931 



BELGIUM. 



BELGIUM. 



932 



passes through the communes of Neerharen, Reckheim, Borsheim 

 Mechelen, Eysden, Neeroeteren, Oppiter, Br(!e, Beck, Bockholt, Weert 

 and Nederwert, at which last-named place it quits the province o 

 Limburg and enters the Dutch territory of North Brabant. Th 

 length of the canal from Maastricht to Nederwert is about 42 

 English miles. Its supply of water is drawn from the Maas. The cana 

 from Bruges to Ghent communicates at Bruges with the canals o 

 Damme and of Ostend. The Bruges and Ghent Canal was constructe< 

 in the beginning of the 17th century, and is adapted for the passagi 

 of vessels of 80 to 100 tons burden; its principal feeder is the river 

 Lys, with which it is connected by means of a sluice at Ghent 

 Ghent has communication with the sea by means of a canal, whose 

 course is north-north-east from Ghent through Sas-de-Gand, where it is 

 joined to the canal of Neuzen, which communicates with the sestuary 

 of the East Schelde. Vessels drawing 18 feet water easily pass through 

 this canal ; after the discharge of their cargo it is usual for them to 

 descend the Schelde to Antwerp. The Louvain Canal begins a( 

 Louvain, where it is fed by the river Dyle, follows a north-wesl 

 direction, and enters the province of Antwerp a short distance from 

 Malinen, passing under the walls of that town, and again joins the 

 river Dyle at its confluence with the Senne at a place called Senne- 

 gal, near Rumpst. The Louvain Canal is 60 feet wide and 11 feet 

 deep. The boats employed upon it mostly draw from two to three 

 feet water. The Brussels Canal, which is supplied by the water of 

 the river Senne at Brussels, proceeds to the north by Vilvoorde, 

 passes from South Brabant to the province of Antwerp, a little below 

 Thisselt, crosses the commune of Willebrock, and ends in the river 

 Rupel opposite Boom. This canal, begun in 1550, was not opened for 

 navigation until 1591. It is still considered one of the finest works 

 in Belgium. The canal from Mons to Cond^ is supplied by the river 

 Haine, which gives its name to the province of Hainault. It 

 proceeds in a straight line to the west, enters France near Valen- 

 ciennes, and falls into the Schelde at CondcS, after a course of about 

 24 miles, rather more than four miles of which are in the French 

 territory. The principal use of this canal is to convey coals from 

 Hainault to France. 



The country is everywhere intersected by wide and well-kept main- 

 roads, either paved or macadamised, and having commonly a double 

 line of lime-trees. These main-roads are connected by cross-roads, 

 which are also usually well kept. 



Belgium was the first of the continental states to adopt a general 

 system of railways. The railways have been all constructed under 

 the direction of the government, though not always at the govern- 

 ment expense. The first law for the construction of a line of railway, 

 that from Malines to Verviers, with branches to Antwerp and 

 Brussels, passed the legislature in May 1834 ; and the portion of the 

 line between Malines and Brussels was opened for traffic in May 1835. 

 From this time the railway-system was steadily carried out until 

 1843, when nearly the whole kingdom was intersected by main trunk- 

 lines, amounting to about 350 miles. Since then there have been 

 a few additional lines opened, the most important being that 

 belonging to an English company, from Namur to Liege, which was 

 opened in 1851 ; the short lines between Charleroi and Marienburg, 

 and Liege and Maastricht, remain unfinished. The first line 

 commences at Antwerp, whence it runs in a southern direction to 

 Malines, and thence nearly south-south-west to Brussels (27J miles). 

 From Brussels this line of communication is continued by the Midland 

 railway, which runs south-westward by Tubise to Braine-le-Comte 

 (18j miles), and thence more westward by Soignies to Mons (20 

 miles), whence it is continued by Quidvrain to the French frontier 

 (about 13 miles), where it unites with the Great North-of- 

 France railway, by which Brussels is brought into direct communica- 

 tion with Paris. Another main trunk-line runs south-east from 

 Ostend by Bruges (14 miles) to Ghent (28 miles), and thence more 

 eastward by Termonde to Malines, where it is connected with the 

 Brussels and Antwerp line ; at Malines it turns south-westward by 

 Louvain, Tirlemont, and Landen, to Liege, and thence to Verviers, 

 where it turns north-east towards Aix-la-Chapelle, where it unites 

 with the Rhine railways : its entire length, from Ostend to the 

 frontiers of Prussia, a few miles S.E. from Aix-la-Chapelle, is about 

 160 miles. The principal branch on this line is one 17 miles in 

 length from Landen north-eastward by St.-Trond to Hasselt. The 

 Antwerp, Ghent, and Tournay line runs west-south-west from 

 Antwerp by St.-Nicolas to Ghent (31 miles), and thence south- 

 westward by Deynze and Courtray to Mouscron (35 miles),where 

 the direct line quits the Belgian territory and unites with a 

 portion of the Great North-of-France line, by which it is placed in 

 .lir.'H connection with Lille and Paris, and by branches, with Calais, 

 Valenciennes, &c. At Mouscron the Belgian line turns south-east to 

 Tournay (12 miles), and thence by Leuze and Ath to Jurbise (29 

 miles), where it joins the Brussels and Midland line. The West 

 Flanders line runs south-westward from Bruges to Roulera, and 

 thence more southward to Courtray and Comines. The Namur and 

 Liege line is connected at Liege with the line already described as 

 running from Ostend to Liege. From Liege it runs almost due west 

 put Huy to Namur (38 miles). From Namur it is continued west- 

 ward by another line past Taminea to Charleroi, whence it is con- 

 tinued, ttill along the valley of the Sambre, by Thuin to the French 



frontier at Erquelinnes (19 miles), where it is to be united with a 

 line to Paris, in course of construction. From Charleroi a branch is 

 carried north-westward to Manage and Mons, where it unites with 

 the midland lines previously described. Another line (the Sambre 

 and Meuse railway) is carried in the opposite direction from 

 Charleroi; but at present (October 1853) it is only completed as far 

 as Silenreux (25 miles). A short branch runs from it at Berzee 

 eastward to Morialmd, and another to Laneffe. Other lines have 

 been projected, but these are all, except very short branches, which 

 are completed for passenger traffic. There are several short lines and 

 branches in connection with the mines. 



