The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-30
Golden Jubilee of Recovery of
Freedom of River
Scheldt.
ny la MARauIsE DE roNTENor.

/ " ING ALBERT has just been as
~ sisting at Antwerp in the gold
ell jubilee Of an event. OF which
curiously enough. no mention is made
In ihe encyclopedias and analogous
works of reference. and yet which was
of sufficient Importance to have been
COMMUNICATED during the past ten
days by all sorts of public rejoicings.
IN this. perhaps the principal seaport
( of Continen'S. i:urope.
1t Is the celebration Of the recovery
by Antwerp Of the freedom ot the
river Scheldt. in July. 1853. by means
OF cash payment Of Ss.O0OnOo to the
Dutch government. In return for this.
4 Holland surrendered her treaty rights
10 levy tolls amounting anywhere
from 20 cents to a dollar per ton on
shipping pa ssins up the river
/ Then after it's long sleep OF more than
300 years. prosperity came back 10
Antwerp. trade began TO flourish once
more, foreign shipping made it their
principal port of call. new docks we're
built. and the population OF the city
Increased from 10000 to which it had
dwindled. into near 100000 to-day If
Antwerp was enabled to thus buy the
/ freedom Of the river Scheldt from Hol-
! land, II was because the money for the
/ purpose was advanced by England. in
a loan which has long since been re-
paid.
The mouth of the schcldt is still in
the possession Of the Dutch. and It is
I because the Belgians dread that In
I spite of their payment for the freedom
CT the mouth OF the river Holland
may restore this tax. that she is bring
ing every influence, national as we'll
as foreign, to bear upon the Dutch. in
order to prevent their carrying out
/ their avowed intention of building an
/ up to- date fortress. armed by the
( heaviest guns, at the mouth of the
Scheldt. commanding its entrance. 1t
is not so much that the Bclgians fear
/ Holland alone, they do the possibili-
/ y that the Netherlands may become
/ subject. IN one way or another to the
domination of Germany, which would
/ not hesitate TO restore the tax. with the
object OF benehtins Dutch and Tcuton
! S.aports at tho expense OF Antwerp.
/ This nightmare of the Belgians, and
moro especially OF the people Of Ant
werp, rccurs to them whenever they
gaze upon the armorial bearings of the
city, which have as their central fea-
/ ture giants castle, with two severed
hands According to the popular story.
wicked giant, Druon AntiEonus built
/ in pre-Christian times a castle on the
/ banks of the Scheldt, on the site Of the
/ present Antwerp, and levied heavy
! tolls on all craft plying on the Scheldt.
]
! to pay. he cut OFF one of their hands.
/ and threw IL into the river This is
/ generally believed to have been the
origin Of the city's Flemish name of
| Antwerpen. ANT" standing for hand"
| and 'werpen" meaning ito throw" But
/ the giant was eventually slain by SAL
/ vius Brabo, lieutenant of Julius
Caesar. who storrlcd the castle, killed
the giant. and then with a delicate
B Wit threw the latters own hand into
/ the river Scheldt. The memory of
! Brabo, and OF his freeing the river
Scheldt from the brigandage and pi-
racy of Druon Ambiguous. is commem-
Grated by a superb statue in front OF
the city hall.
J King Albert. since long before his
accession to the throne, has always
displayed a particular interest in the
| fortunes and prosperity OF Antwerp,
and is actively promoting the construc-
ton of the tunnel beneath the Schcldt
which is to enable Antwerp which
I is now wholly situated on the right
bank of the Scheldt. to expand on the
left bank
Surprise has been expressed that
neither OF the two sons OF King Al.
bert, nor yet he himself prior to his
/ accession, should have been invested
/ with the title of Duke of Antwerp,
since il is far and away the most i'm
portant city OF Belgium. The reason
for this, however, is that the title OF
Marquis Of Antwerp is one of the
dignities inherited by Prince Alain
Rohan, head OF the historic house of
Rohan. established for the last hun
dred years in Austria, from Godfrey
OF Boullor, the first Crusader King of
Jerusalem, upon whom IL was origin
ally bestowed. Prince Alain de Rohan
is also Duke of Bouillon and of Mont
bacon. The now Austrian Rohans are
the only real ROhans. The French
nobleman known as the Due de Rohan