The plot

in his ears the treason meditated against his castle. therefore failed. Otho afterwards proposed peace to the count, and offered, as the best pledge of harmony, his sister Edwig in marriage. On the way back, the tourist should take another road, leading to the "Devil's Pulpit;" thence to the Alley of Sighs, and so home.

MOUNT MERCURY (or the Great Staufenberg).-The monarch of the mountains in the neighbourhood of Baden presides over the City of the Fountains, and, as emblematical of his supremacy, bears a turret upon his head. The coronation was brought about by the zeal of M. de Theobald, to whom the city owes much. The road is good, if that by the Alley of Sighs is taken, avoiding the wild path by the Hæslig. Many charming views, many glorious bursts of scenery, cheer the tourist onwards, and he forgets the toil up-hill. On reaching the top, an inscription is found, which has been thus translated: "In honour of the divine imperial house, consecrated to the god Mercury, by Curius, the merchant, to acquit himself of a vow made for the recovery of his health."

THE HÆSLIG.-A hill in advance of the Staufenberg or Mercury, bearing the name of Hæslig, rises to the right of the Gernsbach road. Different ways conduct to its summit: the first by the Gernsbach road; the second and most usual one passes near the pavilion of the Grand-Duchess, and on one side of the tile and brick-kiln; the third, which is generally taken in descending by the Frohngraben, and where there is a very beautiful view, going towards the Falkenhald. The summit of the Hæslig, a sort of table-land, presents a rich prospect of the city and the Rhinevalley the best time for the enjoyment of the landscape is at sunset.

SCHEUERN AND THE CHAPEL OF THE JESUITS.-The little village of Baden-Scheuern lies on the Rastadt-road, about a mile from Baden, where the garden of the Golden Ship is ready to afford hospitable repose. Any one will point out the Chapel of the Jesuits, as it is called. The building itself has been converted to agricultural purposes; it is not very remarkable, but the road to it by Nachscheuern and across the meadows has a charming view. Some Roman antiquities were found in the neighbourhood of the Chapel.

A

THE BEITIG.-Behind the Conversations-house, and opposite the English hotel, a road leads to the summit of the Beitig, a continuation of the slope south-east of the Friesenberg, the forest of which is bounded by the road. The prospect from the summit is fine. post half hidden with foliage marks the spot once occupied by a gallows. An inscription speaks of "Xavier Schnepf, bachelor, of Oos, for murder, 1806." A pretty valley, called the Salzgraben, lies along the foot of the Beitig.

YBURG. This mountain is still crowned with the ruins of a castle built by the Romans. The road to it is over the Beitig, behind Selighof; then through the forest near a gorge or ravine called "Klopfengraben." The view is magnificent. There is an inn here. The rustics and neighbouring villagers, dressed in their Sunday-best, come here on a holiday, and the male part of the company play at the German national game, or nine-pins. No person should leave Baden without once at least visiting the "haunted" tower of Yburg.

THE JAGDHAUS (or Hunting-house).-The Alley of Poplars, not far from Baden on the Rastadt road to the left, conducts you to this building. Another road leads to it, by turning to the left upon leaving Baden near the little bridge, passing through a sort of hamlet, and going through the forest in a north-westerly direction. The building itself is in the form of a St. Hubert's cross, and is now converted into an inn. The view is rich and beautiful. The Rhine, and on a fine day Strasburg Cathedral, are distinctly visible. From the top of the Kælbel, the view, if possible, is still finer.

THE VALLEY OF THE MURG (Das Murgthal).-Far away in the very thickest haunts of the Black Forest, at the base of the Kniebis, two sources arise, called the Weissmurg and the Rothmurg, which shortly after blend into one, and form the Murg, a tributary of the Rhine. Those who have time and leisure cannot find a more delightful excursion than setting out on foot from Rastadt, and following the course of the valley of the Murg up to the Kniebis. From Baden there is a way into the Murg valley by the Alley of Sighs; but the road through Lichtenthal is the most romantic of the two, surpassing everything about Baden itself in beauty. Its serpentine course is abruptly terminated by the Castle of Eberstein. Near the Castle of New Eberstein is a rock jutting out towards the Murg, called "Grafensprung," or "Count's Leap." Its name is derived from a certain Count of Eberstein, who leaped the height, and reached his home in safety: the people here believe that that angel who devotes himself to the protection of infants and persons "half seas over" averted the danger of the feat. The count was emboldened by previous success to repeat the feat, and was slain.

