CHAMBERS'S CONTINENTAL TOUR.

APART from its merits as a close, observing, and reflective book of travels, this volume has further claims to notice. It is an original work published at the price of the cheapest reprint, and forming in fact the first specimen of a series, not of trashy novels but of solid and instructive works, which are to appear in connexion with the " People's Editions" of the same enterprising publishers. The possessor of the copyright is also the bookseller ; and he has, we

believe, other objects in view than pecuniary gain; but if he can succeed in making his speculation sufficiently remunerative, a re- volution and radical reform will befive long be effected in the pub- lishing trade. Even a circulating library will be forced to pause before expending a guinea or a guinea-and-a-half upon a book of fiction, or of travels, when a publication like the one before us, containing as much matter, far more instruction, and probably more amusement, can be had for eighteenpence.

Stimulated by an historical admiration of the Dutch, and a wish to examine their system of public instruction, Mr. CIIAM. Dims, in the autumn of 1838, gave effect to a long-cherished plan,

by visiting Holland, the Upper Rhine with its adjacent coun- tries, and Belgium. In Holland, making Rotterdam his head- quarters, our tourist visited in succession Delft, the Hague, Leyden, Haarlem, and Amsterdam. From the capital he crossed the Ai, to see the great ship-canal and the old-fashioned village of Brock; and returned by Utrecht and Gouda to his head-quarters; whence

he made an excursion to the once celebrated but now de- clining Dort. In his account of each of these places, Mr. CHAU. BERS pleasantly intermingles the present and the past. His h!sto-

lied sketches of the different cities arc brief and anecdotical; sometimes highly interesting ; and, if not absolutely new to many

readers, displaying that power over the spirit and points of a sub- ject which arises from thorough knowledge. His accounts of anti- quities, curiosities, and sights, are sufficient, and marked by a discriminating observation. The public education, the political

and domestic character of the Dutch, and their national charac- teristics, are more or less fully discussed and described. It is, however, from its picture of the natural and artiecial features of the country, and the characteristics of their towns and buildings,

mat the Dutch tour, in our opinion, derives its character. The alter- nate efforts of nature and art in resisting the encroachments of the -am, with the occasional triumphs of the mighty element—the amphibious nature of the country and people—and the odd com- pound of stately aristocracy with a close look after the Minh hamee," which seems to have characterized the old High Mighti- sesses and merchants of Holland—are more strikingly impressed upon the mind than in any other account we remember to have read. BRCHFORD could have done it, and with superior lightness and animation of touch ; but he preferred to ridicule the Dutch- pm With how much of distinctness Mr. CHAMBERS has brought out the characteristics we have noted, let a few extracts tell.

STREETS OR WHAT-YOU-WILL OF ROTTERDAM.

Persons who arc accustomed to see towns composed of streets with carriage- lays in the centre, behold in Rotterdam much to astonish them. In pene- trating through the town from the Boompjcs, we conic to street after street, each consisting of a wide harbour or haven of water in the middle, lined with trees on both sides, and exhibiting a mixture of lofty gable fronts of houses, trees, and masts of shipping, as odd as it is interesting. Water and water- oft meet the eye in every direction. You find yourself in the midst of a town in which it is difficult to say whether there are a greater number of houses or ships. The deep havens stretch lengthwise and crosswise, like the meshes of a net, through the city; and at every short interval is perceived a drawbridge of white painted wood, constructed with ponderous balancing beams overhead, sod raised by means of chains, for the passage of vessels to and fro. The ground beneath the trees is paved with small yellow bricks, and is chiefly occupied as quays for the landing of goods. The space from the trees to near the houses is paved in the usual coarse manner for carts and carriages, and here the foot passengers are generally obliged to walk, for small outshot buildings, flights of steps to doorways, and such like interruptions, prevent any regular thoroughlbre on the small brick trottoirs close by the houses. The straggling of foot passengers in the middle of the streets is thcreffire a distinct feature in nil Dutch towns, and the only comfort is, that the streets are more than ordi- narily clean for this mode of locomotion. T1i havens arc in few places pro- testa by chains from the streets, so that there is a constant liability to acci- dents, particularly at night, when the darkness is but poorly relieved by oil Imps, dangling, Parisian fashion, from ropes stretched bet wixt the trees and the houses. Latterly, a portion of Rotterdam has been lighted with gas ; but, According to a parsimonious plan, the lamps are not lighted when the moon is apected to shine ; so that during many nights of theoretical moonlight, but practical darkness, a stranger would require to love a lantern carried before him, Vile wished to avoid tunibling into one of the many havens which intersect his path. The deaths from drowning in the havens, I was informed, average one in the week throughout the year.

