22 TOWER— RIGHTS AND DUTIES [April 23, 



and advantageous, they called upon the Swiss to assume an attitude 

 and to take such measures as might be in proportion to the extra- 

 ordinary circumstances of the moment, without forming a rule in 

 this respect for the future. That is to say, the allied forces claimed 

 the right to pass through Switzerland, recognizing her neutrality but 

 agreeing that if it were violated by them they should not regard 

 their act as a rule in the future. In truth, her neutrality was vio- 

 lated during the war by the contending parties on both sides. 



But, after the reestablishment of the general peace in Europe, a 

 declaration was finally made, at Paris, in 181 5, which fixed the po- 

 litical status of the Swiss Confederation, and upon that foundation 

 it has rested ever since. By that declaration, both France on the 

 one side and the allies on the other, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia 

 and Russia, formally recognized the perpetual neutrality of Switzer- 

 land and guaranteed the integrity and inviolability of her territory. 

 They declared also that the neutrality of Switzerland, and her in- 

 dependence of all foreign influence, were conformable to the true 

 interests of the policy of all Europe. 



The situation of Belgium renders it in this respect similar geo- 

 graphically to that of Switzerland ; for it is the barrier which lies 

 interposed between Holland and Germany on the one side and 

 France on the other, and by means of its territory the boundary 

 lines of these great powers are separated from each other in such 

 a manner as to remove the menace of irritation which is always 

 present in Europe where the common frontier is marked by a single 

 line. With this barrier maintained, also, both France and Germany 

 are protected from immediate attack at several of the most vulner- 

 able points in the territory of each ; as has been made evident by 

 the conflicts that have taken place between the rival powers on the 

 continent for hundreds of years, which have made Flanders and 

 the low countries the battleground of Europe. 



The territory of the present kingdom of Belgium was incor- 

 porated with that of Holland, in 181 5, by the Congress of Vienna, 

 in order to form the kingdom of the Netherlands, and for the dis- 

 tinct purpose of placing a barrier between the territories of Ger- 

 many and France. But, quarrels of a domestic character having 



