March 8—­Belgian Press Bureau announces that King Albert now has an army of 140,000 men, a larger force than that which began the war.

March 9—­As a result of new royal decrees calling refugee youths to the colors the number of recruits is increasing daily; a few days ago King Albert presented a number of recruits to two veteran regiments in a speech; Belgian officials are arrested by Germans on charge that they induced Belgian customs officials to go through Holland to join Belgian Army.

March 17—­Government issues protest against the German allegation that documents found in Brussels show that Belgium and England had a secret understanding before the war of such a nature as to constitute a violation of Belgium’s neutrality; the Government declares that conversations which took place between Belgian and British military officers in 1906 and 1912 had reference only to the situation that would be created if Belgium’s neutrality had already been violated by a third party; it is declared that the documents found by Germans, “provided no part of them is either garbled or suppressed,” will prove the innocent nature of negotiations between Belgium and England.

March 18—­Firm of Henri Leten is fined $5,000 for violating order of German Governor General prohibiting payments to creditors in England.

March 20—­One million pigs owned by Germans are billeted on the civilian population of Belgium, the Belgians being required to feed and care for the animals.

March 21—­Germans are relaxing iron regulations to some extent in attempt to get the normal life of Belgium moving again.

March 23—­Seventeen Belgian men are shot in Ghent barracks after having been found guilty by German court-martial of espionage in the interests of the Allies.

March 28—­Belgian Legation at Washington issues official response to statement made by Herr von Jagow, the Imperial German Secretary of State, that “Belgium was dragged into the war by England”; response says that it was Germany, not England, that drew the nation into war.

BULGARIA.

March 6—­Mobilization is now completed of three divisions of troops near Tirnova.

March 12—­Heavy artillery is being transported to Janthe, near the Greek frontier.

March 20—­Three Bulgarian soldiers are killed and several Greek soldiers are wounded in a fight which followed an attempted movement by strong Bulgarian force into the region of Demir-Hissar, formerly Turkish territory, now Greek.

March 26—­Opposition leaders are demanding an interview with the King with a view of bringing about a change of policy favoring the Anglo-Franco-Russian alliance; Field Marshal von der Goltz is in Sofia.

March 30—­Bulgaria is holding up shipments of German artillery and large quantities of ammunition destined for Constantinople.

CANADA.