NEWS OF THE WEEK.
The proclamation of the Prince was dated the 21st of Sep- tember, at Antwerp. The same day on which the proclamation Was issued, a detachment or the Dutch troops, as the Brussels' journalists desigeate those II t fit under the Wye: standard, appeared on the Schaerbeck n1a52,,1 id -.Min a fee- gun-shots of the town. The main body of the Prince's army had already taken up a position at Dieghem and Ever, about three-quarters of a league distant, The town of Brussels was once fortified, but it has long been dismantled. The ditches are in a great measure filled up, and the wills have wholly disappeared ; but the outline of the former fortifications and the boulevards still remain. On the west and north-west sides, there is a wet ditch, over which there is a bridge, that leads by the Flanders gate into the lower town. On the east and south sides, the boulevards rise to a con- siderable height, so as to top the surrounding country. The en- closure called the Park lies towards the east of the city ; it is surrounded by numerous public and private edifices. At the southern extremity of the Park and of the eastern boulevard, is the gate of Namur; and at the northern extremity of the Park and of the same boulevard, is the gate and street of Louvain. The Schaerbeck gate, on the road leading to which the Dutch troops made their appearance in the afternoon of the 21st, is situated about a quarter of a mile to the north of that of Louvain. The town is divided into upper and lower. The former is an elevated plain, of about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile broad, consisting of the Park already mentioned, and the buildings sur- rounding it. It is inhabited chiefly by the wealthy and fashion- able of the citizens and strangers, of whom the English are the most numerous. The lower town is the abode of the shopkeepers, tradesmen, and artisans. The two divisions of Brussels are con- nected by several narrow and very steep streets, and in some cases by flights of stairs. It was at one of these flights of stairs that the most formidable stand of the people is said to have been made. The precise nurnber of the troops that accompanied the Prince in his attack has not been ascertained. Some accounts make them amount to eighteen thousand. This is an evident exaggeration. The whole military force of the King of the Ne- therlands scarcely exceeds forty thousand ; and when the num- ber requisite for the garrisons is deducted, it will be easily seem that it was impossible for him to muster a disposable force of eighteen thousand men. That number would besides have been greater than the adult male population of Brussels ; and with all the experience that recent events have furnished, we cannot believe that irregular troops are superior to regular, unarmed to armed, number for number. The -Paris journal Le Temps, on what authority is not stated, calculates the Prince's troops at seven thousand.; which, we think, must be nearer the truth than the higher estimate. Several days before the publishing of the proelamation and the approach of Prince Ftistenticit, Brus- sels had been in a state of extreme excitement. The Garde Bour- geoise possessed no longer the confidence of the people, and the Provisional Government, from imbecility or treachery, had ceased to act. There was neither law nor authority in the town. Who- ever had property, hastened to remove it to a place of greater se- curity. On Saturday, in the Rue Madeleine, out of about sixty shops, seventeen were shut up, and the remainder exhibited no goods. The return on Sunday of a party of Liegois, who had been out marauding, added to the disorder. The Committee of Safety, which disclaimed all participation in their conduct, and . ordered :he restitution of the plunder—some horses which they had brought in—became the object of general suspicion. In the evening, the Hotel de Ville was attacked, and the arms it con- tained seized by the mob ; and several of the Garde who were on duty were killed. Next day, a party of the mob attacked the guard at the Place de la Justice, and disarmed them ; they pro- ceeded thence to the Place Royale, where they seized a number of pikes and muskets. These disorders, in which it will be seen that the populace were gaieing back by degrees the authority of which they had been deprived by the Garde Bourgeoise at the com- mencement of the insurrection, continued more or less up to the appearance of the Dutch troops on the road of Schaerbeck. This seems to have been the signal for greater unity among the different parties : two pieces of cannon were placed in the street leading to the gates, and two were placed outside the gate of Louvain. Fresh barricades were also thrown up wherever they appeared to be called for. The people in the lower town began at the same time to carry stones and other missiles to the upper stories of the houses, in imitation of the inhabitants of Paris. Not content with these defensive measures, a small party determined on trying the effect of offensive warfare. They pushed forward against the main body of the King's troops, between whose advanced guards and the Brussels sharpshooters a smart skirmish ensued. The jolter, had two men killed and several wounded.
