our friends and the
consul were unremitting in their services.

The water is very poor; rain water is valuable indeed. The best drinking
water is brought from Utrecht in stone demijohns. The bad water is often
used, however, flavored with Schiedam. We saw several of the
floating-houses, in which whole families reside, and carry articles from
place to place. The herring fishery, in its season, is a great matter in
the commerce of Amsterdam. Every thing here impresses the stranger with
the idea of activity, wealth, and great comfort; and I fancy that a
person would very soon become attached to the city as a place of
residence. To-morrow, if James is better, we resume our journey, and
start for Cologne.

Yours affectionately,

WELD.

Letter 39.

COLOGNE.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

We are strangely favored with weather; every day is fine; and we begin
to think that the climate has been abused, for we have had an
uninterrupted spell of bright, sunny weather. We started, after
breakfast, for our journey to Cologne, and took the oars for Utrecht,
which is twenty-three miles from Amsterdam. Our road was not one of
much interest, beyond the pretty gardens of the suburban residences.
Breukelen and Maarsen we thought pleasant little places. Utrecht is a
large town, and has, I think, nearly sixty thousand inhabitants; and of
these, one half are Catholics. It is rather on an ascent, and so is
unlike any other place we have seen in Holland. The place is famous for
the treaty of 1713. Here is a university, and some very fine private
residences; and the fortifications have been laid out in fine walks. The
Mall, or public walk, is a noble avenue of trees,--limes, I think,--and
they are in six or eight rows. In this place is a cathedral, which we
only saw. From its tower is the best view of the country; and it is said
you can see more than twenty towns from it.

From Utrecht we continued, by railroad, to Arnheim, a distance of
thirty-three miles; and we saw more forest-trees than we had before
noticed. In the cars were several Catholic priests, who smoked
incessantly. Arnheim is on the banks of the Rhine, and is a pretty
little place, of about sixteen thousand inhabitants. We were, of course,
reminded by Dr. C. that here Sir Philip Sidney died, in 1586, of his
wound received in the battle of Zutphen. The entire vicinity seemed to
us a delightful spot, and we have seen no place where the houses appear
so English and American. T