Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/331

Rh boasts of its Waterloo Bridge and its Waterloo Place, and Brussels has the Belgian lion erected on a mound on the field of battle. Amsterdam has its Waterloo Place, Hanover has its magnificent Waterloo column, and Berlin boasts of the column in the "Bell Alliance." The five nations could not have given a higher compliment to the genius of the warrior whose fall they commemorated in this unanimous manner.

Dresden, the capital of the kingdom of Saxony, now a member of the German EmipreEmpire [sic], is renowned tor its porcelain, but is still more renowned for its magnificent collection of the paintings of the great masters,—a collection unequalled in the world except at Rome and at Paris. Berlin, Vienna and London are far behind in the race.

Augustus the Strong of Dresden who was a contemporary of Louis XIV. of France has done much to adorn and beautify Dresden as the Grand Monarque did to beautify Verseilles and Paris. He commenced the Zuinger, a magnificent palace in a part of which the picture galleries are located; he contributed largely to the collection of pictures which has made Dresden famous in Europe, and in his reign the manufacture of Dresden porcelain was invented or largely developed.

The pride of the picture gallery is Raphael's Sistine Madonna which is said to be the finest picture ever painted by the hand of man! "A curtain has just been drawn back, and the Virgin issues as it were from the depth of heaven,