in engravings.

Jean Ver Vloet, the _doyen_ of the artists of Malines, died October
27th, 1869, after a long and successful artistic career. One of the
founders of the society "Pour l'Encouragement des Beaux Arts" of
Malines, he was indefatigable in all art movements of the town. To him
was due the success of the magnificent Cavalcades for which Malines has
been famous. For fifty years he was the director of the Academy of
Design and Painting of his native town.

This ends the list of famous painters of Malines, and so far as I know
it is the first and only one in English. Did space permit I might
include the architects who made Flanders famous the world over as the
cradle of art and architecture.

A Word About the Belgians

A Word About the Belgians

The little country called Belgium, it should be remembered, dates only
from 1830, when the existing constitution was prepared and adopted for
the nine southern provinces of the ancient Netherlands. The sudden and
unexpected revolt against the Dutch in that year has been since styled
"a misunderstanding" upon the part of the Belgians, and was brought
about by the action of the King, William I, of the house of
Orange-Nassau, who attempted ostentatiously to change at once the
language and religion of his southern subjects. They were both Roman
Catholic and conservative to the last degree, attached to traditional
rights and forms and fiercely proud of the ancient separate
constitutions of the southern provinces, which could be traced back to
the charters of the Baldwins and Wenceslas.

Undoubtedly the French Revolution of 1830, which closed the Monarchy of
the Bourbons, hastened the crisis. For the Belgians had no liking for
the rule of the House of Orange-Nassau against which they had
discontentedly struggled for some years more or less openly. But
matters might have gone on thus indefinitely had not the French
Revolution furnished ground for hope of support from a people akin in
religion and language, as well as race. The smouldering fire of
discontent broke into fierce flame on August 25th, 1830, in the city of
Brussels, during a performance of the opera "Muette de Portici," when
the tenor was singing the inspired words of Massaniello:

"Plutot mourir que rester miserable,
Pour un esclave est-il quelque danger?
Tombe le joug qui nous accable,
Et sous nos coups perisse l'etranger.
Amour sacre de la patrie,
Rends nous l'audace et la fierte;
A