I9IS] OF NEUTRALIZED TERRITORY. 23 



broken out in the low countries, Belgium separated itself from the 

 kingdom of the Netherlands, in 1831, the outcome of which was 

 that a treaty was made, on the 19th of April, 1839, establishing 

 peace between Belgium, as an independent kingdom, and Holland ; 

 and, on the same date, in 1839, another treaty was entered into by 

 Great Britain, Austria, France, Prussia and Russia with the king of 

 the Netherlands, recognizing that the union between Holland and 

 Belgium, in virtue of the Treaty of 181 5, is dissolved, and that Bel- 

 gium, which is to be composed of certain provinces specifically de- 

 limited and set forth, shall become an independent state.* 



This, then, is the origin and constitution of the kingdom of Bel- 

 gium as we know it today. The powers agreed that, within certain 

 boundary lines, it should be allowed to exist as a separate kingdom. 

 They went further than that, and agreed also, by Article VH. of 

 that Treaty, that : 



We have in this a well-defined example of neutralized territory, as 

 we are considering it today. Belgium was granted all the privileges 

 of independence, with the right to make her own laws, regulate her 

 own domestic afifairs and administer her own government ; always 

 provided, however, that she should maintain, in her foreign rela- 

 tions, the strictest neutrality toward all other states. And this, it 

 is believed, she has faithfully performed. 



But, it will be observed that, whilst Belgium is thus bound to 

 the great powers as to her neutrality, there is no agreement for 

 specific performance upon their part in this respect, beyond their 

 ratification of the convention itself and their general undertaking 

 to carry out all of its provisions, in which the powers themselves 

 had not entire confidence. It was evidently not regarded by them 

 as a sufficient safeguard in the event of war, for when Germany 

 and France declared war upon each other, in 1870, there was such 

 grave danger that both the independence and the neutrality of Bel- 

 gium would be disregarded in the course of the conflict, that it was 

 considered necessary to assure her safety by special agreement hav- 

 ing regard to the circumstances of that time. 



* Hertslet, " The Map of Europe by Treaty," II., p. 984. 



" Belgium, within the limits specified, shall form an independent and per- 

 petually neutral state. It shall be bound to observe such neutrality towards 

 all other states." 



