War Gazetteer

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 100, 18 August 1914, Page 5

War Gazetteer

Louvain. —Town, Belgium. On river Dyle, 16 miles N.E. of Brussels. Population about 40,000. Formerly capital of Duchy of Brabant, and had six times as many inhabitants as now.

□ lament.—Town, France, department of Meurthe, on river Vezoues. Population about 3000.

Kiac-chau.—Germany’s centre of operations in the Far East is Kiaochau. This colony, which is held by Germany on a ninety-nine years’ lease, is on the south side of the promontory of Shantung. In 1897 a German fleet seized it, nominally to secure reparation for the murder of two missionaries, and in the negotiations which followed it was arranged that Germany should have a lease of Kiaochan Bay and a certain area of land, in all about 200 square iles, for ninety-nine years. A month after the lease was agreed to Germany declared the colony a protectorate of the German Empire. Provision was made in the lease for the defence of t ie colony, and Germany has exercised her right, s o that' should the Japanese attack Kiao-chau a fight may follow. The garrison is not large, and consists mostly of marines. Inded, the colony is held by the naval authorities, and a naval officer is the Governor. The total strength of the garrison is about 3125 men. As a port, Kiao-chau is of some importance. In 1911, 614 vessels, aggregating 1,070,000 tons, entered the hay. The loss of the colony would seriously damage German prestige in the Far East, besides ruining her Trade in Shantung. (Continued on page 2.