St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-20
Gladstone Continues to Predict a Settle
ment Of the Anglo-Russian
Trouble,
But Diplomats Believe He is Playing a
Deep Game Merely to Obtain
Time.
Austria Warns the Porte of a Posi-
bic Violation of the Berlin
Treaty.
Report of the Heavy Loss of Life in
the Recent Battle of Chal-
chuapa.
Talking Peace but Meaning War.

LONDON, April 1S.-The prospect Of
peace may be delusive. Many experienced
diplomats entertain firm conviction that
the apparent truce is taken by England to
get proper breath for effective action. The
very firlnneSs with which Mr.. Gladstone
makes his public statements, and the cold,
calculating exactnesS with which he
phrases his utterances all tend to
convince those who know the premier
well that he has determined upon policy,
no matter how surprising, 1t will by no
means be one of retrogression. Mr.. Glad
stone has made some retreats during his
ministry, but he has always, on these Occa-
sions, betrayed himself by indecision and
evasIveneSs in his parliamentary statements.
It is quite different with him now. 70 all
interrOgations in the house of commons
during the past week, the premier has pre-
sented the very perfection of
FIRMNESS IN REPLY.
1t is admitted, even by the premier's friends,
that his conduct has been like that of man
strong in foreknowledge about the result of
his cause, like that Of a man managing well
a good cause with many ugly features
necessarily attending the preliminary stages
of its progress. Mr.. Gladstone appears to
to be unembaTassed by prospects,
and undoubtedly has the full
sympathy and cooperation of his entire
cabinet. As sporting man states it, ''Mr.
Gladstone is playing waiting game and
knows all the cards." 1t would appear
from all this that the premier has another
coup de theatre prepared for next weeks
vote Of credit day. Hence, although all
the surface indications warrant the state
ment that the prospect is one of peace,
the only description of the actual
situation which can be given as literally ac-
curate is contained in. the statement, 1.-The
situation is practically unchanged" Of
course such a statement is rather oracular,
but so is the situation, for no one outside
the cabinet seems to know just wat it is.
1t may be set down as absolutely true that
the rise and fall of the war talking during
ten days past has been largely due
to the speculative money interested
in making sales or purchases. the govern
ment has decided to station number of
armed merchantmen at the South African
cape, at Bombay, at Sidney, and elsewhere,
as provisional means of defense for Brit
ish interests in those quarters of the world,
in case of an AngIO-Russan war.
The British admiralty have been in sue
cessful negotiation with Chill for the pur-
pose of securing a part of
the Gillian navy. -Four second
class torpedo boats have already been
bought. Orders have been issued for the
immediate dispatch of these torpedo boats
to Vancouver island for use in the North
Pacific ocean in case of emergency. The
work Of fortifying Singapore will be COM
menced at once. One hundred and twenty
trustworthy Malays will be at once in
structed in
TORPEDO sECRETs-AND PRACTICE.
The government has decided to put stop
for the present to all volunteer retirements
among army officers. Members of the In
dian volunteer force have not yet been re-
quired to enlist They have been simply
requested to register their names with the
government. The war Office is engaged
in the work of providing for each
member of this force Martini
rife, fifty rounds of ammunition, necessary
personal accoutrements, and an extra allow
ance of five ruples toward the purchase of
a uniform. The gunwOrks of Sir William
Armstrong have been given large number
of new war orders. Among them is an
order for seventy small field pieces and an
other for 400 Nordenfeldt guns. Russia is
strongly fortifying Sweaborg.
THE. CIPHER DISPATCH.
The cipher dispatch of Sir Peter Lumsden,
giving his report Of the Penjdeh incident,
has been Interpreted and copies of the
translation distributed among members of
the cabinet. Nothing more is publicly
known this morning of the contents of this
dispatch than was stated by Gladstone in
the house of commons last evening. AS
several houro was consumed in deciphering
the dispatch it is believed to contain full
report of the battle and events leading to
it as viewed by Englishmen nearest the
scene.
THE PORTE WARNED.
Dispatches received here this afternoon
from Vienna and Constantinople state that
Austria and Germany have warned the
porte that the Berlin treaty will be annulled
if either English or Russian war ships are
allowed to pass through the Bosphorous in
the event of war between England and
Russia.