Annexe II. Objects and documents removed for safety from Belgium to Austria in 1794:

(a) Arms, Armour and other objects from the Old Arsenal of Brussels.

(b) The treasure of the "Toison d'or" preserved in previous times in the "Chapelle de la Cour" in Brussels.

(c) Coinage, stamps, medals, and counters by Theodore van Berckel which were an essential feature in the Archives of the "Chambre des Comptes" at Brussels.

(d) The documents relating to the map "carte chorographique" of the Austrian Low Countries drawn up by Lieut. Gen. Comte Jas de Ferraris."

Under these circumstances he thought there was no necessity for the Council to consider the demand of the Belgian Government, which had already been admitted by the Commission on Reparations. (It was agreed that no action was required in regard to the demand of the Belgian Government for the restoration of certain objects of interest now in Austria, in view of the fact that a Clause had already been inserted in the Draft Reparation Clauses of the Treaty with Austria.)

Addition as an

Annex to the Treaty

of Peace With

Germany of the

French Note Rela

tive to Zones

5. (The Council decided to adjourn this question without discussion.)

(The Meeting then adjourned.)

PARIS, May 24th, 1919.

Appendix A to IC-191 [FM-20] 1

[The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Hymans) to the President of the Supreme Council (Clemenceau)]

No. of order 614. 1 Annex.

BELGIAN DELEGATION.
PARIS, May 13, 1919.

MONSIEUR LE PRÉSIDENT: I have the honor to call the attention of the Interallied Supreme Council to the fact that a certain number of objects from Belgium, of the greatest historic interest, as well as works of art of great value coming from the old Belgian provinces, are being detained without any right at Vienna, and that it would be fair to insert in the Treaty of Peace with Austria a provision requiring the restitution of these things to Belgium.

These objects can be arranged in five categories, as follows:

A. Arms, armour, and other objects produced in the old arsenal at Brussels;

B. The Treasure of the Golden Fleece, composed of an ecclesiastical ornament, called "chapelle", and of various other objects and relics heretofore kept in the Court Chapel in Brussels.

1

1 Translation from the French supplied by the editors.

C. Dies for coins, medals, and counters, executed by Theodore Van Berckel, and forming part of the archives of the Court of Accounts in Brussels.

D. Manorial titles and records of the Austrian Netherlands, and especially the documents relating to the "Carte chorographique des Pays-Bas autrichiens", which were drawn up between 1770 and 1777 by the lieutenant general, Count de Ferraris.

E. The triptych of St. Ildephonso by Rubens, coming from the Abbey of St. Jacques sur Coudenberg, bought on the budget of the Belgian provinces in 1777 and unlawfully transferred to Vienna by the Empress Maria Theresa; so also a schedule of other paintings obtained from the convents suppressed in 1773 and 1783 in the Netherlands, and unlawfully carried off to Austria where they are preserved in public collections.

The objects mentioned in the first three categories (A, B, C) were removed to Vienna in 1794, for safety on the approach of the French armies, and they have remained there.

The titles and records, among them the map of Ferraris (category D) were also carried away in 1794, and ought to have been restored, under the terms of Article 13 of the Treaty of Campo Formio of October 17, 1797.2 This restitution has never taken place, and negotiations on the subject, which were begun by the Belgian Government in 1853 and 1858, were without result.

In short, the paintings were taken to Vienna only by a plain abuse of power.

3

I add as an annex, enclosed herewith, a Note giving the most ample details on the origin of the various objects which are mentioned above, and for which I think myself well justified in claiming restitution in the name of Belgium.

