one of the most considerable cities in Europe. It is built in the form of a crescent entirely on piles, and fortified towards the land by a broad ditch and bastions. The Amstel, a pretty river, runs through the town, which is also intersected by a great number of canals, which form 90 islands, connected by 280 stone and wooden bridges. The new bridge over the Amstel is a magnificent structure, consisting of 36 arches, and 606 feet in length. The stagnant water of the canals is unhealthy, and would be still more so if it was not kept clean, and put in motion by windmills. The greatest cleanliness is to be remarked in the houses and on the streets. The town-house is considered the most splendid building in Holland. It was begun in 1648, and completed in little more than 8 years, at the enormous expense of £2,000,000. It is chiefly occupied by the courts of justice and public offices. The harbour is not naturally good, but has been improved by every exertion of art, and can contain 1000 vessels. A bar which crosses its mouth, prevents the entrance of large vessels. Before the war this city engrossed three-fourths of the foreign trade of the United Provinces. It may now be considered as upon the decline. About the year 1660, it was supposed to contain 54,000 houses, whereas Paris at that period only contained 46,000. Its population at that period, was estimated at 250,000 inhabitants. In 1802 it contained 26,400 houses, with 193,083 inhabitants. Balbi states the population at 201,000 in 1826. The opening of the Scheldt, the ruin of the Dutch commerce in the war with Great Britain, and Buonaparte's rigorous execution of what he technically denominated the Continental system, all conspired to diminish the commerce and population of this renowned city. The Almanach royal of 1817, however, stated that 3,377 ships left the port that year. The Exchange is a remarkably fine building, erected between the years 1608 and 1613. Among other public buildings worthy of notice are the India-house, the Statebank, the admiralty, the arsenal, the orphan-house, and the rasp-house. The voyage from Amsterdam to Utrecht occupies 8 hours; and is the most pleasing in point of scenery that can be undertaken in Holland.

Haerlem.] This city, seated upon the lake of the same name, is of considerable size, containing 7,963 houses, and 15 churches, 9 of which are Catholic. It has several fine buildings, among which is a church esteemed the largest in Holland. This church has an organ of uncommon magnitude. It contains 8000 pipes, of which the largest is in length 38 feet, and in diameter 16 inches. The organ has 68 stops, but the tone is said not to be very sweet. The inhabitants show the house of Lorence Koster, who, according to them, invented the art of printing. This city was celebrated for its linen-bleachfields, and extensive silk-manufactures, which employed a great part of the population; but in 1813, such a stagnation of employment took place in the bleachfields, in consequence of receiving no linen from Brabant for the purpose of bleaching and preparing it for sale, that they were completely abandoned. Whole streets were levelled with the ground, and more than 500 houses destroyed. Such were the effects of Buonaparte's Continental system upon this once flourishing city! Stein stated the population in 1826 at 21,200. The tulipo-mania reached its height in this city in the years 1636 and 1637, when 10,000 florins were known to have been paid for a single root of that flower!-Sardam or Zaandam, on the river Zaan, is a considerable town of wooden houses, almost all which are painted green! It possesses a considerable commerce, and the ship-building for which this place was once famous begins to revive again. Peter the Great of

Russia learned ship-building here under the name of Peter Michailof The house in which he lived is still shown. Almost every house is surrounded by water, and forms, as it were, with its garden, a small island. Broek, a village with 752 inhabitants, is celebrated for its excessive cleanliness. The houses are built in very odd taste, and have each two doors, one of which is only opened on the occasion of a marriage, and the other at a funeral. Before each house is a small garden. The pavement consists of coloured varnished bricks laid out in mosaic.-Alkmaar is a fortified town, well-built, and intersected with canals.-Helder on the extreme point of North Holland, is mostly inhabited by pilots. Here is the redoubt where the British troops landed in 1797.-The Texel is an island in the German ocean, separated from the mainland by the Marsdiep. It supports a population of about 5000, and a number of sheep which have a particular fine wool. The northern part of this province is called 'Eggland,' from the enormous quantities of eggs which the sea-gulls lay here on the shore.

CHAP. VII.-THE PROVINCE OF FRIESLAND.

Physical Features and Productions.] Friesland is an entirely flat country, about 30 miles in length, and nearly the same in breadth. Its plains are in many parts lower than the sea, and must be protected by dykes. The level country near the coast affords excellent pasture, and the interior districts are cultivated for corn. The Lauwers, which forms the boundary between Friesland and Gröningen, and flows into the Lauwerzee, a gulf of the North sea, is the only river of importance; but there are numerous lakes and canals. The climate is damp, though not very unhealthy. Agriculture is well-conducted, and corn is raised for exportation. The cattle are excellent, and furnish a great quantity of butter and cheese. The breed of horses is also highly esteemed. The productions of industry are woollen-stuffs, linens, and paper.

