lowed up by a dreadful inundation, 1570. To the right of the village, on the shore, is a pavilion of the late Queen of Holland; and, beyond it, the New Bathing Establishment, which unites the accommodations of an Hôtel and Café with warm baths; while bathingmachines are provided on the shore for those who prefer a cold-bath in the sea. It belongs to the Corporation of the Hague, and the price of every thing is fixed by tarif. Apartments let at 3, 2, and 1 guilders per diem; but an allowance is made to persons who take up their abode for several weeks. Table-d'hôte (open Tafel) at 4, 2 fl. ; a bottle of vin ordinaire, -1 fl. 50 c. Dinner in private, from 1 fl. 50 c. to 2 fl. 50 c. Breakfast with tea or coffee, 60 c.; a warm bath 1 fl. 10 c.; a bathing machine, 1 fl. Fish may be had here in great perfection, and are generally eaten at breakfast. Many princes, princesses, and other persons of distinction from various parts of the Continent, take up their residence here every year during the season. The inhabitants of the Hague drive over hither, take their breakfast or dinner, and a bath, and then return. A new road leading from the back of the hotel over a waste of sand now planted with trees, may be chosen in going back to the Hague, so as to vary the excursion. Omnibuses are constantly passing to and fro, fare 6 or 8 stivers. A glasscoach to go and return costs from 1 to 14 gr. The Bath-house is built upon one of the ridges of sand thrown up by the wind, which extend along the seashore from the Texel nearly to Dunkirk. (See Dunes, § 12.) The view over this desert is as dreary as can be well imagined. Diligences at least 8 times a-day from the Hague to Rotterdam. Barges to Delft as often. RAILWAY, Hague to Leiden. Trains 5 or 6 times a-day to Leiden, (hour) Haarlem, and Amsterdam. rt. See the spire of the ch. of Voorburg, a small hamlet E. of the Hague, near the site of the Forum Hadriani of the Romans. Remains of Roman buildings, baths, broken pottery, utensils, and other articles of much interest, have been dug up here, and are now to be seen in the museum at Leiden. Near Voorburg is Hofwyk, the house where the brothers Huygens lived. (See Route 10.) Between the Hague and Leiden, the road, having first traversed the Bosch, passes a number of châteaux of the nobility, country houses, and gardens, which, with their meandering walks, formal clipt hedges, and parterres, cut in patterns filled with flowers, enliven the journey. There is an undulation in the surface of the ground, which shows that this part of the country is in a great degree composed of Dunes (§ 12.) similar to those now forming along the sea-shore, except that time has covered them with herbage, and in some cases with large forest trees. Nieuw Oosteinde, Stat. The narrowed stream of the Rhine is crossed just before you reach 2 LEIDEN. Inns: Goude Zon (Golden Sun). Plaats Royaal, a small inn of no pretension, but where cleanliness and civility will be met with. There is at present no good inn here. Leiden, situated on that branch of the Rhine which alone retains its original name as far as the sea, and which here puts on the appearance of an artificial canal, has 36,251 inhab. but is built to hold 90,000. In its present name may still be traced that which the Romans gave it Lugdunum Batavorum. In the centre of the town is the fragment of a round tower, de Burg, built on the only eminence which the country presents for many miles around; it is supposed to be of Roman origin, and raised by Drusus, though attributed by some to the Anglo-Saxon Hengist. It commands a good view of the own. The Town Hall (Stadhuis), in the Breedstraat (Broad Street, the principal and longest in the town), is a singular but picturesque old building, erected in 1574; the lower story is occupied by butchers' stalls. In the council and audience chambers, on the first floor, are several pictures; among them the Last Judgment, by Lucas Van Leyden, an extraordinary composition, by no means seriously treated, but which must be judged with reference to the period when it was done; a Crucifixion by Cornelius Engelbrecht; several portraits of the city guard by Vanschoten. There is a picture by Van Bree, a modern artist, together with a portrait, by Govert Flinck, of the burgomaster, Peter Vanderwerf, who so bravely defended the town during the memorable siege of 1574; and here, with inflexible fortitude, resisted the summons to surrender made by the starving and tumultuous mob of townsfolk, when they broke into the council-chamber. Leiden has been rendered celebrated in the annals of the Low Countries, and, indeed, in the history of the world, by the siege