his commands being
disregarded, he came down with two hundred soldiers and two pieces of
cannon and took possession. This created a revolution, and the bishop
was ultimately obliged to fly his territory and seek assistance. The
Prussians marched an army into the city, and there was apparent
submission, but as soon as they quitted, the insurrection again took
place, and the bishop was forced again to solicit aid from the
Austrians, for Prussia would no longer interfere. Metternich, who was
so fond of legitimacy that he considered the gaming-tables a legitimate
source of revenue to the apostle, marched in an Austrian army, and
hundreds were slaughtered that the bishop might obtain his rights. Such
was the state of affairs when the French revolution broke out and
convulsed Europe, and the province of Liege was among the very first to
receive with open arms the _bonnet rouge_ and to join themselves with
France, and thus did the bishop lose his beautiful province for ever.
As far as Liege was concerned, the French revolution proved a blessing.
It certainly was a disgraceful finale to an ecclesiastical power, which,
as I have before mentioned, had formerly led the van in the march of
Christianity and liberty.

But it appears that the clergy are fated to have an interest in these
gaming-tables, the stipend of the English resident clergyman being, even
now, paid out of their profits; for when Belgium was made over to the
Netherlands, King William assumed his right to the bishop's former share
of the profits of the tables, and of course brought as many people down
here as he could to _lose their money_, as he pocketed his _thirds_.
Since the revolution, Leopold is in King William's shoes, but there are
little or no profits, as Spa is deserted and the expenses of the
establishments are great. Perhaps there is no spot of ground in
Europe--I will not except Paris--where so much money has been lost by
gaming as at Spa. I was walking with a friend who pointed out to me a
small pavilion in a garden. "There," says he, "the Prince of Orange,
who played very deeply, lost to a Spanish gentleman those very jewels
that were pretended to be stolen. It was well got up in the papers, but
that is the real truth." How far it may be the truth or not, I cannot
pretend to say, and only know that in Spa you cannot pick your teeth
without all the world knowing it, and that this is fully believed at Spa
to be the real truth of the disappeara