. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. 422 BELGIUM. This town of brick-kilns was the birthplace of Gerhard Kremer, the famous geo- grapher, better known as Mercator. Antwerp, in Y\&mh\L Anticerpen, in Yvench Anrers (150,650 inhabitants), is the second town of Belgium in population, the first for its maritime commerce, and the only large fortress. It has existed now for at least twelve centuries, but its com- mercial advantages were not originally what they now are ; for it was only in the fifteenth century that the Hont, or Eastern Schelde, became changed into a navigable highway,
. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. 422 BELGIUM. This town of brick-kilns was the birthplace of Gerhard Kremer, the famous geo- grapher, better known as Mercator. Antwerp, in Y\&mh\L Anticerpen, in Yvench Anrers (150,650 inhabitants), is the second town of Belgium in population, the first for its maritime commerce, and the only large fortress. It has existed now for at least twelve centuries, but its com- mercial advantages were not originally what they now are ; for it was only in the fifteenth century that the Hont, or Eastern Schelde, became changed into a navigable highway, thus converting an inland village into a maritime city. For a long time afterwards, however, Antwerp remained a place of little note, for the Vvi. 235.—AxTWEKP. Scale 1 : 150, V" 25 2 Miles. Zwyn, which led up to Bruges into the most industrial part of Flanders, presented greater facilities for commerce than the upper estuary of the Schelde. In 1444 oidy four merchants resided at Antwerp, and six small vessels sufficed for its modest commerce. But in proportion as the Zwyn became silted up, so did Antwerp increase in importance. In 1503 the Portuguese, who shortly before had opened an ocean highway to India, establislied one of their factories at Ant- werp, and other nations followed suit. About the middle of the sixteenth century Antwerp had attained the height of its prosperity, and occasionally as many as a hundred vessels availed themselves of a single tide to reach its port. " Excepting. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Reclus, Elisée, 1830-1905; Ravenstein, Ernest George, 1834-1913; Keane, A. H. (Augustus Henry), 1833-1912. New York, D. Appleton and company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectgeography, bookyear1883
