. The earth and its inhabitants .. . HE kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the smallest states in Europe—superior to its neighbour Belgium in area, but far beneath it in population, industry, and even commerce. But small as it is on a map, its history entitles it to rank with the foremost nations. Even the soil it occupies had first to be won from the sea, and it is not without emotion that we follow the struggle for freedom upon which a handful of people ventured against an empire embracing at that time two-thirds of the known world. Their independence achieved, the Dutch at once took their
. The earth and its inhabitants .. . HE kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the smallest states in Europe—superior to its neighbour Belgium in area, but far beneath it in population, industry, and even commerce. But small as it is on a map, its history entitles it to rank with the foremost nations. Even the soil it occupies had first to be won from the sea, and it is not without emotion that we follow the struggle for freedom upon which a handful of people ventured against an empire embracing at that time two-thirds of the known world. Their independence achieved, the Dutch at once took their place amongst the great states of Europe, and from their small territory the}^ governed colonies scattered all over the world. But a still greater glory belongs to Holland for having been the first to accord a safe asylum to free thought. Bogs and marshes separate Holland from Germany, and constitute a stronger boundary than would a range of mountains. In the south the Rhine and Meuse, with their innumerable branches, oppose an equally formidable obstacle to an invader, for only a native of the soil is able to tread his way in this labyrinth of river channels, canals, and ditches. In a former age vast forests still further contributed to the security of the country, and there are some who derive its modern name from Iloiitland, or Wood Land, and not from Holtland, or Hollow Land. Though essentially a lowland region, Holland is not quite without its mountains. The most considerable range of hills extends into the country in the extreme south-east. It only attains a height of 690 feet, but is important on account of its coal mines. Wider known is the /S7. Pietersberg (404 feet), near Maastricht, on the Belgian frontier. It has been quarried from immemorial * Wc have substituted the letter Y for the Dutch combination Ij, which is pronounced like y in by. The Dutch letter/ sounds like our y in yes.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectgeography, bookyear1883
