Foreign Correspondence

Drksden, Juno 6, 1873. We parted in our last letter at the fainous field of Waterloo. It seetns almost inoredible that upon these gently rolling harvest fields, the last great struggle took place which closed the ainbitious career of the most reruarkable personage of modern history ; but the whole scène is ividly realized when once on theground the survey of almost every important point in the events of that notable day is taken in at a glance. The villago of Waterloo is soine two miles north of the battle field, a small place with a conspicuous church in which are some tablets and memorials of the battle. ïbere is a constant successiou of visitors from Brussels, and no small assistance to the rural villagers must be derived from this source; but it soem8 a little strange that some Yankee has not long ago constructed a train railway directly from B. to Mont Jean, a distance of about 12 miles. We had, however, a delightful ride by the Luxemburg rail and diligence, and will leave other travelers whc are less fortúnate in the weather than ourselves to make more sorious oomplaint. The distauce to Antwerp froni B. is only about hu hour by rail, nnd though soniewhat uionotonous is really enjoyablo. Sooii lifter quittin}; the station we reaoh tha village or suburb of Laeken, near which, visible upon a slight oininence and surrounded by quite a forest of trees and shrubbery, is the chateau in which resides the unfortunate Empress, Charlotte, whose brief reign in Mexico and the fate of her husband Muximillian forma such a sad chapter in the history of royal diploniacy. The chateau was for a time the property of Napoleon, aud both he and Josephine are said to have oocupied it. Vilvordo is one of the stations we passed, a small place upon the river Seune, made sadly memorable by the niartrydom of the great rei'ormer and bible translator William Tyndale, Oct. 6, 15,'Jö, who was there burned at the stake after trial and condemnation as a heretic. Malines or as we bettor know it Mechlin, i'rom its appellation given to a species of lace there manufactured, is a stirring city of 35,000 inhabitants, though the animation arises more from its beiug a center of important railway comniunication, thun from the iadigenou3 activity of the people. The country from this station to Autwerp is an unbroken level, upon which were growing excellent crops though the water was standing in all the open ditohes and canals apparently not more than 18 iaches below the surfaee. lt did not appear to be a uiarsby country in any proper seiise, though much of it was better suited to meadow and pasturage than to grain crops, and everywhere comfort and thrift seeuiod to charaeterize the prospect of village and farm house as wo passed. We found Antwerp to be a muoh more peculiarly Belgiau city thau Brussels ; that is, it has preserved inore of the features of its earlier period and leas of modern innovation. The houses are all constru,cted of small hard bricks, the gable of each boing upon the street, and running up to a point by a series of steps as it were, sometimes as many as eight or ten upon each side. It is the principal port of Balgium, sitúate upon the Schelde soDie t0 miles froux the sea, aud early as the 16th oentury nttained a greater degree of prosperity than it iiow possesses, In tact under Charles V. it waa the rival of Venice in marítima wealth and success, but its history has been a disturbed and tluctuating one aiul its more modern rank and position wore sccured by the revolution of WS;ï. lts defenses are of the very tirst order and quite extensivo ; but to the traveler its greater interest is found in ita connectiou with the history of Art and the great narues it has giveu to the world in painting - Vandyko, liubeus, Teniers. Massys, Brill and many more, and in the peouliarily Flemish characteristios of its people and Architecture. The eathedral is one of the finest structures of the üothic style in the Notherlands, and is remarkable as the only church in Europe which possesses six aisles - threo upon each side the nave and extending about the choir. The effect of so niuch space and depth to the aisles, with all the intervening pillara is very effective and fai inore agreeable than one would be inclined to anticipate, but the lighting is sufficient and the entire ediíice ib upon a noble scale wich reuders the wholo harmonious. The entire length is 390 teet, width 216,and hoightof nave 90Soine of the wiudows contain fiue specimens of stained glass, but its valuable decorations have been quite obliterated except thosa which the hand ot Art has displayed upou its walls and the taste of more recent times has substituted for niuch that an excessive hostility to ornament is said to havo dostroyed. Atnong tho fine pictures posseesed by this ckurch is the niaster-piece of Eubens, the " Descent from the Cross," with wing pictures of the " Salutation " and " Prtsentation in the Temple." It is one of tho few works of this colebrated master which has giveu us genuine satisfaction. Near it hangs " St. Francia " by Murillo, and in the other transept is the " Elevation of the Cross " by Eubens, alao a very fine work, and over tho grand altar an " Assuniption " by the same artist. It is dom we have found such excellent pictures as iu tbite cathedral - every chapel nearly is adorned by the work of some eminent sculptor or painter. The choir stalls are flnely