HAGUE, The (Dutch page, hedge; Graven hage, count's hedge), Holland, court capital of the country, the commercial capitals being Am sterdam and Rotterdam. It lies 33 miles south west from Amsterdam, about 15 miles north west of Rotterdam, within 3 miles of the sea. It is the residence of the sovereign and of the foreign ambassadors, and the seat of the States General of the Netherlands, and of the principal part of the central administration of the king dom. Among the most important structures are the royal palace, in the Nordeinde; the palace of the Prince of Orange; the palace of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands; the Binnenhof, a large irregular building, founded in 1249, and containing the hall of assembly of the States and various government offices; the provincial government-house, a large roomy edifice; the town-hall; the Ministry of Justice; the municipal museum, containing pictures and antiquities; the royal library, containing 500,000 volumes, besides valuable collections of medals and cameos; a cannon foundry, one of the lar gest and most conspicuous buildings in the town ; colonial office; war office; the national monu ment, erected to tommemorate the restoration in 1813 of Dutch independence. There are many other monuments to attract attention, particu larly the equestrian statue of William I of Orange, in front of the royal palace, and the figure of Spinoza, placed opposite the house in which he lived, etc. The royal collection of pictures, in the Mauritshuis, embraces a picture gallery chiefly confined to Dutch masters. The
parks, gardens, markets and suburbs of the city are famous for their beauty and interest. The special educational facilities of the city are excellent, and there are good public schools. There are also many learned societies, among which may be mentioned The Hague Society for the Defense of the Christian Religion, the Witte Society, the Physics Society and the Netherland-India Institute. The Hague is not a manufacturing or commercial city, its chief revenues being derived from the court, the nobility and the throngs of foreigners who visit the city and Scheveningen, the famous watering place on the coast to which an excellent road and five tramways lead from The Hague.
The origin of The Hague may be traced to the building of a hunting seat of the counts of Holland at this point; the origin of its pros perity to its selection as a princely residence in 1250. It was the birthplace of William II, Prince of Orange, and William III, Prince of Orange and Icing of England. Here were held the International Peace Congress of 1907 and the First Peace Conference, called by invitation of the tsar of Russia. As one result of that Conference (18 May to 29 July 1899) a Permanent Court of Arbitration was estab lished. (See HAGUE Corner, Tux). Pop. (including Scheveningen) about 300,030.