Startled as they were by the suddenness with which this terrific war cloud had risen on the eastern horizon, the leaders of the nation rallied round the King of Belgium in his resolution to refuse the demand and to prepare for resistance. _Invasion._ On the evening of August 3rd, the German troops crossed the frontier. _Early Outbreak of Atrocities._ No sooner had the Germans violated Belgian territory, than statements of atrocities committed by German soldiers against civilians--men, women and children--found their way into the newspapers of this country. The public could hardly believe the record of cruelty that rapidly accumulated, but the persistence with which reports from one district tallied in general outline with reports from other localities left little doubt in the public mind as to the truth of the alleged atrocities. But it became necessary to make absolutely certain of the facts. _Home Office Collected Evidence._ The Home Office, in the autumn of 1914, wisely decided to collect evidence of the truth, and, during the concluding months of 1914, a great number of statements taken in writing were collected from Belgian witnesses (mostly civilians), and from British officers and soldiers. The statements were taken by the staff of the Director of Public Prosecutions and a number of barristers who assisted the Home Office. _Government Appointed a Committee to Investigate--Terms of Reference._ On December 15th, 1914, the Government took the important step of appointing a Committee:-- "To consider and advise on the evidence collected on behalf of His Majesty's Government, as to outrages alleged to have been committed by German troops during the present war, cases of alleged maltreatment of civilians in the invaded territories, and breaches of the laws and established usages of war; and to prepare a report for His Majesty's Government showing the conclusion at which they arrive on the evidence now available."= _Careful Selection of Members of Committee._ In order that the findings of the Committee should command the confidence of the public, the Government was careful to appoint upon it men whose judicial outlook, training and experience for their responsible task could not be questioned. The Right Hon. Viscount Bryce, O.M., the distinguished British Ambassador at Washington from 1907 to 1912, was appointed Chairman, and the other members of the Committee were:-- The Right Hon. Sir Frederick Pollock, Bart., who was Corpus Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University, 1883-1903, and is Judge of the Admiralty Court of Cinque Ports. He is one of the leading authorities on the laws of this country; The Right Hon. Sir Edward Clarke, K.C., was Member of Parliament for Plymouth (20 years) and London City (1906); was Solicitor-General from 1886 to 1902;