398 BELGIUM. 



subsequently, under tlie domination of Spaniards and Austrians, the language of tlio 

 people was disdainfully treated as a patois, and seldom employed by writers. In 1803 

 Napoleon ordered tbat French alone was to be employed by Government, and nine 

 years later, to facilitate the labours of his censors of the press, every Flemish news- 

 paper was compelled to supply a French translation of its contents. When the 

 Hollanders became masters of the country they favoured the use of Dutch, and the 

 Flemings, no less than the Wallons, felt themselves aggrieved. The revolution of 

 1830 brought about another change, and French once more became the official 

 lano-iiao-e throughout Belgium. At the time, however, it was not known that the 

 Flemings were so numerous, and the census, which showed that out of every ssven 

 Belgians four sj)oke Dietsch, even surprised the Flemings themselves.* 



In the course of the last fifty years a few villages have perhaps become French, 

 but of far greater importance has been the almost imperceptible growth of French 

 in the larger towns, a growth only natural if we bear in mind that French is 

 the language of Government, of the army, of commerce, industry, and science. 

 About two-thirds of the newspapers are French,t and as regards general literature 

 Brussels is hardly more than a dependency of Paris. At the close of the last 

 century the government of that city was still carried on in Flemish, and it 

 virtually lies outside the territory of the Wallons, who only occupy one of its 

 quarters, that of Marolles, where they speak a very corrupt local jargon. 



But though French has undoubtedly made progress, Flemish, nevertheless, has 

 gained in strength and dignity, as it were, during the last thirty years. Henri 

 Conscience, the most popular novelist of Belgium, w^rites in Flemish, and hundreds 

 of societies have been founded to encourage its use. An agreement between the 

 Flemings and " heretical " Hollanders has been arrived at since the political bonds 

 between the two countries have been severed, and the same system of orthography 

 is employed now in writing both languages. If the Flemings persevere in their 

 efforts they must in the end succeed in introducing their language into Parliament, 

 the army, courts of justice, and schools, on the same footing as French. 



« In 1830 1,800,000 spoke Flemish, 1,360,000 French ; in 1866, 2,406,500 Flemish, 2,041,800 French; 

 in 1876, 2,659,890 spoke Flemish, 2,256,860 French, 38,070 German, 340,770 French and Flemish, 

 27,700 German and French, 1,790 German and Flemish, and 5,490 the three languages; 7,650 spoke 

 neither of the ahove languages, and 2,070 were deaf mutes. Of the total population, 49-84 per cent, 

 spoke Flemish, 4229 per cent. French, 071 per cent. German, and 6-95 per cent, (mostly Flemings) 

 two or three languages. 



t In 1840 28 daily papers appeared in French, none in Flemish. In 1874 there were 54 French 

 and 14 Flemish daily papers. 



