an unbounded perspective of the rich plains on the south may be viewed from this point. The streets are handsome and well built ; the houses of red brick, like those of London, with areas and flagged ways on either side. The old or Irish town, " which," says Camden, " Shanon, a famous river, by parting his channell, compasseth round about," is narrow, dirty, and picturesque ; the houses high, with their strange-looking gable ends towards the street. The modern public build- ings are convenient, handsome, some even elegant, and they are numerous for the extent of the town ; including the custom-house, the barracks, the county gaol (a recent structure), the commercial buildings, the county infir- mary, the house of industry, the lunatic asylum, and several other edifices and establishments creditable to the industry and charity of the people. The cathedral of Limerick, called St. Mary's, is an early and ordinary mo- nument of Gothic architecture ; its exterior heavy, its in- terior melancholy and neglected ; inscribed slabs, carved crosses and tracery, cut or mutilated to fit the requisite spaces, and trampled underfoot; the grand eastern window very large, and sharing the general dilapidation. It was converted into a military post during the sieges by Ireton and Ginckle. A ball fired at it during the latter siege is hung up as a sort of trophy at the east end, and may be from the street. Its tower is chiefly remarkable for the fine view which it commands. Limerick was dis- tinguished for the number of its monasteries al a remote period. The Psalter of Cashe] describes the monastery of Memgret as containing six churches and fifteen liun- v 2 148 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. dred friars, not including students. Of this all trace has disappeared. Some remains of the Dominican priory founded in 1241 are still visible at the barracks. The monastery of the gray friars has supplied materials and its site to the county court-house, and its church has been converted into an hospital. There are several modern parish churches, not worth notice; and an un- usual proportion of Roman Catholic and other chapels of dissidents from the established church, including ^V ^ es- leyans, Independents, and Quakers. The Dominican chapel is a handsome Gothic edifice; and the Augustine chapel is remarkable as having been the theatre. The people of Limerick are more devoted to trading industry than to arts or letters. Their having no theatre is evidence of this. The chief manufactures of the town are woollens, linen, and paper ; its principal exports, provisions, wheat, barley, oats, rapeseed, and butter; its chief imports, wine, tea, sugar, salt, timber, coals (from the north of England), and various other articles. The river Shannon, the largest in Ireland, and one of the noblest in the United Kingdom, called by Spenser " The spacious Shenan, spreading like a sea," affords Limerick great facilities for inland and foreign commerce. It admits vessels of five hundred tons burden, and is a medium of communication between the capital and the three provinces of Minister, Connaught, and Leinster. Its broad expanse of three miles immediately below Limerick, its islands, the picturesque scenes on its banks, the broad and beautiful lakes which it forms in its course, and its vast embouchure, forming a harbour in the Atlantic, give it an uncommon degree of import- ance as a source of industry and wealth, and of interest from its natural beauties. Among the more distinguished natives of Limerick were, Dr. O'Halloran, the Irish historian ; the Irish lord chancellor Clare ; Johnson, author of Chrysal ; Walker Jackson, a musical composer of some talent : field-marshals Lacy and Brown, who distinguished WATERFORD. 140, themselves in the Russian and Austrian services in the last century. Limerick is a bishop's see; has its corporation, mayor, aldermen, sheriff, and recorder; and returns one member to serve in parliament. The election, at one time close, has become popular. Its distance from Dublin is 122 miles, from Cork 62 miles. WATERFORD. Lat. 52° 10'N. Lon. 7° 30' W. Population 35,000. The city of Waterford, a seaport, a bishop's see, and the chief town of a county, is situated on the south- eastern coast of Ireland, at the confluence of three rivers — the Suir, the Nore, and the Barrow. It was here that the first landing was made in Ireland by the Danes and En- glish. The former made it their principal settlement in the year 853. Henry II. landed here from Milford Haven in 1172, and received the submission of the Irish chieftains. Waterford having, like many other places, revolted, on the departure of Henry was taken by as- sault by earl Strongbow. Henry sent over his son John, with the title of Lord of Ireland, and a train of young Norman nobility. The prince landed at Waterford, and received there the homage of the Irish chieftains; but soon returned to England in disgust. The Norman barons, amused by the barbarous costume and uncouth manners of the Irish, treated them with insolence, even to the indignity of plucking their beards. A general in- surrection followed; and .John returned to England with his Norman train, little satisfied with his success. He, however, resided at Waterford again on his second visit, and improved its strength, appearance, and municipal institutions. The two pretending impostors, Simnel and l'erkin Warbeck, appeared before Waterford and claimed its allegiance, but were peremptorily rejected. h 3 150 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. James I. took offence at the conduct of the citizens of Waterford, who were very ill disposed to him, and de- prived them of their charter. It was restored by Charles I. Cromwell besieged Waterford, met with a spirited resistance, and raised the siege ; which, however, was renewed successfully by his lieutenant and son-in-law Ireton. James II., in his precipitate retreat before Wil- liam, took the last leave of his kingdom at Waterfordj where he embarked for France. Waterford, like most other large towns in the south of Ireland, was remarkable for the number of its reli- gious edifices. The principal were the priory of St. John, one of the foundations of king John during his second visit to Ireland; St. Saviour's priory, founded in 1226, of which there are some traces ; and the Augustine con- vent, of which the steeple only is preserved. The cathe- dral of YTaterford is modern, and is admired for the beauty of its exterior, especially its steeple, and its inte- rior elegance. It is built on the site of the old cathedral founded in the ninth century by the Danes. The Roman Catholic chapel, called the Chapel of the Trinity, is also a handsome modern building, and, with the exception of the recently built chapel in Dublin, the handsomest Roman Catholic house of worship in Ireland. There are also several places of worship for protestant dissenters of various denominations. The hospitals and other cha- ritable institutions, including a fever hospital, dispensary, and mendicant asylum, are liberally supported and well administered; a great portion of the merit of which be- longs to the Quakers, who are very numerous in this town. The streets are in general crooked and narrow; and, on the whole, the city for its rank is rather in arrear of architectural improvement. Its quay is spacious, and about a mile long, with an old structure called Regi- nald's tower at its extremity. It is so named after a Danish prince Reginald, who is supposed to have built it in the beginning of the eleventh century. This -tower has undergone some vicissitudes. It was taken, after BELFAST. 151 some resistance, by Strongbow, and converted by him into a dungeon : Edward IV. established a mint in it ; and it held out against a bombardment by Cromwell in l6i3. Forming the east angle of the city walls, it de- fended the town by sea and land, and was well calcu- lated for defence by its strength and circular structure. Its modern destination is that of a barrack for the police. The bishop's palace, built of stone, the exchange, town-hall, custom-house, two court-houses, and two prisons (for the city and county), are the principal edi- fices, but scarcely attract notice. The wooden bridge of American oak over the Suir is more deserving of atten- tion, for its length, breadth, and construction. Waterford is a bishop's see, sends a member to parlia- ment by popular election, and is governed by a mayor, recorder, and sheriff. This city has not an extensive foreign trade. Its ex- ports are chiefly provisions, including fish, butter, corn, flour, Sec; and its principal communications with New- foundland. There are in Waterford breweries, founderies, and salt-houses ; and it has a reputation for the manufac- ture of glass. The harbour, which is about eight miles long, is defended at its entrance by Dungannon fort, about seven miles from the city, on the opposite shore. Its distance from Dublin is 9-5 miles. It maintains its communications with Milford Haven by steam-boats, which now pass and repass daily in about ten hours. BELFAST. Lat. 54° 34' N. Lon. 5° 55' W. Population 37,000. Belfast is a modern, industrious, and enterprising sea- port town on the north-eastern shore of Ireland, at the mouth of the Lagan, where that river dischargee itself into Belfast bay. The town belongs to the county An- l 4 152 CITIES AND TOWNS OF IRELAND. trim, but extends into the county Down, across the river, by a narrow and ancient bridge of twenty-one arches, and 2560 feet in length. The glass-houses and salt-houses at the foot of the bridge impress the idea of spreading indus- try. The commercial buildings, the assembly rooms, the linen hall with its large enclosed area and garden, the academical institution., and the number of new streets and handsome private edifices, attest a considerably ad- vanced and improving state of manufactures, commerce, arts, and letters. The custom-house and excise-offices,both handsome and suitable buildings, are situated, the one on the quay, the other in the newly-built Donegal-square. A chamber of commerce, erected in 1770, watches over the trading interests of the town. The north quay, extend- ing along the Carrickfergus shore, lined on the land side Avith warehouses, and on the water side with vessels bound for the ports of Scotland, England, and America, is approached by vessels of five hundred tons burden for the discharge of their cargoes. It is from this port also that the numerous emigrants from the north of Ireland sail for Canada or the United States; presenting some- times and in every sense, public and private, a mournful spectacle. Linen is the principal manufacture of Belfast, and has the highest repute in the markets of Europe. There is also a considerable export trade in beef, pork, and butter, to which may be added salmon and other fish, supplied by contract to the London and other English markets. The principal church is that of St. Anne's, a hand- some edifice in Donegal-street. There are also se- veral dissenting meeting-houses, and a Roman Catho- lic chapel, recently constructed, at the rise of a gentle hill, and at the extremity of one of the best streets. The Roman Catholic bishop of the district resides at Belfast, but the prevailing religion of the town is presbyterian. Beyond this chapel is an asylum for the support of the aged, infirm, and unprotected of both sexes, with excellent provision for their wants and com- forts. There are also a fever hospital, dispensary, house BELFAST. 1 53 of industry, house of correction, and various private charitable institutions. The new streets and squares (for there are one or two handsome squares recently built) are neat regular brick buildings, with flagged footways, areas, and iron railings. The municipal government of the town is vested in a sovereign and twelve burgesses, with commissioners of police. It is a close borough, returning one member to parliament : the election is wholly influenced by the Marquis of Donegal, the proprietor, who has, how- ever, the merit of granting liberal tenures, in which he sacrifices immediate income to the extension and em- bellishment of the town. The enterprising, industrious, meditative, and independent character of the people of Belfast, and their rapid advance in trade, wealth, popu- lation and intelligence, render it highly probable that the exercise of the elective franchise will be thrown open. The journals and other publications printed at Belfast, the great success of the academical institution, and the general devotion of the more respectable inhabitants of every profession to literature, give this town a decided pre-eminence over every other in the north of Ireland, both in letters and commercial industry. The environs of Belfast are of remarkable beauty, and in some parts picturesque and grand. The vale of Lagan, between Belfast and Lisburn, has every variety of hill and dale, wood and water, natural beauty and rich cultivation. The lofty mountain called Cave Hill commands a noble view of the town and bay of Belfast, and of the castle of Carrickfergus, with, on the opposite side, the hills of Down, and shores of Bangor in the distance. The bleaching-grounds, forming white plains or declivities intersected by the green of nature, have, perhaps, a new and curious rather than pleasing effect. Its distance from Dublin is 80 miles. 154 THE NETHERLANDS. "I ' BRUSSELS. Lat. 50° 51' N. Lon. 4° 22' E. Population 80,000. Brussels, or Bruxelles, is situate on a gentle eminence on the banks of the Senne, a small river, which ultimately discharges itself into the Scheldt. It is the capital of the kingdom of the Netherlands, the states of which as- semble alternately here and at the Hague. Its existence can be traced to a very remote period, and the simplicity of its origin forms a striking contrast with its subse- quent splendour. Early in the seventh century, St. Gery, bishop of Cambray, erected a small chapel in one of the islands formed by the Senne, and there preached the gospel to the surrounding peasantry. The beauty of the situation, and the piety and eloquence of the preacher, attracted many to the spot ; their united numbers soon formed a large village, which increased so, that in the year 990 it could boast of a market and a castle. In process of time it became the favourite residence of the dukes of Brabant, and of the Austrian governors who succeeded them, and even acquired the title of " the BRUSSELS. 155 ornament of the Netherlands." In the year 1555, it was chosen hy the emperor Charles V. as the place in which he made a formal resignation of his dominions to his son, afterwards Philip II.: the chair in which he sat on that memorable occasion is still religiously pre- served. During the wars that raged in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and of which the Netherlands were the principal theatre, Brussels under- went its share of suffering ; being occupied, in turn, by each of the contending powers. In 1695 it was bom- barded by marshal Yilleroy ; when fourteen churches, and upwards of 4000 houses, were destroyed. After the celebrated battle of Ramillies, its keys were surrendered to the duke of Marlborough. It was taken by the French under marshal Saxe in 1746', but restored to its former master at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. During the revolutionary war it again fell into the hands of the French, to whom it remained subject till the general peace of Europe in 1814. While under their govern- ment, it was made the seat of a court of criminal and special justice, a chamber and tribunal of commerce, and a court of appeal for five departments. Most of these privileges are still retained ; in addition to which it is now the residence of the royal court ; and, as has been already said, it shares alternately with the Hague the advantages of the meetings of the States-general. Brussels lias always been eminent as a manufacturing town ; the fabric of lace, which is in high estimation every where, gives employment to upwards of 10,000 individuals. Its camlets, and still more its carpets, are much admired, and command high prices. It is also celebrated for the manufacture of carriages, which are considered to be superior to those of London and Parts in cheapness and elegance. Neither, although in an inland position, is it without a considerable share of commerce, not only with the surrounding parts, but with foreign countries. It owes this great advantage to its numerous canals,l)y which it communicates with the Scheldt. The principal of these is that leading to Antwerp, constructed 156 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. about the year 1560, at an expense of 170,000/.., ster- ling. It is 110 feet above the level of the sea. The present flourishing condition of the city is also owing to the great influx of foreigners, particularly French and English. To the latter it has become pecu- liarly attractive of late years, from its contiguity to the plain of "Waterloo ; but, before that period, the salu- brity and mildness of its temperature, the cheapness of its economical arrangements, and the tone of its society, had made it a favourite place of abode with numbers of this nation. So early as the time of Cromwell it was marked in the annals of England, as being the chosen residence of Charles II., and of his brother, afterwards James II., during the greater part of the period of their exclusion from their native country. The interior of the town, of itself, offers much to attract and to retain strangers. Its environs are also beautiful by nature, and are rendered still more so by the elegant additions of art guided by refined taste. The city was formerly surrounded by a wall and ditch, neither of which now exist : what were the ram- parts are, at present, beautiful walks bordered with trees ; those to the north and east are called boulevards. The lower part of the city, adjacent to the river, is ir- regular, and, from its situation, somewhat unhealthy ; but in the new part, which occupies the more elevated portions, the streets are spacious and airy, the houses well built and lofty. Considerable attention is paid to architectural ornament; and the custom of painting the outside with some lively colour presents an agreeable variety to the eye. The appearance of the city is much enlivened by the elegance of its squares ; the principal are the Place Royale, the Great Market, the Place St. Michael, the Corn Market, and the Grand Sablon. Of these, the great market-place is indisputably the finest : it is an oblong of large dimensions; each side is of a different style of architecture, yet all combine to form a whole highly pleasing to the view. The town-hall, and several BRUSSELS. 157 of those of the different trading companies, form three of the sides, and one uniform edifice on the remaining side completes the parallelogram. St. Michael's square, also, deservedly attracts much attention : it is, like the former, an extended oblong ; but differs from it in having the buildings of uniform architecture, ornamented with pil- lars of the Doric order. The centre has been planted and laid out as a pleasure ground. The fish market, which has been but a few years erected, is one of the neatest in Europe. There is also a market for frogs, which are brought alive in pails and cans, and prepared for dressing on the spot. The hind limbs, which are the only parts used, are cut from the body with scissors by the women who bring the animals for sale. The favourite place of recreation for the inhabitants is the Park. It is a large pleasure ground, adjoining the palace, laid out with great taste, planted with a va- riety of fine trees and flowering shrubs, and diversified with lawns ornamented with fountains and statues. Some of these latter are of the purest style of sculpture. In the centre is a fine basin, stocked with gold and silver fish. On each side of the principal walk is a valley planted so as to exclude all annoyance from the over- powering rays of the sun. A fountain, in one of these, is marked with an inscription, stating that Peter the Great, during his residence here, sat down by its margin to drink a bottle of wine : another version of the story says, that he fell into it, while strolling through the park after dinner. Both may be true. One of the approaches to the town also forms a fa- vourite promenade. It is called the Alle'e Verte, and is planted with a triple row of trees along the canal ; the prospect of which, with the numerous villas around, and the varying scenes of pleasure and employment that every moment present themselves, render it singularly beautiful. A copious supply of water is secured to the inhabit- ants by a Dumber of fountains, whose elegance of struc- ture adds much to the beauty of the city. One of the 158 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. finest was erected by lord Aylesbury, an English noble- man, as a public expression of his gratitude for an agree- able residence of forty years in the town. The water for the supply of these fountains is raised, by machinery, from a lake about half a mile from the city. The Palace of the States-general is a magnificent building, supported on pillars of the Ionic order. Its entrance leads to a spacious hall, on each side of which is a marble staircase; one conducting to the chamber of peers, the other to the chamber of deputies. This latter is in the form of a semicircle, with a very capacious gallery for the people, who are freely admitted, both male and female, to hear the debates. The town-hall is a noble specimen of the old irregular but highly orna- mented Gothic style. So irregular is the building, that its tower stands at a considerable distance from the centre. The elevation of this part of the edifice is 36'4 feet : it is surmounted with a statue of St. Michael with the dragon under his feet, in copper gilt, seventeen feet high, which it turns on a pivot, and serves as a vane for showing the direction of the wind. The Orange Palace, generally called La Vieille Cour, was formerly the residence of the governors of Belgium; but is now occupied as a museum, a public library, a cabinet of natural history, and singing and dancing schools. It is also furnished with a valuable, though not large, collection of Flemish paintings. The library, which contains upwards of 100,000 volumes, was chiefly collected from suppressed convents. Adjoining the building is a fine botanic garden, containing more than 4000 exotics. The philosophical college, which has been but a few years in existence, is founded on a liberal scale. The great hall, or amphitheatre, is capable of accommodating 1200 persons. Each student has a room furnished at the expense of government ; all the courses of lectures are gratuitous; and stipends are al- lowed to a number of pupils whose means are not ade- quate to defray the moderate expenses of their board. The principal church is that of St. Gudule, erected on BRUSSELS. 1 5() an eminence, and adorned with two square towers which command a very extensive prospect. It contains no less than sixteen chapels, which are enriched with numerous paintings. The windows are adorned with curious painted glass ; and the pulpit exhibits a beautiful spe- cimen of scidpture in wood, both as to design and execution. The monument of John II. duke of Bra- bant is in the choir : it is of black marble, with a lion of copper, weighing 6000 pounds, couching on it. The archduke Ernest has also a mausoleum here. This church is celebrated in legendary history for three mi- raculous hosts, which were stolen by Jews, but after- wards restored. The event is commemorated by an annual procession, during which time the church is de- corated with six exquisite pieces of tapestry explanatory of the event. The church of the Augustine convent was appropri- ated to the use of the British army, before the battle of AVaterloo; and, afterwards, it was employed as an hos- pital : it is now applied to the use of Dutch protestants in the forenoon, and at noon to that of the English. The Dutch service is attended by the king and the other branches of the royal family, when the court is resi- dent. The cemeteries are detached from the churches, being situate outside the boulevards. David, the celebrated French painter, is buried in that without the gate of Louvain. Among the hospitals, is one for foundlings one for penitent women of the town, and a third in which strangers are maintained gratuitously for three days. In the village of Lacken, about half a league to the north of Brussels, is the splendid palace of Schoenburg or Schoonenburg, originally intended for the reception of the governor of the Netherlands. During the reign of Napoleon, it was occasionally his residence, as also that of hi- brother, the late king of Holland ; and it is a favourite abode of the present royal family. The in- terior of the palace is laid out in a style of superior lGO CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. magnificence. A subterranean grotto, and some temples connected with it, are also much admired. But the most interesting object in the vicinity of Brussels, is the field of Waterloo. The road to it is through the forest of Soignees : on emerging from which the traveller finds himself in the little village of Wa- terloo, where the tablets set up on the walls of the church, to the memory of several of the brave men who closed their career of glory here, feelingly remind him that he is on the verge of that plain of victory. Pro- ceeding hence for about a mile, the hamlet of Mont St. Jean presents itself, in which is shown the house of De Coster, Bonaparte's guide during the day of the battle. This man has lately died, after having largely profited by conducting travellers over the field of action. A division of the road here leads in one direction to Nivelles, and in the other to Genappe ; the latter pro- ceeds up a gentle eminence, from the summit of which the whole of the field of battle is visible. The British fines extended along the crest of this ridge; whence may be seen a monument to sir A. Gordon, and another to some officers of the German Legion. The walls and doors of the farm-house of La Haye Sainte still bear the marks of the bloody conflict maintained here be- tween the British and the Imperial Guard. The chapel of Hougoumont, or Chateau de Goumont, still remains, and its walls are marked with the auto- graphs of its numerous British visitors. Proceeding in the direction of Charleroi, the farm of La Belle Alliance, on a ridge opposite to that on which the British were posted, presents itself. Here Napoleon continued dur- ing the early part of the engagement : here also the two commanders of the victorious armies first met, after the contest was decided. In another part of the plain stands the monument erected by the prince of Orange. It consists of a mound of earth, 700 feet in diameter and 200 feet high, surmounted by a lion, the crest of Belgium, 21 feet long and 12 feet high. Two thousand men and six hundred horses were employed, THE HAGUE. 101 for upwards of six months, in conveying the earth for it^ construction. In this mound are contained the bones of a large proportion of the brave men who fell in the battle. It is however to be regretted, that the monument was not raised without utterly destroying the military character of the ground. To form the mound, the crest of the hill, which was selected by the duke of Wellington as the centre of his position, was cut away; and one unac- quainted with the original state of the field would now be at a loss to discover a reason why this station should have been chosen as a position of defence- Brussels is situate 23 miles S. of Antwerp, and 155 N'.X.E. of Paris. THE HAGUE. Lat. 52° o N. Lon. 4° 19' E. Population 35,000. The Hague is situate in South Holland, near th< coast, about midway between Rotterdam and Leyden. In size and in beauty it may rank high among European cities; though, in consequence of its being without mu- nicipal privileges, and surrounded not by a wall but merely a moat and drawbridges, it is allowed to claim no higher title than that of a village. The natural ad- vantage of its situation, being placed on a dry soil and on an elevation somewhat higher than the surroundinp country, rendered it the favourite residence of th< rernOTB or counts of Holland at a very early period. During all the civil contests and fluctuate 01. I. >' 162 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. merit occasioned by the dissensions between the Orange and the popular party, it still continued to be the seat of government ; nor did it lose the advantages derived from this cause after it became subject to the revolution- ary power of France, until the erection of Holland into a kingdom by Bonaparte, by whom the legislature was transferred to Amsterdam. The injurious conse- quences of such a change to a population which existed chiefly upon the expenditure of the several public es- tablishments, may be considered as a principal reason for the inhabitants taking an early and an active part against the French after the defeat of their emperor at Leipsic. The restoration of the ancient system brought them back a part, but not the whole, of this justly valued privilege. Since the union of Holland with the Low Countries, forming the kingdom of the Netherlands, this town shares alternately with Brussels the right of being the seat of the legislative assemblies and the re- sidence of the court. From what has been just said, it may be naturally concluded that the general appearance of the Hague presents less of the commercial habits, and more of those of highly polished society, than any other place in Holland. The government is in the charge of its own magistrates ; which are, a bailiff who continues in office during life, three burgomasters elected annually, seven echevins or aldermen, a common council of twelve mem- bers, a pensionary, a secretary, and a treasurer. The streets are broad and elegant, paved with a minute nicety with light-coloured brick, bordered with trees, intersected by canals, and embellished with bridges. The main street exhibits a succession of splendid man- sions ; it has, indeed, been asserted, that this village, as it is styled, contains more magnificent houses than occur in the same space in any city of modern Europe ; but the public squares are most illustrative of the prevailing style of building. That named the Vyverburg is an oblong of great extent, having on one side a fine avenue bordered by trees of large growth and luxuriant foliage , THE HAGUE. 1()S and on the other by a sheet of water almost a quarter of a mile in length, variegated by an island of poplars in its centre, and backed by the palace. But the splen- dour and beauty of this square is dimmed by more than one painful recollection. Adelaide de Poelgeest, the favourite of count Albert, here fell a victim to the fury of the populace during an insurrection that broke out in 1392. The spot where this tragical event occurred is marked by a triangle paved with white stones, near the centre of the street. In this place also the celebrated brothers and statesmen, De Witt, were assaulted by the populace in 1673. The place where one of them was afterwards killed is pointed out, within a few paces from the house in which he resided. There are, besides this now described, five other squares and a park open for the recreation of the public. The old palace, where the princes of Orange anciently resided, called also the Binnenhof or Inner Court, is an irregular court, surrounded by a number of build- ings exhibiting various styles of architecture. The deputies of the provinces used to meet in the great hall here, a spacious apartment 125 feet long and 6'0 wide : it is now the lottery office ; but the chambers of the States-general are still held in other apartments in the building. That of the lower house, or chamber of de- puties, has two large galleries for the accommodation of the public ; to one of which admission is free, without any check or restriction whatsoever. The upper chamber, or that of the nobles, is held in the room in which the final treaty between the United Provinces and Spain was signed in I6O9. The sittings of this body are not open to the public. The scaffold on which the vene- rable president Barncvcldt was beheaded, was erected opposite to one of the principal entrances. In the royal museum is a choice gallery of pictures, chiefly of the Flemish masters. It also contains the Chinese cabinet, consisting of an extensive and curious assemblage of articles from that country. Among other curiosities of various kinds preserved in this museum, M 2 K)4 CITIES AND TOWNS OP THE NETHERLANDS. is a model or plan of the island of Tesima, where the Dutch land for the purpose of facilitating their inter- course with Japan. The royal library and the cabinet of medals are in the same building. The former consists of 70,000 volumes, preserved with the greatest care. The latter is considered to be one of the richest collections of the kind ; it consists of 34,000 pieces, in which is a series of Egyptian coins, and another of Macedonian, com- prising those of Philip, Alexander, and his successors. The museum of natural history was removed to France during the Revolution; but was afterwards restored, with the addition of duplicates from that of Paris. The only manufactures carried on at the Hague are those of porcelain and of cannon. The foundery in which the latter are cast is an immense building, having on its entrance an inscription, intimating that it was erected for the purpose of obtaining and preserving peace. Unhappily for mankind, the means thus pro- posed by the benevolent projector of the scheme has not yet accomplished its end. The celebrated preacher Saurin delivered his ad- mired discourses in one of the churches of this town, now a chapel. It is a low brick building near the palace, with a cupola and a small bell. Among the objects worthy of notice in the vicinity of the Hague, the village of Scheveling is peculiarly in- teresting. Visitors go to it by a road which, though nearly two miles long, is so accurately strait, that on quitting the Hague the steeple of the village church may be distinctly seen at the farther end. The road is shaded by rows of forest trees, which grow to an ex- traordinary size. The village is wholly inhabited by fishermen, who retain all the ancient peculiarities of the country, notwithstanding their vicinity to a town in which the appearance and manners of the residents are scarcely distinguishable from these of the capitals of Great Britain and France. Neither does this singular adherence to ancient customs arise from the w r ant of THE HAGUE. 165 intercourse; the village is constantly visited by strangers, either from curiosity or for the benefit of the baths in its neighbourhood ; and every morning the fishermen proceed to the Hague with their fish packed in small carts drawn by two or more fine mastiff* dogs, which at the close of the day testify no difficulty or repugnance to convey their masters home in the same vehicle. At a nearly equal distance from the Hague, but in another direction, is the castle of Ryswick, which gave name to the well known treaty signed there in l6'97- The House or Palace of the Mood, formerly the sum- mer residence of the princes of Orange, is somewhat more than a mde from the Hague. The house is plain in its external appearance, but contains some splendid apartments furnished with paintings. The garden, in- stead of being laid out in the formal and precise mode usual throughout the country, branches out into curves, leading the visitant into the most unexpected situations; and thus forming a kind of labyrinth, the investigation of which, after exciting much curiosity, ends in disap- pointment, the termination presenting nothing to com- pensate for the labour of the enquiry. But the chief attraction of this palace to the residents of the Hague, whose favourite resort it is, consists in a noble wood two miles long and three quarters of a mile broad in which it is embedded. It exhibit's a fine display of majestic oaks, thriving in the greatest luxuriance. It is much to the credit of the Dutch character, that no instance has occurred in which the smallest injury has been done to this fine plantation. Once, however, it is recorded, that in 1576, a period of great national distress, the government determined to cut it down : the moment the decree was known, the citizens flew to the meeting, remonstrated against its execution, and on learning that the object was to raise a sum of money to aid in re- plenishing the exhausted coffers of the republic, they immediately levied a voluntary contribution among themselves sufficient to rescue their favourite wood from destruction. M 8 lC6" CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. William III. king of England, Huygens the cele- brated natural philosopher, and Ruysch the anatomist, were natives of this town. It is 10 miles S. S.W. of Leyden, and 35 S.W. of Amsterdam. AMSTERDAM. Lat. 52° 25' N. Lon. 4° 40' E. Population 180,000. AaiSTERDAiM, the capital of the northern division of the Netherlands, and formerly of the republic of the Seven United Provinces, is situated at the confluence of the ri- vers Amstel and Y, or Wye, near the south-western extre- mity of the Zuyder Zee. This city was unknown in history before the latter end of the thirteenth century, and was then noticed only as a collection of fishermen's huts in the middle of a morass. It first acquired a commer- cial character about the year 1370, but was not fortified till the end of the succeeding century ; after which period it gradually increased in magnitude and mercantile cele- brity, yet not without experiencing some severe checks. In 1512 it was besieged by the people of Guelderland, who, on failure of their attempt to take the city, set fire to the shipping in the harbour. During the same cen- tury its tranquillity was disturbed by tumults and insur- rections occasioned by the anabaptists ; in one of which Van Geelen, the leader of these enthusiasts, led his followers openly in military array, with drums beating AMSTERDAM. l67 and colours flying, to the town house, where he fixed his head quarters. He was, however, soon dispossessed. The magistrates assembled the burghers, who showed no disposition to take part with the insurgents, and being aided by some regular troops, surrounded the place ; and, after an obstinate resistance, he and the whole of his surviving band were taken prisoners, and put to death under circumstances of extreme cruelty. The city was taken possession of by the Hollanders in 1578, on con- dition that the religious rights of the Roman Catholic citizens should be respected. The condition was but ill observed ; for all the ecclesiastics of both sexes were driven out of the city, the images broken, and the altars demolished. From this period its opulence and splen- dour increased with an almost uninterrupted rapidity till its connection with the revolutionary government of France, which caused a total annihilation of its commerce during the continuance of the union of the countries. One cause of the advancement of Amsterdam was the decay of Antwerp, occasioned chiefly by the closing of the navigation of the Scheldt ; another, which also con- curred in securing the stability of its commerce, was the erection of the public bank. This establishment was instituted in H)'09, in order to obviate the inconveniences arising from the very debased state of the currency of Holland, which was made up of coins brought from every part of the world. Merchants often found it dif- ficult to procure standard coin to pay their bills ; but as the bank received the light and worn out coin at its intrinsic value, an invariable standard was thus formed which tended greatly to simplify the operations of trade. The amount of the capital of the bank was never cor- rectly ascertained, though it is said to have encreased in the period of its prosperity to upwards of forty mil- lions sterling of actual deposits. These originally con- sisted of coined money, but afterwards large quantities of gold and silver bullion were received. After the French invasion in 1 7!)