, Sir, until one has these things absolutely
definitely, up to the last moment, I do not wish to say all that one
would say if one were in a position to give the House full, complete,
and absolute information upon the point. We were sounded in the course
of last week as to whether, if a guarantee were given that, after the
war, Belgian integrity would be preserved, that would content us. We
replied that we could not bargain away whatever interests or obligations
we had in Belgian neutrality.

Shortly before I reached the House I was informed that the following
telegram had been received from the King of the Belgians by our
King--King George:

Remembering the numerous proofs of your Majesty's friendship and
that of your predecessors, and the friendly attitude of England in
1870, and the poof of friendship she has just given us again, I
make a supreme appeal to the diplomatic intervention of your
Majesty's Government to safeguard the integrity of Belgium.

Diplomatic intervention took place last week on our part. What can
diplomatic intervention do now? We have great and vital interests in the
independence--and integrity is the least part--of Belgium. If Belgium is
compelled to submit to allow her neutrality to be violated, of course
the situation is clear. Even if by agreement she admitted the violation
of her neutrality, it is clear she could only do so under duress. The
smaller States in that region of Europe ask but one thing. Their one
desire is that they should be left alone and independent. The one thing
they fear is, I think, not so much that their integrity but that their
independence should be interfered with. If in this war which is before
Europe the neutrality of one of those countries is violated, if the
troops of one of the combatants violate its neutrality and no action be
taken to resent it, at the end of the war, whatever the integrity may
be, the independence will be gone.

I have one further quotation from Mr. Gladstone as to what he thought
about the independence of Belgium. It will be found in "Hansard," Vol.
203, Page 1,787. I have not had time to read the whole speech and verify
the context, but the thing seems to me so clear that no context could
make any difference to the meaning of it. Mr. Gladstone said:

We have an interest in the independence of Belgium which is wider
than that which we may have in the literal operation of the
guarantee. It is found