There is agitation just now both in Holland and Belgium.
In Holland the people begin to fear that the dynasty may end, and that a question of succession may arise. The Prince of Orange, a weakly man, is dying ; and the King, now sixty-seven, is in bad health, with a suspicion of Bright's disease. He has a young daughter, but the Crown does not pass to females ; and it is feared that Germany may support the shadowy claim of the House of Nassau, which inherits all the Orange possessions except Holland. In Belgium, again, the Clericals have crushed the Liberals at the elections, the voters dreading a proposed redac- tion of the franchise. The new Premier, M. Malou, is moderate, and the Clericals will not be so fierce under this Pope as under the last ; but the people of the cities fear for the schools, and are furious. Serious riots have occurred in Brussels and Antwerp, and it is feared that the priests may be attacked. Hitherto, however, the transmission of power in Belgium from party to party has been peacefully effected.
