, 1885-05-30

Wilhelm would be the most acceptable ar
bitrator to the Gar if the Russian Govern
ment consented to refer the question of
right or wrong in the matter to a friendly
Power, and the German Government agreed
to undertake the task. In any case, h
ever be the umpire, his decision would per-
haps avert a terrible war. and, even if his
ruling were i'll favour of Russia, it would at
least save all we may now expect to save
without a clearer and firmer policy, and
that is appearances.
/ am precluded from giving the latest
propositions as a whole, but there is no
doubt that they are of the most equitable
and reasonable kind, and if Russia rejects
them she will show that she does not wish
to avoid war, and the situation will then
reach its most critical point. The deter
mined efforts of Mr.. Gladstone to arrange
matters peaceably, regardless o fpublic OPT
MON and in spite even of the fact that Rus
ala meanwhile is continually selling upon
advantageous positions against us towards
Herat, must be evident enough to the Rus
sian Government. The only fear is that
this kind of policy has so confirmed Russia
in confidence in her position that the an
swer now awaited from the Russian Foreign
Office will not perhaps show the same
anxious desire to compromise the difficulty.
April 80.
A Finnish newspaper called Finland
states that 200 workmen arrived in Hell
singfors by a night train Oh the 25th inst.
and were Immediately conveyed across the
harbour to the Sveaborg fortress.
Reports from Helsingfors, Libau, Revel,
IL other Russian ports state that great
= - Ella "a H. II H.
bardment by all English feet. The Hell
singfors Dagblad has very little belief in
the power of Russia to do anything serious
against England at sea. There are four
Russian fortresses in the Baltic, it observes
which will require assistance, and any Sc
rious engagement with English ships in
open waters will be quite out of the ques-
ton. The main commercial artery of the
Empire will assuredly be cut by a British
squadron. This article in the Finnish
newspaper is very distasteful to the NOuoe
VremyG which tries to convince its readers
that with their mines and torpedo boats
1.-THE Russians consider their torpedo ser
vice the first in Europe) and their Doohas-
offs and ShestakOffs the Russian fleet will
be fully equal to the occasion.
Large quantities of Goals are being
bought abroad on the orders of the Go.
vernment at any price. The employers of
labOur in st. Petersburg have received
papers on which to make an immediate re-
turn of all men in their service liable to he
called out in the First Reserve of the
Army.
MI. Gladstone's statement in the House
on Monday night is published here today,
and the impression which it has produced,
as far as one is able to judge at present,
can hardly be called a favourable one for
the prospects of peace, in as much as the
British Cabinet appears to insist on an
investigation into the conduct of the Rus.
sian officers in the Penjdeh incident.
which, as to-day's NoUoe Vremya puts it,
cannot for a moment be admitted to enter
in any way into the national and Imperial
policy of the British Government. In
fact, the one now adopted here in regard
to the Penideh attack places the incident
in the category of military operations,
with which the English and Russian GO
vrrnments, in their diplomatic negotiations
have no right to concern themselves any
longer.