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Religion.-About two-thirds of the people are The form of church government is

Protestants.

much the same as that in Scotland.

Chief Towns.-Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Can you guess why both these names, and many others in Holland, end in dam? Because, but for the dam, the towns could not have been built. Amsterdam is the capital of Holland. The first thing you would remark about it, is the quantity of water: the streets are canals; you cannot cross a street, excepting over a bridge. But the first thing you would have to buy would be water to drink, unless you boil and filter some; for though there is so much water in Amsterdam, it is nearly all bad; and bad water is a sort of poison, it causes dreadful illness, very often cholera.

I fancy that the people in Amsterdam do not remember this as they ought, for it is a very unhealthy place. One part is dirty, which they call the Jews' quarter, for there are many Jews in Amsterdam. You would not care to live in this city, although its canal streets, with nearly 300 bridges, make it very pretty, for so much bad water causes dreadful smells.

Rotterdam is like Amsterdam; but it is a more trading, busy place, very like Liverpool

ITALY.

I THINK that all children would like to go to Italy, at least if they did not mind heat. Italy has bright blue sunny skies, and quantities of fruit. Grapes,

oranges, melons, all ripen fast in beautiful hot Italy, which is often called the garden of Europe.

The capital city is Rome, where the Pope, as the chief bishop of the Roman Catholic Church is called, lives. The Pope used to have a great deal more land than he has now, but it has been gradually lost, and now he has only a very tiny piece left. Years ago, as you will find when you read history, the Popes were very powerful, more powerful than kings. But now the Pope has no temporal power. The city of Rome contains the most beautiful ruins in the world; for, many hundred years ago, the Romans were the most powerful people on the earth. They conquered many distant lands, they built beautiful palaces for themselves and temples for their gods, for they worshipped many false gods.

But

In some respects the Romans of centuries ago were wiser than the Romans in this the nineteenth century, for they were very fond of washing, as we know by the ruins of beautiful public baths. The Romans, and indeed all the Italians of the present day, do not seem quite as fond of soap and water as might be wished. besides all these beautiful ruins of palaces and temples and baths, there are splendid buildings in Rome which are not ruins. There is the largest church in the world, called St. Peter's. In Rome also is the splendid palace of the Vatican, where the Pope lives.

The Italians are very fond of amusement; every year, just before Lent, they have what is called a

carnival in Rome. People dress up as funny figures, like our sweeps on May Day, or the guys on Guy Faux Day, and race about the streets, throwing sugarplums and sweet-stuff at each other. All this ends on Shrove Tuesday, and Lent is kept very strictly.

In Holy Week every day is taken up with curious ceremonies; for instance, on Palm Sunday the Pope gives away palms, in remembrance of our Saviour's riding into Jerusalem and having palm branches strewed before Him; another day the Pope washes the feet of thirteen poor men, in remembrance of Christ washing the feet of His Apostles. Crowds of people go to see the ceremonies, which are ended on Easter Day by a very splendid service at St. Peter's Church.

There are a good many beggars in Italy, for the Italians are rather lazy, and do not mind having very little to eat, if only they need not work hard to obtain that little. They are very fond of maccaroni, which you can buy in the grocers' shops in England.

I know some English ladies who wished to give some poor Italian children a feast. What did they have? Roast beef and pudding? Oh no! only quantities of maccaroni, which they eat up greedily; but they did not wash their hands and faces before they came, for the ladies said their visitors were so dirty that they did not like to go near them.

Besides Rome there are other beautiful cities in Italy. Florence, Genoa, where Christopher Columbus was born, Leghorn, a great shipping place, Pisa, where there is a famous leaning tower, which always looks as if it were falling down; and Naples,

F

which used to have a king of its own, belongs to the King of Italy.

but now

Naples is famous for having more people in it than any other town in Italy; but I think it is a pity they should stay there, for it is said that nearly 40,000 of them are beggars, and have no homes. You have all seen Punch and Judy. That show came first from Naples, and the people would be contented to stare at it all day long. Naples was also famous for having many inhabitants who had very miserable homes. What should you think the most miserable home? one of the cold arches under a London railway bridge? or an Irish cabin with no roof to it? or a crowded room in the closest part of Edinburgh? The home I mean in Naples would be worse than any of these. What would you think of a prison? In England bad people are put into prison to make them better, and to keep them from hurting others; but however bad they are they are never ill used. At Naples not long ago there was a king who put good people in prison because they gave him advice which he did not like to take. The prisons are horrible dungeons, underground, dirty, and full of reptiles; and there prisoners were chained together like wild beasts for years and years, till at last they got so ill, that when they were set free they could no longer enjoy life.

About ten miles from Naples is the famous burning mountain, Vesuvius. The inside of this mountain contains stuff like melted sealing-wax, which is called lava. Every now and then this lava bursts out of the top of the mountain and passes along the country

in a burning stream. Many hundred years ago two whole cities were buried in this lava, which hardened over it. Horses, temples, shops, and people were destroyed by it. More than 1600 years afterwards a workman, when digging, discovered part of a house, and afterwards whole streets were found, which had been buried under the lava, long, long before.

South of Italy lies the island of Sicily. There is a volcanic mountain there. Sicily is very fertile, and in old times used to be called the granary of Europe, because it produced so much corn.

The

Mountains of Taly.-The Alps to the north. highest is Mont Blanc, the highest point in Europe, 15,744 feet high, or nearly three miles high. The Apennines, which run down the middle of Italy. In the north of Italy are beautiful lakes. Rivers-Tiber, Po.

SPAIN.

SPAIN is separated from France by some high mountains, called the Pyrenees. Years ago the Spaniards were a very powerful people; but they are not so now. They have been badly governed; they are ignorant; and, moreover, the roads are so bad, and travelling so difficult, that few natives of other countries visit Spain.

It is always a fine thing for people to be on good terms with their neighbours. People can teach each other a great deal; that is the reason our Prince

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