Inhabitants.] The inhabitants are mostly Calvinists, but there are also a considerable number of Mennonites, Catholics, Lutherans, Remonstrants, and Collegiants. They are Frisians by descent, and have preserved the manners, customs, dress, and even the language of their ancestors, which more nearly resembles the English than the Dutch. They are distinguished for heroism, good faith, and love of freedom, and are remarkably skilful in many bodily exercises, particularly that of skaiting. The country people here are in general very wealthy.

Principal Towns.] The principal towns are Leeuwarden, the capital of the province, with 1900 houses, and 17,000 inhabitants; Sneek, the principal butter-market of Friesland, with 5,500 inhabitants; Staveren, on the Zuydersee, with 1,083 inhabitants, in ancient times the residence of the kings of Friesland; Dragten, with a population of 3000, chiefly Mennonites; and Franeker, with 4000 inhabitants. Its formerly celebrated university is now converted into an athenæum.

CHAP. VIII.-THE PROVINCE OF GRONINGEN.

Physical Features and Productions.] This province is about 47 miles in length, and 30 at its greatest breadth. Its surface is quite flat, and se

cured by dykes against the encroachments of the sea. In some places the soil is very rich, in others moorish and marshy; and in some districts peats and sand. The principal rivers are the Ems, the Fivel, the Aar, and the Hunse. There are many lakes, and a great number of canals. The air is thick and damp, and particularly unhealthy to foreigners. The productions are the ordinary domestic animals, fowls, fish, beer, corn, flax, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. The country is more favourable to pasturage than agriculture; but potatoes are extensively produced. There are few manufactures, and the principal exports are cattle and dairyproduce.

Principal Towns.] The chief town is Gröningen, a fortified town, at the confluence of the Hunse and Aar, with 27,800 inhabitants. The University of Gröningen, with 19 professors, was founded in 1614, and is liberally endowed out of the revenues of the old monasteries. The elder and younger Altingius, and the learned Des Marets, were professors in this university. There is also a famous grammar school, furnished with 7 masters, for the learned languages; and a botanic garden. This town possesses several learned institutions and scientific societies, amongst which the society pro excolendo jure patriæ deserves particular notice. The commerce is not important.-At Winschotten, on the Rensel, the prince of Orange defeated the Spaniards in 1568. Leek, a small town in this province, gives its name to the Leekster lake.

CHAP. IX.-THE PROVINCE OF DRENTHE.

THIS province lies a little higher than Friesland and Gröningen, but is likewise completely level, having only a few sand-hills, and here and there a little timber. The soil is partly a fertile clay, partly moor and heath. There are many swamps and peat moors. The Hunse, the Musselaa, and several other rivers flow through this province. The climate is damp, but not unhealthy. The productions are the same as those of Gröningen. Corn is produced in considerable quantity; but there are few manufactures.

Inhabitants, &c.] The inhabitants are chiefly Calvinists. They are poor, and lead a very simple life; but are strong and healthy. Most of them live in wretched hovels covered with straw, rushes, or heath.-Assen, the chief town, is well-built, and has 1,173 inhabitants. Coevorden is a fortified place, with 2,000 inhabitants.-The town of Hoogeven, in this province, contains 4,200 inhabitants; and that of Meppel 4,640.

CHAP. X.-THE PROVINCE OF OVERYSSEL.

THE surface of this province is flat and low, with some insignificant hills, here called mountains. The soil is for the most part swampy, and there are also some sandy heaths. The principal rivers are the Yssel, the BlackWater, and the Vecht. The climate is damp and unhealthy, on accoun of the many swamps. The productions are the same as those of Drenthe ; but the rearing of cattle is more attended to than agriculture. There are some linen-manufactures and paper-mills. The chief town is Zwolle, a fortified place, with 12,800 inhabitants, which conducts some commerce. It lies near the Yssel and the Vecht. Deventer, a town of 9,621 inhabitants, has some linen manufactures and extensive breweries; it is

also famous for its excellent ginger-bread. Thomas á Kempis lectured and died in this town, which was also the birth-place of the learned philologist Gronovius.

CHAP. XI.-THE PROVINCE OF GUELDERLAND.

Physical Features and Productions.] The surface of this province is in general level, but towards the middle there are some sand-hills called the Veluvian mountains, which are the highest points in the N. provinces. The soil is in some places rich and fertile; but in others presents only sandy heath and swamps. The principal rivers are the Rhine, with its three arms, the Yssel, the Leck, and the Waal; the Linge, and the Maese. The air is not so thick and damp as in the more northern provinces. The productions are nearly the same as those of Drenthe, with the addition of a good deal of fruit, as cherries, prunes, and walnuts. The principal manufactures consist in linen, leather, and paper.

