|
sus and persevering people, not devoid of enter-
prise, but led much more rarely than the English
and Americans into adventurous speculations of
doubtful success. The Belgians have less uni-
formity in their habits and disposition; on the
borders of Holland they are hardly to be dis-
tinguished from the Dutch, while in the prov-
inces to the S. the dress and habits ofthe French
are prevalent. Calvinism is the established
religion of the northern provinces, the Roman
Catholic that of the southern ; but there are no
political disqualifications on account of religious
tenets.
The earliest accounts we have of the his-
tory of this country, are from the Romans, by
whom all the southern and central part was con-
quered, and called by them Belgium. After se-
veral political changes, the country came into the
possession of the house .of Burgundy, and by mar-
riage, passed to Maximilian of Austria, father of
Charles V. The latter united the 17 provinces
into one state : but the bigotry and tyranny of his
son Philip II. produced the separation of the 7
United Provinces. The other 10 however, con-
tinued under the Spanish crown till 1702, when
Louis XIV.obtained possession; but after the
battle of Ramillies, in 1706, the Netherlands were
brought under the power of the allies, and assign-
ed toff he Austrians by the peace of Utrecht. In
1741 the French under marshal Saxe recovered
what the preceding generation had lost; but at
the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle the country was
again restored to Austria. In 1792 the French
overran the Austrian Netherlands : they were
driven out of the country in 1793 ; but returned
in 1794, and subdued every part of it; and in
1795 decreed it, with the territories of Liege and
Upper Guelderland, an integral part of the
French republic. To this country they gave the
name of Belgium, and divided it into 9, depart-
ments ; but in 1814, agreeably to the treaty of Par-
is, they evacuated all that part which formerly be-
longed to Austria and Holland : and the 17 prov- -
inces were united and formed into an independent
state.
The above comprises tne description and
historvof the kingdom of the Netherlands as organ-
ized in 1815 and as it remained for 15 years after-
wards. This kingdom no longer exists. The people
of Belgium, or the southern part of the kingdom
never became cordially reconciled to their union
with Holland, and various minor causes of dis-
content servei to augment their dislike to the
government. Tii? revolution of the three days
at Paris set them the example of resistance. On
the 'FA of August 183- xe2x80xa2 the populace of Brussels
rose in insurrection and hoisted the ancient dag
of Bnmant- C indicts with the Dutch troops at-
tended with temole carnage f-llowed, and ended
with the tr-rmal separation of Belgium from Hol-
land. Tne crrvc of Belgium has been succes-
sivelv offered t: the Duke of Nemours, a son of
Louis Pniliype. and Prince Leopold, but the af-
fairs of tae country remain in so uncertain a
Condition t notning satisfactory can be stated
as to its present situati on or future prospects.
The population of the kingdom of the Nether-
lands in lu28 was tffCTAijO. Belgium com-
prised about 3 5ti*s of this number In 1831 a
census of Holland gave 2.44r>J>50.
Neuburg, called also the Younger Palatinate,
formeily a duchy of the German empire, but now
incorporated in” the Bavarian circles of Upper
Danube and Regen. |
Neuburg, a town of Germany, in Bavaria. It
stands on a hill, on the Danube, and has two gates,
but the fortifications are a chiefly gone to decav.
The castle is a large building, and contains a halt
of extraordinary size, embellished with portraits.
It is 11 m. W. of Ingolstadt and 60 S. AV. of Am-
berg. Long. 11. 13. E., lat. 48. 43. N.
Neuburg, a town of Bavaria, seated on the
Schwarza, 19 m. E. S. E. of Amberg.
Neuchateau, a town of France, department of
Vosges, seated in a soil fertile in corn and good
wine, on the river Meuse, 25 m. S. W. of
Nancy.
Neuchateau, a town of the Netherlands, in Lux
emburg, 16 m. S. W. of Bastogne and 30 W. N
W. of Luxemburg.
Ncuchatel, or Neufchatel, a canton of Switzer- :
land, between the lake of Neuchatei and the bor- 1
ders of France. It is a hilly country, and is wa-
tered by several lakes and rivers. The soil is not.
equally fertile ; but there are large vineyards that
produce white and red wine, of excellent quality.
The pastures on the mountains feed a great num-
ber of cattle, and there are plenty of deer in the
forests. The inhabitants are Protestants, except
in the two districts of Landeron and Cressier,
where the Cathohcs are predominant. This dis-
trict, along with that of Vallengtn, was formerly
a separate principality. On the death of the duch-
ess of Nemours, in 1707, the sovereignty was
claimed by Frederic I. of Prussia, as heir to the
prince of Orange, and his right was acknowledg-
ed by the states of the country, whose privileges
and alliances he confirmed. In 1806 Neuchatei
was ceded by the king of Prussia to the French
marshal Berthier. and the grantwas confirmed by
Napoleon. In 1:14 it was rescued from this sub-
jection, and the congress of AYenna acknowledg-
ed it a Swiss canton, though the nominal sover-
eignty of Prussia was preserved.
Neuchatei, the capital of the above canton, is sit-
uate partly on the plain between the lake of
Neuchatei and the Jura, and partly on the side
of that mountain. The chief article of exporta-
tion is wine, produced from the neighbouring
vineyards and much esteemed; and it has manu-
factures of printed linens and cottons. 25 m. N.
E. of Lausanne and 25 W. of Bern. Long. 7. 0. E.
lat. 47. 5. N.
Neuchatei, a town of France, department of
Lower Seine, noted for excellent cheese. 20 m.
S. E. of Dieppe.
Neuchatei, a lake of Switzerland, about 20 m.
long and four broad. At the N E. extremity it
has a communication with the lake of Biel by a
narrow outlet.
Ncuffen, a town of Germany in Wurtemberg,
with a fortress called Hoheneuffen, 17 m. S. E.
of Stuttgard.
NeuJuius, a town of Bohemia, with a castle, 27
m. E. by S. of Bechin.
Neuhaus, a town of Hannover, in the duchy
of Bremen, near the mouth of the Oste. It was
once a place of great trade, but a sand bank
arising in the harbour, at the entrance of the Oste
into the Elbe, it is now much less freauenled. It
is 19 m. N. W. of Stade.
Neuhausel, a town of Hungary, seated in a
marshy plain, on the river Neitra. 43 m. E. S. E.
of Presburg.
Neukirehen, a town of Germany, in Hesso
Cassel, on the river Fulda, 32 m. S. S. E. of Cas-
sel.
Neumagen, a town of the Prussian province of |
