Young Americans Abroad Part 12

In company still with our friends from Bristol on a wedding tour, we took the rail for Antwerp. The arrangements of the railroad in Belgium seem to me as perfect as they can be made. All is order, civility, and comfort. On starting for this place, we had the curiosity to inquire as to the number of pa.s.sengers, and found thirteen first cla.s.s, seventy-one second cla.s.s, and one hundred and three third cla.s.s. The road we took lay through a level country, but cultivated to a great degree; and the produce was chiefly clover, beans, potatoes, grain, and turnips. On leaving Brussels, we noticed the fine botanical gardens on our right, and the Allee Verte, a n.o.ble avenue of trees which reaches to Laeken, a pretty village, dating as far back as the seventh century, and containing a fine palace, where Leopold frequently resides. Napoleon once occupied this palace, and here it is said that he planned his Russian campaign. The park is s.p.a.cious, and the village has a celebrated cemetery; and here Madame Malibran reposes. The first stopping-place is at about six miles from Brussels, at Vilvorde--a very ancient town, having a population of not quite three thousand. It is known in history as Filfurdum, and was a place of some consequence in 760. It was here that Tindal, who was the first translator of the New Testament into English, suffered martyrdom, in 1536, being burnt as a heretic. The Testament was a 12mo. edition. It was published in 1526, and probably was printed at Antwerp, where he then resided. Fifteen hundred copies were printed, and they were mostly bought up by Bishop Tonstall, and destroyed. The only copy known to exist is in the library of the Baptist College at Bristol. This copy belonged to Lord Oxford, and he valued the acquisition so highly that he settled twenty pounds a year upon the person who obtained it for him. Both Tindal's a.s.sistants in this great work--Fryth and Roye--suffered martyrdom before his death. I am sorry to find, by history, that Sir Thomas More employed one Phillips to go over to Antwerp and decoy Tindal into the hands of the emperor. The last words of the martyr were, "Lord! open the King of England's eyes." Sir Thomas More was a bitter persecutor, and he was "recompensed in his own ways." Not far from Vilvorde are the remains of the chateau of Rubens; and in the same vicinity is the house where Teniers is said to have lived. Mechlin, or Malines, is a fine-looking town, with twenty-five thousand inhabitants, and it is spelt by early writers ways without number. The railroad just touches on its skirts, and, of course, we could only look at it. Its cathedral church loomed up; and we longed to see its interior, where Vand.y.k.e's greatest picture--the Crucifixion--is found in the altar. The tower shows well at a distance. The other churches have some pictures of great merit, by Rubens. After pa.s.sing Mechlin, we saw at our right a large town, lying, perhaps, two miles off, and then a still smaller one to the left, and a fine old castle, which looked in good preservation. The road led us through some fine country residences; and, just before entering Antwerp, we pa.s.sed Berchem, a sweet little village. And I would not omit to say that the small place called Vieux Dieu, before we came to Berchem, is famous for being one of the last places where heathenism retained its hold in this port of Europe, and here was formerly an idol.

Antwerp--or, as the French write it, Anvers--is a n.o.ble city on the River Scheldt, and is about twenty-seven miles from Brussels. The population is rather more than eighty thousand. The city is laid out in the shape of a bow, and the river forms the string. The river here is one hundred and ninety yards wide. The tide rises about fifteen feet.

This place is of very ancient origin, and its legends are mixed up with the fabulous. Early in the sixteenth century it was an important town.

It was fortified, and became one of the chief places of trade for the north of Europe. In 1520, the population was over two hundred thousand.

Five hundred vessels daily came into and left the port, and two thousand others were always lying in the river and basins of the port. The death blow to this place was the treaty of Munster, which stipulated that every vessel entering the Scheldt should discharge her cargo 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 s.p.a.cious, 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 antic.i.p.ated pleasure arose from the fact that here are the great works of Rubens; and in the city of Rubens, Vand.y.k.e, 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 pa.s.sing 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 circ.u.mference. 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 G.o.dfather 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 as beautiful as the one in St.

