Lettre authographe de son altesse sérénissime maitre Grison, Prince des Alliborons, du village d'Orcq, près de Tournay, a son altesse sérénissime maitre Roussin, Prince des Bourriques, du village de Scharbecke, près de Bruxelles

by Adrien Alexandre Marie Hoverlant de Beauwelaere

[Brussels, 1830 or 1831?]

16 p. | 150 x 99 mm

First and only edition of this "burlesque manifesto in favor of the revolution of 1830; comical list of all the grievances against the government of King William" (Delecourt). Dated 9 November 1830 at end. The Royal Library of Belgium suggests 1831 for date of production, citing no source, but perhaps on account of its composition late in 1830.  ¶ Few in Belgium appear to have been fond of their ruler at the time, King William I of Netherlands. The author certainly holds no punches against him, nor is England spared, upon which the author heaps much blame, the Belgians having been “for three centuries…sacrificed to the policy of England” (p. 4). It reads like an injustice-laden rallying cry written in the midst of tremendous change, which we suppose was indeed the case. The revolution kicked off in August 1830 with riots in Brussels. The country declared independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands on October 4. On November 3, less than a week before this pamphlet was written, the new country established the temporary National Congress—which the author hopes his letter reaches (p. 16)—to draft their constitution. The document came into effect in February 1831, and King Leopold I assumed the throne in July. ¶ Rare. We find two copies only, both in Belgium.

CONDITION: Plain stab-stitched paper wrapper, by all appearances original. Delecourt calls this 26 p., which must be an error; other bibliographers report 16 p., matching the digitized copy at Ghent University. ¶ Leaves a trifle dusty at the edges. Spine fold mostly split, but firmly held in place by the stitching.

REFERENCES: Jules Delecourt, Essai d’un dictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes & pseudonymes publié en Belgique (1863) p. 157, #969; Quérard, Les supercheries littéraires (Paris, 1870), v. 2, col. 219

Item #474