in
Belgium after the Battle of Waterloo, the people of Ghent set to work
in earnest once more, and made up for lost time so well that now their
town is full of flourishing factories, and has a harbour from which a
deep canal leads to the River Scheldt, and is used by many ships. Most
beautiful flowers are cultivated in nursery gardens and hothouses, and
are sent all over the world in such quantities that Ghent has been
called "The City of Flowers."

From busy Ghent, where the belfry in which Roland used to hang and the
walls and towers of many an ancient building look down upon the
crowded streets, you may go to the still busier town of Antwerp, which
stands on the River Scheldt.

Like Bruges and Ghent, and, indeed, every town in Belgium, Antwerp is
very old. It is said that long ago there was a giant who lived on the
banks of the Scheldt, and compelled the captain of every ship which
came up the river to give him money. If the money was refused, the
giant cut off one of the captain's hands, and threw it into the river.
In Dutch the word _werpen_ means "to throw," and thus the place where
the giant lived was called _Hand-werpen_, which became, in course of
time, _Antwerp_. Perhaps you may not believe this story, but in one of
the squares at Antwerp there is the statue of a man called Brabo, who
is said to have killed the giant.

Close to this statue is the cathedral, which is one of the grandest in
Europe, and where there are some famous paintings by the great artist
Rubens, who lived at Antwerp for many years.

Another very interesting thing to see at Antwerp is the
Plantin-Moretus house. It was the home, more than 300 years ago, of a
printer called Plantin, who made a great fortune, and whose
descendants took the name of Moretus, and carried on the business for
a long time. You will see there the types and printing-presses of the
sixteenth century, and also the very furniture of the sitting-rooms
and bedrooms, just as they were in those bygone days. One of the rooms
was the nursery of the Plantin children. The men who show you over the
house are dressed as servants were in Plantin's time. By going there
you will get a far better idea of the family life of those times than
by reading any number of story-books or looking at any number of
pictures.

Antwerp has, like the other Belgian towns, had its ups and downs, but
now it is one of the greatest harbours in the whole world. So many
ships go there that there is