CHAPTER II.

Bruges a cheap residence--Tables-d’Hôte, their influence upon society--Canal from Bruges to Ghent--Absence of country mansions--Gardens--Appearance of GHENT--M. Grenier and M. de Smet de Naeyer--The _Conseil de Prud’hommes_, its functions--Copyright of designs in Belgium--THE LINEN TRADE OF BELGIUM--Its importance--Great value of Belgian flax--Its cultivation--Revenue derived from it--Inferiority of British flax--Anxiety of the government for the trade in linen--Hand-spinners--Spinning by machinery--_Société de la Lys_--Flower gardens--The Casino--Export of flowers--General aspect of the city--_Its early history_--Vast wealth expended in buildings in the Belgium cities accounted for--Trading corporations--Turbulence of the people of Bruges and Ghent--_Jacques van Artevelde_--His death--Philip van Artevelde--Charles V.--His _bon mots_ regarding Ghent--Latin distich, characteristic of the Flemish cities--Siege of Ghent, Madame Mondragon--House of the Arteveldes--Hôtel de Ville--The belfry and Roland--The _Marché de Vendredi_--The great cannon of Ghent. 44