ly jewelled shrine, which is exhibited to visitors at half a franc a
head. The famous order of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, so often
mentioned by Motley, whose emblems are seen in many of the churches of
Belgium, was established at Bruges, by Philip the Good, Duke of
Burgundy. The weavers of Flanders had carried the manufacture of wool to
a degree of perfection which added greatly to the prosperity of the
country, and the Golden Fleece was a fitting symbol of the industry of
the people, as well as a compliment to their skill.

The great point of interest in Bruges to the students of the squadron
was "The Belfry of Bruges," which Longfellow has celebrated in his poem
of that name, and in the "Carillon." It is a beautiful Gothic tower, on
an antique building known as _Les Halles_, or The Market, a part of
which was intended for a meat market, and a part for a cloth hall. The
spire, or belfry, is two hundred and ninety feet high. It contains the
finest set of chimes in Europe. They play four times an hour, and their
music is almost incessant. The machinery by which they are operated
consists of an immense metallic cylinder, or drum, covered all over with
cogs and pins, like that in a music-box. As this drum turns by the
action of a huge weight, the pins strike against the levers that
communicate with the bells. For half an hour on Sunday they are played
by hand, as at Antwerp.

The praise bestowed upon the chimes seemed to the students to be well
merited. There is nothing more touching and beautiful than the music of
these bells. The boys could not help taking in the inspiration they
imparted; and when it transpired that Mr. Modelle, the professor of
elocution, had a copy of Longfellow in his pocket, they almost
unanimously insisted that the poems relating to the scene should be
read. They gathered around him, the circle closely flanked by the men,
women, and children of the dull old town, who had apparently been roused
from their lethargy by the advent of the young Americans. In his deep
bass tones he read the Carillon first.

"In the ancient town of Bruges,
In the quaint old Flemish city,
As the evening shades descended,
Low and loud, and sweetly blended,
Low at times and loud at times,
And changing like a poet's rhymes,
Rang the beautiful wild chimes
From the belfry in the market
Of the ancient town of Bruges."

The students listened with almost breathless interest till the last li