. The Rhine; its scenery and historical and legendary associations. apid succession, rich meadows, luxuriantcorn-fields, green hedge-rows, with occasional patches of woodland. The smallnessof the fields tells amongst how many hands the land is divided, and prepares usfor the fact, that East Flanders is the most thickly-peopled corner of Europe. The exception to this general character of thescenery is found in the valley of the Meuse,where the fruitful serenity of fertile meadowsand pastoral hamlets is varied by bolder, moreirregular, and more striking natural features. Hills and rocks, bluff h
. The Rhine; its scenery and historical and legendary associations. apid succession, rich meadows, luxuriantcorn-fields, green hedge-rows, with occasional patches of woodland. The smallnessof the fields tells amongst how many hands the land is divided, and prepares usfor the fact, that East Flanders is the most thickly-peopled corner of Europe. The exception to this general character of thescenery is found in the valley of the Meuse,where the fruitful serenity of fertile meadowsand pastoral hamlets is varied by bolder, moreirregular, and more striking natural features. Hills and rocks, bluff head-lands and winding valleys,with beautiful stretches ofriver scenery, give a charm tothe landscape which Belgiumin general does not display. But let us turn from factsand figures to the movingpanorama before us. In rapidsuccession we pass variouspoints worthy of notice. Firstcomes Berchem — the head-quarters of the French whenthey besieged Antwerp in1832, and the spot where theCount de Merode, whose mo-nument we shall see in Brus-sels Cathedral, fell mortally. MALINES. 29 wounded when pursuing the retreating Dutch in the revolution of 1830. Onour right is Vieux-Dieu, so named from its having been the resting-place of apagan idol, which, before Christianity shed its light upon the land, was hereworshipped by thousands of the ancient Belgse. Cantich station announcesthat we are half way to Malines ; and the next point of importance is Duffel,on the river Nethe, which boasts the fine old Gothic castle of Ter-elst. Malines, where we soon find ourselves, has many associations for the English-man. It reminds him of Sterne and his Maria; of the Duke of Marlborough,who was the first to take military possession of this town, which he did in 1704,and so deprived it of the name it bore before that time of La Pucelle ; whilstto the lady-traveller it speaks of Mechlin lace. The tower of the Cathedral of Malines is a fine object; and the lover of painting,if he makes time to visit the bu
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookpublishe, booksubjectlegends
