GHENT. 85 



"dimensions ; — but this we could not wait to examine : even- 

 ing was fast approaching, and we had to return many miles 

 to Ghent, by a road little frequented, in most places buried 

 among trees, and altogether not the fittest for nocturnal 

 travelling. 



The farm is situated in front of the chateau, immedi- 

 ately on the outside of the moat. Some of the crops 

 were to our eyes of an unusual character ; and the novel- 

 ty of their appearance, perhaps, not only concealed the 

 deformity of placing a farm there, but converted it *into 

 something rather agreeable. We were certainly grati- 

 fied at seeing a large field of hemp (Cannabis sativa), 

 now in full luxuriance, for this is a crop seldom or never at- 

 tempted in Scotland, — and absolutely delighted to meet with 

 a small field of Indian corn (Zea mays), now shooting into 

 ear ; for none of us had ever seen a crop of this nature. 

 Probably this may be regarded as nearly the extreme nor- 

 thern limits of the zone within which maize may be cultivated. 



Our apprehensions as to the impropriety of allowing 

 ourselves to be benighted on the road, proved not ill- 

 founded ; for we met with some trouble from two fellows, 

 who had dogged us from Ghent in the morning, and who 

 now returned in our train, having regaled themselves libe- 

 rally at the cabaret with our postillion, doubtless at our ex- 

 jsence. They spoke French, and boasted that they had 

 served in the army of the Emperor. Although they tried 

 in various ways to irritate us, as they did not presume to 

 offer any actual violence (for repelling which, however, we 

 judged it prudent to hold ourselves constantly in readi- 

 ness), it is possible that they may have been police-spies 

 of the government. We had hoped that this sort of espio- 

 nage had ceased in the Netherlands upon the accession of 

 the present king. 