~> it was ascertained, however, that its hoasted treasures were imaginary : the precious M 1 1(58 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. metals had been lent out by the directors to different public bodies, whose bonds were deposited in their stead. In consequence of its extensive commercial credit, Amsterdam was long the centre of exchange for Europe ; but from the time that a want of confidence in the bank began to be felt, a great part of the exchange transac- tions has been carried on in London and Hamburgh. In the year 1757 this city suffered considerably from the explosion of a powder magazine, by which many buildings were destroyed. During the internal troubles that agitated the republic in 1787, it was occupied by the Prussians, who maintained possession of it for a year; afterwards, in 1795, it submitted to the French; and when the United Provinces were incorporated into the body of the French empire under Bonaparte, Am- sterdam was considered the third city in rank, being deemed inferior only to Paris and Rome. The government is vested in a council called Vroed- schap, of thirty-six members, in Avhom the supreme power is lodged. The office is held during life, and vacancies are filled by the survivors. This body elects the chief magistrates, named burgomasters or echevins, a rank somewhat similar to that of alderman : the number of these is twelve ; they have the direction of all public works, and hold the keys of the city bank. The military protection of the town is in the charge of the militia, consisting of sixty companies of from 200 to "00 men each. Jews and anabaptists are excluded from this body, as they are not allowed to bear arms : they are, however, obliged to contribute to the support of the city guard, consisting of 1 400 soldiers, and to the night watch, which patroles the streets and calls the hours. In addition to this night patrole, trumpeters are stationed in every church steeple, who sound every half hour, and, in case of fire, ring the alarm bells, and direct enquirers to the place. The city extends in the form of a semicircle on the southern bank of the Y, which is its diameter ; on the AMSTERDAM. ] 60 land side it was surrounded by a wall and bastions, with a broad and deep fosse : the wall is dismantled ; but the bastions still remain, and are used as sites for corn-mills. The Amstel, on entering the city, divides into two branches, from each of which issue numerous canals, forming a collection of islands, connected with each other by 290 bridges; of which, that over the Amstel, commanding a panoramic view of the city and its environs, is the only one worthy of notice. That part of the river Y which forms the port of Amsterdam is guarded by a double row of piles, with openings at intervals for the admission of vessels : these openings are always closed at night. The deeply laden ships Ik; outside the piles, in a place called the Laag. During the period of Dutch prosperity, an hundred vessels have entered the port in one tide, and six or seven hundred were to be seen there at anchor together. On the opposite side of the Y are the locks by which ships enter the great canal, which is carried thence, in a straight line, north- wards to the Texel ; thus preventing the risk and delay of a voyage through the Zuyder Zee. This canal, which has been recently finished, is 120 -feet wide at the surface, and twenty-five deep. It was constructed at an expense of 1,000,000/. sterling. It terminates at the Helder, which was nothing more than a fishing village, until it was fortified by Bonaparte for the de- fence of a naval arsenal he formed there, and which is now called Willems-oord. The island of the Texel is principally devoted to the breeding of sheep. The cheese made from their milk is much prized by the inhabitants. The canals with which the city is inter- sected, though extremely convenient and ornamental, are attended with one very disagreeable consequence : from the stagnation of the water, and the collection of offal of every kind discharged into tliem, they send forth effluvia equally offensive and unwholesome, which all the characteristic cleanliness of the inhabitants has not been able wholly to remove. .Mills have been erected on their banks, to promote a circulation of «fa" by 170 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. ventilation ; others, called mud-mills, from the purpose to which they are applied, are also used to raise and remove the slime which the river deposits largely. In consequence of the badness of the foundation, the whole city is built on piles driven endways into the mud ; a circumstance which occasioned the witty re- mark of Erasmus, on visiting it, " that he was in a town where the inhabitants lived, like rooks, on the tops of trees." This circumstance also occasioned the restriction of coaches to men of consequence and physi- cians, who paid a tax for the privilege of using them ; the magistrates conceiving that the rolling of the wheels produced a dangerous concussion of the piles. Goods are conveyed through the town on sledges; and the common conveyance for those who do not wish to walk is a kind of sley or traineau, consisting of the body of a carriage fixed on a hurdle, drawn by a single horse, and guided by the driver, who walks by its side. The streets in general are narrow, with the exception of a few which present a fine appearance, and are adorned with spa- cious mansions. The principal square is the Dam, in front of the palace ; besides which there are three others, where markets and an annual fair are held. The palace, formerly the stadthouse, or town hall, is considered to STADTHOUSE, AMSTERDAM. be the most magnificent building in Holland. It forms an oblong square, 282 feet in length, 235 in breadth, and 116 in height, besides the tower, which is 67 feet AMSTERDAM. .171 high. Within is a spacious hall, 150 feet long, 6'0 broad, and 100 high. This hall, and the other apartments of the palace, are adorned with some fine paintings. Strangers are admitted daily to view it, under the sole restriction of writing down their names on entering. The front entrance has seven doors, which were intended for the representatives of the Seven United Provinces, but are now reserved exclusively for the royal family. All other persons obtain admission through the back entrance. The basement story was formerly used to hold the immense treasures of the bank. The royal museum contains, besides other curiosities, a fine collection of paintings, chiefly of the Flemish school. It is said that the emperor Alexander offered the sum of 30,000/. for one alone. Visitors are admissible to the museum on terms of equal liberality as to the palace. The exchange is a large but plain building, 230 feet in length and 130 in breadth : it is capable of contain- ing 4500 persons ; and is divided into thirty-six com- partments, for the transaction of the various kinds of commercial business carried on there. The deficiency of architectural elegance in the places of public worship is very striking, particularly to tra- vellers coming from the Netherlands, where much atten- tion is paid to their embellishment. The old church of St. Nicholas has some fine painted windows, and con- tains the tombs of several of the celebrated Dutch admirals. The burial ground of one of the sixteen chapels attached to it was appropriated, by the catholic magistracy of Amsterdam, during the period of religious persecution, for the interment of the protestant merchants of Hamburgh who died here. The new church of St. Catherine contains a splendid monument of white mar- ble, erected to the memory of admiral de ltuytcr. The Portuguese synagogue is said to have been built in imi- tation of the temple of Solomon. The churches of the established religion, which is the reformed or Calvin- istic, are distinguished by being the only places of worship which are allowed the use of bells. The total 172 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. number of churches is, ten Dutch reformed, twenty-two catholic, one French reformed, one English presbyterian, three Lutheran, one anabaptist, one Walloon, one Greek, and seven synagogues. The number of resident Jews is estimated at 17,000. The management of the penitentiaries is peculiarly worthy of notice. The number of convicts is great, not because crime is more common, but because the punishment of death is seldom inflicted ; imprisonment for various periods, in most cases, supplies its place. The principal prison is the house of correction, called also the Rasp-house, because the chief employment of its inmates is the cutting and rasping of Brazil wood. In this place of confinement, no one is suffered to be idle ; and thus the government is indemnified for much of the expenditure incurred, and the prisoners, on their part, are frequently reclaimed, by its wholesome and rigid discipline, from the dissolute and vicious habits which led them to become its inmates. In the yard of the prison is one cell, and one only, for the treatment of the incorrigibly idle. A stream of water constantly flows into it, which can only be discharged through a pump set up within. The only means, therefore, by which the inmate can avoid being overwhelmed by the ingress of the water is by working incessantly at the pump : if he persists in his idleness, he is inevitably drowned. It is said that it is now never used. The workhouse is intended for minor offences ; some of which are not recognised by our laws. Husbands may send their wives thither on a charge of drunkenness or extravagance ; and they are themselves liable to punishment for the same offences. Young women, also, even of good families, are sometimes sent thither as to a school of rigorous reformation. A sum of about twelve pounds is paid by their friends on admission, and an equal sum if they remain more than six months : two years is the longest period of their confinement. The charitable institutions are numerous, and. gene- rally well conducted. The hospital for lunatics is among AMSTERDAM. 173 the earliest of those in which gentler modes of treatment were substituted for severity and strict coercion. In- stitutions for the other diseases and infirmities of the poor are numerous. One regulation deserves to be pointed out: — The convalescent patients are employed to perform most of the duties required by the sick ; thus repaying in part, by their labour, the expenditure incurred by themselves, anil enabling the details of management to be performed by a very inconsiderable number of hired menials. Amsterdam can boast of a fair proportion of literary and scientific societies. The principal, named Felix Mentis, comprehends among its members most of the literature of the kingdom. Its business is distributed among five classes or committees : one for agriculture manufactures, and commerce ; the second for mathema- tics and its kindred sciences; the third for the polite arts ; the fourth for music ; and the fifth for general or miscellaneous literature. The building contains a theatre for the delivery of lectures, a museum, a gallery of sculpture, a drawing school, and an observatory commanding a fine view of the city and its environs. The public botanic garden, though plentifully stocked, does not contain any plants of extraordinary value. In the Royal Academy of Liberal Arts, a late institution for communicating instructions in painting, sculpture, and architecture, pensions for four years are granted to the most deserving pupils, winch are appropriated to a journey to Italy. In the naval schools, children of common seamen, when properly recommended, are edu- cated gratuitously ; as are the sons of officers, en the payment of a small pension. All are treated alike ; and almost every officer who has elevated the naval character of his country has received his education here. Near Amsterdam i.-, the village of Saardam or Zaan- dain, where were formerly large magazines of timber ; but as no ships are now built here, in consequence of the harbour having been choked with sand, the wealth of the inhabitants is derived from its mills for tobacco, 174 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. paper, and sawing timber. These mills, of which there are upwards of 2300, are worked by the wind ; and as they are all variously and whimsically painted, they present a fantastic appearance. But the village is still more remarkable for being the residence of Peter the Great of Russia, when he worked here as a common ship-carpenter, in order to make himself acquainted with the details of naval architecture. The hut in which he dwelt is at one end of it, and has been covered with a brick building by the princess of Orange, sister to the emperor Alexander, who purchased it at a large price from its former proprietor. It consists of two rooms and a loft, in which the royal mechanic kept va- rious specimens of the art. The furniture used by him is carefully preserved, consisting of an oak table and three chairs ; a recess with folding doors serving him as a bed- stead. Over the chimney-piece is the following inscrip- tion, Petro Magno, Alexander ; and on an oval table is another in Dutch and Russian, intimating " that no- thing is too little for a great man." The village of Broek or Brock is worthy of notice, as being proverbial for its cleanliness in a country so peculiarly attentive to neatness. The streets are divided by little rivulets, and paved with a kind of mosaic, formed of variegated bricks, pebbles, and shells. Car- riages are not allowed to enter the village; and even a dog or cat is scarcely ever seen in the streets. The houses are painted green and white, of a singular ap- pearance, each standing alone in the centre of a little garden curiously laid out in the same fanciful manner as the streets. It is said that the inhabitants scarcely admit strangers within their doors, and that their friendly intercourse with one another is very limited. At Ziest, near Soetsdyke, in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam, is a vast pyramid, erected by the French army under the command of general Marmont. in honour of Napoleon. It is a square, 148 feet long each way, and 110 high, surmounted by an obelisk, and in- scribed with sentences in praise of the emperor. In the GHENT. 175 same neighbourhood is a spacious building, which many will contemplate with much greater pleasure than the immense but useless pile just described. It is inha- bited by a society or community of the Herrenhuters or Moravians, who live here according to those terms of social union which form the most peculiar feature of their brotherhood. They carry on several manufactures for the common benefit of the society, and these are exposed for purchase in some of the rooms appropriated to that purpose. Amsterdam is 5 miles W. of the Zuyder Zee, and 90 X. by E. of Antwerp. GHENT. Lat. 51° 3' N. Lon. 3° 44' E. Population 780,00. Ghent, called by the French Gand, the chief town of East Flanders, is situate at the junction of the Scheldt and Lys. Julius Ca?sar is said to have been its founder. The Vandals afterwards became its masters, and called it Vanda or Wanda ; of which its present name is by some thought to be a corruption. It must have been a flourishing town during the reign of Alfred the Great ; for it is recorded that the Danes, after having been ex- pelled by him from England, landed in Flanders and enriched themselves by the plunder of this town. In the reign of Edward III. it was celebrated for its manufac- tures; that of woollen cloth was introduced into England from it about that period. John, the third son of this monarch, was born here, and hence is generally known in history by the name of John of Gaunt. Nor were its citizens less distinguished for valour than for industry : their troops always distinguished themselves in the wars by which the fine country of the Netherlands was so frequi ntly desolated. When the English monarch just named meditated the conquest of Fiance, he did not fail to endeavour to gain over the great commercial cities of Flanders ; and sue- 176 cities And towns of the Netherlands. ceeded at length principally through the exertions of James d'Arteville, a native of Ghent, who, though but a brewer, had interest sufficient to bring over most of the principal cities to side with England against their earl, and to force him to retire into France: the good under- standing which this created continued, till Flanders de- volved by marriage upon the duke of Burgundy. In 1381, 60,000 Flemings, under the command of Philip D'Arte- ville, son of the brewer, revolted against the count of Flanders, their sovereign. This prince demanded assist- ance from Charles VI. of France, then a boy, who came to Courtray at the head of his army, attacked the Flem- ings, and killed 20,000 of them, with D'Arteville their leader. Previously to the battle D'Arteville had issued orders to his troops to give no quarter to the French, except to their little king Charles, whom he directed, if taken, to be brought to him, that, being bred at Ghent, he might learn to speak good Flemish : yet, notwith- standing their loss in this battle, they were sufficiently numerous to invest Bruges afterwards. In the reign of the emperor Charles V. the city was so much larger than Parts, a$ to induce that monarch to make the boasting pun, " that he could put Paris into his glove or gand." Though this emperor was their townsman, being born in the castle, the ruins of which still remain, their respect for the bond of connection to which his birth gave rise did not prevent them from resisting what they deemed to be unjustifiable encroachments on their rights. After an unsuccessful rebellion, they were punished with ex- treme rigour : the emperor put to death twenty-six of their principal citizens; banished a great number; con- fiscated their estates; destroyed their artillery, their arms, and their privileges ; condemned them to pay a fine of upwards of 1,200,000 crowns ; erected a citadel to keep them in subjection, and obliged their magistrates to ap- pear before him with halters round their necks; ordering also that this ignominious badge of submission should be ever after borne by them when performing the duties of their office. This mark of humiliation they afterwards GHENT. 177 contrived to transform into an ornament, by tying it in a kind of knot. The city again severely felt the effects of imperial vengeance in the contests between the Netherlands and the emperor in 1789, when an attempt was made by the Austrian troops to burn and pillage it : many houses were destroyed, but a violent fall of rain prevented the flames from spreading. The cruelties perpetrated by the soldiers were dreadful : ninety-seven persons, many of whom were children, were slaughtered. They were, however, finally defeated by the citizens, who attacked the military in their barracks ; to which they would have set fire, had not the officers laid down their arms and surrendered at discretion. It redounds to the honour of the Flemings, that they spared these barbarous wretches, and treated them as prisoners of war. The clergy of the city displayed an equal spirit of determined resist- ance to an infringement of their privileges. Bonaparte, when in the height of his power, had imprisoned the bishop of Ghent, and appointed another prelate to per- form the pastoral duties. The clergy of Ghent, one and all, refused to assist him in the ministerial functions, or to do any act tending to recognise his authority. They were, in consequence of their adherence to this re- solution, seized by the emperor's orders, sent to Antwerp, and there compelled to work at the new fortifications which he was constructing. After his deposition, the former bishop was restored, and the clergy again per- mitted to resume their accustomed duties. This town has been the scene of some diplomatic transactions: the compact of the provinces of the Nether- lands against the tyranny of Spain in 1578j called the Pacification of Ghent, was drawn up and executed here ; the last treaty of peace concluded between Great Britain and America, in 181 1, was signed here also. It was likewise the residence of Louis XVIII. during the period in which lie was forced to quit Prance after the return of Bonaparte from Elba. Ghent is situate on a beautiful plain: its area may vnt f N 178 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. vie in extent with that of any other city in Europe, being little less than fifteen miles in circumference ; but no small portion of the enclosed space is covered with gar- dens, orchards, and fields of grain. Like all the other towns in this flat country, it is intersected with nume- rous canals, crossed by three hundred bridges ; some of stone, but most of wood. Their banks, being generally planted with majestic trees, afford an extensive and grate- ful promenade for the inhabitants. The streets are spacious; though some of the most frequented, as is the case in many old towns, are so narrow that two carriages can scarcely pass each other. There are thirteen public squares, the principal of which is ornamented with a pedestrian statue of Charles V. The town hall is an immense pile of building, pre- senting an incongruous combination of various styles of architecture : one front, which is unfinished, is Gothic ; another Italian; each story being supported by pillars of a different order ; — the ground story Doric, the next Ionic, and the upper Corinthian. It is enriched with many valuable documents of an early period, and with some good paintings. The structure and arrangements of the public prison or house of correction are on an excellent plan. The building is a spacious octagon, having a large court-yard in the centre, by means of which an immediate and con- stant communication can be easily kept up with every part. Each department branches off from this; and the prisoners are kept in separate classes, according to the nature of their crimes and the depravity of their cha- racter. In the centre of the women's apartment is a large basin or trough for washing linen. Every prisoner is locked up at night in a separate cell, and brought out to work at a stated hour in the morning. The average number of prisoners is 1 300 ; the annual expenditure is 50,000 florins, or somewhat more that 4000/. sterling; therefore the cost of each prisoner to the state is less than 4-1. annually. This economical effect is produced by employing every convict capable of working in some species of industry. The principal portion of the profits is GI1EXT. 179 set apart for defraying the expenses of the establishment, and the remainder is divided into two parts; one of which is allowed to the prisoner for pocket-money, and the other forms a fund which he receives on his liberation. Near the prison is the Atelier de Bienfaisance; an in- stitution intended to check mendicity, by supplying the paupers with work until they can provide for themselves. The Mont de Pie'te is a singular establishment for lending money upon goods, on the principle of pawn- broking, but upon moderate interest. It has been found very useful, in enabling industrious persons labouring under a temporary pressure to relieve themselves, with- out the necessity of selling their property under very disadvantageous circumstances, or of disclosing their pecuniary difficulties. The markets are kept with peculiar neatness. The flesh butchers, not content with the process of washing and scouring the' tables in their stalls, usually deemed sufficient for cleanliness in other countries, pare or shave oh' their surface every morning with a plane kept for the purpose: thus the tables appear not only clean, but ever new. In the fish-market equal attention is paid to the extreme cleanliness of every thing belonging to it. All the public arrangements of Ghent seem to have been devised with a systematic intention of stimulating industry, correcting idleness, and encouraging habits of order and cleanliness. Three times every day, at sun- rise, at noon, and in the evening, the ear of the observing traveller is struck with the tolling of a bell. Its sound serves not only as a signal to summon the workman to las appointed place of labour, but as a warning to the rest of the inhabitants not to appear in the streets at these hours ; lest the progress of the former, while crowding to their occupations, should experience any obstruction. For the same reason, the drawbridges are not allowed to be then open. The numbers formerly engaged in the manufactorie were sufficient to require some such regulations for their accommodation in the confined streets of this town. 180 CITIES AND TOWNS OP THE NETHERLANDS. During the fourteenth century, when the custom originated, there were upwards of 1 6,000 thus en- gaged. And though the population and industry of the place had declined considerably, in consequence of the many political convulsions that occurred during the two last centuries, the town has by no means lost the energies requisite for their rapid restoration. At present there are many manufactories of silk, lace, linens, and woollens, besides several distilleries, soap-works, brew- eries, salt-works, and sugar-refineries. Latterly some very large cotton manufactories have been erected ; and the public industry is particularly directed to that fabric, as if the people of" Ghent wished now to draw from the English this great staple of their wealth, in return for the invaluable gift of the woollen manufacture bestowed on that country some centuries ago. It also enjoys a considerable foreign trade by means of its canals, par- ticularly two; one leading through Bruges to Ostend, the other to Sas le Ghent. While manufacturing industry is thus attended to in Ghent, it is also the chosen residence of many of the Belgian nobility. The frequent invasions and insurrec- tions by which this part of the country has been pecu- liarly disturbed, has ever prevented the landed proprietors from residing, like many in England, in the centre of their tenantry. They have been forced to seek the shelter of fortified towns ; and what was once the dictate of necessity, has now become the law of fashion. Ghent being considerably cheaper than Brussels as a place of residence, has induced many of the nobility to give it a preference; and their example is every day more and more followed by the emigrants from the British isles; many of whom, having quitted the land of their nativity through economical motives, find that they can carry their arrangements better into effect amidst the tranquil industry of Ghent, than in the dissipation of the court, and the constant ingress of strangers into Brussels. The splendour of Ghent is most observable • in its churches ; and of these the most magnificent is that of St. Bavon. The choir is supported by pillars of pure GHENT. 1S1 white Italian marble, rendered more striking from the contrast of the highly-polished black marble with which all the walla of the interior are coated. The principal church is surrounded by twenty-four chapels, each adorned with some splendid work of the most admired masters. The pulpit is a piece of exquisite workman- ship, forming an allegorical picture of Time contem- plating Truth. The figures of angels at the foot of its staircase are objects of peculiar admiration. Beneath the present cathedral the body of the original church still remains, little injured by time, forming a subterraneous place of worship : it is now chiefly used as a school for Sunday instruction. The tower or steeple is ascended by 446 steps; and, like all others in this flat country, presents an extensive view of the surrounding towns and scenery. It has a remarkably fine ring of bells, which includes semitones, and is sounded by keys and levers like an organ. All the other churches are more or less adorned with paintings. That of the Dominicans contains the monu- ment of the painter Gaspard de Crayer, some of whose productions are to be seen in almost every church in Belgium : the Dutch poet D'Vriendt is also buried here. In the church of St. Nicholas is to be seen a monument of Oliver Minjan and his wife, whose epitaph informs us that they were the parents of thirty-one children, all of whom were taken from them by death in the course of a single month. ( >ne of the few monastic institutions of Belgium exists in Ghent. It is a convent of Beguin nuns, which escaped the effects of the emperor Joseph's reformation of the conventual societies, and the still more destructive ravages of the subsequent revolution in France. Stran- gers are admitted to some parts of the building, and particularly the chapel, during the time of divine service. The great provincial school or college of Ghenl lias long been in much repute as a place of education. < »n the formation of the kingdom of the Netherlands, it was advanced to the rank of a royal university. According 182 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. to its present arrangements, it has nineteen professors ; five of medicine, three of law, five of natural science and mathematics, and six of philosophy and literature : the number of students exceeds 400. The palace of the university, in which the lectures are delivered, is a splendid edifice. The great hall is sufficiently spacious to accommodate 1600 persons : it is divided into two parts ; one for the members of the university, the other for the accommodation of the public. Around the walls the arms of the nineteen provinces of the king- dom are emblazoned. It is lighted by a lantern sixty feet in circumference, in the middle of the dome. From the hall the apartments for the different courses of in- struction branch out on each side. The cabinet of na- tural history is 120 feet long, and already well furnished: that of mineralogy is 130 feet long, and contains several thousand specimens scientifically arranged. There is also a fine dissecting-room, and a cabinet of models of agricultural implements. The royal college is on a more confined scale than the university. It consists of a principal and six professors, who lecture on the most important departments of the languages and of science. This college is supported principally by public funds. The annual expense to the student is about 20/. Pupils of both religious persuasions are admitted ; but all must attend mass, under the singular regulation that English protestants are allowed to use the liturgy of the church of England, those of the Roman Catholic persuasion being supplied with the ritual of the church of Rome. The public library contains a large and choice collec- tion of printed books both ancient and modern, and a number of valuable manuscripts. The botanical garden is stocked with scarce and valuable plants. Both of these institutions are open to the public, on terms of great liberality. Two annual festivals are held at the latter, for the display of flowers : some are sent from a great distance ; and the cultivators of the most admired are honoured with medals. Between Ghent and Antwerp lies a tract of land ANTWERP. 183 called the Pays tie Waes. It was originally a barren and shifting sand; but the persevering industry of the in- habitants has rendered it the admiration of every visitor, whether native or foreigner. It is throughout divided into small fields, each surrounded by a low quickset hedge and a deep trench. The middle of every field is elevated, and the ground declines in all directions to the ditch. The object of this singular mode of husbandry is to prevent the bad effects of heavy rains, which, if they fell upon the level surface, consisting of a dry porous sand, would carry down the manure through it, and render it useless; whereas the water, as it falls on the declivity, glides down more gently, and does no injury. The farms are so small, and the cottages so closely inter- mixed, that the whole exhibts the appearance of one continued village. The interior of each dwelling presents an aspect of neatness and comfort fully corresponding with what might be expected from the exterior appear- ance of their farms. Ghent is situate 30 miles S. W. of Antwerp. ANTWERP. Lat. 51° 14' N. Lon. 4° 22' E. Population 62,000. Antwerp or Antorff, called by the French An vers, and by the Spaniards Amberes, is situate in that pari of n 4 184 CITIES AND TOWN'S OF THE NETHERLANDS. Brabant named the marquisate of Antwerp, on an ex- tended plain on the eastern side of the Scheldt, which is here of sufficient depth to enable ships of large burden to discharge their cargoes at the quay; being 36*0 fathoms wide, 30 feet deep at low water, and rising 15 feet at the height of the flood. The city owed the commanding position which it long held in the commercial world to the decline of Bruges towards the close of the fifteenth century, and the continuance of prosperity was secured to it by the English merchants fixing their staple in it. Its commerce and consequent wealth were also increased by other circumstances: — the one, the grant of free fairs for commerce, of which there were two peculiarly remark- able ; these lasted for six weeks, and were of such extended celebrity that merchants from all parts of Christendom carried their goods thither : the other arose from the Portuguese using the town as a kind of em- porium or halfway port between the northern and south- ern parts of Europe, to which they sent the rich produce of India that they had previously imported into Lisbon. At the commencement of the reign of Charles V. it was computed to contain 100,000 inhabitants: and such was that monarch's opinion of its power and influence, that when he had resolved upon establishing the tribunal of the inquisition in it, he was deterred by the information, that if he persisted in his resolution, all the English merchants would leave the country ; for, upon enquiry, the emperor found that the English merchant adven- turers employed or maintained at least 20,000 souls in Antwerp alone, besides 30,000 throughout the sur- rounding country. The union of the Seven United Provinces may be looked on as the era of the commencement of the decline of Antwerp. The persecutions of the merciless duke of Alva ; the siege and sacking of the town by the Spaniards in 1572, when it was given up to plunder for three days and nights, and 7000 citizens were slaughtered; and afterwards its protracted siege of more than a year's ANTWERP. 185 duration by the duke of Parma; forced much of its wealth and independence to seek an asylum in Holland, and more particularly in Amsterdam. The closing up of the river Scheldt completed its commercial ruin. The loss of their trade led the remaining inhabitants to turn their thoughts to manufactures, in many branches of which they have been very successful, particularly in that of tapestry and lace : they have also directed much of their attention to painting, jewellery, and banking. Antwerp underwent its full share of the vicissitudes of war tluring the last two centuries. After the battle of Ramillies it surrendered to the duke of Marlborough : it was subsequently taken by the French, but restored to the Austrians by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. In the revolutionary war it was twice taken by the French, and retained by them till the termination of the im- perial government of that country. One of the first acts of the conquerors, after they had secured the occu- pation of the town, was to throw open the navigation of the Scheldt, by clearing away the obstructions placed there by the Dutch, and by declaring it to be a free port in future. The project was followed up by exten- sive preparations for enlarging the harbour, in order to make it a naval arsenal ; docks and other extensive works were carried on with great vigour during the whole period of its connection with the French, not- withstanding an attempt made by the English in 1809 to destroy them. In 1814 it was a second time attacked by the English, who met with an obstinate resistance from the commandant, the celebrated Carnot. The docks suffered greatly during this last attack, but have since been repaired and carried on according to the ori- ginal plan. One of the basins is capable of containing forty ships of the line. The magistracy of Antwerp is selected out of seven noble families ; and consists of two burgomasters, eighteen echevins, and other inferior officers. Among the pri- vileges of the city is one of some singularity, which gives its freedom to every individual born within its precincts, 186 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. without any regard to the descent or birthplace of the parents. The city is nearly a semicircle, of about seven miles round. It was defended by the citadel, built by the duke of Alva to overawe the inhabitants. The whole appearance of its public buildings, streets, and houses, affords the most incontestible evidence of its former splendour. Many instances of the immense wealth of its merchants are recorded : among others, it is said that when Charles V. once dined with one of the chief ma- gistrates, his host immediately after dinner threw into the fire a bond for two millions of ducats, which he had received as security for a loan to that monarch, saying that he was more than repaid by the honour of being permitted to entertain his sovereign. The most remarkable of the streets is the Place de Mer, said to be unequalled by any in Europe for its great length, its still more unusual breadth, and the extraor- dinary sumptuousness of its houses. A crucifix thirty- three feet high, made from a demolished statue of the duke of Alva, stands at one end of the street ; but the eye of taste is offended here and elsewhere by the great intermixture of dwellings of the lowest description with splendid palaces. The noble and the mechanic often inhabit adjoining houses. The want of sunken areas before the houses, and of raised footpaths for pedestrians, is also severely commented on by British visitors. The quays present a noble appearance : they are richly planted, and form cue of the most favourite pro- menades. In the neighbourhood of the basins for shipping, is a square building, 230 feet long each way, intended as a place of merchandise for the Oosterling or Hanseatic towns of Germany. In its middle story, which has a gallery quite round the square, there are 300 lodging rooms, but they are no longer used as such. The cellars serve for stables. , Besides the canals usual in all Dutch towns, others of an extraordinary construction are to be found here. They are carried on wholly underground, having been ANTWERP. 187 excavated at the expense of individuals, in order to con- vey in small boats, to their storehouses, the goods which had been brought in by the usual conveyance of the open canals. They are now used as sewers. The town hall, in the great market-place, is a spacious building 250 feet long, having its front adorned with statues. It was rebuilt in 1581, the period of the commercial downfal of the city. This building contains the public library, which is not remarkable for the number or rarity of its books. It also contains a fine collection of paintings. The royal palace in the Place de Mer, which had been fitted up for the residence of Bo- naparte, contains also some fine paintings. The Ex- change, — a large, but by no means an elegant structure, ^-has served as a model for those of Amsterdam and London. Of the places of public worship the cathedral is by far the most noble, not only as compared with these in the neighbourhood, but with any other on the continent. It is 500 feet long, 230 wide, and 360 high; its erection occupied a period of ninety-six years. The spire is 466 feet in height. According to the original design, another of equal dimensions was to have been erected on the other side of the great entrance. But after having been carried up to a certain height, the work was discontinued; yet, notwithstanding this de- fect in uniformity, it is thought that the want of the second spire adds to the simple grandeur of that which has been completed. The gallery to the summit of the tower is attained by an ascent of 622 steps; and the toil of going up is well repaid by the commanding view afforded of the city beneath, the country, the Scheldt, and its neighbouring islands, stretching into the main sea. This church contains many fine paintings, mostly by Rubens : that of the taking down of our Saviour from the cross, in which the figures are as large as life, is universally considered his masterpiece. It also con- tains tin- monuments of Ambrose Capello, seventh bishop of the see ; those of .Moretus the printer, the successor 188 CITIES AND TOWNS OP THE NETHERLANDS. of Plan tin ; of Plantin himself, and of Van Delft. Out- side its walls is the tomb of Quinten Matsys, originally a blacksmith, but who, on being refused the daughter of Flors the painter till he had proved himself a painter also, laboured with incessant assiduity till he overcame the old man's scruples, and ultimately surpassed him in his favourite art. Near the tomb is a pump, the iron-work of which is said to have been wrought by Matsys before his transformation. In this cathedral Henry VIII. of England, together with the then kings of France, Den- mark, Portugal, Poland, Bohemia, and the Romans, were made knights of the order of the Golden Fleece, by Philip II. of Spain, in the year 1555. The church of St. James contains the tomb of the great Rubens : it is of black marble, simple in design, but most appropriately adorned with one of that master's own paintings. The windows of this church are much admired. The church of St. Paul or of the Dominicans has in it some works of Rubens and Vandyke ; particularly the scourging of Christ, by the former. But it is more frequently visited to see a representation of mount Cal- vary near its entrance. On descending into a cavity in the rock, intended to represent the place of our Saviour's sufferings, the body of Christ is seen laid out on a tomb, and covered with a shroud of silk ; the walls around are painted to resemble the flames of pur- gatory, and the figures of those suffering its torments. The whole is executed in a coarse style, almost border- ing on the grotesque ; yet, situate as it is, it seldom fails to produce a solemn effect. The other churches are in possession of paintings by the old masters. At the academy of fine arts upwards of 1 000 students receive gratuitous instruction in painting and its kindred arts. The academy is held in some of the departments of the museum, where also there is a fine collection of pictures and of casts. A public annual exhibition of the productions of the pupils is held here alternately with Brussels and Ghent ; prizes are distributed ; and ROTTERDAM. 189 the successful pictures are purchased by the cities to which the victors belong, to be lodged in their public collections, as rewards to the successful candidates and as excitements to others. Antwerp boasts of being the native place of Rubens and Vandyke, as also of Teniers, Snyders, and Joerdans. Opposite to the town, and near the spot whence it was bombarded by the English in 1 809, the place of a new city was traced out by Bonaparte. Its site is now occupied by some forts, built under the directions of the duke of Wellington. Antwerp is 28 miles N. of Brussels, and 30 N.E. of Ghent. ROTTERDAM. Lat. 51° 58' N. Lon. 4° 28' E. Population 56,000. Rotterdam, a large commercial town near the mouth of the Maese in South Holland, ranks next after Am- sterdam in extent, wealth, and enterprise, and has been accustomed to hold the first place in the assembly of the states among the smaller cities. Its form is that of a triangle, the longesl Bide extending a mile ami a half in the direction of the river. On the land Bide it is surrounded by a moat, but has no wall. The Rotte, 190 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. which here unites its stream with the Maese, and from which the town takes its name, enters it from the north, but, during its course through the city, is divided into two channels, supplying numberless canals, which abound here more than in any other place throughout the country. Some of these canals are so large as to admit vessels of considerable burden to discharge their cargoes at the warehouses of the merchants. Many of them are also bordered with trees ; and, as the flowing and ebbing of the tide twice a day prevents the stagna- tion of their water, they become a source of pleasing- recreation to the inhabitants, and are free from the dis- agreeable effluvia which too often offend the sense at Amsterdam. The numerous drawbridges over these canals add much to the lively appearance of the town. But in the more frequented parts the bridges are per- manent and immovable, except for the breadth of three feet in the centre of the arch, where there is a plank opening upon hinges, in order to afford a passage for the masts of small vessels. The houses are built of small bricks, in a peculiar style of architecture. They are very lofty, and, in many, the higher stories project over those beneath, so as to place the upper part of the building several feet out of the perpendicular. In %ieir interior accommo- dations they are convenient rather than elegant. The windows are much larger than what is usual either in France or England. Some have mirrors attached to them, in such a manner that the person inside can see at his ease whatever occurs in the street, in both direc- tions. In many houses the ground floor is not inhabited, but merely serves, with its gate and arched passage, for an entrance to the warehouses. The streets are generally long and narrow, and some of them so similar in ap- pearance as often to mislead the stranger. The Bcomt- jes, corruptly called Boom-quay, is the finest. It extends along the Maese, and thus commands a pleasing prospect over that river. The small house in which the celebrated Bayle resided, while he held the professorship ROTTERDAM. 