hold one session each year, in the month of July, presided over by the governor of the province, for the purpose of passing the budget, voting subsidies, ordering and approving the construction of roads, canals, etc., and such other matters as may come before them. During the remainder of the year when they are not in session, a committee of their body, consisting of five members, called the "Deputation Permanente," is always in organization, clothed with full powers and prepared to carry into execution the orders and instructions passed by the council, a report being made by them at the next meeting of the council for approval and ratification. Their duties and powers are referred to in the body of the contracts given further on.

Under the rules of the technical service of the province of Antwerp, the service of roadways is intrusted to a body of provincial agents, composed of one engineer-in-chief, three district engineers, and inspectors of roads to a number not exceeding 60.

These agents are charged (in the limits presented by the present rules and in accord with the authorities designated in the legal rules upon the matter) with the service of the district roads, of the works of hygiene, and of the water courses not navigable.

The rules and regulations governing this body of agents are full and elaborate, much too numerous to be translated and embodied in this report, so they are sent in pamphlet form under separate cover.

The streets in the city are all built of the same material and without reference to the traffic that passes over them, whether light or heavy. An idea of their cost can be had from the estimate of expenses making part of the contract for building a street as given below.

As regards the assessment for first cost and maintenance, I can only refer to my dispatch No. 255, dated June 28, 1887, forwarding a full report upon taxation, national and local, in this district, in which occurs the following remarks upon the municipal tax upon sewers and pavements: The payment of this tax is required but once, and not yearly, even not again when repairs become necessary and are made.

In 1852 the rate was fixed at 12 francs per running metre for all expenses connected with the building of a sewer, and was collected upon the buildings immediately, while owners of unimproved property paid only when they erected buildings thereon; also a tax of 8 francs per metre was collected from buildings upon new pavements, or 5 francs upon old ones, owners of unimproved property paying 2 francs at the time, and the balance when buildings were erected. This law is still in force regarding the property covered by it at that time.

In 1874 the law was changed as follows: For the expense of sewers 12 francs per running metre is collected from the proprietors of improved and unimproved property, and for pavements 10 francs is collected upon the same measurement.

In the laying out of new streets the owners of the property fronting on said streets will be required to bear all the expenses, each in proportion to the number of running metres along the front of his property.

The amount due per metro is found in dividing the cost of the work by double the length of the street, thus covering both sides.

Every six months a map is drawn up for the purpose of showing what new buildings have been erected since the last verification.

Under separate cover and forming part of this report I forward for reference the following documents,* viz:

No. 1. Rules governing the technical service of the province of Antwerp, November 12, 1886.

No. 2. Contract and conditions for the maintenance in good order for a period of five years of the provincial roads of the province of Antwerp.

No. 3. Contract and conditions for the maintenance in good order, for a term of 3 years, of the routes of the state passing through the province of Antwerp.

No. 4. General statement of the conditions governing the work and furnishing of material under the service of the municipal authorities of the city of Antwerp.

No. 5. Contract and conditions for the construction of a chaussée in the district of "Waerloos" in the province of Antwerp.

No. 6. Contract and conditions for the paving and sewerage of the "Rue du Dauphin," in the city of Antwerp.

The two last-named documents have been translated and given below; they furnish the details of the system followed and an estimate of the expenses attendant thereupon.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Antwerp, February 2, 1891.

JOHN H. STEUART,

Consul.

CITY STREETS.

MUNICIPAL WORKS OF ANTWERP.

[Inclosure 1 in Consul Steuart's report. ]

Estimates and conditions for the execution of the street works in the Rue du Dauphin (eastern district), Antwerp.

ARTICLE 1.

The object of the present undertaking is the execution by contract of the sewers and pavement of the above-mentioned street, also a water connection with the canal Herenthals.

The work in general shall be executed in accordance with the indications of the plau annexed to the present conditions and with the instructions contained therein. The contractor, in addition, will, in the execution of the works, be held to follow the instructions of the directors.

All the terms and conditions of the general statement of conditions, registered and filed in the fourth bureau, at the City Hall, are deemed to be textually given here, in so far as they are not modified by the following articles:

The works to be executed consist of:

ARTICLE 2.

1. The execution of the works of digging out and filling in, also the leveling, comprising the furnishing of the earth and the work that may be required to brrng same to the prescribed height, and to form the side banks, destined to strengthen the sidewalks; the demolition of the sewers indicated on the plan.

* Not published.

2. The construction of an ovoid sewer of 14 water pipes with collars for outlets of 14 cast-iron gratings, with ventilators, of the required model and of 11 masoned means of access with cast-iron brinks, comprising the fixtures necessary for draining.

3. The construction of two sections of sewer, paved with flags, in the "longue and courte rue de l'Autel."

4. The work of paving with new stones and the employment in the part of the street destined to vehicles, of new extra large stones (coulants) near the curbs.

5. The work of paving with new stones and the employment for the sidewalks of new borders of cut stone, comprising the joining of the paving in the street and on the sidewalks.

6. The construction of a water connection with the canal Herenthals.

ARTICLE 3.

The guiding mark for the leveling forms the tablet of the bridge of the "rue du Canal." This point is situated at a slope of 5.95 metres.

ARTICLE 4.

The side banks, which shall strengthen the sidewalks, will be executed along the entire length of the street to be paved, conform to the conditions prescribed, and at the expense of the contractor. This work shall be executed with the earth excavated from other places. These banks will be turfed to a width of 25 centimetres, conform to the instructions of the directors.

