N E T H E R L A N D S. 
740 
It gives us great pleafure to record, that, on the 4th of 
May, 1818, a treaty was concluded between this country 
and the king of the Netherlands, for the abolition of the 
fiave-trade. This treaty has been lince duly ratified and 
exchanged. By the firit article, the king of the Nether¬ 
lands engages, within eight months from the date thereof, 
or foonerif poflible, to prohibit all his fubjeCts from taking 
any part in the trade of Haves ; and, in the event of the 
meafures hereafter to be adopted being found infufficient 
for that purpofe, his majefty further engages to adopt 
fuch others as may appear befc calculated to fecure it. 
The fecond article provides for the right of mutual fearch, 
on the part of both the contracting powers ; and the third 
explains the mode in which that right (hall be exercifed. 
For fome particulars relative to the climate and produce 
of this kingdom, fee the articles Flanders and Holland. 
The manners and cuftoms of the Netherlanders partake 
of thofe of their neighbours, the Dutch and French, the 
phlegm of one being tempered by the vivacity of the 
other. The lower dalles have been fond of religious 
pageantry, and much addicted to the fuperftitious obfer- 
vances of the catholic fyftem. The three chief cities of 
what were called the Auftrian Netherlands are, Brufl'els, 
Ghent, and Antwerp. The other principal towns are, 
Mans, Bruges, Namur, Luxembourg, Roermond, and 
Limburg. The fea-coall of Flanders, the maritime pro¬ 
vince, confifts chiefly of fandy hills and downs, and has 
few inlets, moft of the rivers flowing into the Scheldt. 
The two ports that deferve particular notice are, the Sluys 
and Offend. The Netherlands exceed every country in 
Europe, not only in the number, but in the great extent, 
of its cities, towns, and villages. (See Flanders, vol. vii. 
p. 442.) The chief edifices are cathedrals, churches, and 
monafteries. The canals of this country are very nume¬ 
rous, and fome of them ancient. They interfeCt the pro¬ 
vinces in all directions, fuch are thofe of Brufl'els, Ghent, 
Antwerp, Offend, &c. but of late years they have been 
much negledted. The manufactures and commerce of the 
Netherlands, which were formerly fuperior to any in the 
weft of Europe, have much declined, partly becaufe other 
powers entered into competition, and partly becaufe free¬ 
dom was eftablifhed in the United Provinces, fo that 
Amfterdam arofe upon the ruins of Antwerp. The little 
commerce that is left is chiefly inland to Germany. The 
Eaft-India Company of Offend was fupprefl'ed by the jea- 
loul'y of England and other powers; and the chief com¬ 
merce was afterwards carried on by the Englifli eltabliflied 
in that city. Some few fragments of the manufactures 
ftill remain. Cambray is renowned for its cambrics, and 
and Tournay or Dornik was anciently famous for the 
fineft linens. At Bruges there are ftill fome manufactures 
of broad-fays, baize, and other woollens; confiderable 
fabrics of broad-cloth, druggets, fhalloons, and ftockings, 
were conducted at St. Omer’s, chiefly with wool fmuggled 
from England. The principal manufactures of tapeftry, 
fine linen, and laces, are at Mechlin, Brufl'els, Ghent, 
Antwerp, and Louvain ; and thefe ftill enrich the country, 
and induce the farmers to cultivate flax, even on the 
poorefl foils. For home-confumption, the Netherlanders 
produce abundance of corn and vegetables; and the coal¬ 
mines, if they were properly conducted, would be impor¬ 
tant. Turf for fuel is plentiful, as are alfo iron, porcelain, 
clay, and various other commodities. The climate re- 
fembles that of the fouth of England, and is more moifl 
than warm ; neverthelefs Luxembourg prbduces fome 
wine, refembling Rhenifli in aulterity, but deftitute of its 
fpirit. The face of the country is generally level; the 
foil is a rich fandy loam, interfperfed occaiionally with 
fields of clay, but more frequently with large intervals of 
fand. The Netherlands, by the prevalence and boafted 
excellence of its agriculture, have been long deemed the 
garden of Europe. The repeated crops of excellent clover, 
cole, turnips, and clean crops of flax, barley, and oats, 
have attracted the attention of accurate obfervers; and, 
indeed, the agriculture of this country has been cele¬ 
brated for 600 years, ever fince their commerce and 
nufaCtures became eminent; and it is remarked, that they 
ftill poflefs the eflentials of good hufbandry, in the de- 
ftruCtion of weeds, and perpetual crops. Hops, a native 
and peculiar produCt, adopted in England in the reign of 
Henry VIII. are abundant. The Netherlanders never 
allow the land to lie fallow. 
