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Some of them, not content with their native land, came to Italy in search of hills, bright skies, and great ruins, and became a circle of choice artists, such as Both, Swanevelt, Pijnacker, Breenbergh, Van Laer, and Asselin; but the palm remains with the true Dutch landscape painters with Wynants, the painter of morning; Van der Neer, the painter of night; Ruysdael, the painter of melancholy; Hobbema, the painter of windmills, cottages, and kitchen-gardens; and with others who contented themselves with expressing the charm of the modest scenes of their native land.

He knew the mechanism of every Chef de Poste in his district, and the sort of letter that would rouse him up, stimulate him to renewed action, and the slaves under him to renewed work. Van Laer was of quite a different type. Van Laer had the appearance of a famished hound held back by a leash. He was tall and thin.

At M'Bina great riches were eternally flowing in and flowing out. Wealth in its original wrappings piled itself on the wharf in romantical packets and bales, piled itself on board steamers, floated away down the golden river, and was replaced by more wealth flowing in from the inexhaustible forests. The sight of all this filled Van Laer with an actual physical hunger.

That evening he called Van Laer into the office. "Chef de Poste Meeus of Fort M'Bassa is dead," said De Wiart; "you will go there and take command. You will start to-morrow." Van Laer flushed. "It is a difficult post," said De Wiart, "wild country, and the natives are the laziest to be found in the whole of the state.

The members of the various Advisory Committees in charge of the organization of the group exhibits were as follows: For Oil Paintings: Cecilia Beaux, J. Carroll Beckwith, J. G. Brown, Howard Russell Butler, William M. Chase, William A. Coffin, Frederick Dielman, R. Swain Gifford, H. Bolton Jones, John La Farge, Alexander T. Van Laer, Harry W. Watrous.

"I have no doubt at all that I will be able to bring these people into line. I do not boast. I only ask you to keep your eye on the returns." Next day Van Laer, escorted by the soldiers, left M'Bina to take up the station at Fort M'Bassa left vacant by the death of Chef de Poste Andreas Meeus.

Lorenzo, the next post, built upon a hill, overlooks the lake of Bolsena, whose woody shores conceal many ruined buildings. We passed some of them in a retired vale, with arches from rock to rock, and grottos beneath half lost in thickets, from which rise craggy pinnacles crowned by mouldering towers; just such scenery as Polemburg and Peter de Laer introduce in their paintings.

He worked the post at M'Bina with the assistance of a subordinate named Van Laer. De Wiart was a man eminently fitted for his post. He had a genius for organization and overseeing.

This will not appear surprising, when Sandrart informs us that, on one occasion, in company with Peter de Laer, he visited Douw, and found him at work on a picture, which they could not forbear admiring for its extraordinary neatness, and on taking particular notice of a broom, and expressing their surprise that he could devote so much time in finishing so minute an object, Douw informed them that he should work on it three days more before he should think it complete.

He could have eaten that stuff that was wealth itself. He could have devoured those tusks. He was Gargantua as far as his appetite was concerned, and for the rest he was only Van Laer driving a quill in the office of De Wiart.