n the right bank of the Scheldt, Belgium's chief centre of commerce and
a strong fortified position.

Modern Antwerp is a finely laid out city with a succession of broad
avenues which mark the position of the first enceinte. There are long
streets and terraces of fine houses belonging to the merchants and
manufacturers of the city which amply testify to its prosperity, and
recall the 16th century distich that Antwerp was noted for its moneyed
men ("Antwerpia nummis"). Despite the ravages of war and internal
disturbances it still preserves some memorials of its early grandeur,
notably its fine cathedral. This church was begun in the 14th century,
but not finished till 1518. Its tower of over 400 ft. is a conspicuous
object to be seen from afar over the surrounding flat country. A second
tower which formed part of the original plan has never been erected. The
proportions of the interior are noble, and in the church are hung three
of the masterpieces of Rubens, viz. "The Descent from the Cross," "The
Elevation of the Cross," and "The Assumption." Another fine church in
Antwerp is that of St James, far more ornate than the cathedral, and
containing the tomb of Rubens, who devoted himself to its embellishment.
The Bourse or exchange, which claims to be the first distinguished by
the former name in Europe, is a fine new building finished in 1872, on
the site of the old Bourse erected in 1531 and destroyed by fire in
1858. Fire has destroyed several other old buildings in the city,
notably in 1891 the house of the Hansa League on the northern quays. A
curious museum is the Maison Plantin, the house of the great printer C.
Plantin (q.v.) and his successor Moretus, which stands exactly as it did
in the time of the latter. The new picture gallery close to the southern
quays is a fine building divided into ancient and modern sections. The
collection of old masters is very fine, containing many splendid
examples of Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and the chief Dutch masters.
Antwerp, famous in the middle ages and at the present time for its
commercial enterprise, enjoyed in the 17th century a celebrity not less
distinct or glorious in art for its school of painting, which included
Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, the two Teniers and many others.

_Commerce._--Since 1863, when Antwerp was opened to the trade of the
outer world by the purchase of the Dutch right to levy toll, its
position has completely changed, and no place in Europe has made g