The chief river of the Netherlands is the Scheldt, which 
receives two other ftreams, the Lys and the Scalpe. The 
Dyle joins the Scheldt above Neil, after receiving from 
the eaft the Dermer, the Nette, or Nethe, from the north, 
and the Senne from the fouth. TheNetherlands, although 
they have no elevations that deferve the name of moun¬ 
tains, have feveral woods and forefts of confiderable ex¬ 
tent. The plants that are natives of this country may 
be found in the fandy and marfhy diftriCts of the fouth- 
eaft coaft of England, except the Gentiana cruciata. The 
breed of horfies and cattle in this country is efteemed for 
its fize. In various provinces are minerals of different 
kinds ; flate, marble, and alabafter. 
The Dutch long took the lead’of other countries, and 
even of England, in the extent and variety of their taxes: 
a pre-eminence unfortunately acquired by their long wars 
with Spain and France, and by the annual expenditure 
of property that was neceflary to prevent the encroach¬ 
ments of the fea. Their example fupplied accordingly a- 4 
number of ufeful hints to Mr. Pitt and his financial fuc- 
ceffors ; who have, however, ended by furpafling their 
mafters in ingenious expedients for extracting money out 
of the pockets of the public. Yet we might ftill take a 
leflon from our neighbours in fome particular cafes; as 
in modifying the window-tax fo as to make it payable by 
the rent, inftead of the number or fize of the windows; 
which latter practice will fooner or later lead to the de¬ 
facing of our dwellings, or the injury of our health by 
excluding the light and air. We muft guard, however, 
againft imitating either Dutch or French in the tax on 
patents; in other words, an impoft on trades gnd pro- 
feflions: the quantum of which is adapted with very 
minute attention to the nature of the buiinefs and the 
fize of the town in which it is exercifed. A patent as a 
merchant or agent for the fale of foreign goods, coding 
in Amfterdam 25I. a-year, may be obtained for 22I. dn a 
town of the fecond clafs ; for 17I. in one of the third ; for 
13I. in one of the fourth ; and for 9I. in one of the fifth 
clafs. The fixth clafs comprifes forty fmall towns, where 
the coft of a patent for the occupation juft mentioned is 
in them only 5I. and this i^ farther reduced to 3I. 10s. in 
the feventh clafs, which is the common receptacle for 
petty towns or large villages. 
In taxing foreign goods, the Belgic legiflature proceeds 
on the old mercantile fyftem of admitting without duty 
raw materials, fuch as wool, flax, cotton, and hides; while 
manufactured goods are burdened with as heavy a tax .as 
there is any chance of collecting without throwing open 
the door to fmuggling. Thefe impofts extend not only 
to woollens, printed cottons, carpeting, and other fuch 
articles, but to beer, for the fake of protecting their own 
barley-growers; and to coals, that they may encourage 
their own mines. The government, or at leaft a part of 
the government, is alive to the impolicy of fuch reltriCtions 
in a general view, but conliders their maintenance as ne¬ 
ceflary to tranquillize the people, and to prevent any 
fudden change in the ftate of productive induftry. The 
ratio of duty on fuch articles as hardware, furniture, 
candles, blankets, hofiery, and thofe commodities which 
do not come direCtly in competition with the local manu¬ 
factures, is 10 per cent, but on groceries the duty is ex¬ 
tremely moderate ; a point of no little confequence to 
thofe of our countrymen who fettle with their families in 
the Netherlands. The Belgic manufacturers have been 
of late years in a moft embarraffed ftate, in confequence 
partly of the formidable competition of the Englifli, and 
partly of the prohibition offending the products of their 
indultry into France. The French government, obliged 
