The news of the uprising reached the king on the 27th, and he was much affected.  At a Council held at the Hague the Prince of Orange earnestly besought his father to accept the proffered resignation of Van Maanen, and to consider in a conciliatory spirit the grievances of the Belgians.  But William refused flatly to dismiss the minister or to treat with rebels.  He gave the prince, however, permission to visit Brussels, not armed with powers to act, but merely with a mission of enquiry.  He also consented to receive the deputation from Brussels, and summoned an extraordinary meeting of the States-General at the Hague for September 13.  Troops were at once ordered to move south and to join the camp at Vilvoorde, where the regiments sent to reinforce the Brussels garrison had been halted.  The Prince of Orange and his brother Frederick meanwhile had left the Hague and reached Vilvoorde on August 31.  Here Frederick assumed command of the troops; and Orange sent his aide-de-camp to Baron D’Hoogvoort to invite him to a conference at headquarters.  The news of the gathering troops had aroused immense excitement in the capital; and it was resolved that Hoogvoort, at the head of a representative deputation, should go to Vilvoorde to urge the prince to stop any advance of the troops on Brussels, as their entrance into the town would be resisted, unless the citizens were assured that Van Maanen was dismissed, and that the other grievances were removed.  They invited Orange to come to Brussels attended only by his personal suite, and offered to be sureties for his safety.

The prince made his entry on September 1, the streets being lined with the civic guard.  He was personally popular, but, possessing no powers, he could effect nothing.  After three days of parleying he returned to the camp, and his mission was a failure.  On the same day when Orange entered Brussels the deputation of five was received by King William at the Hague.  His reply to their representations was that by the Fundamental Law he had the right to choose his ministers, that the principle of ministerial responsibility was contrary to the Constitution, and that he would not dismiss Van Maanen or deal with any alleged grievances with a pistol at his head.

William, however, despite his uncompromising words, did actually accept the resignation of Van Maanen (September 3); but when the Prince of Orange, returning from his experiences at Brussels, urged the necessity of an administrative separation of north and south, and offered to return to the Belgian capital if armed with full authority to carry it out, his offer was declined.  The king would only consent to bring the matter to the consideration of the States-General, which was to meet on the 13th.  Instead of taking any immediate action he issued a proclamation, which in no way faced the exigencies of the situation, and was no sooner posted on the walls at Brussels than it was torn down and trampled underfoot.  It is only just to say that the king had behind him the unanimous support of the Dutch people, especially the commercial classes.  To them separation was far preferable to admitting the Belgians to that predominant share of the representation which they claimed on the ground of their larger population.