Population.] From a very exact census taken of this province in 1820 we learn, that the population was then 270,659 souls; in 1796 it was 217,828, being an increase of 52,000 souls in 25 years. From the same statement we learn, that, from 1813 to 1820, both years included, the excess of births was 18,403. During the same period there were 15,203 marriages, and only 8 divorces. The Guelderlanders are healthier and better-looking than those of the more northern provinces.

Chief Towns.] Arnheim, the chief town of this province, with 9,500 inhabitants, situated on the Rhine, has an animated commerce.-Zütphen, on the Yssel, with 7,513 inhabitants, is surrounded by fortifications.-Nimeguen, on the Waal, a fortified town, with 14,000 inhabitants, commands a fine country, and conducts some manufactures and commerce. Loevestein, is a fort on the right banks of the Maese. Hugo Grotius was confined as a prisoner here, but escaped hidden in a box which his wife had sent to him, containing books.

CHAP. XII.-THE PROVINCE OF UTRECHT.

Physical Features.] The surface of this province is level in the N. and W parts; in the E. it rises into a ridge of small hills, called the mountains of Amersfoort. The soil is like that of the province of Holland; but in the more elevated parts is sandy. The principal rivers are the arms of the Rhine, and the Ems. The climate is less damp than that of Holland and more healthy. The productions are nearly the same as those of the former provinces. Tobacco is produced in considerable quantity; and there are manufactures of wool, cotton, silk, and linen.

Principal Towns.] The principal town is Utrecht, which is surrounded by walls and ramparts, and contains 36,000 inhabitants. The cathedral, with a steeple 464 feet high, is remarkable, and so is the royal palace, called the house of Loo, in which was signed the celebrated Union of Utrecht in 1579, and in 1713 the peace between France, Great Britain, and Holland. Here is a university founded in 1634, with a library, a botanic garden, and an observatory. The university of Utrecht was originally a public school, erected in 1439. The celebrated literary female character, Maria Ann Schurman, opened the new university with

a Latin oration; and Gisbert Voet, the great adversary of the Cartesians and Cocceians, was the first rector; he was 42 years professor of theology, and died at the advanced age of 88. This university has 19 professors; but not the full privileges of other universities, being wholly subject to the magistrates of the city. The library of printed books is larger than that of Leyden, but has fewer manuscripts. It has produced several names eminent in theological and literary science as Leusden, Leidekker, Reland, Mill, Voget, and others. Amersfoort, with 8,309 inhabitants, is a place of considerable commerce and numerous manufactures. There are about 200 plantations of tobacco around the town.

CHAP. XIII.-THE PROVINCE OF ZEELAND.

Physical Features and Productions.] This province consists partly of a group of islands formed by the arms of the Scheldt, and partly of the district of Flanders, which was ceded by Spain to the United Netherlands in the peace of Munster. The surface is flat, and the coasts not being sufficiently protected by downs, are guarded by dykes of 14 and 16 feet in height. The soil is rich and fertile; in the islands it consists of a kind of clay which requires very little manure. There are a great number of polders in this province. The main rivers are the Krammer, the Grevelinge, and the two principal arms of the Scheldt, between which the islands are situated. The climate is damp and variable, and very unhealthy to foreigners, though the natives appear to suffer little from it. The productions are the common domestic animals, large quantities of ducks, rabbits, wild fowls, fish, shell-fish, corn, vegetables, particularly beans and peas, fruit, flax, and madder. It is somewhat remarkable that the latter plant is successfully cultivated in the opposite climates of Zeeland and Asiatic Turkey. Agriculture and the rearing of cattle furnish the principal employment; the manufactures are not of great importance.

Inhabitants and Towns.] The majority of the population are Calvinists; there are also some Catholics, Lutherans, Mennonites, and Jews. The Zeelanders are reckoned the most wealthy class in the kingdom; they have a pale complexion, but are strong-limbed, and much attached to their customs and dress. The principal town is Middleburg, on the island of Walcheren, the most westerly and fertile of the islands of Zeeland. It is the capital of the province, and has 13,200 inhabitants. The townhouse is a large Gothic building, with a number of statues of the old counts of Zeeland. Vlissingen is a fortified town on the W. side of the island of Walcheren, with a very good harbour which can contain 80 men-of-war, and extensive dock-yards. The whole surrounding country can easily be laid under water, which renders this position very strong. Vlissingen is the birth-place of admiral de Ruyter. The dyke at West Kapelle is 390 feet broad, and 8,900 feet long. From this as a base line 20 strong dykes, founded upon pile-work, stretch out into the sea to break the power of the water.-Goes, on the island of Zuyd-Beveland, or South Beveland, which is the largest of the Zeeland islands, is a neat town, with a harbour for small vessels, and has 4,415 inhabitants, who are supported by their manufactures and commerce.-Zierickzee, on the island of Schouwen, is an ancient trading town with 6,260 inhabitants. This island is famous for the cultivation of madder. A great many oysters are taken here, and considerable quantities are sent over from Colchester in England, to be fed