Daily National Intelligencer

BELGIUM
[Translated for the Commercial Advertiser.]
LEYDEN, MARCH 19.
The proclamation of the sovereign prince as king of the Netherlands, took place on the 16th, as we have already announced. On that day, the prince proceeded in great pomp to the assembly of the states general. On his arrival his Royal Highness was received by a solemn deputation of the states general. Introduced into the Hall, the prince having seated himself upon the throne prepared for him, addressed to the assembly a discourse suitable to the occasion, to which the president made a reply. After this ceremony the Prince quitted the Hall with the same retinue that accompanied him. The following proclamation was afterwards circulated through every part of the city.
"We, William, by the grace of God, king of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange Nassau, duke of Luxemburgh, &c. &c.
"To all to whom these presents may come, greeting.
"The unanimous wishes of the powers assembled at the congress of Vienna for the re-union of all the Netherlands under a common authority, were hardly pronounced, when the inhabitants of the Belgic provinces emulously testified to us their joy at this important measure, and their desire to see us extend to them the supreme power, which the affection of the Hollanders had previously confined to us.
"Deeply affected with these testimonies, we had, however, resolved to defer any change in the existing relations, to the period, when the deliberations of the congress should be completely terminated, and when their decisions would have been all executed together. But the unexpected events which have taken place in a neighboring state have induced us to depart from this determination. They require us to answer to the zeal of our subjects, by a similar ardor, and not to leave any of them in uncertainty, as to their duties and our intentions. It is when new difficulties seem to present themselves in the prospect; it is at the moment, when the sad recollection of a foreign domination springs up again among so many nations; that it becomes us to establish that state of affairs, the existence of which, the policy of all Europe has considered as necessary for the general tranquility and safety.
"Animated by the suffrage of the most powerful sovereigns, we, confiding in that noble passion for civil liberty and independence, which has always characterised the Belgians; strengthened still more by the multiplied proofs of attachment which we have received from every quarter; assume this day in our hands a sceptre which will only be exerted in making our government subservient to the welfare of all those who are subject to it, and in assuring to them the tranquil enjoyment of prosperity, concord and peace.
"And as we wish that even the name of the new state should offer a first pledge of the intimate and paternal union which ought to reign among all our subjects, we have deemed it proper to declare, as we do declare by these presents, that all the countries belonging to it from this time, shall form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to be thus possessed by us and our legitimate successors, according to the law of primogeniture; and that we take for ourselves, and for the princes who shall succeed us on this throne, the royal dignity and title of king, adding also to it, that of Duke of Luxemburgh, on account of the private relations which that province is destined to have with Germany.
"But, however proper these determinations may appear in respect to the territorial extent of the Netherlands, and the civilization of their numerous inhabitants, we do not think ourselves less obliged to take care that the name, which under all the vicissitudes of fortune, we have always borne with honor. and under which our ancestors have rendered so many services to the cause of liberty, should not be extinguished & disappear.
"For these reasons we will and direct, that henceforth the presumptive heir of the kingdom of the Netherlands, take, bear and keep the name and the title of the Prince of Orange, and we by these presents, grant them to our beloved eldest son, with a satisfaction so much more lively, as we are convinced that he will know how to maintain its ancient reputation, by the scrupulous performance of his duties as our first subject, and as the future sovereign of the new monarchy, and by his courage and the unbounded devotion, which will always actuate him in watching over the rights of his house and the safety of the hospitable and peaceful territory of the Netherlands.
"Let every one of you, fellow citizens, who inhabit this territory, open your hearts to hope and confidence! Devoted to the country, unanimous and exempt from all spirit of rivalry, you will be strong enough to bid defiance to every danger which may menace you. Europe views your re-union with interest and good will. The fundamental law, already obligatory upon a great number of you, will undergo very soon those modifications which are necessary to put it in harmony with the interests and wishes of all. It is in that you will find a guarantee for religion, to which we all attach so high a value. Beneficent institutions will favor, under the divine blessing, the development of every kind of industry, and the revival of your arts, formerly so celebrated, and if your sentiments and efforts respond to those, which your king to-day makes to you in the most solemn and irrevocable manner, the splendor which awaits you will be for many ages the inheritance of a grateful posterity.
"Done at the Hague, the 16th March 1815.
(Signed) "WILLIAM.
"By his Majesty,
(Signed) "A.R. FALK."