72 



BELGIUM. 



The following table shows the movement of shipping in 1868 and 1869 : 



Among the arrivals in 1869, 16 per cent, 

 were under the Belgian flag; among the clear- 

 ances, 16.2 per cent. 



The merchant navy numbered as follows : 



Of railroads, there were, on January 1, 1870 : 



Of post-offices, there were, in 1869, 418, 

 through which 40,625,377 private letters and 

 40,822,967 newspapers were forwarded. 



The battles at Amiens and Bapaume, in 

 France, induced the Belgian Government in 

 the beginning of January, 1871, to call out 

 again a force of 13,000 men and to concentrate 

 troops on the French frontier. On January 

 24th the Government demanded from the 

 Chamber a new credit of 5,000,000 francs, for 

 military purposes. In reply to an interpella- 

 tion concerning the military situation, Minister 

 d'Anethan, on February 1st, stated that the 

 militia could not be dismissed until the truce 

 would be carried out. On March 5th the army 

 was reduced to a peace-footing. On May 25th 

 Baron d'Anethan declared in the Chamber of 

 Representatives that he should not consider 

 or treat as political refugees the villains of the 

 Commune who might escape from Paris into 

 Belgian territory. He considered their case 

 to be different from that of the French regu- 

 lars " interned" in Belgian territory during 

 the war with Prussia, in that the Communists 



were rebels against an established sovereignty, 

 and, furthermore, that their reputed vandalism 

 put them outside of all political privileges. 

 On May 30th Baron d'Anethan declared in 

 the Senate, in reply to an interpellation, that 

 the Government had summoned Victor Hugo 

 to leave the country, as it regarded the letter 

 written by him as endangering the interests 

 of the country. As Victor Hugo had refused 

 to comply with this summons, an order of 

 arrest would be issued and executed. The 

 Senate received this announcement with unani- 

 mous approval. On June 23d Baron d'Ane- 

 than informed the Chamber that, as far as 

 known, of the Communists under arrest in 

 Paris, 165 were subjects of Belgium. He said 

 the Belgian Government had not asked for 

 their release, nor did it intend to, but it ex- 

 pected and would see that they had impartial 

 trials. 



A Catholic demonstration in Brussels, on 

 June 16th, in honor of the twenty-fifth anni- 

 versary of the Pope's pontificate, led to violent 

 anti-papal demonstrations, large crowds pass- 

 ing through the streets and smashing the 

 illuminated windows. The troops were kept 

 within their barracks, but a force of special 

 corps of constables was called out and a large 

 number of arrests was made. The Italian flag 

 was frequently displayed, and many citizens 

 wore the Italian colors in their button-holes. 

 On July 3d Baron d'Anethan, in the Senate, 

 stated that the Belgian Government neither 

 approved nor disapproved of the Italian oc- 

 cupation of Pvoine. Two Belgian legations 

 would still be maintained one at the Italian 

 court, and the other at the Holy See. 



At the beginning of September, largp num- 

 bers of working-men of various trades struck 

 work. Their principal demand was for the 

 reduction of the hours of labor, and, after an 

 interruption of work for about two weeks, it 



