rgo in Holland,
so that it had to be conveyed to Antwerp by land. The abolition of the
Spanish power was severely felt at Antwerp. You know, I suppose, that
this is regarded as one of the strongest fortifications in Europe, and
has been the scene of repeated sieges. The last and most celebrated one
was in 1832, when it was captured by the French, after a brave defence
of two months.

You cannot easily fancy what a charming old city this is; but I shall
try to give you some account of it and our employments here. We put up
at the Hotel St. Antoine, in the Place Verte, nearly opposite the
cathedral, and it certainly is one of the best houses we have seen any
where. The court yard is spacious, and has fine orange-trees around it.
Our rooms are very elegant, and on the first floor. The coffee-room is
admirably attended, and the _table d'hote_ is the best we have yet set
down to. A large part of our anticipated pleasure arose from the fact
that here are the great works of Rubens; and in the city of Rubens,
Vandyke, Teniers, Jordaens, and Quentin Matsys, we felt that we could
not be disappointed. In the Place Verte we find a colossal statue of
Rubens by Geefs; and passing on a few steps, at the corner we come to
the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is so celebrated all over Europe as
one of the grandest specimens of the Gothic order of architecture. There
is much dispute as to the exact date of this church, but the evidence is
in favor of 1422, and it is known to have been finished in 1518. This
church is four hundred and sixty-six feet high, five hundred feet long,
and two hundred and fifty wide. The nave is thought to be the most
superb in Europe; and the side naves are double, forming two hundred and
thirty arches, supported by one hundred and twenty-five magnificent
pillars, and some of these are twenty-seven feet in circumference. Here
Philip II., in 1555, held a chapter of the Golden Fleece, at which
nineteen knights and nine sovereign princes were present. In 1559, Paul
IV. made this church a cathedral; but, in 1812, Pius VII. issued a bull
by which it was made dependent on the diocese of Malines. The effect of
the evening sun upon the painted windows is the production of a glory
which no pen can describe. Charles V. was once an actor here, for he
stood godfather at the baptism of the great bell. The pulpit is carved
work, and done by Verbruggen. It represents the four quarters of the
world, and, though elaborate, is not