The record-union., 1891-09-15
EUROPE ALARMED.
itish Troops Land on the Island
of Mitylene.
HARBOR OF SIGRI OCCUPIED IN THE
NAME OF THE QUEEN
The Island to be Fortified TO Make It
Coaling Station and Rendezvous
for the British Mediterranean
Fleet-The News Causes Decided
Feeling of Uneasiness In Diplomatic
and Financial Circles at Paris.
Special to the REcoRD-UN1oN.


British iron-clad, accompanied by bat
terry of light field pieces and several Cat
ling guns, landed yesterday morning at
Sigri, on the Island of Mitylene, formally
occupying that place in the name of
the Queen of England. There is a good
harbor at Sigri, and it is supposed the
British naval officers at Mitylene intend
to fortify the island to make it coaling
station and rendezvous for the British
Mediterranean fleets. Sigri is on the
coast of Mitylene, and is about sixty
miles from the mouth of the Dardanelles.
EXCITEMENT AT LONDON.
LONDON, Sept. 14.-As soon as the re-
port of the occupation of Mitylene by a
British force was received here there was
considerable excitement. Up to $50 p. M.
there could be obtained no official utter
ance upon the subject. Reporters and
correspondents by the score have called
at the Foreign Off1ce and at the Admiralty.
but the officials on duty decline to con-
firm the report that Great Britain has
taken action in the DardaneIles question.
a dispatch has been received from Con-
stantinople stating that the occupation of
the Island of Mitylene is an accomplished
fact, and 1t 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 in the
neighborhood of the Dardanelles neither
theForeign Office the Admiralty would
have refused to deny the rulnor which is
calculated to awaken the gravest appre-
hension in financial and diplomatic cir
cles.
Late this evening another and more
startling dispatch comes by telegraph
from Athens. It is that the Greek Con-
suls at Mitylene and at Smyrna have
wired the Greek government that thir-
teen British men-of-war landed troops
and guns at Sigri on Friday, and that
they have already strongly fortified the
place.
Lord Salisbury's private secretary has
returned UNEXPECTEDLY to London, and
IS busy in the Foreign Office. The 81.
James Gazette this evening says that the
starting news concerning the Island of
Mitylene. obviously possesses especial
significance of the first Importance. Con-
unulng, 1t adds that the Island of Nifty
Iene has position of considerable STRAIT
egIc Importance, although possessing
little III the way Of fortifications.
The intimation of the intention of
the British Government to occupy an
island giving point of vantage
near the Dardanelles was first heard
OF IN the inner diplomatic circles of
Vienna and Berlin soon after Sir Will
liam Whites audience with the Sultan on
Friday last. Nothing about it, however,
appeared in the European newspapers
TIL the ConStantinople cable startled the
bourses and public to-day. The reports
were at first treated as incredible, and are
still held to be of doubtful authenticity. or
at least exaggerated.
In the absence OF Foreign Office confir-
nation nf tho
of the action of the British warships are
known the full significance of the move
ment cannot be revealed It can be
stated, however, that Sir William White
asked the Sultan to assent to British occu-
patton of some point within striking dis
tance OF the straits, and Offering good
harborage for the feet.
Tendos and Besika Bay, where the fleet
rendezvoused from 1876 to 1873, have been
surveyed recently, and were reported to
the Admiralty adversely. An offer made
the Sultan revived the request which the
British Government made in 1877, prior
to the acquisition of Cyprus, to purchase
the island near the Dardanelles. This
project was long the subject of negotia-
tlons, and was abandoned on the signing
of Ang.o-Turkish convention in June
1873. The seizing of Sigri, therefore,
cannot have occurred without the con-
niVance OF the Sultan.
The official announcement was issued
in ConstantinOple yesterday that q COM
plete entente had been arranged between
Sir William White and the Sultan. bnt
the terms of restored harmony were not
mentioned. The intimation that seiz-
ure OF the island would follow by fortif-
cations is modified by Berlin report
tonight that Lord Salisbury does not
contemplate occupation of the island. but
has designed the movement rather as a
demonstration to check the late Franco
Russian game.
matte crisis. Admiral Hoskins, in COM
mand Of the British Mediterranean
squadron, is about to be replaced by Ad-
mlral Iryon, who hoisted his flag in 1857
on the Nile, and who sailed from Ports
mouth for Gibraltar on Friday to take
command.
THE NEWS CONFIRMED.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Sept. 14.-It is stated
that the French and Russian Embassa
dors here have received kilograms from
their respective Consuls in Mitylene an
nouncing the occupation of Sirri. and
stating that guns have been landed and
the lslet surrounded with torpedoes.
FRANCE ANNOYED.
PARIS, Sept. IA decided feeling of
uneasiness has been caused in diplomatic
and financial circles here, by the receipt
of dispatch announcing that Sigri on
the west coast of the Island of Mitylene.
an island belonging to Turkey, near the
coast of Asia Minor, and within steaminp
distance of the Dardanelles was occupied
by detachment of British troops or ma
rineS, landed there from a British IRON
clad. The island is within sixty miles of
the Hellespcnt, has an area of GIG square
miles and population OF so .O00. It has
good harbors and a fertile soil. Upon the
opening of the Bourse here this morning
there was general weakening of prices,
due to the reported action of Great Brit
ain in landing troops at Sigri
Under ordinary circumstances little or
no eredence would have been placed in
this alarming rumor, but, coupled with
the story broadly circulated Saturday that
Great Britain, in view of Russia's practi-
cal coercion of Turkey in regard to the
passage through the Dardanelles of YES
sells belonging to her volunteer feet. in
tended to occupy the Island of Tenedos,
at the entrance ofth Heliespont or Dar-
danelles, more serious attention is paid TO
this dispatch from Constantinople. The
Island of Mitylene would form the most
position from which Great
britain could control the waters of the
Hellespont.
The Bourse to-day closed very dull.
Three per cent rentes dropped 20 CEN
times and Italian, Turkish and Russian
securities Were / per cent. lower. Other
securities were weak and showed frac-
tional decline.
AUsTRo-HUNGARY's INTEREST,".
BUDA PEsTH, Sept. 14-The Poster
TIO1,d dOub tloSc ipSp;rad fbrOrerh ifc