rnments respectively were prepared to undertake an
engagement to respect the neutrality of Belgium. These are the replies.
I got from the French Government this reply:

The French Government are resolved to respect the neutrality of
Belgium, and it would only be in the event of some other power
violating that neutrality that France might find herself under the
necessity, in order to assure the defense of her security, to act
otherwise. This assurance has been given several times. The
President of the Republic spoke of it to the King of the Belgians,
and the French Minister at Brussels has spontaneously renewed the
assurance to the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs today.

From the German Government the reply was:

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs could not possibly give
an answer before consulting the Emperor and the Imperial
Chancellor.

Sir Edward Goschen, to whom I had said it was important to have an
answer soon, said he hoped the answer would not be too long delayed. The
German Minister for Foreign Affairs then gave Sir Edward Goschen to
understand that he rather doubted whether they could answer at all, as
any reply they might give could not fail, in the event of war, to have
the undesirable effect of disclosing, to a certain extent, part of their
plan of campaign. I telegraphed at the same time to Brussels to the
Belgian Government, and I got the following reply from Sir Francis
Villiers:

Belgium expects and desires that other powers will observe and
uphold her neutrality, which she intends to maintain to the utmost
of her power. In so informing me, Minister for Foreign Affairs
said, that, in the event of the violation of the neutrality of
their territory, they believed that they were in a position to
defend themselves against intrusion. The relations between Belgium
and her neighbors were excellent, and there was no reason to
suspect their intentions; but he thought it well, nevertheless, to
be prepared against emergencies.

It now appears from the news I have received today--which has come quite
recently, and I am not yet quite sure how far it has reached me in an
accurate form--that an ultimatum has been given to Belgium by Germany,
the object of which was to offer Belgium friendly relations with Germany
on condition that she would facilitate the passage of German troops
through Belgium. Well