“ Crossing the canal, you would find yourself soon in the Jews' quarter, which, for its uncleanliness if for nothing else, is one of the sights of the city. Rhapsodical tourists are still found who go into ecstasies over the shock-headed, evil-smelling Jews, and their quarter, which they have diligently converted into one huge pigsty; but the cleanly Dutchmen have neither eye nor nose for the virtues of a people who are filthy and not ashamed. ”

“ But between the Amsterdam of yesterday and the Amsterdam of to-day there is hardly the ghost of a likeness. The modern city is a very modern one indeed; a thriving commercial place, with only an occasional and more or less accidental picturesqueness in its streets, and no picturesqueness at all in its people. ”

“ There was, however, a notable musical performance on the evening of the day on which the exhibition was opened, to which the burgomaster and Town Council, who organized it, invited the king and queen, the members of the court and aristocracy, and all the foreign guests of distinction (including the journalists) . The theatre was a blaze of jewels, rich uniforms, and brilliant dresses; but, putting courtesy on one side, I am bound to say that in point of good looks, the Dutch nobility assembled there offered as striking a spectacle of the absence of them as it has ever been my lot to witness. ”

“ Any one who has visited the towns and villages in the salt-working districts of Cheshire, where, owing to the continuous withdrawal of the liquid brine which floats beneath the soil, the foundations of the houses give way, and the houses themselves assume all sorts of desperate attitudes, may have a notion of the aspect of many of the streets in Amsterdam, where every other house is more or less out of the perpendicular. ”

“ The Jews form one-tenth of the whole population of Amsterdam, and contribute probably nine-tenths of its dirt. Indeed there is very little dirt to be met with, except in the Jews' quarter. They have ten or a dozen synagogues, the largest of which, belonging to the Portuguese Jews, is built in imitation of the temple of Solomon. The famous diamond polishing industry, the show trade of the city, is mainly in the hands of the Portuguese Jews. ”

“ No reference to the streets of Amsterdam would be satisfactory without a word on the canals. The canals are an unmitigated nuisance. They may be all very well in the winter, if the frost be hard enough to freeze them, but as soon as the weather begins to grow warm, they give out an odor like that which the Scriptures tell us is emitted by the deeds of the wicked. ”

“ It continues to stand, and to present a solid front, thanks only to the energy of its inhabitants. You might think, as you walked through most of its streets, that its foundations were no different from those of other cities; and you are surprised when you learn for the first time that it rests on no more solid basis than a number of wooden posts, or piles, firmly driven into a soil of loose sand and loam. ”

“ At night, in a dark street, they are to be approached warily, for a false tep or a stumble against the stone pillars to which the boats and barges are moored would be apt to send one head foremost into the water. ”

“ Progress through the streets of Amsterdam is not difficult when you have become very slightly acquainted with them. The names are written plainly everywhere, and a little study of the map enables the stranger to find his bearings readily enough. Asking your way is of no use at all unless you know something more of the language than can be learned in the pages of Baedeker ”

“ He takes great pride in the sleeping-rooms of his domestics, with their tiny square cots, all curtained round, and smelling as fresh as a meadow; and in the broad wooden staircase, which is so wonderfully built that when you have reached the first landing, you cannot get to the landing beyond, except by going downstairs and mounting again by a different route. ”

“ It has the electric light, and is very new in style, but a comfortable place, with nothing gaudy or garish in its decorations, and offering as hearty a welcome to the working man and his family, as to the young gentlemen about town who are amongst its regular habitués. It is no uncommon thing indeed to see a couple of young Dutch "mashers" in evening dress sitting at the same table with a peasant in his blue shirt and high cap. Smoking and tippling are the order of the evening, immoderate smoking and very moderate tippling. ”

“ They cut the city in all directions, and are of course only to be crossed at regular intervals by the aid of bridges; so that the pedestrian wanting to get from one side of the street to the other, is liable to be sent a couple of hundred yards out of his way before he can do so. ”

“ There were no strictures as to costume, so it need scarcely be said that the wearers of white ties and clean shirt fronts were in a minority. Coffee, wine, and lager beer flowed in abundance, pipes were not tabooed, and towards the middle of the evening you could hardly see across the room for smoke. ”