THE SCHELDT.
AN OLD DISPUTE REVIVED.
A. F. Whyte writes:-The pro- blem of the River Scheldt "bas reached an acata mage. I have not space to traverse in detail the historical origins of what is once more a burning question, and therefore I will content myself by recalling one or two salient facts. The importance of the river in itself a comparatively small, stream of 260 miles in length lies in its geographical position. It is the barrel of "the pistol pointed at the heart of
also England," and is the principal water outlet of Western. Belgium and of a strip of North- Eastern France, being navigable as far as Cambrai, spute 210 miles from ita mouth. The Treaty of Mauster (1645) gave the Dutch control of the entire navigation Од the lower Scheldt, which they exercised by levying heavy tolls upon all foreign vessels entering or clear- ing. There was no inequity in this system as long as the Low Countries were united; but in 1839, when Belgium was liberat- ed by the final dissolution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and found her chief port Antwerp heavily handicapped by Dutch control of her only exit to the sea, it became an acute question. Holland was unwilling to relin- quish her grasp, but the per- sistent agitation of the Belgian Government, ably guided diplomacy
Abe
the
asture
ei the King, kept the question alive, and conducted it to its final solution in 1863, when the system of Dutch tolls was swept away. A Conference of all the Powers interestel in the navigation of the Sehelit met at Brussels in that year and com- pelled Holland to relinquish her right in return for a payment of about £1,360,000, of which Bel gium paid £430,000 and Great Britain £195,000
THE BELGIAN GRIEVANCE.
Thuis Belgiam was relieved of aa acute commercial grievance. But something more than mere questions of trade were involved, for a glance at the map will re- taind the reader that, while throughout its navigable reaches the Scheldt is a Belgian river, its mouth is still entirely under Daich control. This is obviously, from a military and naval point of view, an intolerable restriction up- un Belgian freedom of action. The significance of the fall of Antwerp As an object lesson bearing acutely on this problem will not be missed. Had Belgium held the mouth of the Scheldt, there in little doubt that Antwerp might have been held by the Allied forces much in the same way as they have held Salorica. But, setting speculation aside; we must face the question which is now being asked of us by the Belgians: Do you propose to leave the question of the military con-
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the territory of another. The
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make parties concerned, to all the great Orange and Protestant charac If it were angered ta rivers of Europe whose condition ter. the freedom of navigation on the great waterways of the approximates to that of the Catholic Belgium in order to Scheldt. This consideration solve the question of the world a reality in which the authors of the Treaty of Paris alone would explain and justify Scheldt, it would rapidly become originally intended it. But, short the tenacity with which the a Belgian Ulster, with of that, Belgiam is plainly and Dutch will insist on the retention additionsl irritant that it would at obviously entitled to a solution of the greater part of their the same time form a Dutch terra. Head of the question, which will not present rights over the mouths of irredenta. Neither emphasis nor Principal leave her chief port entirely at the Scheldt. They must beware, further argument is needed to the mercy of a foreign Power.
ΤΗΣ DUTCH VIEW.
the demands of
the
however, of driving the analogy prove that this solution is fraught too far, for comparatively with danger to both parties. small territorial concession to It is therefore obvious that if Bat there are also important Belgium would probably satisfy these dificulties prove insoluble Dutch interests to consider; and
Antwerp, by the combined diplomacy of first of all, if Holland admits the whereas nothing but dismember-Holland and Belgium and cannot Belgian right to control the ment of Holland could give be removed by the mediation of mouths of the Scheldt because Germany control of the mouths any third friendly Power, Europs it is mainly a Belgian river, she would be driven by the same But this comparatively small in the solution hinted at above, and reasoning to recognise a German concession carries with it certain to create for all her great inland night of control over the mouths awkward consequences. The watertrays a special regime which of the Rhine. It is thus obvious question then becomes not terri-would provide free navigation from the Dutch point of view that torial, commercial, or military, upon them.
of the Rhine.
would be driven to take an hand
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