I am authorized to give an assurance that if the German fleet comes into the Channel or through the North Sea to undertake hostile operations against the French coasts or shipping, the British fleet will give all the protection in its power.  This assurance is, of course, subject to the policy of His Majesty’s Government receiving the support of Parliament, and must not be taken as binding His Majesty’s

  Government to take any action until the above contingency
  of action by the German fleet takes place.

I read that to the House, not as a declaration of war on our part, not as entailing immediate aggressive action on our part, but as binding us to take aggressive action should that contingency arise.  Things move very hurriedly from hour to hour.  Fresh news comes in, and I cannot give this in any very formal way; but I understand that the German Government would be prepared, if we would pledge ourselves to neutrality, to agree that its fleet would not attack the northern coast of France.  I have only heard that shortly before I came to the House, but it is far too narrow an engagement for us.  And, Sir, there is the more serious consideration—­becoming more serious every hour—­there is the question of the neutrality of Belgium.

I shall have to put before the House at some length what is our position in regard to Belgium.  The governing factor is the Treaty of 1839, but this is a treaty with a history—­a history accumulated since.  In 1870, when there was war between France and Germany, the question of the neutrality of Belgium arose, and various things were said.  Amongst other things, Prince Bismarck gave an assurance to Belgium that, confirming his verbal assurance, he gave in writing a declaration which he said was superfluous in reference to the treaty in existence—­that the German Confederation and its allies would respect the neutrality of Belgium, it being always understood that that neutrality would be respected by the other belligerent Powers.  That is valuable as a recognition in 1870 on the part of Germany of the sacredness of these treaty rights.

What was our own attitude?  The people who laid down the attitude of the British Government were Lord Granville in the House of Lords, and Mr. Gladstone in the House of Commons.  Lord Granville, on the 8th of August, 1870, used these words.  He said: 

We might have explained to the country and to foreign nations that we did not think this country was bound either morally or internationally, or that its interests were concerned in the maintenance of the neutrality of Belgium.  Though this course might have had some conveniences, though it might have been easy to adhere to it, though it might have saved us from some immediate danger, it is a course which Her Majesty’s Government thought it impossible to adopt in the name of the country with any due regard to the country’s honour or to the country’s interests.

Mr. Gladstone spoke as follows two days later: