ANTWERP. 95 



(for so the cicerone is called in the Netherlands), and made 

 him conduct us to the various places and objects usually 

 visited by travellers. Some of these may just be mention- 

 ed. The ancient Bourse is considered as having afforded 

 the model of the Exchange at London ; but it excels the 

 latter, in its rows of marble columns, with capitals curiously 

 varied. The vast magazine near the quay, called the Hans 

 Towns House, is now in partial decay : it had received 

 some hard blows during the bombardment of 1815, — other 

 bad effects of which, our guide (a keen Buonapartist) did 

 not fail to point out to us. More effectually to cover the 

 great basin, new works of defence are now rearing, under 

 the direction of the engineers of the King of the Nether- 

 lands. In walking up the side of the river, we came to the 

 flying-bridge of Buonaparte, which is now in disuse, but 

 was lying moored to the beach. This huge ponton is of 

 such dimensions, that it could transport a whole regiment 

 at once. To facilitate the entrance and exit of cavalry, 

 wooden piers were constructed on both shores, with the 

 outer part of the pier floating, or moving on hinges, so as 

 to rise and fall with the tide. The ponton was put in mo- 

 tion by the current of the water against a large rudder, by 

 setting which it could be impelled to either bank, swinging 

 as it were upon a long cable, which was secured by an- 

 chors in the middle of the river. On account of the length 

 of the cable, two or three small boats were necessary to 

 support it. Similar passage-boats occur on the Rhine : 

 there, however, the stream flows constantly in one direc- 

 tion ; while here it was requisite to have two points of re- 

 sistance, one up the river and the other below, on account 

 of the water running upward with the flow of the tide, and 

 downward with the ebb. We next visited the great naval 

 arsenal, and the extensive Corderie or rope-walk, for the 



