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HIST. ANTIQ

WALFORD 10-3-108 711776-1ag ιδι

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ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA.

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Liege. LIEGE, formerly a bishopric of Germany, in the

circle of Westphalia; bounded to the north by Brabant, to the south by Champagne and Luxemburg, to the east by Limburg and Juliers, and to the west by Brabant, Namur, and Hainault. It is very unequal both in length and breadth; the former being in some places above 90 miles, in others not half so much; and the latter in some places 45, in others hardly 25. The air here is very temperate; and the soil fruitful in corn, wine, wood, and pasture. Here also are mines of lead and iron, pits of coal, quarries of marble and stone, and some celebrated mineral waters, as those of Spa and Chau-fontaine. The principal rivers are, the Maes and Sambre. The manufactures and commodities of the country are chiefly beer, arms, nails, serge, leather, with the products we have just mentioned. The states of the bishopric are composed of three bodies: the first is the chapter of Liege; the second, the nobility of the country; and the third, the deputies of the capital and the other towns. The three estates are seldom called together, except to raise taxes for the service of the province, or upon some particular emergency; but there is a committee of the states, who meet thrice a-week, and in time of war daily. They are always about the prince-bishop, to make remonstrances, and demand the redress of grievances. The bishop is spiritual and temporal lord of the whole country; but, as bishop, is suffragan to the archbishop of Cologne. He styles himself, by the grace of God, bishop and prince of Liege, duke of Bouillon, marquis of Franchimont, count of Loox, Hoorn, &c. His arms for Liege are, a pillar argent, on a pedestal of the same, with a crown or, in a field ruby. In the matricula he was formerly rated at 50 horse and 170 .foot; or 1280 florins monthly, in lieu of them, but now only at 826. An abatement of one-third has also been granted of the ancient assessment to the chambercourt, which was 360 rix-dollars 624 kruitzers for each term. Here are several colleges which sit at Liege, for the government of the country, and the decision of causes, civil, criminal, spiritual, and feudal, and of such also as relate to the finances. The chapter consists of 60 persons, who must either prove their nobility for four generations, both by father and mother, before they can be admitted; or, if they cannot do that, must at least have been doctors or licentiates of divinity for seven years, or, of law, for five years, in some famous university. The bishopric is very populous VOL. XII. Part I.

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and extensive, containing 1500 parishes, in which are Liege.
24 walled towns, besides others, 52 baronies, besides
counties and seignories, 17 abbeys for men, who
must be all gentlemen, and 11 for ladies, exclusive
of others.

LIEGE, the capital of the bishopric of the same name, stands upon the Maes, in a fine valley surrounded with woods and hills, being a free imperial city, and one of the largest and most eminent in Europe. Though it is 100 miles from the sea by water, the Maes is navigable up to it. The city has 16 gates; 17 bridges, some of them very handsome; 154 streets, many of them straight and broad; a fine episcopal palace; a very large stately cathedral, in which, besides five great silver coffers full of relics, are several silver statues of saints, and a St George on horseback of massy gold, presented to the cathedral by Charles the Bold, by way of atonement for using the inhabitants cruelly in the year 1468. Of the other churches, that of St Paul is the most remarkable, both for its structure and fine ornaments in painting and marble. The city is well fortified, and there are also two castles on the mountain of the Holy Walburg for its defence. Besides a great number of other convents of both sexes, here is a college of English Jesuits, founded in the year 1616, and a fine nunnery of English ladies. Indeed, churches, convents, and other religious foundations, take up the greater part of it. The reader, therefore, no doubt, will take it for granted, that it is a most blessed, holy, and happy city. But however it may fare with the profane, unhallowed laity, it is certainly the paradise of priests, as it is expressly called, by way of eminence. It is divided into the old and new, or the upper and lower; and the latter again into the island, and the quarter beyond the Maes. The houses are high, and built of bluish marble. In the town and suburbs are 12 public places or squares, 10 hospitals, a beguin-house, and two fine quays, planted with several rows of trees, for the burghers to take the air; but a great part of that within the walls is taken up with orchards and vineyards. The manufactures of this city are arms, nails, leather, serge, and beer. In St William's convent, without the city, is the tomb of the famous English traveller Sir John Mandeville, with an inscription in barbarous French, requesting those who read it to pray for his soul. Near it are kept the saddle, spurs, and knife, that he made use of in his travels. + After

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Liege.

