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ment of extensive looms in various parts of Germany, from the last and present war with England, and from the superiority of the manufactures of York shire, which are in such high estimation in America and Asia, that Dutch merchants trading to those countries, found it more advantageous to send out English cloths. The coarse cloths of Holland had formerly a brisk market amongst the East and West India companies: but from the above cause thou sands of manufacturers have been obliged to renounce their looms, and divert their skill and industry tó other sources of support; and in all human probability the woollen manufactures of Leyden will never revive.

Before I quit this celebrated city, I cannot help mentioning that, in addition to the illustrious artists before-mentioned, it gave birth to Gerard Douw, who was born here in 1613, and entered at the early age of fifteen into the school of "Rembrandt, with whom he continued three years, and from whom he obtained the true principles of colouring: his pictures are generally small, and remarkable for their wonderful brilliancy, delicacy, transparency, and exquisite high finishing. That comical, dissipated humourist and happy artist, Jan Steen, was also born here, in 1636, as was his friend Francis Mierissi in 1035, who obtained the name of " the prince of Gerard Douw's pupils."

William Vandervelde, the celebrated marine painter, was also born here in 1610 the love of his art induced him to remove with his family fo England, on account of the superior elegance in the construction of British ships; and he was successively patronized by King Charles II. and king James II.

About a mile from Leyden there is a very valuable collection by some of the most distinguished Dutch and Flemish masters, belonging to Mr. Gevers, who has a noble mansion and grounds, very tastefully dis

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posed; and who upon all occasions is happy to per mit strangers to visit his cabinet, and shew them every hospitality.

Near this city in the village of Rhynsburg, the assembly of a very singular and equally liberal religious asso ciation is held, the members of which are called after the name of the place, Rhynsburgians; this meeting was established by three peasants, who were brothers, of the name of John, Adrian, and Gilbert Van Code, who to an excellent and profitable acquaintance with farming, which they followed, singularly united a profound knowledge of languages, for which they were so celebrated, that Prince Maurice, and Monsieur de Maurier the then French ambassador, honoured them with several visits, and conversed with them in Latin, Greek, Italian, and French, in each of which they astonished their visitors, by their fluency and pronunciation: another brother, William, filled the professorhip of the oriental languages in the university of Leyden. In consequence of the churches being left without their pastors, on the expulsion of the remonstrant clergy, in the year 1619, the three first mentioned brothers determined to supply their places, and undertook to explain the Scriptures: they set an example of genuine christianity which has been rarely displayed; and they taught that every one had a right to worship God according to his own form of faith, taking the Bible for his guide.

As I was one day roving in this city, I was struck with the appearance of a small board ornamented with a considerable quantity of lace, with an inscription on it, fastened to a house: upon inquiry I found - that the lady of the mansion, where I saw it, had lately lain-in, and was then much indisposed, and that it was the custom of the country to expose this board, which contained an account of the state of the invalid's health, for the satisfaction of her inquiring friends, who were by this excellent plan informed of her situation, without disturbing her by knocking at

the door, and by personal inquiries; the lace I found was never displayed but in lying-in cases, but without it, this sort of bulletin is frequently used in other cases of indisposition amongst persons of consequence.

It is a painful task not to be able to close my account of this beautiful and celebrated city, without lamenting with the reader the dreadful accident which befel it on the 12th of January last, more terrible and destructive than all the horrors of its siege, the intelligence of which was communicated to me very soon afterwards by a friend in Holland, just as I had fairly written out thus far of my journal. About one o'clock of that day, a vessel laden with forty thousand pounds weight of gunpowder from Amsterdam, destined for Delt, and then lying in the Rapenburg canal, by some means which can never now be known, took fire and blew up with the explosion of a mighty volcano, by which many hundreds of lives were lost, and a great "portion of the city destroyed.

