He did none of these things; but, when in August, he and his two sons paid a visit to Brussels at a time when the town was celebrating with festivities the holding of an exhibition of national industry, he was well received and was probably quite unaware of the imminence of the storm that was brewing.  It had been intended to close the exhibition by a grand display of fireworks on the evening of August 23, and to have a general illumination on the king’s birthday (August 24).  But the king had hurried back to the Hague to keep his birthday, and during the preceding days there were abundant signs of a spirit of revolutionary ferment.  Inscriptions were found on blank walls—­Down with Van Maanen; Death to the Dutch; Down with Libri-Bagnano and the National; and, more ominous still, leaflets were distributed containing the words le 23 Aout, feu d’artifice; le 24 Aout, anniversaire du Roi; le 25 Aout, revolution.

In consequence of these indications of subterranean unrest, which were well known to Baron van der Fosse, the civil governor of Brabant, and to M. Kuyff, the head of the city police, the municipal authorities weakly decided on the ground of unfavourable weather to postpone the fireworks and the illumination.  The evening of the 23rd, as it turned out, was exceedingly fine.  At the same time the authorities permitted, on the evening of the 25th, the first performance of an opera by Scribe and Auber, entitled La Muette de Portici, which had been previously proscribed.  The hero, Masaniello, headed a revolt at Naples in 1648 against foreign (Spanish) rule.  The piece was full of patriotic, revolutionary songs likely to arouse popular passion.

The evening of the performance arrived, and the theatre was crowded.  The excitement of the audience grew as the play proceeded; and the thunders of applause were taken up by the throng which had gathered outside.  Finally the spectators rushed out with loud cries of vengeance against Libri-Bagnano and Van Maanen, in which the mob eagerly joined.  Brussels was at that time a chosen shelter of political refugees, ready for any excesses; and a terrible riot ensued.  The house of Van Maanen and the offices of the National were attacked, pillaged and burnt.  The city was given over to wild confusion and anarchy; and many of the mob secured arms by the plunder of the gun-smiths’ shops.  Meanwhile the military authorities delayed action.  Several small patrols were surrounded and compelled to surrender, while the main body of troops, instead of attacking and dispersing the rioters, was withdrawn and stationed in front of the royal palace.  Thus by the extraordinary passiveness of Lieut.-General Bylandt, the military governor of the province, and of Major-General Wauthier, commandant of the city, who must have been acting under secret orders, the wild outbreak of the night began, as the next day progressed and the troops were still inactive, to assume more of the character of a revolution.