human
This is the Rhine,
gpt
The Rhine! exclaimed Paul, jumping out of his seat.
human
Why, it isn't anything!
gpt
That is true; but you must remember that this is the old Rhine,--the part which was dug out, robbed of the burden of its waters by the Yssel, the Leck, and the Waal. The Rhine of Germany is quite another affair. The mouth of the Rhine is eight miles below Leyden. It was closed for a thousand years.
human
What became of its waters? They must have gone somewhere,
gpt
They disposed of themselves in various small streams, and worked their way to the ocean, or soaked into the sands. The mouth of the river was opened in 1809, by an engineer, under the direction of Louis Napoleon, King of Holland. But the ocean at high tide was higher than the river, and to prevent the sea from flowing back into the country and disturbing the system of dikes, immense gates were made in the sluiceways constructed for the purpose. When the tide comes in, these gates are shut. At low tide they are opened to let the water out. Indeed, this is true of all the canals, which are provided with gates at each end, like a dock. The dikes at the mouth of the Rhine are stupendous works; and as the foundation is nothing but sand, they are built on piles, and the face of them is of stone. This is Leyden.
human
What is there here?
gpt
It has about the same sights as Delft, and also a celebrated university; but it is more noted for its siege by the Spaniards, in 1574, than for anything else. Doubtless Mr. Mapps will fight the battle over again.