806 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



tree. A few weeks ago only, a curious specimen was pro- 

 cured : it consists of the petrified remains, or rather the cast 

 of an animal, allied to the fossil ichthyosaurus of England. 

 It was found, upon breaking a very large bowlder of grey 

 compact limestone, detached masses of which, more or less 

 water- worn, are often met with in the sand-hills near Brussels, 

 The interior of a ball of flint from the neighbourhood of 

 Liege, presented the remains, or at least the cast, of an ani- 

 mal like a small nereis, with the impression of every joint 

 as exact as if the figure had been cut by a seal-engraver. 

 The collection of quadrupeds and birds is scarcely worth 

 mentioning. The stuffed skin of the horse belonging to one 

 of the Alberts, who governed the Low Countries in the time 

 of the Spaniards, is still preserved here : it was shot under 

 him in the field, and the holes made in the thorax by two 

 musket bullets, are still very evident. In another room^ 

 we saw the model of the hydraulic engine which supplies 

 the fountains of Brussels, and which raises 128 tons of 

 water per minute from the Senne, to such a height as to 

 supply the whole city. The Steenporte Fountain is the 

 finest and loftiest, the water falling from basin to basin suc- 

 cessively, till it reaches cisterns nearly on a level with the 

 street. But the most noted fountain is the Mannekin or 

 puer mingens by Duquesnoy, which, whatever may be 

 thought of the delicacy of the conceit, is certainly a good 

 piece of sculpture. 



Van Nous's Seedling" Fruit-tree Garden. 

 Accompanied by Mr Gillet (whose attentions were un- 

 r- emitting), we set off at the appointed hour, for the garden 

 and nurseries of M. Van Mons. Over the door we found 

 inscribed Pcpiniere de la FidelitL Before the proprietor 

 joined us, we bad an opportunity of viewing the garden 