Gudule, at Brussels. The glory of the church is the "breathing scroll"

of Rubens, so often seen upon the walls of its solemn aisles. Here is Rubens's great picture,--the Descent from the Cross. To this picture pilgrimages have been made by all the lovers of art from other lands, and all concede the grandeur of idea and the simplicity of the style.

There is quite a story about this picture, in which Rubens and the crossbow-men of Antwerp both figure, but which I have no time to tell you at present. Nearly opposite is the Elevation of the Cross. The Savior's face and figure are not to be forgotten by any one who carefully gazes on this canvas. Both these pictures were carried off by the French, and also the a.s.sumption of the Virgin, which is the high altar-piece, and were restored by the allied sovereigns in 1815. This last-named picture is said to have been executed in sixteen days, and his pay was one hundred florins a day. I like it exceedingly; and _the_ figure of the picture is more spiritual than any other I have seen of the Virgin. Its date is 1642. I advise you to read Sir Joshua Reynolds's Lectures, where you will find a critical description of these immortal pictures.

The steeple or tower is regarded as unrivalled, and is one of the highest in the world. It is four hundred and sixty-six feet high; and from the top we could see Brussels, Ghent, Malines, Louvain, and Flushing, and the course of the Scheldt lies beautifully marked out. I hardly dare tell you how many bells there are. Our valet said ninety-nine; one local book of facts says eighty-eight; but I suppose there are eighty or ninety; and every fifteen minutes they do chime the sweetest music: Charles V. wished the exquisite tower could be kept from harm in a gla.s.s case. The tracery of this tower is like delicate lacework, and no one can imagine half its beauty. After we came down, we examined, at the base, the epitaph of Quentin Matsys, once a black-smith, and then, under the force of the tender pa.s.sion, he became a painter. The iron work over the pump and well, outside the church, is his handiwork.

All round the cathedral are the finest old gabled houses I ever saw, Charley. I never tire in looking at them. They were the great houses of the time when the Duke of Alva made Antwerp the scene of his cruel despotism, and when the Inquisition carried death and misery into men's families. The oppressions of the Spaniards in this city sent many of the best manufacturers from the Low Countries to England; and Queen Elizabeth received them gladly.

Yours, &c.,

WELD.

Letter 35.

ANTWERP.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

I believe the lads have told you what they have seen in Belgium; and as they are just now busily employed, I shall endeavor to tell you our doings and enjoyments for the last day in this n.o.ble old city. We have been to see St. James's Church, where the great attraction is the tomb of Rubens. The altar is exquisitely fine, and was the work of Duquesnoy.

Rubens brought it from Italy. Over the tomb is the famous Holy Family, in which Rubens has introduced himself as St. George, his father as Jerome, his wives as Martha and Magdalene, his grandfather as old Time, and his son as the Angel. This wonderful creation of art was carried off by Napoleon to the Louvre, but was restored to the church in 1815. From hence we repaired to St. Paul's Church. It was built in 1679. It has a n.o.ble appearance, and retains its cloisters. In this building we noticed the Flagellation, by Rubens; Jesus bearing the Cross, by Vand.y.k.e; the Crucifixion and Resurrection, by Jordaens; and the Adoration of the Shepherds, by Rubens. As we left the church, we visited the Calvary, which is at the entrance, or, rather, off from it, at the right. It is meant to represent the place of Christ's death. There are several statues of prophets and apostles, and a sort of grotto. At the end is Mount Calvary, and the summit is the scene of the Savior's crucifixion.

Beneath is the tomb, the body, and the stone rolled away; and at the left are bars and flames, and poor creatures in purgatorial fires. A more wretched-looking burlesque was never placed in the vicinage of art and the productions of genius. Popery employs such trickery unblushingly in Papal countries, but withholds their exhibition from the common sense of England and America, waiting till our education shall fit us for the simple, unalloyed system of delusion.