It is in critical periods that men of talent are created or dis- covered. Among the residents of Brussels, were Don JUAN VAN HALEN, a Spanish gentleman, well known for his published me- moirs, -nel Colonel MELLENET, a Frenchman, both persons of Iunlit: -,:- xperience. M. MELLENET had resided in' the town for sever:- years. When the Bruxellois were deserted by the Pro- visional jgovernment, which dissolved itself on the 20th, and of the Committee of Safety, which seems to have melted_ away without the ceremony of a dissolution, they cast their eyes around for leaders ; and in VAN HALEN and MELLENET they fortunately found men who were both able and willing to undertake the task., Count VANDERMEEREN was joined to these gentlemen in directing_ the defences of the town. On the 21st, this military committee began to act, by issuing a notice requesting the attendance of all. military men, or those who had at any time served as such, at the Hotel de Ville, in order that they might take commands among their townsmen. In this way a number of corps of volunteers were formed. In the morning of the 23d, the Prince, forming his troops in three divisions, advanced on the town; one of these was directed on the Flanders, one on the Louvain, and one on the Schaerbeck gate. The first division was allowed to advance with- out interruption, until it reached the fish-market. There they re- mained for nearly an hour, without seeing an enemy, or being in the slightest degree disturbed. At last thirty or forty people made their appearance ; and in a few minutes after, the troops were roused from their dream of peace by a a and galling fire from the surrounding houses, from which, at the same moment, a shower of missiles of every possible description began to hail on their de- voted heads. Among these are mentioned what BURNS calls "new, uncommon weapons," quicklime and vitriol ! The troops were speedily thrown into confusion by this unexpected attack, and endeavoured to retreat ; in which they were so incommoded by the barriers across the street, and so pelted by stones from the houses, that the retreat was soon converted into a flight, and the flight into a scramble who should first reach the gate. A colonel of infantry of this division was killed, and a number of other officers and men killed, wounded, and taken. There was no second attack on the Flanders gate. The attack on the upper town began at nine o'clock. The Prince hada masked battery on the heights between the two gates of Louvain and Schaerbeck, which opened while the troops were advancing to take possession of the gates. The populace occupied the Hotel Bellevue, the Place Royale, the Café de l'Amitie, and the old palace ; these were in consequence the principal objects of the Prince's attack. The gates seem to have been taken p sion of without difficulty. The troops took up a positio 7 r,, 4 , - 4". , ---,e, • . Park: they had a train of six field-pieces. The firing 441, • : - sides continued until the evening, when, as if by mutual 'tlais- it was dropped. • On Friday, the troops seem to have gained po session of infest of the points previously occupied by the.peopli t, • ;,_, but the latter had in the mean time been joined by a number:tor:,4 E N reinforcements from various towns in the neighbourhood ; and their determination to rdist was strengthened by intelligence that arrived in the course of flap day from Louvain, of the King's troops having been twice repulsed in an attempt on that place. In the evening, an attack was made on the Prince, and an ad- vanced post was driven from a house in the neighbourhood of the palace, which they had contrived to occupy. Saturday appears to have been passed in preparations for a final effort. The attack on Sunday commenced at ten in the morning. The King's troops were drawn up, and in the act of marching into the town by the Rue Louvaine and the Place Royale, when four pieces of artillery, advantageously placed by VAN HALEN, opened on the heads of their columns. The fire threw them into con- fusion, and they retreated to the lower part of the Park ; abandon- ing in succession the whole of the houses which they had occu- pied during the previous two days. In quitting these, a great number of the soldiers were killed by the citizens, who lay in wait for them wherever a window or door-way presented an opportunity of avenging themselves.
The soldiers had now been under arms, with hardly a moment of intermission, for five days ; during the whole of that time not a man had put off his jacket, and an hour's sleep, snatched with difficulty on the wet ground, was all the rest that had been allowed to them when fainting with fatigue. It is not wonderful that un- der such circumstances human nature should sink. The fact is, had the Prince remained for twenty-four hours longer in Brussels, he and the whole of his men must have yielded themselves pri- soners, or given up the ghost from mere exhaustion. The utter inability of holding out against fatigue, hunger, and an enemy who, however contemptible, left them not a moment of quiet, determined him to withdraw from the town. His retreat was effected on Monday morning about four o'clock. The last ac- counts left him at Dieghem, the village whence he had marched on the 23rd.
The loss sustained in the attempt on Brussels is stated in one account to amount to three thousand men ; but this comes from a writer who calculates the Prince's force at thirteen thousand, and gives him thirty pieces of cannon. The same authority says that the Prince, it was supposed, meant to bombard the town, or to en- circle it and starve it into submission. We apprehend he will do neither. Indeed, if any one be besieged, we rather think the Prince, who is at present very critically placed, stands the worse chance. The Journal de Gand of the 28th guarantees the advance of. a corps of thirteen thousand men, under General GORTHLIE- GER, upon the rebellious capital of Belgium. Looking to the suc- cess of his master, it would be a more serious task to guarantee his return from it.