ARISTOCRACY OF ROTTERDAM.

Rotterdam, with a population of eighty thousand persons, is essentially a city of merchants. It has no aristocracy of birth or rank. Merchants are the greatest of its citizens, and in themselves constitute an aristocracy which has no parallel anywhere except in Amsterdam. They are an unostentatious, hard-toiling set of men, and seem to confine their attention to their own pri- vate circle and their business. Though in many instances possessing much wealth, they very rarely show any fancy for recreations of a refined character. Many of them, as I was informed on different occasions, scrupulously adhere to a practice of keeping always at least one-third of their savings, in the form of hard cash, in n strong box in their own possession. If such lie the case, and it is quite consistent with all that 1 learned of the economical habits of the people, the amount of coined money locked up from public use in Holland must be immense. While at Rotterdam, I was told of various merchants who ]tad realized great wealth by s. lifstium of slis 'ono: 77;

Iduous labour in their kantoors. One of the most remnrkable men of this class is Mr. Van Hoboken of Rhoon and Pendrecht, who lives on one of the havens. This individual began life as a merchant's porter, and has in process of time attained the highest rank among the hutch mercantile aristocracy. He is at present the principal owner of twenty large ships in the East India trade, each, I was in- formed, worth about fourteen thousand pounds, besides a large landed estate, and much floating wealth of different descriptions. Ilis establishment is of vast extent, and contains departments for the building of ships, and manufac- ture of all their necessary equipments. This gentleman, until lately, was in

giving habit of givin a splendid fete once a year to his tinnily and friends, at plich was exhibitird with modest pride the porter's truck which he drew at the outset of his career. One seldom hears of British merchants thus keeping alive the remembrance of early meanness of circumstances.

PALACES or TIURGIIER-PRINCES.

All these, however, are inferior symptoms of cienmerce to those which are observable alongside the havens. There the houses are constructed strictly with reference to great processes of trade, and in a very peculiar manlier, which I am not aware has ever yet been described. Each house may he considered the castle of a merchant, who both resides with his fluffily and carries on the whole of his commercial transactions within the same set of premises. The front part of the building exhibits an elegant door of lofty proportions—fifteen or twenty feet high, for instance—at the head of a flight of steps. On getting a glimpse into the interior, you see a lobby paved with pure white mashie, and a stair of the same material leading to the story above, which consists of a suite of lofty rooms, and is the nmin place of re,idenee of the tiimily. Some of the rooms are finished in a style of great elegance, with rich figured cornices sad roofs, silk draperies to the windows, smooth oak floors, and the walls most likely painted as an entire pictine or landscape, in oil by an artist of eminence. Near to the door of the house is a port enelier, or, in plain language, a coach- house door, which, on being thrown open from the street, discloses a wide paved thoroughtiwe leading to an inner court, the buildings around which are devoted to the whole warehousing department of the merchant. A small office within the entry, with the word A(1111110r written over it, points oat the counting- house of the great man of the establishment. Sad' is a merchant's house of Rotterdam. The bulk of the edifices of this great trading city are of the kind I describe, and therefore it may be readily supposed, that with little outward show a prodigious deal of solid business is transacted. On being conducted through a few of the establishments, I have felt surprise at the extraordinary amount of goods which were piled away in places where nothing of the kind could be supposed by a stranger to exist.

now MOLLAND WAS FORMED.

