He deepened the river, enlarged the harbour, strengthened the fortifications and spent two million pounds sterling in the construction of docks and basins. The prosperity of the town revived under these enlightened endeavours of the great conqueror, and received a fresh stimulus when Holland was united to Belgium in 1815 and Antwerp was allowed to trade with the Dutch colonies. It suffered during the revolution of 1830-32 and the separation of Holland from Belgium, but has been rapidly reviving within the last quarter of a century.
Antwerp is now the arsenal of Belgium and is one of the strongest fortresses in Europe. But its fame throughout the civilized world rests neither on its past history nor on its present strength, but on the immortal works of the master painter Rubens, many of whose best paintings as well as those of Van Dyck are in Antwerp. The town is redolent of their fame.
The cathedral of Antwerp is pronounced to be the largest and the most beautiful Gothic building in the Netherlands. Cathedral.Its magnificent and elaborately decorated tower rises to a height of 405 feet and the workmanship all over the exterior is elaborate and delicate. The interior is imposing in its simplicity, all its previous decorations having been removed and destroyed during a famous popular revolution in the 16th century described by Motley in one of his most striking passages. Three of the finest paintings of Rubens form the most valuable treasure of this cathedral; viz.—The "Descent from
