Part 14

[127] „Bruxelles le 1er septembre 1830.—Un entretien que je viens d'avoir avec M. le comte de Crucquenbourg, aide de camp de V. A. R., m'a fait connaître à mon regret le fâcheux malentendu qui paraît avoir existé entre V. A. R. et la seconde députation relativement aux couleurs adoptées par la garde bourgeoise comme signe de ralliement. Aucun des membres de la commission n'a prononcé un seul mot qui pût faire supposer l'intention de s'engager, au nom de la garde bourgeoise, à quitter les insignes imposés par les circonstances impérieuses où nous nous sommes trouvés la semaine dernière. Les chefs de la garde bourgeoise et moi, nous serions entièrement disposés à faire aux désirs de V. A. R. le sacrifice d'une simple question d'amour propre, mais l'opinion générale, énergiquement manifestée par les événemens de cette nuit, ne nous permet pas de renoncer _quant à présent_ aux couleurs brabançonnes sans nous rendre responsables des plus effrayantes conséquences. Je supplie respectueusement V. A. R. au nom de la sécurité publique, que nous avons su protéger jusqu'à présent, au nom de la dynastie à laquelle nous restons fidèles, de ne pas insister sur un point dont l'existence n'est que momentanée, dans l'heureux espoir que sa présence pourra, par une noble et entière confiance, rallier les Bruxellois et tous les Belges aux couleurs royales, que la force irrésistible des choses leur a seule fait quitter momentanément. (Signé) BARON VAN DER LINDEN D'HOOGHVORST” (bij een dépêche van Sir Charles Bagot, 7 Sept. 1830; F. O.).—Met „les événemens de cette nuit” worden de vergadering van de officieren der burgerwacht en de volksoploop bedoeld, waarvan Juste (II, 38) en van der Smissen (bij de Kerchove de Denterghem, Préliminaires de la Révolution belge, p. 16) spreken.—De voorstelling, die de prins van het gebeurde aan Bagot gaf, komt niet met den brief van d'Hooghvorst overeen. „H. R. H. assured me, that when the second deputation waited upon him at Vilvorde, they took off, of their own accord, the colors which they had worne upon their arrival; and in the conversation which then passed between him and them upon the subject of these colors, he had certainly understood, that upon his entering the town they should be no longer worne. Upon his arrival the next day before Brussels, and only at the moment when he met the garde bourgeoise close to the town, the letter, of which H. R. H. allowed me to take the enclosed copy, was put into his hands.”

[128] Zie, behalve Juste, voor het verblijf van den prins te Brussel vooral de Kerchove de Denterghem; ook Stern, Geschichte Europa's IV, 104 (met bericht van Lamoussaye van 4 Sept. 1830).

[129] Zijn berichten zijn nog enkel door Prof. Stern gebruikt.—Voorts zijn voor deze periode van veel belang de stukken, uitgegeven door graaf de Kerchove de Denterghem in de Revue de Belgique van 1897 (Les Préliminaires de la Révolution belge).

[130] „This assembly is the council which directs the course of policy adopted by the Belgians, and is composed of all persons of property or influence belonging to this country who choose to resort to it. It was first formed on the 27th in the outset of this insurrection, when Monsieur de Sécus was named president [Juste II, 27]. As the insurrection appeared to gain strength and ground, this assembly became more numerous, and it has lately been attended by many of the principal nobles of this place as well as the members of the States General. It has not assumed any title, nor is it openly avowed, but it is the spring which directs ostensibly the whole machine now in movement, and I cannot describe it better than by saying it is the Great Council of this insurrection.”

[131] Den graaf van Aerschot, baron Joseph d'Hooghvorst, en voorts de kamerleden de Brouckere, de Gerlache, de Langhe, le Hon, Huysman d'Annecroix en Surlet de Chokier.