191 of philosophy and history here, is situated in this street, and is still pointed out to strangers. The public buildings are remarkable neither for num- ber nor elegance. The Stadthouse is an old fashioned brick edifice ; the Exchange, an oblong, with a covered walk on each side. The cathedral of St. Laurence con- tains an exquisitely wrought screen of brass, by which the choir is separated from the rest of the church. Its summit also commands an extensive prospect, exhibiting the Hague, Leyden, and Dort, in different directions. This cathedral contains the monument of admiral De Witt. Rotterdam enjoys the advantages of a public libra- ry, a cabinet of antiquities, and one of natural history : an academy of sciences was also founded here, in 1771. The statue of the celebrated Erasmus, who was a native of the town, is placed in a conspicuous situation on one of the canals. The first statue erected to his memory was of wood, which was succeeded , by one of stone. This underwent some extraordinary casualties : the Spanish soldiers, to testify their hatred cf the man, shot at the statue with their musquets, and status of erasmus. threw it into the canal, whence it was afterwards taken, and restored to its former posi- tion. It was subsequently replaced by that now extant, which is about ten feet high, of bronze, represent- ing Erasmus, in his clerical habit, turning over the leaves of a book, and is much admired for its execu- tion. On the pedestal are four appropriate inscriptions. The house in which this great man was born is still in existence, and bears an inscription on its front to point it out to strangers. This town also gave birth to the celebrated Vandcrwerfe, whose works were so highly esteemed by the elector palatine, that he conferred on liiin the honour of knighthood, ennobled his descendants, and accompanied these marks of favour by the more 192 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. solid testimony of a liberal pension and several valuable presents. This painter excelled in historical subjects. His brother, Peter Vanderwerfe, who distinguished him- self as a painter of portraits, was born near this city. Though the country round Rotterdam is perfectly flat, like the greatest part of Holland, its suburbs and vicinity are much admired for the peculiar elegance of the numerous villas thickly interspersed throughout all parts, and the fastidious neatness with which the gar- dens and pleasure grounds attached to them are laid out. On many of the entrances characteristic mottoes are in- scribed ; such as " Hope and repose," — " The abode of peace," — " Peace is my garden," — " Consider those be- neath you." As a commercial emporium, Rotterdam enjoys several advantages. The navigation of the Maese brings to it an extended inland traffic. The ice breaks up earlier in spring than at Amsterdam, and a single tide wafts a vessel from its quays to the main sea ; whereas the na- vigation of the Zuyder Zee to the Texel is intricate and tedious. In antiquity it may also claim superiority over the last-named city. It was a privileged town, secured by fortifications, so early as the thirteenth century. Its prosperity progressively increased from that period, till the invasion by France in 1795. During its connection with that power, so great and so rapid was its decline, that while in 1802 its number of ships amounted to 1786, in 1808 it had sunk to 65, and in the subsequent years its trade was utterly extinct. On the restoration of general peace in 1814, its shipping interest sprung up again with wonderful energy, insomuch that the number of vessels in 1817 nearly equalled that in 1802. Its commercial transactions are chiefly with the north of Europe ; by much the greater proportion of its ton- nage being engaged in transporting the bulky productions of the Baltic, corn, timber, flax, and hemp. Its imports from France are chiefly wines ; those from England, consisting of hardware, cottons, and woollens, exceed the imports from any other country. The intercourse with Brazil, and other parts of Spanish America, has in- LIEGE. 193 creased considerably since permission was obtained to trade directly thither. The peculiar commerce of the town may be said to be madder, geneva, and refined sugar. The magistracy is vested in a council of twenty-four, out of which are elected four burgomasters, a grand bai- liff, and seven echevins. Besides these, there are three tribunals : one, the college of the grand bailiff and coun- cil of Schieland, composed partly of nobility and partly of the cities of Rotterdam, Goude, and Schiedam, which assembles at Rotterdam, and superintends the dykes, canals, roads, and bridges ; the second is that of the judges of Schieland, whose jurisdiction extends over those points not within the charge of the preceding tri- bunal ; and the third is the college of the lords of the admiralty for the Maese. On the eastern side of the city are a large basin and dock, for the purpose of build- ing and repairing vessels in the service of the admiralty and of the East India company. Rotterdam is 14 miles S. W. of the Hague, and 50 S. by W. of Amsterdam. LIEGE. Lat. 50° 39' X. Lon. 5° 31' E. Population 50,000. Liege, situate on the Maese, near its junction with the Ourthe, the Loose, and the Amboise, which empty them- selves into the first-named river as it enters the city, is the capital of the province of the same name in the south- eastern extremity of the Netherlands. It is situated in the centre of a valley embedded in an enclosure of well- cultivated hills, the appearance of which somewhat resembles parts of the romantic scenery of Switzerland. The river on its entrance into the city divides into a number of branches, which by their intersections form several small islands, bordered with handsome ipiays, and connected with bridges of varied construction ; thup vol. 1. o 19^ CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. giving to the town an appearance similar to that which those in the western parts of the kingdom derive from their canals. The same circumstance of the intervention of the river caused it to he divided into two towns, the upper and the lower. The upper or old town is built on the declivity of a hill, sloping down to one of the branches of the Maese, which separates it from the new town. This, again, consists of two parts ; the island, and the quarter beyond the Maese. But the division is now merely nominal, as the extension of the buildings has caused the two portions to coalesce. The form of the town is compact, being not more than a mile in length and three quarters of a mile in breadth. But the three suburbs, — that of Maestricht extending along the river to the north, that of Valbarge to the north-west, and that of St. Marguerite to the south, — though all detached from the body of the town, add considerably to the magni- tude of its appearance when viewed from a little dis- tance ; and the illusion is increased by the number of churches, which, as in most catholic countries, are very great in proportion to the density of the population. The first view of the town, combined with its sub- urbs extending in the form of an amphitheatre, studded with spires and towers, interspersed with gardens, and now and again disclosing the clear waters of the river that winds through it, is highly fascinating : but, on en- tering, the scene is sadly changed ; it presents a gloomy sombre appearance, totally destitute of the cleanliness and neatness which form a distinguishing characteristic ornament of most towns in the Netherlands. Not that the interior of the town is devoid of beauty ; it presents very different appearances in different parts : some quarters have miserable streets, narrow, dirty, and half deserted ; while in others they are comparatively broad, the squares neat, the quays and promenades cheerful. The great height of the houses contributes much to the sombre appearance of the city. Its forti- fications were at one time considerable, but at present LIEGE. 195 it has no claim to the appellation of a fortified place : even the citadel, which stood at its north-west corner, has been dismantled. The scenery in the environs, however, compensates in a great measure for the internal defects of the place it- self. The hills, which rise on every side, are clothed with vineyards; and the lower parts are enlivened with hop plantations, or covered with waving fields of corn. A very fine view presents itself from the citadel erected on mount St. "Walburg, on the left bank of the Maese, commanding the whole of the town, and the river winding its majestic course in various directions ; now expanding fully to the sight, and again concealed by the towering cliffs through which it appears to force its way. The town and district of Liege were formerly subject to the jurisdiction of the prince bishop, who exercised a very great authority within his demesne. He was, indeed, absolute, and one of the most considerable ecclesiastical princes in Germany ; having in his diocese 52 baronies, 18 cities or walled towns, and 400 villages, with a reve- nue of 300,000 ducats a-year, aud was able to maintain an army of 8000 soldiers without oppressing his sub- jects ; but as his power was abolished by the French when they gained possession of the territory during the revolutionary war, and has not since been restored, his palace, which is a very fine structure built in the form of a square, is now the seat of the courts of justice. The cathedral of St. Lambert, which in the times just alluded to was looked on as the chief ornament of the city, was sacrificed to the same spirit of revolution, and has not since been restored, though formerly the pride of the inhabitants : scarcely a vestige of it now exists. Its origin is traced to St. Hubert, who built it on the spot where his predecessor St. Lambert had suf- fered martyrdom. St. Hubert annexed twenty prebends to it ; St. PLoribert, his son and successor, ten more: their Bomber afterwards was augmented to sixty, and tlieir revenues increased proportionally. It was neoes- sarv that the holders of these prebends should be of o 2 JQ6 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. noble extraction ; and at one time they counted seven sons of kings, thirty sons of dukes, and twenty-two sons of counts, among their number. The university, formerly under the direction of the Jesuits, was also suppressed during the revolution, but has been re-established by the king. The building con- sists of a plain square edifice of stone, with a portico supported by eight pillars of the Ionic order. It now affords instruction to nearly 500 students j and as the expenses incurred are moderate, it has been the means of extending a taste for literature and science among the middling classes. The number of professors is seven- teen. The cathedral of St. Paul is by much the finest eccle- siastical building here. The choir is entered by two splendid brazen doors. The windows are ornamented with painted glass : one of them is much admired. Round the walls are many fine paintings : among which are the Assumption, an altarpiece by Caravaggio ; the Descent from the Cross, by Rubens ; and six pictures by Ansieur, a native of the town. The tomb of sir John Mandeville, the celebrated traveller, is in St. William's convent in the suburbs : after having seen most of the cities of any note in the world, he made choice of this to spend the evening of his life in. Gretry, the com- poser of French comic operas, w r as a native of Liege. The house in which he was born is still marked by an appropriate inscription, and the Place Gretry is called after his name. The inhabitants of Liege are actively engaged in ma- nufactures, the character of which is much influenced by the nature of the products of the immediate vicinity, which are coal, iron, and alum. Iron-works are carried on to a considerable extent, as is the manufacture of great and small arms, which are considered to be equal to any in France. Bonaparte was so sensible of the peculiar natural advantages it afforded for such works, that he expended a sum of 1,000,000/. sterling to form a cannon foundery. Nails are also manufactured in such LIEGE. 197 quantities as to employ from ten to fourteen thousand hands. They are exported to Holland, both for the home consumption of that country, and for the East and West India trade. They are also sent to France, and thence to the Levant and Africa. The water commu- nication which the town enjoys with Holland, Germany, and France, greatly facilitates the export of these and of other articles fabricated here ; among which are clocks, grates, and other species of hardware, together with woollen cloth in large quantities. Though wines are made in the neighbourhood, they are not in great repute, being considered much inferior to the first-rate wines of Burgundy or Champagne. An establishment for the manufactory of machinery has been formed here, and is very extensive. A stranger arriving at Liege sometimes feels himself subjected to a very unexpected embarrassment, owing to the language of the towns-people being wholly dif- ferent from any of the surrounding countries: it is intelligible neither to the Dutch, French, nor Flemings ; being a variety of the Walloon dialect, called by the natives Koeter-Walsch. According to a kind of pro- verbial saying current through the country, this city is " the hell of women, the purgatory of men, and the paradise of priests." Liege is said to have been first surrounded with walls by St. Hubert, early in the eighth century. It suffered much by the incursions of the Normans, and by an in- vasion of the duke of Brabant, who pillaged it for six days ; but still more by internal dissensions, arising chiefly from disputes relative to the election of the bishops. These were the occasion of much bloodshed. In one of them, Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, having sided with the bishop, against whom the inhabitants had risen, took the city by assault in 1 KiS, and set it on fire, after having completely sacked it, without sparing even the churches. The atrocity of the act afterwards struck him with remorse, ami, in atonement for it, he presented S 198 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. the cathedral with an equestrian statue of St. George in gold. A dispute relative to the mode of choosing the bur- gomaster was afterwards the occasion of new troubles. In the year 1636, count Warfuse', who had been chief of the finances to the king of Spain at Brussels, was condemned by the grand council of Mechlin for mal- practices, and hanged in effigy. He escaped to Liege ; where, in the hope of regaining the favour of the king, he prevailed on the chief burgomaster to dine with him, and during the repast introduced a band of soldiers, who murdered him while at table, under the pretence of his being a favourer of the interests of the king of France. The people of the town, on hearing of this act of trea- chery, instantly nocked to the house, seized the count, drag- ged him through the streets, and hanged him by the feet to a post; then cut off his head and hands, which they ex- posed on the town gate, burnt his body, and flung the ashes into the river. Nor were they satisfied with this terrible vengeance : they put to death his servants and the soldiers who had been his instruments ; and seizing also on one of their own magistrates, on suspicion of his being privy to the plot, hung him in the great market, without even the form of trial. The burgomasters were afterwards constantly attended by a guard of thirty men when they appeared in public. Some years after, the prince bishop, having approached the town with some troops, in order to put an end to these disturbances, was refused admission ; but on receiving a considerable rein- forcement, the gates were reluctantly opened. The first use he made of his authority was to cause two of the burgomasters, to whom he imputed the principal share of blame, to be beheaded, and their heads exposed on the gates. His nephew, prince Maximilian, who suc- ceeded him, in order to prevent any future insurrections, built a regular citadel on the mount of St. Walburg, which overhangs the city, and is entered by a commu- nication of 600 steps. The citizens testified their dis- content at the erection of a building justly considered VTRECHT. 199 by them as the seal of their subjugation, by naming it Aceldama, the field of blood, in allusion to the death of their burgomasters. This fortification was dismantled after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, by destroying all the outworks. Liege is 58 miles E. by S. of Brussels. UTRECHT. Lat. 52° 5' N. Lon. 5° 7' E. Population 35,000. Utrecht lies to the south of the Zuyder Zee, on the Rhine, which here divides into two branches : the one, which re- tains the name of the parent river, flowing westward into the ocean by Leyden ; the other, called the Vecht, taking a northern direction, and discharging itself into the Zuyder Zee. The city of Utrecht is the capital of the province of the same name. It is a place of great antiquity; being known by the name of Ultra Trajectum, and Tra- jectum Inferius, and is supposed to have owed its origin to the circumstance of a ford at this place by which the Rhine could be crossed. It was also called Antonina Civitas, from the name of a Roman senator in the reign of Xeio; and Trajectum ad Rhenum, to distinguish it from Maestricht, which was called Trajectum ad Mosam. This river, in consequence of its numerous divisions, loses much of its importance before it arrives at Utrecht. After leaving Switzerland, where it rises, and forming part of the boundary line between France and Germany, during which it is augmented by the accession of the Aar, the Reuss, and the Limmatt in Switzerland, the Neckar and the .Maine in Germany, ami the Moselle in France, it divides into two great branches ; the southern of which assumes the name of Waal, and after being joined by the Maese or Meuse from France, loses its former name in that of the last-named river, and dis- o 4 200 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. charges itself into the German ocean by Rotterdam in South Holland. The northern branch again divides itself into two ; the northern of which flows into the Zuyder Zee under the name of the Yssel, while the other, still named the Rhine, again subdivides at Wyck. The southern branch of the river thus subdivided is called the Leek, and joins the Maine not far eastward of Rotterdam : the northern branch, which, though much the smallest of all the divisions of this noble river, still retains the original name, passes through Utrecht to Leyden, where it is nearly lost in the sandy soil, or dis- persed among the canals ; a very small portion of its great body of waters discharging itself through its channel into the sea. At a very early period the city was destroyed by the Wiltes, who left nothing remaining except the castle, which they called Wiltenburgh. It was rebuilt by Clotaire king of France, when it took the name of Utrecht, from the word " trecht," which sig- nifies " passage/' from the ford at' this place. In the tenth century it was enlarged and enclosed with walls ; but even now, though defended by some bastions and half-moons, it is not considered to be a place of strength. Utrecht is more advantageously situated as to health- fulness and beauty than most others of the great towns in Holland. The ground on which it is built is some- what elevated above the surrounding country ; and it is the first place where the traveller, coming from the west, perceives the undulation of the hitherto level sur- face, and begins to exchange the monotonous aspect of Holland for the diversified scenery of Guelderland. This city was the birthplace of pope Adrian VI., who had been tutor to the emperor Charles V. The house where he lived is still shown, under the name of the Pope's House, but it is now reduced to the state of a common inn. It was also the birthplace of Ann Mary Schurman, a lady much admired during the last century for her learning. Here the famous charter of union was signed, by which the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands formed themselves into a separate govern- VTKECIIT. -01 ment, which they maintained against the whole power of the kingdom of Spain until the national independence was fully acknowledged, and the republic, to which the union gave rise, recognised as one of the sovereign powers of Europe. The treaty of peace in 1713, which put an end to the war that had been for several years carried on by the other chief states of Europe to check the ambi- tion of France, was also signed in this city, and hence is distinguished in history by its name. The approaches to Utrecht are much admired by visitors ; particularly that from Amsterdam, which con- sists of a broad avenue bordered on each side by a row of magnificent trees. The shape of the city is nearly square, being about three miles in circumference, ex- clusively of the suburbs : it is surrounded with an earthen mound and a ditch. Several manufactures are carried on here to a considerable extent, particularly those of woollen cloth, bricks, silk, and fire-arms. By means of inland navigation, it carries on a somewhat extensive commerce with the neighbouring districts. Utrecht, like most of the Dutch towns, has an air of antiquity, many of the houses being built in the Gothic style : the material chiefly used in their construction is brick. The streets are broad, having canals passing through them in many instances. Two of these, the Vaert and the New Graeht, pass entirely through the city : they are crossed by thirty-five bridges ; and the buildings on the border of the latter are magnificent. The banks of the canals are steep and high, the level of the water being usually more than twenty feet below that of the pavement. The houses generally commu- nicate with them, for the purposes of domestic conve- nience, by means of a subterraneous passage, through which the servants can have access to the water. They are, however, shamefully neglected as to cleanliness ; offal of every kind being allowed to accumulate in then), and to float in heaps undisturbed on the surface of the water. Ili' principal place which the inhabitants frequent 202 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. for exercise and recreation, is called the Maillebalm ; a pleasing walk upwards of a mile in length, planted with rows of very fine trees, and having a carriage-way on . each side. When Louis XIV. took possession of the town, he was delighted with this walk; but knowing the estimation in which it was held by the citizens, he threatened to hew down the whole of its plantation, unless redeemed by a large sum, which was immediately contributed. The ramparts also are a favourite prome- nade, affording a variety of views both of the town and of the adjacent district ; and as the environs present many agreeable walks and drives through a richly cul- tivated country, interspersed with numerous villas and beautiful gardens, the town has been generally deemed a place of peculiar attraction to travellers. Among the public buildings, the Stadthouse is re- markable, not so much for its architectural effect, for it is an ancient irregular building, as for being the place where the two celebrated treaties already noticed were executed. One of its halls contains an heraldic table of the nobles of Utrecht who took part in the crusades. The cathedral was a very noble structure : a consider- able part of it is now in ruins ; but one aisle and the tower are still preserved. Divine service is regularly performed in the former ; the latter, which is 464 feet high, commands a view of fifty-one walled cities and towns. In this church is a monument of ad- miral Van Ghent, who commanded under De Ruyter during his celebrated bravado, when he sailed up the Thames with a broom at his mast-head, indicative of his intention to sweep the British fleet off the face of the ocean. The picture has since been singularly re- versed. This cathedral was the seat of an episcopal see,- whose bishop enjoyed the rights of a sovereign prince, for the maintenance of which several bloody wars were carried on between him and his neighbouring rival, the prince bishop of Liege. Besides this church, there are twenty others belonging to congregations of different sects, and also a Jewish synagogue. A res- UTRECHT. 203 pectable library is to be found in St. Jobn's cburch. The university, though inferior to that of Leyden, and much diminished as to the number of students, is still considered as of some note. It has attached to it a library, a theatre for anatomy, a botanical garden, a cabinet of natural history, and an observatory. Its regulations are subject to the control of the town ma- gistrates. The students wear no distinguishing dress or badge, and are lodged and boarded in private houses through the city. The town also possesses a hall of paintings, schools for the fine arts, an orphan estab- lishment, and other charitable institutions. The ad- ministration of affairs is vested in the grand bailly, two burgomasters, twelve echevins, and other officers, who are elected annually, and hold their meetings in the town house. At some miles' distance from Utrecht is the village of Amersfoort; worthy of notice for the tranquil beauties of its situation, but more so as being the birthplace of the celebrated pensionary Barneveldt, who, after having been one of the chief agents in shaking off the yoke of Spanish despotism, and after a zealous and faithful life of forty years spent in securing the liberties of his country, was beheaded at the age of seventy through the fury of religious zeal. His sons conspired to avenge his death. The plot was discovered ; one fled, but the other was taken and sentenced to death. His mother petitioned prince Maurice for his pardon. " It is strange," said the prince, " that you do that for your son, which you omitted to do for your husband." The aged widow of the venerable patriot made the following noble reply to this ungenerous sarcasm : — " I did not ask pardon for my husband, because he was innocent ; I ask it for my son, because he is guilty." Several eminent men were either natives or residents of tins city ; among whom were Gronovius the celebrated critic, and Grsviufl his pupil, the author of the well-known works on antiquitk-s, as also the two Burmans. An- tonio More the painter, who was invited to Portugal at 204 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. the desire of the emperor Charles V. to paint the por- traits of the king and other members of the royal family, was also born here. - -j u Mi < ■ ■■ LEYDEN. Lat. 52° 9' N. Lon. 4° 29' E. Population 34,000. Leyden is situate to the south of the sea of Haarlem, on that branch of the river Rhine which, though the smallest, retains the original name. It is in the centre of the district called the Rhynland, comprehending forty- nine towns or villages, the most fertile and most highly cultivated part of Holland ; celebrated for producing the best bread, butter, and beer in that country. Its shape is oblong, extending two miles in its greatest length from east to west. The fortifications consist of a mound of earth, covered with sods, and faced with brick, en- circled with a broad and deep moat. The ramparts now form a pleasing walk, bordered on each side with trees. The canals are numerous throughout the town, intersecting it in all directions, and forming it into a number of small islands, connected with each other by LEYDEN. 205 light and ornamental bridges. The principal streets are spacious, well paved, and somewhat elevated in the centre, to admit of the more easy draining off the wa- ter. The finest is the Ilapenburg ; it extends from one end of the city to the other, a distance of nearly two miles ; and both its public and private buildings have an air of superior neatness and elegance. The channels of this street are furnished with wooden trapdoors, through which any dirt that may be thrown on the pavement is immediately cleared away, and carried off through the sewers. One of these sewers is a kind of subterraneous canal, being of sufficient capacity to admit a small boat throughout its whole length, to remove any accidental obstructions. Leyden is but of little note in the political or mili- tary annals of Holland; although a very ancient mound and castle in its centre, the erection of which is by many attributed to the Romans, and by others to the Saxons, shows that it was even then considered as a po- sition sufficiently important for establishing a place of defence. But its name stands high in the history of literature. The university of Leyden long took the lead in the west of Europe, as a superior place of instruction in several departments of liberal education. The cir- cumstances connected with its foundation have much of the character of romance. During the war carried on by the Hollanders against the despotic government of Spain, in defence of their religion and liberties, this city embraced the cause of freedom, and was consequently besieged by its former masters. For a long period the city held out with heroic pertinacity. The women lined the ramparts, and performed all the duties of soldiers, animated by one whose name was Kennava, a woman of undaunted spirit ; she was present, with her companions, at all the sallies made on the enemy. At length, however, famine threatened to effect what the sword of the enemy bad vainly endeavoured to accomplish. On failure of their bread, the garrison lived on herbs and roots, and the bodies of their horses and other animals : when 20() CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. these could no longer be procured, they had recourse to a kind of food prepared from the hides of the slaughtered cattle. At length, when even this miserable resource was nearly exhausted, a dawning hope of relief ap- peared. A communication was received, through the medium of carrier pigeons, that the Dutch government, despairing of their relief by any less desperate means, had determined to break down the dykes and overflow the country, so as to force the besieging army to retire, and then to send a squadron of provision-ships across the inundation to supply them in their extremity. The dykes were accordingly opened ; the waters of the ocean rushed in ; the whole surrounding country was inun- dated : but, to their inexpressible disappointment, the waters rose but a few feet, so as to inconvenience but not dislodge the besiegers. All hope was now at an end : the famished inhabitants could see from their walls the ships destined for their succour, but they also saw that their approach was impossible, and the blockade was carried on more vigorously than ever. For three weeks they still held out; at length, overcome with despair, they rushed in crowds to the governor, calling on hirn no longer to persevere in a useless defence, but to sur- render, and free them at least from the horrors of star- vation. The governor positively refused. " I have sworn," said he, " to defend the town against the Spaniards with my life. I will keep my oath. Food I have none; I cannot give it to you: but if my death be of any use, take my life. I shall die contented, if the sacrifice of it shall aid in protracting your defence." The crowd looked on each other in silent wonder, and one by one retired, submitting in tranquil despondency to the agonies of hunger, rather than swerve from the noble example set them by the governor. The equinox now arrived, a season when every Dutchman who re- sides in the vicinity of the dykes trembles for the secu- rity of his person and property. The storms raged with peculiar violence ; the dykes that had resisted the usual pressure of the sea gave way at once ; the whole LEYDEN. 207 accumulated waters of the ocean flowed in without ob- struction, overwhelming the banks, the batteries, and the forts of the Spaniards, and swallowing up all who were not fortunate enough to save themselves by a timely flight. In the mean time the little fleet sailed triumph- antly over the surface of that element which was deal- ing destruction on the enemy. It entered the town without opposition ; the wants of the garrison were re- lieved, and the besieging army relinquished the blockade as hopeless. Had two days more elapsed before this providential interference, the scanty supply of their miserable provisions would have totally failed, and the whole of the garrison must have perished. The prince of Orange, as a reward for their unparallelled defence, gave them a choice between an immunity of taxes for a stated period, or the founding of a university in their city. To their immortal honour they chose the latter, and the university was established. The new place of learning soon acquired a high cha- racter. It exacted no exclusive tests ; it demanded no oaths ; its professors were of acknowledged eminence in the departments for which they were selected ; its ex- aminations were strict and impartial ; its expenses were moderate ; its very position, in a town marked for pro- priety of manners and advantage of situation, aided its progress. The wars with which this, like every other part of the country, was too frequently visited, diminished the number of its students, but did not destroy the insti- tution. Among the many men of learning connected with the university, lioerhaave stands conspicuous. He was one of the first who extricated medicine from the mass of empiricism and mysticism which oppressed it, and ele- vated it to its proper rank among the sciences. The remains of this great man are interred in the church of St. Peter in the town, and an appropriate menumenl has been erected over them. It consists of a pedestal supporting an urn, and surrounded by six figures ; four of which represent the several periods of human life, and 208 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. the two others the sciences most indebted to his labours, — medicine and chemistry. The same church contains the tombs of Kerkhoven, professor of theology; of Bockenberg the historian ; of Meerman the biblio- grapher ; of professors Camper and Lusac ; and of other distinguished characters connected with the university. The number of professors is twenty-one ; four of theology, four of law, four of medicine, four of philo- sophy, and five of languages. The annual salary of each averages about 200^. sterling, besides a house, and the fees of pupils, which are very moderate. The students reside in private lodgings : the general period of studies extends to five years. The government of the university is in the rector, who is chosen out of three persons returned by the senate to the States ; the senate consists of the professors ; and, on extraordinary occa- sions, the senate and rector are directed by curators who are agents for the States. Printing, particularly that of classic authors, was car- ried on to a great extent in Leyden. The Elzevirs, whose editions are deemed essential to complete a well- selected library in the learned languages, executed most of their works here. The public library is very rich in manuscripts, which comprehend those left by Scahger, Vossius, and Erpenius ; as also for the many valuable specimens of Oriental literature with which it abounds. Golius, on his return from the East, and who afterwards filled the Arabic professorship in the univer- sity with great reputation, enriched this valuable depo- sitory of learning with many Arabic, Turkish, Chal- dean, and Persian writings. The total of the manuscripts is said to exceed 8000 ; the printed books amount to more than 40,000 volumes. The celebrated painter Gerard Douw was a native of Leyden, and Rembrandt was born in its neighbourhood. One of its churches contains the remains of another well known painter, Vanderwerfe. Though the public buildings are not peculiarly re- markable either for number or magnificence, the Stadt- A1X-LA-CHAPELLE. 209 house may be considered as highly worthy of notice. It is an edifice of great extent, executed in the Gothic style, and surmounted by numerous small spires. Se- veral fine paintings are to be seen in its apartments; among which is the portrait of John Bucold, better known by the name of John of Leyden, and that of his wife ; and also a picture of his triumphant entry into Monster. In the burgomaster's chamber is a very ca- pital painting of the last judgment, for which, it is said, the emperor Rodolphus offered as many gold ducats as would cover it. Two pieces of tapestry, representing the most remarkable incidents of the siege already no- ticed, are also exhibited here. In addition to the calamity which the town then suffered, it was devastated by a plague in 1655, which carried off 4000 of its in- habitants ; and in 1807 many of its buildings were destroyed by the explosion of a vessel laden with gun- powder. Upwards of 2000 persons were buried in the ruins, of whom 500 were dug out alive. Leyden is situate 10 miles N. E. of the Hague, and 28 S.W. of Amsterdam. AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. Lat. 50° 52' N. Lon. 5° 54' E. Population 33,000. Aix-la-Chapelle is situate in the grand duchy of the Lower Rhine, midway between Limburg and Juliers ; and, though under the government of Prussia, is nearly surrounded by the Netherlands. It has acquired the distinguishing part of its name from a chapel built here by Charlemagne, appropriated to a convent of nuns, and frequented by himself for his devotions. The town was originally built by the Romans ; and, even at that early period, the mineral waters and hot baths had so estab- lished its fame, as to procure for it the privileges of a VOL. I. P 210 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. city, under the name of Aquae Granii or the AVaters" of Granius. It was pillaged hy the Huns in 451 ; but afterwards restored, enlarged, and beautified by the ce- lebrated emperor just named. This great monarch was born here ; it was his favourite residence while he lived ; and in it he closed his celebrated and eventful career. The towns-people still retain most of the privileges and exemptions bestowed on them by the liberality of that emperor. In consequence of these exemptions, the ex- tent of its jurisdiction is an object of particular attention: the boundary is a hedge surrounding the walls, at the average distance of little more than a mile; and the area circumscribed by this narrow limit is designated throughout the neighbourhood by the pompous title of the " kingdom of Aix-la-Chapelle." After his death, it continued to be the place of coronation of his successors to the throne of .Germany. Ferdinand, the brother of Charles V., was the last who was crowned here ; the ceremony being, since his time, performed at Frankfort on the Maine. Councils were held in this city during the ninth and tenth centuries: treaties of peace have also been concluded here ; particularly that between France and Spain in 1668, and that in 1748 between England, France, and other belligerent powers ' engaged in the settlement of the Austrian succession. The population of the town, during the period of its prosperity, was estimated at upwards of 100,000, mostly supported by their native manufactures, which were car- ried on to a considerable extent; being chiefly in woollen cloths, needle-works, Prussian blue, white soap, needles, and pins. The impolitic selfishness of the trading guilds or corporations has been a great check upon manufacturing industry, and the population has propor- tionally decreased. The two last-named branches of manufacture are, however, still carried on with much spirit. The town consists of two parts: the inner, about three quarters of a league in circumference, and flanked with ten towers, of which Charlemagne is said to be, if not AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 211 the founder, the great improver; and the outer, hy which the former has been surrounded. The latter has eight gates, is about two leagues in circuit, and is built partly of brick and partly of a blue stone raised from a quarry at some distance. There are upwards of seventy streets; some handsome, and adorned with fine houses. Though no large river approaches the town, it is abundantly supplied from three streams which flow through it, the Pau, the Paunelle, and the Johannis, whose waters are found fully sufficient for the manufac- turing and domestic demands of the inhabitants. The town hall is chiefly remarkable for two ancient towers, the erection of one of which is attributed to the Romans; and for a spacious hall measuring 16*2 feet by 60, in which the emperor dined on the day of his coro- nation. A picture representing the congress of 1748 is to be seen in this building; the portraits of all the mem- bers of the congress having been painted at the request of the town magistrates. It contains also several por- traits of Charlemagne, and statues of all the emperors since his time. Opposite to this building is an antique fountain, on the top of which is a statue of the same emperor, in copper gilt, holding in his right hand a sceptre and in his left a globe. The choir of the great church, in which the cere- monial of the coronation took place, is a highly admired piece of Gothic architecture enriched with some exqui- sitely wrought pieces of tapestry. In it is also the tomb of the emperor Otho. The pulpit is richly ornamented with gold and precious stones. The remains of the great benefactor of the town, so often mentioned already, were deposited in a tomb covered with a plain black slab, under the centre of the dome, and marked with the simple inscription " C'arolo Malno." On the tomb being opened by Otho III., the body of the monarch was found seated in a chair of marble, dressed in his robes and adorned with the insignia of royalty. These taken away,' to be used in subsequent coronations. The tomb was again opened by Frederick I., and placed p 2 212 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. in an antique sarcophagus, which was carried off by the French on account of its singular beauty, and lodged in the Louvre at Paris ; but it has since been restored. The church is also much frequented on account of the nume- rous relics deposited in it. The person in whose custody they are, furnishes the curious visitant with a long list of the particulars connected with each : they are care- fully preserved; and many of them richly embellished with precious stones, and enclosed in costly cabinets. On the advance of the French army after the Revolution, all the relics were removed into the interior of Germany, and placed under the special custody of the emperor. They have since been restored to their ancient abode, with the exception of the sword of Charlemagne, some earth steeped with the blood of Stephen the first martyr, and a copy of the gospels in golden letters, which the emperor retained as a recompence for his trouble in taking care of the others. The church of St. Nicholas has some fine paintings. Near the town is the hill of Louisburg, which com- mands a fine view of it and of the adjacent country. On its summit was an obelisk, erected in honour of Napoleon. After his flight from Russia it was thrown down by the Cossacks, in hopes of coming at the coins buried beneath. It has been restored by the king of Prussia ; the inscriptions in praise of Napoleon being changed to others commemorating his overthrow and downfall. But the peculiar characteristics of Aix, which chiefly attract strangers and secure its prosperity, are its warm baths, which have been long in the highest repute for scrofulous and cutaneous diseases, and also for the re- moval of visceral obstructions and diseases arising from a derangement in the organs of digestion. Their ana- lysis shows that they contain carbonate and muriate of soda and carbonate of lime : they are extremely nau- seous ; though habit, arising from a conviction of their utility, renders them at length somewhat palatable. These waters near the sources are clear and pellucid, AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 213 with a strong sulphureous smell resembling the washings of a foul gun ; but they lose this smell by exposure to the air. Their taste is saline and bitter. They do not contain iron. They are also neutral near the fountain; but afterwards are manifestly and pretty strongly alka- line, insomuch that clothes are washed in them without soap. The accounts of different writers as to the height of their temperature are various ; ranging, however, from 136° to 146° of Fahrenheit. The baths are seven in number, arising from five springs, called the Imperial, the Cornelius, the Quirinus, the Small, and the Rose: the two first named are deemed the most efficacious. Besides these, there is a cold spring called Campasbad : though weaker, and therefore less efficacious, it is fre- quented by many, on account of its lower temperature and its less disagreeable taste. The poorer classes also use it. The revenues of the town arise in part from the farming of these springs. Like other watering places, Aix is resorted to for pleasure as well as for health. A suite of apartments called the Redoubte is laid out as a place of promenade and refreshment, together with a saloon for balls and evening entertainments. The charitable institutions are, an hospital for the diseased, another for orphans, another for incurables, an institution for the maintenance of the poor who come to the waters, and a school for the education of the poor, with a house of refuge for the indigent: both these last were founded by the empress Josephine. Close to the suburbs of Aix is the village of Borcette or Burcheid, which is also supplied with mineral springs, and has become a place of resort to many who dislike the greater expence or the more dissipated style of living too common at Aix. Indeed, the spirit of gaming had risen in this latter town to such a height, that the magistrates thought it necessary to repress it by some very strict regulations. The effect of these was, how- ever, different from their expectation. The visitors, rather than give up their favourite occupation, retired 214 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. to Borcette ; the number of residents consequently decreased, and the magistrates at length found it necessary to diminish considerably the rigour of their ordinances. Borcette rivals Aix also in its manu- factures of cloth, which are in great demand in the Levant. The population is increasing; and it can boast of several excellent hotels. Aix-la-Chapelle is 30 miles N. E. of Liege. BRUGES. Lat. 51° 12' N. Lon. 3° 13' E. Population 33,000. Bruges is situate about eight miles from the sea, nearly midway between Ostend and Ghent, and by means of its canals carried on an extended and active communica- tion with these towns and all the neighbouring parts. It was founded about the year 760; its name being de- rived from the circumstance of a bridge being in its vicinity. For many years this eity was the great entre- pot for all the commerce of the north and west of Europe. In the defective state of navigation during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, a voyage between the Mediterranean and the Baltic could not be com- pleted in a single summer. Bruges was therefore chosen as the most convenient situation for a magazine or storehouse for the interchange of commodities carried from both parts ; and this choice of course rendered it the centre of the wealth of the Netherlands. It thus became the depot for English wool; for the naval stores, the timber, flax, and hemp, of the North; and even for Indian commodities, which were then, as they are now, the most valuable article of traffic through- out the world. These were deposited here by the "Venetians and Genoese, in order to be disposed of at the great fairs established for the accommodation of the BRUGES. 