We find the number of priests in Belgium much greater than in France. We see them in the cars, at the stations, and in every street. At one station, on our way to Antwerp, we saw a most strangely-dressed man. He wore a cloak, and the cape formed a sort of hat. His head was shaved, and his feet were bare. We learnt that he was a monk of La Trappe. He was as n.o.ble a looking man as I have seen in Europe.

We devoted the morning to the Museum, which is so famous for containing the richest productions of Rubens, Vand.y.k.e, Jordaens, and a host of other great Flemish artists. As we entered, we saw, with interest, the chair of Rubens, which he used in his studio. It bears his name, and the date of 1638. It is in a gla.s.s case. Rubens has sixteen pictures here, of high character, and Vand.y.k.e several. We were all delighted with No.

215--a Dead Christ on a stone table, and the Virgin mourning at his side. No. 212 is a wonderful composition--Christ crucified between the Thieves. The look of the dying penitent at his Savior is not to be forgotten. The Magdalene of this picture is a creation of beauty indeed.

I have purchased a fine engraving of this picture, and several others by Rubens, and I hope, by looking at them long, to retain the impression I had made on my mind as I gazed upon the originals. No. 221--the Trinity--is a profane and ungracious representation of a Dead Christ in the arms of a stern old man, who is intended for the Father. This picture is wonderfully fine, as regards the foreshortening of the dead body; and I never saw such an exhibition in this respect. No. 218--- Christ showing his Wounds to Thomas--is fine; but the picture has suffered from damp.

Quentin Matsys has several of his productions here, and we looked with interest at a fine Sir Thomas More, by Holbein; the Flight into Egypt, by Memling; Mater Dolorosa, by Albert Durer; and many interiors, by Flemish artists. I was greatly pleased with No. 382--the Death of Rubens, by Van Bree, who died in 1839. This is large, and I think a most effective picture. The two sons, the priest, the wife fainting, and the two scribes, are admirably disposed; and the open window, through which the cathedral spire is seen, seems to me exceedingly clever; but I fancy I admired it more than artists have done. On leaving this n.o.ble collection, we stopped at St. Andrew's Church to see a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, over a monument to the two Ladies Curl, one of whom waited on her at her execution at Fotheringay Castle. After dinner we sallied out to see the Exchange, or Bourse, and from which the first London one was copied. Of course, this gave it an interest to us, as we could fancy we saw the royal building in which Queen Bess made such a display, and of which Gresham had so much reason to be proud. It is a piazza of iron arches and granite pillars, surrounding a square two hundred feet long by one hundred and sixty wide. It was built in 1531.

On returning home, we accidentally met with Mr. Vesey, the American consul. He invited us to his drawing-room, and we had a very pleasant half hour. But when he found we were to leave next day, he insisted on taking us to the outskirts and showing us the citadel and fortifications. In a few minutes he had us in a carriage, and became our kind and efficient guide till the loss of daylight rendered it useless to look around. I think we shall never forget the very great attention and friendship which we all met with from this gentleman; and I was gratified to hear him say that here, in Europe, nothing seemed to interest him in relation to mere party strife at home; while the honor and union of the country seemed to him all and every thing. Mr. Vesey has a good library and some fine paintings. He is a man of taste, and marked by energy of character; and is just such a representative of his country as she needs at such points as Antwerp and other large cities.

Yours truly,

J.O.C.

Letter 36.

HAGUE.

DEAR CHARLEY:--

I a.s.sure you we felt sorry to leave Antwerp; it is such a thoroughly fine old place, has so much of old Spanish history still bound up with its present aspect, and is so decidedly foreign in its appearance, language, &c. I have only time left to say a word about the docks of Antwerp, which were a favorite project of Napoleon Bonaparte. They were constructed at an enormous outlay; and the emperor expected to make this place the great rival of London. At the peace of 1814, the dock yards were demolished; but the great basins still exist, and are used for purposes of commerce. They are useful in winter, to preserve vessels from the ice which floats in the Scheldt.

