SERAING. 24. Route. 153
tensive royal Gun Manufactory (PL 33), erected in 1840, both of
which are well worthy of the attention of the professional visitor.
The Citadel (PL G, 3, 4), 520ft. above the sea-level, erected
by Bishop Maximilian in 1650, commands an admirable view of
the extensive city with its numerous towers and chimneys , and of
the populous and industrious valleys of the Meuse, the Ourthe, and
the Vesdre. The prospect is bounded towards the S. by the moun¬
tains of the Ardennes; towards the N. it extends to the Petersberg
near Mastricht, beyond, which stretch the broad plains of Limburg.
The ascent to the citadel is by the old Brussels road through the
suburb of St. Walbvftgis; at the top of the hill turn to the right.
The fortified heights of the Chartreuse (PL B, 6), on the oppo¬
site bank of the Meuse, also command a charming prospect. Still
higher lies Robermont, where the Prince of Cobourg was defeated
by Marshal Jourdan, 19th Sept., 1794, in the last battle fought by
the Austrians on Belgian ground. The cemetery of Liege is near
Robermont. Another fine view may also be enjoyed from the
terrace of the barracks of St. Laurent (no fee).
Excursion to Seraing. The busiest and most interesting centre
of the industry of the Walloon country is at Seraing, which lies
on the Meuse, 5 M. above Liege. The pleasantest conveyance
to it is by steamboat (p. 147), in 8/4—1 hr. , and the return-
journey may be made by railway (in 1/a. hr.; p. 147), either on the
r. bank from Seraing to the Station de Longdoz, or on the 1. bank
from Jemeppe to the Station des Guillemins. The Seraing and
Jemeppe stations are about iy2 M. apart, and the steamboat stops
at the suspension-bridge which connects the two places.
Seraing, a town with 25,000 inhab., and numerous manufac¬
tories of every description, situated on the r. bank of the Meuse,
is connected by an elegant suspension-bridge, constructed in 1843,
with Jemeppe, a town with 4500 inhab. on the 1. bank. It has
acquired a European reputation on account of its vast iron-works
and engine-factory, founded in 1817 by John Cockerill, an English¬
man (a monument was erected to him in 1871), to whom the works
belonged jointly with William I., King of the Netherlands , down
to the revolution of 1830, when he purchased the king's share and
thus became sole proprietor. After Cockerill's death in 1840 the
works were purchased by a company with a capital of I2Y2 million
francs (raised to 15 millions in 1871). The present director is
M. E. Sadoine, without whose special permission visitors are not
admitted to the works.
A building on the Meuse, which was formerly a palace of the
bishop, immediately below the suspension-bridge, now serves as
an entrance to the establishment. The workshops and offices oc¬
cupy an area of 180 acres and employ about 9000 hands, whose
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