Christine's people lived in a red brick mansion, the gable of which
contained a portrait in relief of Admiral de Ruyter, and fronted a shaded
street on a canal. Here the American artists were handsomely entertained.
They were driven to the picture galleries and the palace or town-hall in
the Dam Square, where Louis Napoleon and Hortense once resided. From the
tower which terminates in a gilded ship the artists obtained fine views
of Northern Holland. Christine pointed out the Exchange and other objects
of interest in the city, which abounds in narrow streets and broad
canals, the latter lined with fine shade trees. Many of the tall,
narrow houses have red tile roofs, quaint fork-chimneys, and they stand
with gables to the canals. The docks show a forest of masts.
The environs of the city are covered with gardens; trees adorn the roads,
while poplars and willows cross or divide the fields, which are studded
with windmills and distant spires, and everywhere are seen fertile corps,
black and white cattle, and little boats creeping slowly along the
canals.
A Hollander's wealth is often estimated by his windmills. If asked, "How
rich?" The reply comes, "Oh, he is worth ten or twelve windmills.
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