The morning times., 1897-02-28
RU5SIA'S DOMINANT VOICE
Dictafing international Policies
of Europe and Asia.
GAR IN THE CRETAN CRISIS
orders Greece to Withdraw Her
TtooI> and Protests of Britain,
FTarce, ard Italy Go for NaUght.
Eas Convention With Japan, Too.
senator Wolcutt's Mission

Berlin. F"h. 2T.-The dispatch from St
Petersburg published IL tie London and
continental newspapers Yesterday. pur-
porting to describe Russia attitude on
tie Crctan question anI asserting that
tne Bus>ian government t.5d ordered Greece
To recall her trsops from Crete within
tHEcc days, iS now Known 20 Ice authentic
though it, putEic, tun laG tecn beIated.
a ~!n!ilar proposal issue iy the ST Peters
l-1rg government Tc-cEel the foreign Of
fice> of Germany and The ether powers
early in the week. and 1T i nov said
upon unquestioaai.c authority that it
met With circumstances from England.
France ana Italy tut wts asserted to
by Germany and Austria.
This proposal by Russia now represents
tie transition phase OF Russian diplomacy
and the real Importance Of the com
I:rInIcation lies in the fact that Russia is
determined upon policy Of speedy and
decisive cuerciou OF Greece by force Of
RrInS. andts ready to apply such measures
with or without the cooperation OF the
Uther powers. The actual state OF the
Tor three days only upon the strength Of
representations from the British and
French governments that time ought To he
accorded to the Greek government In
which TO consider its position.
The impet Uoss initiative taken 10y Russia
las certainly accelerated the ncsotia
o1s among tie powers, which are now
turning mainly toward procedure Of
coercion. Official advices which have
been received here from Athens have
Uaused the COayiCtiou that the fleets OF
tHc powers must make their appearance
IN tie PiraeuS before the King of the
Hcllcues VIII yield to the viii OF the
uoaCcTtcd governments, and that his sub
mission VIII Certainly be accompanied
by tie resignation cf the Greek cabinet,
probably hy tie abd!CatioR OF tie Greek
l. ouarch.
a semi-offiCiaI article in the Pesther-
LIoyds conveys the idea that the AuStro-
Hungarian government, though now fol-
lowing the lead OF Russia and Germany,
Is very much averse to RUSSia'S style Of
initiative as affirming her right to be re-
IaHded as the Earamuant power in the
EEikans. In Official circles in Perlin. how
ever. RuSsia's haste in the matter is at
triFUtcd to the movements which have
been made by Scrvia and Bulgaria toward
an offensive alliance against Turkey King
Alexander OF Servia will start from Bel
grade fer Sofia tomorrow To confer with
Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria upon the
situation, and. according to a dispatch
published in the Frankfort Gazette. the
governments Of Bulgaria and Servia have
demanded from the Porte an explanation
or the maSsng OF Turkish troops upon the
frontiers Of tEosc states
The recall OF VI. Rangabe, the Greek min
lister to Germany, is imminent. Not only
is his own government dissatisfied with
the way in which he has conducted the
negotiations lntrusted 10 him, but he has
offended the kaiser by his imprudent ex-
pressions in newspaper intervie in which
he has strongly criticised the personal inter
ference of the emperor between the Ger
man ministers and the diplomatic repre-
sentatives of the foreign powers, and it
Will be surprising iHdeedif he is not super
seded
The convention between Russia 4 nd Jaran,
the purport OF which is just made public,
is ascertained TO have been signed in
Moscow by the late Prince Lobanoff, Rus
sian minister of foreign affairs, and
Field Marshal Yamagata, the japanese
envoy, upon the occasion Of the latters
visit TO Russia last June as the represent
ative of the emperor of Japan at the cere-
monies attending the coronation of the
car. The tenor Of the agreement has
been known to the German government
for a long time and it is probable that
&c was also known to the British govern
Inent. The treaty is certainly a slap
In the face of England, which power
Japan win oppose If Great Britain should
attempt TO seize Port Hamilton BY the
terms OF the convention Japan retains
control OF the telegraph lines in Korea
with the exception OF the line which the
Russian government is to construct to
SepuI. The publication Of the provisions