ngements. This afternoon the
Danish Minister came in and turned his Legation over to us, as he
expects to go in a day or two. That will make four Legations besides our
own under our protection.

Austrian guns have been in action for some days, and now it has been
thought worth while to regularise the situation. The Austrian Minister
has, therefore, under instructions from his Government addressed the
following note to the Belgian Government:

_August 28, 1914._

"Whereas Belgium, having refused to accept the proposals made to
her on several occasions by Germany, is affording her military
assistance to France and Great Britain, both of which Powers have
declared war upon Austria-Hungary, and whereas, as has just been
proved (_no indication as to how or when it has been proved_),
Austrian and Hungarian subjects in Belgium have been obliged to
submit, under the very eyes of the Belgian authorities, to
treatment contrary to the most primitive demands of humanity and
inadmissible even toward subjects of an enemy State, therefore
Austria is obliged to break off diplomatic relations and considers
herself from this moment in a state of war with Belgium. I am
leaving the country with the staff of the Legation, and am
entrusting the protection of Austrian interests to the United
States Minister in Belgium. The Austro-Hungarian Government is
forwarding his passports to Count Errembault de Dudzeele.

CLARY."

This is the first we have heard of any mistreatment of Austrians in this
country, but then they probably had to advance some sort of reason for
going to war.[4]

[Footnote 4: The Belgian Government sent the following reply to the
Austrian declaration of war.

_Antwerp, August 29, 1914._

Belgium has always entertained friendly relations with all her
neighbours without distinction. She has scrupulously fulfilled the
duties imposed upon her by her neutrality. If she has not been able
to accept Germany's proposals, it is because those proposals
contemplated the violation of her engagements toward Europe,
engagements which form the conditions of the creation of the
Belgian Kingdom. She has been unable to admit that a people,
however weak they may be, should fa