bowmen (of which fraternity he was elected the king), in the Archers' Guilds, there is a bust of him, and a portrait of the Duke of Gloucester, his brother.

Most of the other public buildings are modern and uninteresting. Bruges is an exceedingly cheap place of residence, especially as regards house rent. its chief manufacture is that of lace. The famous Order of the Golden Fleece was instituted here by Philip the Good in 1430, in recognition of the excellence to which the town had attained in the manufacture of wool. Bruges still retains its ancient reputation, as the place par excellence in Belgium for handsome women.

Blankenberghe, 7 miles from Bruges, which a few years ago was a miserable fishing village, seems to be rising yearly in favour as a bathing place, and is much frequented. There is a railway to it direct from Bruges.

The country between Bruges and Ostend is fertile, but flat, devoid of timber, and generally uninteresting. A fine canal extends from Bruges to Ostend. In the year 1798 a body of English troops, landing at the latter place, destroyed the sluices of the canal. Owing to a change in the wind, they were unable to make good their escape, and were taken prisoners by the French.

OSTEND (78 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL APPENDIX,") population, 17,250. Originally a fishing-town, Ostend was walled by Philip the Good, who at the same time enlarged the port, in 1445, and regularly fortified by the Prince of Orange in 1583; to which latter circumstance it owes its mention in

European history as having withstood a siege by the Spaniards for more than three years, and then surrendered only by command of

the States General. The besieged are said to have lost 50,000 men, and the besiegers 80,000. Except as a bathing-place, with a gently sloping beach of very fine sand, and of great extent, it has no attractions or objects of interest for the visitor. The principal promenades are along the Digue, a sea-wall 14 miles long, about the centre of which are the Kursaal, and the wooden jetties which project from the entrance to the harbour. An extensive view is obtainable from the summit of the light-house at the end of the Digue.

Steamers arrive daily from England, with which the trade of the place is principally carried on. Ostend is renowned for its oysters, which are raised from spat or fry, brought from England, and deposited in reservoirs called "parks.'

ROUTE 71.

BRUSSELS TO LIEGE, AIXLA-CHAPELLE AND COLOGNE.

150 miles; (express) 1st class, 27·75 francs; 2nd, 20-50 francs ; (ordinary) 1st class, 23:35 francs; 2nd, 17:05 franes; 3rd, 11:55 francs.

HE first place of interest, after leaving Brussels, is LOUVAIN (18 miles), (Hotel : de Suede), population, 32,500. This place is said to have been built upon the site of an entrenchment formed by the Normans, and occupied by them for some years

as a stronghold from which to carry on their depredations. On their expulsion by the Emperor Arnold in 891, their camp became the nucleus of a city. The Counts of Louvain finally became Dukes of Lower Lorraine, and of Brabant. The city is said to have had, in the 14th century, 200,000 inhabitants, principally engaged in woollen manufactures. It subsequently declined in prosperity, owing to the disputes between its Aristocracy and Bourgeoisie; the latter, being worsted, are said to have emigrated in great numbers to England, where they introduced the art of cloth-working. It has suffered much from inundations and from fires, but still retains much of its ancient splendour, of which its Hotel de Ville is one of the choicest examples, being, by common consent, the most tasteful and picturesque in Belgium. It was commenced in 1447, and finished in 1463. Hope, the author of the History of Architecture, calls it "the ne plus ultra of floreated ogival Gothic.'

The edifice owes many of its recent decorations to the influence of Victor Hugo with the Common Council on the occasion of his visit in 1852. There is a museum on the second floor, but the pictures are more interesting from their antiquity than from their merits.

The principal church is that of St. Peter, which dates from the end of the 14th century, and is rich in works of art. It has a very delicately sculptured roodloft of the 15th century; and some pictures of the old Flemish school, amongst which is a triptych by Quintin Matsys, representing the Holy Family. In front of the rood-loft is a chandelier in wrought iron by the same artist, who is supposed to have been born here about 1450.

