'skipper' sat sinking his pipe at the helm, and directed the movements of the vessel. Of course, it is kept wonderfully neat, by the exertions of the good vrow; and thus, while she hardly lives in a more humid atmosphere than she would on land, her presence communicates cleanliness and comfort to the common dwelling. It was apparent, however, that she bore her full part in the drudgery and vociferation of navigating the 'schuyt;' and if, as not unfrequently happened, two or three of them got entangled in the narrow passages, the vrows are often the loudest in hallooing, and the busiest in the labor of escaping from the difficulty.
The spectacle of numerous vessels passing and repassing each other, is always lively and attractive. Here it was doubly so, from the circumstances just mentioned, and indeed from the strange and fantastic aspect of the whole scene. Perhaps the most striking feature of it, was our relative situation in reference to surrounding objects. This throng of vessels was sailing along, seemingly in the very depth of the country, at sea, and yet far inland; for while rivers, lakes, canals, and arms of the sea, poured into each other on all sides around us, yet a rich carpet of verdure covered the shore ; and occasionally a large farm-house, with groves of tall willows and other trees around it, appeared amid extensive meadows, studded here and there with cattle; or little yellow pleasure-houses, built on piles at the water's edge, indicated that competence and ease here sought a summer's retreat so entirely characteristic of the people. And to complete the singular picture, was a light-house at each end of the Kil, while ships of the largest size lay at anchor, embosomed as it were in rural scenery.
We anchored at Scravendeel, and I thus had a second opportunity of observing the peculiarities of the small Dutch towns. It is situated on the westerly bank of the Kil, about four miles distant from the city of Dordrecht or Dort, to which an old canal leads off obliquely, on the opposite side. A large church, with its spire, and a long line of wind-mills, are the objects visible on the side of Dort. The land immediately around Scravendeel is exceedingly low, and, as may be frequently seen in Holland, a strong beach grass is carefully planted along the sides of the Kil, to preserve the soft soil from the encroachment of the water. A double row of dykes protects the town and the contiguous country from inundation. Next the water is a smaller dyke, covered with willows, which are cut every year, to be manufactured into the willow baskets, of which so many are exported to America, and other countries. Within this, is another embankment, higher and more solid than the first, which is the main protection of the people, because the outer one is frequently overflowed. Indeed, as we lay at anchor on the Kil, at flood-tide, the water ran over the smaller dyke in a constant flow, sounding precisely like the fall of water over a mill-dam; but was retained in the fosse or canal within, so as not to reach the cultivated lands behind the larger dyke.
Scravendeel is even more entirely Dutch than Hellevöetsluys. The chief employment of the inhabitants is agriculture, with various branches of industry dependant upon the large vessels which discharge or take in their cargoes at this place. The houses are of the same