which it endured from the Spaniards under Valdez, in 1573-4. The defence of the place was entrusted to John Vanderdoes; the burgomaster of the town was Pieter Adrianzoon Vanderwerf; and the example of heroism and endurance afforded by the citizens under their guidance has not been surpassed in any country. When Vanderdoes was urged by Valdez to surrender, he replied, in the name of the inhabitants, that "when provisions failed them they would devour their left hands, reserving their right to defend their liberty." For nearly four months the inhabitants had held out without murmuring; every individual, even to the women and children, taking a share in the defence. For 7 weeks bread had not been seen within the walls; provisions had been exhausted, and the horrors of famine had driven the besieged to appease their hunger with the flesh of horses, dogs, cats, and other foul animals; roots and weeds were eagerly sought for. So strictly was the blockade maintained, that every attempt on the part of their friends to throw in provisions had failed. Pestilence came in the train of famine, and carried off at least 6000 of the inhabitants; so that the duty of burying them was almost too severe for those who were left, worn out by fatigue, watching, and emaciation. At length two carrier pigeons flew into the town, bearing tidings that relief was at hand. The Prince of Orange had finally adopted the determination of cutting the dykes of the Maas and Yssel, to relieve the heroic town. As this fearful alternative could not be resorted to without involving in ruin the whole province of Holland, it is not to be wondered at that it was only adopted after much hesitation, and as a last resource. But the inundation, even when the water was admitted, did not produce the anticipated results; although the country between Gouda, Dort, Rotterdam, and Leiden was submerged, it only rose a few feet. The flotilla of 200 boats, built by the Prince of Orange at Rotterdam, and manned by 800 Zealanders under Boisot, destined for the relief of the town, was thus prevented approaching it, though the inhabitants could easily descry it from their walls. Then it was that, driven frantic by disappointment as well as suffering, they approached, in a tumultuous mob, the burgomaster, and demanded from him, peremptorily, bread, or the surrender of the town. "I have sworn to defend this city," answered the heroic governor, " and by God's help I mean to keep that oath. Bread I have none; but, if my body can afford you relief, and enable you to prolong the defence, take it and tear it to pieces, and let those who are most hungry among you share it." Such noble devotion was not without its effect: the most clamorous were abashed, and they all retired in silence; but, fortunately, the misery of the besieged was now nearly at an end, and another Power above that of man effected the relief of the town of Leiden. The wind, which had for many weeks been in the N. E., changed to the N. w., driving the tide up the river; it then suddenly veered to the s., and one of those violent and continued storms, which, even when the dykes are entire, cause such anxiety for the safety of the country, acting with accumulated violence upon the waters, widened the breaches already cut in the dykes, and drove in the flood upon the land with the force of an overwhelming torrent. The inundation not only spread as far as the walls of Leiden, but with such suddenness, that the ramparts thrown up by the Spaniards were surrounded, and more than 1000 of their soldiers were overwhelmed by the flood. The same tide which swept them away carried the flotilla of boats of the Prince of Orange, laden with provisions, to the gates of Leiden. An amphibious battle was fought among the branches of the trees, partly on the dykes, partly in boats; and in the end the Spaniards, who had boasted that it was as impossible for the Dutch to save Leiden from their hands as to pluck the stars from heaven, were driven from their palisades and entrenchments. This almost miraculous deliverance took place on the 3d of October, 1574, a day still commemorated by the citizens. As an additional proof of Divine interference on this occasion, the Dutch historians remark that the wind from the s. w., which had carried the water up to the walls, after three days turned to the N. E., so as effectually to drive it back again. Thus it might well be said that both wind and water fought in the defence of Leiden. The spirit which then animated the Dutch nation is by no means extinct, as their patriotic exertions after the separation of their country from Belgium, in 1830, have shown. the first call, the