The church of St. Gertrude has a much-admired spire, and carved oak stalls. St. Michael's has some artistically-carved confessionals; and St. Jacques's and St. Quentin's have some good pictures by Crayer and others.

The University, formerly one of the most celebrated in Europe, was founded in 1426; suppressed by the French; refounded by William 1. in 1817; and is the principal theological school in Belgium.

Passing the small village of Esemael, a few miles beyond

TIRLEMONT (38 miles), we enter the plain of Neerwinden, where the English and their allies, under William III., were beaten by the French under Marshal de Luxemburg in 1693; and where, 100 years later, the army of the French Republic, under Dumouriez, was defeated and driven out of Belgium, by the Austrians, under the Prince of Saxe Coburg.

LANDEN (463 miles) was the birth-place of Pepin, Mayor of the Palace to Dagobert I., and an ancestor of Charlemagne. The tumulus under which he was buried is still to be seen, and bears his name; but his body was removed to Nivelles, to the monastery founded by his daughter Gertrude.

WAREMME (55 miles) was formerly a place of some importance; the capital of the district called the Hesbaye, and known for the valour of its inhabitants, displayed in all the struggles of the middle ages, between the Bishops of Liege and the Dukes of Brabant, especially in the sanguinary feud between the Seigneurial families of 'Awans and Waroux. A scion of the latter fell in love with a serf of the former family, carried her off, and married her. The feud which arose out of this cir

cumstance lasted from 1290 to 1335, and is said to have cost 32,000 lives.

At FEXHE (62 miles) we see, on the right, the Castle of Bierset.

ANS (67) miles) stands on an elevation 450 ft. above the Meuse. The descent, for upwards of two miles, is very abrupt. We next reach

LIEGE (71 miles).

For description of Liége, and the remainder of the journey to Cologne, see Route 56.

ROUTE 72.

BRUSSELS TO BALE, BY

LUXEMBURG AND METZ. Fare to Bale: first class, 66-70 francs; second, 36'70.

EAVING Brussels by the Great Luxemburg Railway station, in the Quartier Léopold, we reach OTTIGNIES (13 miles), the junction of the lines from Louvain, Charleroi and Mons. Passing several other stations of no note, we enter several deep cuttings as we near Namur, then, proceeding across the fine valley of the Sambre, reach NAMUR (35 miles), described in Route 56. [From Namur a railway branches off by Dinant and Givet (French frontier) to Mezieres-Charleville and SEDAN (see Route 58). Distance from Namur to Sedan about 65 miles. DINANT (14 miles from Namur), population 6,500, is situated on the Meuse, in the

midst of extremely picturesque scenery. The church of Notre Dame is a richly decorated Gothic structure. The Town Hall was once the palace of the princes of Liége. GIVET is a French fortress of the first class. The town is situated on both banks of the Meuse.]

From Namur we pass on through a succession of charming views to

CINEY (53 miles), formerly a Roman station, in the neighbourhood of which many of the most interesting objects in the Namur Museum have been found.

We shortly afterwards reach JEMELLE (71 miles), where a cave is to be seen called the Grotte de la Wammé.

[If the tourist desires to visit the wonderful Grottes de Han, he must alight at Jemelle, where he will find an omnibus for Rochefort, which will also conduct him to the village of Han, from which the grottoes may be reached on foot, in about half an hour. These Trous, as they are called by the country people, are the greatest natural curiosities in the country, and consist of a series of caverns, through which the Lesse runs for a considerable distance. The effects of the torch-light upon the stalactites is very striking. The time occupied in passing through these caverns is usually about an hour and a half, the distance being about a mile.]

The next place of interest is ARLON (118 miles), (Hotels: du Nord, Schneider), population 5,700. This is the chief town of Belgian Luxemburg, entirely destroyed by the French under the Duke of Guise, in 1558, sacked by the Dutch in 1604, and again by the French in 1651, and dismantled of its fortifications twenty years later, it has no features of interest. The

number of inscriptions, medals, and other remains found here attest its ancient importance as a Roman town. There is a very extensive view from the terrace of the old Capuchin convent.

