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among the other monuments of the town. There are many other establishments, which it will not be necessary to describe in detail; the tourist will find many of them worth inspection. We subjoin a brief list of them, so that each one, according to his taste, may choose to which he will give the preference. The College; Society of Sciences, Arts, and Letters; a public Library; an Academy of Drawing and Sculpture a Commission of Fine Arts, and for the preservation of Monuments. There are likewise several hospitals. The Library, Rue des Gades, is open daily; it contains upwards of 13,000 volumes, many of them of very early date; and 300 of the number are in manuscript. The Museum, being but of very recent formation, contains at present but a meagre collection. A vast amount of the population of Mons are independent; those who are occupied in commercial pursuits are chiefly in connexion with the coal mines and iron foundries, which abound in the neighbourhood.

THE MOSELLE.

From Coblentz a pleasant excursion may be made to Treves through the delightful valley of the Moselle.

The contiguity of this river to the Rhine has defrauded one of the most picturesque valleys in Europe of its fair share of public appreciation. Our countrymen, however, are now becoming aware that this river not only affords the means of varying the route to and from the most attractive portions of the Rhine, but offers scenery scarcely second to that of the more famous stream, and equally rich in historical associations. The Moselle is one of the most meandering rivers in Europe, from which cause, the traveller conveyed by the boats which navigate its stream to Coblentz, may almost at any moment fancy himself in the centre of a lake surrounded by mountains. The hills are on every side covered with vines, which seem to grow out from between loose scales of rock like broken tiles. care or preparation is observable in the treatment of the soil for planting, such as is seen in Nassau and Rhenish Hesse. Little towns, exquisitely picturesque, are seen along the banks, and seem like little moyen-age hives, the cottages being heaped together so as to give space for the vines. The houses on the banks are very quaint-looking and old-fashioned, and equally primitive. Tour boats are seen ascending and descending the river, conveying the traffic between Rhenish Prussia and Luxemburg.

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A STEAM BOAT for the conveyance of travellers starts daily from Coblentz for Treves, or Trier, as it is called by Germans, and stays at Trarbach for the night. The ascent of the river consumes a day and a half, but it is descended in ten hours, on which account, if the picturesque be the sole object, it will be convenient to ascend the valley by land and return by the boat. Homeward travellers for

Coblentz, who choose to return by Luxemburg and Belgium, instead of descending the Rhine to Cologne, may make the journey very agreeable by leaving the boat at intervals as it approaches the bends of the stream, and will often find that half-an-hour's walk will afford them a delightful view of the country, and bring them to a point where the boat will arrive and take them up. The high road between Coblentz and Treves is exceedingly dull, and pedestrians making the excursion should, as a rule, walk as much along the bank as possible. The first place reached on the banks of the Moselle is Weiss, where there is a large public garden; thence the road leads to the village of Ley, and farther on, to Oberwinnigen and Unterwinnigen. A league higher up is Dedlion, on the right bank, and on the left, Cobern, where the Nodbach falls into the Moselle. The traveller then passes the pretty village of Gondorf on the left, and Niederfell on the right bank; near the latter is Chur, and opposite, Oberliemen. A number of villages and market-towns now present themselves, without any distinctive character, but all strongly marked with the general features of the country, until the traveller reaches the ruins of Marienburg. There is a convent of nuns situated on a steep rock, and defended by towers, ditches, and drawbridges, which Archbishop Baldwin converted into a fort, in 1514. Near Marienburg, the river makes an immense bend, which the pedestrian should not follow, as it will bring him again to the point from which he sets out. Here, for the same reason, the steam-boat voyager may most conveniently go ashore. On the top of the hill is a summer-house, decorated with all sorts of odd birds and animals, shot in the neighbourhood, and the Hundsruck, or Dog's-back, a chain of mountains. A bottle of very fine wine is supplied here, to heighten the traveller's enjoyment of the scene. From Marienburg, the road leads to Zell and Enkirchen, near which are the ruins of a pagan temple. From this place the road leads to Trarbach, where the boat stays. Trarbach is beautifully as well as healthily situated; several small torrents fall here into the Moselle, which is inclosed by mountains, hills clad with vines, and fertile valleys. The town, as it now stands, owes its origin to Lauretta of Solms, who had married Count Henry II. of Spanheim. Archbishop Baldwin, of Treves, a powerful man, was perpetually harassing the countess, then a widow; one day when Baldwin was confidently descending the Moselle in a boat, she caused him to be arrested near Starkenburg, and confined a prisoner in her castle, till he had paid a ransom of 60,000 gold florins, with which she built the town of Trarbach, and likewise a castle. Opposite this place is the old town of Traben, and higher up numbers of villages, market-towns, and convents. The Moselle now makes numerous bends, and at the village of Trone receives the name of the Trone. The village above Trone formerly belonged to the rich convents which abounded in the electorate of Treves. Near Riol

