The Washington critic., 1890-02-07
c0MINe EURopE4y WAX.

The Brussels correspondent of the PARTS
uaGn has just had an interesting inter
view with Major II. Girard, the officer of
the engineer corps OF the Belgian army
who recently resigned his commission in
order to be free to write his somewhat
startling pamphlet, .'La' Belgique ct la
Guere Prochaine.N TlH ~
1.-THE collision between France and Ger
many said he. ''msy be retarded, butit is
none the less inevitable. The possibility
Of peaceful retrocession Of Alsace-Lor-
raiDe by Germapyis too absurd for discus
sion." e'
After stating that the interest of Belgium
( In the present situation was to become the
ally Of whichever one of the belligerents
would offer the best terms, lie de-
clared that the Belgian fortresses
were worthless, and that the in
trenched camp at Antwerp could not hold
out for forty. eight hours. "The first can
non shot will be sufficient to dispel all the
illusions of the Belgian people. 1t is we'll
known that our army, deprived as
it is of the indispensable elements
for rapid mobilization, could
not he ready to fight until long after the
country could be invaded, occupied aud
traversed. Our resisting force consists, at
the maximum, of 100000 men, includ-
ing the militia. To hold Antwerp, with
the development given to the fortifi-
cations of that place, we viii need at
least $4,000 men, without counting the gar
risons necessary at Liege, Nemur and
other places. What then would remain for
| us to offer battle with at any given point
! And will we even be able to dispose
of that 100000 men? That is very
doubtful; for at the moment OF
the declaration Of war, which will be spruhg
upon us in short order, how win our militia
men have time or possibility to rejoin thei
corps before being captured by the In
vaders ?n
"But,' remarked the correspondent
"could not France and Germany come tc
blows without the necessity of fixing on
Belgium for their battle-ground
SIT is impossible replied Major Girard
''that the military chiefs of both coun
tries have not fully studied that mat
ter; and from a strategic point o
view, either of the belligerents tina
ucHlcCb w iuhb UOoScooiOh VI oh'
whole or part of Belgian territory must
compromise by that omission the result o
ulterior operations. My profoundiconyictiol
is that the concentration of the French an,
German armies will be effected on Belgian
territory. For that concentration th
Germans have five lines of railway capabl
of throwing in ten days 100000 me-
between Aerschot and Huy, at the rat
of 10000 day for each line. Twenty
four hours after a declaration OF wal
which will probably be in the evening, th
8 German cavalry win be able to occup
Hassell, Saint-Trond, Tirlemont, Mae
stretcht, etc. The French concentrate
can be effected IN the same laps
of time on the line between Alos
and Manbeuge, and also twenty-four hour
after the declaration of war The Frene
cavalry can occupy, Alost, Termonde,. Att
etc. You see, then that except the militi
Of Malines and Brussels all the rest in th
whole region between, the Meuse and th
Eseaut will be unable to move. In q wore
after careful study have become col
vinced that Belgium is completely at til
! mercy of coming events. Mem York; 's'a