TRAVELS, &c. 
t - --- J! 
CHAPTER I. 
Departure from Ghent.—Sojourn at Hellevoetsluis. —Arrival 
at Spithead . 
ON the 4th of April, IS25,1 set out from Ghent for Antwerp. 
This ancient and noble city is in every point of view interesting; 
to the admirers of the fine arts, on account of the unique trea¬ 
sures she possesses; to the military observer for her long defence 
against the army of the Duke of Parma, and for her military and 
maritime importance obtained in modern times through him who 
long guided the destiny of Europe; and to the philanthropist, who 
derives satisfaction from the increasing prosperity of mankind, 
for numerous reasons. Long the victim of politics and the 
jealousy of her neighbours, which kept the mighty Scheld, 
the harbour of Antwerp, blockaded, she now powerfully lifts her 
head above her rivals, and her commerce, nearly as flourishing 
as under the Hanseatic league, is annually becoming more exten¬ 
sive, thanks to the foresight of the wise prince whom Provi¬ 
dence has placed at the head of our country’s government. 
A government yacht received us at Antwerp, and with a fair 
wind and most delightful spring weather, conveyed us, by the 
evening of the 6th of April, to the road of Hellevoetsluis, where 
the corvette Pallas was lying at anchor, which had orders to sail 
on the following day. The first part of the voyage to Hellevoet- 
sluis is down the Scheld; the beautiful steeple of the cathedral of 
Antwerp long remains in sight; the forts on both shores attract 
the attention of military men, and perhaps remind them of the 
remains of the great bridge between forts St. Mary and St. Phi¬ 
lip, by which Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, crossed the 
stream and forced the city to surrender. 
At an hour’s sail below Antwerp, the Scheld forms a large ba¬ 
sin, and divides into two arms the East and West Scheld, which 
are separated by the island of Zuid-Beveland . The West Scheld 
is the deepest, and flows into the North Sea: we sailed on the 
eastern branch to the place of our destination. 
A century ago South Beveland was well cultivated, and con¬ 
tained a town and numerous villages: it was swallowed up by 
the water, and still remains overflowed. It may be reserved 
for the creative spirit peculiar to our existing government and its 
Vol. I. 2 