is the old castle of Riegelsberg, the Ryodulum of the Romans. From this point the traveller now reaches

TREVES.-[Hotels: Triersche Hof: Rothes Haus: Luxemburg Hof: Stadt Venedig.]

Treves has a population of 16,000. It is the general town of the south-west district of the Prussian monarchy, and is reckoned the oldest city in the world, its history being traced to the Celtic period, prior as well to the Roman as to the German occupation of the country. The town is situated in the centre of a beautiful valley, on the right bank of the Moselle, and contains many gardens. Above and below the town are small villages, which appear like its suburbs. The streets are most of them regular and broad. Ecclesiastical influence is very strong here; and numberless pilgrimages are made hither to view such relics as a true nail from the cross, or splinter from the same; not to mention the holy coat. The architectural monuments at Treves are, the Moselle Bridge; the Roman amphitheatre; the ruins of the Constantine palace; and the baths near Heiligan Krauzberg.

From Treves the traveller may proceed by public conveyance, either to Luxemburg, to Namur, or to Aix-la-Chapelle; at either of which places he will find once more the useful railway trains awaiting his pleasure.

NAMUR.

[Hotels: D'Horscamp, Rue de Louvain (good): Hotel de Flandre, Rue des Fossées (table-d'hôte at one and at eight o'clock): Hotel de Hollande, Place du Spectacle.-Cafés: du Commerce and Suisse, Place d'Armes. The theatre is open only during the winter months.-Post-office: Rue des Fossées, Fleuris. Steam-boat for Liege, daily, at six A.M., and at three P.M. See R. p. 47.]

NAMUR. The position of the town, which contains 21,500 inhabitants, is at the meeting of the rivers Meuse and Sambre; protected by the fortified heights, it is a most important one for the defence of the country. Namur has suffered the fate of most fortified towns; it has been bombarded, pillaged, taken and re-taken, many times. The origin of the town is very ancient. In the time of Julius Cæsar it was called Oppidum Atnaticorum, and was known in the seventh century under the name of Navinucum Castrum, or more properly, Numucum, as it is written by Miræus, in his Chronicles. The town took the name of Namur in the twelfth century, and owes its present extent and importance to Count William, that is to say, since 1415. By the marriage of Mary of Burgundy with Maximilian of Austria, Namur and all its dependencies passed under the dominion of the house of Austria. The town was often besieged and taken during the struggles be

tween its different rulers; it suffered particularly in the long war between France and Austria. The first siege was of two years' duration, that is, from 1256 till 1258. Don Juan, of Austria, took the town by surprise in 1577; and Louis XIV., after the memorable siege of 1692, which lasted but a few days, took possession of the town. In 1695, the town was again taken by the army of William III. The French again took possession of the town in 1746, in 1792, and in 1794. The fortifications were commenced in 1414, reconstructed in 1755, dismantled in 1784, and afterwards restored, and received in 1817 important additions, and underwent thorough revision. The citadel is situated on a rock, and is in many parts inaccessible; that portion between the Sambre and Meuse is said to be impregnable. As a necessary consequence of the repeated sieges, the monuments and other public edifices of the town have suffered much; hence it is, that at the present day Namur in this respect offers but little to interest travellers. The buildings of the middle ages are but few.