I quitted Leyden with great reluctance, and en'tered on board the treckschuýt for Haarlem, which sets off every two hours for that town, distant from Leyden fifteen miles. The canal all the way is broad and clear, and frequently adorned with the yellowfringed water-lily. Nothing could be more beautiful than our passage. As we approached Haarlein, the villás and gardens which nearly all the way adorn the banks of the canal, increased in number, beauty, and magnitude; many of them belong to the most opulent merchants of Amsterdam. Haarlem is not so beautiful as Leyden, but abounds with spacious streets, canals, avenues, and handsome houses: it is about four miles from the sea, and fifteen from Amsterdam: on one side of the canal is the Haarlem meer, or lake, the spring water of which is so welebrated all over Europe for producing the most brilliant whiteness upon the linens bleached here, and 'the superior property of which cannot be reached

by any chymical process. Haarlem was once fortified, but its ramparts now form an agreeable promepade. The bleacheries of this city are too well known to be further mentioned; in all his wandering, the traveller will never enjoy the luxury of snow-white linen in such perfection as at Haarlem: before the war the Scotch and Irish linens used to be sent here to be bleached. There was a considerable manufacture of silks and camblets, but it has experienced a great decline, and the principal trade is bleaching threads and cambric; the inhabitants are calculated at thirty-two thousand. The cathedral which is said to be the largest in the kingdom, though I am inclined to think that of Utrecht greater, was built in 1472, and the steeple, which is very handsome, was added in 1515. To inspect the internal part of the building, I was obliged to apply to one of the princi[pal clergymen belonging to it, who resides in an adJoining house, and attended by a lady like looking woman, perhaps his wife, or house-keeper, I was admitted into this venerable pile, where the first object that struck me was the celebrated organ, supported upon pillars of porphyry: this instrument is said to be the finest and largest in the world; it occupies the whole west end of the nave. For a ducat painto the organist, and two florins to the bellows-blower, the former will gratify the traveller, by playing for an hour; unfortunately for me, he was absent, in, the country, and I did not hear the celebrated vox bumana, or pipe, which most admirably imitates the human voice. Of the magnitude of this enormous musical pile, the reader may form some conception, when he is, informed that it contains eight thousand pipes, some of which are thirty-eight feet in length, and sixteen inches in diameter, and has sixty, four stops, four separations, two shakes, two couplings, and twelve bellows; like an elephant, that with his proboscis can either pluck, a violet or raise a tree by Its roots, the notes of this wonderful instrument can

swell from the softest to the sublimest sounds, from the warbling of a distant bird to the awful tone of thunder, until the massy building trembles in all its aisles. On every Tuesday and Thursday a voluntary is played upon this organ from twelve till one o'clock, when the doors of the cathedral are thrown open. Many years since the immortal Handel played upon this organ, when the organist, in amazement, pronounced him to be an angel, or the devil. Between two of the columns which support the organ, there is a noble emblematical aito-relievo, with three figures as large as life, by Xavery, representing Gratitude, assisted by Poetry and Music, making an offering to Piety, and a Latin' inscription purporting that the organ was erected in 1739, at the town's expense, the same having been built by Christian Muller of this city..

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The walks round this city; are very beautiful, and at a short distance from it there is a noble wood, in which is a fine walk of stately elins, nearly three miles long, abounding with beautiful scenery: this bwood is a rival of that which I have described at the Hague. In this delightful place stands the mansion 3 of Mr. Henry Hope, whose family has been well s known for its loyalty and immense wealth; it is said to bave cost fifty thousand pounds. Upon the Revoadution taking place, this gentleman was obliged to sseck refuge in England, to the capital of which he had previously transported in safety his magnificent colsdection of paintings.

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2000Haarlem and its environs are more celebrated than many other spot, for the beautiful flowers it produces, bathe soil being peculiarly propitious to their prodduction.

Not far from the church, the spot where stood the house of Lawrence Coster, who lived in the middle a of the fifteenth century, the celebrated inventor of vothe art of printing is shewn.

History informs us, that Haarlem presented a glo

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