July 31.  Friday.  General Russian mobilization ordered.

Sir E. Grey asks France and Germany whether they will respect neutrality of Belgium.

France promises to respect Belgian neutrality; Germany is doubtful whether any answer will be returned to this request.

Austria declares its readiness to discuss the substance of its ultimatum to Servia.

Fresh telegrams pass between the Kaiser and the Tsar.

Germany presents ultimatum to Russia demanding that her mobilization should cease within 12 hours.

Germany presents an ultimatum to France asking her to define her attitude in case of a Russo-German war.

English bankers confer with the Government about the financial situation.

Aug. 1.  Saturday.  Sir E. Grey protests against detention of English ships at Hamburg.

Orders issued for general mobilization of French army.

Orders issued for general mobilization of German army.

Aug. 2.  Sunday.  Germans invade Luxemburg.

Sir E. Grey gives France an assurance that the English fleet will protect the North Coast of France against the German fleet.

Germans enter French territory near Cirey.

Aug. 3.  Monday.  Italy declares itself neutral, as the other members of the Triple Alliance are not engaged in a defensive war.

Germany presents an ultimatum to Belgium.

Sir E. Grey makes an important speech in the House of Commons.

Aug. 4.  Tuesday.  Germans enter Belgian territory.

Britain presents an ultimatum to Germany demanding an answer by midnight.

The Prime Minister makes a speech in the House of Commons, practically announcing war against Germany and explaining the British position.

Aug. 6.  Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.

Aug. 11.  The French Ambassador at Vienna demands his passport.

Aug. 12.  Great Britain declares war on Austria-Hungary.

Notes: 

[Footnote 25:  Extracts are printed in the German version of the German White Book (pp. 28-31) from an Austrian official publication of July 27.  We print the extracts (the original not being accessible in this country) in Appendix IV.]

[Footnote 26:  Full text infra in Appendix I (German White Book, pp. 18-23); more correctly in Correspondence respecting the European Crisis, No. 4, Count Berchtold to Count Mensdorff, July 24; but the differences between the two versions are immaterial for our present purpose.]

[Footnote 27:  See the communication to England in Correspondence, No. 4.]

[Footnote 28:  Correspondence, No. 9, Note communicated by the German Ambassador, July 24.]

[Footnote 29:  Correspondence, No. 6, Sir G. Buchanan to Sir E. Grey, July 24.]

[Footnote 30:  Correspondence, No. 13, Note communicated by Russian Ambassador, July 25.]