THE CATHEDRAL is dedicated to Saint Aubin, and the architecture of the interior and the dome bear some resemblance to the church of Saint Peter's at Rome. It is the best modern church in Belgium. The porch, composed in the Corinthian style of architecture, is very elegant: it consists of twelve pillars, and sculptured figures of our Saviour and the twelve apostles. The church is in the form of a cross, and the interior ornaments are very rich. Among the pictures are, the Baptism of Christ, by Schut; the Last Supper, said to be by Vandyck; there is likewise the tomb of Don Juan, of Austria, who died at Bonges, near Namur, the 20th August, 1578. There are also two admirable statues in white marble of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; they are the work of Delvaux, by whom they were executed for the Abbey of Floreffes.

SAINT LOUP is the church of the Jesuits; it was consecrated in 1645, and is one of the finest churches belonging to this powerful order. Nothing can be more majestic and imposing than this structure, the proportions and style of which are incomparable. Twelve columns of green marble support the arched roof, which is richly sculptured, and ornamented in the arabesque style. The confessionals and wainscot are ornamented with exquisite taste; and the marble pavement, both in design and execution, is in perfect keeping with the rest of the building. There are several other churches; and although they are far from being so interesting as the two above described, still they all contain something worth notice. We would particularly recommend travellers to see the church of Notre Dame, and that of the Récollets; in these will be found the tombs of William I. and William II., and two fine marble statues, one representing Saint Anthony, by Delvaux; the other is by Scobbens, of Antwerp, and represents Saint Francis.

The civil monuments of the town are of little interest to the visitor, for the reason already assigned, that nearly all the middle-age structures were destroyed during the many severe contests of which the town has been the scene.

THE HOTEL DE VILLE, in the principal square, is an edifice of quite modern date; it is a sightly building. At a short distance is the theatre, a miserable-looking building. The governor's house, formerly the residence of the bishops, was built in 1727. The belfry,

a tower of the eleventh century, was restored in the twelfth century; and the episcopal palace, of quite modern date, offers no feature of particular interest. Namur has several hospitals, an episcopal seminary, Royal Athenæum, a public library, an academy of painting, and other institutions of a similar class.

Dewez, the historian, who died in 1834, and Juppin, a celebrated landscape painter of the seventeenth century, were born at Namur. NAMUR AND LIEGE RAILWAY.-The majority of the railways on the continent owe their origin to English enterprise, while the principal trunk-lines on the other side of the Channel have been constructed by English engineers and with English capital. Having exhausted the resources of our own country, it was natural enough that the railway speculator should seek a field of operation in the different states of Europe; but if the work had to be done over again it is exceedingly doubtful whether he would be so ready to invest his money abroad. Not that the railways themselves have proved unsuccessful in a pecuniary point of view, but because the various governments, who were the first to benefit by them, have taken unfair advantage of the dependent situation of the British capitalist. The one sole object of those governments would seem to have been nothing more nor less than obtaining a perfect railway system at other people's expense, without making an adequate return for the benefits which it conferred upon them. Perhaps no other government is more reprehensible on that score than the government of Belgium. The lines which they constructed with their own money, comparatively speaking, cost but a trifle, so lightly were the works made, and so parsimonious was the expenditure; but not so the lines which have been conceded to private companies. They took care that those should be built like their own fortresses, to last for ever, and two or three of the Belgian provinces, which formerly could hardly support a three-horse diligence, are now supplied with lines that are scarcely inferior to those which belt our own manufacturing districts. How this is to be accounted for it is difficult to say, except it be, that when once these undertakings were commenced it was thought better to go on with them rather than abandon them altogether, which most likely was the very object that the government all along had in view. The last of these lines which has been formed with English capital, is the Namur and Liege Railway; and when the obstacles which the government threw in

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