tions. The League died
out in 1630; but Hamburg, Lubec, and Bremen formed a new one, under the
name of the Hanse Towns; and Frankfort-on-the-Main afterwards joined
them."

"I have heard of the Hanse Towns," added Paul; "but I never knew what
the term meant before."

"The docks and basins here are mainly the work of Napoleon. The great
conqueror intended to make Antwerp the first seaport of the north. The
mouth of the Thames is less than a hundred miles from the mouth of the
Scheldt, and he knew that, with a naval station equal to any in the
possession of England, he could, in time of war, cripple or destroy the
commerce of his great rival. He expended ten millions of dollars on
these docks, basins, and fortifications. The English were alarmed, and
in 1809 sent the Walcheren expedition, which obtained a foothold on that
island, but were defeated by disease and death, for seven thousand
British soldiers perished by marsh fever. By the peace of Paris in 1814,
after the battle of Waterloo, it was stipulated that the dock-yards
should be destroyed, for they were a standing threat to the maritime
powers; but these basins were preserved for commercial purposes. The
largest one will accommodate thirty-four ships of the line."

The travellers continued on their way through some of the principal
streets till they arrived at the Church of St. Jacques, which is richer
in its ornaments than the Cathedral, containing exquisitely wrought
marbles, carved wood, painted glass. This magnificent church contains
the burial vaults of the noble families of the city, and among them that
of Rubens, which is marked by a white marble tablet with a long
inscription upon it, embedded in the pavement of his private chapel. The
Holy Family, which forms the altar-piece of the church, was painted by
the great master. In 1793, when the mob, incited by the furious spirit
of the French Revolution, broke into the church, pillaging altars and
tombs alike, that of Rubens was spared from desecration by the universal
respect for his memory, though not another tomb in St. Jacques escaped
their impious touch.

The house of Rubens, situated in a street of the same name, was visited;
an outside view of the Bourse, or Exchange, the Hotel de Ville, or Town
Hall, and of other public buildings, was obtained. The Citadel, built
under the direction of the cruel Duke of Alva, to overawe the rebellious
Antwerpers, was an object of interest. After the expulsion of the