BRUSSELS (French Bruxelles), the capital of Belgium; on the river Senne, communicates with Antwerp and the North Sea by means of the Scheldt canal, and railroads connect it with Germany, France, and Holland, as well as with all the principal towns of Belgium. The city is built partly on the side of a hill and partly on a fertile plain. French is spoken in the upper part of Brussels; in the lower, Flemish is prevalent, and in 'me quarter the Walloon dialect is spoken. The English language, owing to the number of English who reside in the city, for economy, is also very common. Besides the fine park in the Upper Town, which covers an area of some acres and is ornamented with fountains and statues, and surrounded by the King's palace, the Palace of the Prince of Orange, the Chamber of Rep resentatives, and other buildings, Brus sels has several other squares or places, among which the most noteworthy are: the Place Royale, with the colossal monument of Godfrey of Bouillon; the Grand Place, in which is situated the Hotel de Ville, a splendid Gothic struc ture, erected in the beginning of the 15th century, with a pyramidal tower 364 feet high, surmounted by a statue of St. Mi chael, the patron saint of Brussels, and where, in 1568, the patriot Counts, Eg mont and Horn, were beheaded by order of the Duke of Alva; and the Place des Martyrs, where a memorial has been erected to those who fell here in the Revolution of 1830. Among the chard
of Brussels the largest and finest is the Cathedral of St. Gudule, which dates from the 12th century. In the Palais des Beaux Arts is the picture gallery, con taining the finest specimens of the Flem ish school,• the Public Library, with its 234,000 volumes and its 20,000 MSS. The observatory is one of the finest in Eu rope. The educational establishments of Brussels are numerous, the principal be ing the free university, founded in 1834, with four faculties. It is the seat of the Provincial Government of South Brabant, as well as of the General Government of the Kingdom. Brussels is one of the chief centers of the industry of the country. Its lace is particularly famous. Of car pets which pass under the name of Brus sels carpets only a few are manufactured here, most of those of Belgic make being produced at Tournai. Brussels was oc cupied by the Germans Aug. 20, 1914, and held by them until November, 1918. Pop. about 180,000_, with suburbs, 730,000. See BELGIUM, and WORLD WAR.