el between Belgium and the Netherlands. When peace was made
in 1839 the treaty was again brought forward, signed, and promulgated.
Thereupon all the States of Europe recognized the Kingdom of Belgium.
The plenipotentiaries who then signed the treaty were Palmerston for
Great Britain, Sylvan van de Weyer for Belgium, Senfft for Austria, H.
Sebastiani for France, Buelow for Prussia, and Pozzo di Borgo for Russia.

It has been asserted that, for various reasons, it was not incumbent
upon the German Empire to observe the treaties contracted for by the
Kingdom of Prussia. But these assertions, even to German statesmen,
amount to nothing. That the German Government recognized that "the
neutrality of Belgium is determined by international conventions" has
been repeatedly asserted by its numbers, from the inauguration of the
Imperial Constitution, April 16, 1871, down to Aug. 4, 1914, when the
Imperial Chancellor admitted that the presence of German troops in
Belgium was "contrary to international law."

This he stated in the Reichstag. "I speak openly," he had said. That
same evening he is reported to have exclaimed to the British Ambassador
that "just for a word--'neutrality,' a word which in war time had so
often been disregarded--just for a scrap of paper Great Britain was
going to make war on a kindred nation who desired nothing better than to
be friends with her."

There can be no doubt that Germany realized just what she was doing when
she marched her troops into Belgium. The question is, had she any
preconceived idea of such a march?

In the southwest corner of Prussia is a rectangular piece of territory,
the western and eastern sides of which are formed respectively by the
Belgian and Luxemburg frontiers and the River Rhine. This territory
includes about 3,600 square miles, and supports a population including
the great centres of Cologne, Coblence, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Treves, of
nearly 1,000,000 souls. In other words, it is an area about half as
large as New Jersey, if we omit that State's water surface, and just
about as thickly populated.

[Illustration: Map Showing Germany's Plan to Invade Belgium by a
Strategic System of Railways Begun in 1909.]

Five years ago this little corner of Prussia had about 15.10 miles of
railway to every 100 square miles of territory and New Jersey 30.23. In
five years the Prussian territory has increased her railway mileage to
28.30 and New Jersey to a little less than 30.25.