Long
before Rodenbach's romance was written this peculiarity of Bruges
was proverbial throughout Belgium.
But it is possible that a change is at hand, and that Bruges may
once again become, not the Venice of the North--the time for that is
past--but an important town, for the spirit of commercial enterprise
which has done so much for other parts of Belgium during the last
seventy-five years is now invading even this quiet place, whose
citizens have begun to dream of recovering some portion of their
former prosperity. In 1895 the Belgian Parliament passed a law
providing for the construction, between Blankenberghe and Heyst,
of a harbour connected with Bruges by a canal of large dimensions,
and of an inner port at the town. The works at See-Brugge, as the
outer port is called, are nearly completed, and will allow vessels
drawing 26-1/2 feet of water to float at any state of the tide.
The jetty describes a large curve, and the bend is such that its
extremity is parallel to the coast, and 930 yards distant from
the low-water mark. The sheltered roadstead is about 272 acres in
extent, and communication is made with the canal by a lock 66 feet
wide and 282 yards in length. From this point the canal, which has a
depth of 26-1/2 feet and is fed by sea-water, runs in a straight
line to Bruges, and ends at the inner port, which is within a few
hundred yards of where the Roya used to meet the Zwijn.
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