New-York tribune., 1876-11-25
THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE.
CHARACTER or THE AssENBLAGE.

CHARACTER or THE ASSEMBLAGE.
RFPREst tNrATIVEs SELECTED BY TIE FIVE POWERS
--PERPLEXI1IEs OF THE QUESTION TO BE con
sIDgRKD LORD DERBY's DISPATCH ON THE
Affairs OF TURKEY.
lFROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSEi J
LONDON, Nov. 11.-There is no longer any room
for doubt that the Conference has been accepted
by all the Powers Lord Beaconsield officially de-
clared the fact at the Guildhal Banquet and it is
generally assumed that it viii assemble Immediately
and at Constantinople. Various suggestions have
been made rs to tile place of meeting. 1t has been
urged that the peculiar calm which pervades all cir
cles Of society IN the Belgian capital would aiIord
n unusually favorable locality for the discussion OF
q question If not in itself heateds at all
events surrounded with many fiery elements. Con-
veuience however, has pointed 60 Constantinople as
the place and the practical advantages OF discussing
the question on the spot have overcome any prefer
encc which may have been felt for Brussels No one
VIII find fault with the spirit N which Lord Derby
seems to have conceived the constitution Of this
body. 1t is not to he mere asscmblagc Of the En-
hassadors on the spot, who doubtless, as Lord Be-
couslied says, apt TO take too local and limited
q view Of matters, but body TO which the Powers
shall be invited to send special penipotcutoFics
Thus so far as its constitution is concerned, the
broad scope Of the whole question will not he lost
England and perhaps Austria, will make any special
effort 10 send an emissary Of the first rank. The
British Government viii send Lord Salisbury, than
whom 10 better choice could have been made
from the Ministerial ranks. The Tines calls him the
strongest member Of the present Ministry.
Russia of course will be repres antcd by Cen Igna-
tief. There arc many reasons why his aged supe-
Iior should wish TO delegate TO him the task Of com
plcting negotiations he has hitherto carried so far
and with SO much success. II is not unlikely that
Count Andrassy himself will represent Austria, but
Germany has deputed its Minister at COnstantnople
to attend. France will send a special envoy III the
person of the Comte ChandoTdy, a skillfn diplomat
but known but little in any other capacity.
When one turns from the simple fact that con-
ference will be held which the Powers have agreed
TO join, one enters upon maze Of uncertainty. II
does not appear that any very definite bases Of DIS
cussion have been agreed upon even az the present
moment Russia is working to exclude Turkey
from the deliberations, operation III which she is
not very likely to succeed. The conference is said
to meeton the bases of Lord Dcrby's proposals. of
the DIST of September, namely, the status qgo,
speaking roughly" for Servia and Montenegro.
local administrative autonomy for Bosnia and Her
zeRovna and guarantees from the Porte for the per-
formance of the stpulatiOus. But in his speech at
Guildhal Lord Bcaconsfcid went little ont Of his
way to talk about the integrity of the Ottoman En-
pirc and he had much TO say about solemn treaty
obligations. Whether this means anything or
nothing is quite matter of speculation Indeed if
one is to Judge Of the nature and extent Of Lord
Salisbury's mission solely from Lord BeacOnsGclPs
speech one viii be left in a good deal OF
confusion 1t is very gratifying however,
to learn that. in Lord Beaconsfied's opinion,
"unless the great body Of the people
find they are under government which studies
their welfare and is proud Of their prosperity, even
the independence and integrity Of country must
The Government has to-day officially published q
copy of Lord Derby's dispatch TO Lord Augustus
Lotus of the 30th of October. In this document,
which Occupics nearly three columns of The lines,
the British Foreign Minister sets forth to the British
ambassador ut st. Petersburg the whole oi the
details OF the peace negotiations from the time that
Prince Milan sought the aid of the Consus AZ Bel
grade down to the date Of the dispatch. In tins
dispatch the Conference IS spoken OF ana SileS %
questions asked by Austria areset out IN detail II
appears that Austria made her consent 70 atlehu
conditional upon satisfactory answers beng gwen
IN these questions. One OF them has regard 10 lne
nrogPaIn1ue OF the Conference, but Lord Dorby did
not give a direct answer. lie tells LORD Augustus
Lotus that he agreed in the view whch ne iiLder-
stood also to bo that OF Count Andmssy, that y
Conference without basis was not likely to lead
to good results, aud he had thought tiat pro-
QTaInme more or less dehnitc ouGhJ 70 Dc asreou
5iDon before il met but the terms ol Buch programme
y4onld require care in framing and he could only
Ell Counf neust that If should be submitted to tho
Powers i'm due cOursc. Lord Derby also refers to ihc
influx of Russian volunteers into seryia ana ne re-
verts to dispatch on the same subject oil the LIN
October, in which he mentions conversation be-
tween Connt SchOuValOf and himself, IN the course
of which he peinted out the embarrassment ~ Ell
tailed upon fhe ROunanian Government Inc 6oF-
ernment of Great Britain would, says LORD DERBY
be the last 10 suggest the repression OF bSmlatny
with popular cause as long as II dd not exceed Le
limits prescribed by international law, Dut llat
the presence Of Russian officers and soldiers III INC
SerVian army had assumed proportions niue silViV
of national ASSISTANCE Beyond this there wac the
danger that the presence Of large foreign cle-
ment in the Seryian army might lead TO spiit OF
characterization and constitute its commanders into
control Of Prince Miians Government. Speaking
of the refusal of the six months arlnls-
tice by Russia, Lord Derby says he told
Connt Schouyalof that whether rightly or
wrongly the conclusion 70 which every one here
vonld come would be that the rejection by Russia
Going to war and he entreated him to omit no eilort
10 make his Government understand the hght IN
Li tbig rosoIution would be viewed by the Engilsh
neople Lord Derby, however considers ~ necessary
10 place on record the opinion OF the CaDnet on no
Sefyian war He says the Government nave ie.t
that the continuance or the wal, CoIl9 ~ ,i @
onee of the remonstrances of Russia and the fower
was all the more lamentable III that IL was uheees,
sary and that there were no results 70 DC attaie9
IvL{ch coud NOT better and more surely be attained
= bv neaeefu means It has long been evident, says
lis ordship that far as the improvement Oh tnS
condition of the disturbed districts OF TURKEY anu
of the non-Mussulman population generaany Is
concerned. the unaided action of Seryia ana Monte
negro could have no practical effect ana from the
time when the question passed into the hands OF tne
,aJiating Potyers further blO0dshed only added 70
the distress and misery OF the population.