The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-01-21 00:00:00

THE EUROPEAN SITUATION.

No action (a Berlin telegram says) has yet been
taken by the Powers with regard to Prince Ferdinand.
The Central Powers are still awaiting the initiative of
Russia. A telegram received in Paris from Vienna
states that General Kaulbars, in acknowledging the
New Year's congratulations of a friend, said: "I
recall with pleasure the time we spent together at
Vienna and Sofia. Since then many things have ,
changed, except the fixed resolution of my country
not to give way under any pretext on the least of
those questions concerning which I declared to the
Bulgarians in 1886 that the world might come to an
end rather than concessions be made by us." Mean-
while, in spite of all statements to the contrary (the
Vienna correspondent of the Times says) the con-
centration of Russian troops is being continued.
Another military conference which is not
mentioned in the newspapers was held in Vienna
on Wednesday, for the purpose of deciding on those
measures which might be rendered necessary by the
admitted fact that two more divisions are being
moved in Russia towards the Galician frontier. rt is
reported that troops continue to arrive in Bessarabia,
and that intrenchments are being thrown up along
the Lublin-Dombrova Railroad. At Suwalki, on the
Prussian frontier, large barracks and huts are in
course of construction. From Bucharest also it is re-
ported that the displacement of Russian troops in the
immediate neighbourhood of the Roumanian frontier
still continues, and a gradual and successive advance
appears to be taking place. A diplomatic personage
who has a property near Jassy states that four days
ago a large force of Russian Cossacks entered Scuteni,
on the Pruth, six hours' journey from Jassy. The
Vienna correspondent of the Standard says :—" If the
general situation has changed at all it is for the worse.
In high quarters here I again notice the prevalence
of uneasiness and embarrassment. The cause
of this feeling is probably to be found in the
tenor of the latest reports received by the Intel-
ligence Department of the War Office. It is notorious that
when Russia talks loudest of peace she is most assi-
duously making preparations for war. Her recent
movements are regarded by competent military ob-
servers as the commencement of a hostile march or
the first step towards the outbreak of hostilities.
Under these circumstances, it is not wonderful that
the Emperor Francis Joseph should be having fre-
quent audiences with his Minister of War, and taking
counsel with the rest of the Cabinet. The situation
is the more embarrassing as, for reasons of its own,
the German Government feigns to believe in Russia's
peaceful assurances. As each regiment is moved up
to the frontier there is a fresh protestation of Russia's
pacific designs and the Czar's sincere love of peace,
now by the mouths of her Ambassadors or military
attaches, now by her official or semi-official news-
papers. The Russians being consummate masters of
dissimulation and honeyed falsehood, of course no one
believes a syllable of -these pharisaic protestations.
Yet they have had the effect for the moment of tying
the hands of Austria and preventing this Government
from making good the threat uttered by the Frem-
denhlatt a few weeks ago, when it declared that the
further massing of Russian troops on the frontier
would compel Austria to look after the safety of the
monarchy.

AUSTRIAN FEELING.
A Vienna correspondent writes under date of
Monday: A semi-official letter front St. Petersburg
pretends gravely to discuss Russia's position towards
Bulgaria, and recurs to the old contention that the
Powers are bound to expel Prince Ferdinand, "after
which," adds the letter, "Russia will be ready to
acere'dit Prince Cantacuzene, the ex-Bulgarian War
Minister, as Diplomatic Agent at Sofia."
People are becoming very•tired of all this -straw-
splitting over the Bulgarian question, at a moment
when Russia's rapid and vast concentration of
troops shows that -there is not the slightest inten-
tion 'at St. Petersburg to let the questions at
issue between Russia and other Powers be settled
diplomatically. It had been expected that Russia
might make some proposals about Bulgaria,
becaiise rumours had been adroitly circulated in
Russian circles that such would be the case. Con-
ciliatOry articles in the Press, diplomatic hints of
a deldre for compromise, vague assurances as to
the Imaintenance of peace all these ancient
artifiCes have been employed to gain time while
Russia poured torrents of soldiers towards her
western frontiers. Even now it is possible that
some proposals will be made to gain further time,
and European statesmen may have to go through the
comedy of assembling round a council table to discuss
problems which every one of them will know can only
be solved ultimately by a coup &eta or by war.
Russia in her Eastern policy has generally proceeded
by surprises and accomplished facts. A palace con-
spiracy or a barrack mutiny overthrowing Prince
Ferdinand, and flinging Bulgaria into the convulsions
of oivil war, would do more for the Panslavists than
any congress, and all their efforts now, as heretofore,
are being, and will be, directed to effecting a consum-
mation of this kind.

As the people of this monarchy see more and more
clearly into Russia's game (continues the Vienna cor-
respondent) their sentiments towards Prince Ferdi-
nand are gradually turning into sympathy, not un-
mixed with respect. The wild vapourings of the
Berlin press about the Prince being an audacious
usurper who ought to be turned out bag and baggage
find no echo here. Even the Frcmdenblatt asks how
the Prince is to be turned out. It seems to be
forgotten at Berlin that Prince Ferdinand was
elected because Russia tried to prevent the Bul-
garians from electing any Prince at all. Bulgaria
stood in the position of a young lady one of whose
guardians insists that she shall marry nobody except
a man of his choosing. Bulgaria chose for herself, and
out of deference to the one cantankerous guardian the
other guardians say they can hold no intercourse with
the bridegroom. But between this and coercing the
bride into a divorce and a forced marriage with some-
body else is a very long step.

Those who feel no interest in Prince Ferdinand
himself are at least grateful to him for having
practically demonstrated that Bulgaria, if left to
herself can become a well-governed little State. They
maintain that the present condition of Bulgaria
better fulfils the aims of the signatory Powers of the
Berlin Treaty than the disorderly state of things
which Russia has been trying to produce.
PACIFIC DECLARATION BY THE CZAR.

In acknowledging the congratulations of the city
of Moscow in a rescript to Prince Dolgoroukoff, the
Czar expresses the firm hope that the New Year will
be• a year of peace and prosperity. Much importance
is attached to the Imperial declaration.