In the neighbourhood of Arlon, are the ruins of the Abbey of Orval, one of the most extensive and wealthy establishments in Belgium, destroyed by the French in the last century.

LUXEMBURG (138 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL APPENDIX,") population 12,100, is the capital of the Grand Duchy which gives its title to the King of Holland. From Arlon to Luxemburg German is the language of the country. The principal celebrity of this place is derived from its strength as a fortress; and the negotiations, which led to its partial dismantlement, when some idea was entertained by its sovereign of transferring it to France, a few years since, will be fresh in the mind of the reader. Situated upon an almost inaccessible rock, it was naturally occupied as a defensive position in very early times, and is said to have been so under the Emperor Gallienus in 260. Threefourths of its garrison were Prussian and the remainder Dutch.

The church of Notre Dame is of the seventeenth century, and contains an "Ascension," by Abraham Gilson, an "Adoration of the Magi," attributed to Otto Venius, and the tomb of Jean l'Aveugle, King of Bohemia.

[Tourists going to Treves leave one route here and proceed by another line to Treves, distant about 30 miles.

TREVES (Hotels: see "HOTEL APPENDIX,") population, 21,240. This ancient and interesting town, the capital of Trier, in Rhenish Prussia, is situated on the River Moselle. It was formerly the capi

tal of the Treviri, a powerful people mentioned by Cæsar, and the occasional residence of several Roman

emperors. In the middle ages it became an archbishopric, the archbishop being arch-chancel lor of the empire, and second in rank as an elector, giving the first vote. The archbishopric and electorate were abolished by the treaty of Luneville, in 1801. The cathedral of St. Peter and St. Helena is built in the early Byzantine style, and is supposed to have been part of the residence of the Empress Helena. The church of St. Simeon is supposed to have been built in the early part of the fourth century, in the time of Constantine. This is one of the most important Roman monuments in Germany, and was consecrated as a place of Christian worship in the eleventh century. The old Roman gateway (Porta Nigra), since Treves has been in the possession of Prussia, has been restored as far as possible to its original state. Few cities are richer in Roman remains than Treves. It was so important a city that Ausonius called it the second city of the Roman Empire. The palace of the elector-prelates is now a barrack, and stands upon the site of an old Roman building which is supposed to have been the residence of Constantine. Some parts of the walls are 90 ft. high and 10 ft. thick. There are also remains of baths, and of an amphitheatre where Constantine entertained the people with what he termed Frankish Games-the sight of thousands of unarmed prisoners exposed to slaughter by savage beasts. This amphitheatre is estimated to have been capable of holding 20,000 persons. The bridge over the Moselle is supposed to have been founded in the reign of Augustus, B. c. 28.

Not least amongst the relics to be mentioned at Treves is the Holy Coat of Our Saviour, in the cathedral, which was exhibited to the faithful in 1844, upon which occasion it is said to have been shown to more than a million persons, assembled from all parts of the world.

From Treves a pleasant excursion may be made to Coblenz, on the Rhine, by steamer, down the Moselle. The distance is 150 miles, and the time occupied, when there is a good stage of water, is about sixteen hours, but the running of the steamers is uncertain.

Persons preferring a more rapid means of reaching the Rhine may go to Saarbrück, 77 miles by railway, and thence to Bingen. (See Route 57.)

Treves may be reached from COLOGNE by direct railway in a little less than five hours, and tourists may reach the Rhine again at Bingen, by way of Saarbruck, in about the same time.]

Pursuing the journey from Luxemburg towards Bale, the principal towns passed are METZ, two hours from Luxemburg (see description at page 277),STRASBURG, 4 hours later (see description at page 283), MULHOUSE, 2 hours farther on (see description at page 286). Sixteen hours after leaving Brussels BALE is reached. The time from London to Bale is about 27 hours. The fares from London, first class, £5 5s. 9d., second class, £ 17s. Bale is fully described at page 346. Sleeping cars run on this route from Ostend.