The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-15
MAY BE WAR'SFIRST GUN
ENGLAND SEXES THE ISLAND OF
MIrYLENE.


That the Island Has Been Hastily
Fortified and Protected by Tor
pedoes.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Sept. IA detach-
ment of blue jackets and marines from a
British ironclad, accompanied by battery
Of light field pieces and several gatling
guns, landed yesterday morning at Sigri,
ou the island of Mitylene formally occupy
ing that place in the name Of the Queen of
England. There is good harbor at Sigri
and it is supposed that the British naval
officers at Mitylene intends to fortify the
island and make it a coaling station and
rendezvous for the British Mediterranean
fleets. Sigri is on the coast of Mitylene,
about sixty miles from the mouth of the
Dardanelles.
SURROUNDED WITH TORPRDOES.
1t is stated that the French and Russian
ambassadors here have received kilograms
from their respectives cousuls in Mitylene
announcing the occupation of Sigri and
stating that guns have been landed and that
the inlet has been surrounded with tor
pedoes
EXCITEMENT AT LONDON.
LONDON, Sept. 14-So soon as the report
of the occupation Of Mitylene by the British
force was received here there was consider
able excitement. Up to this hour (5:3O p.
m.) there has been no official utterance on
the subject. Reporters and correspondents
by the score have called ct the foreign
Office and at the admiralty, but the officials
on duty there decline to confirm the report
that Great Britain had taken action in the
Dardanelles question. Naturally the fact
that the foreign office and admiralty Off
oialS only "decline to affirm the re-
port gives strength to the reports in
circulation and The general public is conse
quently led to believe that there must be
some truth in them. A dispatch has been
received from Constantinople stating that
the occupancy of the island of Mitylene is an
accomplished fact and it has found an echo
on all the continental bourses to-day. The
general opinion seems to be that if the British
forces had not landed i'll the neighborhood
of the Dardanelles, neither the foreign office
or admiralty would have refused to deny a
rumor calculated to awaken the gravest
apprehension in financial and diplomatic
circles.
The So. james Gazette this evening says
that the startling news concerning the
island Of Mitylene obviously possesses po-
litical significance of the first Importance.
THIRTEEN MEN-oF-wAR ON HAND.
Late this evening another and still more
startling dispatch comes by tele-
graph from Athens. 1t is that the
Greek consuls at Mitylene and at
that thirteen British men-of-war landed
troops and guns at Sigri on Friday and that
they have strongly fortified that place.
81 Lord Salisburys chief private secretary has
returned unexpectedly to London and is
busy at the foreign office.
THE FIRST INTIMATIoN.
An intimatIon OF the intention of the Brit
ish government to occupy an island giving a
point of vantage near the Dardanelles was
& first heard of IN the inner diplomatic circles
of Vienna and Berlin soon after
Sir William Whites audience
with the sultan Friday last.
Nothing about it, however, appeared in
any European newspaper till to- day. The
reports were at first treated as incredible,
and are still held to be of doubtful authen-
81 tclty, or at least exaggerated. In the alb
sence OF foreign office confirmation of the
N reports and until details Of the action of
the British warShips are known the full sig
81 hlhcance OF the movement cannot be UNDER
81 stood
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SULTAN.
1t can be stated on high authority that
Slr William White as ked the sultan to as
sent TO british occup alton of some point
81 Within striking distance of the straits and
81 oHerlng good harborage for a feet Tenedos
ana Beslka bay, here the feet rendezvoused
Al from 1876 to 1878, have been surveyed re-
cehtly and were reported to the admiralty
adversely. The offer made to the sultan
revived the request which the British gov
erhment made IN 1877, prior to the acquisi-
tlon OF Cyprus, to purchase an island near
the Dardanelles. This project was long
81 SUBJECT OF negotiations and was aban-
ooned on the signing of the Anglo Turkish
convention in June, 1873. The seizing of
Slgri, therefore, cannot have occurred
without connivance Of the sultan.
AN ENTENTE WITH TURKEY.
An official announcement issued in Con-
stantinople yesterday stated that COM
pete entente had been arranged between
olr William White and the sultan, butthe
terms OF the restored harmony were not
mentioned. The intimation that the seizure
VI tne island would be followed by its fortii-
caUion Is modified by Berlin report to-
night that LORD Salisbury does not contem-
pa'e permanent occupation of the island
9uc Das designed the movement rather as a
ITetnonstratlou to checkmate the Franco
russian game
81 ACCENTUATES THE CRISIS,
Inc movement accentuates the diplo-
ulatlc crisis Admiral Hoskns. in COM
mand of the British Mediterranean SQUAD
ron, Is ABOUT to be replaced by Admiral
IIryon, who hoisted his flag In 1857 on the
Nile and who sailed from Portsmouth for
oloraitar on Friday to take over the com
mand. '-S VIII
a bHLLlCOSE ACT.
LONDON, Sept. Is, A. M.-Tbe Ne,rs and
.I le chronicle both cay that the report of
ao occupation OF Sigri cannot be without
oundation, and that if true the seizure will
~ nothing less than bellicose act. of
pulch Lord Salisbury could hardly have
Ds capable since he escaped Beaconsfield
r,uinnpeace. ruin They hope the government will.
foo.U foaout delay, inform the public of the real
AusTRIA-HUNGARY S INTEREST
jbUDA PEsTH. Sept. 1.-THE Pesther
sor doubtless inspired through its edi-
cor1x AJAX Fake, reporter of the foreign
H. ulttee OF the Hungarian delegation. to-
81 ~ says that Austria-Hungarv's in.
thas hssI IN the Dardanelles question is greater
tria treat Brltain's, adding: "Can Aus
Dc, Do look on with complacency while
inc ia' 90 nndlng herself barred from expand
ro,,,o S Trough Bulgaria. advances by a shorter
ura a.o :. 70 % the goal she has in view-the seiZ-
8 .nansa.' Oonstantinople. England can COM
kkrS..se, kksDse herself with Egypt, but where is
~. compensation Phe powers ought
Rerl;u =, hesitate to check Russia. Does
RUssIA's COUP OMAN.
se;zs ;'eiTsrrlng Tging to the alleged Russian plot to
s. Tsstbeu IS Tsi1antinople by coup d'main, the
4 hv tne ~ Lloyd quotes a document prepared
ts;l;,s, ;no Szar Nicholas in 1858. infinitely de-
insaris,ue iss tue plans by which force of Ii. 600
,Lta. TWO sotnias of Cossacks and
80 Two guns could forca "A Massage ~