Events in the year 1840 in Belgium.
Incumbents Monarch: Leopold I Prime Minister: Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt (to 18 April); Joseph Lebeau (from 18 April)Georges-Henri Dumont, Chronologie de la Belgique: De 1830 à nos jours (Le Cri, 2017).
Events 29 March – Treaty of amity and navigation with the United States signed but never ratified.C. Pety de Thozée, Système commercial de la Belgique, vol. 2 (Brussels, Bruylant-Christophe, 1875), p. 88. On Google Books 18 April – Liberal ministry under Joseph Lebeau comes to power. 25 May – Provincial elections 30 May – Parliament considers petitions for Dutch to be made an official language, organised by Ferdinand Augustijn Snellaert and Jean-Baptist David. 4 June – Botanical Garden of Mechelen opens, with Joseph Van Hoorde as head gardener.Émile Van Arenbergh, "Van Hoorde, Joseph", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 9 (Brussels, 1887), 459-460. 10 August – Culmination of the Fortsas hoax in Binche. 15 August – City of Antwerp festively marks the bicentenary of the death of Peter Paul Rubens.
Publications Periodicals Almanach royal de Belgique (Brussels, Librairie Polytechnique) Annuaire de la bibliothèque royale de Belgique Annuaire dramatique de la Belgique, 2 Archives de la médecine belge Messager des sciences historiques Pasinomie: Collection complète des lois, décrets, arrêtés et règlements généraux qui peuvent être invoqués en Belgique, series 2, 1822-1824 (Brussels, Société Typographique Belge) La renaissance: Chronique des arts et de la littérature begins publication under the auspices of the Association Nationale pour Favoriser les Arts en Belgique. Revue de Bruxelles, 4January to March 1840, April to June 1840 Revue nationale de BelgiqueVolumes 4-5 on Google Books.
Exhibitions Exposition publique de la Société royale d'agriculture et de botanique à Gand (Ghent, D. J. Vanderhaeghen-Hulin)
Guidebooks and directories Indicateur belge, ou Guide commercial et industriel (Brussels, Bauchard-Rinche) Alexandre Ferrier de Tourettes, Belgium Historical and Picturesque, translated by Henry Robert Addison (Brussels) Alexandre Ferrier de Tourettes, Handbook for Travellers on the Belgian Rail-Road (Brussels)
Monographs P. Namur, Histoire des bibliothèques publiques de la Belgique (Brussels, F. Parent)
Literature Maria Doolaeghe, Madelieven Jules de Saint-Genois, Le Faux Baudouin
Births 3 January – Father Damien, missionary (died 1889) 11 April – Paul Janson, politician (died 1913) 7 June – Charlotte of Belgium, Empress of Mexico (died 1927) 11 June – Henri de Braekeleer, painter (died 1888)
Deaths 4 February – Angélique de Rouillé (born 1756), writer 20 March – Jan Frans van Dael (born 1764), painter 9 June – John Cockerill (born 1790), industrialist – Jeanne-Marie Artois (born 1762), brewer
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