"Bombardment par intimidation" was adopted by the Germans in 1870 and
used at Strassburg, Paris, Peronne, &c., shells being directed and
conflagrations spread in the inhabited parts of towns apart from the
fortifications. Germany herself assented to serious mitigations of this
practice at the Conference of Brussels in 1874 and at The Hague in 1907.
The worst evolution of the policy of terrorism has been in the throwing
from aeroplanes of bombs, explosive or incendiary. M. Clunet lays down
that, by the most recent decision of the institute, bomb throwing from
aeroplanes must follow the rules of bombardment by artillery. This would
prohibit such bombs without formal notice. But in Antwerp bombs were
dropped without notice over the Royal Palace, to the peril of the Queen
and her young children, and the number of peaceable inhabitants killed
or injured was thirty-eight, three children being mutilated in their
beds. In Paris, besides the bombs dropped on Notre Dame, bombs were
deliberately dropped in the public streets and a number of peaceable
victims killed or wounded. The dropping of bombs as an act of war on
fortresses, ammunition depots, Zeppelin sheds, &c.
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