HISTORICAL SECTION OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE.-No. 28 QUESTION OF THE SCHELDT LONDON: PUBLISHED BY H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE. of the Scheldt t QUESTION OF THE SCHELDT (A) HISTORY CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY 1572 Flushing taken by the Sea Beggars. 1585 Antwerp surrenders to Parma. 1605 Maurice of Nassau takes Sluis. 1644-5 Frederick Henry captures Sas-van-Ghent and Hulst. 1648 Treaty of Münster. Dutch Flanders ceded to the StatesGeneral. Closure of the Scheldt. 1676 Peace of Nymegen. 1697 Peace of Ryswyck. Closure of the Scheldt maintained. 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Closure of the Scheldt maintained. 1748 Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. tained. Closure of the Scheldt main 1784 Joseph II attempts to reopen the question. 1785 He fails. Treaty of Fontainebleau. 1792 Austrian Netherlands conquered by the French. 1795 Holland conquered by the French. Austrian Netherlands annexed by France. Scheldt declared free for commerce. 1814 Union of Holland and Belgium. 1830 Belgian revolt. King William I (of the Netherlands) closes the Scheldt. 1839 Treaty of Peace between Holland and Belgium. The Scheldt made free for commerce, subject to small dues. 1842-3 Further regulations agreed on by Holland and Belgium. 1863 Capitalisation of the Scheldt dues. 1891 Convention between Holland and Belgium. 1914 The Germans invade Belgium. The Scheldt closed by the Dutch. (i) 1550-1815 THE River Scheldt enters the sea by two mouthsthe Eastern Scheldt and the Western Scheldt or Hondt. The Western Scheldt is the waterway which gives the port of Antwerp access to the ocean. The " question |