173 



BRUSSELS. 



BRUSSELS. 



171 



of printed books and above 18,000 manuscripts; and natural history 

 collections very rich in zoological and mineralogical specimens. 

 Public lectures are delivered in the building to the public gratui- 

 tously by professors appointed by the government ; and in a part of 

 it an exhibition of Belgian products and manufactures takes place 

 every four years. 



The most admired quarter of Brussels is that which immediately 

 surrounds the Park. The Park is a large inclosure in the upper town 

 containing an area of about seventeen acres, which is laid out in plots 

 of greensward separated by shady walks under carefully-trimmed 

 trees, and ornamented with statues. It was occupied, by the Dutch 

 troops at the revolution of 1830. On the south side of the Park are 

 the king's palace and gardens. On the east side of it, in the Rue 

 Ducale, are the palace and grounds presented by the city of Brussels 

 to the late King of Holland when Prince of Orange, and the residences 

 of the foreign ambassadors at the couit of Brussels. On the north 

 side of the Park is the Rue de la Loi, containing the government 

 offices and the Palais de la Nation, or legislative chamber, which was 

 built by Maria Theresa for the Council of Brabant, and resembles the 

 French Chamber of Deputies before 1848. On the west side of the 

 Park is the Rue Royale, a fine wide street, which extends nearly a 

 mile from the Place Royale to the Schaerbeck Gate and the botanic 

 garden. Near this gate, in the Rue de Ragule, is the house in which 

 the Duchess of Richmond gave the grand ball to the Duke of Wel- 

 lington and his officers on the eve of the battle of Waterloo, June 

 15th, 1815. 



Of the gates of the city, the only one remaining of those that formed 

 part of the fortifications erected in 1381 is the Porte de Hal a large 

 gothic structure formerly used as a prison, now as a museum for old 

 armour and other antiquities. Of the other buildings in Brussels we 

 can only mention the Palais d'Aremberg in the Place du Petit Sablon, 

 famous for its choice paintings, ita objects of vertu, and its gardens ; 

 the university building in the Rue des Sals, which was originally 

 Cardinal Grandvella's palace ; the astronomical and magnetic obser- 

 vatory in the angle between the Louvain and Schaerbeck gates ; the 

 railway terminus for the northern lines at the end of the Longue Rue 

 ; the terminus of the southern lines near the church of Notre 

 Dame de Bon Sccours ; the Broodhuis, a fine old gothic structure in 

 the Grande Place, which was built in 1525, and one? was the town-hall 

 of Brussels ; the Grand B<%umage, where above a thousand females, 

 young and old, live in religious societies, observing certain rules, but 

 not inclosed as nuns are each society occupies a separate house, and 

 is governed by a matron ; and the Abattoir, which is built outside the 

 walls between the Petit Senne and the Charleroi Canal. 



The city supports several large hospitals and charitable institutions. 

 One of these, the Hopital de St. -Pierre, near the Hal Gate in the south 

 of the town, was originally founded for the reception of Crusaders 

 returning wounded from the Holy Land. Attached to it are very 

 spacious and well-kept gardens and commodious bath.'. Of the other 

 hospitals the principal are the Grand Hospice, between the Beguinage 

 and the docks, in the north-west of the city ; the Hopital de St. -Jean, 

 near the Rue de la Madeleine ; the Maternitd, to the south of the 

 church of Notre Dame de Bon Secours; the Hospice de Pacheco, near 

 the botanic garden ; the military hospital, in the Rue dea Miuimes ; 

 and the asylums for orphans, tlie blind, and deaf-mutes. Most of 

 Hospitals are well endowed, and the sick in them are tended by 

 Sisters of Charity or nuns of other orders. 



Brussels has several barracks, one or two prisons, a military magazine, 



a concert-hall in the Park, and numerous hotels, cafe's? and baths. The 



city is well supplied with water, and lighted at night with gas. The 



are in the Rue Montagne de la Cour, in the Rue de la 



aud in the Gallerie St.-Hubert, an extremely handsome 



Btruet, glazed overhead. Besides the boulevards and the botanic 



garden there is a noble promenade along the broad canal that leads 



to Malincs, formed by a triple avenue shaded by magnificent lime- 



which were spared by Marshal Saxe in the siege of 1746 at the 



entreaty of the ladies of Brussels. The favourite excursions in the 



environs are to the royal palace of Laeken, which is about nine miles 



to the north of Brussels, and commands fine views of the city and 



irhoo.l ; and to the battle-field of Waterloo. 



In th year 1784 an order was given by the emperor Joseph II. 

 prohibiting burials within the city, and directing the formation of 

 burial-grounds outside the walls. Three cemeteries were accordingly 

 ' one near the Hal Gate, another near the Flanders Gate, 

 and the third, which is the largest, near the Louvain Gate. In addition 

 to these the English inhabitants of Brussels have established two 

 cemeteries one on the road leading to the village of Vecle, and the 

 other on the Louvain road. 



Among its numerous educational establishments Brussels numbers 

 a free university founded in 1834, a primary normal school, a poly- 

 technic school, an academy of the fine arts, a royal academy of music, 

 trial schools. The public library before mentioned 

 Dion of the Burgundian library with the Royal 

 r ; it in open every week-day : the reading-room is everything 

 that can be <lf<in:d by tin: student. Among the private libraries must 

 I tlio library of th<; Hollandista ; and the great geograph- 

 Ublishmcnt of Vandenneilcn, near the Petit Senne, outside 

 landers Gate. It was established in 1830; it contains 20,000 



volumes, a large collection of maps, in connection with a school of 

 geography and a museum of natural history. One English news- 

 paper and several journals in French and Flemish are published in 

 Brussels. 