GERAULDSAU and the Waterfall, the Kneibus and the Kaiserstuhl, also afford points for excursions likely to repay the resident at Baden. The tourist who has but little time to spare may see many of the finest morsels of scenery round Baden by making a contract with a respectable hotel-keeper for a carriage and horses, and then driving through the neighbourhood. By this means one long afternoon may be delightfully spent, and many of the best and most characteristic views be enjoyed.

BELGIUM.

UNDER this heading a few particulars relative to the general features and condition of the country may be appropriately given.

The existence of Belgium as a separate kingdom dates only from the revolution of 1830, by which this rich and populous portion of the kingdom of Holland was taken from the Dutch and placed under a distinct crown.

Belgium, after being conquered by Cæsar, remained under the Roman yoke until about the year 420. The Franks, who left their name to the kingdom of France, invaded it at that period. Having in the ninth century become a part of the empire of Charlemagne, it was, under his successors, divided into small sovereignties, which bore the titles of duchies, marquisates, counties, and lordships; it was then that the principality of Liege, the marquisate of Antwerp, the duchies of Brabant, Limburg, and Luxemburg, the counties of Flanders, Namur, and Hainault, and the lordship of Mechlin, were formed, which were successively united to the duchy of Burgundy, and passed, in 1477, under the dominion of the house of Austria, by the marriage of Mary, the daughter of Charles the Bold, the last duke of Burgundy, with Maximilian, the son of Frederick III., the emperor of Germany. When Charles the Fifth (the grandson of Maximilian), king of Spain and emperor of Germany, inherited those different provinces, they became subject to Spain. They were given, in 1714, to Isabella, the daughter of Philip III., at the time of her marriage with the archduke Albert, and took the name of Austrian Netherlands, which they retained until 1795, a period at which they were reunited to France, with the country of Liege, governed by a bishopprince, and which had always formed part of the holy empire. France divided Belgium into nine departments, and retained possession of it until 1814. The treaty of London, of July 28, in the same year, and the decision of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, united Belgium to Holland, to form the kingdom of the Netherlands, under the government of William of Orange-Nassau. The revolution of September, 1830, having violently separated Holland from Belgium, a national congress, June 4, 1831, proclaimed Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, king of the Belgians, upon the refusal of the duke of Nemours, the son of the late king of the French, The national colours are now red, yellow, and black. The Belgian flag bears these three colours placed vertically. The national arms are the Belgian Lion, with the motto, "Union is strength." The treaty of London, of November 15, 1831, not ratified before 1839, by Holland and Belgium, by securing to the latter a certain rank among the powers of Europe, has settled the limits of the two States which before 1830 formed the kingdom of the Netherlands. At present

Belgium is bounded on the N. by Holland; E. by Dutch Limburg, Rhenane Prussia, and Dutch Luxemburg; S. and W. by France. Its greatest extent from N. E. to S. E. is 50 leagues and 35 leagues from N. to S. It is divided into nine provinces-1. Antwerp; 2. East Flanders; 3. West Flanders; 4. Hainault; 5. Brabant; 6. Limburg; 7. Liege; 8. Namur; 9. Luxemburg; which are themselves subdivided into judicial and administrative districts; the population of the kingdom, which, before the ratification of the treaties, consisted of 4,232,600 inhabitants, is reduced to 3,990,839, by the reduction of part of Limburg and Luxemburg. Almost all the population profess the Roman-catholic religion. The present superficial contents of the territory are about 2,943,570 hectares. It contains ninety seven towns, several of which are very considerable, and 2478 rural districts. East Flanders has a greater population than any other country in Europe with an equal surface.

