"That's a good idea; but, I suppose, the Dutch have invented some small coin for these occasions," laughed Paul.
"A stiver, or five Dutch cents, equal to less than two of our cents, is small enough. There are a great many poor people in Amsterdam who live entirely in cellars. As you have seen, a great many families live in vessels, keeping a pig, hens, and ducks on board, and sometimes even have a little garden on deck. When the Dutchman gets married and sets up in life, he obtains a small boat of from one to three tons, and goes to housekeeping on board. If they prosper, they buy a bigger craft; but his home, his wife, and children are on the water."
The dike which surrounds Amsterdam has been planted with trees, and converted into boulevards. There were formerly twenty-six bastions upon it, constituting the fortifications of the city; but, being no longer useful for defence, windmills have been erected upon them, to grind the grain for the city. The four streets bordering the principal canals are hardly to be surpassed in Europe. The buildings, which are mostly of brick, are unique, with fantastic gables and projecting eaves. Many of the streets are lined with trees on the banks of the canals. On the whole, the students were more interested in Amsterdam than in any other city they had visited, partly, perhaps, on account of its oddity. As long as there was light to see, they continued their rambles, and then retired early, in order to be prepared for a fresh start the next day.
At five o'clock in the morning the party took a steamer for Zaandam, or Sardam. Leaving the shore, they had a fine view of the city. The harbor is enclosed by two rows of piles, with occasional openings to admit the passage of vessels, which are closed at night with booms armed with iron spikes. In various parts of the Ij were seen little pavilions, built upon piers, which are the summer houses of wealthy citizens, who own pleasure-boats, and repair in them to these cosy little temples, to drink wine and coffee and smoke their pipes.
At Sardam the curious students visited the cottage of Peter the Great, in which he lived while he worked as a shipwright. The shanty is of rough plank, and cants over on one side; but it was surrounded by another building by the Queen of Holland, to protect it from further decay. It contains but two rooms, one above the other, the former reached only by a ladder. Alexander of Russia placed over the chimney-piece a marble slab bearing the inscription, "Nothing is too small for a great man." The walls of both rooms are covered with the autographs of visitors, including that of the Emperor of Russia.