[132] Het bericht van Cartwright is zoo goed als uit de eerste hand, daar hij juist na het vertrek der deputatie Vilvoorde passeerde en daar door Prins Frederik ontvangen werd, die hem mededeelde wat de heeren hadden gezegd. „They plainly told H. R. H. that all parties were united in requesting a complete and unqualified declaration on the part of His Majesty, that He consented to an immediate separation of the Southern from the Northern Provinces, and that nothing short of it would be deemed satisfactory”. Werd de proclamatie van den 5den bekend gemaakt, „they would not be responsible that in the moment of irritation, when carried away by their excited feeling, the enraged populace might not hoist the French tricolour flag in spite of all endeavours to restrain them.”

[133] „I do not believe from what I can learn from the best sources, that H. R. H. ever pledged himself to return here on the 6th, but the leaders having made this idea current, when it was generally credited they took advantage of it to excite the feeling of the people against H. R. H. by representing Him as having broken faith, and they were glad of such an opportunity of counteracting the popularity he had certainly gained by entering the town on the 1st and his general conduct during his stay in it.”

[134] „On the 8th, a most extraordinary change occurred in the resolutions of the assembly.... When it came to the question of actually nominating the individuals to compose the Provisional Government, the deputies de Celles, Brouckere, de Langhe, seemed to have perceived that it began to be a very serious affair; that they were closing the door to any reconciliation with the Government, and their cooler judgments induced them to decline the honour the assembly proposed to confer upon them. Monsieur de Stassart alone had courage to declare his readiness to accept the post.”

[135] Hij werd den 14den September vervangen door graaf de Vilain XIIII, die evenmin zitting nam.

[136] Zie de Kerchove de Deuterghem, bl. 48.

In de nieuwe commissie, gelijk in de burgerwacht zelf, waren dus twee richtingen vertegenwoordigd. Ziehier hoe Cartwright ze onderscheidt. „The liberal party is the least numerous, and its leaders, with the exception of M. de Celles, Stassart and one or two others, neither of family, nor influence, nor property, but are chiefly young men who idolize M. de Potter as their divinity, and certain lawyers who are editors or scribblers in the _Courrier des Pays-Bas_. They are of the school of M. Lafayette, and I believe them to be ready to go any lengths rather than to be ruled any longer by the present dynasty.—The catholic party[137] consists of all the nobles and persons of wealth and influence in the country, the most respectable inhabitants concerned in trade, and the clergy. They wish that Belgium should have its own independent institutions, but certainly do not desire to withdraw their allegiance to the House of Nassau.... The desire to repel any attempt to introduce troops into the town before the separation was satisfactorily decided has been the common tie which kept them perfectly united to all appearance so long as Prince Frederick remained at Vilvorde. The decision therefore which the government has taken to withdraw the troops from the immediate neighbourhood of the town has certainly been very judicious, and is already shewing its effects, for it has not only removed out of the way of the leaders of this insurrection the power of sounding the alarm, with which they at pleasure increased the excitement among the people and rallied the spirits of those who were inclined to relax in their ardour for the revolutionary cause, but by taking from the inhabitants all necessity for thinking of further defence, has left them to quarrel among themselves, and indeed evident symptoms of dissentions have already manifested themselves within these two days.... The liberals or violent party hold the rabble in their pay and may put them in motion at pleasure.... Only last night an attempt was made to burn an hospital where there are a few sick soldiers, and the principal surgeon is a Dutchman. A thousand men of the lowest class have been enrolled very improperly in the Burghers guard and receive a florin each _per diem_.... The town is now beginning to feel the evil effects of the revolt, commerce is at a complete stand and the retail trade has suffered most severely from the alarm which has induced hundreds of families to leave the place. The Bank up to yesterday refused to change their own bills at any other rate than giving only one fifth in cash, so that a person presenting a bill for 500 florins only obtained 100 florins in money and the rest in bank bills. This want of money has caused the most serious inconvenience, and if matters remain _in statu quo_ for a week or two longer, great apprehensions are entertained that several bankruptcies will declare themselves in different parts of the country.... A change must take place, and I am inclined to think from the best information that one of the two following cases will occur shortly. Either the catholic party will upon finding the excitement abating take the first plausible pretext of declaring themselves content to await the result of the only legal mode of settling the question of separation;—or the liberals will with the aid of the rabble carry their point and declare for France. The object of this party is to establish the independence of Belgium under the protection of France, but few of the nobles, manufacturers or persons connected with trade being in favor of it, I cannot believe it will be attempted in any earnest. The leaders complain of having been but badly seconded by the towns in Belgium with exception of Louvain and Liege, where the insurrection has been complete. Antwerp has decided on an address to the King, and Ghent is expected to follow the example”[138].