The damage done to the town has been great. The Hael de Bellevue, on which the last attack of the Royal troops was made, is almost battered to pieces: many other buildings in the same neighbourhood have been greatly injured, and one or two burned to the ground. • All the accounts represent the conduct of the Dutch troops as barbarous—more befitting an army of Tartars than of Christians. As the English chiefly inhabited the upper town, they were the principal victims of the brutality of these savages. Every letter and all the journals concur in noticing the horrible atrocities com- mitted in a boarding. school of young ladies. The details are not given, but one letter says that two very young women were vio- lated, and then murdered in cold blood ; that in another instance, after murdering the mother, the infant which had dropped from her arms was pierced with a bayonet, and so borne through the ranks ! General Lord BLANTYRE, who had a hotel in the Rue Royale, has fallen a victim to the attack on Brus- sels. One account says he was shot while sitting at the window with Lady BL ANTYRE ; another, that he was killed by a shot that passed through the door. Mr. KINSEY, the author of a book called Portugal Illustrated, who dates his letter on the 28th, and who signs his name to it, describes his Lordship also as a victim of Dutch assassination. Numerous other cases of atrocity are alluded to in the journals, but not particularized. The Globe says it has reason to believe that the reports of attacks on the English are grossly exaggerated. We wish sincerely we had a single fact on which to build a conviction that they had. The English have not been the only victims : it is added, in a communication of the 27th, that when compelled to retreat, the troops vented their fury indiscriminately on all foreigners within their reach, and that a number of Frenchmen were in consequence murdered. A new Provisional Government was arranged, consisting of the following members,—BaronVANDERLINDEN D'HOOGVORST ; CH. ROGIER, advocate in the Tribunal of Liege ; Count FELIX DE MERODE ; GENDEBIEN, advocate in the Tribunal of Brussels ; SYLVAIN DE WEYAR, advocate ; JOLLY, late officer of Engi- neers; JOSEPH VANDERLINDEN, Treasurer ; J. NICOLAY, advo- cate; F. de COPPIN, Secretary. To these gentlemen the follow- ing report was made on the morning of the 27th.
"Head Quarters, September 27, half-past 5 p. m. "Gentlemen,—The enemy, whose deplorable state of demoralization as doubtless completed by the warm action of yesterday, has felt a longer resistance to be impossible, and has just abandoned our walls. The heroic Brussels is free. The Park and all the gates are occupied by our brave men. Major Pal maert, my first aid-decamp, is appointed Go- vernor of the Palaces.
"The remarkable facts that have signalized this day are so numerous, and my occupations so many, that it is not possible for me to give you all the necessary details of this glorious event. As soon as 1 have leisure, one of my first tares, as my dearest duties, will be to acquaint you with the sertices rendered by zumany generous citizens, many of whom pur- chased our memos-able victory with their blood. One of the losses which I most regret, is that of my aide-de-camp, Baron Feelner, who fell yes- terday, while leading one of our detachments, sword in hand, in the attack of La Madeleine; a position so dangerous, and so long disputed.
"To-morrow there will be a general review of our active force.
"The Commander-in-Chief, JUAN VAN HALEN."
The celebrated DE POTTER arrived at Brussels in the afternoon of the 27th. His reception was enthusiastic, the people striving to draw his carriage to the Grand Square, where he was received by the guard with military honours. He has since been nominated one of the Provisional Government.
In the official account of the retreat of the King's troops, pub- lished in the Hague Gazette of the 29th, two officers, a major and lieutenant,: are acknowledged as killed • fourteen are • wounded, among whom are Lieutenant-General Baron J. V. de CONSTANT and Major-General SCHURMAN ; and two lieutenant-colonels, three majors, and twelve others, are declared missing. The killed and wounded of rank and file are not stated, but they are estimated
at 5(10 or 600.
We must not forget to mention, that, previousto the advance of the Prince, M. DUCPETIAUX and M. EVRARD were arrested at Vil- vorde, while acting in the capacity of ambassadors to their insurgent townsmen. This Erech of faith is worthy of the heroes of the 26th of September. In the nieantime, we do not think the ambassadors run any great risk ; the people of Brussels have fearful means of retaliation in their hands. M. DUCPETIA.UX is a gentleman of great worth and talent, the author of several treatises on law, and a steady and earnest advocate for its improvement in his native country. The journals mention the arrest of another civilian, who they say will be detained hostage for one of the "missing" colonels.
While Brussels has been vindicating a right to self-gbvernment, by driving forth with disgrace those who ventured to dispute its exercise, the other towns and cities of the Netherlands have been successfully imitating its gallant example. Liege asserted its in- dependence simultaneously with the capital. The citizens have taken La Chartreuse, a strong fort in the neighbourhood, which commanded the town. Mons and Lotivaine are in the hands of the people. At Bruges and Ostend, the soldiers have been ex- pelled, after having declared that they would no longer fire on their fellow countrymen. The garrison of Tourney have stated that they will not fight against the insurgents. Ghent is all but in a state of insurrection, and Antwerp is in a similar condition. The situation of Malines is admitted by the Hague Gazette to be criti- cal. In a word, the difficulty is to say, not in what quarter of the Netherlands the King's authority is resisted, but in which it is ac- knowledged. Under these circumstances, the proceedings' of the States- General becomes of small moment. The question is not to be settled there. We may mention, however, that, according to the latest accounts, they had advised a treaty with the insurgents ; and it is added, that the latter will consent to an arrangement, provided the Prince of ORANGE be created King, and hold his court permanently at Brussels. His Royal Highness is at the Hague, where he acts as President of the States-General.
