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

THE RUSSIAN PRESS ON THE CRISIS.

The Gazette de St. Petersbourg, in an article evidently
written before the news of Lord Derby s resignation and
the mobilisation of the reserves had reached it, expresses
itself as follows :—" At this present time of writing hardly
any doubt remains that England means to go to war
against us. There remains no hope of the Congress
being able to settle the difficulty, and its meeting
is highly improbable. Moreover, the Russian nation,
which sees its Government making preparations for
any emergency, views the future with firmness. The
English have deliberately done us so much harm during the
war against Turkey that the public feeling is one of unmiti-
gated hostility against them. A war with England Russia
has no reason to dread, as he knows that her blows must be
far more destructive to England than any England can ahn
at Russia. Moreover, a war with England must—and this
would realise our fondest hopes-1160.11y decide a great many
questions which the Treaty of San Stefano barely touches."
The Gobs is still more explicit. It says :—" We must not
trust to Europe, but to our own energy and strength, and
make up our minds to what any friend would recommend us
—viz., not to remove a single man from Turkish soil until
the definitive Treaty of Peace be signed ; secondly to call
opon the Porte immediately to summon England to withdraw
its fleet from the Sea of Marmora ; thirdly in support of
that demand, to immediately occupy the Bosphorus and
fortify it to the best of our ability, and then inform the
Turkish Government that, if the British fleet have not with-
drawn within forty-eight hours, our troops shall march into
Constantinople ; fourthly, in the anticipation of war with
England to occupy and fortify Gallipoli ; fifthly, in the event
of the Sultan's life being endangered by intrigues similar to
those which brought about the death of Abdul Aziz, to
occupy Constantinople immediately, as otherwise there would
he no authority competent to sign a definitive freaty of
Peace."

The Journal de St. Petersbourg maintains that the balance
of power in the Mediterranean of which Lord Beaconsfield
speaks is menaced solely by the English fleet in the Sea of
Marmora and by Malta and Gibraltar. It recalls the fact
that Lord Derby offered his resignation at the time of the
vote of credit, and that he withdrew on its being declared
that this vote had not a warlike character, but that it was
demanded simply in order that the Minister might go to the
Congress with the support of the country. This vote of
credit has nevertheless, it says, resulted in cornplic Along
and a refusal to teke part in the Cmigr.u. The calling
out 01 the te.eiv, although declared not to imply
war, is a fre,h step in the path of provocation
Russia has fulfilled all her promises She has not introduced
into the Treaty any clause prejudicial to the interests of
other Powers, for she has toned them down by reservations
which leave the door open to comp-omise. She is con-
scious of having neglected nothing to assure to the East an
area of prosperity and to Europe many years of peace. She
deeply deplores aberrations calculated to hamper her pacific
work and aspirations, but she will await in arms lest the
fruit of her sacrifices is disputed, and no menace will make
her renounce it.