CHAPTER XXII I.

The Ancient City of Ghent; Interesting Incidents in its History; The Hawthorn Hedge; Churches, Hotels, &c.; Wooden Shoes; City of Bruges; The Churches of Notre-Dame and St. Sepulchre; The Celebrated Tombs of Charles the Bold, and Margaret of Burgundy; Convents; The Hall of Justice; Beautiful Painting in St. John's Hospital; English Families Residing in Bruges; Cheap Living; Ostend; The Digue; Museum and Cathedral; The Casino; Flemish Etiquette; Priests, &c., &c.

Ghent

FOR four francs only, the tourist can travel from Brussels to Ghent, on the safest and most expeditious railway on the Continent, and for comfort, the cars, or char-a-bancs, are not surpassed; the distance from the gates of Brussels to the gates of the ancient and celebrated city of Ghent, or Gand, being thirty-two miles. stands on twenty-seven islands, has over three hundred bridges, contains about eighty thousand inhabitants, and here, on the 24th of December, 1814, was signed the treaty of peace between England and the United States by Lord Gambier, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, Mr. Gallatin, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Bayard. Here, also, Napoleon, in 1801 and 1810, was received with great splendour, and in 1814 the Emperor Alexander passed through the city with great pomp, on his return from England:-Louis the Eighteenth, on the return of Napoleon to Paris, in 1815, took refuge in Ghent, and remained until the victory of Waterloo re-opened for him the road to the Tuileries-Charles the Bold of Burgundy was, in 1467, inaugurated Duke of Burgundy at Ghent, and, in 1507, Margaret of Austria made her grand entrance through its gates, as Governor of the Low Countries.

The tourist, after leaving England for the continent, will miss the ever to be admired Hawthorn Hedge, so grateful to the eye, and so common throughout the former, for a fence of any kind is not to be seen on the continent, and in travelling through Flanders, the country being flat, appears as one vast, luxuriant and variegated

field of grain. Animals are not permitted to go at large, and are seldom or ever seen unless led by a halter.

The buildings in Ghent are very imposing, and strike the tourist with admiration. The churches are magnificent, particularly St. Bevons, and well worth the time and expense to go from Brussels to examine. The exquisite chiselled oak is, it is said, without its equal in the world; the pictures, too, are very fine and numerous. The view from the lofty tower is indeed superb; for twenty miles round the eye can sweep the horizon without a single object to interrupt the view. The College is a fine edifice, and for twenty pounds a year only, a young man may be educated-the professors the first in Flanders. The Theatre is called the most splendid in all Belgium, and the boxes are so comfortably arranged that no fatigue is experienced by the audience. The Nunnery is very large, and may be visited at any time free of charge. A large painting, called the " Chimney-Piece," painted by a young artist of twenty-two years of age, from the original at Bruges, is here exhibited, gratis-the king having purchased it for 60,000 francs for public exhibition. The Botanical Garden has a large building in the centre, and an Amphitheatre, and is a place of great resort -balls and concerts are given nightly, and the wooden-shoe dance may be seen here to perfection. The hotels are very numerous and splendid; among them, and one of the best, is the Hotel de Vienne, by Monsieur Bourgeois, and here, as at all the hotels on the continent, you pay, after engaging a room, only for what you choose to call for, and any one, of an economical turn, may live as a gentleman is expected to live, while travelling, for six francs a day on an average: and as all hotels now in Europe keep one or more English servants, it makes it quite pleasant to the American who can only speak his own language.

Dogs, in Ghent, are made to earn their food by being harnessed to small carts loaded with vegetables, and driven by women and girls about the streets, and are as docile and obedient as well-trained dray horses.

The lower and middle classes in Belgium all wear wooden shoes, and are quite musical in a stilly night dancing their reels on the stone pavements. As a city, there is not a more beautiful spot than Ghent; houses superb, her numerous quays and bridges picturesque, and the approach to it on all sides fine. And it is very curious that the Fleming at Ghent can scarcely understand his countrymen from Bruges-distance only thirty miles.

From Ghent I again took the railway for the old city of Bruges, distance thirty miles, fare four francs, the country having the saine appearance of high cultivation as one field. The appearance of Bruges is strikingly gloomy, the high-pointed roofs, the qld Spanish

architecture, the silent gliding monk, all combine to awe the tourist. Although Bruges is no longer what she was in the fifteenth century, yet she is by no means an idle or thinly inhabited city: her manufactures and numerous windmills, which are seen in all directions round the walls of the city, appeared in full play; her population is about forty thousand at this time. Among the many sights, is pointed out the house in which once resided Charles the Second, the merry monarch of England; and in the principal square is a pile of buildings, erected by Napoleon resembling the Tuileries at Paris, and near these stands the great market-house, with its superb belfry, which the tourist should by all means ascend; in this belfry are the much-noted chime-bells, which, by a weight, are made to play a tune every hour; while the bells are chiming, the tower above, (from which there is a picturesque view of the surrounding country, and the towers of Ostend can be seen,) trembles fearfully as the deep-toned bells vibrate beneath. The churches, like all the churches in Flanders, are to be admired for their costly paintings, richly carved oak, and chiselled brass. In Notre-Dame are the celebrated tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy, standing side by side, with their effigies of silver-gilt and gem-studded crowns, lying on the top of each. These tombs, the most costly in Europe, are also studded with the richest gems, and Napoleon was so struck with their magnificence, that after contemplating them, he returned from the church silently with solemn look and measured step. One franc is asked to see these tombs, which are surrounded by curtains, and the money given to the poor of the church. No fees are demanded to see the paintings. In Notre-Dame are also the escutcheons and seats formerly allotted to the "Knights of the Golden Fleece," also a statue of Madonna and Child, by Michael Angelo. The Church of St. Sepulchre is built after the exact model of that in Jerusalem, and at all hours may be seen devotees on bended knee in the small compartment, believing it to be the actual tomb of our blessed Saviour, who is here represented lying as a corpse, a lamp burning day and night. There are the convents of the Carmelites, Capuchins, and Dame's Angels, which are worth an hour's time each to visit, and the visiter will find the monks civil, polite, and courteous, more especially if he be an American citizen. In the Hall of Justice may be seen, gratuitous, the marble and oak ChimneyPiece, said to be unequalled in the world, as a specimen of fine chiselling; a painting from it, as I have already observed, is at Ghent, for which King Leopold paid 60,000 francs to a young artist. In the Hospital of St. John is to be seen, for one franc, with many other curiosities, the 11,000 virgins, painted by Hemling, and thought to be the most refined specimen, and the most