215 merchants. The city, in consequence of the prodigious influx of wealth thus introduced, displayed such a show of magnificence in its buildings, and in the dress and mode of living of the mercantile classes, that when Joanna of Navarre, wife of Philip le Bel king of France, had resided here for a few days, she could not refrain from exclaiming, with no small degree of peevish irritation, " I thought I had been the only queen here, but I now find there are many hundreds more," But another cen- tury brought its boasted wealth and magnificence to a very rapid close. The immediate cause of its downfall is generally attributed to an attempt made by the ci- tizens to seize on Maximilian king of the Romans, and to kill some of his ministers in his presence. This led to a war, during which the emperor Frederic, to avenge the insult thus offered to him in the person of his son, took occasion to block up Sluys, the port of Bruges. In doing so he was actively assisted by the cities of Ant- werp and Amsterdam, which had long been envious of the superior commerce of Bruges. The consequence of a measure so decisive was the removal of the trade to those cities. Yet, notwithstanding the decline of its commerce, Bruges still commands some share of it, through the port of Ostend, to which the canal leading from Ghent has been continued. On one side of the great square is a large edifice serving for a magazine for cloth, built over this canal, and so sustained by pillars that small vessels may pass under it. In the year 1798 the sluices between Ostend and Bruges were destroyed by an English force under general Coote, but most of the troops were afterwards made pri- soners. The citizens carry on to some extent the manu- facture of broad serge, baize, and other woollens, tickings, dimities, earthenware, and lace; which last employs 4000 persons. A blue dye used here is much valued. The magistracy of Bruges is composed of two bur- gomasters, twelve echevins or aldermen, twelve coun- cillors, and other officers. Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, instituted here the order of the Golden Fleece, p 4 21 6 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. The districts about the city which belong to this order are called Franc of Bruges ; they contain thirty-seven villages, and enjoy several immunities. Though this city has not any large river in its neigh- bourhood, it is abundantly supplied with water from the rivers Scheldt and Lye by means of pipes ; and through its canals it communicates with all the surrounding country. The town hall is a Gothic structure, embellished with a fine steeple, one of the most beautiful of the kind in Europe, 533 steps high, and furnished with bells and chimes which play a different tune every quarter of an hour. John Van Eyck, otherwise known by the name of John of Bruges, the inventor of painting in oils, was born here, and is buried in the cathedral. This artist studied chemistry at the same time that he practised painting. One day, trying to make a varnish of a par- ticular quality, he found that linseed oil or nut oil, mixed with colours, composed a solid and glossy sub- stance that required no varnish. The first picture painted in this manner was presented to Alphonso I. king of Naples. The discoverer long kept the invention a secret for his own benefit. This town also claims the invention of decimal arithmetic, which is said to have been made by Simon Stephen. Among the wonders of the fine arts sought after by strangers, is a statue of the Virgin, with an infant Jesus, by Michael Angelo. It was carried away by the French, but has been restored. Bruges is 20 miles E. of Ostend, and 30 N. W. of Ghent. LOUVAIN. Lat. 50° 53' N. Lon. 4° 42' E. Population 25,000. Louvain or Loeven is situate in South Brabant, on the river Dyle, one of the numerous branches which LOUV AIN. 217 ultimately serve to swell the great stream of the Scheldt. The town is of great antiquity, being by some sup- posed to be coeval with Julius Caesar, and has been extremely populous. The number of its inhabitants at one time was estimated at 1 50,000 ; an amount caused by the extensive woollen manufacture then carried on in it ; but which has since, from various causes, declined, though it is not wholly annihilated. The extent of the walls, enclosing a circumference of nearly seven miles, is in unison with the tradition of its former opulence and splendour ; but in this, as in many other towns in Europe, it would afford very fallacious data to rest upon for determining its present state with respect to its population and prosperity. Much of the interior is occupied by gardens, vineyards, and cornfields. The ramparts are of brick, as are most of the houses, which in general are ill built ; neither does the present con- dition of its streets or public edifices afford much to gratify the eye. There is no town of any extent through- out the whole of the Netherlands that presents so strongly the picture of decayed splendour. The town hall proves that it must have been a place of consequence : it is a large venerable building, having its front en- riched with numerous statues, which, though bearing many indications of the ravages of time increased by neglect, still retain sufficient to prove that they were once justly entitled to be looked upon as objects of ad- miration. The annals of the town record that 4000 houses were inhabited by clothiers, and that the manu- factories gave bread to above 150,000 workmen of va- rious descriptions. They also add, that at the hours when the weavers left off working, a large bell was rung to warn the women to keep their children within doors, lest they should be thrown down and trampled to death by the crowds issuing from the factories. The immediate cause of its decline is thus accounted for : in the year 1382, the weavers and other tradesmen re- volted against Wenceslaus duke of Brabant, and cruelly threw seventeen of the magistrates out of the town- 218 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. house windows; they then took up arms and laid waste the province : but, on being besieged, they threw themselves on the mercy of the duke, and obtained pardon through the intercession of the bishop of Liege; the ringleaders only being capitally punished. The weavers, however, who were the authors of the insurrection, were banished : they retired for the most part to England, where they were well received. For a long time after the decline of its manufac- turing celebrity, the town stood high as a place of lite- rature. Its university was one of the great seats of learning and instruction, particularly in theology, to which numbers flocked from various and distant parts : it was the chief seminary for the education of the Ro- man Catholic clergy of the northern states of Europe. This character it retained till it was suppressed by the French after the Revolution, who converted its extensive buildings into an hospital for invalids. Previously to its suppression it contained sixty colleges, which, though much admired for their situation and building, were not so splendid as those of Oxford or Cambridge. The Dutch had a college here for Roman Catholics ; the En- glish, one of Dominican friars ; the Irish, one of secular priests, another of Dominicans, and another of Fran- ciscans. There was also a convent of English nuns, reckoned to be the best of any of this nation in the Low Countries. Since the counter-revolution, the university has been revived by the king of the Netherlands, and put under the guidance of seventeen professors, who give instruction to about 4-00 students. Attached to it are a botanical garden, a cabinet of natural history in- cluding mineralogy, and a library of 50,000 volumes. Lipsius, the celebrated critic, resided in this city ; his house is still pointed out as an object of curiosity. But though frequented by strangers chiefly on ac- count of its literary institutions, Louvain owes the number of inhabitants it now possesses partly, also, to the remains of the woollen trade, which still lingers in it, and to the manufacture of lace; but more so to MECHLIN. 219 that of beer, which may be considered at present as its staple. Three kinds of that liquor are brewed here : a strong beer called Peterman, which formerly was not allowed to be carried out of the district ; a table beer for the usual drink of the working classes ; and a third kind, particularly named the beer of Louvain, of which great quantities are used in every part of the Nether- lands. The exports are facilitated by the navigation of the Dyle, which allows vessels of 150 tons to enter the town ; and by that of a canal to Mechlin, from which, however, the town has not derived all the advantages anticipated from its formation. An annual fair is held here in the early part of September. Xot far from Louvain, on the west, is a remarkable hill, the whole of which is supposed to consist of iron ore, and thence it has obtained the name of the Iron mountain. It is situate near the road from Brussels, which presents a pleasing variety of scenery on ap- proaching the town, and is bordered on each side with trees. To the south of Louvain is the village of Wavre, celebrated at the time of the battle of Waterloo as being the place where marshal Grouchy was posted, with a view to prevent the junction of the Prussian army with that of the English. Louvain is 18 miles E. by X. of Brussels, and 30 S.E. of Antwerp. MECHLIN. Lat. 51° '/ X. Lon. 4° 29' E. Population 20,000. M;.nr.i.v, called by the French Malines, is situate in the province of Antwerp, on the Rupel, a river formed by the union of the Dyle and Demer, am! which, after receiving the two branches of the Neve, flowa into the 220 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. Scheldt south of Antwerp. The river, flowing through the town, divides it into two parts. The streets are wide; the houses generally spacious, but singularly grotesque in outward appearance, and painted with some lively colours, which, being frequently renewed, give them a cheery light aspect. In the year 1546 a dreadful acci- dent befel the town : the magazine, containing 2000 quintals of gunpowder, w T as struck with lightning, and blew up with a tremendous explosion that was distinctly heard at Brussels and Antwerp, where its effects were attributed to an earthquake. Three hundred houses were destroyed, three hundred persons killed, and six hundred wounded. In the year 1580 it again suffered by fire ; being seized by a party of English and Fleming under the command of sir John Nbrris, who, after having burned the fauxbourgs, forced his way into the city, pillaged it, and set it on fire in many places. It after- wards suffered, in common with most others in Belgium, from the cruelties of the Spaniards during the memorable war carried on by the Netherlands against Philip II.; and its sufferings at that time are still more affecting, because less merited, than most of the others. "When the town was invested by the duke of Alva, the garrison determined to defend it to the utmost ; but on their re- solution being made public, it was found that the great body of the inhabitants, chiefly consisting of catholics, was by no means inclined to second their efforts : they therefore prudently resolved to evacuate the place, rather than undertake a defence which must be attended with much bloodshed, and would probably be ineffective. On quitting the town, deputies were forthwith despatched to the camp of the besiegers, to inform their commander of the change of sentiment that had taken place respect- ing him ; but, before they could communicate the pur- port of their mission, the Spanish soldiers, observing the ramparts unguarded, and no symptom of opposition exhibited, determined on an assault, which they imme- diately effected, partly by scaling the rampart, partly by forcing a passage through the gates ; and while the un- MECHLIN. 221 suspecting citizens, wholly unprepared for resistance, stood gazing in stupid amazement at this unexpected pro- cedure, the soldiers spread through the town, and com- menced an indiscriminate pillage and slaughter, without regard to age, sex, or rank, entering the churches and carrying off their contents, as well as those of the private citizens. The duke of Alva, so far from restraining this unprovoked barbarity, published a manifesto to justify the conduct of his troops upon the occasion. The town, after having undergone a similar change of masters as all the others in the Netherlands during the wars of the French Revolution, has been selected as one of the strong positions on the confines of France for a bar- rier to check the progress of any future invasion from that country: to effect this object, such additions have been made to its former fortifications, which of themselves were respectable, as to render it, in the opinion of com- petent judges, one of the strongest and best fortified places in Europe. The principal manufacture carried on here is that of a particular description of lace, which takes its name from the place itself; besides which, damasks, silks, and woollens are made here, and also leather and hats. Several breweries are carried on here, which supply Antwerp and the other neighbouring cities. The cathedral, dedicated to St. Ilombauld, is much admired for its general architectural beauty, but mostly for that of its tower, which, though still unfinished, is 350 feet high. A ludicrous story, reflecting a little on the simplicity of character of the towns-people, is con- nected with this part of the building. It is said that the moon happening to shine one night with peculiar brilliancy on the tower, gave it the appearance of being on fire, and that the inhabitants ran from all quarters with buckets in their hands to extinguish the flames. Hence arose a common jest through the country, that the wise men of Mechlin wished to extinguish the moon. That there must have been some foundation for atta chi ng this ironical imputation of wisdom to the good people of 222 CITIES AND TOWNS OP THE NETHERLANDS. Mechlin appears from some lines of a modern Latin poet/ in which he describes six of the chief towns in the Ne- therlands by the following distinguishing characteristics: — "Brussels is famed for noblemen; Antwerp for money; Ghent for ropes; Bruges for pretty girls; Louvain for sages; Mechlin for fools." It is said that travellers sometimes involve themselves in quarrels by recalling to the recollection of the citizens this anecdote of their fore- fathers ; which, if true, would be another proof that the irony of the old story and the caustic taunt of the poet were not wholly unmerited. Mechlin contains a convent of Beguins. The order or society that bears this name originated at Vilvorde, a village about midway between this town and Brussels ; where they also maintain a small establishment. Several fine paintings are to be seen in the churches. The cathedral possesses an altarpiece of the Crucifixion, by Vandyke ; the church of St. John's, in like manner, the Adoration of the Arise Men, as also the Birth of Christ, the Descent from the Cross, and the Resurrec- tion, by Rubens; the church of Notre Dame, the Mi- raculous Draught of Fishes, by the same master; the church of the Jesuits contains a series of paintings illus- trative of the life of the celebrated Indian missionary St. Xavier. At the distance of some miles from Mechlin is the village of Geel, where the treatment of lunatics is con- ducted on a principle that might be attended with advan- tage if acted upon elsewhere. The patients, instead of being confined in a separate building, are given in charge to the farmers inhabiting the village, who receive a yearly stipend for their superintendence, and who em- ploy the poor creatures entrusted to them in such agricultural works as are suitable to their state of mind. The result has been extremely satisfactory; the apparent freedom from restraint, the salubrity of the place, the con- stant but gentle exercise, the enjoyment of the open air, the combined employment of mind and body, — all. toge- ther have restored many to the use of their faculties, who HAARLEM. 223 had been pronounced incurable according to the cus- tomary modes of treatment. Mechlin is 13 miles N.W. of Louvain ; the same S. E. of Antwerp ; and the same N. E. of Brussels. HAARLEM. Lat. 52° 23' N. Lon. 4° 38' E. Population 18,000. Haarlem, Haerlem, or Harlem, a town in North Holland, and the capital of a district called Kemmer, is situated on the small river Sparen, to the south of the sea or lake of the same name with the town. This lake is about fourteen miles in length, and navigable in all its parts; affording the means of inland navigation with Leyden, Haarlem, and Amsterdam, and communicating witli the Zuyder Zee through the river Y. It is fresh water, and not of great depth. One of the principal occupations of the inhabitants of the town is that of bleaching, — a process peculiarly effective here, the water of the lake being said to give an extraordinary bril- liancy of whiteness to the clothes immersed in it. The manufacture of silk and linen is also carried on to a considerable extent. The town was formerly fortified with brick walls, and its ramparts still afford a pleasing promenade in the inhabitants. It is celebrated in history tor the valour 224 CITIES AND TOWNS OP THE NETHERLANDS. and sufferings of its garrison during the sanguinary wars that led to the independence of the United Provinces. This event took place in the year l6'72. After resisting for more than seven months the efforts of the Spanish army, and exhausting every kind of food, even of the most offensive description, by which nature could be supported, the garrison determined to cut a passage through the enemy's camp. The women and old men, whom it was intended to leave behind, on hearing of their resolution, flung themselves at the feet of the governor, and entreated not to be deserted ; they were prepared, they said, to share all dangers with their husbands, their brothers, and their kinsmen, rather than be exposed to insults and death in a more horrid shape from the sanguinary ferocity of the Spaniards. Their plea was irresistible; and the troops, marshalling them- selves in a hollow square, of which their bravest soldiers formed the front and rear, placed the women and aged men in the centre, and thus prepared to execute their purpose. The Spanish commander, the duke of Alva, son of the celebrated and merciless general of that name, hav- ing been informed of the projected movement, and ap- prehensive of the irresistible effects of courage wrought upon by despair, offered a capitulation on condition of a free pardon, with the exception of fifty-seven specially named. These hard terms were accepted, chiefly through the exertions of the excepted townsmen, who thus hoped to save the lives of all those who were dearest to them by the devotion of their own. The agreement was con- cluded; the town surrendered; and the fifty-seven leaders delivered to the enemy. At the expiration of three days, during which the towns-people were kept in anxious suspense as to the conduct of their enemy, the duke of Alva entered the town ; and on the same evening not only put to death the persons previously selected for punishment, but seized and executed 900 more of the garrison. The citizens, in despair at this bloody in- fraction of the treaty, hurried from the town ; but their HAARLEM. 225 escape was intercepted, and a total and indiscriminate massacre ensued. Those who escaped the sword, were tied in pairs and flung into the river : the very inmates of the hospitals were slaughtered. This wanton act of cold-blooded atrocity produced an effect totally contrary to what it was intended to excite. The Hollanders, finding that no reliance was to be placed on the promises of the Spaniards, were stimulated to that protracted and stubborn resistance which ultimately led to the full acknowledgment of the independence of their country. The Stadthouse is a fine and ancient building at the extremity of the market-place ; it was formerly the re- sidence of the counts of Holland, and contains some va- luable pictures. There are fifteen churches in the town. That of St. Bavon is said to be the largest in Holland : it contains some curiosities preserved from the period of the crusades, among which are the models of three ships in which the adventurers from this town sailed to Damietta in 124-9, and hi the steeple are two bells brought from that place : but its organ, which is univer- sally acknowledged to be the largest and finest in Europe, is the principal object of attraction ; it has upwards of 8000 pipes, one of which is thirty-two feet long. With respect to the qualities that have entitled this stupen- dous piece of mechanism to so high a character in the musical world, there is much difference of opinion : by some, that of Hamburgh is said to be larger, and that of Amsterdam better toned. Even its celebrated stop, called " Vox Humana," from its imitation of the human voice, is said, by some critics, not to have any resem- blance to the sound which it affects to imitate. There are in the town several scientific and literary institutions, but none of peculiar celebrity. But Haarlem will always be illustrious in the history of literature, as being the residence of Laurence Coster, to whom the Dutch attri- bute the invention of the invaluable art of printing, Mr. Konig, a member of the Dutch Society of Scleneeflj lias devoted much time and industry to prove that the first attempts at this art were made by Coster about the VOL. I. «J 226 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. year 1420. The first two books executed by him are preserved in the Stadthouse. His statue, also, has been set up in the street, before the house in which he resided: it is nine feet high, placed on a pedestal, on one side of which Coster is represented carving letters on the bark of trees ; and on the other, working in a printing office. This town gave birth to the celebrated painters Woover- mans, Berghen, Ostade, and Ruysdaal. Haarlem was the chief seat of the celebrated rage for tulips which prevailed in Holland in the last century, when 10,000 florins are said to have been given for a single root. Though the extravagance of the passion has subsided, the flowers, and more particularly the tulips, raised here, are much esteemed and bear high prices. Two tulip trees planted by Linnaeus are said to be still in existence at Hartekamp, a seat near Haarlem, where this great naturalist planned and arranged his system. Haarlem is 11 miles W. of Amsterdam. NAMUR. Lat. 50° 28' N. Lon. 4° 51' E. Population 15,000. Namur, built at the confluence of the Sambre and the Meuse, is situate in a valley between two mountains, many points of which present fine and romantic views of the city and the surrounding country. On an emi- nence, on the summit of a craggy rock, its citadel has been built ; and thus situated, it was deemed impregnable for many years : but most of the defences were demolished at various times, so that the city could not now present any very formidable obstacles to a besieging army. Its origin is by some writers traced back to a period of almost fabulous antiquity ; they place it in the age of Solomon : others, with more probability, attribute its foundation to one of the German tribes. NAMVR. 227 During the reign of Louis XIV. Namur underwent two very remarkable sieges. This king, after the defeat of his fleet off La Hogue, invested the town at the head of an army of 120,000 men ; one half of whom were engaged in carrying on the works, while the other formed an army of observation in the neighbourhood. The gar- rison consisted of 9000 men. The place was well sup- plied with all the means of defence, and the governor knew that king William would leave nothing undone to raise the siege. In fact that monarch advanced for this purpose with 100,000 men, and encamped within cannon-shot of the enemy : but such were the pre- cautions taken, that he could neither interrupt the siege nor attack the French lines, unless at the greatest disad- vantage. The besiegers, encouraged by the presence of their monarch, and assisted by Yauban the celebrated engineer, repeated their attacks with such impetuosity, that the fort of Coehorn was surrendered, after a despe- rate resistance, in which Coehorn, also an engineer of the highest talents, was himself wounded. It was a singular spectacle, to see the two greatest masters of the science of the defence of fortified places thus pitted against each other. The French were ultimately suc- cessful ; and the citadel surrendered in the sight of king William's army. After its fortifications had been re- stored, Louis placed so much confidence in their strength, that he had inscribed over one of the gates, " Ileddi, non vinci potest;" " It may be surrendered — it cannot be conquered." Yet, not three years after, it was con- quered, under circumstances not very dissimilar to those already mentioned; being taken by storm by king Wil- liam, in ]<)';).;, in the face of a French army of 100,000 men under marshal Yilleroy. The success of this brilliant achievement was chiefly attributed to the English troops, who led the way, and were the foremost to enter the breach. The town capitulated ; and the French gar- rison, which had been reduced from 11,000 to 5500 men, marched out with the honours of war. King William was present to see the town evacuated ; but Q 2 228 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. "When Boufflers the commandant had passed him, and paid the usual military compliment to the victorious king, this general was suddenly arrested by twelve of William's body guard, by way of reprisal for the gar- risons of Dixmuyde and Deynse, which had been de- tained and ill-treated by the French contrary to terms. He did pot long remain a prisoner; for as soon as the circumstance came to the French king's knowledge, the garrisons were sent back and the general liberated. Namur is the see of a bishop. Before the ecclesias- tical reformation commenced by the emperor Joseph II. it had four Benedictine abbeys, fourteen Cistercian, one Premontrensian, three of canons regular, seven chapters of canons, three chapters of noble canonesses, besides a number of religious houses both for men and women, and several hospitals. In the subsequent century it underwent many changes of masters during the frequent wars of that period ; and so lately as 1815 it was celebrated for a contest between the Prussians and the French army under marshal Grouchy, which was endeavouring to accomplish its retreat after the disastrous battle of Waterloo. The entrance to Namur from the east is through a fine avenue, richly planted, as is mostly the case in the neighbourhood of Flemish towns, and over an elegant bridge of nine arches. Though the interior presents many indications of decline, the town is in general well built, with large and handsome streets. The houses are constructed of a blue stone, streaked with red and black veins, which gives them a whimsical though by no means an unpleasing appearance. The inhabitants are principally employed in the manu- facture of iron and hardware. Fire-anus are fabricated here to a considerable extent. The iron-mines in the neighbourhood afford employment to a considerable number ; as do also the quarries, from which a species of marble is raised which is highly estimated by statuaries — more particularly a black marble, that takes an exquisite polish, and is consequently much sought after. XA.MUIt. 229 The cathedral is a modem building, and has been highly admired for its architecture. Its magnificent portico is supported by twenty-five majestic columns surmounted by noble statues. The Jesuits' church is equally admired as a specimen of the architecture of an earlier period, but in the Grecian style. The town hall is also a fine building : it was formerly the bishop's palace, erected about a century ago by an Englishman of the name of Strickland, who then held the see. An amusement, very singular in its nature, is kept up here annually. The young men of the two parts of the town, called the old and the new, assemble before the town-house, mounted on stilts, and, having marshalled themselves in two opposing battalions under regular leaders, commence a contest of a most extraordinary kind; each party endeavouring, by the exertions of the elbows and legs of the combatants, to drive back the other. The engagement sometimes continues for several hours, while the female relatives of the contending parties cheer on and encourage them in their exertions. It is said that Peter the Great of Russia took peculiar delight in being a spectator of this strange combat ; as also that one of the dukes of Burgundy exempted the brewers from the payment of excise, in testimony of the pleasure it afforded him. Not far from Xamur, to the westward, are the plains of Fleurns and Ligny, memorable in the annals of Euro- pean history for the great battles fought on them. There is perhaps no spot in the world, of equal extent, in which so much human blood has been shed, as that now spoken of, between Brussels, Xamur, and Mons : Waterloo, Quatre Bras, Ligny, Fleurus, and Namur, each immor- talised by the amount of slaughter they have witnessed, are all within its limits. Xamur is situate 44 miles S. W. of Liege. Q 3 230 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. SPA. Lat. 50° 31' N. Lon. 5° 30' E. Population 3000. Spa, a town in the province of Liege, is situate on the banks of a rivulet, at the end of a deep valley, of which those parts in the immediate neighbourhood of the town consist of well-cultivated fields ; but the grounds soon rise into high and steep mountains, presenting many romantic views. The whole surrounding district was formerly included in the forest of Ardennes. It is the highest part of all Belgium; and its mountainous features form a striking contrast with the monotonous aspect of the rest of the country, which is generally a perfect level, or at most swells into gentle undulations. The moun- tains abound in minerals, of which a good collection has been formed by a resident in Spa. Their prevailing character is slate, with quartose veins. They also show many indications of iron; oxides of the metal being dis- coverable on almost every rock. The town of Spa owes its origin solely to the nume- rous mineral springs in the neighbourhood. It consists of two parts, the old and the new town, at some dis- tance from each other. The new town has been formed in consequence of the discovery of a spring, which has ever since continued to be esteemed the most effective. It rises in the mountain at the foot of which the town has been formed ; but is made to break forth from a foun- tain in the middle of its main street, and has received the name of Pouhon, from a word signifying, in the patois of the district, to force up or push up, from the manner in which the water issues. The stream which rises from it is perfectly clear ; sending forth, however, a perpetual discharge of gas, which is seen incessantly rising to the surface in the form of bubbles. Its taste is somewhat acid and pungent, with a flavour of iron, highly grateful to the palate, exhilarating in its effects, cool to drink, and more effectual in allaying thirst than spa. 231 common water. Mixed with wine, or even with sugar, it is used as the general beverage at dinner ; and large quantities are bottled and exported for medicinal pur- poses. Near the spring a handsome building has been erected, supported on pillars, and divided into walks. Here the visitors promenade while assembled to drink the waters. This spring, which is the most esteemed and frequented, and therefore the most expensive in its use, is closed at nine o'clock every morning. Those, therefore, who wish to indulge more freely in the mine- ral waters, either for health or pleasure, must proceed to some of the other springs, which are open during the entire day. The names of the principal of these are the Geronstere, Sauveniere, and Tonnelets : they are all at some distance from the Pouhon or new town; the use of them, therefore, affords another great aid to debilitated or weak constitutions, by imposing on the invalids the necessity of gentle exercise in the open air. Each of these has a promenade laid out for the accommodation of the visitors ; but as the waters are weaker, and there- fore less esteemed or frequented, so are the arrangements adapted to a more promiscuous resort of strangers. The Tonnelets, which received this name from having the water enclosed in a cask, supply hot and cold baths. One of these is called the Divers, because those who use it plunge in head foremost. As the various springs are impregnated with different proportions of the same ingredients, they are used dif- ferently, according to the occasion which requires them. The Pouhon is the strongest chalybeate. It is in its most perfect and natural state in cold dry weather ; when the air is warm and moist, it loses its transparency, appears turbid and whitish, contains less fixed air, and is partly decomposed. It is by many degrees colder than the heat of the atmosphere, and is supposed to contain the greatest quantity of fixed air of any acidu- lous water ; consequently it has a remarkable spright- liness and vinosity, and boils by mere warmth : but this quality soon evaporates, unless the water be preserved in Q 4 232 CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE NETHERLANDS. closely corked bottles, in which it may be retained for a long period. It mixes well with milk, whether cold or boiling. The Tonnelet and Geronstere are weaker chalybeates, but brisker and more spirituous. They exhilarate the spirits much more effectually than wine, and act generally by strengthening the fibres. But the springs at Spa are not frequented for health alone. They are a fashionable attraction for those whose sole object is amusement. The town itself, which is crowded with an assemblage of rank and elegance, particularly during the months of June and July, the season preferred for using -the waters, affords a variety of modes for dissipating time ; such as promenades, con- certs, balls and assemblies, and more especially faro and loo tables. These last open soon after breakfast, and continue till dinner-time. At these tables the man- oeuvres of gambling are as constantly and as ingeniously exercised as in any capital in Europe ; and they are as thickly frequented by adventurers, who make a liveli- hood by taking advantage of the destructive passion that steals imperceptibly on the greater number of the visit- ants of this sequestered spot. According to the rules of the places of public amusement, the gentlemen pay a stated sum for their admission, which entitles them to introduce as many ladies as they please, without any additional expense. The toy-shops afford another source of indolent amuse- ment. As at Tunbridge, the principal employment of the lower classes of the towns-people is the fabrication of toys of every kind, particularly work-boxes, needle-cases, and other appendages of the boudoir, which are pur- chased by the strangers who resort here. The neighbourhood also presents several inducements to exchange the indolent indulgences of a watering- place for the more healthful amusement of exercise. To those who confine themselves to walking, the gardens of the Capuchins and the paths formed through the moun- tain afford a pleasing variety. Such as extend their scope farther, find much to gratify them in the castle of spa. 233 Franchimont and the waterfall at Coo. The former, though but a heap of ruins, is admired for its situation on the brow of an eminence overlooking the whole country ; the latter, being a pleasant drive of about three leagues from the town, through a very picturesque coun- try, is attractive from the appearance of the fall and its romantic situation. The water descends from a height of sixty feet, and is twelve feet in breadth. Spa is 28 miles S. E. of Liege. 234 FRANCE. PARIS. Lat. 43° 50' 11" N. Lon. 2° 20' 15" E. Population 900,000. Paris, the capital of France, and, according to the French, of civilised Europe, lies on hoth banks and oc- cupies two islets of the Seine. This city, which pretends to a rivalry in arts and elegancies with Athens, and in magnificence with Thebes, had the meanest commence- ment. Julius Caesar found the principal islet, now called " the city " (la cite'), covered with huts, and serving as a retreat for fishermen of the tribe of Gauls called " Parish." The surrounding woods and marshes, and the waters of the Seine, which had hitherto pro- tected these barbarians, were but a weak obstacle to the Roman legionaries, upon whose approach they burned their huts and fled farther into the woods. Caesar, having completed the conquest of Gaid, held a con- ference with the chiefs of the Gallic hordes in this islet, and approving the site, laid in it the foundation of a city, called by the Romans " Lutetia Parisiorum," from the name of the tribe, and the word " Loutouhezi," by which the natives designated the cluster of huts which had disappeared. The new city improved rapidly under the influence of Roman laws, arts, and administration. It was visited and specially protected by several of the succeeding emperors. The prefects of Gaul made it the seat of their government, and added to its strength and beauty. Constantius built a palace and aqueduct on the left bank of the Seine. It was called the Palace of the Warm Baths, and with its garden covered several paris. 