966 BELGIUM 



on September 20, JOSEPH KAINZ (b. 1858), one of the foremost actors of his. day (see E. B. 

 xvii, 34); on November 2, MAJ. GEN. ROBERT VON STERN ECK (b. 1839), geographer, specially 

 known for researches in the determination of gravity, and for his work in designing pendulum 

 apparatus (see E. B. viii, 809; xii, 386). 



JQ II: on January 22, GABRIEL UGRON (b. 1848), a well-known Hungarian Clerical 

 Deputy who was a staunch opponent of the Triple Alliance; on February n, BARON ALBERT 

 VON ROTHSCHILD (b. 1845), head of the Vienna house; on May 4, CHARLES DE HIERONYMI 

 (b. 1837), Hungarian Minister of the Interior 1893, and of Commerce and Railways 1903-04 

 and 1909; on May 18, GUSTAV MAHLER (b. 1860), a famous composer and orchestral con- 

 ductor; on May 23, BARON BANFFY (b. 1844), Premier of Hungary 1895-99 ( see E. B. iii, 

 315); on June ro, ADOLF WILBRANDT (b. 1837), the poet, dramatist, novelist, Director of the 

 Hofburg Theatre in Vienna 1881-87 (see E. B. xxviii, 631); on December 25, COUNT FERDI- 

 NAND ZICHY (b. 1829), the Hungarian statesman (E. B. xxviii, 979). 



igi2: on February 17, BARON LOYS VON AERENTHAL (b. 1854), Foreign Minister of the 

 Dual Monarchy, 1906-1912 (see E. B. iii, 25; ix, 951), whose name will be associated with 

 the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina; on August 29, BARON HEINRICH CALICE (b. 1821), 

 Austro-Hungarian Ambassador at Constantinople, 1880-1906; in September, JAROSLAV 

 VRCHLICKY (b. 1853), the Czech poet and dramatist (see E. B. iv, 135); on Dec. 22, 

 DAVID HEINRICH MULLER (b. 1846), professor of Semitic Languages at Vienna University, 

 a well-known Orientalist (see E. B. xxv, 3563, ii, 264b, xiv, 62oc) ; on Dec. 23, Prince 

 GEORGE CONSTANTINE CZARTORYSKI (b. 1828), member of the Austrian Upper House, a de- 

 scendant of the famous Polish family (see E. B. xxi, 9i7b; vii, 721-2. 



Authorities. R. VV. Seton Watson, Absolutism in Croatia (1912); James Baker, Austria: 

 Her people and their homeland (1912); J. Grunzel, Handelspolitik und Ausgleich in Oesterreich- 

 Vngarn (1912); F. Heiderich and S. Schlider, Oesterreich-Ungarn als Wirtschaftsgebiet (1912); 

 VV. Federn, Der Oesterreichische Volkswirt fur Industrie und Finanzwesen (1912). 



(M. EPSTEIN.) 



BELGIUM ' 



Population. The total population of Belgium, according to the census returns of 

 December 3.1, 1910, was 7,423,784, an increase of 10.91 per cent since the census of 1900. 

 Of these, 2.,822,oe>5 spoke Flemish, and 2,574,805 French; 700,997 spoke both Flemish 

 and French, and there was besides a very small minority who spoke German. The 

 population of the four chief cities, with their "agglomerations" (Salenbe) were: 

 Brussels 720,347; Antwerp 398,255; Liege 242,357; Ghent 210,428. 



Political History. The Constitutional provisions which came into force at the death 

 of King Leopold II (see E. B. xvi, 461) on December 17, 1909, were a good illustration 

 of the .theory that in Belgium all the powers in the State are delegated (Art. 25). Until 

 the oath has, been administered to the new king before the Chambers, the prerogatives 

 of the :head of the State, under the constitution, are vested in the Cabinet Council 

 (conseil des Ministres), by whom they are exercised in the name of the nation (Art. 79). 

 They are empowered to make decisions and give assent to laws. Belgium virtually 

 ceases to be a monarchy during the interregnum,, which lasts, at most, for ten days. 



On December 14, 1909, Leopold II was still able to affix his signature to the act which 

 put recruiting for the army on a new footing, a reform on which he was deeply set. That 

 date marks the. end of the system of drawing lots and paying substitutes. Military 

 service js now required of one son out of every fa mily , though some, especially ecclesiastics, 

 are still ex.ern.pt. The period varies from fifteen months to two years. The average 

 peace effective of the army consisted in 1912 of abput 44,595 men, with a yearly levy 

 of .17,481 men; the total effective strength in 1911 was given as 182, 770 officers and men. 

 Proposals were being mooted however for putting every able-bodied Belgian through a 

 term of military service, which would greatly increase the fighting strength of the country. 2 



1 See E. B. iii, 668 et seq> 



- \\ hen the Belgian legislature met in November 1912 and the Premier, M. de Broqueville, 

 made his ministerial declaration of policy, he made a pointed reference to the probable need 

 of strengthening the army, which formed the theme of an Important article on December 

 3rd in the London Times from the pen of its military correspondent. Recent events, said 

 M_-_dc Broqueyillf, had compelled the Government to inquire whether the state of their 

 military organisation was such that it could meet the necessities of the day. In allusion 

 to the guarantee of Belgian interests and neutrality by Great Britain by the Treaty of 1839, 

 he pointed out that the grouping of the Great Powers had resulted in alliances and ententes 

 which might, in case of war, "remove from the guarantee the value which the neutrality of 



