484 



BELGIUM BKLG 11 AND. 



taken to compel llic king of Lhr Netherlands to suit 

 lull lu their terms. Prussia, in it communication 

 tninsmitUtl, October 13, to the French ministry, 

 declared her approbation of coercive measures, so far 

 us they luul fur tlicir object to blockade ports and 

 IH.I-IN, but would not consent to (lie entrance of 

 French troops into Belgium, unless the king of Hol- 

 iaud should commit acts of hostility against that 

 power. The ordinary session of the statM-general of 

 llie Netherlands was op-ncd on tin- 15th, by !i speech 

 from Uie throne, in which arc these words: " I am 

 liappy in being able to state to your high mightinesses 

 that tlie means of defence orgiiniwd along our fron- 

 tiers are on the most satisfactory footing, anil that our 

 land and sea forces merit the greatest praise for their 

 dix-ipline, their warlike ardour, ami their fidelity. If 

 the interest of the country should require a greater 

 display of forces, I am prepared with all necessary 

 means fbr that purpose. The provincial and com- 

 munal administrations have terminated their labours 

 relative to the levy of the militia and communal 

 guards ; our colonies are supplied with the troops 

 and ships necessary for tlieir defence ; and our fish- 

 eries and commerce liave received the requisite pro- 

 tection." 



To bring this long-protracted dispute to a close, a 

 convention was finally concluded between France and 

 Kngliind (October 2z), requiring Belgium to surren- 

 der \ enloo, and Holland Antwerp, by the 2d of No- 

 vember. If this requisition was not complied with by 

 Holland at that date, it was stipulated, between the 

 two contracting powers, tliat the combined fleet of 

 France and Great Britain should blockade the Dutch 

 ports ; and, if Antwerp was not surrendered by the 

 12th, that a French army should enter Belgium, and 

 begin its march towards that city on the loth. In 

 the preamble of this convention, the contracting 

 powers express their " regrets that their majesties, 

 the emperor of Austria, the king of Prussia, and the 

 emperor of all the Russias, are not prepared to con- 

 cur in active measures to carry the treaty into effect." 



The ordinary session of the Belgian chambers was 

 opened on the 14th November. The following is an 

 extract from the king's speech on the occasion : 

 "After long delays, less injurious, however, to the 

 interests of the country than might be apprehended, 

 the moment is at last arrived when I can comply with 

 the wishes of the chambers and the nation, by leading 

 the powers who were guarantees of the treaty of 

 the 15th November [1831], to insure its execution. 

 Those powers, having acquired the certainty that, in 

 longer abstaining from adopting measures, they 

 would place Belgium in the absolute necessity of 

 doing herself justice, were unwilling to incur the 

 risk of a general war. United by a formal conven- 

 tion, two of them have engaged to begin the execu- 

 tion of the treaty by the immediate evacuation of our 

 territory. The fleets of France and England will 

 fetter the commerce of Holland ; and, if these means 

 of coercion are not sufficient, in two days a French 

 army will advance, without troubling the peace of 

 Europe, to prove that the guarantees giveii are not 

 vain words." 



In fact, a British order in council of the 6th had 

 already laid an embargo on Dutch vessels in the 

 ports of Great Britain, and, on the 10th and llth, 

 several divisions of the combined English and French 

 fleet had sailed to begin the blockade of the Dutch 

 coasts. Finally, en the 15th, marshal Gerard entered 

 Belgium at the head of a French army, and directed 

 his march towards Antwerp. After a protracted de- 

 fence of the citadel by general Cliasse, it surrendered 

 on the 1st of January, 1833, and was evacuated by 

 the Dutch. Since that time, the king of Holland 



in June, 1833, the British embargo on Dutch vessels 

 was removed. 



HKUSRAPE (the ancient .-Him (inrmriun ; in Ger- 

 man, (Sriechisch /Peissenbur!.', which name, however, 

 is seldom used) ; a Turkish commercial city and 

 fortre-> iii Servia, at the confluence of the Save and 

 the Danube, with 30,000 inhabitants, consisting of 

 four parts, the citadel in the centre, which commands 

 the Danube, is well fortified, is the resilience of (lie 

 pacha of Servia, and contains the chief mosque. The 

 whole number of mosques in B. is fourteen. Between 

 the citadel and the other three parts of the city then- 

 is an empty space, 400 yards wide. B. is badly 

 built; the streets are not paved. At the mouth of 

 the Save lies the island of the Gipsies. B., on ac- 

 count of its important situation, plays a conspicuous 

 part in almost every war between Austria and Tur- 

 key. After having been, at ditlerent times, in ibe 

 possession of the Greeks, Hungarians, Bulgarian 

 Bosnians, Servians, and Austrians, it was, in 1 1 1 ' 

 and 1456, besieged by the Turks, and, in 1521, con- 

 quered by Solyman II. In 1688, the Austria i: 

 conquered it, but lost it again in 1 690. Prince Eugene 

 took it in 1717, and the peace of Passarowitz, in 1718, 

 left it in the hands of Austria, but it was again lost 

 in 1739. The Porte retained it by the terms of the 

 peace of Belgrade, in 1739, on condition that the 

 fortifications which Austria had erected should be 

 demolished a work which required almost nine 

 months. General Laudon took B. in 1789, but it 

 was restored to the Porte at the peace of Szistowe, 

 in 1791. In 1806, it was taken by the revolutionary 

 Servians, but, with their suppression, it came again 

 into the hands of the Turks. Formerly, a bishop 

 resided here, but his seat is now in Semendria. 



BELGRANO, Manuel, was born at Buenos Ayres, of 

 wealthy parents, who emigrated from Italy. After 

 completing his education at the university of Sala- 

 manca, he was appointed secretary of the consulado 

 at Buenos Ayres, and thus came in contact continu- 

 ally with the mercantile classes, the most enlightened 

 and important portion of the population of that city. 

 His polished and amiable manners, and his taste for 

 letters and the fine arts, enabled him to improve the 

 opportunity afforded him by his situation, so as to 

 acquire extensive popularity. When the political 

 troubles in America commenced, B. was at first dis- 

 posed to favour the princess Carlota, sister of Ferdi- 

 nand, and establish an independent monarchy in 

 Buenos Ayres. But he soon adopted the plan of 

 erecting a perfectly free government, and entered 

 with zeal and ability into the measures which pre- 

 pared and followed the deposition of the viceroy 

 Cisneros, in May, 1810. In the new order of things, 

 B. entered on a military career, and was speedily 

 raised to the rank of general, in which capacity he 

 commanded the expedition sent against Paraguay, 

 which, after advancing into the heart of that pro- 

 vince, was compelled, by the skill of Yedros and 

 Francia, to return to Buenos Ayres, without an en- 

 gagement, and leave the Paraguayans unmolested. 

 B.'s next enterprise was more successful. September 

 24, 1812, he gained a complete victory over the 

 royalist general D. Pio Tristan, at Tucuman, and 

 thus defeated the intended expedition of the latter 

 against Buenos Ayres. On the 13th of February 

 following, he obtained another signal victory over 

 Tristan at Salta. But these brilliant advantages 

 were soon followed by equally striking reverses. B. 

 imprudently released Tristan and his troops upon 

 their parole, which the Spaniards, with that profli- 

 gate disregard of all conventions and engagements, 

 which has characterized their policy in the contest 

 with the South Americans, dishonourably violated. 



has acceded to the terms of France and England, and \ The consequence was, that general Pczuela, with the 



