464 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1876. 



is emphatically the heroic epoch of the Low 

 Countries, is more and more studied every 

 year. We may name, as examples of this, 

 " Histoire des Troubles Keligieux de Valen- 

 ciennes " (1560-1567), by Ch. Paillard ; " Trou- 

 bles Religieux du XVI me Siecle dans la Flandre 

 Maritime," by E. de Coussemaker; also the 

 excellent collection of "Documents du XVI me 

 Siecle tires des Archives d'Ypres," collected 

 and annotated by J. L. A. Diegerick. H. Hel- 

 big has published a curious "Memoire con- 

 cernant les Negociations de la France rela- 

 tives a la Neutralite du Pays de Li6ge en 1630." 



The contemporary history of Belgium has 

 been treated by the indefatigable Theod. Juste, 

 in his "Notices Biographiques sur quelques 

 Fondateurs de la Monarchie Beige." He gives 

 a rapid sketch of the life and labors of Rai- 

 kem, Claes, Hipp. Vilain XIV., Ant. BarthS- 

 lemy, and Hennequin. Odilon Perier, in his 

 monograph "Dirk Donker Curtius," has re- 

 traced the labors of a Netherlands Minister of 

 State, who, in 1830, vainly endeavored to per- 

 suade the King, William I., to make the conces- 

 sions necessary to appease the insurrection of 

 Belgium, and by so doing to maintain the in- 

 tegrity of the Low Countries. In 1848 he ma- 

 terially aided to obtain for Holland its liberal 

 constitution. 



The question of the extension and of the 

 transformation of the maritime undertakings 

 on the seaboard has been ably treated by A. 

 L. Cambrelin, in his "Etude sur les Ports de 

 Mer Beiges ; " also by A. de Maere-Limnander, 

 in his book " Du Port de Heyst et du Canal 

 Maritime de Gand, avec Embranchement sur 

 Bruges." P. Bortier has dealt with the same 

 subject in his small work "Le Littoral de la 

 Flandre au IX me et au XIX me Siecle." In this 

 he traces back the history of the changes that 

 have taken place in the coast-line from the pe- 

 riod of the Romans up to the present day; he 

 indicates at the same time to Government sev- 

 eral methods by which the encroachments of 

 the sea may be stopped. We may also point 

 out an " Essai sur 1'Industrie et le Commerce 

 Beige, Francais et Etranger," by H. Houtain ; 

 and also the " Mines et MStallurgie a 1'Exposi- 

 tion Universelle de Vienue," by A. Habets. 

 The letters of M. G. de Molinari, upon the 

 United States, are as true as photography, and 

 the work of an economist who is at the same 

 time one of the best writers and keenest intel- 

 lects which Belgium possesses. In "Notes et 

 Souvenirs," Louis Hymans relates his literary 

 life in so interesting a fashion that the first 

 edition was disposed of in a week. 



In the domain of the material sciences, be- 

 sides some special treatises which do not come 

 within the limits of this article,- we must not 

 omit to notice an excellent work by J. C. Hou- 

 zeau, " L'Etude de la Nature, ses Charmes et 

 ses Dangers." This work celebrates in a vivid 

 and striking manner the spirit of research into 

 Nature which is one of the glories of the hu- 

 man race. 



Prof. F. Laurent has again enriched jurispru- 

 dence by three more volumes of his excellent 

 work, " Principes de Droit Civil," a noble mon- 

 ument of legal erudition. Prof. J. J. Thonissen 

 has studied, the jurisprudence of ancient 

 Athens, and he has produced a work of great 

 authority on the subject in "Le Droit Penal 

 de la R6publique Ath6nienne," which is pre- 

 ceded by an etude on the criminal law of leg- 

 endary Greece. 



The publications arising out of the three- 

 hundredth anniversary of the Pacification of 

 Ghent form a natural transition from French to 

 Flemish works. 



It is well known that, during the religious 

 wars of th Low Countries, the Catholics and 

 Protestants came to a reconciliation between 

 themselves at Ghent in 1576. By a solemn 

 treaty they united against the Spaniards, and 

 suspended the barbarous laws of Philip II. 

 and the Duke of Alva against heretics. The 

 memory of this great event has this year 

 been celebrated by grand fetes ; it has also 

 given rise to a passionate polemical discussion 

 throughout the whole of the French and Flem- 

 ish press. Many works written for the occa- 

 sion have been published. Among others, we 

 may mention "Les Actes Diplomatiques de la 

 Pacification de Gand," by Leon Verhaeghe, a 

 secretary of embassy he has studied with im- 

 partiality the events of the sixteenth century, 

 and he comments on the principal treaties con- 

 cluded at that epoch between the Catholics and 

 the Protestants of the Low Countries; "La 

 Pacification de Gand et le Sac d'Anvers en 

 1576," by Theodore Juste this work betrays 

 great haste, and lacks all force and color. 

 "Discours contenant le vray Entendement de 

 la Pacification de Gand " is a reprint of 110 

 copies only, of a pamphlet published in 1579, 

 which maintains that liberty of conscience is 

 the only means by which the religious troubles 

 can be stopped in the Low Countries. The 

 last we will name is " Album van den histori- 

 schen Stoet der Pacificatie van Gent ; " this 

 work, adorned with eleven engravings, is ac- 

 companied by a French translation ; it is by 

 Paul Fredericq. 



Two new works of poetry have appeared 

 this year the first, "Zomerkrans" ("Crown 

 of Summer "), by K. Bogaerd, who, from being 

 a common workman, has risen to be a distin- 

 guished literary man ; the other is " Lente- 

 liederen " (" Songs of Spring "), by Theophiel 

 Coopman, a young poet of the brightest prom- 

 ise, but who ought to seek more than he doe? 

 after originality. 



Romance forms this year the most consider- 

 able portion of Flemish literature. Hendrik 

 Conscience is the creator and father of the 

 Flemish novel; he is also the most popular 

 author in all Flanders. His books are read by 

 all, and the most ignorant peasant has learned 

 to honor his name. This year Conscience has 

 written an historical romance, "Gerechtigheid 

 van Hertog Karel" ("The Justice of the Duke 



