The evening times., 1897-07-03
Europe's War Cloud.

Readers Of The Times will have noticed
that this journal has not been particularly
Impressed by the alleged letter said TO
have been written to Abdul II amid by the
Czar. and urging the latter to meet the
views Of Europe and eyacuate Thessaly
THE ina is hardly dry On that missive when
we hear that the Sublime Porte has an T.
nounced to the anbasSa dOIs that Turkey
maintains her indefeasible right 10 retain
Possession Of the province
Ia Forming conclusions on the Eastern
question there are certain facts and fac
tcrs OF far greater importance than the
published utrelanoes Of potentates and
cabinets, which indeed are more often
designed t. conceal than 20 impau in
formation. Merely because the courts of
Emope generally have been more OF less Ell =
gseed for a week or ten days i'm jubilatimg
with Queen Victoria, it must not be assumed
that il their purpose t. ahate one jot
or iule Of dynastic or national antli-
ton at the expense OF that aged lad, Is
government or on any other account OF
fraternity or courtesy.
The show is over Careful Observers, de
tailed by the several Continental powers,
have sized up England's naval and mili-
tary exhibit put up for the occasion, and
the various performers in the concert
pf.u- will rtturn 4 n buSfnpSS aud MA hair
respective roles with every attention TO
art And, In this connection, once again
we desire to observe that it is not for
amusement that the Sultan has five or
stA hundred thousand troops in the field
noT that Nicholas OF Russia has ad-
vanced him the money TO mobilize, place
and keep them on a war footing We 10
NOT say mat the fact of their presence
in ThessGly, Albania, and so on, neces-
sarily means war, but that il is more
likely to mean that than anything else
For example, there can be no doubt that
Russia, if possible, would put an end TO
british prestige and influence in Eastern
Europe and Asia Russia is not modest
about claiming domination inthose quarters
herself, ana If the teeth and claws of the
British lion could be pulled boy setting
the Turks to attack the redcoats in Egypt,
and follow ing that VI by hostile move
ments GA the British India frontier, we
may feel reasonably certain that some
thing Of the kind would be done
A. a coincident of the current situation
there are some good grounds for be-
Kruger in conjunction with Germany has
succeeded ia getting control of Delacoa
Bay. through a veiled purchase OF the
shares OF the Mozambique Company, aud
renewal and extension of its charter by
the Portuguese government. IL true, that
would mean the establishment OF Ger
manic military influence on the African
coast. commanding the approaches to the
Transyaal, that Great Britain would find
IL difficult to cope with
Taking the European situation an gen
eral. II looks very much as IL the other
powers were drawing in their lines OF
ofrcnse around and against En- gland i'm the
same WAY that that nation is surrounding
the United States with brstling arguments
r. favor 4 American neutrality and arldt ra-
tion Under all the circumstances we are
unable 20 bclieve that any great amount
of grief would, be experienced in this
country IL the Gar and the Sultan were
TO join hands and do a little bullying al
the expense Of that noble and Christian
power which always has considered that
sort of thing her own peculiar province and
prerogative 10y divine right and in the
highest interests OF all the beatitudes