extraordinary one in Europe. No miniature can possibly excel this elaborate gem in fineness of touch. Oil painting, it is well known, was first discovered at Bruges. There are also many other churches in Bruges with choice paintings from the old Flemish masters, and many private residences, the owners of which take great pleasure in permitting strangers to examine their pictures.

There are a large number of English families residing at Bruges, not only on account of the cheapness of living, but the climate suits their constitutions, and its proximity to Ostend, where, twice a week, steamers arriving from London makes it still more desirable. A handsome house, with a picturesque garden attached, can be had for £30 per annum; and furniture to correspond, complete, for the whole establishment, can be had of the upholsterers for an additional £30, on hire for a year or more, at option. A fine turkey in Bruges costs only one shilling sterling, fowls 1s. 6d. a pair, rabbits sixpence, butter ninepence, and fish of every variety as cheap as one could wish, and bread in proportion. Groceries are onefourth cheaper than either in England or France, and servants' wages only twelve shillings per month, who always appear well dressed and attentive. The streets have a cleanly and healthy appearance at all seasons. The Hotel de Flandre is the best house for the tourist, if he be fond of variety in the eating way and good company; it is only a square from the railway station, the price per day but six francs, and he will have the pleasure of having his plate changed but eleven times for the solids, and half as many for the dessert. Such a dinner can be had for three francs, and if you dine daily, one-fourth is deducted. An American, therefore, who would like to pass a year at Bruges, or in its vicinity, can do so at an expense of three hundred pounds, with a family of six grown persons, and two servants, and live in such a style as would cost him three times that amount at home; if, of an economical turn, for one-fourth less. Expecting to meet a friend at Ostend, by the London steamer, I took the cars for that place, and in twenty-five minutes, a distance of twelve miles, and for one franc, I was seated in the splendid drawing-room in the Hotel D'Allemagne, within fifty yards of the station, and found the house fashionably filled with English families, who come to Ostend to reside during the bathing season. No charge is made for taking luggage to or from the cars, and the table, chambers, &c., are, like all the hotels in the Netherlands, luxurious and cheap. Ostend has about 20,000 inhabitants, houses built in the Spanish style, and the town surrounded with impregnable fortifications. The streets are very cleanly, and around the quays were crowds of Flemings, English and French sailors, sentinels, and fish-women, all seemed talking together in different tongues, and one-half intoxicated, ready for

any thing. The Digue is considered the finest walk in Europe, and only to be compared with the celebrated wall of China; it is about a mile in length, and at low water the sea is forty feet below you, it is paved with Dutch brick, and seats are placed where all may have a beautiful view of the German Ocean, dotted with shipping of all nations. The Museum has a fine collection of paintings and other numerous curiosities, worth a few hour's time to examine and admire, admission one franc. The Cathedral has also many fine paintings; the three altars are of rich marble, and strike the stranger with admiration. The pulpit is supported by a carved figure of Christ bearing the Cross, with two angels, one on each side, while an angel with wings expanded stands with one toe resting on the pulpit, and with her right hand supports the immense sounding-board; the figures are as large as life, and carved from black oak in the usual fine style of the country, and has a fine effect. In front of the church is an effigy of Christ on the cross, with human skulls, thigh bones, &c., piled round its base six feet high. The "Casino" is one of the finest places of public amusement in Europe. The stranger, for only twelve francs, may obtain admission for the whole season-three splendid rooms there are well lit up, and a hall promenade one hundred and fifty feet long, are thrown open nightly. You can form your own party to dance, to play cards, to sing, to chat, &c., as you think proper. In fact, you have but to express your wish, and the committee, like Alladin's lamp, at once gratify you. A lady is bound to dance with the gentleman who asks her hand, even though not introduced— she is not, however, expected to recognize him next day. When a gentleman enters a Flemish ball-room, or one in which a large party are assembled, if he wishes to be considered as highly bred, he must not only bow to his entertainer, but having done so, should make a general bow to the company, even though he do not know a single soul amongst them. This, so far from being looked upon as a liberty, is received as a mark of extreme politeness. An American is often weighed by these trifles in the estimation of foreigners about these times. And while on the continent, I would advise the tourist never to take a commissionnaire from a hotel to guide him to a shop, or he must inevitably pay dearer for the articles he purchases, since the dealer is bound to give his conductor ten per cent. for bringing him. A hint to be wise, &c.

The Priests are very numerous throughout the Netherlands; with their three-cornered hats and full-flowing black robes they make quite a display; they are termed the good Samaritans, as at all hours, day or night, they are going about doing good, visiting the sick, &c., and not the meanest in the streets who asks of them alms, but receive a small token of their benevolence, and on