The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-04-06 00:00:00

A FRENCH SUGGESTION.

The Temps (Paris paper) of Saturday published an article
upon the present situation in which it says :—" We have n
the simplicity to believe that newspaper articles can modify
the policy of Cabinets, calm national rivalries, and
cause the sword which is already • halt drawn to be
sheathed ; but it is none the less the duty of the Press to
plead to the end the cause of peace when war is not im-
posed by any absolute necessity of honour or interest. The
war which threatens Europe has this peculiar character,
that the two Powers which take up arms might do each other
much injury without either ever inflicting a decisive blow;
that it wants a precise object, as much as it appears that it
must result from an accident rather than from a regular
declaration ; and lastly, that the interests whicli are at
stake might just as well be settled now and without
bloodshed."—ln conclusion the Temps says :—"Bat
let us for the moment only regard England and the
interests which she wishes to guarantee against the
encroachments of Russia. Thote interests may be summed
up in the protection of the passage to India, and conse-
quently of Egypt, against a maritime Power which might
open to itself the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles for the
attack and close them behind it for the retreat. The posses-
sion, even of Constantinople, is of no value except that it
gives the key to the Straits. But it is not evident from this
that England would annul the present or future occupation
of the capital of Turkey by the Russians its seizing some
maritime station which would command the mouth of the
Dardanelles or close the route to Egypt? Ei,gland, we are,
convinced, would ask for nothing more, even after a san-
guinary and costly war, and the question, therefore, is to
know if she might not now, and without taking up arms,
assure herself the only but adequate compensation which
she could claim in view of the ruin of the Ottoman Empire.'

The Times of Tuesday published the following from their
Correspondent at St. Petersburg, under date April 1 :
"People who desire peace declare that to-day things are
looking not quite so bad, and in the financial world the
atmosphere is a little calmer. But no reasons are given for
this slight change in public opinion, and I can find nothing
to justify it. Tne deadlock in the negotiations continues.
It is believed that in England the calling out of the Reserves
will be vigorously opposed by the Liberal PArty, and that
the Cabinet is already beginning to show indications of a
desire to come to terms with Russia. Eat to all this very
little importance is attached by those who have the direc-
tion of affairs."

A telegram from Bucharest says :—The news of Lord
Derby's resignation has caused n. feeling of depression here
among people Ftill hopeful of a peaceful issue between
Russia and England. English merchant vessels at Galatz
have received orders from their owners to leave at once,
event! no cargo has been shipped.

The Cologne Gazette speaks of the discontent of the Ea!,
elan officers that the army stopped short of San Stefano, and
points out that, in case of further hostilities, shou4l they be
unable to seize the capital at once, their situation its the
midst of enemies would be made still more perilous by sick-
ness and hunger. The idea seems to be that the diplo-
matists have asked too much or too little, and anxiety is felt
ot the apparent renecrai ot good relativ.. buLween irurkwy
and England.

The Correspondent of the Daily News, writing from St.
Petersburg on Monday evening says :—" While London news
since yesterday has been of a less unpleasant character, the
Russian papers are more moderate towards England. The
Novoe remia or New Times, an ultro-Russian organ, cen-
sures the Government for having thought that England
would ever sanction the Russian victories over Turkey with-
out a direct and common understanding. Russia, it
is said, should not have supposed that an agree-
ment about the Sclays would ever be possible with
Austria It woald be more possible with England, whose real
interests are not directly opposed to those of Russia More-
over, England will always openly say what she wants.
Austria never; an open foe is better than a doubtful friend;
and so on—The great desire of England is to have the sove-
reignty of the sea for its route to India. tier interests,
therefore, lie westward of the Turkish waters, the key of
whieh in that direction she wants to hold in her hands. Rus-
sian interssts lie to the east of thlse waters, namely, in the
Black Sea, for the security of her ports and her trade. These
two great interests can be thoroughly harmonised. An
understanding respecting Russian influence over the Bul-
garians, and English influence over the Greek population,
would then he a matter of trifling importance.—l am per-
sonally convinced that the only thing which prevents a full
and satisfactory understanding on these points is the want
of mutual confidence."

A special telegram to the Eastern Budget, dated Vienna,
April 2, says :—General Ignatieff has been informed by the
Government here that it requires certain alterations to be
made in the peace preliminaries, and that such alterations
must be made with the concurrence of the other Powers.
There is no prospect, therefore, of England being isolated,
and the action of the Vienna Cabinet is calculated to pro-
mote the interests of peace.

The Patric publishes intelligence from Vienna, stating* that
a rumour is correct there to the affect that orders have been
issued for the immediate mobilization of 4C0,000 Austrian
troops on the frontiers of Bosnia.

A positive denial has ))ecn given xi Berlin to the intelli-
gence from Vienna, pubtished by some Paris papers, that
the Emperor William had written a letter to Queen Victoria
insisting in comrninatory terms upon England's participation
in the Congress. It is maSntained in official circles that the
news is a malicious hrvention of the Paris papers, the
Emperor not having written a single word to Queen Victoria
on the subject of the Congress.

