ving the
tobacco alone, in a great round pile, on the platform. Then when it was
weighed they would tumble it over upon its side, and separate it into
its layers, and the inspectors would take out specimens from all the
different portions of it. Then they would pile up the layers again, and
put the hogshead on over them, as you would put an extinguisher on a
candle; and, finally, after turning it over once more, they would put it
on the head, and bind it all up again tight and secure, with hoop poles
which they nailed in and around it. The porters would then roll the
hogshead off, in order to put it on a cart and take it away. The whole
operation was performed with a degree of system, regularity, and
promptness, that was quite surprising. The whole work of opening the
hogshead, examining it thoroughly, weighing it, selecting specimens, and
putting it up again, was accomplished in less time than it has taken me
here to describe it.

There were a great many other operations of this sort that arrested the
attention of Mr. George and Rollo, as they walked along the streets.
Much of the merchandise which they saw thus landing from the ships, or
going on board of them, was of great value, and the ships in which it
came were of immense size, such as are engaged in the East India trade.
Mr. George said that they were the kind that he had often read about in
history, under the name of Dutch East Indiamen.

Rollo was very much amused at the signs over the doors of the shops, in
those streets where there were shops, and in the efforts that he made to
interpret them. There was one which read SCHEEP'S VICTUALIJ, which Mr.
George said must mean victualling for ships. He was helped, however,
somewhat in making this translation by observing what was exhibited in
the windows of the shop, and at the door. There was another in which
Rollo did not require any help to enable him to translate it. It was
TABAK, KOFFY, UND THEE. Another at first perplexed him. It was this:
HUIS UND SCHEEP'S SMEDERY. But by seeing that the place was a sort of
blacksmith's shop, Rollo concluded that it must mean house and ship
smithery, that is, that it was a place for blacksmith's work for houses
and ships.

Over one of the doors was OOSTERHOUTS UND BREDA'S BIER HUIS. Mr. George
said that Breda was a place not far from Rotterdam, and that the last
part of the sign must mean house for selling Breda beer. Rollo then
concluded that the first word must mean some