Our two artists visited a church in Delft to see the marble monument to
the memory of the Prince of Orange, which was inscribed "Prince William,
the Father of the Fatherland." Not far is Delft Haven which Americans
love to visit, and where the pious John Robinson blessed a brave little
band as it set sail to plant in a new world the tree of Liberty.
At length the artists reached The Hague, which for centuries has been the
favorite residence of the Dutch princes, and to-day is occupied by the
court, nobles, and diplomatists. No town in Holland possesses so many
broad and handsome streets, lofty and substantial blocks, and spacious
squares as The Hague.
Alfonso and Leo hastened to Scheveningen, three miles west of The Hague,
on the breezy and sandy shores of the North Sea, a clean fishing village
of neat brick houses sheltered from the sea by a lofty sand dune. Here
bathing wagons are drawn by a strong horse into the ocean, where the
bather can take his cool plunge. Scheveningen possesses a hundred fishing
boats. The fishermen have an independent spirit and wear quaint dress. A
public crier announces the arrival of their cargoes, which are sold at
auction on the beach, often affording picturesque and amusing scenes,
sketches of which were made.
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