372 SECOND JOURNEY IN EUROPE.  [1850, 
and must now to bed, as we have to finish Ghent to- 
morrow before dinner, and go on to Antwerp after- 
wards, thence to Cologne. I think we shall cut 
Brussels. 
At Ghent saw the Belfry and the strange old Town 
Hall. . I went to the Botanic Garden (did not 
find Paifescas Kickx), — hardly as large as ours at 
Cambridge, and by no means so rich or half so well 
kept, though said to be the best in Belgium ; explored 
the university library, and strolled through the 
streets and along the canals. 
Antwerp. — Imagine us settled neentitovtadihy at Hotel 
du Pare, Wednesday evening, overlooking the Place 
Verte, our windows commanding a near mal most ad- 
vantageous view of the finest cathedral in Belgium, 
with light enough still to see pretty well against the 
sky the graceful outlines and much of the light 
tracery and Gothic work of this gem of a steeple, one 
of the loftiest in the world (403 feet, 7 inches) and 
probably unsurpassed by any for lightness, grace, and 
the elaborateness of the carved work. Napoleon com- 
pared it to Mechlin lace. And such sweet chimes, 
every fifteen minutes! The chime at the beginning 
of the hour still rings in our ears. We have never 
tired of listening to it... . 
Bonn, July 22. 
We drove through the city (Cologne) to the station 
of the Bonn railroad. But on the way the driver, of 
his own motion, stopped at the door of the cathedral. 
Finding that we had time enough to take a good look 
before the train left, we could not resist, and saw this 
wonder and masterpiece of true Gothic architecture ; 
which by the united efforts of most North German 
powers is going on toward completion, in the style and 
