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When very handsome, it is handed down from father to son during a long period of years, and is looked upon as an heir-loom in the family.

I have been only once in church during the time of service since my arrival in this country, and was much edified by an excellent Dutch sermon. The church was handsome, and contained a magnificent organ, the tone of which, I do not doubt, was very fine; but as each member of the congregation sung a most vociferous and open-mouthed accompaniment, my sense of hearing was completely deadened during the performance, in so far as concerned the perception of more delicate sounds. Among other ornaments which surrounded the organ, there were a number of little angels playing the fiddle, apparently in a very masterly style. In the few churches which I have seen, there are scarcely any pews, but each flag-stone of the floor is numbered, and as there are abundance of chairs, each person places one on his own particular number. As soon as the first psalm ceases, and the sermon has commenced, each man and boy places his hat on his head, and sits at his ease, at least so it was in the church which I visited.

I did not observe any one smoking in church, but in the streets and highways, all the men, and a few of the women, have their pipees constantly in their mouths. I have seen a little boy, about ten or twelve years of age, with a long black coat, silk breeches, his hands in the pockets of the same, silver shoe-buckles, a tobacco-pipe in his mouth, and the whole crowned by a huge three-cornered cocked hat, under which the youth moved with a gravity of demeanour becoming his great-grandfather.

I believe the general appearance of Holland is pretty similar throughout. What I have seen has a cheerful and pleasing aspect, though, from the want of hills and vallies, it would probably soon become uninteresting. The whole country seems composed of meadows, intersected by canals, and subdivided by ditches and rows of trees. The rivers are slow and heavy in their motions, and partake much of the nature of the canals and ditches. The water is bad; but as good claret can be got for two shillings, and there is abundance of excellent milk, this loss is not so perceptible. Notwithstanding the abundance of milk, they rarely gather any cream, at least not for daily use. It seems to be collected chiefly with a view to the formation of super-excellent cheese.

I was much delighted by the picturesque groups of the peasant girls, who assemble to milk the cattle in particular quarters of the meadows, called milking-places, or melk-plaats. Such scenes forcibly reminded me of the inimitable productions of Paul Potter, and were well worthy the efforts of that great master.

In the suburbs of Rotterdam there are a number of small gardens, in most of which are erected wooden houses, of fanciful shapes and many colours, not unlike the gay habitations of Chinese mandarins. In these houses the richer class of merchants, with their wives and families, drink tea in the summer evenings, particularly on the Sundays. The windows reach from the roof to the floor, and are for the most part open, so that the passing traveller has a .clear view of the interior of the building, and of its inhabitants. Such parties as I have seen in the evenings, appeared to be solely employed in drinking tea, a meal from which they must derive much pleasure, if one may judge from the time which they take to it. Even in the streets, there is generally a tea party visible in at least one window of every house, and before many doors, in a fine afternoon, there is a party seated on the steps. This is more particularly the case in country towns; the men, however, in all places, still retaining their long tobacco pipes in their mouths.

With regard to the mode of travelling in Holland, I may next say a few words: Post-carriages, I understand, may be every where obtained, but as in wet weather, particularly during spring and autumn, many of the roads are impassable, such a mode of proceeding, independent of the great increase of expense and trouble which it occasions, is by no means adyiseable. In no country of the world, however, is there such easy and regular conveyance by water as in this, on which account I would advise all tourists to travel exclusively by the canals.

Upon inquiry, I find, that in every town there are a number of large boats