In conclusion I have the honour to ask that there be inserted in the Treaty of Peace with Austria, in Section II of Part Eight (Reparations-Special Provisions) an article worded as follows:

"Within the six months which follow the coming into force of the present Treaty, the Austrian Government shall deliver to the Belgian Government through the Reparation Commission:

A. Arms, armour, and other objects from the old Arsenal of Brussels, and transferred to Vienna in 1794;

B. The objects known under the name of "The Treasure of the Golden Fleece," and including particularly an ecclesiastical ornament called "Chapelle," the whole coming from the old Court at Brussels and carried to Vienna in 1794;

C. The dies for coins, medals, and counters executed by Theodore Berckel, which used to form a part of the archives of the Court of Accounts at Brussels and which were transferred to Vienna in 1794;

D. The manorial titles and records of the Austrian Lowlands, and especially all documents relating to the 'Carte chorographique des

"G. F. Martens, Recueil des principaux traités d'alliance, de paix, de trève, seconde édition, vol. 6, p. 420.

3 Not included with the minutes.

Pays-Bas autrichiens' drawn up between 1770 and 1777 by the lieutenant general, Count Ferraris;

E. The triptych of St. Ildephonso by Rubens, from the Abbey of St. Jacques sur Coudenberg, as well as the paintings from the convents suppressed in 1773 and 1783 in the Netherlands, which are in public collections in Austria."

Persuaded that the Interallied Supreme Council will appreciate the incontrovertible grounds for the Belgian Government's request, and will not hesitate to give it favorable issue, I beg you, Mr. President, to accept [etc.]

Paris Peace Conf. 180.03201/21

FM-21

Secretary's Notes of a Meeting of Foreign Ministers Held in M. Pichon's Room at the Quai d'Orsay, Paris, on Tuesday, June 3rd, 1919, at 3 p. m.

M. PICHON said that the meeting had been called to resume the examination of the revision of the Treaties of 1839. At the end of the previous meeting the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs had declared that he would be in a position to throw further light on the intentions of his Government regarding this question. The best thing therefore, was to ask M. Van Karnebeek to speak.

M. VAN KARNEBEEK said that the meeting would remember that he had asked his Belgian colleague at the end of the last meeting to communicate to him the requests of the Belgian Government. He had since become cognisant of the statements made by M. Hymans in the two previous meetings, and he had been able to form an opinion of the ideas inspiring the proposals of the Belgian Government. He did not intend to enter into the details of the question or repeat what he had said on a previous occasion. From one point of view, however, he felt that he ought to reiterate the declaration already made regarding the question of the territorial status quo of Holland. As would be remembered he had declared that the Government of the Netherlands could not allow any modification of this status, and could engage in no negotiations regarding territorial modification. It followed that he was obliged to exclude from discussion some of the Belgian proposals tending, either upon grounds of defence or, for economic reasons, to withdraw certain territories from Dutch sovereignty in order to transfer them to Belgian sovereignty. He would not press this matter any further, but he had thought it necessary in a few words, to recall the views of the Dutch Government on the question.

His Belgian colleague would allow him to call attention to point "C" relating to the management by Belgium of the Locks regulating the flow of water in Flanders. This matter was regulated according to the Treaty of 1843,1 but as the system was not fully satisfactory, a Commission had been instituted to deal with the question. The labours of this Commission had been interrupted in 1914 by the war. If Belgium had any further requests to make on this subject, he was glad to state that the Netherlands Government would willingly take cognisance of them, and examine them with the utmost goodwill.

The second question was that of the grievances of the Belgian fishermen at Bouchante. This problem, if it might be called a problem, resulted from the damming of the waters of Dragmund. The Dutch Government had begun the construction of a new Port and of a new canal, both of which would shortly be completed, and as a result, the fishermen would receive satisfaction and would be better off than before. If other difficulties arose, the Belgian Government need only communicate them to the Dutch Government, and the latter would immediately examine them with the wish to find a satisfactory solution.

Thirdly, his Belgian colleague had mentioned the canal from Antwerp to Moerdijk. The Meeting would know that there was a line of communication between Moerdijk and Antwerp, which was reputed to be better than in former days. The Belgian Delegation had now put forward the idea that another line of communication