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After having seen most of the cities of any note in the world, he made choice of this to spend the eve of his life in. A little way from the city, on the other side of the Macs, stands the episcopal palace of Seraing, in which the bishops generally reside during the summer. The population is estimated at 80,000. N. Lat. 50. 36. E. Long. 5. 40.

Some disturbances took place here in the year 1789, in consequence of certain disputes that had arisen between the prince-bishop and the inhabitants. The latter having demanded certain privileges, which he did not think proper to grant, they took up arms, and compelled him and his chapter to comply with their request. The prince, together with many of the clergy, nobility, and citizens, alarmed by this commotion, and dreading the consequences of popular fury, which when once roused seldom knows any bounds, sought safety by a voluntary exile. They then appealed to the imperial chamber; and this tribunal, instead of acting the part of arbiter, decided as a sovereign, and ordered the circles of the Lower Rhine and Westphalia to execute the

sentence.

The king of Prussia, at whose court one of the chiefs of the insurrection had resided, and who wished to gain a party at Liege, became mediator; and seemed to favour the Liegeois, many of whose claims were just, though they attempted to enforce them by violence and the most illegal steps. Intoxicated with this protection, the people of Liege treated the remonstrances of their bishop, the decrees of the imperial chamber, and the resolutions of the directory of the two circles, with the utmost contempt; and proceeded so far as even to dethrone their prince, by appointing a regent in the person of a French prelate. The electoral college having deliberated on the best means of putting an end to these disturbances, its propositions, though modified by M. Dohm the Prussian plenipotentiary, made the insurgents break out into open sedition. Deluded by their leaders, they gave themselves up every day to new excesses; the effects of the citizens were exposed to pillage, and their persons to insult. The king of Prussia, who was desirous to bring matters to an accommodation, and not to instigate the Liegeois to become independent, finding that the efforts of his minister were not attended with the desired success, seemed unwilling to interfere any farther in an affair which might have led him into a quarrel with the empire. The executive troops, at the same time, remained almost in a state of inactivity; and seemed rather to guard the frontiers of this petty state, than to make any attempt to reduce it to obedience. Neither this conduct, however, nor the exhortations of Prussia, added to the moral certainty of their being soon compelled to lay down their arms, made any change in the conduct of the malecontents. They declared openly, in the face of all Europe, that they would either conquer or die; and they persisted in this resolution, while commerce, manufactures, and the public revenues, were going daily to decay.

Having at length openly attacked the executive forces without the territories of their city, the emperor could no longer remain an indifferent spectator. It was now full time to put a period to that madness to which the people had abandoned themselves; and to accomplish this in an effectual manner, the imperial

Lievens.

chamber at Wetzlar requested the emperor, as a mem Liege, ber of the ancient circle of Burgundy, to execute its Lientery orders respecting this object. In consequence of this measure, Baron Alvinzi, who commanded a body of Austrians cantoned in Limburg and the confines of Brabant, notified, by order of Marshal Bender, to the states and municipality of Liege, that the emperor intended to send troops into their city and territories, for the purpose of restoring tranquillity and good order. The states had already been informed of this resolution by their agent at Wetzlar. They therefore wrote to Marshal Bender, to assure him of the respectful confidence which they placed in the justice and magnanimity of the emperor, and to request that the Austrian troops might enter alone, without those of the electors; and that they might be confined to occupy the gates and the suburbs only. To this letter, which was carried to Brussels by a deputation of the states, Marshal Bender returned a very satisfactory answer, relating to the disposition of the electoral troops: but Baron Alvinzi, in a note which he wrote to the states, insisted among other articles, that all the citizens should throw down their arms; that proper accommodations should be prepared for the officers and men; that the warlike stores, collected for making resistance, should be removed; and that cockades, and every other distinctive mark of the like kind, should be laid aside before the arrival of the imperial troops. However humiliating these preliminaries might be, especially that of a general disarming, the states and municipalities acquiesced without the least reserve; and their submission, as sudden as complete, was communicated to the people, with an exhortation to follow their example.

