Hague

The, the capital of the Netherlands, 2 miles from the North Sea and 15 N. N. W. of Rotter dam. It is one of the handsomest cities in the country, being intersected by canals and shady avenues of lime-trees, and having many fine public buildings and private houses. In the center of the city is the Vijver, or fish pond, to the S. of which stands the old castle of the counts of Holland. It consists of two courts, an outer and an inner: in this latter are the 13th-century Gothic knights’ hall and the chambers in which the Dutch parliament holds its sittings. On one side of the outer court stands the gate tower, which was formerly used as a state es. and in which the brothers De yitt were confined till dragged thence and_torn to pieces by the populace (1672). The most noteworthy public buildings and institutions are the picture gallery, with a splendid collection of works by native painters (Paul Potter’s “Bull” and Rembrandt’s ‘* Le on in Anatomy ”’); the royal library, with 200,000 volumes, 4,000 MSS., and collections of coins and pems; the municipal museum, with several Dutch pictures; the Museum Meer man no-Westreenen, containing a collection of early printed books; the ethnographic museum, rich in Chinese and Japanese objects; the town-house; and the royal palaces. The church of St. James is the most important eeclesiastical edifice; it dates from the 14th century and is Gothic in style. The city owes its importance mainly to the fact that it is the residence of the court and the capital of the country; but it has also considerable manufacturing industry. Here numerous treaties have been signed and. diplomatic conferences held, especially the Triple Alliance of 1668 and that of 1717, and the International Peace Congre since 1899. The Hague is the seat of the Intern at.