ZEE'LAND, a province of the Netherlands, consists of the islands Walcheren, North Beveland, South Beveland, Schouwen, Duiveland, Tholen, West Flanders, and East Flanders. It lies between 51° 20' and 51° 45' n. lat., and 3° 21' and 4° 15' 54" e. long.., and has an area of 665 sq. miles. The boundaries are: South Holland on the n., the Easter Scheldt on the e., Belgium on the s., and the North sea on the west. Pop. (Jan. 1, '75), 184,215. In 1874, births, 7,593; deaths, 2,865; marriages, 1527. Nearly three-fourths are Protestants, having 138 churches; the remainder, except 670 Jews, with 4 syna gogues, are Roman Catholics, who have 36 places of worship. The provincial capital is Middelburg. Other important towns are Flushing; Goes (pron. lIuse), in South Beve land; and Zierikzee, in Schouwen. The greatest part of the soil, which is a rich clay, has been redeemed from the sea; and almost in the center of Walcheren, South Beve land, and Schouwen, there are seen still the high mounds of earth called "hills of refuge," which the early inhabitants formed as places of safety for themselves and cattle when a high tide. burst over the newly acquired lands. The number of polders (q.v.), or drained districts, in the province amounts to about 400. It is almost entirely arable, and produces the finest crops of wheat, barley, oats, rye, peas, beans, colza, beet, ilex, hemp, canary-seed, mang,olds, etc. Potatoes are extensively planted; and madder for
the manufacture of dyeing material forms a valuable agricultural product. Horses. horned cattle, sheep, swine, and goats are the stock. In many districts of Zeeland extensive orchards beautify the farms.
The neighboring seas abound with fish, and in Schouwen many eggs are collected, myriads of water-fowls resorting thither to form their nests. The principal industries, apart from agriculture, are the preparing of madder for the market, weaving calicos, rope-spinning, ship-building, beer-brewing, soap-boiling, making vinegar, salt, starch, tobacco, tile and brick, tanning leather, grinding corn, sawing wood, etc. The people of Zeeland are kind and hospitable, and in the country parishes are much attached to their fairs, meetings for merry-making, and other old customs, which might with advan tage 'be given up. Few marriages take place among the agricultural portion of the population till absclutely necessary, but a case of desertion rarely occurs, as it would utterly disgrace the young man who did so.
On Oct. 15, 1866, a fine ship-canal through the island of South Beveland was opened, and takes the place of the Easter Scheldt. A railway from Flushing, through Walche ren and South Beveland, communicates with the main Belgian lines at Roozeudaal, and by Breda leads to Rotterdam, Amsterdam, or Germany.