The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-15
THE NEWS IN LONDON.
The Authorities Neither Amrm n,
Dony Il.

Tho Authorities Neither Affirm nor
Dony 1t.
LONDON, Sept. 14.-so soon rs the re-
port of tho occupation of Mitylene by a
British force was received here there
was considerable excitement. Up to
this hour $3.50 p. m.) there has been
no official utterance upon the subject.
Reporters and correspondents by the
score have called at the foreign office
and at the Admiralty, but the officials
on duty there decline to confirm the re-
port that Great Britain had taken action
in the Dardanelles question.
A dispatch has been received from
Constantinople stating that the occu-
patton OF the Island OF Mitylene is IN
accomplished fact and ithas found an
echo on all the continental bourses to-
day. The general opinion seems to be
that II the british forces had not landed
in the neighborhood OF the Dardanelles
neither foreign office nor the admiralty
could have refused to deny ramor
calculated toawaken the gravest appre-
hension in financial and diplomatic
circles.
Late this evening another and still
more startling dispatch comes by telo-
graph from Athens. 1t is that the
Greek consuls at Mitylene and ut
Smyrna have wired the Greek govern
ment that fifteen British men-of-war
landed troops and guns at Sigri on FRI
day and that they have already strong
" fortified that place. Lord Salisbury's
chief private secretary has returned
unexpectedly to London and is busy at
the foreign office.
The 81. james Gd.cttc this evening says
that the startling pews concerning the
Island of Mitylhne, obviously possesses
political significance OF the flrstim-
portance. Continuing, the same paper
adds that the Island OF Mitylend has
position OF considerable strategic i'm
portance, although possessing little in
the way OF Notifications.
In the absence OF foreign confirms
ton OF the reports and until the details
Of the action Of the British war ships
are known the full significance OF the
movement cannot be revealed. 1t can
be stated on high authority, however,
that Sir Vim. White asked the Sultan to
assent to the British occupation Of some
point within striking distance OF the
straits and offering a good harborage fo1
the fleet.
Tenedos and Besika bay where the
fleet rendezvoused from 1876 to 1873
have been surveyed recently and were
reported to the admiralty adversely.
The offer made to the Sultan revived
the request which the British
government made in 1877, prior to the
acquisition Of Cyorus to purchase an
island near the Dardanelles. This
project was long the subject
Of negotiations and was abandoned
on the signing OF the Anglo-Turkish
convention in June 1873. The seizing
OF Sigri therefore cannot have occurred
without the connivance OF the
Sultan. An official announcement
issued in Constantinople yesterday
stated that q complete entente had been
arranged between Sir VIM. White and
tine Sultan, but the terms OF the restored
harmony was not mentioned.
The intimation that the seizure of the
island would be followed by its fortitl-
cation is modified by Berlin report
that Lord Salisbury does not
contemplate q permanent occupation
OF the island, but has designed the
movement rather as demonstration to
checkmate the Franco-Russian game.
The movement accentuates the diplo-
matte crisis.