235 acres near the banks of the river. The only remains are one apartment, sixty feet long and forty-two feet wide, built of brick, vaulted, and having three interior arcades. Julian chose Paris for his winter residence, — calls it, in his writings, his ce beloved Lutetia," — praises the mild- ness of the climate, the fertility of the soil, the indus- try, and above all, the gravity of the inhabitants, in which they resembled his own philosophic character and demeanour. Julius Ctesar had introduced the more humanising worship of paganism, for the barbarous and sanguinary rites of druidism. About the middle of the third cen- tury of the Christian era St. Denis first preached the truths of Christianity to the Parisians, and suffered martyrdom on the heights of Montmartre by decapita- tion. Every body has heard of the strange legend, long promulgated and believed as a truth, respecting this first bishop of Paris and patron saint of France — that after being decapitated he walked to Paris carrying his head in his hands. Its history forms a curious instance of the progress of a fiction. Hilduinus, abbot of St. Denis, first advanced it in the ninth century: — from him it passed to Rome: from Rome it was conveyed to Greece by Methodius, who wrote a Greek life of the saint ; and by Anastasius's Latin translation of this life it travelled back to Paris, — to the great and unjust dis- credit of the immediate followers of the martyr, whose Christianity was too enlightened and sincere for so gross a fable, and of the martyr himself, who was a man of learning, eloquence, and zeal. The Romans were dispossessed of their dominion about the close of the fifth century, by the Franks under Clovis. These new conquerors, whose rule con- tinued 270 years, introduced their Celtic jargon and barbarous unwritten "customs" for the Latin language and Roman laws, and Paris retrograded ; but rather in the knowledge of letters than in wealth, trade, and the useful arts: these latter continued to advance, from the privileges which the city enjoyed as the private 236 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. patrimony and residence of the Merovingian princes. Upon the accession of the second or Carlovingian race, and especially during the reign of Charlemagne, who, amidst his conquests, never lost sight of the arts of civilisation, Paris again advanced in arts and letters as well as wealth and extent. The adventurous and roving Normans, tempted by the wealth of the city, and despising the feeble successors of Charlemagne, who had abandoned the capital as a patrimony to hereditary counts, plundered it three times, after short intervals — in 845, 856, and 872. They returned a fourth time in 885 ; but the Parisians, who, taught by experience, had fortified their city, repelled the marauders, after a two years' siege, under the command of their gallant count Eudes ; and, having deposed the indolent and feeble Charles the Bald, placed the crown on the head of their leader and deliverer. It became hereditary in the person of his grandson Hugh Capet, the founder of the present reigning dynasty, in 987- Paris, under the third or Capetian race, improved still more rapidly than before. It became the fixed royal residence and seat of government ; the capital of the kingdom in fact as well as in name. Philip Augustus added to its strength and beauty by many new edifices, by paving the streets, and by surrounding the whole city with a deep fosse and thick wall defended by five hun- dred towers. Paris at this time had sixteen gates, and covered a surface of seven hundred and thirty-nine square acres. Louis IX. (St. Louis) built hospitals and schools, reformed the more barbarous and vexatious " customs " (laws), regulated the administration of justice, and created a police. Paris was taken in 1426 by the English, who were compelled to abandon it in 1436. Francis I. had the glory of introducing into Paris science, literature, and the fine arts. The Grecian orders of architecture were now adopted for the first time, and the interior of the new edifices adorned with sculpture and the paintings of the Italian masters. Henry IV. erected the Pont Neuf, and laid out several squares or pAris. 237 places in the old city on the islet in the Seine, hitherto the quarter of the court. Under Louis XII I., or, more properly, under Mary of Medicis and cardinal Richelieu, some splendid improvements were projected, rather than executed. The Luxembourg palace, the church of the Sorbonne, the Palais Royal, the Garden of Plants, were begun and considerably forwarded at this period. Paris is indebted to Louis XIV. for a great portion of its magnificence : — for its noble and healthful Boulevards; — for the triumphal arches (of which two are splendid monuments) by which it is entered at the gates of St. Denis, St. Martin, St. Antoine, and St. Bernard; — for the Place Vendome and Place des Victoires ; — for the colonnade of the Louvre; the Hospital of Invalids; the garden of the Tuileries, designed by Lenotre, under the immediate inspection of Colbert; — for the promenades and plantations of the Champs Elysees. The improve- ments made during the reigns of Louis XV. and Louis XVI. are singly less prominent ; but notwith- standing the weakness and financial distress of the mo- narchy, it appears that the industry and private com- forts of the great mass of the people advanced consi- derably. Much of this, doubtless, should be ascribed to the progress of science in its application to the useful arts, and the more general diffusion of knowledge. The Revolution came, and with it the genius of de- vastation for a time. Its rage was directed chiefly against religious edifices. Several churches, chapels, and convents, wholly disappeared ; others were dese- crated by being turned to profane uses. Some monu- ments of art were destroyed, in a spirit of irreligious or levelling and most senseless vandalism. The works of art only are a permanent loss, and fortunately they were neither many, nor irreparable chefs d'ocuvrc ; — whilst the public health, convenience, and beauty of the town, have gained incalculably by the removal or desecration of the churches and convents. Spacious and convenient markets, open and well-built streets, or other edifices of great public ornament and utility, now occupy the 238 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. sites of such religious houses as were destroyed ; and those left standing, but desecrated, have been converted into prisons, penitentiaries, hospitals, colleges, schools, or other public establishments for the purposes of society or charity. The site which now bears the new Ex- change and its congregation of merchants is certainly better employed than in affording a convent and garden to the nuns of St. Thomas. The new and splendid rues de la Paix, Rivoli, and Castiglione, occupy the sites of monasteries and their gardens. The convents of Dominicans, Benedictines, and Carmelites, have given way to spacious markets, called after the former occu- pants. Four large nunneries have been converted into prisons and a female penitentiary. The polytechnic school has succeeded the theological college of Navarre. The Institute meets in the church Mazarin (built by the cardinal). " The Deaf and Dumb" institution, or school, occupies the seminary of St. Magloire. The mendicant convent of St. Martin is an hospital for in- curables, and the abbey of the same saint is the Museum of Useful Arts. Paris is under eternal obligations to Bonaparte* : he did more for it than even Louis XIV. He combined,, in a greater degree, the useful with the magnificent. Despotic as he was, he saw that the mass of the people was now a power which must not be dazzled merely, as in the time of Louis XIV., but conciliated and served. His designs are said to have been essentially his own. It seems most probable that they could have been con- ceived only by the same mind which had the force, energy, and resources to execute them. He freed the bridges and banks of the Seine from the embarrassment and deformity of the old houses by which they were * The name is usually written in this country " Bwonaparte." He in- variably wrote his name " Bonaparte," without the " »," excepting only during" his first Italian campaign ;. when, says Las Cases, he adopted the Italian nuance of u in his public addresses, to flatter the people. Sir Walter Scott was led into the error, but acknowledged it in his preface, observing very justly that " Bonaparte had an unquestionable right to choose the orthography which he preferred." The obvious and petty motive of some, at least, has been to stamp him an Italian, and consequently an alien to France. PARIS. 239 still crowded ; built magnificent quays and wharfs ; and erected four bridges of remarkable beauty, as monuments of art, — before the Garden of Plants, — from the He St. Louis to the//e de la Cite, — from the Louvre to the palace of the Institute, — from the Quai de Chaillot to the Champs de Mars. He not only conceived (for even the concep- tion was a great merit), but had nearly executed, at his fall, the Canal de l'Ourcq, — a gigantic public work, com- mencing at the river of that name, receiving tributary streams, communicating with other canals for the con- venience and transport of inland commerce, and con- ducted over a line of fifteen leagues to the plain of La Villette, eighty-three feet above the level of the Seine, for the purpose of supplying water to the capital. He distributed the public supply of water by fifteen new and abundant fountains, of which some are beautiful specimens of architecture. The immense architectural and sculptural mass called " the Fountain of the Ele- phant" was left by him, and still remains unfinished. The people, not merely of Paris, but of the whole kingdom, are indebted to him for those spacious markets, so commodiously arranged for the sale of every kind of produce ; for public stores, especially the wine stores, which surprise by their vastness, the happy ingenuity of their distribution, and their architectural grandeur. He erected, outside the barrier, five abat- toirs or slaughter-houses ; and thus relieved the town from the inconvenient and dangerous presence of herds of cattle, the revolting spectacle of blood, and the noxious miasmata of butchery and tallow-melting. The vast granary of reserve, destined by him to protect the people of Paris against famine and the change of seasons, now unfinished or abandoned, remains a monument of the instability of all human power and the uncertainty of all human projects. lie cleared the Place du ( 'arousel, between the Louvre and the Tuileries, of its obstructions and nuisances ; adorned it with a triumphal arch ; com- pleted the Louvre; filled its gallery with sculpture and paintings, the fruits of his rapacious conquests, and the 240 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. spoils of continental Europe ; and built a second gallery from the adjacent angle, so as to complete the square of the vast area of the Carousel, and the junction of the Louvre with the Tuileries. The garden of the Tuileries owes much of its magnificence to the noble vista which he opened by the rue Castiglione to the triumphal co- lumn in the Place Vendome ; — the opposite view of the Chamber of Deputies, with its noble portico, on the left bank of the Seine; — and the unfinished but grand tri- umphal arch of Neuilly, facing the palace on the side of the garden. This arch, destined originally to commemorate Bonaparte's German campaigns, has since been completed as a monument in honour of the duke of Angouleme and his expedition to Cadiz, — a destination so ill-judged and incongruous as to partake of the burlesque. The two falls of this singular man, equally great as a ruler and con- queror, and the two consequent occupations of Paris by allied Europe, are matter of history. Many of the public buildings, canals, and other public works left unfinished by Bonaparte, have been carried on, and some have been completed, since the restoration of the house of Bourbon. A new quarter, as it is called, was begun in 1823, in the western suburb of Paris, touching the Champs Elysees, extending to Chaillot, and spreading above the Chaussee d'Antin. The style of structure is elegant, and the scale within the reach of ordinary fortunes. A second quarter opens by its main street, which is spacious and planted with rows of trees, a communication between two main points of the fauxbourgs Montmartre and St. Martin. The pro- gress of all these, however, has been slow, and in some parts suspended; and some generations will probably have passed aw r ay before the " Ville de Francois Premier" and K Nouvelle Athenes," with their brilliant associations, or the " Petit Londres," with its national rivalry, are mo- numents of any thing but magnificent projects, and the want of capitaVor perseverance. Great undertakings are rarely, if ever, completed by private enterprise in Paris : they have been projected and executed only by the 241 government. The palace of the Exchange, considered the noblest edifice of the kind in Europe, was com- pleted and opened for the transaction of commercial business, and for the sittings of the tribunal of com- merce, since the accession of Charles X. It is difficult to give within short limits a coup d'eeil of so crowded, diversified, and even disorderly, a mass as the French capital, — its churches, palaces, public buildings, and monuments of art. Of its churches, the most remarkable are the cathedral of Notre Dame, in the old city, — a large and lofty edifice, with two high and massive towers, presenting a style of ar- chitecture imposing and curious, and well exe- cuted for its early date; — the church of St. Eustache, a model of light and graceful clas- sic architecture ; — the churches of St. Roch and St. Sidpice, modern edifices in a grand and noble -style ; — that of St. Genevieve, built near the close of the NOTRE DAME. CHURCH OF ST. GENEVIEVE. last century, — desecrated during the Revolution into .1 pantheon for the remains of the great men of France, with l 01* r. R 242 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. the simple and sublimely affecting inscription — "Aux grands homines la patrie reconnoissante," and re-conse- crated in 1 822 — admired for its dome, — sustained by the mass of the building in the form of a Greek cross at its intersection — its principal facade and peristyle of twenty fluted Corinthian columns imitated from the Pantheon at Rome. Paris boasts several palaces, of which the prin- cipal are the Tuileries, with its vast open court and imposing facade on the one side, and its public garden, adorned with alleys of forest trees, terraces, plantations, basins, and copies in marble and bronze of the most celebrated pieces of sculpture ; — the Louvre, with its gallery of works of art, and its colonnade, regarded as a specimen of the nearest approach to perfection in archi- tecture ; — the Palace or Chamber of Deputies, with a grand Corinthian portico, and several statues of colossal size, — the beautiful Palais Bourbon — both contiguous, immediately on the left bank of the Seine ; — the old and majestic Luxembourg, or Chamber of Peers, with its PALACE OF THE LUXEMBOURG. two grand pavilion Avings and central quadrangle, sur- mounted by a cupola, and its splendid garden opening on the observatory ; — the Palace of Justice, in the old city, inhabited by the kings of the present dynasty down to the twelfth in succession, now occupied by the courts of jus- tice ; — the Palais Royal, inhabited and recently repaired paris. 24.3 by the duke of Orleans, with its adjoining public garden, galleries, and shops, — concentrating, as in a focus, wealth and idleness, literature, industry and the arts, gaming, and every other species of dissipation and depravity. The chief public edifices are the Hospital or Hotel of Invalids, with its gilded dome, its ornamented facade, with central Ionic pilasters, and a planted esplanade extending before it; — the Hotel des Monnaies, or mint, in which also all national medals are struck, with its colonnade, arcades, and statues, forming a noble facade towards the Seine, on its left bank ; — the Ob- servatory, communicating by a grand avenue with the Luxembourg; — the Exchange, already mentioned, built in a simple and noble style, forming a parallelogram 212 feet long and 126 broad, with a peristyle of sixty- six Corinthian columns. Three of the sixteen bridges over the Seine merit particular notice : — the bridge of the Garden of Plants, formerly called Pont d'Austerlitz, with five arches of iron, remarkable for its elegance and solidity; the Pont d'Jena, changed to that of " the Invalids," at the instance of Blucher, who was actually laying a train to blow it up in 1815; and between these, from the Louvre to the Institute, the Pont des Arts, incomparably light and graceful, and used only by foot passengers. Of the public monuments of art, the most per- fectly beautiful is the bronze column in the Place Vendome, modelled upon that of Trajan at Rome, but exceeding its proportions by a twelfth. The most re- markable merit in this column, perhaps, is, that, present- ing in relief on its pedestal the unclassic trophies of modem war, in every variety of arms and costume, it yet seems perfectly in the classic and antique style and taste. The triumphal arch of the Carousel, modelled upon that of Septimius Severus at Home, is unexccption- ably beautiful in itself, but small in proportion to the sur- rounding arua, and rendered for a time still more dispro- portionate by the removal of the celebrated Venetian horses of Lysippus with their car from its summit, in a 2 244 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. 1815. These, however, have been recently replaced by an exact copy in bronze. It has, like its model, three arcades in front, with an additional transverse arcade. The modern triumphal arch at Neuilly exceeds the arch of the Carouse], and even those of Louis XIV. at the gates of St. Denis and St. Martin, in grandeur and ad- vantage of position, rather than beauty. Colossal statues have been re-erected to Henry IV. on the Pont Neuf, and Louis XIV. in the Place des Victoires : the horse in the latter, in a rearing position, is supported on the hind legs and tail; an artifice too palpable to escape detection, and of bad and whimsical effect. A complete view of Paris may be taken from several points, — from the towers of Notre Dame ; the cupola of the church of St. Genevieve ; the column in the Place Vendome ; the heights of Montmartre ; the platform of the chapel of the cemetery of Pere la Chaise. The last is the most favourable, from its advantageous distance, and the sphere of vision which it presents — embracing the most noble edifices and most populous quarters of Paris, from the Hospital of Invalids to the Garden of Plants, and a beautiful perspective view of the plains and hills which encircle it on the east, south, and west. Paris, however, considered only in its public edifices, gardens, and monuments of art, or viewed in its aspects from the plain of Pere la Chaise, makes a very different impres- sion from that which it leaves upon the stranger who has traversed it. With its boulevards, churches, palaces, gardens, bridges, quays, it strikes rather as a magnifi- cent intention : there is grandeur of design and fine exe- cution, but either unfinished — or out of what is called keeping — or disfigured by the revolting contiguities of sublimity and meanness, sumptuous public establish- ments and private inconvenience, luxurious opulence and -squalid wretchedness ; — in short, nuisances which offend not only the imagination but the senses. This impres- sion, however, has stronger reference to Paris as it ex- isted in 1814 and 1815, than subsequently. The com- pletion of some public works, the notions of public PARIS. 24 J convenience, cleanliness, and elegance, adopted from English intercourse and habits, and the example of Lon- don, have produced, to some extent, an advantageous change. The Parisian style of equipage has, under the same influence, been completely altered. The private carriages of the French in Paris are now light, graceful, chastely decorated, and mounted with more art and ele- gance, — from being the contrast in each of these par- ticulars. There has been a similar approximation of English and French costume, male and female, until the difference of fashion has almost vanished, and the coups d'oeil of the Tuileries and Kensington Gardens nearly resemble each other. Judging by the daily congregation of thousands of both sexes in the open air, — young men idly lollingor lounging, — old men, with even a certain air of gravity, wasting life in the coffee-houses and public gardens, — the gaming- houses equally public and crowded, — one would be dis- posed to pronounce the people of Paris a race the most frivolous, idle, and depraved. But the loungers and gamesters are, to a considerable extent, congregated from all parts of Europe ; and the old men are small annuitants, content with their actual means of subsistence, — without further increase by industry or speculation. Science, literature, and the fine arts, are at the same time cultivated in a still greater proportion of numbers by the studious and the industrious, and with every ad- vantage which schools of public instruction, libraries, and museums, can afford. The public schools and colleges forming component branches of one great system of public education in medicine, jurisprudence, and the mili- tary art, abstract and experimental science, literature, the fine and useful arts, from the Institute down to the two admirable institutions for the instruction of the blind and the deaf and dumb, with appropriate and some noble edifices devoted to them, and lectures by eminent professors, either gratuitous or on moderate terms, are too numerous to be detailed. The chief public libraries are five in number: — the Royal Library, r 3 246 CITIES AND TOWN'S OF FRANCE. containing 500,000 vols., 100,000 MSS., 100,000 medals, and 1,500,000 engravings ; the Mazarine Li- brary, 93,000 vols., and 41,000 MSS. ; the Library of the Arsenal, 170,000 vols., 6000 MSS. ; the Library of St. Gene'vieve, 110,000 vols., and 2000 MSS.; the City Library, 42,000 vols. The principal museums are that, or rather those, of the Garden of Plants, — an in- comparable temple of natural science in every branch, raised chiefly by the illustrious Buffbn, and his worthy successor, the late count Lacepede ; the Louvre, still containing 1200 pictures and 500 pieces of sculpture, among which are many chefs d'oeuvre ; and the Con- servatory of Useful Arts (Arts et Metiers), containing specimens or models of the machinery and instruments used in every branch of manufacture. Paris is the great centre, not only of French but of continental intellect in literature and science. From its press issue the most valuable, if not the greatest num- ber, of literary publications ; and it has a still more decided lead in scientific research and discovery. Paris is also as decidedly the first manufacturing town of France. Its principal manufacturing establishments called royal are three: — the Gobelins tapestry, to which that of La Savonniere has been united; the manufac- tory of glass, which employs 2700 men ; and the porcelain manufactory at Sevre, remarkable not only for the value of its productions, but for its curious museum of all the objects connected with the art, ranged in order. Paris also excels in many of the com- monly used articles of luxury and fashion, — in male and female dress, jewellery, wrought gold and silver, watches, clocks, furniture, carriages, &c. So strong is the tendency to trading industry, that its exports have increased since the Revolution to a degree unprecedented in the history of commerce. Society has become essentially changed in Paris since the Revolution. The nobles have lost their importance, if not existence, as a caste. That numerous aggregate of families, formerly called the " court," has disap- PARIS. 247 peared. There is still a small circle immediately round the royal family ; — but the enriched merchants, magis- trates, capitalists, landed proprietors, professional and newly-titled men, aspire to live in the first style, if not the first rank, of society, and acknowledge no social subordination. Wealth, however, is not the first dis- tinction, nor has it the same weight in obtaining access to good company, in Paris as in other places. The Parisian society of men of letters and artists is, perhaps, the most intellectual, interesting, and polished, in exist- ence, — from the fund of knowledge and accomplishment which it contains, and the passing admixture of European rank and talent. There is, perhaps, in the society of the "new men," — the parvenus in wealth or titles, — a certain air of ostentation and parade. The frivolity of manner and exaggerated politeness of the Parisians are now retrenched: they are mere traditions of the last age. The tone of familiarly impertinent superiority in which the nobles addressed the roturiers, or non-nobles, has also disappeared. The Parisians are, doubtless, polished and artificial in their manners; but they are also really social and obliging: and the many hospitals which they support for the helpless of both sexes and every age, — of which seven contain 8156 beds, — with, moreover, several bureaux for the distribution of private domiciliary relief, — sufficiently prove that they are hu- mane and charitable. Their love of amusement and pleasure is attested by their crowded public walks, their 3500 coffee-houses, and twelve theatres. The prin- cipal theatres are, — the Royal Academy of Music (grand French opera), not the best school of music, but un- rivalled for its scenery, machinery, and dancing ; Theatre Francais, '.the classic theatre of the national drama ; the Odeonj a second theatre of the same pre- tensions ; the Feydeau, or " opera comique," a charming school of French opera, distinguished by the talents of Gretry, Mehul, and JJoieldieu ; the Italian Opera, inferior in size to that of London, but superior in de- corations and machinery. B I- 248 CITIES ANP TOW^S OF FEANCE. The men now somewhat affect the serious, as more becoming a nation which has public liberties to exer- cise and maintain ; but the Parisian lathes have the same vivacity and grace, and the same disposition to pleasantry and satire. They are educated and accomplished ; but their faculties are exercised and expert, rather than their minds informed. They have peculiar skill in con- cealing their own characters, and drawing out those of others, — by a certain tone of artful interest and adroit hypocritical frankness. Their conventional familiarity of manner and freedom of conversation subject them, sometimes, to ignorant and unjust constructions of their conduct by strangers ; but no women know better how to make themselves respected. More vigilant and tender mothers do not exist; and where they are unfaithful as wives, it is very much the fault of their husbands, who do not sufficiently value fidelity, and who set them an example of levity or libertinism. It is amongst the common people that national or distinctive traits of character are to be sought, where- ever society is highly civilised. The labouring Pa- risian is of rather delicate frame, and pale complexion : the ruder labour of the capital is performed by the more robust sons of the provinces ; whilst he exercises some fighter occupation, or works as an artisan, where his vivacity, ingenuity, physical suppleness, and address, are available. He is industrious, rises early, and works hard ; but is, at the same time, improvident, and loves dissipation, but without intemperance. The common people of Paris seem to be again what they were called before the Revolution, — " ces bons Parisiens;" lively, careless, curious, credulous, good-humoured, and good- natured. It would seem as if a mere access of moral disease and maniac inhumanity had passed away, leaving them as it found them. The very common people, however, have a certain harshness or hoarseness of voice, and address each other with a rude vivacity of manner. The shopkeepers of Paris are charged with the want PARIS. 2i9 of good faith and honesty in their dealings : but in what capital is not similar dishonesty practised, espe- cially on strangers and the inexperienced ? The more respectable tradesmen conduct their business in general with confidence and probity ; and the common people are found remarkably trustworthy — partly owing, no doubt, to the strictness and vigilance of an excellent system of police. Paris lies in north latitude 43° 50' 11", — longi- tude 20° 11" (reckoning, with the French astronomers, from the western point of the lie de Fer), — QS leagues S.E. of London, 250 leagues S. W. of Copenhagen, 380 leagues S. W. ef Stockholm, 500 leagues S. W. of St. Petersburgh, 6'00 leagues S. W. of Moscow, 324 leagues W. of Cracow, 300 leagues S. W. of Dantzic, 210' leagues S, W. of Berlin, 210 leagues W.S. W. of Dresden, 1{)5 leagues W.S. W. of Leipzig, 115 leagues W. by N. of Frankfort on the Maine, 204 leagues W. by N. of Prague, 850 leagues W. of Vienna, 270 leagues XV. of Presburg, 552 leagues N. W. of Constantinople, 333 leagues N. XV. of Naples, 260 leagues N. N. W. of Rome, 230 leagues W. N. W. of Venice, 107 leagues X. XV. of Berne, 148 leagues XV. N. W. of Zurich, 100 leagues W. N. XV. of Bale, 280 leagues N. by E. of Madrid, 350 leagues N. E. of Lisbon. Its area is 10,600 square acres, of 100 perches each ; its cir- cumference, by the Boulevards, about six leagues ; its diameter about two leagues ; and its population 900,000. It is divided into twelve municipal districts, called arrondissemens ; nine on the right and three on the left bank of the Seine, — with a mayor and justice of peace in each ; and these arrondissemens are again sub- divided into forty-eight quarters, each with a commissary of police. The municipal administration and police of Paris are wholly in thf hands of the executive government. The longest day in Paris is sixteen hours six minutes, the shortest eight hours ten minutes ; the highest mean temperature Q8° Fahrenheit's thermometer, lowest I(i J . The soil round Paris is calcareous and barren ; but 250 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. has been enriched by the force of cultivation, and pre- sents a luxuriant aspect in the proper season. There are many sites in its environs at once beautiful and romantic. The royal residence of St. Cloud, with its superb palace, its park, gardens, cascade, fine view, and political associations, is within five miles ; — Versailles, with its magnificent but somewhat melancholy grandeur within four leagues of the capital. , ROUEN. Lat. 49° 25' N. Lon. 1° 5' E. Population 90,000. Rouen, the ancient capital of Normandy, now the chief town of the department of the Lower Seine, and an archiepiscopal see, is situated on that river, 31 leagues by one, 34 leagues by another and much more agreeable, route below Paris. The first historical mention of it is found in Ptolemy : writing in the beginning of the second century of the Christian era, he calls it " Rothomagus, capital of the Velocasses." Remains of Roman archi- tecture, dug up so late as 1789, prove it to have been a Roman town of some importance. Rouen, in the early and middle ages, had remarkable and afflicting vicissitudes, and a portion of its history is closely con- nected with that of England. The Gauls were dis- possessed by the Romans; the Romans by the Franks; the Franks by the Danes, who sacked it in 841, and ceded it to the Normans, with the whole province of Neustria — henceforth called Normandy, from the name of the new occupants. It was besieged in 930 by the count de Cotentin, but delivered by the duke William Longsword, who slew the count with his own hand. Besieged again in 9^8 by the emperor Otho and Louis IV. of France, it was delivered by the valour of Jean-sans-peur. Hitherto the capital of an independent ROUEN*. 251 state, it changed into that of a province and appendage of the English crown, in the eleventh century, when William the Norman (Conqueror) became king of Eng- land. William the Conqueror died at Rouen, after having ravaged France, nearly to Paris, in revenge for a pleasantry of king Philip at his expense. Richard I. of England, Cceur de Lion, convoked the states of Normandy at Rouen, for the purpose of obtaining sup- plies for the second crusade to the Holy Land. Here, also, Arthur, named by him his successor, died, as it is supposed, by the hand of king John, and was thrown into the Seine. Philip Augustus took advantage of this event to besiege Rouen, and succeeded in uniting it to the crown of France, from which it had been de- tached three centuries. Extended and embellished by Philip Augustus, Louis VI II., and St. Louis, — harassed by Charles the Bad (Je mauvais), — rescued by Charles the Wise, — convulsed by popular tumults and a revolu- tion during the regency and madness of Charles VI., — Rouen was besieged and taken by Henry V. of England on the 9th of January, 1419. It was during the period of this occupation, which lasted twenty-nine years, that Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans, was burned alive as a sorceress in the open space which bears her name; leaving in her adventures and her death the most singular and melancholy proof of the credulous and cruel fanaticism of a barbarous age, rather than of the inhumanity of the English. In 1449, Dunois, the celebrated bastard of Orleans, retook Rouen, notwith- standing the brave defence of the " great Talbot." Francis I. improved Rouen, and gave it, for the first time, a parliament. Under Francis II., the principles of the reformation spread rapidly; and, in spite of, or rather by the force of, persecution, bloodshed, and burn- ing alive, had gained such strength, that the reformers rose in arms, gained possession of the strongholds of the town, and persecuted, in their turn, until the l 2(kh of October, 1 5(52, when the duke of Guise retook the place, and put to the sword or burned alive all those 252 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. whom he found armed. Four or five hundred were massacred on the horribly memorable eve of St. Bar- tholomew at Rouen. Henry IV., on his accession to the throne, held at Rouen a celebrated assembly of nota- bles. Louis XV. suspended the parliament of Rouen, but instituted its academy of science, literature, and arts. Louis XVI. restored its parliament and other institutions suppressed or suspended by his predecessor. It was, like Paris, the scene of a famine, pillage, and massacre, at the breaking out of the Revolution. Rouen, with the exception of a few new streets, con- sists of old and ill-built houses, forming, in many instances, narrow and crooked lanes rather than streets ; but its public edifices, romantic site, surrounding scenery, and the presence of the Seine, make it a most striking and interesting city. The first and great object of interest is its celebrated cathe- dral. It is impos- sible to approach this noble and venerable edifice without stop- I ping for a moment before its Gothic fa- cade — so light, va- ried, and bold ; and the rich morceaux of sculpture over the ' grand central and two i lateral portals. There are, how- ever, some bas-reliefs in a strange taste, which are probably remains of the old facade removed by the cardinal d'Amboise in the sixteenth century; — that, for instance, over the lateral portal on the left, representing Herod sitting at table, while his niece Salome' dances on her ROUEN CATHEDRAL. ROUEN. 253 hands, and kicks her heels in the air, for his amusement. Two towers, 230 feet high, flank the chief portal right and left : one of these contained the enormous bell, called " George d'Amboise," from the cardinal of that name by whom it was presented, — of such weight as to require sixteen men to set it ringing, — and converted into cannon during the Revolution. The tower in which it was placed is called " the Tower of Butter," from its having been built out of the contributions paid by the people to the clergy for permission to eat butter in Lent. The vast interior, containing twenty-five chapels, of which some are very curious, — the sublimity and airi- ness of its aisles in the form of a Latin cross, — with its numerous beauties of detail, and remains of Gothic an- tiquity, — exceed our limits, and have been described a thousand times. One object, though beautiful, excites, if not displeasure, a sense of discord and surprise, — the modern marble peristyle at the entrance to the choir, with an entablature supported by four Corinthian co- lumns of white marble, and a sculptured frieze. The famous central spire of the cathedral of Rouen, visible at the distance of seven leagues on every side, and considered unique, was destroyed by lightning in 1822, and will not, it would appear, be replaced. It was the second time this accident had occurred. The roof of the church gave way to it in its fall. Constructed wholly of wood and lead, it continued burning for sixteen hours. During the fire the melted lead is stated to have been carried in clouds of smoke the distance of 200 toises, and to have descended in a boiling shower upon the roofs of the houses. A good view of this picturesque city is obtained by as- cending one of the towers : it appears beneath on a gentle declivity, within an open valley, with its Gothic spins and towers; the broad Seine (for so it is here) crowded with masts and rigging, and lined by a beautiful (juay; the fauxbourg St. Sever on the Left hank, like- a distinct town, witli its large manufactories, communicating with the old town by an old but very ingeniously constructed 254 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. bridge of boats, which opens to admit vessels, and rises and falls with the tide. This cathedral contains some monuments, which are curious as specimens of the infancy of art. Kings, dukes, nobles — of France and England, — Rollo, William Long- sword, Richard Cceur de Lion, the regent duke of Bedford, were buried here; but it were vain to look for the places in which their ashes repose. Their monuments have dis- appeared ; and the more modern tablets inscribed with their names are not to be relied on as local indications. Rouen contained thirty-seven parish churches before the Revolution : at that period they were reduced to their present number, fourteen. The church of St. Ouen is the next in interest to the cathedral, which it approaches in the beauty of its architecture, and excels in that of its situation. The interior is even preferred by many from the perfect harmony of its proportions — its beauty and airiness — the grace and propriety of its ornaments — and the strange mysterious light which enters by its variously coloured windows. That part of it which was occupied by monks has been desecrated into a town hall, and contains a public library and picture gallery. The Normans are famed for their spirit of litigation. Their " Palace of Justice" at Rouen is, perhaps, the most beautiful Gothic hall existing, for its external and internal architecture. It is one of those specimens of Norman Gothic, which approached perfection at the close of the reign of Louis XII. and during the reign of Francis I. The exterior is remarkable for the delicacy, airiness, and spirit of its execution — fretted in some places with a certain charm by the hand of time as well as of art. The interior of the grand hall is also beautiful and curious — its ribbed oaken roof presenting an exact resemblance of a ship's keel reversed. The only fault in this Gothic edifice is a fancifid mixture of styles, which, however, produces rather a graceful effect. Under the touching influence of these remains, it is difficult to resist that heresy of taste of sir William Chambers, which made him say " there was a lightness Rouen. 255 in their (the Gothic architects') works, and an art and boldness of execution, to which the ancients never arrived." The hill of St. Catherine, one of the most beautiful scenes in the environs of Rouen, commands the best view of the city. From the plateau of the hill a magnificent panorama unfolds itself. The city appears an amphi- theatre at the feet of the spectator, girt by its broad and verdant boulevards, at the opening of the two vallevs of Dornetal and Deville, with the wooded heights of Boisguillaume and Castelneu, on the northern and western sides ; the Seine, with its quays, shipping, and islets, on the south ; and boundless and beautiful plains beyond. Rouen occupies an area about one third of a league hroad, about three fourths long, and in circumference, the port included, about a league and a half. It is, next to Lyons, the most extensive manufacturing town in France. There are 29* factories in the town and department upon the watercourses alone; and a very extensive commerce of exports and imports is carried on with the French colo- nies, America, Spain, Italy, and the Northern powers. The different manufactures are almost numberless : cotton spinning, printed goods of all kinds, silks and woollens of various sorts, dyeing, paper, china, hard- ware, glass blowing, sugar refining. The cotton manu- factory is the principal, and in some degree appropriated by Rouen as that of silk by Lyons. There are three large hulks or market-houses, in which the manufac- turers exhibit their goods for sale to the retailers, eight markets, three quays, and two bridges — one, the floating bridge of boats already mentioned, invented in H>'2() by father Nicolas, an Augustine monk. The mechanism is ingenious and simple; it consists of fifteen boats or barges, from which one can be detached to make way for a vessel, or all taken asunder and removed with ex- traordinary quickness and facility. Bonaparte* who visited Rouen twice, — on his return from Egypt, and in 1810 after the buttle of Austcrlitz, — directed a noble 256 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. stone bridge to be built in its place, which remains unfinished to this day. The objection to the floating bridge is the frequent necessity and expense of repairs. There are three hospitals on a large scale, of which one is appropriated to lunatics. Besides the ordinary courts and tribunal of commerce, there is a council of " good and true men" (prud-hommes), who settle petty dif- ferences, and prevent litigation. Rouen has an exchange; a mint; an academy of science, literature, and arts ; several literary societies ; a public library, museum, botanic garden, and two theatres. The inhabitants of Rouen are justly proud of its being the birthplace of Corneille, and of his nephew Fonte- nelle. — The houses in which the former lived, and the latter was born, are still preserved, and pointed out as curiosities. — Blondel the mathematician, Jouvenet the painter, and (if he be any credit to it) the Jesuit historian father Daniel, were also natives of Rouen. HAVRE. Lat. 49° 30' N. Lon. 0° 8' E. Population 22,000. Havre, or Havre-de-Grace, is situated at the mouth of the Seine, in the department of the Lower Seine. It ranks as a principal town, not from its population, history, antiquity, or monuments, but from its great and growing importance in maritime commerce. The credit of its foundation is given to Louis XII. ; but when Francis I. ascended the throne, in 1515, it was but a mere creek, in which fishermen took refuge in bad weather, having only a chapel dedicated to our Lady of Grace, which has disappeared, and a tavern or house of refreshment, still existing, with a boat and boatman rudely carved on stone, which was probably its sign. Francis I. built a town, and fortified it against the English. By a cu- HAVRE. 