The houses on the =N. side=, (that occupied by the Maison du Roi,) are less interesting, except those on the extreme R. Next to the Maison du Roi itself come two pretty little decorated houses, beyond which is the =Guild Hall of the Painters=, known as “The Pigeon,” and that called “La Taupe,” the =Hall of the Tailors=. The two last at the corner of the street have been recently restored. Several other fine houses of the same period close the vista of the streets round the corner. This imposing group of Guild Halls dates, however, only from the end of the 17th century, mostly about 1697. The reason is that in 1695 the greater part of the Grand’ Place was destroyed by Marshal de Villeroi during the siege. Two years later, the Guild Houses were rebuilt in the ornate and somewhat debased style of the Louis XIV. period. Fortunately, the two great mediæval buildings, which stood almost isolated, did not share the general destruction. Continue your stroll through the =Lower Town=. From the Grand’ Place, take the Rue au Beurre, which leads W. towards the Bourse. On your R. you will pass the now uninteresting and entirely modernized =Church of St. Nicolas=. In its origin, however, this is one of the oldest churches in Brussels, and though it has long lost almost every mark of antiquity, it is instructive to recognise here again (as at Ghent) the democratic patron saint of the merchants and burgesses in close proximity to their Town Hall and their Guild Houses. The =Bourse= itself, which faces you, is a handsome and imposing modern building. Go past its side till you reach the line of the =Inner Boulevards=, which lead N. and S. between the Gare du Nord and the Gare du Midi. This superb line of streets, one of the finest set of modern boulevards in Europe, has been driven straight through the heart of the =Old Town=, and the authorities offered large money prizes for the best _façades_ erected along the route. Content yourself for the moment with a glance up and down, to observe the general effect, and then continue on to your L. along the Boulevard, where the first street on the R. will lead you to the little =Place St. Géry=, now occupied by a market, but originally the centre of Old Brussels. A stroll through the neighbouring streets is interesting, past the =Halles Centrales=, and the modern Church of =St. Catherine=, close by which stands the old Tower of St. Catherine, built into a modern block of houses. A little further on is the picturesque =Tour Noire=, the only remaining relic of the first fortifications of the city. You may prolong this walk to the Place du Béguinage, with a tolerable church. The quarter has no special interest, but it will serve to give you a passing idea of the primitive nucleus of mediæval Brussels.