Notwithstanding this pacific appearance, two days before the entrance of the imperial troops, the municipal council of Liege, flattering themselves, perhaps, with the hopes of assistance from Prussia, assured the inhabitants that they would remain unshaken in their post, and that they had sworn never to desert the cause in which they were engaged. This, however, did not prevent the Austrian troops, to the number of 6000, from penetrating, without opposition, into the heart of the city; where they occupied every post; made the citizens lay aside their arms, uniforms, and cockades; and in a single hour, dethroned so many sovereigns of a year. The greater part of the municipal officers, who two days before had solemnly promised such great things, betook themselves to flight, and retired either to France or Wesel; while the ancient magistracy, which had been expelled in the month of August 1789, was provisionally reinstated by the directorial commissioners.-The decrees of the imperial chamber at Wetzlar have since been executed in their utmost extent. The ancient magistracy was restored; and the prince himself returned. The French took this city in 1792, were driven out in 1793, but occupied it again in 1794. From this time they retained possession of it till 1815, when it was annexed to the kingdom of the Netherlands.

LIENTERY, a flux of the belly, in which the aliments are discharged as they are swallowed, or very little altered either in colour or substance. See MEDICINE Index.

LIEVENS, JOHN or JAN, a celebrated painter, was born

Lievens, born at Leyden in 1607. He discovered an early inLieou- clination for the arts, and was the disciple first of Joris Kicou. van Schooten, and afterwards of Peter Lastman. He

excelled principally in painting portraits; but he also executed several historical subjects with great success. He came over to England, where he resided three years, and painted the portraits of Charles I. the queen, the prince of Wales, and several of the nobility; after which he returned to Antwerp, where he met with full employment for his pencil. We have several etchings by this master, which are performed in a slight but masterly manner. The chiaro scuro is very skilfully managed in them, so as to produce a most powerful effect. His style of etching bears some resemblance to that of Rembrandt; but it is coarser in general, and less finished.

LIEOU-KIEOU, or Loo-CHOO, the name of certain islands of Asia, subject to China; but hitherto little known to geographers, who have been satisfied with marking their existence and latitude in their charts. They, however, form a considerable empire, the inhabitants of which are civilized, and ought not to be confounded with other savage nations dispersed throughout the islands of Asia. Father Gabil, a Jesuit, has furnished us with some interesting details respecting these islanders; and the journals of the officers who visited Loo-Choo in 1817, in the Alceste and Lyra, have made us well acquainted with their manners and situation. Father Gabil informs us, that the emperor Kang-hi having resolved, in 1719, to send an ambassador to the king of Lieou-kieou, chose for this purpose one of the great doctors of the empire, named Supao-Koang. This learned man departed from China in 1719, and returned to Peking in 1720, where, in the year following, he caused a relation of his voyage to be published in two volumes. It is in the first of these that he gives an accurate and particular description of the isles of Loo-Choo; and of the history, religion, manners, and customs, of the people who inhabit them.

These isles, situated between Corea, Formosa, and Japan, are in number 36. The principal and largest is called Loo-Choo; the rest have each a particular denomination. The largest island extends from southwest to north-east about 56 miles, with a breadth of 11 miles. According to the Chinese account, the southeast part of the island, where the court resides, is called Cheou-li; and it is there that Kin-tching, the capital city, is situated. The king's palace, which is reckoned to be four leagues in circumference, is built on a neighbouring mountain. The existence of these islands was not known in China before the year 605 of the Christian era. It was in the course of that year that one of the emperors of the dynasty of Soui, having heard of these isles, was desirous of knowing their situation. This prince at first sent some Chinese thither; but their expedition proved fruitless, as the want of interpreters prevented them from acquiring that knowledge which was the object of their voyage. They only brought some of the islanders with them to Siganfou, the capital of the province of Chen-si, which was the usual residence of the emperors of the dynasty of Soui. It fortunately happened, that an ambassador of the king of Japan was then at court. This ambassador and his attendants immediately knew the strangers to

be natives of Loo-Choo: but they spoke of these isles as of a miserable and wretched country, the inhabitants of which had never been civilized. The emperor of China afterwards learned, that the principal island lay to the east of a city called at present Foutcheou-fou, which is the capital of the province of Fokien; and that, in a passage of five days, one might reach the large island where the king kept his court.

