BELGIUM AND FRANCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 14

BELGIUM AND FRANCE.

' The Belgian and Paris" newspapers have lately been much exoited (writes the London correspondent of the Argus on 12th January) over ihe question of Belgian neutrality, and* tbs reported intimacy and interviews of King Laopold with the Kaiser, The King is not beloved in France, becauno of hiir celebrated telegram to the King of Prussia in ' September, 1870 i~"By crushing at Sedan the' lout French army your Mftjegty liar secured imperishable glory', for you hov,e «aved, not only Europe, but civilisation fl» well.'.' Ever since that message was made public the French hay*' been very distrustful of Belgium playing them false in the event of a Franco-German war. Some of the military men In France live in fear of a German occupation of Belgium, in sp"itc of all treaties to safeguard the 'country. ' It is thought that In five or six days, long before Englahd or Any other gua-ranleelfltf ' Power can help Belgium, Germany' couta seize the region around Lfegd and Namur, and establish a footing that would enable her to send an army round the left /lank of the French, while the French front was resisting the' main German attack from th«> base* of Metn-Sarrobourg,' The French defences towards Germany ore deemed to be impregnable 1 her line of forts towards Belgium are relatively very weak.

The fiibllothequ* National i« to receive (i consignment of manuscripts 0/ Victor Hugo, a, legacy from the late Paul Meurice.., h \ ' A fiwlj ' ha» "«flt up »>" simple life slass ' in London, in Chelsea to bo prejlse, where gho ii going to teach this lewbifr kit ,-, , : <•>: „- - ■ . . \