New-York tribune., 1878-07-08
try will have received wOun' rom which IL
cannot hope to recover in our TIME.
DIpLoMAoY AS PER CONTRACT

Diplomacy is no longer the thief OF time'
It was only after five years of negotiation
that the peace of Westphalia was signed at
Nymwegen the plenipOtenliaries lOitered tof
two years, and at Utrecht almost as long; at
Radstadt the diplOmatists were cheek by Jo"l
for over two years without accomplishing
anything; and the Treaty of Vienna Wouid
not have been signed at the end of the sew
enth month if Napoleon had not returned
from Elba. Prince Bismarck has kept the
Berlin Congress we'll in hand. The most
complex problems TO be worked out have
been reduced to their simplest terms,
and the discussions have been conducted
with business like directness and pre-
cision. Unless Lord BeacOnsfield has some
surprise in reserve, the work of the Congress
is practically finished, and the new charter oil
European peace will be signed on Thursday,
at the close of the fourth week of the session.
This Is very quick work. Whether England
or Russia made the better bargain, Count
Schouvaloff and Lord Salisbury certainly saved
time by coming to an understanding before
they entered the council chamber. The Ger
man Chancellor has held the contract under
their eyes aud compelled them to carry 1t into
effect clause by clause.
The cessiOn of Batum, like the surrender OF
Bessarabia and the division of Bulgaria,
is strictly according to the bond In
the London Memorandum Russia prom
ised to restore to the Turks the Valley of
Alashkert and the town of Bayazid, and to
cede to Persia the little territory of KhOtOur;
and, in return, England agreed mot to con-
/" test the desire of the Emperor to occupy
" the port of Batum and to guard his con-
"duests in Armenia" The last clause vir-
tnaly determines the fate of the fortresses,
Abraham and Kars, for these are cOnquests
which the Emperor will be allowed to guard
although they are not specifically mentioned
IN the agreement by the decision reached on
Saturday Russia will surrender Bayazid, and
it is reasonable to suppose that the highway
to Dlbabn, along which the Lett J ing adj
yancrd wear ago, viii be res red to the
Turks. We already know thai Batum is to be-
come q Russian port under certain restrictions.
If the forlresses are to be retained by the
conquerors, the natural frontier will be the
Chorull Su as far as the spurs of the
Soughanlu, aud the Emperor will have the
bulk OF his conquests. If the territory to be
ccded is only a small triangle with Batum al
the apex, it is hard to understand what Lord
Salisbury meant by these sentences IN the
Memorandum 1.-THE Government of her
" Majesty do not hide from themselves that
grave dangers menacing the tranquility of
"the populations OF Turkey in Asia may
"rcsult in the future by this extension
"of the Russian frontier. But her Ma
"iesty's Government are of opinion that
"the duty of protecting the Ottoman En-
pire from this danger which hencefOrth
will rest largely with England can he
effected without exposing Europe 10 the
"calamities of a fresh war" This is the
clause which has the promise and the potency
of the Asatic protectOrate scheme. Whether
il means much or nothing at all, we snail
soon know.
The troublesome question of the Straits has
apparently been settled without difficulty.
The Dardanelles will remain closed to
vessels of war, in accordance with the pro-
visions of the Treaty of Paris. Centuries ago,
when the Black Sea was n Turkish lake, the
Sultan controlled its waters just as we
do those of the Hudson. As soon as
half fthe coast became the territory
Of another Power the natural equity of
the case prohibited the Porte from
obstructing the passage of Russian vessels of
war through the Straits. The question was
not settled either in 1856 or in 1871 in ac
cordance with natural equity; nor is ii in
1873. Neither in the Treaty of San StefanO
nor i'm the London Memorandum does Russia
claim her natural right of free entry as n lit
tora State. The reason is plain, So long as
she is allowed to have a navy in the Black
Sea she prefers TO have the Straits regula-
ions remain unchanged. AS the law stands,
her own war vessels are not allowed TO go
out but on the other hand the Davies
of other Powers are kept out. If she
cannot attack, she is not herself ex-
posed to attack and hence she is not dis
posed to ClamOr for the freedom OF the
Straits. She is cOoped mp in the Black Sea,
it is true, but she is also sheltered there.
The reGnactment OF the restrictive clause is
not tfiumph for England. Her interests as
a naval Power would have been promoted if
the Straits had been opened to the war ships
of all nations. This question, like that of the
occupation of Batum has been adjusted in ac-
cordance with the terms of the Memorandum,
and England has gained naught by it, The
only Power whose success at Berlin is une
guiYocal is Austria. Count Andrassy has been
unhampercd by pledges and contracts, and
his triumph has been natural, though unex-
pected.
A sidewalk in the middle Of the street would hard