On this information, the emperor Yang-ti sent skilful men, accompanied by interpreters, to summon the prince to do homage to the emperor of China, and to pay him tribute. This proposal was very ill received. The king of Lieou-kieou sent back the Chinese, telling them sternly, that he acknowledged no prince to be bis superior. This answer irritated the emperor, who, to obtain revenge, caused a fleet to be immediately equipped in Fokien, in which he embarked 10,000 men. This fleet set sail, and arrived in safety at the port of Napa-kiang. The army, in spite of every effort made by the natives, landed on the island; and the king, who had put himself at the head of his troops to oppose the enemy, having fallen in battle, the Chinese pillaged, sacked, and burnt the royal city, made more than 5000 slaves, and returned to China.

It was only in 1372, under the reign of Hong-vou, founder of the dynasty of Ming, that these islands submitted voluntarily to the Chinese government. Hongvou had sent one of the grandees of his court to Tsaytou, who was then reigning at Lieou-kieou, to inform him of his accession to the throne. The Chinese nobleman had received particular instructions respecting this commission, and he acquitted himself of it with all the prudence and address of an able minister. In a private audience which he had with Tsay-tou, he exhorted this prince to declare himself a tributary of the empire, and laid before him the advantages he would derive from this step. His reasoning, supported by the power of his natural eloquence, made so much impression on the mind of Tsay-tou, that he embraced the proposal made him, and sent immediately to the emperor to demand the investiture of his states.

Hong-vou received his envoys in a magnificent manner, and loaded them with presents. He solemnly declared Tsay-tou a vassal of the empire; and, after having received his first tribute (which consisted in valuable horses, aromatic wood, sulphur, copper, tin, &c.) he sent to this prince a golden seal, and confirmed the choice he had made of one of his sons for successor. The emperor afterwards sent 36 families, almost all from the province of Fokien, to Loo-Choo. Tsaytou received them, assigned them lands near the port of Napa-kiang, and appointed certain revenues for their use, at the same time that Hong-vou made them considerable remittances. These families first introduced into Loo-Choo the learned language of the Chinese, the use of their characters, and the ceremonies practised in China in honour of Confucius. On the other hand, the sons of several of the grandees of the court of Tsaytou were sent to Nan-king, to study Chinese in the imperial college, where they were treated with distinction, and maintained at the emperor's expence.

The isles of Lieou-kieou had neither iron nor porcelain. Hong-vou supplied this want; he caused a great number of utensils of iron and instruments to be made, A 2

which

LieouKieou.

Lieou- which he sent thither, together with a quantity of porKicou. celain vessels. Commerce, navigation, and the arts soon began to flourish. These islanders learned to cast bells for their temples, to manufacture paper and the finest stuffs, and to make porcelain, with which they had been supplied before from Japan.

The celebrated revolution which placed the Tartars on the imperial throne of China, produced no change in the conduct of the kings of Lieou-kieou. Changtché, who was then reigning, sent ambassadors to acknowledge Chun-tchi, and received a seal from him, on which were engraven some Tartar characters. It was then settled, that the king of Loo-Choo should pay his tribute only every two years, and that the number of persons in the train of his envoys should not exceed 150.

