Brussels
The capital of Belgium is Brussels, a fine city particularly noted for the manufacture of lace.
Alas, despite the urbane and civil nature of its inhabitants it has suffered much from depredations in various wars. The image which accompanies this article shows the city much as it was before the French completely destroyed it in a bombardment in 1695.
Jonathan Strange however took more care of modern Brussels when he removed it briefly to the American prairies before Waterloo, to prevent its falling into the hands of the French [40]. He did this against the advice of his aide, William Hadley-Bright, who represented to him how much - and how justifiably - the Americans must resent the arrival of an entire European city within their borders. But in the event Strange was vindicated, for as he said at the time, America is so very large that the temporary appearance of Brussels could pass unnoticed.