Flemish Relics. Gathered by F. G. Stephens. Illustrated with photographs
by Caudell and Fleming. (A. W. Bennett.)—This really seems to us to be the beat gift-book of the season. The choice of the subject is happy, the photographs are excellent, and the descriptive matter is at once sound and interesting. Everybody in these days has passed a pleasant fortnight in the old Belgian towns, and felt the charm of the change from modern street architecture to the quaintnesses, and oddities, and surpassing beauties to be found in these homes of mediteval wealth and art. Perhaps there is no place more than Bruges to which the mind naturally turns, when disposed to feel weary of the turmoil and elbowing of the nineteenth century. It is on this account that we are inclined to cherish a small grievance against Mr. Stephens ; he gives an interesting description of Hans Hemling's, or rather Mom- line's, pictures, at the Hospital of St. John, and at some length the legend of the Count Baldwin who "married a devil," but the only object that he takes for illustration is the famous belfry, 290 feet high, whence have been "seen the marchings and countermarchings of the armies of every nation in Europe." Now we think that he has scarcely done justice to this old town, that has been let alone by modern folk, and is therefore so uniquely interesting, and might have contributed more than one out of the fifteen architectural glories selected by the photographers. But we must admit that the other fourteen deserve their places ; Brussels furnishes two of them, Ghent two, Antwerp three, and seven other towns one each. Amongst the latter the Hotel de Ville at Ypres and the cloisters in the palace at Liege are remarkable. Mr. Stephens does not confine himself to a mere description of these famous monuments, he introduces a good deal of historical and legendary information in connection with them, and maintains a leading position in the volume, though he has associated with himself such excellent photographers.
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