The only =excursion= of interest in the immediate neighbourhood of Brussels is that to =Laeken= (recommended), which may be taken by tram from the Inner Boulevards, the Gare du Nord, the Gare du Midi, Bourse, etc. Cars run every 10 minutes. The modern =Church of St. Mary= at Laeken is a handsome unfinished building. A little to the R. lie the Park and the =Royal Château=, inaccessible and unimportant. The road behind the church ascends the Montagne du Tonnerre, a little hill with a =Monument to Léopold I.=, not unlike the Albert Memorial in London. A good =*view= of Brussels is obtained from the summit of the monument, ascended by a winding staircase. (No fee.) The easiest way to make this excursion is by carriage _in the afternoon_. Unless you are a military man or a student of tactics, I do not advise you to undertake the dull and wearisome excursion to =Waterloo=. The battle-field is hot and shade-less in summer, cold and draughty in spring and autumn. The points of interest, such as they are, lie at considerable distances. Waterloo is country, and ugly country—no more. The general traveller who desires to be conducted round the various strategic landmarks of the field will find his wants amply catered for by Baedeker. But I advise him to forego that foregone disappointment. The time saved by _not_ visiting Waterloo may, however, be well devoted to a morning excursion to LOUVAIN. [This ancient and important town, which should be visited both on account of its magnificent =Hôtel-de-Ville=, and in order to make a better acquaintance with =Dierick Bouts=, the town painter, can be conveniently reached by train from the Gare du Nord. The best trains take little more than half an hour to do the journey. A single morning is sufficient for the excursion, especially if you start early. Wednesday is the most convenient day, as a quick train then returns about 1.30. (Consult Bradshaw.) Lunch can be obtained (good) in the large white building on the left-hand side of the Hôtel-de-Ville. (It is a private club, but contains a public restaurant, on the R., within, to which, push through boldly.) If you have Conway, take him with you on this excursion, to compare the doubtful Roger van der Weyden at St. Pierre with the woodcut he gives of its supposed original at Madrid. Read before you start (or on the way) his admirable accounts of Roger van der Weyden and Dierick Bouts.