oarved and well designed with exceedingly rioh canopies in the, Gothio style, but far more rare and exquisite is the design and carved work upon the Episcopal thrones, one upon eaoh side the choir, which are of ft very elabórate öothio style with the general 1 ferm of tall, sltnder, open work oles, atlorned in every part with carved statuos and groups oí inost perfect execution. Each is carved up to a height of at least 28 feot. We vory cheerfully paid the stuall fee of three centimes for our chairs which enabled us to examine these works of Art and the eurious apparel of the peopie quite at our e.ise whilo the service which we could not understand wa8 proceoding. The finished tower of the cathedral is 403 feet high, and is a most graceful struoture of light open work, whioh loses none of its delicate effect in the effort to iucrease stability. Even the dial píate and hands as well as the movement works of the great clock seeiu perfectly trausparent, and in any direction we eau look through the tiacery of this noble apire. The towers upon the other cornors extends bufc little above the church itself. Tho ohiuies of tho Cathedral consist of 99 bells, the largest 8 tons in weight, the suiallest only 15 inches in oiroumferenoe, and though we havo ofton had occasion to admire the greater sweetnesa of tone which the bells of this continent have over our own, yet nowhere have we found them so entrancingly clear and haruionious as at Autwerp whenever the fast fiying hours paasod awny to the sounds of their chimes. There is mi old well just in front of the cathedral around and abovn which is a very ornato fret work or canopy of iron, surinounted by au ugly looking sinall statuo. It is really a finely executed I work ia iron, but it derives additional ' terest trom the f'act that it was the work i of öuentin Massys, who spoiled an i lent blacksmith by beooining a still more oelebrated painter. ïhe great square upon whicb stands the Hotol de Ville is not quite so rich in its decoration aud peculiar ai-chitecture as that of Brussels, but like it bas its singular and unique Guild Halls aud other quairit looking editices. Soveral of the cliurohes deserve special notice, but we will only remark tbat after the Cathadral we iouud St. Jacques most interesting. It is more profusely decorated than any, and as the last resting place of inany of the notable citizons, including Ilubens, and tor the numerous flne picture and sculptures it contains is well worthy a visit. Among the pictures is a Madonna by üuido Eeni; a "Dead Christ," by Van Dyke, " Vocatiou of Peter " by Jordaens, &o. The Bubens Chapel, in which the gruat Artist &nd other merabers of the family are interred, contains two flne monuments by the distinuished modern soulptor Geefs, and thero is a vory beautiful statue of the Virgin over the altar, the workof Faidherbo, which was brought froni Italy by Kubus himself; and the altar piece is one of the artist's last works, exeeuted by him oxpressly for the place, and contains the portraits of himself, of bis father, and of his two wives. At St. Andrew, after considerable search, wo i'ound the inedallion portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Pourbus, placed rathet high up on a pillar near the choir with an inscription to the memory of her two English ladies in waiting who died at Antwerp and were interred in thisehurch. The portait shows the head only, and does not display as much of the remarkable beauty of the unfortunate Queen as we had expected. St. Paul contains several meritorious pictures by eminent artists, and in the court of adjoining au)pressed monastery is a most extensive atteuipt at the representation of Mt. Calvary foriued of rock work, and uumerous statucs and a grotto intendod to be hke the Holy Supulchreat Jorusaletu, with the requisito figures, &c, to complete the illusion to a certain simple niinded class who pay reverenee to such audaciou3 Art. But a still greater attraotion to us was the celebrated collection of pictures in the museum. Many of the pictures and othcr works are f rom suppressed inonasteries and nearly all are works by the Artiats of Antwerp. Somewhat in contrast to the general tone of the Dutch pictures most of them are based upon religious subjects. Our rooms at Antwerp overlooked the broad Schelde, which appears quite like an arm of the sea, ani the busy wharves and shipping aftbrded us an ever lively scène while the sound of the music at tha fair u littlu below us was always brisk during the latter part of the day. There were two of these i'airs being held at the time of our visit and both were very extensivo, embracing all sorts of common merchandise suited to every day wants, with some display of cheap ornaments, whilo eatirig tents, and tents with all sorts of side-shows and theatrieals and shooting galleries and revolvinft ponies were seen on all sides, and every variety costurne (which is quite varied here) were scarcely less stared at by ourcelves than. wero wc gazed at in return. We had the pleasure of seeiug three of our American ehips lying at anchor, too far out to be identified by namo, but with the stars and stripesgaily fluttering in the breeze. On Sunday wo happened to pass along a street whero evident preparations were being made l'or somo important occasion ; the streets were being swept, bouquets of flowers were being placed in the windows, large candles were ready to be