striking change was the increase in the
socialist vote, their representation being more than doubled; and, as in
1905, they held the balance of parties in their hands. With some
difficulty Dr Cort van den Linden succeeded in forming a liberal
ministry. The outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914, prevented them
from turning their attention to any other matters than those arising
from the maintenance of a strict neutrality in a conflict which placed
them in a most difficult and dangerous position. One of the first
questions on which they had to take a critical decision was the closing
of the Scheldt. As soon as Great Britain declared war on Germany (August
4), Holland refused to allow any belligerent vessels to pass over its
territorial waters. The events of the six years that have since passed
are too near for comment here. The liberal ministry at least deserves
credit for having steered the country safely through perilous waters.
Nevertheless, at the quadrennial election of 1917 there was the
customary swing of the pendulum; and an anti-liberal ministry (September
6) was formed, with a Catholic, M. Ruys de Beerenbronck, as first
minister.

* * * * *

EPILOGUE

The dynastic connection of Luxemburg with Holland ceased with the
accession of Queen Wilhelmina. The conditions under which the Belgian
province of Luxemburg was created, by the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, a
grand-duchy under the sovereignty of the head of the House of
Orange-Nassau with succession in default of heirs-male by the family
compact, known as the _Nassauischer Erbverein_, to the nearest male
agnate of the elder branch of the Nassau family, have already been
related. With the death of William III the male line of the House of
Orange-Nassau became extinct; and the succession passed to Adolphus,
Duke of Nassau-Weilburg. How unfortunate and ill-advised was the action
of the Congress of Vienna in the creation of the Grand-Duchy of
Luxemburg was abundantly shown by the difficulties and passions which it
aroused in the course of the negotiations for the erection of Belgium
into an independent state (1830-39). By the treaty of April 19, 1839,
the Walloon portion of Luxemburg became part of the kingdom of Belgium,
but in exchange for this cession the grand-duke obtained the sovereignty
of a strip of the Belgian province of Limburg. This caused a fresh
complication.

Luxemburg in 1815 was not merely severed from the N