The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-11-27 00:00:00

GENERAL KAULBARS AT CONSTAN-
TINOPLE.

VIENNA, Tuesday Night.
- - -

Circumstantial details have been published here
to-day respecting a new Triple Alliance which, it has
been alleged, has been concluded by treaty between
Austria, Germany, and England. The story is an
obvious fabrication from beginning to end. The
Neves Wiener Tagblatt, which put forward the state-
ment, also asserted that Count Kalnoky would make
F.n important announcement in reference to the under-
standing with England in to-day's Fitting of the
Austrian Delegation ; but, so far from doing so, that
Minister did not even attend the sitting. The report
to be read on Thursday to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs in the Hungarian Delegation agrees with that
presented by Count Thun to the Austrian Delegation,
both in reference to the proper Eastern policy for
Austria to follow, and in the confidence it expresses
in Count Kalnoky.
The Russian Government is about to notify the
candidature of the Prince of Mingrelia for the throne
of Bulgaria. This will open the way to a discussion
of all disputed points connected with Bulgarian
affairs, including the legality of the Sobranje, the
Regency, the union of the two Bulgarias, the Organic
Statute, and, in short, the modus procedcndi on the
part of the Treaty Powers in settling the affairs of the
Principality. It is generally allowed that the initia-
tive in regard to Bulgarian questions must be left to
the Vienna Cabinet. Before taking any official steps,
this Government will take the sense of the friendly
Powers, England and Germany first—a course which
will naturally cause some delay, quite apart from the
fact that Count Kalnoky has heavy Parliamentary
dnties to attend to up to the end of next week. Any
reports professing to describe the Austrian proposals
tnust be regarded as premature.
Bucharest telegrams report that Roumania is full
of Bulgarian refugees and emigrants, who are abusing
Roumanian hospitality by organising plots and insur-
rections against the present Regency at Sofia. I have
good reason to believe that the Roumanian Govern-
ment Will make short work of these conspirators the
moment they may give evidence of the intention to
carry out their nefarious designs. Roumania con-
tinues on excellent terms with the Bulgarian Regency,
and means to mtsintain the good relations. From
Constantinople the Politische hears that the Russian
Aniha,sador, M. Nelidoff, has declared that a mili-
Vary intervention on the part of Turkey in Eastern
Roumelia would be immediately followed by the
Russian occupation of Bulgaria. Russia, he said, was
abstaining from intervention herself, and could not
allow such a liberty to any other Power. From these
I:atements, it is concluded that -the much talked
)f understanding between Russia and Turkey has
never had any real existence. Whoever believed the
contrary was the dupe of Russian braggadocio. The
Politische further learns from St. Petersburg that 111.
Scbestakoff, the Minister of Marine, during his recent
stay at Vladi Voitock, gave stringent orders to the
Russian authorities there to abstain from all intrigues
and demonstrations calculated to inspire the Chinese
with suspicions as to Russia's designs on the Corea.
The greatest caution was to be exercised in their inter-
course with the Chinese, as it is feared the latter, in
case of a European war, would invade the Ussuri
country. The report is interesting as showing that
the Russians consider a struggle in Europe within the
range of possibility, and are aware of the important
part China would play in the event of the outbreak of
such a war.

The works on the tieskub and Vranja Railway, con-
nQcting the Austrian and Servian Railways with
Salonica, are now so far advanced that the line will
be able to be opened next Spring.
Sr. PF,TERSBURG, Tuesday Night.
A complete lull has come over the troubled sea of
:Eastern politics since General Kaulbar's departure,
Bud the probabilities are that this calm will be of
considerable duration. The establishment of the
Prince of Mingrelia on the throne, in accordance
with the stipulations of the Berlin Treaty, must in
any case take a long time; and even if Turkey, as is
hoped here, should appoint him Governor General of
Eastern Ronnie:is, it is still uncertain that he would
go there this side of Christmas, if at all. The crown
of Bulgaria itself is a prize of doubtful value; and
the position of a Turkish Pasha, with the higher
honour of a vassal Princedom in prospect, is open to
very obvious objections.
As a specimen of the absolute nonsense to whict
even the foremost organs of the Russian press are
driven in their blind fury against England, I may
adduce an article in the Novoe Vronua to-day, which

suggests that the sinking of the Russian steamer
Batoum by an English merchant vessel in the sea of
Marmora was an act of malice prepense, and constitutes
the commencement of warlike operation on the part

of England.
BERLIN, Tuesday Night.
The prospects of peace have been during the past
few days making rapid progress, and the German
Government considers it certain that the Bulgarian
Question will, within the next three or
four weeks, be substantially settled by peace-
ful means. This favourable turn of affairs
is largely due to the attitude of France, which
infd•rmed the German Government that she con-
sidered her offer to protect Russian subjects in Bul-
garia as merely a return of the courtesy shown her by
Russia during the war with China. Even the Tage-
blatt admits that Germans have nothing to fear from
a Franco-Russian alliance.
There is no truth in the report that Prince Alex-
ander is negotiating for the purchase of an estate near
Schaffhausen or anywhere else. The Prince returned
from Sofia a poorer man than he went, and his
private resources, to which he is now limited, are very
restricted.