The manner in which the country has been rendered habitable to human beings, is one of the most surprising tints in physical geography. The whole of the territory, from the Texcl on the north, to pretty nearly Calais on the south, comprehending a large part of Holland and Belgium, and part of France, is in almost all parrs perfectly level, and if it had not been indebted to art, would have been a general marsh, or included within the influence of the sea. On looking at this extensive territory, and then proceeding inland to the higher regions of Germany, the conclusion naturally arises, that the whole of the low countries are simply an alluvial deposit, washed front the alpine regions of the interior. The land everywhere on being dug is sand or clay. You may travel hundreds of miles, and never see a stone. At this present hour laud is forming on the coast of Holland, and by a very obvious process. The waters of the Rhine in all its branches are exceedingly muddy, or loaded with particles of clay and sand, washed from the upper country, and these are carried out to sea, where they are sinking to the bottom, and forming sandbanks. At the mouth of the Maas, long sandy reaches, produced in this manner, are seen at certain states of the tide. Already they exhibit tufts of herbage, and are re- sorted to by flocks of sea-birds; and there can be no doubt, that, by a very little trouble, many square miles of new laud might at present be added to the coast of Holland. The exact process by which the low countries have been saved from the sea, has never yet been fully detailed. Nature having in thc first instance produced an alluvial marsh, a certain degree of art has been em- ployed to raise barriers to prevent the influx of' the sea; and this point hieing secured, the next step has been to drain the land, piecemeal, by pumping, the water being raised so as to flow off by channels into the sea at low tide. Much stress is usually laid by writers on the prodigious trouble taken by the Netherlanders to keep out the sea, by means of artificial bulwarks along the coast. But on this point there is some exaggeration, and one very material circumstance is entirely omitted to be noticed. It is only at certain places that great exertions are made, by means of artificial dykes, to keep out the sea. 'ause, as if anxious to save the country from tidal inundation, has for cen- turies been energetically working to increase the magnitude of the mounds on the coast. At low water, when the bare beach is exposed to the action of the winds from the German Ocean, clouds of sand are raised into the air, and showered down upon the country for at least a mile inland ; and this constantly going on, the result is, that along the whole line, from Haarlem to about Dun- kirk or Calais, the coast consists of sandy mounds or downs, of great breadth, partially covered with grass and heath, but unfit for pasturage or any other purpose. In some places these downs look like a series of irregular bills ; and front when seen fro the tops of the steeples, they are so huge as to shut out the view of the sea. The traveller, in visiting them from the plains, all at once ascends into is region of desert barrenness. Ile walks on and on for miles in a wilderness such as might be expected to be seen in Africa, and at last emerges on the sea-shore, where the mode of creation of this singular kind of territory is at once conspicuous. Loose particles of sand are blown in his fitce ; and as he descends to the shore, be sinks to the ankle in the drifted heaps. In some parts of these dreary. solitudes, the sandy soil has been prevented from rising with the wind and injuring the fertile country, by being sawn with the seeds of a particular kind of belay grass, and in a few spots fir-trees have been success- fully planted.

DUTCH STAGE-COACIIES AND ROADS.

The Dutch diligences are well fitted up and roomy vehicles, equal to the best in France, and arc generally drawn by three powerful horses yoked abreast. Travellers in Holland can never be at any loss in making their way by these commodious conveyances; for, by a law of the country, the proprietors of public vehicles are obliged to provide for all passengers who may make their appearance before the hour of departure. They have thus frequently to yoke additional coaches, just Leib's: starting, greatly to the comfort of the traveller, though perhaps to their own loss. Although the distance from Rotterdam to Delft is nine English miles, the fare of each person by the diligence is no more than a guilder, or one shilling and eightpence.

The highways of Holland arc among the best in the world. They are fine broad roads, muffing for miles in a straight line along the summits of the dykes; and are paved with small bricks set on edge, so its to 1m very smooth for carriages ; and are usually ornamented with a row of trees on each side, so as form beautifid and cool avenues. Alongside of the roads, and only separated from them in some cases by one of the rows of trees just mentioned, is a main canal of considerable breadth, and sufficiently deep to permit the progress of moderately sized sailing-vessels. These canals, with their minor branches, form the chief thoroughfares. Few wheeled vehicles are met with on the roods, and the whole transport of goods and farm produce is carried on by means of you may see the dairy farmer nueltiug off in a sinaiiii;;iiiorInilrtet;itli his large bottle-shaped milk-jars, 'formed of brass and glittering like burnished gold ; at another time you may see a boat of a larger size loaded with hay like a stack, and moving on its way from a distant politer to the farmyard. Water, therefore, which is in one respect a source of constant trouble to the country, is in another an engine of national wealth and prosperity.