Brussels, besides being one of the best-built cities in Europe, ia 

 considered a very pleasant place of residence. It is also healthy, 

 although the climate is subject to considerable variations. The mean 

 temperature, aa ascertained by observation at the Royal Observatory 

 for a complete year, was 52 Fahr. The greatest heat occurred in 

 June, when the thermometer stood at 76J Fahr. ; the greatest cold 

 in January was 37'S Fahr. The number of days on which it rained 

 was 180 ; there occurred 39 days of frost and 25 days of fog ; it hailed 

 on 5 days and snowed on 11 days, and there were 7 thunderstorms 

 during the year ; 3 of these occurred in June and the same number 

 in July. The prevailing winds were from the west and south-west, 

 and occupied 182 days. From the east, north-east, and south-east, it 

 blew 104 days ; from the north 30 days ; from the south 25 days ; 

 and from the north-west 24 days. 



Brussels is the seat of the Cour de Cassation, or supreme court 

 of justice for Belgium, of a high court of appeal, of a court of 

 exchequer (des comptes), and of a military court. The assizes for the 

 province of South Brabant are held in the city four times in each 

 year. Brussels is also the head-quarters of the fourth Military Division 

 of the Belgian army. Ambassadors, ministers, or consuls from almost 

 all the governments in the world reside in Brussels. 



Brussels is one of the great centres of Belgian industry. It has 

 several banks of issue and deposit, a national mint, savings bank, &c. 

 It is particularly celebrated for the manufacture of lace, considered 

 the finest in the world. The flax from which it is made is grown in 

 the neighbourhood of Hal, the finest sorts bringing from 300 to 400 

 francs a pound ; and the finest kind of lace costs 150 francs an ell 

 (| of a yard), but good and inferior sorts may be bought at 50 francs 

 and 10 francs the ell respectively. Many other manufactures are also 

 prosecuted, among which are those of cambric, fine linen, damask, silk 

 and cotton ribbons, machinery, cabinet-work, jewellery, mathematical 

 and musical instruments, hats, stockings, calicoes, gold and silver lace, 

 paper and paper-hangings, porcelain, hardware, and various chemical 

 preparations used in the arts. Brussels has also many coach factories, 

 soaperies, sugar-refineries, breweries, distilleries, and extensive printing 

 and lithographic establishments. The commerce of the city is facili- 

 tated by a canal which connects it with the Schelde, aud admits vessels 

 of 300 tons ; by good high roads and railroads which radiate from 

 the city in all directions. Electro-telegraphic wires connect Brussels 

 with Paris, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, and Vienna. 



The population of the city was 84,004 in 1825, aud 98,279 in 1830. 

 The revolution in the latter year caused many mercantile men aud 

 persons attached to the former government to remove their establish- 

 ments from Brussels to the Dutch provinces, so that the population 

 of the city was temporarily diminished. Other causes have since 

 brought a considerable influx of inhabitants; so that in 1835, when a 

 census was taken, the numbers were found to be augmented to 102,702, 

 and the population has since continued to increase : in 1849 there 

 were 124,461 persons residing within the walls. The 'Almanac de 

 Gotha' of 1854 gives the population of Brussels at 210,400 ; but thi^ 

 probably includes the suburbs and all the outlying dependencies of 

 the city. 



The origin of Brussels reaches back to the 7th century. The first 

 buildings were erected in the island of St.-Ge'ry, so named after 

 St. Gdry, bishop of Cambray, who built a chapel on the spot. In 

 the 10th century Otho II. inhabited a castle in the island of St.-Ge'ry. 

 The city was inclosed with walk in 1044 by Lambert Baldric, count 

 of Louvain ; but the walls were removed and the city enlarged in 

 1369. Two dreadful fires occurred in 1326 and 1405 ; on the first 

 occasion 2400 houses, and on the second 1400 houses were destroyed. 

 The prosperity of Brussels was greatly increased in the 12th century 

 by the establishment of the manufactures of cloth and fire-arms. 



The city was taken by the English in 1213. In 1314, in conse- 

 quence of long-continued rains, a contagious disorder carried off so 

 many of the citizens that sixty were buried in the same grave. In 

 1370 the Jews were banished from the city and province, and their 

 property was confiscated. 



Brussels was taken by surprise in 1488 by Philip of Cloves. On 

 regaining possession the Emperor Maximilian, suspecting the inha- 

 bitants of having been in league with Philip, deprived the city of 

 various privileges, which were bestowed upon Malines. In 1489 aud 

 1578 Brussels was ravaged by the plague. Tne tyranny of the Duke 

 of Alba occasioned about 10,000 artisans to leave Brussels in 1567, 

 many of whom settled in England. 



In 1695 this city was bombarded by Marshal Villeroi, who demo- 

 lished upwards of 4000 buildings. In 1708 it was again besieged by 

 the Elector of Bavaria, but was relieved by the army under the Duke 

 of Marlborough. In 1746 Brussels was taken by Marshal Saxe, but 

 it was restored to Austria at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. The 

 Austrian Netherlands having been conquered by the French in the 

 parly part of the war of the French revolution, Brussels was declared 

 by the directo/jr to be the chief place in the department of the Dyle. 

 On the 1st of February, 1814, the Prussian army took possession of 

 this city, which under the provisions of the treaty of the same year 