Geology, Mineralogy, &c. The whole of the northern part of the 

 kingdom is of the tertiary formation. East and West Flanders and 

 the northern part of Brabant are entirely composed of clay and sand. 

 In many places extensive beds of peat occur, a foot or two below 

 the surface, and supply the ordinary fuel of their neighbourhoods, 

 while the ashes are of great service for manure. Animal and vege- 

 table productions are often found in these peat-beds in a high state 

 of preservation. 



In the south-eastern provinces, Namur, Liege, Limburg, and Luxem- 

 burg, the lower formations are chiefly red-sandstone and limestone, 

 resting upon granite, quartz, and slate. Vast beds of coal occur 

 around the city of Namur. The limestone strata furnish good 

 marbles ; the black marble of Dinant, in particular, is highly prized. 

 Slates are quarried very largely, especially at Herbemont, near Dinant, 

 where the works are on a very extensive scale. Good building stones 

 abound. From the sandstone formations mill-stones, grindstones, &c. 

 are quarried ; and the upper formations yield valuable porcelain 

 clays and sands. These provinces are also rich in metals and 

 minerals. Iron is found very extensively, and iron-mines are 

 numerous,espeeially in the district between the Sambre and the 

 Maas. About 1,000,000 tons of rough iron-ore are annually raised, 

 yielding about half that quantity of prepared ore. Copper is found 

 in the provinces of Hainault and Liege. Lead, zinc, calamine, sulphur, 

 alum, &c. are raised in Liege, Namur, and Luxemburg. Manganese 

 is found in Liege. Fossil elephants, rhinoceroses, bears, hyaenas, &e. 

 are found in great numbers. In the limestone occur some remarkable 

 caverns ; the most celebrated are those at Hans-sur-Lesse, which are 

 much visited by tourists : they consist of a chain of caverns through 

 which the river Lesse has forced its way. In Hainault are vast beds 

 of coal and slates, resting upon porphyritic and quartzose formations. 

 Above the carboniferous and schistose strata are thick beds of clays 

 and sands. 



The coal-fields of Belgium require somewhat further notice. They 

 occur as was said in the provinces of Limburg, Liege, Namur, and 

 Hainault, and are very extensively wrought. The Limburg coal-field 

 s in the environs of Kerkraede, about 12 miles east of Maastricht, 

 whence it extends into the Prussian territory. The greatest length 

 of this field from north to south is about 3| miles, and its greatest 

 Breadth from east to west not quite 2 miles ; the surface contains 

 about Sj square miles, one-half of which is in the Prussian territory, 

 [n Liege there are two coal-fields. The largest of these is in the 

 vicinity of the town of Liege, and on both sides of the Maas River. 

 [ts length is nearly 14 miles. The second coal-field of Liege is 

 hat of Battice and Clermont : its length is 11^ miles E.S.E. from 

 rlousse to Clermont, and its greatest breadth 6| miles E.N.E. from 

 ^leron to Battice. Hainault contains three extensive coal-fields. One 

 s situated to the west of Mons, and extends nearly 124 miles from 

 JuieVrain on the west to Eugies on the south of Mons, and 8| miles 

 Vom Baisieux on the W.S.W. to Jemmapes on the west of Mons. 

 The second coal-field on the east of Mous extends 10 miles from 

 Saint Dem's on the west to Chapelle les Herlaimont on the east ; and 

 5 miles from Ville-sur-Haine on the north-west to Thuin on the south- 

 east. The third coal-field 'in this province is the most extensive, and 

 t stretches into the adjoining province of Namur. The town of 

 Charleroi stands in the centre of this coal district, which extends in 

 lainault from Fontaine-l'Eveque on the west to the boundary line 

 n the east, a distance of above 13 miles ; and from Fleurus on the 

 lorth to Jamioulx on the south, about 10 miles. Between 30,000 

 and 40,000 persons are now employed in the Belgian coal-fields. 



There are several mineral springs in Belgium. Those at Spa are of 

 Imost universal reputation, the springs being resorted to by persons 

 rom America as well as most parts of Europe, while the water is 

 ent over nearly as wide an area. The water is highly tonic, being 

 trongly impregnated with iron and carbonic acid gas. The hot 

 prings of Chaudfontaine are also much resorted to. 



Climate, Soil, Agriculture. The climate of Belgium varies con- 

 iderably, but even in the low north-western provinces it is less 

 umid and milder than in Holland. In the central and eastern 

 rovinces the air is more bracing, though still temperate. Namur, 

 luxemburg, and Hainault are considered to be the most healthy pro- 

 inces of the kingdom. April and November are always rainy months : 

 be rains generally come on with westerly winds. The north and 

 rest are the most prevalent winds ; south-west winds are the most 

 iolent. The winters are generally very cold; the summers are 

 requently moist. 



The soil, which consists almost everywhere of clay and sand, has 

 or the mot part been rendered fertile by a due admixture of both 



