60 



BELGIUM. 



BLUNT, EDMUND. 



pelled to seek refuge in the United States, and 

 accordingly arrived in New York in Decem- 

 ber, 1824. Soon after he became connected, as 

 teacher, with the Bound Hill School at North- 

 ampton, Mass., until in 1830, he, in connection 

 with two other able teachers, established a 

 school at Phillipstown, on the Hudson, opposite 

 West Point. In 1832 Prof. Beck was elected 

 to the chair of Latin language and literature 

 at Cambridge an office which he held with en- 

 tire acceptance for eighteen years discharging 

 its duties with unvarying fidelity, and a zeal 

 and dignity which won the love and respect of 

 all with whom he came in contact. Upon his 

 retirement from the professorship he devoted 

 himself to literary pursuits and classical studies, 

 some of the.fruits of which appeared in a work 

 of great research, published three years since, 

 entitled " The Manuscripts of the Satyricon of 

 Petronius Arbiter, described and collated." In 

 1843 Dr. Beck was chosen a member of the 

 American Oriental Society ; in 1845 of the 

 American Academy of Sciences, and in 1865 

 received the degree of LL. D. from Harvard 

 University. He was also for two years a Bep- 

 resentative of Cambridge in the State Legisla- 

 ture, and did good service in other offices of a 

 more private character in the town and neigh- 

 borhood. He was a man of large views and high 

 public spirit, and though, more than most men, 

 delighting in the leisure for literary pursuits, he 

 was ready for any sacrifice which might accrue 

 to the benefit of the city, State, or Bepublic ho 

 had adopted as his own. He was specially in- 

 terested in the charities created by the war, 

 the Soldiers' Fund, the Sanitary Commission, 

 and the agencies for the care and education of 

 the Freedmen, in whom he felt not only the 

 common interest of humanity, but that of an 

 American patriot. 



BELGIUM, a kingdom in Europe. King 

 Leopold II., born April 9, 1835, succeeded his 

 father, Leopold I., on December 10, 1865. Heir 

 apparent, Prince Leopold, born February 18, 

 1858. Area, 11,313 English square miles ; popu- 

 lation, according to census of 1864, 4,940,570. 



The budget of 1866 (which has been voted 

 by the Chambers) fixes the receipts at 164,- 

 043,290 francs, and the expenditures at 158,- 

 579,256 francs. Public debt on May 1, 1866, 

 676,749,514 francs. The Belgian army, accord- 

 ing to the latest statement, consisted of 86,- 

 272 men. The imports in 1864, amounted to 

 688,878,000 francs; the exportations to 596,- 

 893,000 francs. The movement of shipping 

 during 1863 was as follows: Arrivals, 4,130 

 vessels, with 794,596 tons, of which there were 

 863 Belgian vessels, with 87,358 tons; clear- 

 ances, 4,116 vessels, with 779,223 tons. The 

 merchant navy, on December 31, 1864, consisted 

 of 107 vessels, together of 34,977 tons. 



In March an Electoral Beform Bill was 

 adopted by both Houses of the Legislature, 

 which augments the number of representatives 

 by eight, namely, two for Brussels, and one each 

 for Antwerp, Louvain, Charleroy, Phillippeville, 



Liege, and Alost ; and the number of senators 

 by four, namely, one each for Brussels, Luxem- 

 bourg, Mons, and Ghent. The state electiona 

 held in June, resulted favorably to the Liberal 

 party, increasing the ministerial majority in 

 the Senate, which was previously eight, to 

 twelve, and in the House of Representatives, 

 where it was before the elections twelve, to 

 eighteen. The new Chambers were opened 

 on November 13th, by the king in person. 

 The king announced that Belgium's relations 

 with foreign powers were of a most friendly 

 character, and said : " In the midst of the great 

 events which have disturbed a great part of 

 Europe, Belgium has remained calm and con- 

 fident, deeply impressed with the rights and 

 duties of neutrality. This neutrality she will 

 continue to preserve in the future as she has 

 done in the past, with sincerity, loyalty, and 

 strength." The king then announced that sev- 

 eral bills would be laid before the Chambers in 

 reference to the abolition of imprisonment for 

 debt, the amendment of the laws on detention 

 of prisoners whilst under accusation, the extra- 

 dition laws, the removal of the restrictions on 

 the gold and silver manufacture of articles. 

 The king also announced the conclusion of a 

 treaty of amity with Japan. In reference to 

 the recent rifle meeting at Brussels, he said : 

 " The Tir National has furnished the Belgian 

 militia with an opportunity of fraternizing with 

 the militia of neighboring countries. Belgium 

 will be happy to see renewed on her soil those 

 peaceful contests, in which are engendered rela- 

 tions of mutual friendship and esteem, which 

 the future can but extend and fortify." The 

 king concluded his speech* as follows : " To ac- 

 complish the tasks of Government I need the 

 loyal concurrence of the Chambers. May all 

 hearts at the commencement of this new reign 

 remain united in love of our country and its 

 institutions ! " 



On February 25th the Count of Flanders, 

 brother of the king, received from the Legis- 

 lature of Boumania (the Danubian Principal- 

 ities) an offer of the crown of that country. 

 The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs on the 

 same day officially announced to all the Belgian 

 legations and the consulate of Bucharest that 

 the prince definitively refused this offer. In the 

 latter months of the year, a difficulty arose 

 with Holland, with regard to the question of 

 the Scheldt dues. M. Eogier, the Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs, stated in the Senate, on De- 

 cember 22d, that if Holland refused to recog- 

 nize the rights of Belgium, the Government 

 would refer the question to the guaranteeing 

 powers. 



BLUNT, EDMTTND, an eminent hydrographer, 

 assistant surveyor of the U. S. Coast Survey; 

 born in Newburyport, Mass., November, 1799; 

 died in Brooklyn, N. T., September 2, 1866. He 

 was a son of Edmund M. Blunt, author of the 

 "American Coast Pilot. 1 ' In early life he mani- 

 fested a decided taste for practical mathematics, 

 and, when scarcely sevente/"?. made the first ao 