lighted, and all was full of anticipation. On inquiry, we learned that a great religious procession, in which the churches were all to be repreeented by their richest bauners and dignitaries, was soon to pass that way. Of course we stopped to see the speclacle, and ene long, preceded by children sti'ewing flowers over the entire way, carne the gorgeous procession with various and really riob banners and blems, the figures of the Virgin in a sedftn and priests and candles, and all looked grand enough, and the people looked on with awe and reverence; but, alas, just kb tbey turned the corner leading away froni the churoh of St. Jacqucs, the enviwus rain began to fall and such a sudden transforniation and scampering, with banners aud edan and wands of office and tinery, we have seldom seen, hut the streets oyet wnioh they had pausad wra i gay with the strewn flowers and those streets along whiob the procession was to have gone, but did not, seemed quite crestfallen while taking in their bouquets, cutidles, &c. Two of the fluest locks at the north extremity of the quay were eonstructed in 1804 by the direction of Napoleon who designed making it one of the principal seaports of Western France, and who somehow had the sagacity and readiness of resonrces to plan and execute for every part of his temporarily wide domains some really great and desirable work of improvemoiit. To save time we took thu curs inateud of the stoarner for Rotterdam. No one travols over the railroada of this part of JEnrope expectitig to see the romantic scenery of mountain lands, and except the novelty of the fact that the canals and boata are often floating alnng quite abovo the general surface, andthonumerOU8 wind milis, thatched houses, clattering wooden shoos, and the funny caps of the women, there is little to vary tho monotony. At Roaendal, the first station in Holland, we went through the usual shani oxaniination of baggage, the principal aunoyance of which consiste in being compelled to get out, curry all dtnall baggage to the propor office, have it raarked with white chalk, and then find yourself locked in until all examinations are completed and tho train ready. This was about half way to Rottordam and not far froin Bergen op Zoom. We aiiived at Moerdijk upon the rivor Amer and orossed upon a very long bridgo to the Bmall village of Wittensdorp. The charaoter of this part of the Holland iuay be conceived in part by a glance at the map which exhibits a perfect net work of small channels as well as some of considerable size, outtiug the land into nuinerous islands; but a inore vivid itnpression of the singular conforniation of the country can be derived from the historical fact that the extensivo tract called the Biesbosch, lying itnmediately tiround the bridge consisting of ovor 100 small islands nearly a waste and embracing about 40 square mileSPwaa in 1421 a rich agricultural plain, covered with a dense population, and that by an unexpected inundation a large number of villages and over 100,000 persons were lost in the general devastation. At our lef t.stretching along a small branch of the Maas, we had a very picturesque view of a long line of windmilis extending for two or three miles and all in motion. These milis are not mere scare-crows, as with us, but are large, durable structures of wood or stone, with huge arma 25 or 30 fent long and 4 or 5 feet wide, and so arranged as to be readily adjusted to the direction of the wind, and they perform a vast aniount of uaeful labor in the way of raisng water and propelling machinery for saw-mills, and for reducing to powder the volcanic product of the eifel on the Rhine from which cement is fonned. It is said that in some portions of the country a daughter's dowry is often estiinated by the number of windmilis to which she will succeed. We passed Dordrecht, a place of some 25,000 inhabitanta and a busy commercial town now, as it was in the middle ages, and somewhat noted as the place where tho Great Synod assembled in 1018 and established ' the laws of the Dutch Reformed Church. It is situated on the Maas, which haa here a very broad channel and the nuinerous clean Dutch villages, each with its never absent tall church spire, were constantly in view. At Fijenoor, a busy little place on the river abovo Rotterdam about two miles, we took the steanier ferry boat and were transported down and across the wide Maas to the Boompjes as the wharf is designated in the euphoneous dialect of the country. To the sight seeer there is but little of muoh interest to be seen in Rotterdam, though it is a city of about 120,000 inhabitants and next to Amsterdom in commercial importance. lts churches and other public buildings have little nierit; its monuments are few; and though there are ome excellent piclures in its colleotions there are 110 great maaterpieces. We contented ourselvea with a sail through the city, seeing the Groot Kerk, the St. Lawrence- a veiy ordinary looking edifice as compared with the Antwerp cathedral. The statue of Erasmus, who was a native of the city, is a very diminutiva recognition of the honor which his birth has conferred. Wo crossed the great dykq which runs directly through the city, as a protection against the dangers of inundation from high tide, and though much impressed with the animation and cleanliness whioh geuerully prevailed we did not see anything to cause us to wish for a longer stay. Ever vours.