A very interesting account of the manners of the inhabitants is given by Captain Hall. Their manners,' he says, are remarkably gentle and unassuming. They are observant, and not without curiosity; but they require encouragement to induce them to come forward, being restrained, it would seem, by a genteel self-denial, from gratifying curiosity, lest it might be thought obtrusive. Their dress is singularly graceful; it consists of a loose flowing robe, with very wide sleeves, tied round the middle by a broad rich belt or girdle of wrought silk, a yellow cylindrical cap, and a neat straw sandal, over a short cotton boot or stocking. Two of the chiefs wore light yellow robes, the other dark blue, streaked with white, all of cotton. The cap is flat at top. They all carry fans, which they stick in their girdles when not in use; and each person has a short tobacco-pipe in a small bag, hanging, along with the pouch, at the girdle. Many wear printed cottons, others have cotton dresses with the pattern drawn on it by hand, instead of being stamped; but blue, in all its shades, is the prevalent colour, though there were many dresses resembling in every respect Highland tartans. The children, in general, wear more showy dresses than the men; and of the dress of the women we can say nothing, as none have yet been seen. Every person has one of the girdles before described, which is always of a different colour from the dress, and is, in general, richly ornamented with flowers in embossed silk, and sometimes with gold and silver threads. This dress is naturally so graceful, that even the lowest boatmen have a picturesque appearance. Their hair, which is of a glossy black, is shaved off the crown; but the bare place is concealed by their mode of dressing the hair in a close knot over it. Their beards and mustachios are allowed to grow, and are kept neat and smooth. They are rather low in stature, but are well formed, and have an easy graceful carriage, which suits well with their flowing dress. Their colour is not good, some being very dark and others nearly white; but in most instances they are of a deep copper. This is fully compensated for by the sweetness and intelligence of their countenance. Their eyes, which are black, have a placid expression, and their teeth are regular and beautifully white. In deportment they are modest, polite, timid, and respectful; and, in short, appear to be a most interesting and amiable people. The sick were accommodated in the gardens of a temple or place of worship, of which the natives appeared to make very little use, and where they were treated with the kindest

and most unwearied attention by all classes of the in- Licouhabitants. Milk, eggs, meat, and vegetables, were Kicon. brought to them every day; and whenever they felt disposed to walk, they were accompanied by one or two of the natives, who took their arms on coming to rough ground, and often helped them up the steep side of the hill behind the hospital, to a pleasant grassy spot on the summit, where the natives lighted pipes for them.' The rest of the crew, however, and even the officers, were a good deal restricted in their communications with the interior, being specially interdicted from entering the town or large village near the landing place, and generally confined, indeed, either to a walk along the beach, or to the top of a small cminence in the neighbourhood.

Every person of rank,' says Captain Hall, is attended by a lad, generally his son, whose business it is to carry a little square box, in which there are several small drawers, divided into compartments, filled with rice, sliced eggs, small squares of smoked pork, cakes, and fish: and in one corner a small metal pot of sackee, besides cups and chopsticks. By having this always with them, they can dine when and where they choose. They frequently invite us to dine with them; and, if we agree to the proposal, they generally ask any other of the chiefs whom they meet to be of the party, and join dinners. The place selected for these pic-nics is commonly under the trees, in a cool spot, where a mat is spread on the grass; and every thing being laid out in great order, the party lies down in a circle, and seldom breaks up till the sackee pot is empty.'

But it is not only their manners and tempers that are thus singularly agreeable ;-their dispositions seem to be thoroughly amiable and gentle, and their honesty and integrity without blemish. During six weeks continual intimacy, the British officers never saw any thing approaching to a quarrel or affray, nor any punishment inflicted beyond an angry look, or the tap of a fan; and not an article of any kind was stolen, or suspected to be stolen, though every thing was exposed in a way that might have tempted persons, in whose eyes most of them must have been less rare and precious. To complete this picture of the golden age, it is stated, that the chiefs never once appeared to treat the inferior people with harshness or severity; that there was nothing like poverty or distress of any kind to be seen-no deformed persons-and very little appearance of disease; and finally, that they have no arms of any sort for offence or defence, and positively denied having any knowledge of war, either by experience or tradition. It is at least equally certain, that they have no knowledge of, or regard for money; as they appeared to set no value whatever either on the dollars or gold pieces that were offered them by the navigators.

As to their knowledge and attainments, they manufacture salt-build stone arches-cultivate their fields, both for rice, millet, sugar, and other crops, with great neatness-weave and stain their cotton cloths with singular taste-and embroider their girdles and pouches with a great deal of fancy and elegance. Their silks and woolens are said to be brought from China; and the latter, Captain Hall conceives, from their appearance, to have come originally from England. The most remarkable person that appeared, was a chief of

the

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