who live rather in boudoirs than in stalls, and it is questionable whether these animals would not like to have a good wallow in a rich mud-bottom at times. Human nature in Broek

is secondary to the manufacture of zoetemel-kskaas—a kind of cheese, and the gods of this place are two, the broom and the scrubbing brush. A pleasant excursion was made to Haarlem, where in our honor the grand organ of the world, that in the Church of St. Bavon, was played.

We had spent now almost a fortnight in Holland when a new objective point-Berlin-directs the attention of our chief. Perhaps the General might have hastened his departure for the capital of Prussia, but for the miserable attempt made to assassinate the brave old Emperor. Now that news has come that King William is in no danger, I fancy the General would like to be present in Berlin during the meeting of the European Congress. It is "boot and saddle" with us then. Holland is left behind, and we pass almost directly on to Berlin, stopping by the way at Hanover. To Hanover belongs the honor of having furnished a whole line of sovereigns to England. We visit the royal palace, and are somewhat interested in the stables, from whence come the famous black and cream animals, which are used even to-day on occasions of state by Queen Victoria. Some of us make a slight excursion to Mount Brilliant, and look at the old palace of Herrenhausen, a monument of a king's folly—and a reminiscence of a profligate period, which sovereigns will not now-a-days dare to imitate. Time presses, for we learn that Mr. Bayard Taylor, our Minister in Berlin, is anxious for our arrival. We are to shake hands with Bismarck, and to talk perhaps of war with Moltke.

ENERAL GRANT and his party arrived in Berlin on the 26th of June. Mr. Bayard Taylor, our Minister, went down the road some sixty miles to Stendahl to meet the Ex-President. The General was in the best of spirits, delighted with his journey through Holland, and carrying with him not only lasting impressions of the prosperity of the Dutch people, and the true freedom they enjoyed, but grateful for the hospitality he had received. On the evening of arrival at Berlin the General strolled along the famous avenue Unter den Linden, and during the entire stay in the Prussian capital a portion of every day was devoted to walking. I do not think that there was a quarter of Berlin which he did not explore with that energy of the true sight-seer which no amount of exertion can extinguish.

The interest General Grant took in Berlin was very great. Prussia and her capital have asserted themselves so prominently in history for the last twenty years that they may be regarded as the leading country and the political center of Europe. Few people remember that in the annals of that older civilization Prussia has arrived at her maturity in a comparatively short period of time. That position she now enjoys in reality only dates back from the time of Frederick the Great. After him the star of Prussia might have been dimmed for a time only to arise in its present glory under Frederick William and Bismarck. It is not my purpose in this record of travels to write history, but Prussia in herself, in her cities perpetually recalls the methods by which her greatness was achieved. If there have been great thrift, honesty, steadfastness displayed by the Prussians, it is as a military power that she takes preeminence. Everything is subservient to the soldier. To us in the United States, thanks to our position, this necessity for guns and swords does not exist. Frederick the Great fought for and gained his territory inch by inch. Geographically Prussia is situated between many diverse elements. She has on one side France, on the other Russia, and south of her Austria. It is needless to philosophize over the nature of things. We have to take them as they present themselves. There are opposing interests in nations which in time seem absolutely to develop into instincts. With a great people like the Prussians, the necessity of expansion, then of solidification, became vital. It was a fight for existence. Germany had no unity. It was an agglomeration of states, with political aspirations, with but the feeblest political cohesion. German interests were the same, but the petty princes acted only as impelled by whim or caprice. It was a practical Bismarck who molded this all together. To do this physical force may have been necessary, and there may have been some loud crying on the part of those who were subjected to his political pressure, but yield they had to, and to-day something of a homogeneous fatherland is presented. The progress of the world tends toward the absorbing of smaller states by one

mighty one. But then in time comes that period when, do what statesmen may, the great mass is broken up as if by a centrifugal action, and again from one big country lesser countries are born. Berlin partakes somewhat of the more recent German ideas. Its position cannot be praised, for it lies on a sandy plain, and through the city runs the Spree, a rather insignificant torpid stream. Its progress in importance has been a rapid one, for in 1817 Berlin had only 180,000 people,

whereas to-day it is the fourth city in Europe with a population not far from 875,000. After the victory of Prussia over France, Berlin made rapid strides, and buildings went up on all sides, but financial matters did not go on as swimmingly as did the military successes, and the city is said to be suffering from "hard times." We cannot see it, however, in the streets, which are very gay and cheerful. Of course the soldier element is in great excess. There are uniforms everywhere. It can hardly be otherwise where every man is a soldier. At first it is monotonous to see so many in blue

with red facings, but one gets accustomed to it in time. It means what has been before mentioned, that Prussia must always stand on guard. She is practical about this, and rather counts on people noticing the military status than otherwise.

street.

The great street of Berlin is the Unter den Linden. This is the Broadway, the Newsky Perspective, the Boulevard of Berlin. There are long rows of fine trees which shade the At one extremity is the Brandenburg Gate, a copy of an Athenian monument. That Car of Victory perched on top of it has its story. When Berlin fell into the hands of Napoleon, that chariot went to Paris, and told of French conquests, but Blucher and Waterloo came, and the Car of Victory was restored to the Brandenburg Gate. The element of rapine has been eliminated from warlike successes to-day. It shows at least that in the brutality of war, the arts exert a certain influence. Prince Bismarck might have exacted his millions from France in the recent war, but he would not have liked to have touched a single picture or a statue in the Louvre. Near this gate is the palace which Berlin gave to Blucher, and a house also presented to the old field-marshal Wrangel. Near by, too, is the Hotel d'Arnim, a well-known Prussian family, who have somewhat suffered of late in political consideration. That grandeur, that massiveness which one sees in Paris, in London, is not to be found in Berlin. The Prussian is not ostentatious, is rather indifferent to display, and Berlin is really as things go in Europe quite a modern city, and for some reasons is quite pleasant to Americans on this account. There are occasional drawbacks in the streets, and these are in the guise of very ugly gutters, which just at this time of the year are more or less offensive. But we in the United States cannot pride ourselves on very clean streets; then besides, though the Spree runs through Berlin, it gives but little opportunity for sewerage. The plan of the city is uniform, streets running with but few exceptions in straight lines, which shows the practical side of the newer German idea. But to return to this principal street, "Unter den Linden." On this main thoroughfare are placed the majority of the hotels of the foreign