257 rious destiny, Francis lost the battle of Pavia and his liberty, and Havre was almost destroyed by an inunda- tion, in the same year. Restored to France, he recon- structed Havre, and built that ship of a thousand tons, colossal in his time, having on board a forge, windmill, chapel, and tennis-court, and perfect in all respects, — ex- cept that it would not float, — as appears from Rabelais. In 1545 a fleet of two hundred vessels, in the roadstead of Havre, menaced Henry VIII. and England. Fran- cis I. came to Havre with his court, and gave a grand fete on board the " Philip." During the rejoicings the ship-kitchen took fire,- the ship was in a blaze; and the royal party had hardly left it, when, in the midst of the flames, a hundred pieces of cannon, charged for the purpose of being fired off in honour of the fete, thun- dered with a single and most tremendous volley, by which the ship was destroyed and several lives lost. The reformed religion was that of the majority ; and the protectants called in the English to their aid in Oc- tober 156*2. The English being obliged to surrender the town by capitulation, after twenty-two days' siege, departed with the honours of war, and an epidemy by which more than twenty thousand perished in London, during the three months succeeding the return of the fleet. Cardinal Richelieu, next to Francis I., was the great benefactor of Havre. He improved the harbour, built fortresses, and established a foundery, every cannon from which bore the name of this most reverend mini- ster of a religion of peace. Havre was bombarded by William III. in lO'fjl-, and by admiral Rodney in 1759- It was not till 1786' that the great public works which now distinguish it were projected — and only pro- jected. Here sir Sidney Smith, in 1 7fj6, by an enter- prise of rare hardihood, cut out the French cruiser " le Vengeur," and, by an equally bold manoeuvre of the second in command of the " VengeuT," was taken a prisoner into Havre on board his own prize. Bonaparte visited Havre for the first time in 1802, after the | \iniens, and saw its capabilities for vol.. i. 8 258 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. being the first town of France in maritime commerce, and the best roadstead for the most numerous fleet. He again visited it in 1810, with the empress Maria Louisa. To him Havre owes the great improvement of its port, and its public works, not yet quite completed, but still useful and magnificent. The docks and sluices, on a curious site and grand scale, are the most im- portant and interesting of the public works. The docks form a segment of a vast circle, partly embracing the town, with the quay for its base. In these, some vessels ready for. sea, — others with their keels up, — others, again, new built but not launched, with the din of hammers and general movement, — give proof of ac- tive and extensive commerce. The port consists of three basins, separated by four sluices, which admit the pass- ing of two frigates. The roadstead of Havre is capable of holding the whole navy of France, and may be entered with almost any wind. Its special commerce is the direct import of colonial produce, and the export of the manufactured goods and produce of France ; but it carries on also an extensive trade with the United States of America and maritime states of Europe. Within a few years, since the restoration of the Bourbons and the peace, it has taken the lead of all the French ports in the Atlantic, and especially invaded the trade of Bordeaux. There are two lighthouses on the summit of La Heve, which command a view of the sea at twenty leagues' distance. Havre has also considerable manufactures of several kinds; of which the principal are tobacco, cordage, lace, sugar, china, vitriol, paper, cotton. It contains but one good street, and no ancient mo- numents particularly interesting or curious. There are two churches, (of which the principal, Notre Dame de la Havre, in the Florentine or mixed style, contains, as an ornament of the choir, thirteen bad statues — of the twelve apostles, and St. Bartholomew with a long knife in his hand,) two arsenals, a library, an exchange, a theatre. The town is surmounted by the beautiful suburb of Ingouville, on the brow of a hill, partly wooded, and LYONS. , 259 partly studded with pretty houses, having an extensive view of the sea. The population, including this suburb, is stated to be 30,000 ; but is probably much more, if the strangers brought there by its foreign commerce and communications be taken into account. Havre is the native place of St. Pierre, the author of ff Paul and Virginia ;" the abbe' Dicquemare, an indus- trious naturalist ; and Casimir de la Vigne, a distin- guished living poet, author of the tragedies of " The Sicilian Vespers" and '•' The Paria," the comedy of iC L'Ecole des Vieillards," and elegiac poems entitled f ' Messeniennes." Its distance from Paris is 51^ leagues; from Rouen, 20 leagues. LYONS. Lat. 45° 50' N. Lon. 4° 50' E. Population 180,000. Lyons, called in French Lyon, is the second city of France in manufactures, wealth, intelligence, and po- pulation. Some assign to it a Grecian, others a Roman, origin. According to the former, it was founded by " Momorus, leader of a Grecian colony driven from Marseilles by the Phoceans;" whilst the latter assign its foundation to " Munatius Plancus, at the head of the Vienni, expelled from their native city by the Alio- broges five centuries and a half later." Both opinions are reconciled by the antiquary father Meiu stiier, on the s 2 260 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. supposition that the Greek leader formed merely the rude habitation or chief place of a colony or tribe, which the Romans improved into a strong and populous town. The question seems hopelessly obscure, and is not im- portant to history ; but the antiquities which have been discovered by modern research leave no doubt that Lyons, whether or not of Greek origin, was a con- siderable Roman city. The first authentic mention of it is in the time of Augustus : it was then treated as the capital of the Gauls ; whilst Paris, founded by his im- mediate predecessor in the empire, was in its infancy. Augustus visited Lyons (Lugdunum), and greatly improved it. A fire, in the reign of Nero, reduced it to ashes. " But one night intervened," says Seneca, " and of a great city there remained nothing." His expression is brief and affecting, — " Una nox interfuit inter maxi- mam urbem et nullam." Nero rebuilt Lyons, and it soon resumed its previous splendour— but to be sub- jected again to desolating visitations : nineteen thousand Christians, with St.Irenaeus, were massacred during the persecutions under Septimius Severus ; so at least it is attested by some annals of the middle age, and a col- lection of bones in a catacomb beneath the church of the saint. The Franks dispossessed the Romans in 532, — with the consequences to Lyons which necessarily follow where the sway and customs of barbarians succeed the arts and manners of civilised conquerors. In the eighth century Lyons was sacked by the Goths and Saracens : and it was again ravaged, dreadfully and frequently, during the civil wars of the Reformation and the League. It was not till the reign of Louis XIV. that the ma- nufactures of Lyons became important, under the pre- siding genius of Colbert. After that statesman's deatb, the town advanced rapidly in industry and intelligence; and, in 1710, Louis XIV. instituted in it an academy of sci- ence, literature, and arts, similar to that of Paris. Lyons continued to improve and flourish from this period to the Revolution, and the memorable siege in 1 793, when lA'ONS. 2f)'l it was desolated more fearfully than by the Goths and Saracens in the eighth century, or the civil discord and fanaticism of the sixteenth. We will only state, in passing, that in 1793, Lyons, in common with other large towns of the south, took arms in support of the oppressed republican minority of the convention against the jacobin majority and Robespierre; that it sustained for two months, against a large and well-provided regular force, in an unfortified city, a siege in which young boys and women took a courageous part ; that the in- habitants were literally exterminated, and the city reduced to ruins, over which the following inscription was placed, — " Lyons made war upon liberty — Lyons is no more ; " that in the same spirit of inhuman mockery the wretched remains of bare walls were new-named, by a decree of the convention, " ViUe-qffirimcMe ;" and (it should not be omitted) that the Fouche, who was the immediate author of these atrocities, was the same Fouche' duke of Otranto who afterwards figured in the consulate, the empire, and the restoration, as the minister of Bonaparte and Louis XVI 1 1. Tyranny can do much evil in its hour, but is impotent over the future. Lyons, at the fall of Bonaparte, and chiefly through his means, had reached its former splendour, which after the peace it in a few years far surpassed. The site of Lyons, at the confluence of the Saone and the Rhone, — which latter is the noblest river of France, — has every advantage for a great manufacturing town. The approach to it from Paris is remarkable, and the surrounding views are among the most pleasing and romantic. A long street leads to the town, with the Saone and its quays on the left, and die heights of Fourvieres on the right: the former describing a grand segment of a circle at the base of the latter. Tin- hill of Fourvieres, viewed from the opposite side of the Saone, is interesting not only for its beauty but for its antiquities. Upon its summit appear die church 01 Notre Dame de Fourvieres, huilt on the site of die FOTtm 'J'r'ij'iiii, called also Forum I'rnrris, of which - 8 262 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. there are still some remains; and the Maison des A»ti- quailles, erected on the ruins of the palace of the Roman emperors, in which Claudius was born, and the maniac Caligula resided. It derives its modern name from the great quantity of ancient remains found in it ; and, by a curious coincidence in its modern destination, is an hospital for lunatics. It should be mentioned that the rock called Pierre- seise (Petra excisa), which jutted not many years since half across the road to Lyons at its entrarrce, with its picturesque horror, and castle or prison on its summit, has mainly disappeared. Agrippa, the son-in-law of Augustus, is supposed to have made the first conquest upon it, by cutting the narrow passage which it allowed ; and Bonaparte completed what may be called its demolition. The people of Lyons still talk of having seen him on horseback, viewing the romantic scenes around him, and the course of the Soane, from this lofty and rugged eminence. But the pre-eminent view is from the terrace of the church on the summit of the hill of Fourvieres. The spec- tator beholds at his feet and around him the whole city of Lyons. The most striking object is the Place Louis le Grand, formerly called the Place Belle-Cour, and one of the most magnificent in Europe. Its history is some- what curious. Before the Revolution its centre was occu- pied by an equestrian statue of Louis XIV. by Desjardin, with two fountains by Chabry, one on either side ; and in front two groups, representing the Saone and Rhone, in bronze. The statue and the fountains were destroyed, with all the surrounding buildings, in 1 793 ; but the two groups of the rivers were spared, and are still seen in the Hotel de Ville. Bonaparte visited Lyons soon after his assumption of the imperial diadem. The Place Belle-Cour was still a ruin ; and one of his first cares was to order and provide for its reconstruction. The Lyonnese, in return, were going to erect a statue to him in its centre ; but he would not, as he is reported to have declared, " stand in the midst of ruins ; " and the mo- LYONS. 263 nument was postponed until the place appeared in more than its former splendour. The statue was erected, and an imperial palace built contiguous, as a monument of the gratitude of Lyons. The restoration came, and with it Lyonnese gratitude took another direction : the statue of Bonaparte made way for a new equestrian statue of Louis XIV., the imperial palace was changed into the prefecture of police, and the Place Belle-Cour into the Place Louis le Grand. The spectator, looking beyond this quarter of the town, and to the right and left, beholds the islands of the Rhone in its winding course, the handsome country houses in this suburb, the vast plains of Dauphine, the hills of Char- treuse and Chamberry beyond them, and, if the atmosphere be clear, the Alps and Montblanc in the distance. The hill of Fourvieres contains the principal Roman" antiquities of Lyons : the remains of two aqueducts, ascribed by some to Marc Antony, by others to Agrippa; a beautiful mosaic ; the remains of a theatre, and of subterranean reservoirs. Here also have been found a great quantity of medals, coins, vases, figures in marble and bronze, sepulchral lamps, lacrymatories, a Tauro- bolus, with an inscription indicating a sacrifice for the health of Claudian, and several curious remains of the great fire in the time of Nero. The bill of Croix- Rousse, which bounds Lyons on the north, commands also a good view of the city, and is interesting as the place in which were discovered two brass tablets con- taining the address of Claudian to the senate in favour of the people of Lyons. A most precious mosaic was discovered in 1806 in the quartier d'Enay, representing a chariot race in the circus with remarkable spirit and variety ; some lashing their horses on, some upset, some turning and all but touching the spina, some leading in all the ardour of contention and triumph. The city of Lyons within itself presents little of architectural grandeur or beauty, with the exception of the Hotel de Ville, the hospital, and me Place Louis k- Grand already mentioned. The wide space new b 4 2(>4 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. buildings, and rows of trees of the latter, contrast with the closeness and dinginess of the other houses. The cathedral is remarkable only as a specimen of Moresco architecture ; and for the curious clock, which shows sometimes (for it is frequently deranged) the course of the sun, the changes of the moon, the years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and moreover the saints' days in the calendar. The church of Enay is inter- esting only as being built on the site of the temple of Augustus, and from its ruins. The only distinguishable remains are four short thick granite columns which support the cupola. The violation of all classic propor- tion, in the excess of their thickness over their length, is accounted for by their being each sawn in two by the architect of the church in the tenth century, who, want- ing four columns, paid attention only to his wants, and not to the proportions of classic architecture. These columns, and several cut stones, used indiscriminately, of which one bears three female figures in relief, are all that remains distinguishable of that famous temple built by sixty nations of Gaul, each of which contributed a statue to decorate the altar, — that altar before which Caracalla's rhetoricians subsequently contended for the prize, with the whimsical and severe penalty to those pronounced unworthy, of obliterating their compositions with their tongues, and being either scourged with rods or plunged in the Rhone.* The Hotel de Ville is more interesting for the antiquities preserved in it, and for its staircase, than for its exterior, excepting, perhaps, its facade, which is compared with that of the town hall at Amsterdam. The grand hospital is the noblest edifice in Lyons, and the noblest monument of charity in France. It presents on the quay of the Rhone a simple facade of Ionic columns, with a quadrangular dome over the central pavilion, bearing a variety of emblems relating to the medical art. The architect Soufflot included in his design a third story and range * Palleat ut nudis qui pressit calcibus anguem, Aut Lugdunenscm rhetor dicturus ad aram. JUVENAJL. LYONS. 265 of columns, and wept from vexation when the parsimony of the governors compelled him to abandon it. The staircase, with a curious representation, on the ceiling or interior of the cupola, of the crocodile said to have been found in the Rhone about a century since; the general distribution of the interior, with all the principal compartments or wards facing an altar raised in the centre beneath the dome ; and the practical treat- ment of the objects of the charity; merit unqualified praise. Lyons has the best public library in France, after those of the capital. It contains 120,000 volumes, including 800 manuscripts in various languages, of which the most remarkable is a dictionary of the sacred book of the Chinese called " Liking." There are also some curious editions, and one of the two most magnifi- cent copies in existence of " The Antiquities of Hercu- laneum," presented to this library by Joachim Murat king of Naples. Lyons possesses a grand academy, univer- sity colleges, several subordinate academies, and societies for the cultivation of science, literature, and the arts ; a museum, a picture gallery, a garden of plants, and two theatres. The principal of the two theatres deserves mention as a public building by the same architect who built the hospital. There is more of cultivated intelligence and scientific research than in any other French town, except Paris ; stimulated, no doubt, by the peculiar nature of their manufactures, to which science and the fine arts are both subservient. Among the more emi- nent natives of Lyons are the sculptors Philibert, Delorme, Coysevox, Chabry, and the two Coustons ; the two engravers Anilrans ; the painter Stella ; tin naturalists Jussieu, La Tourette, Ro/ier, and BourgeLat (the last eminent as a comparative anatomist and the founder of a veterinary school at Lyons) ; Sidonius Apollinarig, who wrote Latin verse in the fifteenth cen- tury ; the antiquaries Spmi, Menesti iei\ and Lose; and more recently, the advocate Lertjassc, th* fibbe" Morellet, and Degerando. The arts of drawing and p ain ti ng. 266 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. and their kindred art sculpture, having a close prac- tical relation to the manufactures of the town, are the more generally cultivated. A taste for music also pre- vails, and it forms an essential branch of female edu- cation. The chief manufacture consists in rich silk and embroidered stuffs of every kind, gold and silver lace, hats and bonnets. There is also a considerable trade in wine and corn by the Rhone, Saone, and Loire. The people are reputed laborious, calculating, and prudent : vice and crime are unfrequent, considering the population and its crowded factories. There are few large fortunes made, but still fewer fortunes lost, from their not indulging to the same extent as other great towns in maritime and foreign speculations. The silk mills at Lyons astonish for the first time, from the universal movement, and the noise like that of a cataract, made by the machinery. The manufacture of gold thread also surprises the uninitiated, by the dis-< covery that what is so called is really silver-gilt, and that a solid cylinder two feet long and thirteen lines in diameter may be drawn out into one hundred leagues of wire or thread, without losing its gilding, notwith- standing the friction and elongation. The aspect of the town is dull, from the dinginess and great height of the houses, with their narrow crooked streets and close courts. In this respect it resembles Rouen, which ranks next, but at a great distance. The houses of Rouen are of wood, and those of Lyons of stone, but the similarity of aspect conceals the difference of materials. Lyons has the advantage only of solidity. The suburbs and con- tiguous views of both are remarkable ; but those of Lyons have the advantage of being exclusively devoted to ornamental private residences, whilst the manufac- tures of Rouen are for the most part without the town. Lyons has spacious and beautiful promenades : the prin- cipal are the avenues called " Allees des Brotteaux" and " Allee Perrache." The former, notwithstanding its planted walks, was long deserted after the Revolution, LYONS. 267 from its having been the theatre of so many horrors and executions. The " Alice Perrache" is a beautiful prolongation of the quay St. Clair, on the Rhone. The people of Lyons are distinguished for their love of the country : they not only enjoy its beauties, but understand the art of improving them. Immediately near is the wood of Rochecardan, so admired by Rousseau ; and the beautiful He Barbe in the Saone is reached, after an hour's passage, in boats rowed by peasant girls, neatly dressed, but more remarkable for robustness than beauty. There must necessarily be many bridges in a town lying between two rivers as they approach their con- fluence, and extending beyond them. The bridges at Lyons are either of wood or stone; the former the more numerous, and striking either for their meanness and inconvenience, or for the lightness, boldness, seeming peril, and real security, with which they are thrown over. Bonaparte built two stone bridges, sufficiently convenient and elegant ; and left unfinished a third, which has since been completed. The stone bridge over the Saone, from the archbishop's palace to the Place Louis le Grand, with its own beauty, the im- posing objects contiguous to it at each end, and espe- cially the river, presents a very striking view. Lyons is an archiepiscopal see, and the chief town of the department of the Rhone. Its population im- mediately before the Revolution was 140,000; but such was the ruin which followed the siege, that, notwith- standing the restoration of tranquillity in the same year by the fall of Robespierre, the return of the inhabitants who had escaped, and the revival and encouragement of industry, the population, by the census of ISO'), was only 90,000. By the returns of 18'J7, it amounts to 180,000. The distance from Lyons to Paris is, by the route of Melun and Auxerre, 1 1 7 i leagues j by Fontainebleau, Montargis, and Nevers, 11 J) leagues. 268 CITIES AND TOWNS OP FRANCE. MARSEILLES. -Lat. 43° 18' N. Lon. 5° 24' E. Population 120,000. Marseilles, situated in a gulf at the mouth of the Rhone, the chief town of the department of theBouches du Rhone, is the principal French port in the Mediterranean, and one of the most ancient cities of France. A colony of Phoceans established itself here, according to Justin, in the first year of the 45th olympiad, or 599 years before the Christian era, under the guidance of their chief Protis, to whom the king of the country, named Nanus, gave the hand of his daughter, and permission to build the city of Massilia or Marseilles. Its site alone proves that it was founded by a maritime people. The Greek colony in process of time found it neces- sary to call in the Romans to their aid against the neighbouring Gauls, and were soon obliged to submit to the dominion of those whom they had invited as allies. The date of this event is placed 123 years be- fore the Christian era. In the course of the succeeding century, it became one of the most flourishing and powerful commercial cities of the west. Marseilles or Massilia wished to remain neutral in the civil war between Pompey and Caesar. The latter insisted that they should side with either party, — on their refusal and resistance, overcame them in two naval engagements, — took their city after a siege which may be termed memorable, — and made the most generous use of his victory. Cicero, Pliny, Tacitus, and Strabo, bear testimony to its wealth, power, and high state of civilisation and morals. The academy of Massilia rivalled that of Athens, and obtained it the title of " Magistra Studiorum." Tacitus calls it " a school of morals and science ;" and Cicero, who of all men was the most competent to decide, says that Greece herself must give precedence to Massilia: — this, however, it should be observed, is in an oratorical movement,. whilst pleading for a friend. The ancient grandeur of Marseilles, MARSEILLES. 269 thus conclusively attested, has almost wholly disappeared in the successive ravages of barbarians after the disso- lution of the Roman empire. The total disappearance of all remains of the Greeks and Romans, with the excep- tion of the few statues, urns, medals, and other smaller monuments, occasionally discovered, could hardly be conceived, if it were not the known policy of these barbarians to destroy every trace of their civilised prede- cessors. Successively ravaged by Franks, Visigoths,'and the Moorish conquerors of Spain, it was at last wholly destroyed by the Saracens, — but became re-established in less than half a century, — and existed as a free city in the year 1226. Charles of Anjou now subjugated it. The new sects and religious tumults and persecutions which preceded the Reformation, and those which at- tended or followed in its train, communicated themselves to .Marseilles, the inhabitants of which, in common with the whole south of France, are remarkable for their ardent and enthusiastic temperament. Louis XIV. deprived them of their municipal privileges, and built a citadel in the town to overawe them. They subsequently demolished it as a monument of subjugation. A dreadful plague ravaged the city in 1720. Belzunce bishop of .Mar- seilles gave on the occasion an example of the most courageous and Christian humanity, which was shared or followed by many more. The Revolution nowhere produced more enthusiasm at its commencement, or more fury as it advanced. The deputies from Marseilles to the several national assemblies were among the most courageous and eloquent of* the party of the Gironde, which resisted, in vain, the tyranny of the Jacobins. Marseilles, upon the triumph of the Jacobins, was deluged with blood by tumultuous mas- sacre and the guillotine. The victims, eight in number, in one instance approached the Bcaflbld, sinking tin- famous hymn of the Marseillois, " Allen,,, enfana dela patrie!" The last in turn of the party having sung with the utmost serenity the stanza beginning (> A nr sacr trie," turned to the Crowd and said, ■■ I 270 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. not mine an enviable lot ? I die for liberty. Live for ever the French republic !" Then taking his tricoloured cockade, " I must kiss thee/' said he, " for the last time ;" and having placed it next his heart, bowed his neck beneath the axe, and was no more. Marseilles, considered by many the finest city of France, discovers itself at the distance of a league on the land side, from the height called La Viste, in the form of a crescent encircling its port, which is yet dis- tinguishable only by the masts and flags of the ships of various nations. The approach to it, by a spacious avenue lined with trees and well-built houses detached from each other, gives promise of a splendid city. On the left a rich landscape opens, — thickly studded with country houses ; on the right is the long roadstead, crowded with ships, its sides indented with a curious and picturesque diversity, with the isles of If, Pomegues, and Ratoneau; and, in the distance, the Mediterran- ean sea. Marseilles is composed of the old and new towns ; the latter forming two thirds of the whole, elegantly built, and several houses bearing marks of the chisel of the celebrated sculptor Puget. There is an academy, library, museum, garden of plants, and an observatory, built by the Jesuits in the last century. This is one of the most interesting establishments of the town. The style of structure is simple, and the situation admirable, — commanding the port with its forest of masts and rigging, the boundless sea, and the country like one cultivated garden or ornamental land- scape, over which are spread the beautiful country houses called hastides. The most distinguished edifice is the Hotel de Ville, or town hall, built by Puget ; its facade ornamented with bas-reliefs, white mar- ble and the arms of France surmounted once more by the royal crown, after having been displaced by the cap of liberty, which gave way in its turn to the crown imperial. The sculptured escutcheon of France is considered a chef d'oeuvre, and is said to have ex- cited the admiration of Bernini on his first arrival in MARSEILLES. 271 France. The Lazaretto appears a vast enclosure on the coast, north-west, and only a short distance from the town. The aspect of the port from the top of the hill which joins the new boulevards, formerly called " Mon- tagne Bonaparte," is one of the most picturesque that can be imagined ; presenting the costumes of every nation, — Turks, Greeks, Jews, Dutch, English, Russian — merchants, sailors, porters, moving and mingling with prodigious activity. When approached very near, how- ever, much of the enchantment vanishes, from the brutality of the sailors and porters, the fumes of brandy and to- bacco, and sometimes the still more offensive exhalations of the port, which is protected from the winds, and consequently stagnant. These exhalations do not, how- ever, it appears, affect the public health, or even offend the sense of those who are habituated to them. A sin- gular phenomenon occurred in the beginning of 181 J : — the waters suddenly retreated from the port, leaving the vessels stranded in the dark, muddy, and fetid bottom, — a fearful spectacle. The inhabitants looked on in con- sternation, which became still more dreadful when, after the lapse of half an hour, the waves returned with a furious roaring, dashed against the quays, threatened to inundate the town, and then resumed their usual limits and tranquillity, leaving all the ships uninjured and afloat. The Exchange is not striking as a building, but pre- sents a scene of remarkable activity and curious grouping. It opens and closes, at the striking of the clock, by beat of drum. The arsenal is admired, but rather from the want of comparison with edifices of a high order. The fish-market hall, built by Puget, anil a new market- house, with a handsome Tuscan colonnade, strike the spectator more agreeably. The cathedral church, sup- posed tlie oldest in France, has little else to distinguish it. The theatre, facing a new and beautiful street, is one of the best built in France. The streets and places in the new town arc well designed, Bpacious, and elegantly built, with flagged footpaths, — a distinction in France, 272 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. — at least in the provinces. The line of building from the gate of Aix, by which Marseilles is entered by the Paris road through the town, to the rue de Rome, by which it is entered from the opposite or Italian road, has both grandeur and beauty. The " courses," forming the intermediate parts of this line within the town, present a remarkable and picturesque coup-d'ceil on Sundays, — when it would seem as if Marseilles disgorged its whole population into them. The favourite excursion by water is to the chateau dTf, a castle and prison on a small island at the mouth of the harbour, which had amongst its prisoners Mirabeau, before the Revolution, and, after it, the duke of Orleans (Egalite) and his younger son. This castle, in the centre of the harbour, on the central and largest of the three islets, defends the harbour by its batteries. The commerce of Marseilles, essentially maritime, em- braces the southern coast of France, the Levant, the coasts of Italy, Spain, Africa, the ports of the Mediter- ranean and Atlantic, the French settlements in the West and East Indies. It has undergone extraordinary fluc- tuations, and is much reduced by the English settlements in the Mediterranean. Its manufactures are chiefly tobacco, printed goods, hats, glass, porcelain, china, soap, coral, &c. The common people preserve in their physiognomy and manners no trace of their Grecian or Roman origin or antique civilisation : they are harsh-looking, impe- tuous, and rude; but brave, frank, and kind. This discord between the manners of the people and the mildness and beauty of the climate and the country is ascribed by some philosophical observers to the " mis- tral," a parching cold north-east wind, which blows with great violence and the most painful effects upon the skin and nerves. When this wind does not blow, the winter is as mild as spring elsewhere. Marseilles is also infested with gnats, which are found into- lerable by strangers at night, without mosquito curtains. The inhabitants, however, seem either insensible to or TOULOUSE. 273 spared by them. The scorpion is found there, but very rarely. Ancient Marseilles or Massilia gave birth to Pitheas and Eutimenes, astronomical navigators in the time of Alexander ; the physicians Demosthenes and Crinias — the former cited by Galen, the latter by Pliny. Modern Marsedles has produced D'Urfe, author of the once celebrated romance of " Astrea," in the sixteenth century; father Plunder, a botanist, in the seventeenth; Puget, the celebrated sculptor, architect, and painter already named; the preacher Mascaron (not Massillon, as we have some- times read) ; the grammarian Dumarsais ; the mediocre poet Dulart; the eloquent demagogues Buzot and Bar- baroux, who distinguished themselves in the Revolution, and perished in it. Marseilles is distant from Paris 205^ leagues by Lyons, Avignon, and Aix ; 209 leagues by Lyons, Grenoble, and Gap. TOULOUSE. Lat. 43° 38' N. Lon. 1° 25' E. Population 54,000. Toulouse lies in a gently inclined plain on the right bank of the Garonne, between that river and the canal of Languedoc, or of the South, — an archiepiscopal see, and the chief town of the department of the Garonne. It is so ancient, that its origin is involved in impene- trable obscurity. This distinction, however, is to be observed, — that it attained the rank and magnitude of a capital as a Gallic city, whilst the other great towns of the south of France were indebted for their grandeur, if not their foundation, to Greeks or Romans. The learned and sagacious I>'.\nville is of opinion that it must have flourished long before the Roman authors who lirsi men- tioned it, — particularly ( asar and Strain. ; BO long even as the invasion of Greece by Brenmu. It is called bj VOL I. X 2 ~4 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. Csesar, Tolosa; by Justin, Tolosa antiqua Tectosagum patria — (ancient country, or rather capital, of the Tectosages) ; and by Martial, Tolosa Palladia, in refer- ence, it is conjectured, to the presiding goddess of the arts. A succinct and more than sufficient sketch of its early history is given, where it would hardly be looked for, in the Travels of the Russian count Orloff. It appears to have passed by cession or conquest from the emperor Honorius to the Visigoths, who made it the capital of their new kingdom ; which it continued to be until their last king, Alaric, was conquered and slain by Clovis in the year 507, and the Visigoth kingdom in- corporated with that of the Franks. Charlemagne erected it once more into a capital of the kingdom of Aquitaine, in favour of his son Louis le Debonnaire, from whom it passed under the dominion of hereditary counts until Philip the Hardy reunited it with the king- dom of France. It. was frequently ravaged or besieged during these vicissitudes by Visigoths, Franks, Saracens, Normans, and the famous count de Montfort. The reli- gious troubles of the Albigenses led to the establishment of the inquisition at Toulouse, — the only French town which received that terrible institution. Under its in- fluence, or from congenial fanaticism, Toulouse stained its annals with some of the most inhuman atrocities in the history of religious fury, not only during the troubles of the Reformation and the League, but in the latter half of the last century. The protestant Jean Calas, a kind father, and a most tolerant and enlightened Christian, was broken on the wheel by an intemperate magistrate and infuriate rabble, as the fanatic parricide of his son, who had renounced protestantism: but his innocence was established, and he was posthumously reinstated in a manner highly honourable to the enlightened majority of the French nation, the councils of Louis XV., and that prince himself. Toulouse had its share of the atrocities of the Revolution ; and disgraced itself after the restor- ation of the Bourbons and of peace., by the assassination TOVLOVSE. 275 of general Ramel. The spirit of the inquisition and the league is that of Toulouse : gay, careless, artful, and fanatical, they are more savage in their cruelty than the rude, frank, and impetuous Marseillois. The inhabitants of Toulouse were long strangers to foreign or regular ■war, until the gallantly fought battle in its plains be- tween the duke of Wellington and marshal Soult, with- in their view, in 1814. The scene of several successive charges by sir Thomas Picton, at the embouchure of the river and canal, and the monument of colonel Forbes, of the 45th, are pointed to as curiosities. Geographers and tourists have given very conflicting descriptions of Toulouse. That of M. Yaysse, in his descriptive Itinerary, seems to us the most moderate and faithful. There are no monuments of its ancient gran- deur ; the town, on the whole, is ill constructed and dismal, and there is but one good square, still unfinished. The Hotel de Ville, called "the Capitol," is less curious for its exterior than for the hall of " illustrious" Toulousians (.mile des illustres) which it contains, of whom about forty are modelled in terracotta. Among them are Cujaciusor Cujas, the great oracle of French jurisprudence ; Gui de Faur, lord of Pibrac, chancellor and poet to Charles IX. ; Guillaume de Nogaret, chancellor and general in chief un- der Philip the Fair ; three poets — Pierre Godolin (who wrote in theGascon Patois, if he wrote at all, and of whom the "Guide toToulouse" says, in the true Gascon style, that " when he sang Henry 1 V. it seemed Homer celebrating Achilles"), Maynard and Campistron; Fermat, the friend and rival of Descartes ; the friar Maignan, also learned in mathematics and physics ; Ferrier, who assisted at the council of Trent; Jean de Pins, the frien 1 of Eras- mus j Pope Benedict XII.J "IJachelier, a sculptor, pupil of Michael Angelo ; the president Duranti, who fell a victim to his fidelity during the League; Clemence Isaure, the founder of" the academy of the flora] frames, which bestows a golden flower as a prize to tbx poem, — suppressed or forgotten during the Revolution, revived by. Bonaparte, — and more productive <>' idle 1 : 27^' CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. trifling than good verses. We pass over the ho^t of " il- lustrious obscure," and will only add that the ex-mini- ster Villele, and the poets Baour-Lormian and Saumet are Toulousians, whom niches await in the salle des illustres after the period of eligibility, fifty years from their death, shall have elapsed. Toulouse, inferior in other respects, is decidedly the capital of arts, literature, and science, in the south of France. It possesses abundantly the establishments and accessaries requisite for all liberal pursuits : an academy; a special school of painting, sculpture, and architecture; two libraries; a cabinet of natural philosophy; schools of medicine, law, botany, and music ; an observatory, and a theatre. The museum in the church of the Augustines con- tains some curious antiquities, to which a considerable addition has been made since the restoration. It is entered by a cloister, which contains a remarkable an- tique tomb adorned with foliage anil branches. The site of the altar is occupied by columns and statues, and the walls are lined with pictures. Along the middle of the " hall," as it is called, runs a table, upon which are ranged various objects of art ; the most remarkable of which are an antique torso (marble), and the wheels of an antique chariot in bronze. A recent work con- tains the following note, communicated to the author by M. de Monthel, minister of state, and formerly mayor of Toulouse : — " The cloister of the museum contains the rich pro- duce of the excavations made in 1827 near the town of Martres. Within a narrow compass were found, from four to five feet below the surface, sixty busts of empe- rors and empresses in Italian marble, a statue of Jupiter. Serapis, several fragments of the labours of Hercules in bas-relief, a great number of Corinthian capitals, friezes, and other ornaments in a fine style. In the midst of these monuments, so remarkable for their number and execution, may be distinguished a head of Venus, in Greek marble, which may vie with the most precious TOULOUSE. 277 antique in style and form. Several morceaux of sculp- ture in rude outline, and in marble of the Pyrenees, prove that the artists of the time took advantage of the resources of the country. Mosaic pavements of fine work- manship and extending far, the traces of habitations, public edifices, and a vast hypocaust, have suddenly dis- closed the existence of a flourishing city, the history and even name of which have been effaced from the memory of men." One of the most beautiful modern works in Toulouse is a marble monumental fountain, supported by three bronze female figures, in the centre of a large stone vase. The church of the Inquisition is curious only for its associations, and the cell of St. Dominick. The archiepiscopal palace, converted into the prefecture of police, is, next to the Hotel de Ville, the largest and most imposing structure. The metropolitan church is unfinished, and somewhat fantastical in its style, but contains some curious monuments and statues. The new Palace of Justice, in which are held the sittings of the superior court, is a handsome and well arranged building. But of the recent structures, the most beau- tiful as well as useful is the bridge at the junction of the two canals, with its sculptured decorations. The water-works (chateau-d'eau), which supply the hundred fountains of Toulouse by hydraulic machinery, and the mill of Basacle, in which twenty pairs of millstones con- stantly work without noise, are also objects of use and curiosity. The situation of Toulouse is well fitted for its com- mercial purpose,— that of a great entrepot between the two opposite regions of France. Its population is 6*0,000, of whom 2000 are calculated to be students of the several schools. The distance from Paris is 181 leagues, by Orleans, Cahors, and Montauban ; 183£ by Clermont, Rodez, and Alby. t 3 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. BORDEAUX. Lat. 44° 50" \. Lon. 0° 40' W. Population 94,000. The city of Bordeaux, an episcopal see, and chief town of the department of the Gironde, lies on the left bank of the Garonne, in a semicircular or oval form, corre- sponding with the curve of the river which constitutes its port. The date of its foundation, like those of many other cities, is lost in the distance of time. It is men- tioned by Strabo and some of the Augustine historians. The etymology of its Latin name, Burdigala, is doubt- ful, and throws no light upon its founders. Under Au- gustus it was regarded as a great city, and was further aggrandised and embellished by him. Adrian made it the metropolis of the second Aquitaine. In the third century it became an episcopal see, and in the fourth was distinguished for the cultivation of arts and letters. The Roman dominion gave way to barbarism and the Visi- goths, who were themselves soon driven out by the still more barbarous Clovis and his Franks. Henceforth it was an integral part of France, and capital of Guienne, with the exception of the periods during which it was under English dominion. The Saracens ravaged it in the eighth century, and the Normans in the tenth. The long and violent rather than sanguinary contests between the French and English, for the inheritance of BORDEAUX. 