whole of the students of this and other Dutch universities At quitted their studies, and, enrolling themselves into a corps, marched to the frontier; and not only distinguished themselves in the conflicts that took place, but remained in arms for the space of one year, as volunteers. The University is remarkable, not only as one of the most distinguished schools of learning in Europe, and for the interesting and valuable museums attached to it, but also on account of its origin and foundation, which dates from the time of the siege. The Prince of Orange, with the view of rewarding the citizens for the bravery they displayed on that occasion, gave them the choice of two privileges-either an exemption from certain taxes, or a university: much to their credit, they chose the latter. It at one time attained so high a reputation for learning, that Leiden earned the appellation of the Athens of the West. In the list of its distinguished professors and scholars, it numbers Grotius and Descartes, Salmasius, Scaliger, and Boerhaave, who was professor of medicine. Evelyn, Goldsmith, and many other celebrated Englishmen, studied here. Arminius and Gomarus, the authors of the rival doctrines in religion named after them, were professors here, and the memorable controversy between them commenced in the University. Leiden still affords excellent opportunities to the student of medicine or natural history, from the extent and value of its collections in all departments. The building of this University is not distinguished for its architecture. The Academical Senate Hall, in which degrees are conferred, contains over the mantelpiece a likeness of the founder, and its walls are covered from top to bottom with more than 100 portraits of professors, from the time of Scaliger down to the present. There are at present about 460 students. The Museum of Natural History in the Papengracht (open daily from 12 to 3) is one of the richest and most extensive in Europe, especially in all the productions of the Dutch colonies in the East, Java, Japan, the Cape, Surinam, and West Indies: there are many rare specimens not to be found elsewhere, very excellently preserved, and the whole is admirably arranged. The department of Birds is enriched by the collection made by M. Temminck, perhaps the finest in Europe. The cabinet of Comparative Anatomy is one of the most complete in Europe. It contains preparations and skeletons of animals from the cameleopard down to the mouse, and is well arranged, but is of course interesting only to the student and man of science. Among the shells are specimens of those which produce pearl, and of the pearl itself in all its different stages of formation; also portions of the wooden piles which support the dykes on some part of the Dutch coast, perforated by the teredo to such an extent, that the total ruin of the dykes was at one time apprehended. Luckily the danger did not spread very far, and the threatened scourge disappeared. It is supposed that the worm had been brought over from the tropical seas in the timber of some vessel, but that it had been killed in a few seasons, by the rigour of a northern climate. Means have been taken since its appearance to guard against the danger in future. The dykes are now protected at their base, by stones brought from Norway or Tournay, and the lock-gates are coppered. Among the minerals a mass of native gold, from the Island of Aruba, weighing 17lbs., a large crystal of emerald, and an unset topaz, of a brownish-yellow colour, from Ceylon, the largest in Europe, should not be overlooked. Among the insects are various specimens of spectrum, nearly a foot long; also the leaf insect. The Egyptian Museum (het Museum van Oudheden) in the Breede Straat, under the able direction of Mr. Leemans, includes numerous valuable and highly interesting monuments, partly historical, partly illustrative of the mode of life of that ancient people. The Papyri, some musical instruments, inscriptions, numerous fine stone tablets of a very early period, a monolithic temple, cut out of a single huge block of red granite, many sarcophagi and mummies, as well as rich ornaments in gold and precious stones, offer abundant interest to the learned antiquary and to the curious traveller. Of jewellery and trinkets, once, doubtless, the delight of the ladies of Thebes, and such as were borrowed by the children of Israel on their departure from Egypt, there is a large assortment. A massive armlet of solid gold bears the name of a king (Thotmes II.), who is supposed to have been the oppressor of the Israelites; if so, it may possibly have been seen by Moses himself. The Museum