It was a lovely morning when, having parted with our English friends, who proceeded to Bruges, we entered on board an iron steamer for a pa.s.sage of about eight hours to Rotterdam. The boat was neat and clean, though small, and the cabin was adorned with baskets and pots of flowers of various kinds. The view of the city and its fortifications was fine, as the boat receded from the sh.o.r.e. On our way we pa.s.sed Dort, one of the finest towns of Holland, and from appearances, I think, one of much trade. Its population is twenty thousand. Here, in 1618, was held the famous Synod of Dort, the great labor of which was to settle the claims of the rival systems of Calvin and Arminius. At this synod, Bishop Hall was a delegate from the English church; and he, good man, never dreamed of denying the validity of the ordination of his brethren in that council. We felt interested, as we sailed along this town, in remembering that here, in 1421, seventy-two villages and more than one hundred thousand persons were drowned by the incursion of water from the dike. The river stretches far away, and looks much like a lake.

If any one looks at the face of the country, he will at once understand why these regions have been termed the Low Countries. We pa.s.sed, as you may see on the map, Gravendeel, Willeinstadt, and the far-famed fortress of Bergen op Zoom, which is one of the strongest places in Holland. You know that Antwerp stood a long siege in 1831, when it suffered severely; and, as we pa.s.sed Fort St. Laurent, we were pointed out the spot where a most gallant occurrence happened at that time. A gun boat, belonging to Holland, got on sh.o.r.e, and the Belgians hastened to capture her, when her captain, a young man named Van Speyk, rushed into the magazine, put his cigar upon an open keg of powder, and, in the explosion, perished, with twenty-eight of his crew out of thirty-one. He was an orphan, who had been educated at Amsterdam. He has a fine monument next to Admiral De Ruyter's, and a fine ship of the Dutch navy bears his name. On board our boat we found two young gentlemen, of about fifteen or sixteen, belonging to Rotterdam, who were going home for vacation.. They are pupils at a boarding school in Brussels. They spoke English very well, and gave us a great deal of pleasing information. The dinner on the boat was very excellent. On reaching Rotterdam, we merely rode through it to take the cars for the Hague. It is a fine-looking town, has seventy-five thousand inhabitants, and some n.o.ble East Indiamen were lying at the wharves. Many of the houses were like those at Antwerp, and told a Spanish origin. I here noticed looking-gla.s.ses at the windows, so that any one in the parlor can see the reflection up and down the streets. I was glad to be able to see the bronze statue of Erasmus, who was born here in 1467. We were delayed by the absence of the authorities to sign our pa.s.sports, but were in time to reach the ears, and then started for the Hague, which is thirteen miles from Rotterdam; and we were forty minutes on the way. The road is excellent.

We pa.s.sed through Delft, and here we could not fail to admire the gardens and country-houses. It was dark as we entered the town; and we took up our quarters at the Doelen, which is a name indicating that archers have resorted thither. Whoever goes to this house will be sure to do well. We obtained capital rooms. Early next morning we called on Mr. George Folsom, our _charge d'affaires_. This gentleman is an old friend of mine; and he gave us a most cordial welcome, taking entire possession of our party for the day. Mr. Folsom resides in very handsome style upon the Voorhout, the best street of the city, and which, like every other part of the place, is adorned with n.o.ble trees. It seems strange to call this place a city, it is so thoroughly rural in its appearance. It hardly shows like a town of sixty-five thousand people on account of being concealed in shrubbery, cut up by ca.n.a.ls, and overshadowed with forest-trees.

Very early in the day we were kindly provided with carriages, and taken to Scheveningen, a village about three miles off. Our road lay through a fine avenue of trees. This is a great fishing-place, and a great watering-place. It has a large hotel, which we went to for lunch. It is the great rendezvous of the fashionable part of society in Germany during the heat of summer. We could not help drawing a contrast between Scheveningen and Newport, and not much to the advantage of the Dutch beach. This spot has some celebrity, as the port whence Charles II.

embarked for England at his restoration. On our way back we saw the residence of the queen dowager, sister to the Emperor of Russia, and of whom Mr. Folsom speaks highly, as a very excellent and sensible lady.

