Evening star., 1914-08-09

AprOpOS 10 tue fnllltalN situation In
Belgium, it is interesting to refer lust
here 10 a military writ
Late Belgian er in the Questions
Diplomatiques ct Co
loniales," who has writ
written under the rubric The New
Belgian Military Law and Its Conse-
quences In Case of Franco-German
War" The writer says in substance:
The government of King Albert estah-
lished a camp of instruction for 15.on
men between Liege, Antwerp and Nafnur
This was in November. 1913. If Liege
was suddenly attacked Baron de Broque-
vile. minister of war. believed this camp
would prove valuable. Added to the 15.c@
men at Camp Beverloo. the governor O.
Liege was given 25oOo others.
The maneuvers of the Belgian army in
1913 took place in the middle Meuse. near
Dinant, where, 1t was assumed. Germany
in case OF war would endeavor to enter
Belgium. Manifestly the maneuvers were
arranged with the view of familariZinE
the Belgian troops with the future field
of operations.
The theme of the Belgian maneuvels
affords the writer in the Questions Di-
plomatiques'' the occasion to make oh
servations which in the presence of the
drastic defeat of the German invadeT ~
the 9Th instant are interesting.
The theme supposed Namur TO have
been held intact by the Belgians. There
was no question of Liege being too lis
tan( The theme supposed the Sel.i.tl,.
beaten by the German invaders. 10 H."
firing westward toward the upper Saf
bre and the sources of the Disc. indira'-
ing visibly that they expected there ii'r
support of the French. Besides the
sistance at Namur accords with the nv
pothess of important aid from English
forces already arrived.
The general points of the theme do no'
agree with the eventuality of a hard,
movement which the mass OF the .BelPiai-
forces might risk toward the sentherr
angle of the frontiers of the kingdom. II
is apparent that the mass would not
move far from the works at Namiir In
the southeast direction. piroting on Ma
mur, where the left wing rested in order
to find refuge in case of a reverse.
-
The general aspect of the defense
it was conducted in the maneuverig OF
1913 marks very de
Definite Plan to cided resolution to bs
energetically the r7ut
oai oeiiilaAy' of the invader ar
not to make simply feint of giving bf
tie The Belgians held successfully IT,
positions which defended the approach
from the Meuse on the right bank: the
those which commanded the forks of tn
river: finally, those that dominated tn
steep sides whence only one may arriV'
on the plains of the left bank. They
held them in such a way as to offer :"
the progress of the assailant honorable
resistance without absolute and deac!N
resistance They desired thus. evidently
in each of the episodes represented IN N
maneuvers that the defenders OF the be-
xspl,s lie
the roads of France where the rescu"
was awaited. .
In the battle at Lege on the 9Th instart
it will be interesting to learn how lar W
theme of 1913 was followed in the actua
battle AS we have seen. the Bels'ai
maintained themselves with hohot
Liege, and according to the accounts
that battle inflicted severe defeat upP
the Germans, and perhaps a serious e'i' @
to the German advance. Belgium an"
was stronger than it had dared beheSe,
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg .
we'll as Holland and Belgium are irres''-
tible objects of attraction for the 1e'
man emperor The desperate resistafr'
of the Belgians to the German invasiol
attests the fact that the Belgians resaOh
it as a struggle for national existence.
The grand duchy revolted in lS" a.
did the other provinces of the Nethef-
lands and the treaty of October IL, 1871
,eft TO Holland the old city OF Luxenl-
Durg, BiFinB lHo iSSh - >e
the dissolution of the Germanic confedeT-
alton. OF which Austria was the head
until her defeat by Prussia in 1856 the
king refused to enter the confederation
By the treaty of London. May Z. 1856.
was declared a neutral
state, whose neutrality was placed under
the collective guarantee of the signatorN
powers. excepting Belgium. being herself
a neutral state. The death of the Grand
Duke Wilhelm of Holland in 1880 caused
the union of Holland and the grand
iuchy to lapse.
The grand duchy is divided for admin
stratiye purposes into three districts. The
,onulation numbers $4,000 The army
S simply a force of gendarmerie. There is
A chamber of deputies.
The ruler of the grand duchy is the
Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide, the
Youngest ruler In Europe. born June ~.
lsa4 CHI. CHAILLE-LONG.