The Sun.
London, England, 1830-10-06 00:00:00

NARRATIVE OP THEIATE sTnuontr

IN BRUSSELS.

(Frain the Times.) •
On the evening of Wednesday, the, 22d,, it,
was understood that the Prince commanding the.
King's forces had published a proclamation,
stating his intention of entering the city of Brus-
sels, and promising an amnesty, excepting to' the.
ringleaders of the disaffection and to strangers.`
The vague terms of the exception excited no
small consternation. Every man engaged
affair of course imagined himself of sufficient imp
portance to come within the vengeance. di,'
nounced by the commander of the King's forces.
Strangers in particular were incensed, and de-
termined not to be the tame victims of the.
Prince's unresisted success. In consequence,
they did not regard that part of the proclamation
which ordered them to retire unarmed within
their dwellings. Much of the ultimate success'
of the revolutionists is due to the gallantry of
the foreigners' who, from various causes, arrived'
in Brussels. English, Scotch, Irish, Americans,'
French (in considerable numbers), and Spaniards,,
all fought well ;---some actuated by attachment to
the.popular cause, others by the natural pug-:
nacity of their characters, and many from the'
conviction that, implicated or not in the prac.:
tices of the revolutionists, they would be equal ,
endurers of the sufferings which it was not
doubted that the Dutch, if successful, would
inflict.

Had the Prince proclaimed a general amnesty,
and marched in at the head of his Belgian forces,
and not attempted to force the Dutch soldiers
into the city, 1 am confident he would not have
been resisted. Many of the most opulent inha-
bitants were attached to the Cilll9o of the Crown.
They felt and appreciated the eommerciel sulvan-
tages resulting from the Royal residence at Urns-
sets ; they had experienced the (milli resolting
from several weeks stagnation of business ; were
wearied of soldiering-, and desirous to compro-
mise, on any reasonable terms. A party cer-
tainly was determined to attempt to achieve a
revolution at all hazards ; but their efforts would.
have been rendered abortive (had the Prince
acted more consistently) by the men of property,
' who had much to lose and little to gain by a re-
volution, and by the disinclination of the lower
class of inhabitants to continue the longer en-
durance of the great privations they had under-
gone, for several of the Bourgeois soldiers were
almost starving. To prove this I shall just
mention one fact. Two gentlemen who had
been walking about the city on this evening
(Wednesday, the 22d), were taken up by the
Garde Bourgeoise, and were conducted to their
hotel, to ascertain if they were the persons they
described themselves. These gentlemen re-
quested the guard to partake of some refresh-
ment, and the poor fellows ate like famished
men, and stated that for several days they had
scarcely tasted bread,—that their present supply
had given them new vigour,—and requested to
be allowed to curry with them a loaf or two of;
bread for their comrades. Though thus evi-
dently enduring starvation, the Garde Bourgeoise
committed no excess ; and I can speak from
personal experience of the admirable conduct of
most of the privates of that corps ;,,not so of
most of their officers.

Thus stood the matter on Wednesday even-
ing: the Prince had an army under his com-
mand ; he enjoyed popularity in the city ; he
was aided by famine and disorganization pre-
vailing amongst his opponents, who were de-
serted by the principal part of their chiefs,—the
foul cravens who blenched from the helm when
the wind blew the highest, but who returned
when success became probable, to guide, the
efforts of those few who still struggled on when
all was dark, gloomy, and hopeless,
Despite all his advantages, in opposition to
all human foresight, the Prince has been the
defeated party. His Highness was aided by
many circumstances, but he forgot he had a for-
midable opponent in the excited, the indescrib-
ably excited hatred of the Belgians to the Dutch,
and 'Which could only be rendered tractable b
a conqueror's success, or by the conciliation 01
a beloved Prince, His Highness had the choice
of two courses,—to enter Brussels in ttiumph,
as the vanquisher of the Belgian nation, or as
the friend of the people, relying on their love,,
and unaided by a mercenary foreign army, as the
Dutch are considered by his Belgic subjects.
The Prince was indecisive t he adopted neither
course, but traversed from one to the other. To
pursue the first course, and to enter as a con-
quering Prince, he on Thursday, the 23d, re-
quired but a few resolute troops, for the dis-
union of his enemies and the flight of their
chiefs would have have left but little for dis-
ciplined men to effect. To have adopted sucs
cessfully the other Alternative, and to have corn-
mantled in Brussels as a Prince beloved by the
people, he needed only to have granted a more
precise amnesty, and have promised to enter the
city with those troops alone who were Belgians
by birth, and who, us events have proved, were
not inclined to desert his cause till its success
became more than dubious, and that of his op-
ponents was absorbingly popular,
When in possession of Brussels, he might
have conciliated all parties, for the people were
weary of anarchy, and the possession of the
capital by the Ring's forces would have crushed
the hopes of the revolutionists in other places.
It is difficult to say what the Prince. designed :
his attack on the town was just sufficient to ex-
cite hatred and inspire contempt ; his soldiers
must be moat atrocious cowards—their leaders
the vilest of traitors, or the most unspeakable
idiots. On Thursday morning, the 2311, the
Prince entered in the direction of Scaerheel:
his troops marched down the itue Royale, mill
entered the park. At seven in the morning, he
had encountered but little resistance, WO this
riod I first saw the conflict. The Place do
period I first saw the conflict. The Phuce do
l.ouvain (which lies between the gate Of Scaer-
beck and the Perk? was at this time defended
by not more than s xty or seventy undiseipliocd
Bourgeois, with only one officer that I could
distinguish, They complained bitterly that they
were betrayed, and did not imagine that above
an hour would elapse Wire the Prince won't!
have had full possession of the town, of which
he already otssupied the higher part, with the
itßitllueeyu consequentir,gcienoreei
s$
al. meansm y
exhibited
early
as:
euthntul
oulivnegs
it
tilt
malodor. At this time {seven)4ifynis,sedtt
rzai
119eriflytojaimie),:ogit,rtititairati
tioli)1111):110:.ex..
93 juaililvepe!bilteßiloifin:
e hoe
t
ever, they speedily retired from, sheltering them-
181a;:eiendtgl
iii:erat°:rldfl.ect cornersoQv nfattlityrtrYiao;
heighthidthoex bh4rrerai; ut'o toadt i tie r edhe e untityh
ruwvn up
r:ahe°etr v 4) flii4rti ihre'r'erit
ovebrsYtaccaleretleostleit''hearifitldollWohrichiol rwtse
ixt
hunter would have thought link a leaping these
harriers, At this time ther• t
the houses. w the itittitbicarttb close their
e wits no meg rens