also embraces many ancient objects of Roman art; an Etruscan statue of a boy holding a goose in its arms is curious for the style of art. Six monumental fragments, bearing Punic inscriptions, were brought from the ruins of Carthage. There are, besides, a number of colossal Indian statues and other objects here. A heap of broken pottery and other objects discovered at Voorburg, near the Hague, are curious relics of the Roman settlement in this country. The Agricultural collections in Leiden are very eminent. The Library is very extensive, and contains some of the rarest oriental MSS. known, collected in the East by Golius in the 17th century. The Japanese collection of Dr. Siebold, visible at his own house daily from 9 to 6 (give 10 stivers to the servant), is decidedly the finest and most extensive of the kind in Europe, and was formed by Dr. Siebold, a German physician, in the course of a residence in Japan of 8 years, some of which were spent in prison. It is curious not only from the number of the articles, but from their careful and judicious arrangement. It unites everything from the most common to the most rare and valuable objects, relating to the mode of life, manners and customs, &c. of the Japanese. It contains implements of husbandry; whatever is used for ordinary domestic purposes, dresses, arms, tools, vases; many of them remarkable for their workmanship as well as their antiquity: models, well-executed sketches; coloured drawings; a library of printed books, MSS. and maps; a complete set of musical instruments; idols, and even the sacred objects appertaining to their worship, and the furniture of the temple; a series of Japanese coins and medals, and a complete set of Chinese coins, from the 2nd century before our era. The Botanical Garden deserves high praise, as a useful and instructive school for the student of Botany. Those who look for fine hothouses and pretty gardens will be disappointed. It is under a twofold arrangement, according to the systems of Linnæus and Jussieu. The collection of plants is very extensive, and is preserved in excellent order, under the superintendence of Professor Reinwardt and his able assistant Mr. Schurman. In the conservatories are reared the cinnamon, cinchona (from which comes bark and quinine), coffee, cotton, mahogany, &c. A large flowering ash (Fraxinus Ornus), in the open air, was planted by Boerhaave, who devoted much time and attention to the formation and cul tivation of this garden. Another curiosity is the trunk of a tree, which has been sawn asunder, and shows in the very centre an iron trident or fork, buried in the middle of the wood. The large open space, called de -Ruine, in the street named Rapenburg, now planted with trees, was formerly covered with houses, 300 of which were demolished in 1807 by the fearful explosion of a barge laden with gunpowder, while lying in the canal, in the very heart of the town. 150 persons were killed. The accident is said to have been caused by the bargemen frying bacon on the deck. In the Church of St. Peter, built 1315, is the monument of Boerhaave, the renowned physician, with the modest inscription, "Salutifero Boerhaavii Genio sacrum ; " surrounded by others in memory of the most distinguished worthies of the University, as Dodonæus, Spanheim, the two Meermans, Clusius, Scaliger, Camper, and others. Among them is one of a professor, J. Luzac, killed by the explosion of 1807, representing him in bas relief, in the state in which he was found after his death. In the Church of St. Pancras, called the Hooglandsche Kerk, is the monument of the brave burgomaster, Vanderwerf, who refused to yield up the town to the Spaniards. The most frequented Promenade is without the walls, close by the side of that branch of the Rhine which waters and surrounds the town, shaded by a double row of trees. In the neighbourhood of Leiden are the retreats of several distinguished men. In the château of Endegeest (near Oestgeest), Descartes found an asylum; and the country seat of Boerhaave still bears his name. Leiden is surrounded by windmills; but they who inquire for that in which Rembrand was born will hardly meet with a satisfactory answer. A short distance out of Leiden, on the left of the road to Utrecht, and on the left bank of the Rhine canal, is a mill built of briek, bearing a more antiquated appearance than the rest, which is pointed out as the birthplace of the painter. It is recorded that his parents were owners of a cornmill, situated between Leyerdorp and Koukerk. Otto Vennius, master of Rubens, 1556, Jan Steen, 1636, Gerard Dou, W. Vandevelde, Mieris, and many other distinguished painters. |