TOPOGRAPHY. 487 



Kuilenburg (6,662 inhabitants), both dismantled fortresses. Doeshxirg (4,517 inha- 

 bitants), an old fortress, and Zutphen (14,513 inhabitants), proverbial for its wealth, 

 and curious on account of its old ramparts, are the principal towns on the Yssel. 



Apeldoorn, a large village with paper-mills and the royal country seat of Loo 

 near it, rises in the centre of Veluwe. 



Hardencijk (6,445 inhabitants), on the Zuider Zee, is an old Hanse town, with 

 a silted-up harbour, but still of some importance as the depot for the colonial army. 



OvERYSSEL. — ZwoUe (21,593 inhabitants), the capital, lies between the rivers 

 Yssel and Yecht, communicating with both by canals. Its position is damp, 

 and far inferior to that of the picturesque town of Decenter (18,575 inhabitants), 

 higher up on the Yssel, the commercial centre of the manufacturing district of 

 the Twenthe. Kcwipen (16,802 inhabitants), near the mouth of the river, is a 

 curious old town, much frequented by coasting vessels, which brave the dangers of 

 the Zuider Zee. The leading towns in the eastern part of the province are Enschede 

 (5,626 inhabitants) ; Oldenzaal (3,085 inhabitants), the old capital of the Salian 

 Franks; and Hardenberg (8,559 inhabitants), the latter on the Upper Yecht. The 

 bogs to the north of that river have to a great extent been brought under cultiva- 

 tion, partly by colonies of paupers, orphans, and criminals established around 

 Steemvyk and Ommersc/taiiz, but more largely through voluntary labour. 



Drenthe. — Assen (7,472 inhabitants) and Meppel (7,901 inhabitants), both in 

 the basin of the Yecht, are the only towns of this province, the largest commune 

 of which, that of Hoogeveen, or " High Bog," has 11,103 inhabitants. 



Frieseand. — Leemvarden (27,085 inhabitants), the capital, is one of the 

 wealthiest towns of Holland, though not interesting in other respects. The 

 parishes around it are extensive and populous, but there are only few towns, or 

 even villages. Passing Franeker (6,643 inhabitants), an old university town, and 

 the place where the Mennonites originated, we reach' Ha r /in gen (1 1,043 inhabitants), 

 the great maritime emporium of the province. Farther south, at the entrance to 

 the Zuider Zee, lies Staroren, the oldest town of Friesland, anciently a powerful 

 member of the Hanse, but now a decayed village of 600 inhabitants. Sneek 

 (9,990 inhabitants) lies inland towards the south-east, and beyond it we enter 

 the wealthy parish of Schoterland (13,893 inhabitants), the principal village of 

 which is Heerenveen, established in the midst of a reclaimed bog. 



Groningen. — The capital of the same name (40,589 inhabitants), though an 

 inland town, communicates by canals with the ports of Zontkamp and Delfzijl 

 (5,578 inhabitants), the one on the Lauwerzee, the other on the DoUart, opposite to 

 the German town of Emden. In the thirteenth century Groningen was one of the 

 most flourishing towns of Northern Europe, but it is so no longer, nor is its univer- 

 sity of much note. The island of Schiermonnikoog, off the Lauwerzee, was formerly 

 renowned for its bold mariners, but now the inhabitants confine themselves almost 

 entirely to agriculture. Near WimcJioten (6,158 inhabitants), in the interior, lies 

 the battle-field oî HeiUgerlee, where the Dutch, in 1568, achieved their first victory 

 over the Spaniards. In the parish of Pekela, to the south of that town, the bogs 

 are being reclaimed with great success. 



