SECTION XLI.

OF THE NETHERLANDS, PAIS BAS, OR LOW

COUNTRIES.

THESE Countries, called also the Spanish Provinces, because formerly under the dominion of the Spaniards, are now more generally known by the name of Flanders: they are bounded on the North, by Holland;

East, by Germany;

South and West, by France.

They consisted of ten Provinces before the French Revolution, and were subject to the Aus. trians, Dutch, and French, viz.

1. FLANDERS, belonging to the Dutch, Austrians, and French.

The whole of the Netherlands has been incorporated with the French Republic, and divided into 13 departments, namely,

2. Brabant, was subject to the Dutch, and Austrians.

They are about 200 miles long, and 200 broad, and lie between 49° and 52° North latitude.

SECTION XLII.

OF THE NETHERLANDS.

1. FLANDERS: the chief towns of Dutch Flanders are, Sluys, and Sas van-ghent.

Of Austrian-Flanders, the chief towns are, Ghent, on the Scheldt; and Tournay, in which there is an university; Bridges, Ostend, and Newport, near the sea.

Of French-Flanders, the chief towns are, Lisle; Dunkirk, on the coast; Mardike, and Gravelines.

Lisle is a large, rich, and strong town.

2. BRABANT: of Dutch Brabant, the chief towns are, Breda, Bergen-op-zoom, Maestricht, and Bois-le-duc.

Of

Of Austrian-Brabant, the chief towns are, Brussels; and Louvaine, famous for its university.

Brussels is a very fine town; here the best camblets are made, and most of the fine laces worn in England.

3. Of ANTWERP, the chief town is Antwerp, on the Scheldt.

Antwerp, once the emporium of the European continent, is now considerably reduced. One of the first exploits of the Dutch, after they shook off the Spanish yoke, was to ruin the commerce of Antwerp by sinking vessels loaded with stone in the mouth of the Scheldt; thus shutting up for ever the entrance of that river to ships of burthen. This was the more cruel, as the people of Antwerp had been their friends and fellow-suffer ers in the cause of liberty. The French, by the opening of the navigation of the Scheldt, are endeavouring to restore the town to its former importance.

4. Of MECHLIN, the chief town is Mechlin. 5. Of LIMBURGH, the chief town is Limburgh. 6. Of LUXEMBURGH, the chief town is Luxemburgh.

7. Of NAMUR, the chief town is Namur, on the Maese.

8. Of HAINAULT, the chief towns are, Mons and Valenciennes, noted for fine lace.

9. Of CAMBRAY, the chief town is Cambray, famous for Cambric.

10. Of ARTOIs, the chief towns are Arras, and St. Omers.

Arras

Arras is famous for its tapestry; and St. Omers for an university.

SECTION XLIII.

OF THE NETHERLANDS.

THE principal Rivers are, the Maese, Scheldt,

and Sambre.

The Soil and its produce are rich, especially in corn, fruit, and flax.

The principal Manufactures are, fine lawns, cambric, lace, and tapestry, with which they carry on a very advantageous traffic, especially with England, from whence it is computed they receive a balance of half a million annually in time of peace.

Travelling is safe and delightful in this luxurious country. The roads are generally a broad causeway, and run several miles in a strait line, till they terminate in a view of some noble building; and provisions are extremely good and cheap.

The inhabitants are called Flemings; they are a heavy, blunt, honest people; but their manners are somewhat indelicate.

The Flemish painters and sculptors have great merit; and their style is called the Flemish School. The works of Rubens and his pupil Vandyck cannot be sufficiently admired.

The Religion is the Roman Catholic.

Flanders, originally the country of the ancient Belgæ, or Belgic Gauls, was conquered by Julius Cæsar,

Cæsar, the Roman emperor. It was afterwards in the possession of the Goths, the Austrians, and lastly, the Spaniards. But the tyranny of Philip II. king of Spain, made the inhabitan's attempt to throw off his yoke, which occasioned a general insurrection. The Spaniards, how ver, remained possessed of these ten provinces, till the duke of Marlborough gained the memorable battle of Ramilies, in the year 1706. After which, great part of them became subject to the Emperor of Germany; and in 1741, the French conquered the rest. The whole of the Netherlands fell into the hands of the French after the decisive battle of Jemmapes under Dumouriez, on the 5th of November, 1792.

SECTION XLIV.

OF HOLLAND *.

HOLLAND is bounded on the

North and West, by the German Ocean;

South, by Flanders;

East, by Germany.

It consists of seven Provinces, viz.

4. Guelderland and Zutphen.

Annexed to France, by a decree of the Emperor Napo

leon, dated 9th July, 1810.

Holland