B R U 



15 



B R U 



TJrmbds. thematic*, physics, and chemistry ; and in the third, 

 ~-"-* univrrsal grammar, the fiur arts, history, and juris- 

 prudence. The library was collected from the Bel- 

 gic emigrants, and the libraries of the suppressed 

 cloisters It contains about 1*20,000 volumes, and 

 some valuable MSS. Behind the palace, at the ex- 

 tremity of an extensive and beautiful park, well 

 stocked with deer, stood a pleasure house, built by 

 order of Charles V , and where he resided six months 

 previous to his abdicating the imperial throne. This 

 tine park was nearly destroyed by the French soldiery 

 and the Belgic saiis-culottes, and would have been 

 totally laid waste, had not the French general inter- 

 posed, and prevented its total destruction. It has, 

 however, been restored to its former beauty by the 

 municipality of Brussels, at their own expcnce. In 

 the great market-place, which is the most beautiful 

 in the world, is the Hotel de Villc, begun in 1380, 

 and finished in 14-4-2. The building is Gothic, and 

 has a most magnificent appearance. Its turret is an 

 admirable piece of Gothic architecture, 364- t'eet in 

 height, and surmounted by a statue of St Michael with 

 the dragon, in copper gilt, 17 feet high. This statue 

 turns upon a pivot, and acts as a vane. In one of the 

 apartments of the Hotel de Ville were formerly held 

 the meetings of the states of Brabant. It is hand- 

 somely ornamented ; and in three other rooms is the 

 history of the resignation of Charles V., so beauti- 

 fully wrought in tapestry, that it may be mistaken 

 for painting. This edifice is now appropriated to 

 different tribunals, and one of the wings is converted 

 into a prison. The church of Stc. Gudule is a very 

 magnificent structure, situated in a high part of the 

 city, and approached by a flight of steps. It con- 

 tains no less than sixteen chapels, all of which are 

 decorated with some very capital paintings. The 

 chapel of Notre Dame is also a beautiful old building ; 

 and the church of the capuchins is the finest which 

 that order posesses in Europe. But since the last 

 conquest of Belgium, nearly one third of the churches 

 have been shut up, and despoiled of their plate and 

 pictures. Besides these, there are many palaces be 

 longing to the nobility, in which are some of the 

 most valuable paintings, by the best Flemish mas- 

 ters. Brussels has also 20 public fountains, embel- 

 lished with statues, one of which is a child in brass, 

 so admirably executed, that it has excited the notice 

 of the first connoisseurs. The hospitals are well en- 

 dowed, among which are a foundling hospital, and 

 one for penitent courtezans ; and also an hospital 

 where strangers were maintained free of expt.-nce for 

 three days. Brussels had once an imperial and royal 

 academy of sciences and belles lettres, which was in- 

 stituted by letters patent, the 16th of December 1772, 

 and whose memoirs from 1777 to 1788, are publish 

 d in 5 vols 4-to; but, " like all o'her antient institu- 

 tions," says a French writer, this sociecy exists no 

 lon^i r. 



The manufactures of this city have always held a 

 distinguished place in the trade of Europe. Its laces 

 and carpets have seldom been equalled, and never sur- 

 passed ; and though of late years ir. viy or its work- 

 men have been dragged from t ir homes, tu supply 

 the waste of the Frc-i ch armies, yet these maunfac- 

 tures are still carried on to a considerable extent. All 



kinds of cotton and woollen stuff* are made here. Iti Brusstfc 

 camlets are superior, both in bcautv and quality, to 

 those of Lrydcn and England; ana its silk stocking* 

 c -cju.il in (in ness those of Paris, and, as they use 

 only the silk of Piedmont, are far superior in quali- 

 ty. They manufacture also gold and silver lace, 

 which can scarcely be distinguibhed from the finest 

 of Lyons and Pans. Great quantities of this article 

 are sent to India, and to every part of Europe ; and 

 the Brussels merchants have greatly the ad vantage ever 

 all their competitors since labour is here much cheaper* 

 and since they are allowed, as an encouragement to in- 

 dustry, to export it free of duty. The considerable 

 drawback, however, upon this manufacture is, tiiat 

 they must bring all their gold and silver wire from Paris* 

 Amsterdam, and Lyons. It luu, bc8ide*,evcr<il manu- 

 factories of potash ; and its earthen ware is said to be 

 even preferable to that of Delft or Rouen. But though 

 Brussels may st 11 surpass many of the cities ot Eu- 

 rope in the beauty and quality of some of its manu- 

 factures, yet it has greatly fallen from its former emi- 

 nence as a commercial city, and retains very little of 

 that activity which characterised it while under the 

 dominion of the Dukes of Brabant and the house of 

 Austria. Its fair, which is held annually on the 8th 

 of . ctober, has now lost its most regular and weal- 

 thy visitors, the merchants of England ; and the 

 blockade of the Scheldt, greatly hinders its commu- 

 nication with the eastern and western continents. 



In 1321, the citizens of Brussels were divided in- 

 to nine classes, called nations, who were formed of 

 the principal artisans of the city. They are distin- 

 guixhed by the names of Notre Dame, St Giles, St 

 Laurent, St Geri, St Jean, St Christophre, St 

 Jaques, St Pierre, and St Nicholas, each nation 

 having a chief or dean, with his assistant council. 

 They were assembled by a bell, called the bell of 

 the nations, to signify their consent, in the name of 

 the city, to any subsidy demanded by the sovereign, 

 or to any proposition of the burgomaster. 



Besides the governor-general and council, the ma- 

 gistracy of Brussels- formerly consisted of an amman, 

 a burgv>master, seven echevins, two treasurers, a 

 pensionary, three secretaries, three gressiers, and 

 two receivers. These were elected by the governor 

 from the descendants of seven patrician famines, who 

 according to Puteanus, a famous historian of the 

 country, were anciently the lords of Brussels, viz. 

 the families of Steenweghe, Sleeuws, Serhuyghs, 

 Coudenberg, Serroelofs, Sweerts, and Rodenbeeck. 

 It had also a deputy amman, an under burgoma^tir, 

 nine counsellors chosen from the citizens, a superin- 

 tendant of the canal, a receiver for the canal, and a 

 gressier of the treasury. The second burgomaster, 

 the counsellors, and the receivers, were named by 

 the first burgomasters; and the offices of ammans, 

 secretaries, and gressiers of the treasury, were per- 

 petual. All matters relative to the citizens wen- cog- 

 nizable before the magistracy, with the right of ap- 

 peal to the superior council. Su.ce Us annexation to 

 France, however, this form of government has been 

 abolished. It has now a prefect, a secretan -gene- 

 ral, a receiver general, a payer of the public trea- 

 sure, and a director of the customs. It is the 

 imperial court for the departments of Jemappes, the 

 i 



