Ly! 
ANTIENT Frian- 
DERS AND Hot- 
LAND. 
ANIMALS. 
Fi AWN UD ERY) AUN DH Og LrAgN (D 
ceed feven or eight feet; on the coaft of Futland only two or three; a fingular 
phanomenon, as they are fo greatly higher on the correfpondent coafts of England. 
The flood on the weft coaft of Holland fets to the northward, contrary to the 
courfe of the tides on the eaft coafts of England and Scotland. ; 
Flanders and Brabant formed part of the Gallia Belgica of Cefar; and Holland 
the Batavorum Infula. ‘The rivers are the Scaldis, Mofa, and Rbenus, the modern 
Scheld, Maefe, and Rhine. "The two firft probably do not vary greatly in their dif- 
charge into the fea: the laft has experienced a moft confiderable change. The right 
branch of this river runs, for fome fpace, as it did in antient times, when it formed 
the lake Flevo, then refumed the form of a ftream, and difcharged itfelf into the fea 
at a place ftill called the Flie-/room, between the ifles of Flie-/andt and Schelling, at 
the mouth of the Zuyder-zee. Long after that period the country was dry, firm, and 
well inhabited ; a mighty inundation totally changed the face of it, and enlarged 
the Fleva lacus into the prefent Zuyder-xee, and broke the coaft into the chain of 
iflands which now front the fhore, even as far as the mouth of the Wefer. The 
Dutch hiftorians date this accident in 1421: it feems to have been the operation 
of a length of time ; for the paflage through the Texel was forced open in 1400, and 
gave rife to the profperity of Amferdam*. ‘This country was firft peopled by the 
Catti, a German nation; thefe were thinned almoft to extirpation by the fwarms 
from the great northern hive, in their expeditions by land to other parts of Europe. 
For a very long fpace Flanders and Holland were a feat of banditti: the vaft foreft 
of Ardennes gave protection to them in one country; the morafles fecured them in 
the other. Government at length took place, in Holland under its counts, in 
Flanders under its forefters. ‘Thefe provinces fell at laft under the dominion of 
the dukes of Burgundy ; from them to the houfe of Aujiria and crown of Spain. 
The revolutions from that are well known. Holland received its fecond popula- 
tion from Germany, happily (for a country whofe exiftence depends on induftry) a 
moft induftrious race. The Rhine annually brings down multitudes of people, to 
repair the lofs of men occafioned by diftant voyages, and by the moft unwholefome 
colonies in the Eaffand Weft Indies. Holland is, from its climate, unfavorable to 
the encreafe of mankind: it cannot depend on itfelf for the reparation of the lofs 
of people, but muft look elfewhere for fupplies. 
Franpers has many of the fame fpecies of animals with Great Britain; 
but, from the nature of its coaft, wants moft of the water-fowl, a few 
cloven-footed birds excepted, which breed on fandy fhores. Holland has ttill 
fewer quadrupeds and birds. Of the quadrupeds which we want, are a few 
Beavers in the Rhine and Maefe. ‘The Wolf is common in Flanders, and is found 
* Anderfows Did. i. 225. 
