WHO ARE THE HUNS?

36 The Neutrality of Belgium.
The Report of General Ducarmé
reads, translated into English, as follows: "Letter to the Minister
with regard to the secret conversation."
The report, among other things, contains the following
sentences :
"Lieutenant-Colonel Barnardiston communicated to me the
anxiety of the General Staff of his country in view of the general
political situation and the possibility of an early outbreak of
war. An Expeditionary Corps, amounting in all to about
ioo ooo men, had been provided for the event of an attack upon
Belgium. The Lieutenant-Colonel asked me how a measure of
this sort would be interpreted by us? I replied that from a
military point of view it could only be favorable, but that
this question of intervention also concerned the political authority,
and that it was my duty to acquaint the Minister of War
of this as soon as possible. Barnardiston proceeded as follows:
"The landing of the English troops would take place on
the French coast in the neighborhood of Dunkirk and Calais,
and the movement of troops would be carried on as hurriedly
as possible. The landing in Antwerp would require much more
time, because larger transport ships were needed, and in addition
to this, the security was much less.
After one had arrived at an agreement upon this point,
there remained various other questions to regulate, such as
transportation by railway, the question of requisitions to be
made by an English army, and that of the Commander-in-Chief
of the allied belligerent powers. He inquired if our arrangements
were sufficient for the defence of the land during the time
reqtiired to transport the English troops, a space of time which
he estimated at ten days. I replied that the fortified places of
Namur and Liège could not be taken in the turning of a hand,
and that our field army of ioo ooo men would be ready to
attack in four days.
After Barnardiston had expressed his entire satisfaction
with respect to my explanations, he laid special stress upon:
i. That our agreement was to remain absolutely secret.
2. That it was not to be binding upon the English Government.