The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-17
Antwerp Has Been a Prize
 in Many Great Conflicts

Few other cities of the world have had so varied a. history as Antwerp, the city of dykes and the principal port of Belgium. The occupation Of the city by the Germans added. another chapter to Antwerp's record of sieges, for it has been taken many times in the conflicts of the past. The most noteworthy Of the sieges, of Antwerp, and the first in modern times, was that which eliminated with the capture of the city by the Prince of Parma .330 years ago today August IT. 1885. On that occasion Antwerp had withstood the invaders for 4 months before sur rendering.
 Antwerp is mentioned in history as early as 515, and it was a tiny repub- lie in the eleventh century. For cen turies Antwerp-which means 'sat the arf"--was the commercia1 metrop- o1is Of Europe. Tn the sixteenth cen tury it attained the heighth of it's grandeur and prosperity, and ships from every part of tE1e world sailed to the Scheldt. The great fairs which then served for the exchange of goods, attracted traders from all over Flu rope The Flemish carpets and cloths the articles of gold and silver, and. the art works of all kinds, gave Ant werp 9 big trade of it's own, but it was as the clearing house for the pro- ducts of Central Europe the British lSloS ana the spanish Main that Ant werp was principally famoust
 Naturally a city so important and prosperous was coveted by many ma tions. Tn the latter half of the six teenth century the Duke of Ava sought to place the business of the city in the hands Of Spaniards. and expelled thousands of native rner-. chants The Spanish soldiers ruled as tyrants, burning and piiIagtng as they pleased. Then came the great siege which resulted in the capture of Amt werp by the Prince of Parma It was an empty victory, however, for during the years of oppression Antwerp had lost most of it's trade, and it's popuIa,- tion had dWindledf from 15o,0OO to less than 40, 900. The final blow to Ant werp's greatness came in 1647, when the, imposition of toll on the Scheldt practically shut off Antwerp from sea-. going vessels.
 In 1746 Antwerp was taken by the French, but it had then been reduced to a mere squalid village, and its com fnerciaI supremacy was but a naernl ory. So it remained until s1792, when 1t was again occupied by the French They withdrew the following year, but returned in 1794. When Napoleon at tafned power he recognized the inn portanees of Antwerp, and rebuilt it's wharves and revived its commerce. In 1914 the Allies besieged Antwerp, and after brave defense by General Car not the city was surrendered to Gen eraI Graham and the British army
 After the downfall of Napoleon, Antwerp, with all of Belgium, was awarded to the Netherlands. In 1880, when the new government of Bel gium was setup, the city was claimed by the Belgians. but it was not relin4 quished by the Dutch until after a fierce engagement. The BeIgians were opposed by the Dutch garrison under Chase. After a dreadful conflict in the streets the Dutch wered riven into the citadel, from which they can nonaGed the town with red hot balls. causing much destruction Of life and property. In 1892 the citadel was bombarded by the French, who were assisting the Belgians in their struggle for independence, and after siege Of l 9 days General Chase surrender ed. After this Antwerp began a new era of prosperity. although hampered on several occasions by the Dutch, who closed the Scheldt to it's trade. Last year Antwerp had a population of 100000, and it was again the great clearing house for central Europe while it's industries f1ourished as never before. The German occupation has changed all this. and. with its com merce gone and it's population dwind-s ling, Antwerp is again a city of des- olation.