POTTER United Families

Fortunately for Belgium, none of the great powers of Europe was
particularly interested in fighting a war in Belgium in the fall of 1830.
Louis-Philippe had only been king since July; Austria had had her
chance to regain Belgium in 1814 and did not want its problems;
Russia and Prussia had a revolt on their doorsteps, Poland, after
November; and that fall, Palmerston, who was more sympathetic to
Belgium, replaced Wellington in the Foreign Office of England.
With the voice of Louis, again as dean by age of the Provisional
Government, declared Belgium an independent nation on October 4,
and called for the election of a National Congress.
The National Congress was to reaffirm this act by again declaring
Belgium's independence on November 18, with Louis as oldest
member reading the official text.
A "constitutional committee" was formed consisting of Van Meenen,
de Gerlache, Devaux, de Brouckère, Fabry, Ballin, Tonde, Thorn, and
Tielemans on October 11. This is where the revolution was
"recuperated", according to Louis.
This committee was also to determine the requirements for election
to National Congress. An amusing sidelight, the young Jean-Baptiste
Nothomb got himself appointed Secretary to this constitutional
committee, and he and Paul Devaux managed to have the minimum
age for candidates set at age twenty-five years.
Since Nothomb was then twenty-five years old, he was able to run,
did so, and was elected a delegate from Luxembourg, while the Dutch
were still ambitions on the neighboring Grand-Duchy of
Luxemburg.
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