[137] Later spreekt hij, meer juist, van „de gematigden”.

[138] Tot zoover Cartwright 10 September.—„Gand et surtout Anvers jettent les hauts cris. Messieurs du commerce et de l'industrie ont peur que, le divorce accompli, les Hollandais ne mettent l'Escaut en bouteilles” (Lesbroussart aan de Potter. 9 Sept. 1830; bij Juste II, 181).—In de verzameling-van Maanen berusten een vrij groot aantal brieven uit de eerste helft van September, geschreven uit Kortrijk, Oudenaarde, Gent, Aalst, Antwerpen, Lier, Borgworm.—Overal is het nog stil, vooral in de beide Vlaanderen. „De rebellen hadden eerst _grieven_. Zij eischen alsnu de _scheiding van het Rijk_. Morgen bevelen zij den _afstand des Konings_, en overmorgen de vereeniging met Frankrijk” (Audoor, Oudenaarde 11 Sept.).—„Gelooft Z. M. misschien, dat de gevraagde afscheiding van Noord en Zuid, al wierd zij dadelijk toegestaan onder de gunstigste voorwaarden voor de rebellen, de rust zoude herstellen en de Fransche factie tot zwijgen brengen?.... De kroon die men veinst de dynastie over het Walenland te willen laten dragen, zal op een prijs gesteld worden dien het aloude Oranjehuis niet kan aannemen zonder zich bij de tegenwoordige en toekomende generatiën te onteeren. Bukt men niet onder dat smadelijk juk [van Roomsch te worden, meent hij], dan wordt de gebrandmerkte troon aan een zoon van d'Orléans opgedragen..... Ik vertel hier geen sprookjes; dit is het plan, immers de correspondentie wakkert alle subalterne agenten aan, om het volk met dat denkbeeld vertrouwd te maken. Men snoeft op stellige beloften van het Fransche gouvernement, om _à point nommé_ te hulp te komen.... Hier in de Kempen is alles gerust en vindt men tot nu toe niet het minste spoor van oproergeest. Deze provincie en de Vlaanderen zijn door het onderwijs al meer Nederlandsch geworden als de woelzieke Waalsche” (Bergmann, Lier 14 Sept.).—„De Belgische provinciën willen geene republiek uitmaken; zij willen nog minder deel maken van Frankrijk” (Schuermans, Aalst 16 Sept.).—„Tout est tranquille dans les provinces flamandes jusqu'à présent. Toujours est-il vrai que les contributions ne rentrent pas; que ce serait imprudent d'en forcer le payement par exécution, et que des embarras financiers pour le service public en seront bientôt le résultat....” (Audoor, Gent 19 Sept.).

Den 14{den} September schrijft Cartwright als volgt:

„A most violent struggle is at this moment going on between the two parties in the council at the Hôtel de Ville. Since Sunday morning[139] the liberals have three several times attempted to proclaim a Provisional Government, which has only failed through the resolution with which it was met by the Barons d'Hooghvorst[140] and their adherents. In the terms of a proclamation, issued by the _commission de sûreté_, the liberals saw an inclination to return to order, which but ill accorded with their views, and they have consequently been directing all their efforts to overturn that commission[141].... Such a step as proclaiming a Provisional Government at the moment the King's speech[142] might be expected to arrive, could only have been pressed by a party resolved to carry matters to extremities, and who feared to find in that document a communication which might satisfy the public mind. The nature, impolicy and folly of such a measure were set forth in their true light, and the moderate party prevailed on the council to reject the proposition.... The moderate party would desire nothing better than to find some door open to them, by which they could with consistency get out of this scrape, and much as I am convinced they wish it, they still profess that they never will abandon the cause in which they have embarked, until some satisfactory assurance be given by the King, that the separation shall have H. M.'s consent.... The Barons d'Hooghvorst are very popular with the respectable inhabitants, among whom they have a very large party, and by whom they are very much respected, and were they to receive on the part of the King any assurance which they might offer to their party as perfectly satisfactory, I am convinced it is not only in their power to do so, but that they would instantly reestablish the King's government and authority.... There is such a dread that the crisis will be attended with tumult and disorder of the most vicious descriptions, in case the liberal party succeed in their schemes, that hundreds of persons have been leaving the town yesterday and to-day, and among them many of the Bourgeois themselves. The nobility evidently desire to quit the town from the fear that they may be considered as countenancing the revolt, and they have all either retired to the country, or have proceeded to the Hague.... Arms continue to arrive from Liege, and quantities of pikes are making to arm the rabble in case of force being used. The colliers from the neighbourhood of Mons, known under the name of the Borains, alone amount to 15.000 men, all too willingly to lend their assistance when called upon.”

[139] 12 September.

[140] Emanuel, den commandant der burgerwacht, en diens broeder Joseph.

[141] „Nous sommes toujours dans la légalité, cette niaiserie qui fait sourire tous les gens éclairés, et que certaines gens n'ont imaginé que parce qu' ils s'étaient mis en avant et qu'ils craignent, non sans raison, pour leur cou.... Tous ces messieurs rêvaient déjà, il y a quelque temps, lorsque le prince était ici, aux postes élevés qui les attendaient dans leur imagination; l'un d'eux poussa le délire jusqu' à parler d'un ton de protecteur à moi” (Levae aan de Potter, ± 13 Sept. 1830; bij Juste II, 186).

[142] Ter opening van de zitting der Staten-Generaal.

Cartwright 17 September: „The King's speech reached Brussels on the evening of the 14{th} and has not had the effect of satisfying either party. On the same day it was received, a dinner was given by the sections to the deputation from Liege[143] as well as the officers of the Liegeois guard, of whom about 150 still remain at Brussels, the rest having been found too disorderly and inclined to mischief to render them a desirable aid in the unsettled state of the town, and were consequently sent back to Liege the end of last week. This dinner was attended by the staff of the Garde Bourgeoise, but the Barons d'Hooghvorst, and most of the moderate party, were not present. About six, the staff retired on account of their duties at the Hôtel de Ville, when the commander of the Liegeois, Monsieur Rogier, an attorney, was called to the chair. Soon afterwards he announced the receipt of the King's speech, which he read aloud to the company, but every sentence was received with strong marks of disapprobation, which increased as he proceeded, until at length, when he read the last paragraph but one, wherein the King declares he will not yield to faction[144], an uproar ensued which beggars all description. My informant, who is an officer of the Garde Bourgeoise and was present from motives of curiosity, told me that the cries of _aux armes, vive la liberté, à bas le Roi_ resounded on all sides. Swords were unsheathed and the tumult and exaltation so great that for many minutes the President could not proceed, and when at length he terminated, the speech was burnt amidst the acclamations of the company. Monsieur Jottrand, one of the editors of the _Courrier_, then addressed the assembly and said that though the King in the commencement of his speech had spoken _en Rodomont_[145], he had in the sequel given proofs of a better disposition by proposing the two points for the immediate discussion of the States General[146], and he recommended that the result of that discussion should be awaited with patience. Monsieur Claes, another of the editors of that paper, supported Monsieur Jottrand, and though this opinion was evidently participated but by very few, some sort of order was by degrees reestablished. Whilst this scene was in full force, the people had collected in the neighbourhood of the Hôtel de Ville to the number of several hundreds, and instigated by secret agents, burnt the King's speech, and evinced such a disposition to riot as to render it expedient to beat the _générale_. The Garde Bourgeoise in a few minutes mustered 2000 strong, in time to prevent some incendiaries from setting fire to the theatre, and in an hour afterwards the effervescence was completely subdued.