279 Eleanor of Guienne, bore directly upon Bordeaux, the capital, which, alternately French and English, and more indebted to the latter, retained for them a strong partiality for which itwas severely mulcted by Charles VII. in 1451. From that period it has continued an integral part of the kingdom of France, partaking, but in a less degree than other cities, the troubles of the Reformation, the League, the Fronde (during the regency of Anne of Austria), and the Revolution. Bordeaux sent to the national assemblies several of the most eloquent and virtuous men of the po- pular party, called " Girondists," from the department of which it is the chief town. Deprived almost wholly of its foreign commerce by the wars and decrees of Bonaparte, it was the first place to open its gates to the Bourbons. The most striking objects upon approaching Bor- deaux are the port and the stupendous bridge, projected and partly executed by Bonaparte, over the Garonne, an arm of the sea rather than a river. The practica- bility of such a bridge was long doubted, from the breadth of the river — nearly a quarter of a league — and the violence of the current. The port should be viewed from La Bastide, a village opposite Bordeaux, on the right bank : it then presents its magnificent curve round the corresponding segment of the river ; its fa- cade, uniform and noble ; the quays, crowded and ani- mated ; and the river, covered with vessels, generally in a state of gentle movement, heaving with the waves. The town is semicircular ; but the port is an elliptic curve, near two leagues in diameter between its extre- mities. Bordeaux, like so many other cities, is divided into the old and new town, on the right and left. The " course" or avenue of Tourny, leading to the faux- bourg de Chartrons, is remarkably beautiful. The theatre, in the rue de Chapeau-rouge, is a noble build- ing, surpassing in its exterior, but not interior, most other theatres of Europe. Its peristyle consists of twelve Corinthian columns surmounted by a balustrade, with a statue to each column. The vestibule is majestic and ornamented, having a double staircase lighted from a t 4 280 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. cupola. The exchange, at the extremity of this street, is a vast and imposing structure, with interior arcades round the walls ; the central space covered in, and lighted from the top ; and a grand door opening into the Place Roy ale, one of the handsomest squares of Bor- deaux, and deficient only in extent. This place merits particular description : its form is that of a horseshoe, opening upon the river, with a fine quay between. It is lined by the exchange and the custom-house, with corresponding fronts; all the facades richly ornamented, and bearing allegorical figures in relief. The cathedral i^ the principal Gothic edifice of Bordeaux, but by no means of France, as some have described it. It is remarkable chiefly for the two bold, light, and lofty spires which rise above the portal. The English built it, in part at least, during their occupa- tion of Guienne. There are three other large Gothic churches, — those of St. Michael, Ste. Croix, and St. Su- rin, — which contain some good pictures. The ancient Roman remains called the " Palais Gallien," without any good reason for the name, have nearly disappeared, to make way for modern elegance and avarice. The Roman remains, called the " Palais de Tutele" gave way to the chateau de Trompette ; which, in its turn, has recently made room for new and beautiful edifices, and the spacious Place de Louis XVI. It was in the chateau de Trompette that general Clausel held out so long against the Bourbons. This was probably the main cause of its demolition upon their re-establish- ment. It is well supplied by the place, new streets, and market, which occupy its site, but which will take some time to be finished. Count Lynch, mayor of Bourdeaux at the fall of Bonaparte, and chiefly instrumental in opening its gates to the Bourbons, erected in this quarter a small museum, in which are preserved all the antiqui- ties discovered in or about Bordeaux : they are scanty. The house of Montaigne still exists as a curiosity in the street bearing his name, and his monument in a church in the same street. The communications open to Bordeaux by the At- BORDEAUX. 281 lantic with the north, America, and the Indies, and by the canal of Languedoc with the south and the Levant, afford to it the greatest facilities for maritime commerce. It, accordingly, has an extensive and the most various trade of any port, in every species of produce and manufacture. But the difference of peace and war, especially war between England and France, is to it the difference between prosperity and ruin. Its commercial relations (it has been said) have no other limits in time of peace than those of the world ; in time of war they do not extend beyond the lighthouse at the mouth of the Gironde, except smuggling and privateering. The quay of Chartron was grass-grown during the con- tinental blockade : it is, since the peace, the most busy and crowded, especially with the export of wines. The merchants of Bordeaux are hospitable and polite; and the higher orders emulate the capital in luxury, the love of pleasure, and what is called fashion. The women are considered to come nearest to those of the capital in accomplishments, graces, and the love of amusement. It contains the same establishments as the other great towns, but not on the same scale or with the same degree of cultivation, for the purposes of knowledge and the arts ; a branch university, an academy, a library con- taining an old copy of Montaigne's Essays corrected and noted by himself, a cabinet of natural history, a museum of antiquities and painting, an observatory, but without an observer or instruments of observation. The ancient parliament of Bordeaux was distin- guished for eloquence, learning, and philosophy. — Mon- taigne, Montesquieu, and the president Dupaty, were among its ornaments. The modern bar has maintained its ancient reputation for eloquence in Ferriere, some years dead; Deseze, Laine, and Ravez — all three peers of France. In the second national or legislative assem- bly the palm of eloquence was borne away by Verniaud, inferior only to Mirabeau of all the orators of the Revo- lution, (hiarlet, Gensonne, and Ducos, who perished by suicide or the guillotine, also eloquent members of tin- national assembly and convention, were of the bar of ■»OZ CtTIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. Bordeaux. Among the other distinguished natives of Bordeaux are the two Dupatys, sons of the president ; the engraver Andrieux ; the two musical composers Garat and Rode, the former the first singer — by the way, an equivocal distinction, — the second, the first violin player — of France, — and consequently of Europe. Lais, who was the first singer at the Parisian grand opera for several years, and since the restoration, was also a Bordelese. Berquin, the author of " L'Ami des Enfans ;" the grammarian Lebel, several Jesuit controversialists, whose memory has passed away with the controversy respecting that order; and the Latin poet Ausonius, who lived in the time and in the court of Adrian, were natives of Bordeaux. The city of Bordeaux, especially the new town, is beautiful, rather as a uniform whole, than from any de- tached or single objects. There are no very striking beauties in its environs, with the exception, perhaps, of the verdant and picturesque banks of the Gironde. — The chateau of Brede is visited rather as the residence, and in some measure the creation, of Montesquieu, than for its intrinsic merits. It is situated in a plain, well wooded; a simple hexagonal budding, with a drawbridge, and approached by a long avenue of oak trees. The Tour de Cordouan, at the mouth of the Gironde, is the finest lighthouse in France. A natural phenomenon called the mascaret, observed at the mouth of the Dordogne, and in no other river of Europe, should not be passed over. When the waters of the Dordogne are low, and especiaUy in summer, a hillock of water, about the height of an ordinary house, is observed at its confluence with the Garonne. It sud- denly rises and spreads, rolls along the bank, ascends the river in all its sinuosity, with extraordinary rapidity and a fearful noise. All that comes in its way, on the bank by which it moves, yields to its fury. Trees are torn up, barges sunk, and stones are driven to the dis- tance of fifty paces ; all fly from it in consternation ; cattle even, with a strong and fierce instinct. It some- times takes the centre of the river, and changes its shape. dijon. 283 The watermen are able by their observations to discover its approach, and thus escape certain destruction. A similar phenomenon was observed by the French travel- ler Condamine in the Amazon river, and by the English Itennell in the Ganges. Its cause is known, and simple, — the tide flowing with a disproportionate quantity and impulse into the Dordogne, which is right in the direc- tion of the Gironde, whilst the course of the Garonne is angular or divergent. The impediments which the mascaret meets as it ascends the Dordogne from sand banks, the sinuosities, and the rapidity of the opposing current, all tend to increase, and it may be said to en- furiate, its force. Su^ch is its velocity, that a second must not be lost by him who would observe it. The population of Bordeaux fluctuates with its commerce between 60,000 and 100,000. From the most recent circulations, in 1828, it appears between 93,000 and y6',000. Its distance from Paris is, by Orleans and Poitiers, I55h leagues; by Tours and An- gouleme, 15-i^ leagues ; by Chateauroux and Perigueux, 153.V leagues. DIJON. Lat. '17° 19' X. I.e. n. 5° 2' E. Population •_' !,000. Dims, once the capital of Burgundy, then the scat of a parliament, and now the chief town of the department 284 CITIES AND TOWNS OF PRANCE. called " Cote d'Or," is approached from Paris by the picturesque and wild valley of Suzon. It is situated at the conflux of the river Ouche with the torrent of Suzon, at the foot of a chain of mountains and the commence- ment of the plain of Burgundy. Dijon, without suburb or boulevard, is abruptly entered by a gate in the form of a triumphal arch. This town has been somewhat overrated by Arthur Young. It has, however, an appear- ance of cleanliness, elegance, and idleness, if not opulence, which gives to it a certain air of superiority over towns of double its population. The building once called the Palace of the States of Burgundy, and also " Logis du Roi," and the prefecture of police, are the most striking public edifices. The former contains a gallery of sculpture and painting, with more copies than originals, and lends its ancient tower for the purposes of an obser- vatory. There are in it some remains of mausolea, saved from sharing the destruction of the Chartreux, de- molished in the Revolution. The cathedral church of St. Benignus is seen at a distance, and greatly admired for the great height, boldness, and lightness of its Gothic spire. This spire inclines, but whether from the effect of the wind, or the design of the architect, as in other instances, is doubtful. The church of St. Michael is distinguished by a portal, striking from its mixture of a Gothic of two different dates beneath, and a modern style above, — rather than by real grandeur or beauty. The chief entrance is surmounted by a bas-relief repre- sentation of purgatory, better executed than imagined, which does not always happen. The church of Notre Dame, formerly a cathedral, is much admired for its portico, vestibule, and interior. They, however, are curious and remarkable, rather than beautiful or grand. The church of the female orphans of St. Anne is a modern and handsome edifice, by the architect Louis. An old castle flanked by towers is all that remains of the ancient fortifications of the capital of once in- dependent Burgundy. Dijon has a school of arts, an academy of painting, a botanic garden, library, mu- GRENOBLE. 285 seum, and observatory, and a highly distinguished academy of science and literature. It is the birthplace of Bossuet, Crebillon, Piron, Rameau (the musician), Longepierre, a mediocre dramatist, author of " Medea, a tragedy," the elder Crebillon, Piron, Freret, Larcher, Guiton-Morveau, and Salmasius (Saumaise) who had the honour of being the adversary, though not the rival, of Milton. Some remains discovered in it have proved its ancient existence, and excited controversy among an- tiquaries in the last century, respecting a real or sup- posed Greek inscription upon the tomb of " Chyndonax a high-priest." The principal trade of Dijon is in wine, corn, hemp, hats, wax-candles, leather, china, and books ; and its chief manufactures are woollen, cotton, silk, muslin, vinegar, and mustard. Distance from Paris 75^ leagues. GRENOBLE. Lat. 45° 12' N. Lon. 5° 44' E. Population 23,000. Grenoble, a Gallic town of the Allobroges, called by them Cularo, changed by the emperor Gratian into Gratian- opolis, which, in process of time, became Grenoble, was the seat of a parliament before the Revolution, and is now the chief town of the department of the Isere. This river divides it into two unequal parts. It has the air of a fortified place, and is entered by a drawbridge. The town is overlooked by a height of such elevation as to command a view of Mont Blanc, and itself overlooks the rich and verdant plains of Dauphine'. The college of Grenoble contains a library, with some curious manu- scripts, and statues of the chevalier Bayard, Mably, Con- dillac, and the mechanist Vuucaiison. There is in the same building a museum of natural history and antiqui- ties. These, with schools of law, medicine, and artil- lery, a branch Lyceum, a museum, the hospital and 286* CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. arsenal, are the most prominent objects. Its principal manufactures are gloves, cheese, and ratafia. Bayard, Mably, Condillac, Vaucanson, already named, — Mounier, and Barnave, distinguished in the Revolu- tion,- — were natives of Grenoble. The environs are more interesting tban the town itself. Chateau Bayard is visited for its picturesque beauty and association with an illustrious name ; the vil- lage of Sassenages for (it has been said) its romantic site, grottoes, cascades, and — cheeses, — to which an- other motive may be added, that it is on the way to the celebrated convent called La Grande Chartreuse. The route is fatiguing, and sometimes perilous : it is conti- nually varying, and continually presenting all that is most rugged, wild, fearful, and romantic in the face of nature, — impending crags, steep precipices, cascades, and torrents, valleys of which the depth is scarce fathomed, and mountain peaks hidden in the clouds. The roaring lA GRANDE CHARTREUSE. of the torrent gradually dies away — all is silence and solitude, and on an eminence to the right appears the convent of Chartreuse, an immense mass of edifices, like a town built in a desert. Crosses and other memorials of anchorites are found traced upon the rocks along the rugged path. The chapel of St. Bruno, the founder of the convent and the order, is a quarter of a league distant, AVIGNON. 287 on a lofty rock, at the foot of which runs a clear stream from which the saint drank. Having passed the outer gate of the convent, it seems, from its two grand masses in the form of a parallelogram, the residence of a prince rather than of self-mortifying recluses. The dis- tribution of this immense convent — the kitchen, the cells, the hall, the chapel, the cemetery, — is truly curious. The furniture of a monk's cell of La Chartreuse consists of a chair, tahle, a few books, and an hour-glass : his dress a serge shirt, a wrapper of white woollen, with a hempen gircUe, his crown shaved, and his head covered with a small cowl : he sleeps upon straw, with the covering of only one blanket, and eats but one meal in 24 hours. The monks of this convent, now decayed, were once very wealthy, but still lived according to the rule, and em- ployed their wealth in public works or charity. The distance from Paris is \A6h leagues. AVIGNON. Lat. 43° 56' X. Lon. 4° 34' E. Population 3L',0OO. Avignon, a Gaulish town, a Roman colony, the conquest of barbarians, a papal residence, and principality, then incorporated with France, is the chief town of the depart- ment of Yaucluse, near the mouth of the Rhone. It is distinguished at a distance by its ramparts and those numerous bell-towers which made Rabelais call it " Yille sonante ;" but is fallen from its high estate, from its pride spiritual and temporal, to a place of industrious traffic. The town is ill-built, and has few single objects to com- mand attention, at least admiration : the grand hospital, the hotels Caumont ami Crillon, and the new theatre, are worth observing. The town hall is a Gothic edifice, in bad taste. The palace, resided in by the popes ami their legates, is turned into a barrack. The tomb of 288 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. pope John XXII. alone escaped, of all the papal monu- ments, in the Revolution. On the summit of the rock of Dons are observed this palace or barrack, with the re- mains of the tower in which the monster Jourdan, called " Coupe-tete," crowded his victims in the Revolution. He destroyed in his rage the tombs of Petrarch, Laura, the poet Alain Chartier, whom Margaret of Scotland, first wife of Louis XL, kissed as he slept in a chair, — " for the sake of the verses which his lips had uttered," — and the tomb of Crillon, called " the brave." The churches were, some destroyed, the rest stripped A their pictures and wholly dismantled. Avignon has a Lyceum, public library, and museum. Crillon, Laura, the marine painter Vernet, Vanloo, Toumefort, and Mirabeau, were born here. Avignon is distant from Paris 179 leagues, and car- ries on an active trade in various and miscellaneous arti- cles of produce and manufacture with Nimes, Marseilles, Montpelier, and other towns in the south of France. FOUNTAIN' OF VAUCLUSE. None visit Avignon without going to Vaucluse and its celebrated fountain ; and many, without this motive, would not visit Avignon at all : it is about four leagues distant, over a picturesque country. After a quarter of an hour's walk towards the village of Vaucluse, a winding and verdant valley presents itself, washed by the Sorgues, which itself seems verdant from the aquatic plants grow- ing in its bed. This is an auspicious opening to the ro- mantic fountain so celebrated in song; but all enchant- ment soon flies before the squalid misery of the inhabitants N1MES. 289 of this vale, who solicit and subsist on the charity of strangers. The ruins of an old castle on the summit of a conical rock are called the castle of Petrarch. Two bad portraits of Petrarch and Laura are shown in a house at the foot of the hill. A narrow craggy footpath up the right bank of the Sorgues, leads to the fountain, properly so called, which is at the bottom of a wide and deep cavern at the foot of a peaked rock, forming part of a semicircular impendent precipice, at which both the river and valley commence. This rampart of nature has ob- tained it the name of Vaucluse (Vallis clausa), the closed valley. The cavern discovers to the eye only a tranquil and limpid lake beneath; from this source flows the river Sorgues, which at a very short distance swells by invisible channels into a deep and limpid stream, soon becomes navigable, and discharges itself into the Rhone. It is during the winter months, when the fountain overflows the cavern, that it is really sublime. It is then that its abundance, its force, its dashing against the rocks which oppose its passage, and its cascades, produce new and powerful impressions. The academy of Avignon has caused a monument to be erected on the spot, which adds to the interest of the scene. There are some verses of Delille on the fountain of Vaucluse, which may be read even after those of Petrarch. NIMES. Lat. 43° 50' N. Lon. 4° 21' E. Population 40,000. Ni.MKs, or Nismes, called in Latin Nemausus, is the chief town of the department of Gard in the south of France. The period of its foundation, and its founders, are un- known. The question is, whether it owes its origin to the Romans, the Gauls, the Greeks of Ionia, who founded Marseilles, or to "Nemausus the son of Hercules, vol. i. v 290 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. cotemporary with king Priam." All that can be stated with certainty or advantage is, that the first existing mention of it is in Strabo ; that it owed much of its ancient greatness to Augustus; that the Vandals dispos- sessed the Romans, the Goths the Vandals; that it was suc- cessively taken and plundered by the Saracens and Franks, pillaged by the Normans, and laid waste in the persecuting expeditions against the Albigenses. It is a bishop's see, and has the usual establishments of large French towns ; a superior tribunal, college, library, theatre, museum, and school of arts. The court or palace of justice and theatre are handsome modern edifices, especially the former, which has a facade in the antique taste, of much grace and beauty. Situated in a rich valley, it is bounded by barren calcareous heights, from one of which springs a clear and beautiful stream, to water the chief promenade and cross the town. Few, however, would visit or notice Nimes as a modern town. It is ill built ; with an in- dustrious manufacturing population. But it contains, also, remains of " ancient Nimes," in such abundance and preservation as to make it most interesting. The " Maison carree " is regarded as a masterpiece of architecture ; and is in a wonderful state of preserv- ation. This modern French name is a gross misdescrip- tion of the building, which is not a house, but a public edifice; and not square, but an oblong parallelogram. The entrance is by a portico of six columns in front, and three on each side, of the Corinthian order, fluted, and elevated on a plinth. The colonnade extends along the whole front from each side of the portico. The cornice, the frieze, and the capitals, foliated with acan- thus leaves of exquisite finish and entire preservation, are perfect models of sculpture and architecture. Col- bert conceived the idea of having it removed entire to Paris ; but the artists of his day were of opinion this could not be done. Its destination lTas been the subject of doubt and controversy. A raised inscription in bronze, nailed on, having disappeared, there was no express in- dication ; but the learned Seguier, by following the N1MES. 291 courses of the nails which fastened it by the marks in the wall, discovered that the inscription must have been to the two adopted sons of Augustus, consul and consul- elect : — C. CjESARI AUGUSTI F. COS. L. C.ESARI AUGUSTI F. COS. DESIGNATO. PRINCIPIBUS JUVENTUTIS. Others pronounced it a temple raised to Plotina by Adrian. The great discoveries made in 1821 and 1822 would prove it, according to some, the sanctuary of a grand temple, which stood in the form of a colonnade around it. But, whatever its destination, it is one of the most interesting ancient remains, for the perfect beauty of execution, and its almost intact preservation. The Tour magne (great tower) is a heptagon of im- posing aspect, in the form of a pyramid, on the brow of a hill : it is a complete ruin. The Pantheon, or Temple of the Fountain, commonly called the Temple of Diana, and the fountain itself at the foot of the same hill, have the noble simplicity of the antique in its purest era. From this height, which is rendered interesting by these two monuments, may be seen the seven hills which obtained ancient Nimes the glory of being designated " altera Roma." The grandest monument, though not the most beautiful or best preserved, and that which gives the strongest idea of the genius of Rome, is the amphitheatre, inferior only to the Colosseum, and in a better state of preservation. It was built of cut stone, now broken into rude blocks of prodigious size, and bearing the dusky marks of the fire which Charles Martel set to the amphi- theatre for the purpose of dislodging the Saracens. The porticoes, columns, pilasters, and decorations, including two bulls' heads, two gladiators, and a she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, are almost untouched. To these may he added,, the ancient gates of Ca?sar and of France; die baths, mosaic pavements, various fragments of statues and architectural decorations; and other objects, espe- cially urns, inscriptions, and coins, discovered entire, v 2 292 CITIES AND TOWNS OF FRANCE. The chief manufactures and produce of Nimes are — the former, silk ; the latter, wine, brandy, corn, and dyeing ingredients. Among the ancients to whom it gave birth are the consul Fulvius, father of Antonine the Pious, the rheto- rician Domitius Afer, who taught Quintilian, and acted as an informer in the courts of Tiberius and Caligula. Among the moderns, Nicot the physician, who first intro- duced tobacco, from Portugal, into France ; the learned professor of Greek, Cotelier ; Saurin the celebrated pro- testant preacher ; the naturalist Bourguet ; Paulian the Jesuit, learned in physics; Seguier, who died in 1784; the poet Imbert, in 1 790 ; and Rabaud de Saint Etienne, known for his eloquence in the first national assembly, and his death on the scaffold. PONT DU CARD. The Pont du Gard, one of the most stupendous mo- numents remaining of the genius of ancient Rome, is about seven leagues from Nimes, nearly on the Paris route. The grandeur of this edifice vanishes in descrip- tion and detail. The best idea of it is given by Rousseau, who yet but records his own sensations: — "I came," says he, " prepared to behold a monument worthy of the hands which had reared it. For the first time in my life, the reality surpassed my expectations; and it belonged only to the Romans to produce this effect. The aspect of this simple and noble work struck me the more, that it is in the midst of a desert, in which silence and soli- tude render the object more striking and admiration NIMES. 293 more lively. One asks himself, what force can have transported these enormous stones so far from any quarry, and brought together the strength of arm of thousands of men, where there is not one man now? I went over the three stories of this superb edifice with a sentiment of respect which made me almost fear to tread it : the echoes of my footsteps beneath its immense vaults seemed as if I heard the strong voice of those mas- ters of the world who had built it." This prodigy in art was not a bridge, but an aqueduct, across the river Gardon, composed of three several bridges one above the other, of which the arcades successively diminish in space and increase in number. The first bridge or range of arches is composed of six arched openings, eighty-three toises long, and ten toises two feet high ; the second range has eleven arches, of the same height as that beneath, but 133 toises two feet in length; the third range consists of thirty-five arches or arcades, on a scale smaller by five to one ; and this was the canal or aqueduct, four feet in height, five feet in breadth, its side-walls or parapets two feet six inches thick, its sides incrusted with a layer of cement three inches thick, and a coat of red paint over, and its bed of mixed pebbles, sand, and lime, eight inches thick, as new as if it were the work of the last age : the whole joined two lofty heights, and carried the waters of the Uzes to ancient Nimes. Nimes is distant from Paris 86 leagues. u 3 294 SPAIN. MADRID. Lat. 40° 25' N. Lon. 3° 40' W. Population 200,000. Madrid, the capital of Spain, is situated on an uneven tract of ground, in the kingdom of New Castile, on a small stream called the Manzanares, which in the sum- mer months is nearly dry. Its site is more elevated than that of any other capital in Europe, being 2200 feet above the level of the sea. It was originally a castle or strong place belonging to the kings of Castile, and was sacked by the Moors in 1 1 09- Houses were gra- dually built around this royal seat ; and its position in the centre of the Spanish territory was probably the chief inducement to constitute it the capital of the monarchy in the meridian of its prosperity and gran- deur under the emperor Charles V. ; but the court was not permanently fixed here until 1563, in the com- mencement of the re'gn of his son, Philip II. Being comparatively, therefore, of modern origin, Madrid fails to excite that interest which other cities of Spain inspire by their antiquities, whether Roman, Gothic, or Moor- ish. An interest of another kind, however, attaches to it, which can never subside while the Spanish dramas and romances retain their charm, and while the Adven- MADRID. 295 tures of Gil Bias, anil the lively view of Spanish so- ciety which they exhibit, are remembered. The city, an irregular quadrangle of an oblong form, is sur- rounded by a wall ; its circumference is about six miles. The neighbouring country consists of low sterile hills, and appears more thinly peopled than it really is. The houses are principally in the substantial and heavy style of architecture peculiar to the age of Charles V. ; some of them, however, are in better taste. The want of cleanliness, formerly so offensive to strangers, is no longer a subject of complaint, so far as the police is concerned. The town is lighted and paved. The streets are bordered with narrow footpaths, inconvenient to the pedestrian from the nature of the pebbles which form the pave- ment. In their domestic arrangements, the Spaniards here, as elsewhere, are too lazy to be clean ; but an Englishman who, for this reason, is disgusted with their cookery, may console himself with four essential arti- cles of diet, for which Madrid is renowned ; excellent bread, delicious fruit, incomparable chocolate, and very good wine. The town is also well supplied with fine spring water by conduits from the neighbouring country, chiefly from the mountains of the Guadarrama, which is distributed to thirty-two large fountains. Of the numerous streets, the finest are the Calle de Alcala, that of San Bernardo, and the Fuencarral. With seventy- seven churches, almost as many monasteries, and a proportionate number of hospitals, Madrid may chal- lenge pre-eminence, even in Spain, for religious and charitable institutions. Among the public edifices per- taining to the state, are distinguished the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) on the west of the city, and the palace of the Buen Retiro on the east. The Palacio Real, having been consumed by fire in 1734, was rebuilt in a substantial manner, with vaulted rooms, fire-proof. It is of a square form ; the walls, 86 feet in height, ex- tending on each side 404 feet, and inclosing a court 120 feel Mjuare. The hall of audience for foreign am- bassadors i^- particularly admired. Of the Buen Hetiro, v 4 296 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. the oldest part, built by Philip IV., is also of a qua- drangular form ; but additions have been subsequently made without regard to the original design. In the principal garden is an equestrian statue of Philip II. in bronze. A foreigner may recognise in the style of both these palaces some analogy to the characteristic pride of the nation and its kings. The etiquette of the Spanish court made three distinctions among the grandes, or, as they are commonly called in English, the grandees. Some of them the king commanded to be covered before they had spoken to him ; these were grandes of the first class : others received the royal command to be covered after they had spoken, and before the answer was given ; these were of the second class : others, again, received the command to be covered after the king had given his answer ; these were grandes of the third class. But the king did, and perhaps still does, exercise the right of addressing the words, " thou" and " thy wife," to a noble of the highest rank; and this, too, in the sternest tone of a master. The mansions of the nobility, with a few exceptions, are scarcely distinguishable from those of private citizens, otherwise than by their magnitude : the chief expense was bestowed on the interior ; and, at least before the usurpation of Bonaparte, many of them were enriched with valuable collections of paintings. For airiness and elegance they cannot be compared with the town resi- dences of the English nobility. Forty-two squares are enumerated in Madrid, but many of them are so small that they might aptly be called courts : the principal are, the great square or Plaza Mayor, situated in the centre of the city ; and the Puerta del Sol, an open space, to which converge five of the largest streets, and where the loungers of every class congregate. The Plaza Mayor is surrounded by porticoes with freestone pillars ; the houses are of five stories, with balconies before each window. This is the great quarter for shop- keepers, and one of the busiest and most stirring places of resort in the city. In the middle of one of the sides MADRID. 297 of the quadrangle is the palace de la Panaderia, whither the royal family occasionally repair, to be present at bull-fights and other national amusements. The most celebrated promenade of Madrid is the Prado, consist- ing of several alleys of trees, and adorned with fountains. It extends about a mile and a half, partly along the east, and partly on the north side of the city. The concourse of people is sometimes very great ; but as the carriages keep the middle avenue, while the pedestrians frequent the alleys on each side, the scene appears, even to a Londoner, more tiresome and dull than the even- paced routine of the parks, though the Spaniards have more volubility and energy of speech than the English. In the environs of Madrid are other agreeable public walks, as the Florida and the Delicias, but these are rather too distant to be frequented by a people so con- stitutionally indolent. In Madrid are the principal offices belonging to the Spanish government ; it was also the chief seat of that once formidable tribunal, the inquisition. Its university was renewed in 1770; and it has thirteen royal acade- mies, including those of history, the sciences, the fine arts, jurisprudence, medicine, and mineralogy. To the academy for the Spanish language literature is indebted for a dictionary on the plan of Johnson, which has recently undergone very considerable amendments, and is still capable of much improvement. Madrid is also reputed to be the central point of the manufactures of Spain ; but those carried on there are, like its commerce, very inconsiderable ; and it has few of the characteristics of a capital, except that of being the seat of government and the occasional residence of the sovereign, — a distinc- tion which it shares with the sitios of Aranjuez, San Ildefonso, and the Escurial. It can scarcely be said to have recovered from the late war of independence, in which it took so leading a part. On the 2d of May 1 808, broke out the popular insurrection against the French under Murat, — an example which was soon followed by the whole Spanish nation, with a courage and obstinacy 298 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. peculiarly its own. The capital was for a short time held by Joseph Bonaparte; and, after the battle of Sa- lamanca, occupied by the British, until Soult retreated upon it from Andalusia with a superior force. By the battles of Vitoria and the Pyrenees, the duke of Wel- lington finally liberated the capital and the country from the usurpation of Napoleon. BARCELONA. Lat. 41° 22' N. Lon. 2° 12' W. Population 120,000. Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, was one of the prin- cipal seaports of the Mediterranean, even in the middle ages. It is situated between the rivers Besds and Llobre- gat, in a beautiful and well-cultivated plain. The town is well fortified, and has on its east side a strong citadel, which was built in 1715, with a covered way to the bat- tery of San Carlos by the sea. On the west side is the hill fort of Montjuich, which protects the harbour. The upper and lower town, with the new suburb of Barcelonetta, chiefly peopled by mariners and soldiers, contain, accord- ing to the last census, 120,032 inhabitants. The ma- nufactures are cloths, gold and silver lace, silks, cottons, and linens. The fire-arms made here are also in good repute, and, with the steel and brass works, form a con- siderable article of export. The imports are chiefly French and Italian manufactures, corn, rice, wax, steel, hemp, and flax. Large quantities of dried cod-fish from Newfoundland are also imported. The harbour is spa- cious, but difficult of entrance, and not deep enough for men-of-war ; it is defended by a large mole, at the end of which is a battery and lighthouse. There are nine parish churches, thirty-four monasteries, six hospitals, and a theatre. The see is suffragan to the archbishopric of Tarragona ; and the king of Spain, as count of Bar- SEVILLE. 299 celona, is first canon of the chapter. The academies and institutions are honourable to the public spirit of the Catalans, who are a distinct race of Spaniards. In the arsenal, the principal object of attention is the cannon foundery. The streets of the town, though nar- row, are clean and well paved : the houses are high. The environs are rendered agreeable by more than 200 gardens, and the new walk and La Rambla are delight- fully situated. SEVILLE. Lat. 37° SO' N. Lon. 6° W. Population 96,000. This city, the Hispalis of the Romans, the Medina Isbilia of the Arabs, the largest town in Spain, and the next in rank to Madrid, is situated on an open plain, on the left bank of the Guad-al-quivir, in Lower Andalusia. It is distinguished as the birthplace of the emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Theodosius. In the fifth cen- tury it was taken by Genseric king of the Vandals, after whom the south of Spain was originally called Vanda- lusia, — a name which the Arabs softened into Andalus. On the overthrow of the Gothic monarchy, after the seven days' battle of Xerea in 711, Seville was taken by the Moors, who held it for five hundred years. It was retaken by the Christians in 1247, having sustained one of the 300 CITIES AND TOWNS OP SPAIN. most obstinate sieges recorded in Spanish history. On the discovery and conquest of America, Seville acquired the monopoly of commerce with the new empire ; but this advantage was gradually transferred to Cadiz, as the Guadalquivir ceased to be navigable for large vessels. Seville is the chief city of the province which bears its name, and is an archiepiscopal see. Its circumference, including the suburbs, is between five and six miles : it has twelve principal gates, a cathedral, and twenty-nine parish churches, eighty-four monasteries or convents, 13,500 houses, and 96,000 inhabitants. The streets are narrow, dark, crooked, and ill paved. The squares, which are not spacious, have most of them a fountain in the centre ; but cooler water is purchased at Stalls in various parts of the town. The houses have generally a mean aspect; as the Moors, like all other Mahometans, displayed their taste for magnificence principally in the interior of their dwellings. The ground being soft and marshy, many of the houses are built upon piles. The cathedral, an old Moorish edifice, is the largest church in Spain, and was formerly distinguished for its paintings and costly ornaments. The tower, called La Giralda, 250 feet high, is remarkable for its internal construction, which affords an easy ascent to the summit. The royal palace, called the Alcazar, formerly the residence of the Moorish kings, was but partly built by them, and was completed at a later period by Christian princes. At Seville, in 1478, the fathers of the inquisition erected their first tribunal. The amphitheatre for bull-fights (Plaza de Toros) is about 230 feet in diameter, constructed half of stone and half of wood, and is the largest in Spain. These national spectacles, which so much resemble the gladiatorial exhibitions in Rome, must have tended to foster among the Spaniards that delight in butchery which has too often stained their successes in arms. The latent ferocity from which it springs has been ascribed to the mixture of Moorish with Vandal blood, especially in the population of the south of Spain ; and when Na- poleon, during his Russian campaign, was informed of the SEVILLE. 