66 



VISIT TO THE DEAD CITIES OF THE ZUYDER 



ZEE, FRIESLAND, AND THE STONE 



MONUMENTS OF THE DRENTHE. 



By J. C. BRUMWELL, M.D., J. P. October 19th, 1886. 



Dr. Brumwell observed that the dead cities of which he had 

 to speak were not so far away from the shores of England, nor 

 did they require much digging to get at. They were in North 

 Holland, by the edge of the Zuyder Zee. Formerly they were 

 of great importance, but they were now deserted and decayed. 

 One or two of them presented even now a cheerful appearance : 

 though in most there was thorough stagnation. 



The Zuyder Zee, which might be called a Dead Sea, had a 

 singular history. At one time it was only a moderate sized lake, 

 supplied by the Amstel and surrounded by dense forests. After 

 explaining the signification of the word "dam" — a mound, 

 found in the names of so many Dutch towns, the paper spoke of 

 Brock as a celebrated show city, remarkable for the cleanliness 

 of its streets, and the comfortable character of its houses. A 

 strange sense of loneliness impressed the stranger as he entered 

 Monikendam. The houses of its former merchant princes were 

 empty. It had a magnificent Cathedral, old Town Hall with a pic- 

 turesque Bell Tower : and one of its churches possessed the city's 

 chief object of interest — a remarkable clock. Edam was a great 

 place for cheese ; and had many fine antiquated buildings. Here 

 the Doctor referred to the characteristics of Dutch landscapes. 

 They were not picturesque ; there were no mountains, and but 

 few hedges and lanes. Indeed there was but one type of land- 

 scape, consisting of a long stretch of flat country, intersected by 

 canals of various sizes. In the fields were black and white cows ; 

 there were the farmhouses, the church and town surrounded by 

 trees. Along the banks of the canals the storks lazily wandered, 

 and the inevitable windmill completed the scene. There was 

 always one aspect of rural life, and that was according to the 

 pattern sketched. 



Hoorn was the most interesting of all the cities. The sites of 

 large docks are now filled with mud ; and when he was there, a 

 single barge was threading its way into port. The remains of 

 spacious warehouses told of large commerce in days long gone 

 by. Keference was made to the fierce action which took place 

 ofl' Hoorn on Oct. 11th, 1573, and the memorials of the Spanish 

 and Dutch war of that period which the city treasures. The 

 streets presented a most picturesque appearance, because of the 

 variety of ornament in the quaint house fronts, and the endless 



