Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/508

488 BELGIUM PROVINCES. Are*. Pop., Jan. 1, 1849. Pop., Dec. 31, 1866. Pop., Dec. 31, 1869. 1098 418,824 478,167 4SA8S8 Brabant . ... 1268 711,882 819,182 StiH.li-.-2 Flanders, W Flanders, Hainaut 1,249 1,158 1437 626,847 7M.14:i 7^8,539 689,64.3 801,859 846.146 Oiki.WJ 829,887 884,319 1 119 460 608 557.549 . r )S4.71s 931 186,621 195.850 I*.7:i7 Luxemburg 1.704 1,418 187,978 26t.,143 isiii.ioc, 299,808 204,826 810,903 Total 11,872 4,859,090 4.829,320 5,021,886 The annual increase of the population since 1856 has been about -962 per cent. In 1868 there were 163,619 births (of which 12,108 were illegitimate), 36,271 marriages, 60 divor- ces, and 115,041 deaths. The male sex showed a slight preponderance over the female. The number of emigrants in 1865 was 12,015, of immigrants 9,600. Of the cities of Belgium, one, Brussels, had in 1869 upward of 171,000 (with 8 suburbs, 814,000) inhabitants; 3, Ant- werp, Ghent, and Li6ge, upward of 100,000; and 5, Bruges, Mechlin, Verviers, Louvain, and Tournay, from 30,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. In 1866 the kingdom had 131 communes with more and 2,429 with less than 5,000 inhabitants. The Belgian people consist of two different na- tionalities : the Flemish, a branch of the Ger- man race, and the Walloon, an offshoot of the French. Although only 42 '3 per cent, of the total population are purely "Walloon, and 49 '8 per cent. Flemings (the remainder speaking either both these or other languages), the French is the predominant and the official language. Of late, however, the Flemish ma- jority have begun a vigorous struggle to secure at least equal rights for their language; and thus the nationality conflict has become of great political significance in Belgium. The following table shows the numerical propor- tion which exists between the two principal nationalities in the several provinces of the kingdom : PROVINCES. NUMBER SPEAKING FLEMISH. NUMBER SPEAKING FRENCH. NUMBER SPEAKING BOTH LANGUAGES. Inhabitants. Per cent. Inhabitant*. Per cent. Inhabitant*. Per csnt. 480,408 456,175 564.840 744.251 15.476 21,490 178.282 184 390 92-4 66-1 8S-0 92-4 1-8 8-9 88-8 0-1 0-1 8.SN7 216.098 26,659 7,837 810,260 499.108 8.784 16!l.4t>i 299,846 0-8 26-6 4-1 1-0 95-S 89-6 4-5 64-7 99-1 28,592 ISO. 722 48.077 51,819 17.566 16,888 12.476 . 461 1,710 6-1 16-1 7-6 64 2-1 8-0 6-4 0-2 0-8 Brabant Flanders W . . Liege Total 2,406,491 49-8 2,041,784 42-3 808,861 6-4 The surface of Belgium is generally level. In the southeast there are some high and well wooded lands, traversed by or connected with the Ardennes. South of Verviers there is also a wild tract of elevated country of small ex- tent, the highest elevation not exceeding 2,300 feet. Between the Meuse and the Scheldt there is another ridge. The principal rivers are the Meuse, the Scheldt, the Ourthe, and the Sambre. The Meuse flows from France through the provinces of Namur and Liege into Holland, and is navigable throughout its Belgian course. The Scheldt enters Bel- gium in the province of Hainaut, and runs across the Belgian territory, receiving the Den- der, the Dyle, and other streams, and passing into Holland below Antwerp. It is navigable throughout Belgium, but is obstructed by banks at its mouth. The Ourthe rises in the Ardennes, and falls into the Meuse at Liege. The Sambre flows from France into Belgium, and falls into the Meuse at Namur. The northern part of the country is of tertiary formation. In the southeastern provinces the lower formations are red sandstone and lime- stone, resting upon granite, quartz, and slate. Fossil animals are very numerous; the lime- stone caverns through which the river Lesse has made its way are remarkable natural cu- riosities. East and West Flanders are princi- pally sand. After England, Belgium yields more fuel than any other country in Europe. There were 155 coal mines in operation in 1866, covering 213,545 acres, and employing 86,721 persons, and producing in 1866 12,- 774,662 tons (against 5,820,858 in 1850), of the value of 151,031,574 francs. About two thirds of the produce is consumed in the country, and the rest exported to France and Holland. The most extensive coal fields are in the province of Hainaut, which alone in 1 866 produced 9,800,000 tons. The production of iron is also large. The best iron is found in the country between the Sambre and the Meuse. Lead, manganese, and other minerals, especially zinc, are found in various parts of the country. The most celebrated zinc mines are between Liege and Aix-la-Chapelle. The country abounds at the same time in building, paving, and lime stones, roofing slate, and mar- ble. The black marble of Dinant is renowned for its beauty. The mineral wealth of Belgium is, next to agriculture, the most important source of the national prosperity. The most celebrated mineral springs are at the famous watering place Spa, near the frontier of Rhe- nish Prussia. The canals, though numerous, are not equal in length to those of Holland, being about 300 m. The greatest of these is the Brussels canal, supplied by the river Senne,