The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-05-12
A Possible Alliance,

Some insight into the relations of Austria
and Russia in the East is afforded by paper
in the current number of the North Ameri.
can Repieu, contributed by Karl Blind, agi-
tator for the universal-republic. He takes for
his text those diplomatic documents made
public at Vienna last year. On the question
of their authenticity no reasonable doubt has
been thrown. They date from the year 1870,
but the ideas advanced in them are the ideas
which apparently control the action of two
great nations to-day.
In 1870 while the struggle was going on
between France and Prussia the Gear took
advantage of the disasters of one of the pow
ers which compassed the Muscovite defeat at
Sebatopol and the timidity of the other to
tear in pieces the treaty of Paris which i'm
posed upon him the naturalization of the
Black Sea. France could make no opposi-
tlon, England would not, and Austria was
the only power whose dissent was to be
feared. In order to give her full occupation
the insurrection in the herzegovina which
enlisted the sympathy of her Slav subjects
was brought about. Among the documents
published at Vienna were dispatches from
the Russian ambassador at the Austrian
court to the Russian consul at Ragusa direct
ing the latter to furnish the Montenegrin
Prince the means for making var on Turkey
and to extend aid to the Mirdite chiefs and
the Christians in Popovo and the Suttorina.
These dispatches came to the knowledge of
the Ottoman embassy at Vienna, and were
brought to the notice of Count Beust, then
the Austrian Premier and now the Austrian
envoy at the Court of St. James. Count
Beust affected to disbelieve the stories of
Russian intrigue, and decidedly refused to
take any action in the matter. Khalil Bey,
the representative of the Porte, then called
upon Count Andrassy who stood at the head
of affairs in Hungary. The result of the
interview was the conclusion that war should
be avoided, but that if conflict was forced
by Russia it should be carried on to the ut
most limit and peace should not be concluded
until rectification of frontiers was obtained
in Asia and on the Black Sea. All the
territories inhabited by Mussulman popula-
tions near the Euxine should be recon-
quered and Poland be restored as an inde-
pendent country. The two diplomatists
went so far as to consider what armies should
be put into the field. Count Andrassy de-
clared that Austria could furnish 100000
men, and Khalil Bey promised on behalf of
Turkey 100000 men. To carry the scheme
into effect it was deemed necessary to secure
the cooperation of England, to overcome the
opposition of the Austrian Chancellor, and to
detach Prussia. from the Russian connection.
All attempts however to effect these things
failed. England was Indifferent or timid,
Count Beust openly declared that the Paris
Treaty had become a chimera, and Prussia
gave the Hungarian Minister to understand
that it had bound itself towards the Cabinet
of st. Petersburg, in the question of the
Black Sea, by assurances from which it could
not recede. So tie scheme to restrict the
Muscovite power in Asia and on the Euxine,
to restore the independence of the Caucasus,
and to re-establish Poland as a power, fell
through.
Now the instructions instigated by Russia
have resulted in an Eastern war, and the
man who foresaw this result is Premier of the
Austro- Hungarian monarchy. The indiffsr-
ence OF England is fast giving way to anger
and apprehension at the Russian successes in
Armenia. 1t is among the possibilities that
the attempted alliance of 1870 may become a
fact in 1877. In that case much will depend
upon the nature and extent of the pledges
given bY Berlin to St. Petersburg.