Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/546

530 The Belgian revolution owed its success to the union of the Roman Catholics and the Liberals ; and the king had been very careful to maintain the alliance between these two parties. This continued to be the character of the Government up to 1840, but by degrees it had been becoming more and more conservative, and was giving rise to dissatisfaction. A ministry was formed on more liberal principles, but it clashed with the Catholic aristocracy, who had the majority in the Senate. Disputes arose which caused great excitement among the people, and the cabinet resigned. A new ministry was then formed, under M. Nothomb, of a unionist or mixed kind. In 1842 a new law for the organization of public primary instruction was passed, which, however, did not meet with the approval of the clergy. In 1844 a commercial treaty was concluded with the German Zollverein ; and soon after similar treaties were formed with France and Holland. The Nothomb ministry retired in 1845, and for seven months M. Van de Weyer attempted to carry on affairs with a mixed ministry ; but he found it impossible to maintain harmony among the different factions. A Catholic administration was then formed, which was attacked with the greatest fury by the Liberals. The latter summoned a Liberal congress to meet at Brussels (14th June 1846), composed of delegates from the different Liberal associations throughout the country. Three hundred delegates met and deliberated with the greatest calmness, drawing up an Act of Federation and a programme of Belgian Liberalism. The elections of 1847 gave a majority in favour of the Liberals ; the cabinet resigned, and a Liberal administration took its place and formally announced a new policy. Hence it happened that when next year France was in revolution and her king a fugitive, Belgium remained calm and unshaken. When the news reached Brussels the king convoked a council of his ministers and offered to resign if they thought that it would avert calamity or conduce to the public welfare. The ministers replied that a constitu tional monarchy was best fitted for the people, and that a republic was neither according to their wishes nor adapted to their character. The democratic societies of Brussels attempted a revolutionary movement, but met with little success. At this time a new electoral law was issued lower ing the franchise to 20 florins worth of property (33s. 4d.), by which the number of electors was at once doubled ; and soon after another law reduced the qualification for muni cipal councils to 46 francs (36s.) These timely concessions gave general satisfaction, and completely disarmed the extreme democratic party ; so that when an expedition was organized in Paris against the throne of Leopold, with the countenance and aid of certain members of the French Government, it met with no sympathy and totally failed in its object. On the night of the 24th March the conspira tors, to the number of about 800 French and 100 Belgians, arrived at Quievrain by train, but they were at once sur rounded by the military and peasants and made prisoners. Alarmed at this attempt the Government strongly reinforced the frontier towns with troops, and was thus able to repulse a more formidable invasion that took place a few days later. Belgium, however, suffered severely from the shock given to commercial credit and general industry. The discounts at the bank, which in 1847 had been 160,200,000 francs, sank, in 1848, to 86,900,000 francs, and the current accounts fell from 183,000,000 francs to 96,000,000 francs. The panic soon rendered the payment of notes in cash impossible ; and the Government, by a iaw passed 28th March 1848, suspended cash payments, and authorized the bank to issue inconvertible notes to a limited ^xtent. By this seasonable measure public credit was restored, and industry speedily revived. The attention of the Government was now largely directed to the stimulating of private industry and the carrying out of public works of great practical utility, as the extension of railways and the opening up of other internal means of communication. Commercial treaties were also entered into with various countries with the view of providing additional outlets for industrial pro ducts. The king also sought as much as possible to remove from the domain of politics every irritating question, believing that a union of the different parties was most for the advantage of the state. In 1850 the question of middle class education was settled. In August of that year the whole country between Brussels and the French frontier suffered greatly from excessive rains ; the country for many leagues was flooded, many lives were lost, and the destruction of property was very great. On 25th Septem ber the king laid the foundation stone of a monument in Brussels to commemorate the national congress which in 1831 had fashioned the new destinies of the country, and on llth October the queen died. In 1852 the Liberal cabinet was overthrown, and a ministry of conciliation was formed. A bill was passed authorizing the army to be raised to 100,000 men including reserve. The elections of 1854 modified the parliamentary situation by increasing the strength of the Conservatives ; the ministry resigned and a new one was formed under M. de Decker, of moderate Catholics and Progressives. At the Paris conference of 1856, which settled the peace with Russia, the French minister, Count Walewski, complained of Belgium per mitting to issue from its press publications the most hostile and insulting to France and her government, in which revolt and assassination were openly advocated. The remarks caused great indignation in Belgium. In 1857 violent discussions took place between the Liberal party and the Roman Catholics on the question of the administration of charities throughout the kingdom. Since 1830 the administration of these had been vested in the secular power, and the Catholic party had long sought to get this power into their own hands. When, therefore, M. de Decker, who supported their views, became head of the ministry, the priests made every exertion, even by bribery, to influence the elections so as to obtain a majority in their favour. In April the ministry of M. de Decker brought in a bill practically abolishing the existing law on the subject. The bill met with the most violent opposition ; the discus sions, which extended over 27 sittings and were charac terized by great animosity, revealed a growing spirit of exaction and intolerance on the part of the clergy ; but eventually it was carried by a majority of 60 to 41. The result caused great excitement among the people, the Liberal deputies were cheered, and the principal Catholic speakers hooted and insulted. The agitation extended to the provinces, and the military had to be called out to restore peace. Eventually the bill was withdrawn, and the ministers gave in their resignations. The elections for the communal councils gave a great majority in all the im portant towns in favour of the Liberals. A new Liberal ministry was formed under M. Rogier. In 1860 the com munal octrois, or the taxes on articles of food brought into the towns, were abolished ; and in 1863 the navigation of the Scheldt was made free. This last year, also, a treaty of commerce and navigation was concluded with England. The elections of July 1864 gave a majority to the Liberals in the Chamber of Representatives, and the ministry of M. Rogier continued in office. On the 10th December 1865 King Leopold died, after a reign of 34 years. He was greatly beloved by his people, and much respected by the other sovereigns of Europe. He was repeatedly chosen to decide in international dis putes; and the grievances of hostile Governments were not uufrequently submitted to him. His well-known 