HAARLEM TULIP-GARDENS.

Adjacent to the grounds of the Pavilion, and lying in a southerly direction from the town, are the famous tulip and flower gardens, or " Bloemen-Tain," as they are called on the various sign-boards over the' entrances. Each garden is secluded from the public road by a high wall, or a brick house tidily painted; and when admitted, you find yourself in the midst of offices or warehouses de- voted to the great business of drying and packing the roots. Thence, the gar- den stretches out to the length of perhaps a quarter of a mile by a breadth of a hundred ynrds, and is separated from other gardens, as well as frequently divided. across, by partitions of wood six feet high. In the sunny square spots thus sectioned off, we perceive, according to the season, all the varieties of tulips, dahlias, hyacinths, ranunculuses, and various other flowers, also shrubs and plants. We were politely conducted by Mr. Krelage, one of the principal bloomists, OVer his extensive garden. I remarked that here, as elsewhere in Dutch flower-gardens, there is a practice of covering the surface of the ground with sand. All the flowers appear to grow from a soil like that of the sea- shore ; but this is merely an exterior dressing : beneath the layer of sand the ground is rich and soft, like that of the best prepared flower beds. 'Pile dry- ing-houses are filled with shelves, in stands, on which are spread myriads of roots, and in adjacent apartments men are kept constantly- busy packing for exportation. In packing, each root is first twisted into a small piece of paper, and then a hundred are put together in a paper bag, according to sorts. The bags are afterwards packed in cases, and are thus sent to all parts of the world. Mr. Krelage mentioned that lie exported annually 100,000 hyacinths, 300,000 crocuses, 1200,000 tulips, and 100,000 ranunculuses, besides many roots of other flowers.

FREAKS OF WEALTH.

The wealth which now exists in the town falls much short of what it was previous to the French Revolution, or during the period of Dutch commercial preannence. It is not long since, strangers, in visiting Amsterdam, were shown the spacious house of a merchant, who, after lavishing much on furni- ture and pffintings, actually caused the floor of one of his apartments to be laid with Spanish dollars, set on edge. Whims equally ridiculous for disposing of an overplus of wealth appear to have been far from uncommon in former times in Holland. A gentleman of my acquaintance, passing through Arnhem a few years ago, had his attention directed to an old fantastical-looking dwelling, concerning which he gathered the following historical remiuiseeee. The original owner was a Jew, and he erected the house out of pure revenge. His coffers were so well replenished, that lie was at a loss how to employ his superfluous cash at last he hit upon a fanciful expedient. He determined to make a pave- ment before his residence of large massive plates of' silver, and to surround it with an ornamental chain of the same costly metal. Before carrying his plan into effect, it behoved him to obtain the sanction of the authorities. These worthies, however, void of sympathy, set their face against is proposition which might have compelled them to increase the strength of the town-guard. En- raged at their non-compliance, Moses determined to punish them. He ordered his dwelling, situated in the principal street, immediately to be pulled down, and on its site erected the one now standing. It is literally covered with dia- bolical figures, amounting, it is said, to 365.

The steam-excursion up the Rhine, and the trips made to dif- ferent towns or Spas on both its banks, have less interest than the account of Holland,—possessing, perhaps, less character in them- selves; having been more frequently described by able writers, as HEAD and TROLLOPE ; and Mr. CHAMBERS having passed through them more rapidly. A similar remark, though not to the same extent, applies to the Belgian tour ; but in both cases the observa- tion is comparative rather as to the author's own account of Hol- land than as to other works.

