ry night to order the
mobilization of the thirteen army corps which are to operate
against Austria."

_Belgium._ M. Davignon, Minister for Foreign Affairs, notified the
ministers at Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London, St. Petersburg, Rome,
The Hague, and Luxemburg that the Belgian Government had decided to
place the army upon a strengthened peace footing.

"This step should in no way be confused with mobilization.

"Owing to the small extent of her territory, all Belgium
consists, in some degree, of a frontier zone. Her army on the
ordinary peace footing consists of only one class of armed
militia; on the strengthened peace footing, owing to the recall
of three classes, her army divisions and her cavalry division
comprise effective units of the same strength as those of the
corps permanently maintained in the frontier zones of the
neighboring powers."

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1914

_Austria-Hungary._ On the following day Count Berchtold, Minister
for Foreign Affairs, telegraphed to Count Szapary at St. Petersburg
his answer to the ambassador's telegram of July 29:

"I am of course still ready to explain to M. Sazonof [Russian
Minister for Foreign Affairs] the various points contained in our
note addressed to Serbia which, however, has already been
outstripped by recent events. I should also attach special
importance, in accordance with the suggestion made to me through
M. Schebeko [Russian Ambassador at Vienna], also, to discussing
on this occasion in a confidential and friendly manner the
questions which affect directly our relations toward Russia. From
this it might be hoped that it would be possible to remove the
ambiguities which have arisen and to secure the development in a
friendly manner of our relations toward our neighbors, which is
so desirable an object."

This was followed by another telegram. Count Berchtold said that he
had explained to Russian Ambassador Schebeko what seemed his flat
refusal to discuss matters directly with Russia, which had so hurt
the feelings of the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs.

"This must rest on a misunderstanding, as M. Schebeko and myself
had discussed the practical questions two days before, a fact
which the ambassador confirmed with the observation that he had
fully informed M. Sazonof of this conversation.

"M. Schebeko then ex