[143] „Deputations have arrived from various towns during the last three days, to offer succour in men, in case of need” (Cartwright 14 Sept.).

[144] In den Franschen tekst: „Tout préparé à aller au-devant des vœux equitables, je ne céderai jamais à l'esprit de parti, et je ne consentirai jamais à des mesures qui sacrifieraient le bien-être et les intérêts de la patrie aux passions et à la violence”.

[145] Met „his speech” wordt blijkbaar hier het geheel van troonrede en koninklijke boodschap bedoeld, zoodat de qualificatie van Jottrand niet het begin der eigenlijke rede, maar den in de vorige noot afgedrukten volzin geldt.

[146] „1º. Of de ondervinding de noodzakelijkheid heeft aangetoond, om de nationale instellingen te wijzigen.

2º. Of, in dat geval, de betrekkingen, door de tractaten en door de Grondwet tusschen de twee groote afdeelingen van het koninkrijk gevestigd, tot bevordering van het gemeenschappelijk belang in vorm of aard zouden behooren te worden veranderd”.

The _commission de sûreté_ remained _en permanence_ during the night, and on Wednesday morning four deputies from each section were summoned to the Hôtel de Ville, to deliberate on the measures to be adopted consequent upon the King's speech. To this meeting were also cited the deputations from Liege, Luxemburg and other towns, now at Brussels.... When Count Merode in the name of the _commission de sûreté_ proposed to send an instruction to their members at the States General to press the separation as necessary, to be declared without loss of time, and to put them in possession of the impression produced by the King's speech, the deputies from Liege strongly opposed such a proceeding. They insisted that a Provisional Government should be declared forthwith,—that all further transactions with the King's Government were useless and absurd, and that the Bruxellois were deceiving the expectations of the rest of Belgium by the slow and cautious course they were disposed to follow. The Bruxellois declared that their desire and intention was to keep within what they considered the _voie légale_; that their deputies being at the Hague, they were willing to await the result of their efforts before they took any further step, but that they wished to send them an exposé of their views, that they might be laid before the King, to prove H. M. the necessity of recommending to the States General that the separation should be promptly settled. The Liegeois, supported by the deputies from all the other towns, declared that they were extremely dissatisfied with the conduct of the Bruxellois, who if they would not of their own accord take more decided measures, should be made to adopt them by extraordinary means; and they then attempted to intimidate them by threatening them not only to summon a force from Liege and other towns to impel them forward, but to let loose upon them the population from the Borinage.... A violent dispute followed, but the Bruxellois remained firm, and the result was that the Liegeois and their adherents, finding they could not carry their point, seceded from the meeting. Only one of the deputies of the sections of Brussels followed them, and that was Monsieur Ducpétiaux, an intimate friend of Monsieur de Potter and a violent liberal.... The Liegeois and their friends, when they seceded, retired to the Hôtel de la Paix, the inn where they had dined the day previous, and there drew up another address, which directs the deputies to return if they cannot in the Chamber establish the principle of the separation immediately....

It was always expected that disturbances would be fomented on Tuesday night, and it is now beyond doubt evident that the dinner given on the very day the speech was to be received at Brussels, and the attempts at disturbances instigated by secret agents, who _themselves_ burnt the speech to excite the rabble, were parts of a deep plan to throw the town into confusion in the midst of which the Provisional Government was to be established, and it is a matter of some consequence that notwithstanding every effort was used to ensure the success of the object in view, the wild schemes of the violent party completely failed. The language against the Royal Family and the general tone which prevailed at the dinner disgusted even many of the most furious liberals, and at the Hôtel de Ville, Monsieur Jottrand, Claes and Remi, who have hitherto been regarded as advocates for the violent party, sided completely with the moderates.