Belgium is a level country in the northern provinces, but the soil is uneven and mountainous in the provinces of the east and south. The land is everywhere fertile and well cultivated, but agriculture is carried to the highest perfection in E. and W. Flanders, Brabant, and the province of Antwerp. The kingdom is watered by two large streams, the Scheldt and the Maese, and by many secondrate rivers; the principal are the Senne, the Dyle, the Lys, the Ourte, the Dendre, the Vesdre, the Demer, &c.; several of the provinces are intersected in every direction by numerous canals. Belgium has two ports-Ostend on the North Sea, and Antwerp on the Scheldt. Its fortified towns are, Mons, Tournay, Ath, Menin, Ostend, Antwerp, Dendermond, and Namur. Belgium produces wheat, spelt, rye, barley, oats, potatoes, forage, flax, hemp, hops, beetroot, tobacco, colza, madder, fruit-trees, and timber. Some parts of the southern provinces produce light but pleasant wines. The cultivation of the mulberry-tree and the breeding of silk-worms, introduced in 1826, is daily gaining ground. The coal-mines of the provinces of Liege and Hainault are a source of great wealth. These provinces, as well as those of Namur and Luxemburg, possess mines of iron and other metals; they also contain marble and stone quarries. There are two universities in the kingdom which are provided for at the expense of the State: one at Ghent, the other at Liege; philosophy and literature, mathematics, natural philosophy, law, and medicine, are taught at both. There is, moreover, a catholic university at Louvaine, which professes the faculties of theology, law, medicine, philosophy, and literature. There is also a free university at Brussels, the course of instruction of which embraces the same branches as the preceding, except theology.

Belgium possesses six academies of painting, at Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Liege, and Louvaine, and several second-rate academies in different towns. The academy of painting at Antwerp

embraces every branch connected with the fine arts. A triennial
exhibition of the fine arts takes place alternately at Antwerp,
Brussels, and Ghent. There is one at Liege and Mechlin every two
years. Belgium also possesses three conservatories of music; those
of Brussels and Liege are called royal, and are supported at the
expense of the State. That of Ghent is supported by the town by
which it was founded. The French language is spoken all over the
kingdom; but Flemish predominates in East and West Flanders,
in the province of Antwerp, in part of Brabant, and in Limburg.
Mr. Macgregor's work, "Commercial Statistics," affords some
valuable facts relative to the condition of Belgium :-

The resources of Belgium are remarkably abundant for so small a
kingdom. The forests yield plenty of good oak and other wood for
ship-building; and the mineral riches of the country-particularly
the coal and iron mines-are of great importance. Copper, lead,
alum, marble, limestone, and potters' clay, also abound. The Meuse
and Scheldt, and their tributaries, open an inland navigation of
great usefulness and value, which, with the canals, extend a water
communication all over the kingdom. Railroads are numerous.

The population in 1840 was 4,028,677, of whom 903,121 lived in
ninety-six towns, and 3,125,556 in 2642 rural communes.

There are about 2800 breweries distributed over the kingdom of
Belgium, independently of 150 malting establishments. Beer is the
ordinary beverage of all classes, and on an average of years the
consumption amounts to 135 litres, of nearly sixteen francs value
(12s. 93d. sterling) for each individual. The breweries and distilleries
create a yearly demand for from 20,000,000 to 24,000,000 kilo-
grammes of barley.

The following statement (taken from the Octroi returns) shows
the average annual consumption per individual of the under-
mentioned articles of food &c. in the kingdom of Belgium during
the years 1835 and 1836: Bread of wheat flour, equal in wheat to
54 francs value; wine, 5 francs 84 cents; spirits, 5 francs 56 cents;
beer, 21 francs 2 cents; sugar, 6 francs; meat, 26 francs, 53 cents;
fish, 4 francs 25 cents; fodder, 10 francs 56 cents; coal, 12 francs
92 cents; fire-wood, 2 francs 56 cents. The greatest quantity of
wine and spirits was consumed in the provinces of Liege, Luxem-
burg, and Limburg.

The principal minerals of the kingdom are coal, iron, zinc, lead,
copper, manganese, and pyrites. Of these, the coal-mines are the
most important. As far as explored, there are in the province of
Hainault 155 coal-mines worked, extending under 102,415 hectares
of surface; in Liege and Limburg, 138 coal-mines worked, under a
surface of 32,777 hectares of land; and in Namur and Luxemburg,
59 mines worked, under a surface of 30,030 hectares.

The principal iron-mines are situated between the Sambre and