the bad habit which our men were prone to
in Flanders, according to Toby Shandy, before
I collected myself to inquire the reason why.
I was clean dead against the regulations. The
chef de la station could not have known I had
not procured my papers when he referred me
to the chef du bureau. If Monsieur would
kindly look to the wall behind, he would see
what were the conditions under which parcels
were to be conveyed by railway. I turned,
and there indeed was a manifesto in French
and choice Flemish, with as many considérants
in it as if it had come from the pen of the
President, or from a Prefet bullying a
newspaper editor, implying that M. Van Vogelbeke,
Minister of the Interior, being greatly
impressed with the general utility of railways;
believing that they facilitated intercourse,
and that locomotives were faster than mail-
coaches; thinking it desirable to let people
travel thereupon, and being also persuaded
that it would be advantageous to the public
if they were allowed to send small parcels
by fast trains, had, under some two dozen
heads, devised and invented certain regulations
there following, for the speedy and safe
transmission of such small parcels. With
much painful study did I master the
substance of M. Van Vogelbeke's regulations;
and, turning back again to the civil clerk—
who evidently thought I ought to murmur out
my applause of the sagacity of the minister,
and the excellence of the regulations—I
demanded the papers; which, as I learned
from the Vogelbekian Code, were absolutely
indispensable, under the most terrible penalties,
before the tiniest parcel could be received
at any Belgian station.

The clerk presented me with the documents,
and I immediately returned with them to
my private room in the hotel, locked my
door, trimmed my wax-lights, and applied
myself to study their purport. How the
time passed I know not; but it was with a
pale and haggard face that, several hours
after, I rose from the perusal of these sybilline
leaves. They were only two in number; but
they were as full of horrors as a page of the
Newgate Calendar. I seriously think of
forwarding them to the Cambridge Examiners,
to be used for the wranglers; I quite
despair of describing them, but, in pity to
my fellow-countrymen, I will make the
attempt.

Know then that these papers are about one
foot long, and eight inches broad. The first
is called the Déclaration. It is ruled in
twelve spaces, with headings in French and
German, and is dotted all over with little
letters and numerals—Zug no.; train no.,
&c. All the blanks after "no." (for numéro or
number) to be filled up in the most rigid way.
It is headed Chemin de Fer, Transports
Internationaux, &c. First, you must fill up
the station from which your parcel is to be
forwarded, next that to which it is to go.
Next comes a statement for the Custom-
house "concerning the merchandises
hereafter designated, sent the —— day of—— at
—— o'clock, by the train No.——, of——
o'clock, along with the paper numbered——."
In one column you put the name of the sender
(Empfänger); in another, the number of
parcels, singular or plural, written at full
length; in another, the quality of the parcel;
in another, the marks upon it; in another,
the designating number of each parcel, to be
selected by the sender at discretion; in
another, the weight of the parcel. The same
process is to be performed in a less minute
space in the next two columns for Goods
(Güter). Then come three more columns,
devoted to the description of the waggons,
French, Belgian, or Rhenish, by which the
hapless parcel is to be conveyed; and then
comes a large column for "observations"
(Bemerkungen)—which, certainly, would not
have been very complimentary in my case.
Having filled in all these particulars, made
your Bemerkungen, and written your name and
the date at the end of the sheet, you must get
sealing-wax and place your seal over the
name, said seal to correspond with that
which is on your parcel. You must then
number and mark your parcel in accordance
with the account in the declaration. Thus
ends process number one. Paper No. 2 is the
same size as the former, printed in blue also,
and ruled in nine columns. On the back of it
is a most uninteresting extract from the Livret
réglementaire, relating to the transmission of
parcels, baggage, and merchandise. This
is headed Bordereau d'expédition, and is
printed in French only, but is quite as full of
little marks and letters as the other. Well;
first you must fill in the name of the sender;
then that of the receiver. Then come
Documents à la suite de l'expéditionPassavants,
acquits à caution, &c., each one to itself on a
separate line. After this is a column of
Détail de frais et port, with three little
subdivisions for items; another column for the
designation of the parcel; another for the
marks; another for the number of parcels;
another for the private number marked on
each parcel. Then comes a column for
merchandise; another for the weight, and another
for a total. Having filled up these, you clap
your seal in the centre of the paper, direct
it at bottom, sign your name, and your
labours cease for the time.

When mine were over, I repaired to the
Chief Office. It was closed; but the polite clerk
was smoking a powerful cigar on the door-step,
his head enveloped in a magnificent cream-
coloured cap, with a gold band and patent-
leather peak; his feet endued with gorgeous
slippers, and his person covered with a graceful,
but rather unclean, blouse. He informed
me it was quite "contrary to the regulations"
to take in a parcel after the office was closed;
in fact, it could not be done; and, though
sensibly afflicted on my account, grieved,
indeed, to the bottom of his soul, he could