128] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



butbe.'i momentous concern ; and 

 the king sanctioned the measures 

 ])ropose(l by the war-department 

 for completing- the fortifications 

 conmienced on several points of 

 the frontiers, in which labour 

 from 10 to 1'2,000 workmen were 

 to be employed during the winter 

 season. At the same time a perfect 

 coalescence between the northern 

 and southern provinces of the 

 kingdom was effected by the abo- 

 lition of the whole line of custom- 

 houses between them. 



The failure of the harvest, and 

 consequent scarcity of the neces- 

 saries of life, prevalent in the 

 Netherlands as in so many other 

 parts of Europe, occasioned a 

 clashing of interests in ditferent 

 portions of the kingdom, which 

 was the cause of warm debate in 

 the assembly of the states. Hol- 

 land, which had been accustomed 

 to derive its chief subsistence 

 from foreign commerce, and had 

 thereby become a gieat mart of 

 corn as an article of free impor- 

 tation and exportation, was un- 

 willing to acquiesce in those rc- 

 .strictions on the corn trade which 

 souje of tlie Belgic provinces, re- 

 duced to great necessity, repre- 

 sented as essential to preserve 

 them from famine. After much 

 consideration, his Majesty, on 

 December 20th, proposed to the 

 legislative body a law on the 

 subject in the following terms: 



" Having taken into consi- 

 deration that the absolute piohi- 

 bition of the e.Kportation of corn 

 must be considered in this king- 



dom as a measure liable to very 

 great inconveniences, as it might 

 have the effect of interrupting the 

 ordinary course of the trade in 

 corn, and suspend or lessen the 

 importation : 



" That, however, a partial pro- 

 hibition may be attended with sa- 

 lutary consequences for the inha- 

 bitants of some provinces, and 

 particularly of those which, by 

 their situation, and by the pro- 

 hibitory laws of the neighbouring 

 states, have not to expect any 

 direct supply of foreign corn : 

 For these reasons, by the advice 

 of our Council of State, and in 

 conjimction with the States-Ge- 

 neral, we ha\'e ordained, as we or- 

 dain by these presents : 



" Art. 1. It is forbidden to ex- 

 port wheat, rye, barley, oats, or 

 meal of any kind whatsoever, by 

 the land frontier of the kingdom, 

 to countries whence it is not per- 

 mitted to export those articles to 

 the Netheiiands. 



" Art. 3. We reserve it to our- 

 self to extend the said prohibi- 

 tion to other articles of food, and 

 to revoke it entirely, or in part, 

 as circumstances shall require. 



" Art. 3. The corn, and other 

 articles of food, included in the 

 above prohibition, or in that of 

 the 20th of Nov. 1816, the ex- 

 portation of which shall notwith- 

 standing be attempted directly or 

 indirectly, shall be confiscated, 

 and the trespassers condemned, 

 besides, to pay a fine of one thou- 

 sand florins. 



CHAPTER 



