The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-06-08
RUsSIA,s NOTE.
Russia Not Disposed to Settle the Turkish
Question Alone.

Russia Not Disposed to Settle the Turkish
Question Alone.
LONDON, June 1.-THE Times Vienna des-
patch announces that the representatives of
the powers in st. Petersburg have been in
formed that Count Schouvaloff is the bearer of
Russia's answer to Lord Derby's note, and it is
hoped that the contents of that answer will be
deemed satisfactory by the British government.
The correspondent adds:
None Of the other governments having ans
wered the last Russian circular, there was no
occasion for Russia to return to the subject
Still the Russian government has never failed
to repeat that nothing was further from its in
tention than to claim an exclusive right of set
Ting the question, but that after reducing the
Turks to obedience, it meant to act in concert
with other powers in bringing about lasti ng
settlement.
A semi-ofical telegram from st. Petersburg
states that the Russian ambassadors to London,
Berlin and Vienna on returning to their posts
will be able to give assurances that Russia
does not aim at the political transformation of
the map of the East. Nothing is further re-
moved from her intentions than to cause fresh
European complications. Russia will oppose
the entry Of revolutionary instructions into
the war, and will also endeavor as in the case
of Servia to prevent the participation of vassal
and neighboriDg states,
LONDON, June 8.-The Times Paris cores
pondent states that the communication which
Count Schouvaloff brings to London is not a
note IN diplomatic sense, but letter from
Prince Gortschakoff in reply to that Schouva-
loft took with him to st. Petersburg. In his
letter Derby drew the attention of Russia to
various points where English interests would
be affected if Russian action extended so far.
They were mentioned in CrOsSs speech in
Parliament, and are the Suez canal and Egypt.
Constantinople, the Dardonelles and the Per-
sian gulf. The Princes letter successfully
takes up these points and explains that Russia
does not mean to interfere with any one of
them. Gortschakoff acknowledges the great
International and commercial importance of
the Suez canal and gives the most positive as
way to touch it.
Russia indeed thinks herself entitled as a
matter of right to carry the war to Egypt, but
explains chat any action in that direction has
never even been taken into consideration. This
is even more the case as regards the Persian
gulf. Russia thinks so important maritime
passage as the DardaEelles must always be re-
garded by international agreement and not by
one power alone. She disclaims any intention
of acquiring Constantinople, though at the
same Time she could not consent to its posses
sion by any other Christian power.
The communication is silent as regards any
temporary occupation of Constantinople, which
may become necessary and ensue in the course
of Russian military achievements.
The letter goes on to say that Russia has re-
NAMED true to her programme in arriving only
at improving the condition of the Christians in
Turkey, which can only be done by coercipg
the Porte. AS soon as Russia has achieved
this she will fall back on the resolutions of the
Constantinope conference, and contend fol
such guarantees as will insure the efficacy OF
reforms, asking the powers to take up the
thread where it was broken by the dissolution
of the conference,