One main object of Mr. CHAMBERS'S excursion we have reserved for separate remark. As regards the generality—almost the uni- versality—of education in Holland, he agrees with Cousix ; as well as in the perfect freedom from religious intolerance with which it is conducted. Intolerance, however, is not the proper word ; feeling expresses the idea. The secular power conceives it to be its duty to give a secular education, leaving religion to be taught by the ministers of the persuasion to which the pupils respectively belong ; stimulating the clergy, however, (who are all supported by the state,) to volunteer this instruction. The result on both points, according to Mr. CHAMBERS, is most successful. No per- son is exposed to any civil or social disadvantage for his religious belief: indeed, no one thinks of inquiring about it, whether as man or boy. Nowhere is there greater obedience to the laws, a more orderly population, greater loyalty or zeal for "fatherland and king," or greater submission to heavy taxation. Although our extracts have already been pretty full, from a work so easily acces- sible, yet the general importance of the subject, and the present interest attached to it, through the bigoted conduct of our Church- men and sectaries, and the narrow plan and timorous submission of the Ministry, induce us to take a few passages bearing upon this point.

CREEDS OF A DUTCH SCHOOL.

The master of the Tusschen School was a particularly agreeable and intelli- gent person, who showed the highest pleasure in exhibiting the progress of his papas, and explaining the plans upon which he cultivated their latent energies. Having seen all that was necessary, I as usual questioned him on the subject of religious instruction. He answered, that he took every occasion of enforcing the principle of religions and moral obligation, when such a theme was ap- propriate in the exercises on words and sentiments in the lessons, but that no catechism or religious work formed a part of the course of instruction. The following 'conversation now ensued between us: " Where are your pupils taught the doctrines and other essential matters in religion?"—" All are taught these things by the clergymen to whose congregations their parents belong." " How is this managed ?"—" Two hours a week are allowed for their attendance at the clergymen's -houses or churches, but I don't interfere in the matter, and leave parents to manage these affairs with their priests." " Do you know how the children in the school are divided into sects ; that is, how many in each ?"— " Ob, no; I ?lever inquire of what religion a child is when it is sent to me; indeed, I cannot help feeling surprised how you should ask such a strange ques- tion." I told him that I was governed by no idle curiosity in asking these questions; that I was much gratified in observing the fervent piety and orderly manners of the Dutch, and therefore was interested in the manner of their re- education ; that it ne nau no °ejections, i should like to be permitted to ask the children, one after the other, to what religious party they -belonged. This was good-humouredly agreed to. Selecting the first form in front, he-be- gan at the topmost boy, and, bidding him stand up, asked him in a kindly way what religion he was of The child uttered the word " Romsch ;" the next said " Reformaire," and so did the third; the fourth was a Jew; then followed Mennonite (Baptist) and Lutheran, and so on ; there was a mixture of all sects as far as we went. "I am now perfectly satisfied ; I see that there is a tho- rough mixture of all sects in the school. But may I ask if they ever taunt or abuse each other on account of their religion ?" —" replied the teacher, "they never to my knowledge do such a thing; in all my experience I never heard of such a thing." This closed the conversation, and we retired.

In this respect, of " never inquiring of what religion a child is," our abandoned Government plan was very objectionable : the in- quiry and the provision made for sectarian differences, sowed the seeds of invidious distinctions between Churchmen anti:Dissenters, which might have been very annoying to the one or to the other (according to their numerical preponderance) even at school. It must conic to this at last, that Caesar must confine himself to teaching the things of Caesar—all he is fit for.

NUMBER OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN HOLLAND.

As every thing tending to throw light on the social condition of the people formed a subject'for m inquiry, I felt desirous of inspecting the great central prison at Rotterdam, foy r male juvenile offenders. Accompanied by the Reve- rend Mr. Delprat of the French Reformed Church, President of the School Commission of Rotterdam, also my friends the Reverend W. Steven, minister of the Scotch Church in Rotterdam, and Mr. Schultze, I visited this receptacle for delinquents. It is a large plain edifice situated at the head of the High Street, and is known by the name of the Spin-house, from the circumstance of spinning once having formed the chief task-work of the inmates. Here are confined all the boys and lads under eighteen years of age, who have been con- victed of crime in any part of Holland. In contains no young female criminals,

