POTTER United Families

On August 24, 1830, the day before the riot in Brussels, Louis
addressed another letter to King William. He received it by the same
courier that brought him the news of the uprising, which had
destroyed the houses of police informant Libri, minister Van
Maanen, King’s prosecutor Schueremans, Police chief Knyff,
screaming: "Long live de Potter! Long live Freedom ! "
In this prophetic letter of August 24, Louis related that the parallel
with the French situation was obvious, comparing Prince Willem of
and his Minister Van Manen with prince de Polignac and the
Bourbons. The “Belgians” were fed-up of being dominated by their
neighbors, suffering economic, administrative, educational crises.
The revolution itself was largely confined to a few days in August and
four days in September, at the end of which time the Dutch retreated
from the country. They attempted to take over again in the summer
of 1831, but the brand new King Leopold's armies were rescued by
the arrival of French troops. Diplomatic negotiations, on the other
hand, were long and drawn out and lasted until 1839.
The first fighting broke out in Brussels on the evening of August 25,
1830, after a moving performance of Auber's “The Dumb Lady of
Portici”, an opera played by the charming Mrs. Noblet celebrating a
Napolitan revolt in 1648. It is not sure but Buonarroti and Matilde
Mancini and their friend Louis were not far away when this nice
subject was chosen for a Brussels replay while forbidden in Florence.
It was the week of King William's fifty-ninth birthday, and he had
withdrawn to his northern capital at The Hague. His aides had feared
possible demonstrations, inspired by the Paris uprising of July, and
had cancelled the fireworks scheduled, but had felt it safe to proceed
with the opera. When the cast came to the patriotic aria, "Sacred love
for the homeland", the audience at the Théâtre de La Monnaie, and
the crowd surging outside, both went wild.”
278