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ARTICLE 5.

The sewer, the stone water pipes, the means of access, and the water connection shall be executed according to the indications of the plan hereto annexed, the prescriptions of the conditions, and the special indications of the directors of the work.

ARTICLE 6.

The sewer to be constructed shall have an interior height of 1.30 metres and a width of at most 80 centimetres. Its length shall be 385.70 metres and its frame shall be established at the sides, as shown in the plan.

ARTICLE 7.

The concave and convex parts of the sewer shall be formed by two rolls of one-half brick "klampsteen" (ordinary brick) of the kind known by the denomination of "klinkært."

The sewer shall be rough-cast in the interior, up to the commencement of the superior arch, with hydraulic mortar, and the dome of the arch, with the addition of two parts cement.

The centerings shall be properly constructed and strengthened with planks of 2 centimetres thickness; the entire convex surface shall be established in a manner to present a regular curve.

The supports of the centerings shall be placed at a distance of 70 centimetres from axis to axis.

The extrados of the superior arch shall be covered with 1 centimetre's thickness of hydraulic or common mortar.

ARTICLE 8.

In the arch shall be established eleven openings, each surmounted by a means of access, having walls of 19 centimetres thickness and an interior diameter of 80 and 70 centimetres. The means of access shall be crowned with a cast-iron brink to conform to the model deposited at the storehouse Leguit.

The contractor shall furnish and place ninety-two collars of cut stone for the outlets of public and private water pipes.

The junction of the sewer to be constructed to that of the Rue du Dragon shall be established in conformance with indications from the directors.

ARTICLE 9.

The masonry shall be executed with hydraulic or common mortar. The mortar shall be made under the supervision of an agent of the administration and in a covcred place. The mixture of raw materials shall be made in a dry state, then put into a crusher, with the addition of the necessary water.

The directors reserve the right to prescribe the time at which the mixture shall be worked in the crusher.

ARTICLE 10.

The contractor shall transport to the storehouse in the Rue St. Gom maire the stones or flags accruing from the demolition of the sewers referred to.

ARTICLE 11.

The curbstones, as also the crest of the pavement of the part of the street destined to vehicles, shall be established at the level designated in the plan.

ARTICLE 12.

The new sidewalks shall be 2.04 metres wide and the carriage route 7.92 metres. The slope of the sidewalks shall be 8 centimetres.

ARTICLE 13.

The paving stones for the street and the stones used for the curbs shall be procured from one of the quarries enumerated under the first category in the conditions. They shall be strictly refused by the administration in case the cutting of the tops is not perfect or does not couform to the prescriptions of the last paragraph of article 28 of the conditions.

The paving stone of the 4th sample shall solely be admitted for the vehicle route, excluding all others. The curbstones shall be procured at the quarries of Quenast or those of Sweden.

Paving stones 6 by 4 (boutisses) shall be placed alternately at the end of the lines. The paving stones for the sidewalks shall be procured from the quarries of Dinaut, of Yvoir, or from the Ourthe, excepting, however, those of Marche and Gernelle; they shall be taken from the best beds and shall be of a uniform blue gray. The dimensions of these stones shall be 14 by 14 centimetres at the top and 10 to 12 centimetres at the bottom, and the height 8 to 11 centimetres. The stones shall have flat tops, even and perfectly smooth, the sides well squared and edged. The paving stones are generally chosen at the expense of the city.

ARTICLE 14.

The straight new curbstones shall have a width of 17 centimetres and a height of 30 centimetres; they shall be placed according to the profile indicated in the plan, and each stone must have a length of at least 1 metres. They shall be procured from the quarries of Ecaussines, Soignies, or Féler.

The curved borders to be furnished and placed number three, of 2 metres and three of 4 metres, radius. The first mentioned shall be composed each of two pieces, 1.20 metres in length, and the others of seven pieces of 1.25 metres in length.

The curved borders shall be 30 centimetres high and 17 centimetres wide at the junctions, and shall have the same profile as the straight borders.

The curved borders shall consist of Swedish or Quenast porphyry.

The joints of the borders, in general, shall be strengthened with mortar.

ARTICLE 15.

In the water way shall be established fourteen sewer gratings, with cast-iron ventilator, similar to the model deposited at the storehouse Leguit.

ARTICLE 16.

The contractor shall take the measures necessary in order to preserve all the pipes serving for the distribution of water and other purposes. In case of an accident, he shall advise the grantee society, who will repair the damage done. The expense arising therefrom will be paid by the city and deducted from the amount retained as guaranty from the contractor.

ARTICLE 17.

The work must be entirely completed within a period of 24 months.

ARTICLE 18.

The expenses of the undertaking shall be met in three payments.

The amount of the guaranty to be deposited with the municipal collector is fixed at 2,000 francs.

ARTICLE 20.

The expenses for stamps and registering must be paid into the 4th bureau of the city hall of Antwerp within 8 days after the acceptance of the offer.

ARTICLE 21.

The contractor shall include in the price of his offer a sum of 2,085 francs to cover expenses for watching, plans, and others, which will be deducted from the amount of his offer.

ARTICLE 22.

The envelope containing the offer should bear, under the address of the burgomaster, the words: "Offer for the execution of street works in the rue du Dauphin." Prepared by the undersigned, engineer of municipal works.

Antwerp,

(Signed)

18-.

(Signed)

Approved by the "Collège des Bourgmestre et Echevins" of the city of Antwerp, in their sitting of

The burgomaster: (Signed)

The secretary:

(Signed:)

18-.