of the three arrondissements of the above Antwerp province comprehends 7 cantons and 57 communes. In 1851 it had a population of 199,891.

capital of the above arrondissement and province, is situated on the right bank of the river Scheldt, 26 miles north of Brussels, in Lat. 51° 13' 16" N. Long. 4° 24' 10" E. The city is well built, in the form of a crescent, containing many fine streets and squares, and is fortified. The houses are large and handsome, and some of its public buildings are of great splendour and antiquity. The citadel, a strong pentagonal structure, was built by the Duke of Alva in 1567, and is celebrated in recent times for the defence made here by General Chassé in the end of the year 1832. One of the most beautiful specimens of Gothic architecture in the Netherlands is the cathedral of Notre Dame, founded in the early part of the fifteenth century, but not finished till the sixteenth: it is 500 feet long, 250 feet wide, and has a spire 403 feet high. Nor is the interior inferior in grandeur to the exterior; besides other pictures it possesses several by Rubens, one of which is the celebrated "Descent from the Cross." The church of St James is also very splendid in its internal decorations of marbles, painted glass, carved wood, and monuments. Behind the high altar, and covered by a slab of white marble, is the tomb of Rubens, by whom the "Holy Family" which adorns the altar was painted. Sir Joshua Reynolds observes, that for effect of colour this picture yields to none of Rubens's works. The churches of St Paul, St Andrew, and St Augustine, likewise contain some fine paintings by Rubens and others of the old masters. The exchange, built in 1531, is one of the finest buildings of the kind in Europe; and is said to have been chosen by Sir Thomas Gresham as a model for the Royal Exchange in London. The townhouse is a handsome edifice in the Italian style, and exhibits the five orders of architecture, one over the other. Antwerp contains many educational and literary institutions. It has a Royal Athenæum, in which most of the usual branches of literature and science are taught, a higher school, schools of navigation, medicine, and surgery, a botanic garden, a public library, and various scientific and literary societies. It has also a Royal Academy of the Fine Arts, which affords gratuitous instruction in painting, sculpture, architecture, and engraving. At the competition which takes place in one of these arts annually, the laureate receives a pension of 2500 francs for four years, to enable him to pursue his studies in Germany, France, and Italy. The second prize is a gold medal of the value of 300 francs. Among the numerous works in the Academy of Painting, are 12 or 14 fine pictures by Rubens, 6 by Vandyck, and several by Titian, Teniers, Jordaens, Quentin Matsys, and other masters. The charitable institutions include a foundation for foundlings, besides several other hospitals and asylums, courts of assize, commerce, &c.

Antwerp enjoys many facilities for commerce. The Scheldt at this point is about 2200 feet broad, with a depth of from 30 to 40 feet at ebb tide, and a rise at spring tides of from 12 to 14 feet; and as this depth increases towards the sea, the largest vessels can, by means of the canals, come up to the wharfs. The advantageous situation of Antwerp did not escape the penetrating eye of Napoleon, who spared no labour or expense to render it the rival of London in commerce, and of Portsmouth as a military establishment. The sums expended by him for this purpose are said to have amounted to £2,000,000 sterling, which he declared to be nothing to what he intended. On the downfall of Napoleon, the dockyard, with its fortifications, was destroyed; but two large basins on the north side of the town, of the respective areas of 17 and 7 English acres, have been preserved. They are capable of admitting ships of the line; and as commercial docks they are now of the greatest service to trade and navigation. The junction of this city with Brussels by a railway, which was opened in 1836, has been of great advantage to both cities. In 1850 the number of ships that entered its harbour was 1406, of the aggregate burthen of 233,760 tons; and the number that left the port was 1456, with the gross burden of 242,884 tons. The imports are principally coffee, grain, seeds, raw sugar, cotton, tobacco, and colonial produce; the exports are flax, woollen goods, refined sugar, metals, glass, and tallow. It has regular steam-communication with London and Hull.

The manufactures of Antwerp are various and considerable, the principal being lace, silk, linen, cotton, tapestry, gauze, twine, sugar, white lead, linnen, starch, printers' ink, and malt liquors. The lapidaries of Antwerp are celebrated for their skill in cutting diamonds. The shipbuilding is considerable, and the timber used for that purpose is principally brought by water from the interior. The National Bank of Belgium has a branch here.

Antwerp, according to the general census of 15th October 1846, contained 13,626 houses, and 88,487 inhabitants, of whom 85,961 were Roman Catholics, 1312 Protestants, and the remainder either Jews, or belonging to other sects. The greater number of the inhabitants speak Flemish or Dutch. According to the above census 81,947 spoke Flemish or Dutch, and 3915 French, or Walloon. The number of births during the year 1850 was 3250, of whom 144 were still-born; the deaths amounted to 1914; and the population, in the beginning of 1851, was 95,501.

The present commercial condition and importance of Antwerp is far inferior to what it was several centuries ago. About the end of the fifteenth century it was the richest and most flourishing city in Europe. No fewer than 500 ships would sometimes enter the port in one day, and as many as 2500 vessels might be seen lying in the river at one time. On an average, 500 waggons laden with goods daily entered its gates; and above 500,000,000 of guilders were annually put in circulation. It had then 200,000 inhabitants; and indeed all that is said of its commercial prosperity and the immense riches of its merchants, is almost incredible. The first blow to its prosperity was its capture by the Spaniards in 1576, when it was plundered for three days; and nine years afterwards, when besieged and ultimately captured by the Spaniards under the Duke of Parma, its trade was utterly ruined. After this event the greater number of its merchants and principal inhabitants removed to Amsterdam or other places. The Dutch, with the view to lessen the importance of a place which had now fallen into the hands of their enemies, built ports on the river in order to intercept such vessels as might attempt to get to Antwerp. By the terms of the peace of Westphalia in 1648, the commerce of its harbour was closed. In 1794 it fell into the hands of the French, who opened its port, and made it the capital of the department of the two Netherlands; it remained in their possession till 1814, when it was surrendered, after the treaty of Paris, by Carnot, who up to this time had defended it with great spirit and bravery against the allied army under the command of Graham. From 1815 to 1830, Antwerp, with the rest of Belgium, united with Holland to form the kingdom of the Netherlands; and during this period its commerce increased so rapidly as to excite the jealousy of Amsterdam. For the part which Antwerp bore in the revolution of 1830, which dissolved the union between Holland and Belgium, see NETHERLANDS.

Among the distinguished natives of the place are Vandyck, the two Teniers, Jordaens, Floris, the geographer Ortelius, and the engraver Edelinck. Here Rubens also, though not a native, received his education, and resided.