for Van Maanen.

We have now arrived at the eve of the Belgian Revolt, which had its
actual origin in a riot. But the riot was not the cause of the revolt;
it was but the spark which brought about an explosion, the materials for
which had been for years preparing. The French secret agent, Julian,
reports a conversation which took place between the king and Count
Bylandt on July 20,1823[11]. The following extract proves that, so early
as this date, William had begun to perceive the impossibility of the
situation:

I say it and I repeat it often to Clancarty (the British Minister)
that I should love much better to have my Holland quite alone. I
should be then a hundred times happier.... When I am exerting
myself to make a whole of this country, a party, which in
collusion with the foreigner never ceases to gain ground, is
working to disunite it. Besides the allies have not given me this
kingdom to submit it to every kind of influence. This situation
cannot last.

Another extract from a despatch of the French Minister at the Hague,
Lamoussaye, dated December 26, 1828, depicts a state of things in the
relations between the two peoples, tending sooner or later to make a
political separation of some kind inevitable:

The Belgian hates the Hollander and he (the Hollander) despises
the Belgian, besides which he assumes an infinite _hauteur_, both
from his national character, by the creations of his industry and
by the memories of his history. Disdained by their neighbour of
the North, governed by a prince whose confidence they do not
possess, hindered in the exercise of their worship, and, as they
say, in the enjoyment of their liberties, overburdened with taxes,
having but a share in the National Representation disproportionate
to the population of the South, the Belgians ask themselves
whether they have a country, and are restless in a painful
situation, the outcome of which they seek vainly to discover[12].

From an intercepted letter from Louvain, dated July 30, 1829:

What does one see? Hesitation uncertainty, embarrassment and fear
in the march of the government; organisation, re-organisation and
finally disorganisation of all and every administration. Again a
rude shock and the machine crumbles.

A true forecast of coming events.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXXI

THE BELGIAN REVOLUTION, 1