301 cruelties inflicted by the Spaniards on their French prisoners, (they buried them chin-deep, and bowled at their heads with cannon balls,) he showed little surprise, but said, " Spain is Africa, as Russia is Asia." The public walks are agreeable, especially the Ala- meda, which has four alleys and six fountains. A most extensive prospect is obtained at the convent of Buena Vista, on the opposite side of the river : whence, in this clear atmosphere, may be seen the mountains of Ronda, seventy miles to the eastward; and in the north- west, at the same distance, those of the Sierra Morena. The Spaniards, with greater force of character, have not the ease and gaiety of the French ; but the lathes of Seville are admired even in Andalusia for their beauty, grace, and vivacity, — qualities which make ample amends for the saturnine gravity of their countrymen. Seville retains some traces of its commercial import- ance. One of its most conspicuous edifices is that which was erected in 1757 for the royal monopoly of tobacco. Here are manufactured the cigars, tobacco, and snufF, consumed throughout Spain : the number of men employed is from 1500 to 2000; and there are thirty mills, worked, in relays, by 190 horses. The Exchange, La Lonza, is the finest building in the city, of the Tuscan order of architecture, and situated in the centre of a square. It is no longer the resort of mer- chants, but is shut up, and occupied as a repository for the early state papers and correspondence relative to America. The university of Seville was founded in 1 502, but it has attained no celebrity ; the other public institutions are, the royal nautical school of St. Elmo, an academy of sciences, a mint, a treasury, and a high court of judicature (real audiencia) immediately sub- ject to the Council of Castile. The silk manufacture, though not so flourishing as formerly, still employs 2300 looms. There is a cannon foundery in the large suburb, the Triana, situated beyond the Guadalquivir, and communicating with the city by a bridge. This sub- urb, called Atrayana by the Moors, derives its name 302 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. from Trajan. The classic name of the river, Betis, has been superseded by the Arabic appellation Guad-al- quivir, which simply means the great river, as Guad- al-aviar means the white river, and Guad-al-axara the river of stones. The decline of the trade of Seville may be dated from the period when the accumulation of sand in the bed of the Guadalquivir rendered its navigation impracticable for large vessels ; but the city must ever hold a high rank in Spain, as a place of ancient renown, and as the residence of the nobility and gentry of An- dalusia. Among the principal Roman antiquities in its vicinity are the ruins of an amphitheatre, and those of a city, Italica, which was built by Scipio for the ac- commodation of his wounded soldiers. During the late war, Seville was occupied by the French from the beginning of 1810 until August, 1812, when lord Wellington's victory at Salamanca compelled them to raise the siege of Cadiz, and evacuate the south of Spain. It probably suffered in full proportion to its wealth, from the systematic pillage of the French marshals. GRANADA. Lat. 37° 15' N. Lon. 3° 35' W. Population 68,300. Granada, the capital of the kingdom of that name, is situated near the confluence of the Xenil and the Darro, at the foot of the highest mountain in the Peninsula, the Sierra Nevada, and on the verge of that fertile district called the Vega de Granada. Notwithstanding its vicinity to the snow-clad Alpujarras, the winters are mild in Granada, and the climate is healthy and agreeable. The number of houses is 12,000, and the population, accord- ing to the last census, was 68,295. In commerce and splendour the city has much declined, notwithstanding the fertility of its territory. It rose to its highest GRANADA. 303 prosperity under the Moors, by whom it was occupied soon after their first invasion of Spain in 711 : it be- came a royal residence in 1013; during two centuries retained that distinction ; and was not finally surrendered to the Spaniards until 1492. Of its magnificent edifices, the most notable are the palace of the Alhambra and the Generalife, or pleasure-house and garden of the Moorish kings. The Alhambra, with its thirty towers, alone occupies the space of a town, and is situated on a hill, fronting that called the Alcanaza, and separated from it by the rapid Darro. The ascent to the Alhambra is through groves of poplars and orange-trees, with foun- tains by the road side. The outer walls inclose a large area, surrounding the inner walls ; and a number of tanks or cisterns occupy the space between these and the Moorish palace, — a congeries of buildings chieflyremark- ^bk* ^At^r^sesi lA^*;$itft- THE ALHAMBRA. able for their interior decorations. The chambers are all paved with marble, and ornamented with marble pillars, sustaining arches of pure Arabic form : they are adorned with stucco, and with a species of porcelain which freshly retains its gilding after a lapse of five centuries. The Court of the Lions, so called from the sculptures which adorn its fountain, has no fewer than 158 marble pillars. 304 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. THE HALL OF THE ABEXCERRAc;ES. The hall of the Abencerrages is so called from the mas- sacre of that illustri- ous tribe, said to have been here perpetrated by Boabdil the last king of Granada. They were the ob- jects of envy to the Zegris and the Go- meles, by whom they were falsely accused of treason to the king ; and one of them was charged with illicit intercourse with the queen. In conse- quence of this charge, the monarch beheaded eighty-six of the Abencerrages (or, according to some statements, thirty-five) in one day. The sultana committed her defence to four Chris- tian knights, her champions, who each overcame the ac- cuser with whom he fought, and vindicated both her character and that of the noble family which had been slaughtered. The common people fancy that in the alabaster bason, which is in the centre of the apartment, they can discern traces of the blood of those brave men ; but the unanimous opinion of enlightened travellers is, that these ensanguined stains are nothing more than the effects of time and exposure to the air. This hall appears to have been a central saloon, com- municating with the other apartments of the palace. Every possible variety of combination which could be devised by ingenuity, was employed to decorate the wall and ceiling, and the style of execution is the most ex- quisite that can be conceived. The lines regularly cross each other in a thousand forms, and after manifold wind- ings return to the spot whence they begin. GRANADA. 305 The ceiling is equally extraordinary and worthy of admiration : it represents a series of grottoes, from which depend stalactites, painted of various colours. MOSAIC TAVEMFNT. The Golden Saloon, so termed by the Arabs from the profusion of gold ornaments which it contained, was appropriated to the reception of ambassadors, from which circumstance the Spaniards have designated it La Sala de los Embaxadores. It is situated in the lofty tower called the Comaresh ; is 36 feet square, and 6l feet 4 inches high, from the floor to the highest part of the ceiling. The walls are, on three sides, fifteen inches thick, and on the fourth side nine. The lower range of windows is thirteen feet in height. The grand entrance to this noble hall is through an arched doorway, ad- mirably finished, and embellished with flowers and ara- besques in stucco: they were blue and gold, but the gilding is now almost entirely effaced. Over the prin- YOL. i. x 306 CITIKS AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. cipal door is an Arabic inscription, which appears to have been executed in a style corresponding to the rest of the edifice : it is taken, with the exception of its con- cluding sentence, from the Koran. On entering the Hall of Ambassadors, the beholder is lost in astonishment at the exquisite taste and elegance of execution which characterise every part of it ; and if thus superb, even in its present deserted state, observes Mr. Murphy how resplendent must this golden saloon have been when the sovereign, arrayed in all the pomp of orienta magnificence, assembled his brilliant court to give au dience to the representatives of neighbouring mon archs ! The whole floor is inlaid with mosaic. The same kind of ornament, but of different patterns, covers every part of the walls, interspersed with flowers and Arabic inscriptions, executed hi porcelain, with exquisite taste, so as to unite and harmonise exactly with the stucco ornaments that every where abound. The most remarkable part of the Alhambra, for exterior beauty, is the palace begun by the emperor Charles V. in 1537, when he had hoped to fix his court at Granada : it is a square building, each front being 220 feet in length ; and, though it is roofless, so mild is the climate, that the marble staircases ap- pear as fresh as if they were but just completed. Fine as the prospect is from the Alhambra, a still finer is enjoyed from the Generalife on the opposite hill, which was the residence of the court during the heats of summer. The rooms are all floored with marble, and have streams of pure water running through them ; a luxury which the Spaniards of Granada, in imitation of their Moorish ancestors, are fond of introducing into their houses. Most of these have fountains in the inner courts, with awnings around them, where the inhabitants in hot weather take their repasts and receive visits. Granada is an archiepiscopal see : it has an university, now dwindled into insignificance; forty-one convents, various churches, thirteen hospitals, many remains of ALMAXZA. 307 Moorish magnificence, and a bazar called Alcanteria. Its rich territory bears, in perfection, all the products peculiar to the south of Europe. In the stately cathedral are the tombs of Ferdinand the Catholic and his queen Isabella ; also that of the renowned -warrior Gonsalvo de Cordova. ALMANZA. Lat. 38° 50' N. Lon. 1° 2' W. Population 6000. In the district of Villena, 54 miles south-west of Va- lencia, is the small town of Almanza. In its vicinity the duke of Berwick gained a complete victory over the allies, on the 25th of April, 1707, during the war of the succession. A very different result might have been anticipated during the earlier part of the day, until Galway and Las Minas, the generals of the allies, were both dangerously wounded. Their troops, thus deprived of their leaders, fought on bravely, but without order, and without a determined object : they were attacked and defeated on all sides, and a horrible carnage en- sued. Count Dohna, with thirteen battalions, consisting of English, Dutch, and Portuguese, cut his way through the hostile ranks, and took position in the woods surrounding Candete : but famine compelled these brave men to surrender at discretion on the following day. The baggage and artillery of the allies fell into the x 2 308 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. hands of the victors ; 120 standards, belonging to the powers coalesced against Philip, were sent to Madrid, besides those of the revolted kingdoms of Catalonia, Valencia, and Aragon. The Spaniards scarcely lost 2000 men ; of the allies, 5000 were left on the field, and 12,000 were taken prisoners. Berwick, who had secured the succession to Philip by this victory, was made a grandee of Spain, with the title of duke of Liria and Xerica ; a pyramid Avas erected on the plain of Almanza to commemorate the battle, and the town was honoured with peculiar privileges. CADIZ. Lat. 3G° 30' N. Lon. 6° 25' W. Population 53,000. This town, called by the Phoenicians, who founded it, Gadir, a fence or fenced place, and by the Arabs Gezira Cades, is the richest trading port of Spain, and one of its finest cities. It stands on the western extremity of a tongue of land projecting from the isle of Leon, which on its south-east side was formerly connected with the main land by a bridge. The town is surrounded with a wall and irregular bastions, adapted to the variations of the ground. On the south side there are steep ac- clivities which render it inaccessible, and the landing- place on the north is defended by sand-banks and sunk rocks. On the south-west point is a range of rocks, partly covered at high water ; and the point of St. Se- bastian is defended by a strong fort. At the neck of the isthmus, where it is most accessible, every precau- CADIZ. 30[) tion has been taken to secure it against hostile attacks ; and it may, therefore, be regarded as almost impregnable. Its spacious bay forms an excellent haven, and is divided into two harbours communicating with each other; the one called the bay of Cadiz, the other that of Puntales. The entrance to each, as well as the town and port generally, are commanded by the forts of St. Catherine, St. Sebastian, Chiclana, Matagorda, Puntales, and Fort Luis. The bay of Cadiz is the appointed resort of merchant vessels ; that of Puntales is reserved for Spa- nish men of war, and merchantmen trading with Ame- rica ; a passage into it is not permitted to ships of foreign nations. The entrance to this inner harbour is commanded on one side by the fort of Puntales, an isle formed by the Cortadura, and on the other by the fort of Matagorda. The Trocadero is an isle formed by the bay of Cadiz and the channel leading from Matagorda to Puerto Real. These, and other advantages of nature and art, render Cadiz the most complete maritime sta- tion in Europe, while its position qualifies it as an em- porium for the commerce of both hemispheres. The city is an episcopal see, including, however, only twenty- eight parishes ; its cathedral is ancient, and very mag- nificent : there are also thirteen convents, an academy of the fine arts, a nautical and mathematical school, an excellent observatory, a naval and military asylum, a ehirurgical institute, a botanic garden, a theatre, and thirteen hospitals. Since the year 1786", Cadiz has been much enlarged and improved. In 1808, the number of houses was 8000, and that of the inhabitants, including many English and Germans, 75,000; but at the last census the population had sunk to 53,000, — a diminution in a great measure ascribable to the loss of trade with the colonies. On the isthmus, near the town, are important saltworks, and some vineyards which produce good wine. There is a considerable tunny fishery. Among the inconveniences of Cadiz, that which is most severely felt by foreigners is the want of good spring water. Each house, indeed, has its cistern; but the fresh water x 3 310 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. chiefly in request is brought in casks across the bay from Port St. Mary's. The streets are straight, and in general well paved and lighted, but in some parts nar- row. The houses, with their small windows and project- ing slate roofs, have rather a gloomy appearance, not- withstanding their whitened walls. The principal square is that of St. Antonio. A favourite luxury, during the summer heats here, is water cooled with snow brought from the distant mountains of Ronda. When Cadiz had become the centre of the commer- cial intercourse between Spain and the Indies, all the maritime nations of Europe established relations with it by means of resident consuls, agents, and correspondents. In 1795, there were 110 great commercial houses; and about the same period, or a few years previous, the im- ports amounted to 100 millions of reals, and the exports to 270 millions. In 1804, the number of vessels that entered the port was 1386. The battle of Trafalgar, in the following year, ruined the Spanish navy ; and the decline of Cadiz was accelerated by the usurpation of Bonaparte, which afforded the South American states an opportunity to declare their independence and open a direct intercourse with Europe. Few seaports can boast of higher antiquity. In the sea, near the isle of San Pedro, are still to be traced the ruins of the temple of Hercules and of the ancient Gades. The port was successively occupied by the Ty- rians, the Carthaginians, and the Romans, who preserved to it the name of Gades. The Arabs, after their inva- sion of Spain, made themselves masters of the town, and held it until 1262, when it was taken from them by the Spaniards. In 1696, it was plundered and burnt by the English, after which it was rebuilt and more strongly fortified. During the wars with England it was fre- quently blockaded, and once bombarded, but without success. From 1808, until the return of Ferdinand VII., it was the rallying point of Spanish loyalty ; and, on the advance of the French troops into Andalusia, the supreme junta adopted strenuous measures for its S^RAGOSSA. 311 defence, and obtained powerful reinforcements from Gibraltar and Portugal. The French laid siege to Cadiz on the 6th of February, 1810, and, notwithstanding a determined fire from the ships, forts, and floating bat- teries, seized several strong points along the bay, and in particular the fort of Matagorda, whence they deter- mined to bombard the city, notwithstanding its great distance ; and mortars for this purpose were cast at Seville. Some shells and grenades were thrown; but as the houses in Cadiz were strongly built of stone, no con- flagration ensued, and the damage done was but incon- siderable. The possession of the isle of Leon was the ob- ject for which the most strenuous preparations were made on both sides, as it must have decided the fate of the city. These were continued until the autumn of 1812, when the victorious progress of Lord Wellington in the centre of Spain compelled the French to depart from Andalusia, and abandon a siege which had been con- tinued and resisted with extraordinary vigour and per- tinacity. Few subsequent events occurred here of much importance. In 1 820, Riego commenced the ill-starred military revolution on the isle of Leon. In 1823, dur- ing a short blockade, the French, under the duke d'An- gouleme, carried the Trocadero. Since the return of Fer- dinand VII. to absolute power, the trade of Cadiz has been on the decline ; and, perhaps, the measure best cal- culated for its revival, though, unfortunately, that which he seems least willing to adopt, would be to recognise the independence of the South American colonies. SARAGOSSA. Lat. 41° 45' N. Lon. 0° 4C W. Population 41,500. SABAS0B8A, or Zaragoza, capital of the kingdom of Aragon, is situated in a beautiful plain bordered by the Huerba and the Gallego, on the banks of the Ebro, over which there is a magnificent stone bridge. It was rebuilt by the emperor Augustus, from whom it derives its name x 4 312 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. Ccesar Augusta, which was corrupted, by the Goths, Moors, and Spaniards, into Zaragoza. It is an arch- bishopric, and has two cathedrals. Among its public institutions are distinguished a society of economists called friends of the country, an university, two libra- ries, an hospital, a casa de misericoi'dia, and an academy of the fine arts. It has some considerable manufac- tures, particularly of cloths and silks, and its com- merce is very active. The streets are in general long and narrow ; the walks healthful and pleasant, particu- larly the Monte Torrero. The heroic defence made by the people of Zaragoza against the French, in 1808 and 1 809, had a most seasonable and decided effect in rousing the national spirit of the Spaniards, and in producing that reaction, not only in Spain but throughout Europe, which destroyed the colossal power of Bonaparte, already undermined by his alliance with the house of Austria. CORDOVA. Lat. 37° 55' N. Lon. 4° 28' W. Population 35,000. Cordova, the capital of the kingdom of that name, is situated on a slope of the Sierra Morena, and on the right bank of the Guadalquivir, over which it has a magnificent bridge of sixteen arches, built by the Moors. At what time the Romans founded the town of Colonia Patricia, called at a later period Corduba, is now un- known. In 572, it was conquered by the Goths; and, in 692, was occupied by the Moorish commander Abdal- rahman, who afterwards renounced his allegiance to the CORDOVA. 313 caliphs of Damascus, and here erected his royal residence. Thus, in the tenth century, according to the characteristic language of Gibbon, " the chair of Mahomet was dis- puted by three caliphs, or commanders of the faithful, who reigned at Bagdad, Cairoun, and Cordova; mutually excommunicated each other, and agreed only in a prin- ciple of discord, that a sectary is more odious and cri- minal than an unbeliever." Cordova, like many Spanish towns, looks best at a distance : it is amphitheatrically built on a rising ground, and is surrounded with walls and strong towers. Notwithstanding the long residence of the Moors, the town retains a few traces of its Roman origin. The streets are narrow, crooked, and dirty ; but the Plaza Mayor, or great square, is celebrated for its magnitude, its regularity, and the beauty of its sur- rounding colonnades. The remains of the Alcazar, or residence of the Moorish kings, now forms part of the archiepiscopal palace. When San Fernando took Cordova from the Moors, in 1236, the great and beautiful mosque built by Abdalrahman, admired for its 4000 columns of jasper and marble, was converted into a cathedral. This noble specimen of Arabian architecture was be- gun by Abdalrahman I. and finished by his son Hisham. Subsequent caliphs of Cordo- va enlarged the buildings as the population increased. The mosque is of a quadrangular form, ()20 feet long from north to south, and -MO feet in breadth from east to west. It was originally surrounded with four streets, to pre- vent all contact with other buildings. There remain only five of the twenty-one doors which it had when i: at cordota. perfect, and which were 314 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. covered with brass plates of most exquisite workmanship. The whole structure affords a very high and impressive criterion of the magnificent spirit and refined taste of the Spanish Arabs. After successive alterations, it was divided into four parts, marked out by clustered pillars crossing each other at right angles : three of these divi- sions were allotted to the common people and the women ; the fourth, which was the south-east angle, was allotted to the imaums and the great men. In this last division was the great kiblah or sanctuary of the Zancarron, in which the koran was deposited : its door was in front of the great gate, at the entrance of the principal aisle ; and the architecture and ornaments are very different from those employed in other parts of the edifice. All the skill and taste of the Moors appear to have been lavished upon it in the richest profusion, and they are strikingly exemplified in the elaborate illustrations of Mr. Murphy, in his Arabian Antiquities of Spain. Two rows of co- lumns, about six feet in height, rise above one another, and support the screen of this sanctuary: the columns are chiefly verd antique, or red marble veined with white; the pilasters are of red or white marble ; and the capitals are of white marble, gilt in many places. The arabesques and other ornaments of the timber-work of the roof, as well as those of the pillars, are very fine, and bear a great resemblance to the sculptures in the Alhambra at Granada. The Gate of the Sanctuary of the Koran is an as- semblage of beauties rarely to be equalled. From its resemblance to the fine specimens of Arabian architec- ture in Upper Egypt, Mr. Murphy infers that it was pro- bably executed in imitation of the palaces of Damascus and Bagdad : the gate is of white marble, delicately sculptured, and ornamented with numerous columns of precious marble. The arch itself is mosaic with a blue ground, and the decorations are superbly gilt: its intrados are gold, red, blue, and green mosaics of singular beauty. From the imperfect traces of the inscriptions that remain, it appears that the Coptic characters composing them were distinguished with equal taste and beauty. The 315 GATE OF THE SANCTUARY OF THE KORAN. whole, in its present decaying state, is superb ; " but when illuminated (especially on the last ten nights of the month Ramazan) by the massive silver chandelier which hung down from its centre, the gorgeous beauty of the Zancarron must have surpassed every thing that we can possibly conceive of splendour and magnificence." The interior of this sanctuary is an octagon, only fifteen feet in diameter, into which the light is with dif- ficulty admitted ; and the cupola is composed of a single block of marble, said to be eighteen feet in width, which is not only curious for its size and quality, but also for the ingenuity of the architect by whom it was placed in such a perfect equilibrium, as to remain unshaken during the lapse of so many ages. The Zancarron is at present a chapel dedicated to St. Peter, and formerly belonged to the dukes of Alva : it contains the tombs of several grandees of that family, and is now the property of the count de Oropesa. In the earliest times, Cordova was celebrated for the peculiarly fine leather which bean its name. Many of the houses are in decay ; and a mixture of gardens oc- 316 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. cupies a great part of the habitable space. In every part of the city are abundant fountains of very good water. At the distance of about three miles from it, according to the luminous historian of the decline and fall of the Roman empire, the third and greatest of the Abdalrahmans built, in honour of his favourite sultana, the city, palace, and gardens of Zahra, — a work which occupied twenty-five years, and on which were expended above three millions sterling. The buildings were adorned with twelve hundred columns of Spanish and African, Greek and Italian marble ; and the liberal taste of the founder employed for its completion the artists of Constantinople, the most skilful sculptors and archi- tects of the age. TOLEDO. Lat. 39° 40' N. Lon. 4° 30' W. Population 25,000. Toledo, called by the Romans Toletum, and by the Arabs Tolaitola, capital of the province of Toledo in the kingdom of New Castile, is situated about 4-0 miles S. S.W. of Madrid, on a rocky eminence girded by the Tagus. The houses are crowded, the streets narrow and steep, and the water requisite for the inhabitants is brought up from the river on the backs of asses. By its strength as a military position, it attracted notice at an early period ; and in 567 became the residence of the Gothic kings. It was taken by the Moors under Tarik in 711, and was one of the chief seats of their power. The Christians retook it in 1085, and it after- wards withstood three successive sieges by its former masters. In the height of its prosperity the number of inhabitants was estimated at 200,000; and the arms wrought here, especially the renowned sword-blades, were in request all over Europe, being reckoned inferior only to those of Damascus. The town was taken and CORUNNA. 317 burnt in 1 ±6~ , and again at a subsequent period : these calamities, and the removal of the government to Madrid, accelerated its decline. The Alcazar, the ancient resi- dence of the Moorish kings, remarkable for its massive architecture, has been converted into an hospital or workhouse : the cathedral is a Gothic structure, but served for a time as a mosque to the Moors. The churches and convents are numerous, but the population has dwindled to 25,000. The archbishop of Toledo presides over eight suffragan bishops ; he ranks as pri- mate of all Spain, and enjoys a revenue of 300,000 ducats yearly. The university has been extinct since 1808. The collection of pictures in the cathedral was formerly much admired, as was also its library, enriched with 700 rare manuscripts. In the neighbourhood are to be traced some Roman antiquities; and within the town are the remains of a beautiful theatre, which serve for a church. The manufactures, besides that of sword-blades, are principally silks, woollens, hats, leather, soap, and paper. The extensive ruins, especially on the south side of the city, which attest the former grandeur of Toledo, might well repay the laborious researches of the antiquary; but until the indolent apathy of the nation shall give place to an enlightened enthusiasm, they are likely to remain undisturbed. Under the Gothic kings, this city was the scene of important deliberations ; and the acts of the councils of Toledo are ranked by Gibbon among the most authentic records of the church and consti- tution of Spain. CORUNNA. F.J. 13° 20* N. Lon. 8° 20' W. Population 18,700. ( i.ki aw, or more properlj Coruna, the principal trading town and Beaporl of Galicia, is situated upon a 318 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. peninsula in the bay of Betanzos. Its harbour, extending in the form of a crescent, is spacious and secure. It is adorned with a fine quay, and its entrance is defended by the castles of San Martin and Santa Cruz, and by the two forts St. Amora and St. Antonio; the latter seated on an insulated rock, and serving as a state prison. It has a fine arsenal, and an old tower of remarkable height. On a hill about four miles from the town is a lighthouse, visible sixty miles at sea. Corunna is a place of great import- ance in a military and political point of view. It was the rallying point of the English army on the l6th of January, 1 809, after sir John Moore's retreat ; and the victory over marshal Soult, in which the British commander was slain, enabled his exhausted troops to reimbark without molestation, the transports from Fer- rol having fortunately arrived. The captain-general, the provincial intendant, and the real audiencia for Ga- licia, reside in Corunna. Its chief trade is in sardinas, cattle, and piece goods. There is a packet every month to the Havana, which touches also at Puerto Rico ; and another sails every two months for the Philippine Isles; a monthly interchange of packets is also maintained with Falmouth. The manufactures are very flourishing, particularly that of linen and table-cloths. SEGOVIA. Lat. 41° N. Lon. 4° W. Population 10,000. Segovia, a principal city of Old Castile, is situated at the base of the Sierra de Fuenfria, upon the river Eresma, on a rocky eminence between two deep valleys. The town is surrounded with a wall in the Moorish style, strengthened at intervals with turrets. Segovia is an episcopal see; its cathedral, partly Grecian, partly Gothic, was erected in the sixteenth century. The alcazar, which now con- tains the royal college of engineers, abounds with mosaics THE ESCURIAL, OR ESCORIAL. 31£) THE AQUEDUCT OF SEGOVIA. and other ornaments still in good preservation, which attest its pristine splendour. It contains the statues of the princes who reigned in Asturias, Leon, and Castile, from the eighth to the sixteenth century. The grand aqueduct of Trajan, the most remarkable object of anti- quity at Segovia, supported by one hundred and fifty- nine arches, begins about fifty paces from the town, extending southward, then westward, and distributes a plentiful supply of water for the use of the inhabitants. It is supported on ranges of pillars, some of which are eighty feet high. Segovia is noted for its fine sheep pastures and for its manufacture of woollen cloths, which still flourishes. Two leagues from the city, on the skirts of the Gua- darrama, is the royal seat of San Ildefonso, also called La Granja, having been formerly a grange. The palace is celebrated for its fountains and gardens ; the town for its manufactures of plate glass and steel. THE ESCURIAL, on ESCORIAL. Lat. 40° 35' N. Lon. 4° W. Population 2000. Tin: Es< ORIAX is in the province of Segovia, in a barren ictj about twenty-seven milts from .Madrid. The monastery and castle, properly San Lorenzo del Escorial, 320 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. THE ESCURIAL. which are generally regarded as constituting the royal seat, were erected by Philip II. in grateful memory of the vic- tory gained at St. Quentin on St. Laurence's day. The monastery is built in the form of a gridiron, the instru- ment on which that martyr suffered; the palace forming the handle. The whole pile is of that proud, sumptuous, gloomy aspect, which may be said to accord with the character of its founder, in whom the pride of an here- ditary despot was mingled with the relentless zeal of an inquisitor. It has seventeen divisions, twenty-two great courts, 36,000 windows, 14,000 doors, a seminarium, and an excellent collection of pictures ; and it includes a variety of buildings, courts, and gardens, enriched with all that the most profuse magnificence could bring to- gether. In the monastery dwell two hundred monks of the order of St. Jerome. They formerly gained large profits by the breeding of sheep. The magnificent church, which is built after the model of St. Peter's at Rome, contains twenty-four altars and eight organs ; a chapel under the high altar, called the Pantheon, is the mausoleum of the Spanish sovereigns. The descent to it is by fifty steps of marble ; and the door is of gilt bronze, in a masterly style of workmanship. The cupola is also of bronze, and the floor of jasper and marble. The richly adorned oratory has a great crucifix, wholly incrusted with diamonds and precious stones. In the middle of the costly dome is a massive golden candlestick ; and in the Avails, in twenty-six richly adorned niches, GIBRALTAR. 321 stand as many black marble urns, part of them already filled with the mortal remains of the kings and queens of Spain, part of them still empty. The foundation of the building had been projected by the emperor Charles V. the works were carried on under Philip II., III., and IV., according to the designs of the architect Bramante, at a total expense of five millions of ducats. The royal palace is called San Lorenzo el Real. Philip II. also founded the famous library, to which his son made large additions. It contains a treasure, little known and scarcely explored, of rare Arabic manuscripts, part of which, however, were unfortunately consumed during the fire of 1()'71. Those literary relumes furnished ma- terials for the Bibliotheca Arabico-Hispana of the royal librarian Casiri. GIBRALTAR. Lat. 3G° C' 42" N. Lon. 5° L9' 4" W. Population l'J.OOO. I'm. ancient Calpe, one of the pillars of Hercules, the other being Ceuta on the African coast, is a rocky pro- montory on the southern extremity of Andalusia, from three to four miles in length, and about half a mile in its utmost breadth. Bteep in all parts, ami in some perpendicular, it seemed formed by nature tor a strong hold; ami, since it became an English fortress, it his hen rendered impregnable. The name, originally Gebel- VOJ.. I. V 322 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. al-Tarif, the rock of Tarif, is derived from Tarik or Tarif Abenzaca, general of the caliph "Walid in the in- vasion of 71 1, who landed here, and conquered the town of Heraclea at the foot of the mountain. Gibraltar is joined to the main land by an isthmus on the north, which is about a mile and a half in length : the north- ern front of the rock is almost perpendicular ; the east side is full of precipices; and the south is so narrow and abrupt as to be inaccessible to an enemy at sea. The western front is also precipitous, but affords a landing- place on the level tract of ground which forms the site of the town ; and this part is protected by batteries and other strong works of defence. The straits to which Gibraltar gives name are supposed to commence in Spain at Cape Trafalgar, and in Africa at Cape Spartel, be- tween which points they are seventy miles wide; and to end toward the Mediterranean, beyond Gibraltar and Ceuta; the entire length being about 100 miles, and the narrowest part, about three leagues west of Gibraltar, fifteen miles. A strong current always runs from the ocean into the Mediterranean. The noble bay of Gibraltar, nine miles long and five broad, forms a most important naval station. On the east are the promontory and isthmus ; to the south is the sea ; to the west and north the main land of Spain ; but the promontory wholly commands the bay. Gibraltar was strongly fortified by the Moors after their own manner. It was taken in 1302 by Ferdinand II. of Castile ; regained by the Moors in 1333 ; and re- covered in 1462 by Henry IV. The emperor Charles V. caused the fortifications to be reconstructed by two of the most eminent engineers of his time. The natural and artificial strength of the place having been thence- forth regarded as unquestionable by the other maritime powers, the Spanish government seems to have been lulled into a dangerous security respecting it ; for in August, 1 704, during the war of succession, when an expedition under admiral Rooke and prince George of Hesse- Darm- stadt suddenly and unexpectedly appeared in the bay, this GIBRALTAR. 323 maritime strong hold was held only by a drowsy garrison of eighty men, who immediately surrendered. Philip of Anjou besieged it in October ; but in the brief interval the English had so strongly fortified it on the land side, that the pass of the isthmus was called by the Spaniards the Gate of Fire. It was blockaded with twenty-four ships of war by admiral Poyetz, but received succours from the English and Dutch fleet under admiral Leake. The land blockade lasted until the peace of Utrecht. From that time England omitted no expense or exertion to render the place wholly impregnable. Another siege, in 1727, was frustrated by the arrival of admiral "Wager with eleven sail of the line. Spain offered two millions sterling for the restitution of Gibraltar; but was obliged to resign all title and pretension to it, in the treaty of Seville, 1729. She immediately endeavoured to dimi- nish its advantages and deteriorate its value as a colony and a place of commerce, by interdicting all intercourse between it and her own territory, and by strengthening the military lines of San Itoque and Algeziras. But the town and garrison could easily be furnished with supplies while England retained the empire of the sea ; and the rock itself had a well of fresh water, with some other resources which science and skill might daily improve. The most strenuous efforts for its recovery were made during the war of the North American revolution, when its preservation depended mainly on the valour and constancy of its resident governor, general Elliot. The preparatory hostile operations were commenced in 1779, and conti- nued during the two following years. In June, 1782, the duke de Crillon, commander of the Spanish army that had taken Minorca, arrived with reinforcements, and the French princes of the blood came to be present at the siege. Their army amounted to .',(),<)<><> men ; and the conquest was to be completed by ten floating bat- teries, impenetrable by shot or shells, and mounted with 1 17 brass and 250 iron guns. Tiny were manned by criminals, who, in reward lor good service, were pro- mised their liberty and yearly pensions of 200 Livreseach. Y 2 324 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. The garrison had varied from 5600 to 7000 men. The most dreadful carnage was to be apprehended as the conse- quence of a successful assault. On the 1 3 th September, the floating bulwarks approached and opened their tire. Gen- eral Elliot, finding ordinary means of repulse unavailing, determined to batter them with red-hot shot; and while deliberating on the means of heating the balls, a German nail-smith, named Schwankendieck, invented and con- structed a furnace for the purpose. From this the artil- lery was so well served, that in the course of the can- nonade 4000 red-hot balls were discharged. In the afternoon, the chief battery and two floating batteries began to emit smoke : the enemy were unable to quench the fire or stop the leakage. At one o'clock in the morn- ing, three batteries were in a blaze, and several others were seen to have taken fire. Those on board in vain signalled the Spanish fleet with rockets ; no relief could be afforded to the batteries ; all that could be attempted was to save the men. Twelve gun-boats from the fortress, commanded by captain Curtis, prevented the boats of the besiegers from landing, and at the same time poured a well directed fire on the floating bacteries. At daybreak, those on board were seen making signals of distress and calling for help, and the besiegers hastened to their relief, amidst continually increasing danger ; for the heated guns of the batteries on fire were from time to time discharging their shot, and occasional ex- plosions of gunpowder scattered destruction around. Captain Curtis and his men, at the peril of their lives, saved 13 officers and 344 men. A grand attack on the land side was in the mean time repulsed by general Elliot ; and a severe storm occurred, from which the Spanish fleet sustained great damage. Next month, an English squadron having arrived with succours, the enemy were compelled to convert the siege into a mere blockade, which terminated on the 20th January, 1783, when peace was signed at Versailles. The veteran general Elliot received distinguished honours for his heroic defence of this invaluable fortress, one of the brightest GIBRALTAR. 325 and most envied gems in the naval crown of Great Britain. The town of Gibraltar, situated at the foot of the promontory, on its north-west side, suffered severely during this attack, and was rebuilt on an improved plan. The houses have flat roofs and large bow win- dows : they are generally painted black, to mitigate the rays of the sun, and are marked with a white stripe between each story. The principal street, about a mile in length, is full of shops ; in other parts of the town the buildings are too dense, and the population dwelling in them is exposed to much danger in case of pestilential fever. That which raged in 1801 carried off several thousands : while the military, stationed on higher ground, were, by that advantage, and though the judicious precau- tions adopted by the medical staff", preserved from con- tagion. It has been ascertained that the fever is fostered, if not generated, during sultry weather, by the stoppage of the drains ; and a proposal has been made to erect a steam-engine which shall raise from the bay a constant stream of water, to supply all the baths and refresh every corner of the town. The inhabitants, exceeding in number 12,000, are mostly British ; though there are many Spaniards, Ita- lians, Jews, and even Moors, occupied in commercial pursuits. Gibraltar is a general mart of merchandise from every quarter : piece goods and hardware from England; sugar, nun, and coffee, from the West Indies; tobacco, rice, and flour, from North America; wine, fruits, and silk, from the countries and isles of the Mediterranean. The chief public buildings are the barracks, the house of the lieutenant-governor, the navy hospital, and the victualling office. The places of worship arc, an English church, a catholic chapel, and three synagogues. For the use of the officers stationed on this isolated rock, there is a garrison library ; and a small theatre augments the limited range of amusements which can here be generally participated. The town is fortified ; tan owes its chief protection to the batteries on the neighbouring 326 CITIES AND TOWNS OF SPAIN. heights, which sweep the isthmus and the approach from the sea. Since the siege of 17&3, great sums have been expended on these works : extensive excavations have been made, to establish communications between the different posts, and enable them to be relieved with- out loss from an enemy's fire : the embellishments of which so rugged a spot is susceptible have not been neglected; — trees, shrubs, and flowers, have been planted in various places ; and roads opened in the solid rock, and made passable for carriages. With respect to the strong lines of San Roque and Algeziras, which had been formed by the Spaniards, the over-reaching am- bition of Napoleon, by renewing our friendly relations with Spain, deprived them of their hostile character ; and the approach of the French army in 1810 having afforded us a just pretext to destroy them, they were rased to the ground. This is one of the many proofs of his short-sighted policy in making those aggressions, at once insidious and contemptuous, which provoked the nations of the Peninsula to unite themselves in array against him with the military and maritime strength of the British empire. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, New-Stieet- Square. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 3 1158 01165 2616 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 798 344 8 rf \