Mrs. Folsom and the ladies of our party had visited the queen the day before. The house looked quite snug, and very unpretending. On returning, we at once repaired to the Museum, which is supposed to be, in many respects, the finest in Europe. Here, too, is the famous picture gallery, in which are the best productions of the Flemish and Dutch schools. You are aware that Holland has had extensive trade with China and j.a.pan, through her colonies; hence the richness of this museum, which, so far as j.a.pan is concerned, is unrivalled. I have a catalogue of this wonderful collection, and to that I must refer you; for, as to description of what I saw, it would be impossible to tell you a hundredth part. The Oriental curiosities are very rich and fine. A plan of Jeddo, the capital of j.a.pan, is very curious--made by natives. The historical treasures are rich and numerous. Here we saw the armor of De Ruyter, and that of Van Tromp, well scored with bullets; the sword of Van Speyk; a part of Czar Peter's bed; the dress of William of Orange when he was murdered at Delft; the pistol and bullets by which he fell, &c., &c. We all expected much pleasure from the gallery of paintings, and I believe we experienced no disappointment; and how could we, with such treasures of art and genius? Here we noticed with most interest Rembrandt's Surgeon and Pupils dissecting a dead Body. This is No. 127.

The body is admirable, and the legs are thrown into shadow. The portraits are lifelike. The portraits of Rembrandt's wives are fine specimens of coloring. No. 123 is the world-renowned Bull, by Paul Potter. The glory of this work is its minute adherence to nature. The leaves and plants, and every appearance of vegetation, impresses the spectator with the idea of reality. This was carried off to the Louvre, although the Dutch offered twenty thousand pounds sterling to redeem it.

I liked the pictures of De Ruyter and Van Tromp; but the treat of all to me was the show of small Dutch pictures, by Gerard Dow, thirty-five in number; a Battle Field and Hay Cart, by Wouvermans, and many others from his studio; Flight into Egypt, by Vanderwerp; Fruits and Flowers, by Breughels; Interiors of Cottages, by A.V. Ostades; a Kitchen, by Teniers; and a very large Hunting-piece by Snyders, whom I greatly admire. As to portraits, they are in any number, and some are very fine.

One of Laurence Coster, by Durer, is curious.

We went to see the late King's Palace, and here we found only the relics of the splendid gallery which was once to be seen. An auction had recently disposed of more than half the paintings. The late monarch was a man of taste, but had sadly involved himself in its gratification.

Many of the paintings here are exceedingly fine, and will be disposed of in a public sale next October. After leaving this palace, we went with Mr. Folsom to see the Brimenhoff. This is the place where the Dutch parliament meets. We went into the second chamber and heard the debates, which were not very edifying. The appearance of the members was very much like that of a New England a.s.sembly of legislators.

The fine Gothic Hall here is said to be the oldest building in the city.

It was on a scaffolding in front of it that Barneveldt, the grand pensionary of Holland, was beheaded, in 1618, at the age of seventy-two.

We also saw the gateway of the tower in which Cornelius De Witt was confined, in 1672, on the ridiculous charge of conspiracy against the Prince of Orange. The populace feared his acquittal, and they by a manuvre induced his brother John De Witt, the grand pensionary, to visit him in prison. They then broke in, dragged them forth, and tore them to pieces under the gateway. We went to look at De Witt's residence, which is plain and unpretending.

I do wish you could have been with us in our ride through the Bosch, a fine park of forest-trees near to the town. The forest never looked more pleasant to me than here. May is a sweet month, and especially when, with all her verdant beauty, she is just about to rush into the arms of June. We all talked of you in the charming drive, and Mr. Folsom made kind inquiries after you. On reaching home, we went with our kind guide to see the house which was occupied by John Adams when he was at this court negotiating a treaty with Holland in aid of our independence.

We are to spend to-morrow and next day at Harlem, on our way to Amsterdam; and the boys will tell you what we see there.

Affectionately yours,

J.O.C.

Letter 37.

AMSTERDAM.

DEAR CHARLEY:--