these being i

.g confined in a similar establishment at Amsterdam, while all the older criminals are, as I believe, sent to certain penal settlements in a remote part of the country. On entering the Spin-house, I observed that it consisted of a large tenement fronting the street and a square court-yard behind, sur- rounded by buildings two stories in height. The various departments are under the charge of turnkeys or guards, dressed in a military uniform ; and through- out the whole house and corridors the utmost silence prevails. Conducted by one of the higher officials, we were at once introduced into the school-room, in which were collected all the prisoners in the establishment. Let the reader conceive the idea of an apartment measuring perhaps thirty feet square, tra- versed by eight or ten rows of school desks and forms, at which sat as many rows of boys and lads, all dressed in a uniform consisting of a coarse linen jacket buttoned up to the throat, trousers of the same material, woollen stock- ings, and wooden shoes—and further, let him imagine that every thing was ex- ceedingly clean, the faces of the boys included, and he will have a picture before him of the establishment in full operation. "And are these the whole male juvenile criminals of Holland ?" I inquired of the official who conducted us. ' They are," he answered. " What is their number ?"—" At present there are ninety-five, but sometimes there are a few more and sometimes less ; the highest number ever in the house was one hundred and sixteen, and the lowest number eighty-four." "Are there no boys or Will in confinement in the prisons of the provincial towns ?"—" No, none except such as are confined for a day or two for petty offences ; all regularly convicted offenders and vagabonds, and who evidently require instruction and moral di s. are sent to this place." " May I ask," pursuing the conversation o how many prisoners you have out of Rotterdam alone ; iittii3emaheberuatliilisg.nstotwihi of eighty-thousand inhabitants, and I suppose yields a pretty large crop of delinquents ?"—" The number of prisoners belonging to Rotterdam is four" "Do you mean to say that only four boys have been taken up for committing depredations in this large town?"—" 1 can assure you, reply, "that we seldom have more than four or five boys or lads from this city. " "Now," said I, "you will oblige me by mentioning how many prisoners thee are belonging to the different religious persuasions?" This question being out of the usual routine of inquiries, our conductor proceeded to the books of entry for the prison, and with the approval of the commandment, furnished me with a note to the following effect : " Sixty-two Protestants; thirty-two Roman Catholics ; and one Jew—total, ninety-five."

EFFECT OF EDUCATION ON THE DUTCH CHARACTER.

The general habits of the Dutch are extremely orderly ; and neither drunk- enness nor any of that nocturnal indecency is seen on the public thoroughfares, which disgrace every large town in Britain with which I am acquainted. Seri.: ous crimes, such as murder, housebreaking, and robbery, are exceedingly rare; and although the towns are crowded with strangers during the fairs, and there are then plenty of valuable goods in a most unprotected state on the streets, offences requiring judicial correction are exceedingly limited in number. In walking through the densest crowds by night or day, we never felt the smallest alarm for the safety of either our persons or property. Those who know the Dutch intimately, have mentioned to me that the people possess keen acquisi-

tive desires, and will go to the very verge of honesty to satisfy them, but that they want that adventurousness or fearlessness of consequences which leads to positive crime in Britain. This, however, is a point of extreme difficulty, for what is termed want of fearlessness may be in reality due moral regulation of conduct, and a result of early school and religious training.

Of the working and character of their system of education, Mr. CHAMBERS does not think so highly as COUSIN _and others. lie found the appearance of scholars and the efficiency of the schools to vary more with the individual master, than, as we understand him, he considers it ought. The educational plan, too, in his opinion, is narrow and antique—dealing more with words than the qualities of things, and inculcating a gross and overweening nationality. The latter is defended as necessary to prevent so small a nation from being merged in some more powerful people. The former objection is rather an educational opinion of the author's than the announcement of an established truth. The superiority of teaching physical, instead of metaphysical qualities, all depends upon the teacher and the taught. The knowledge of a child is not more enlarged, or his mind better formed for its acquisition, by being taught, for instance, that sugar is sweet and soluble in water, than by being compelled to conjugate a verb or parse a sentence. Either may be made a matter of rote; but the grammar instruction may be made to exercise the sharpest faculties of the mind and to embrace a wide circle of instruction.