In case of war between Russia and England, Servia,
according to a Belgrade telegram, ha.s resolved to co-operate
with Russia.
*s') itu ri. 10 ouoit
Five hundred guns are ready in the arsenals of Warsaw
and St. Petersburg to be sent wherever they may be wanted,
anct seven hundred MOre will be complated next month.

Germany's friendly neutrality has also enabled the Russians
to lay in a plentiful stock of powder.—Vanity Fair.

A Berlin telegram says :—The Russian Government has
declared to Austria that if she wants all the Western Provinces
of the Balkan Peninsula she had better declare war against
Turkey and take them. As to Russia, she in such a case
would observe a friendly neutrality provided Austria were to
engage to organize these Provinces in a satisfactory manner.
There is little likelihood of Austria's accepting this proposi-
tion.

We have the best reason to believe that the malady which
has broken out among the Russian troops in Turkey, which
is termed "typhus,' is in reality nothing less than the
plague in its worst form—Vanity Fair.

Despatches from Vienna state that the Russians are re-
pairing and strengthening the fortifications of Rustchuk,
Silittria, and Rasgrad, and are employing many workmen in
constructing additional works of defence so as to secure the
Danube.

03ma0 Pacha has been appointed Commander in Chief of
all the troops in and around Constantinople. Mcmklitar
Paella will be the chief of his staff.

In the Hungarian Chamber of Deputies, on Saturday, a
debate took place on the expediency of an A_n,glo-Austrian
alliance. If we have not the courage to unite ourselves to
England in making war against Russia," said one of the
speakers, a personal friend of Count Andrassy's, "the
Monarchy is lost." Another speaker said that it was the
duty,o,f tke members of the Chamber to state the will of the
country, which could not approve of any policy calculated
to deprive it of the most powerful and relia ally. The
proposition was ultimately referred to the •IMister-Presi-
dent, who communicated it to Vienna.

In the 21 hospitals at Constantinople there are already
22,000 sick soldiers It is a question what willbeoome of tie
30,000 prisoners under medical care on the frontiers, who,
when sent home, have nowhere but the capital to go to,

The Mdmorial Diplomatique says that in consequence of
the opposition of the Roumanian Cabinet to the re-
trocession of Bessarabia, the Russian Cabinet had consented
to submit the question to the Congress; and that, in ease
the repre,sentatives of the other Powers should have sup-
ported Roumania in her claim, the Russian Government
would have renounced such retrocession, leaving to Rou-
mania the territory acquired by the Treaty of Paris, and
offering Anstria-Flungary that portion of the mouths of the
Danube secured to her by the Treaty of San Stefano.

On Saturday last the Grand Duke Nicholas had an inter-
view of two hours' duration with the sultan, the only other
person present being M. Ouou, the dragoman of the Russian
Embassy.

It is stated in a telegram of Sunday's date from Constan-
tinople that in the event of war between England and
Russia it is expected that the Porte will remain pavive,
and will endeavour to make its territory respected. Should
this, however, be impossible, the Porte is ill address a pro-
test to the Powers.

According to a St. Petersburg telegram of Monday, the
Russian press, and notably the New Times, pronounte in
favour of a direct understanding with England.

Reports have been received by the Porte respecting the
intensity of the exhalations caused by the putrefaction of
the bodies of men and horses in Bulgaria, particularly at
Kirk-Kilissa, where over 20,000 horses were buried. A.n
epidemic is feared as the weather becomes warmer.

Forty thousand Mahomedan fugitives from Bulgaria are
said to haye taken a position in the mountains. The Rus-
sian commander has required them to return to their homes
or to recognise his authority. They have refused both, with
the promise to be themselves responsible for wrong-doers,
and being armed, are strong enough to show fight. They
have been surrounded by cordons of troops.

It is stated that Turkish men-of-war are cgiising in the Sea
of Marmora to prevent the Russians sinking torpedoes at
the entrance of the Bosphorus.

According to a Constantinople letter in the Eastern
Budget, although great efforts are being made to patch up a
Russo-Turkish alliance, there are many influential Turks
who still believe that war between England and Russia is in-
evitable; and that in such a case Turkey would have more
to hope for from England than from Russia. Even now the
forces which Turkey has at her disposal are very consider-
able. If she could obtain the necessary equipment, she
might in a very short time have 150,000 men in the field, and
take steps for organizing as many more. The same writer
says that the Turks do not hope for anything and fear much
from a Congress. They are apprehensive that the few scraps
of territory which Russia has left them in Europe would
probably be taken away from them in a Congress; and it
would be only under strong Russian pressure that they
would attend such an assembly.

Russian newspapers complain of the incres sing hostilitY
displayed by the Roumanians. The latter are said to be
hindering the passage of Russian provision co:umns through
their territory and to have threatened to forbid it
altogether.

"The Russians urge the presence of the British fleet in
the Sea of Marmora as the pretext for remaining in the
neighbourhood of Constantinople. It is curious, that in
1853, they put forward precisely the same plea to justify
their stay in the Principalities, and made the withdrawal of
the combined fleets the condition of their evacuation of
Moldavia and Wallachia. History does sometimes repeat
itself."—Truth.