The times., 1898-09-04
some INSIDE HISTORY
The Gar Influenced to Make
His Peace Encyclical.
QUEEN VICTORIA ASKED IT
How She Was Persuaded to Take
Action - The Hasty Visit of the
Princess Of Wales TO Her Mother.
the Queen of Denmark. at Last
Explained-M. dc Witte Urged.

London, Sept. 3.-This has been a
week of momentous happenings in the
world of diplomacy First, let me mar
rate the inner history OF the Cars
peace encyclical. For the substantial
accuracy of this narration ] can youch.
1t forms a fresh and startling illustra-
tion of the immense power for good or
evil which. even in these democratic
days, sovereigns can and do exercise.
There have been a hundred and one
explanations OF the real origin and
meaning Of this remarkable document.
l can assert most positively that it
would never have been issued but for
the Queen of England. The readers of
these cablegrams know that England's 5
repeated humiliations in diplomatic en-
counters with Count Muravief, the
Russian minister of foreign affairs, in
the Far East We're largely due TO the
queens earnest desire, which the Mar
quis of Salisbury interpreted as COM
mand, that diplomatic pressure upon
Russia was not 10 be carried TO the
point Of risking war between herself
and her beloved grandchildren.
Count AIuravieff, knowing this.
played as he pleased with British pol
icy. first that of an integral China, then
Of an open trade door. Goaded beyond
endurance by public criticisms, party
pressure. and adverse bye-elections,
Lord Salisbury was at last driven to
tell the queen that he could not be re-
sponsible for the conduct of foreign
affairs unless he was given an abso-
lutely free hand. even should the issue
be war.
But One Reply.
My information coming from one who
had direct personal knowledge Of the
interview, is that Queen Victoria at
once told Lord Salisbury that she could
make but one reply TO his appeal She
said that she trusted implicitly in him,
and thanked him warmly for all his
loyal service. Then followed a touch
ing appeal to Lord Salisbury. The
queen reminded him of her dearest
wish that her few remaining years
should not be sullied by terrible war.
What" she asked, can / do?'
Lord Salisbury replied: "One thing
your majesty could certainly do; bring
in the cause of peace"
The end of the interview was that
the Empress Dowager, mother Of che
Gar wife of the most peace-loving of
all the Romanoffs. namely Alexander
III, was chosen as the medium of the
queens personal appeal, and the sister
OF the Empress Dowager, the Princess
Of Wales, who always has been on
terms of the closest affection, was at
the audience with the queen at Os-
borne on August 2, and was intrusted
with the personal conduct of the auto
graph letter from the queen to the
Empress Dowager. and through her to
the Car.
The Visit Explained.
The Princess Of Wales left London
on August 3 for the family home at
Copenhagen. The official intimation
was put out here that the princess S
hurried departure, leaving her husband
still a crippled invalid, was due 10 the
critical illness of her mother, the Queen
of Denmark; yet the next day news
paper kilograms from Copenhagen an
nounced that the queens illness was,
in the words of her physician, a mere
indisposition, while on August 6 the
Queen Of Denmark and the Princess of
Wales Were out driving together for a
stretch of two hours. In a word, the
queens illness was an official preteXt.
The real object of the princess's visit
was 10 convey Queen Victoria's letter.
The rest of the story is soon told
The Car received the queens letter
with enthusiasm. following the tradi-
tional Romanoff craving for peace, and
especially following the footsteps of his
father, the peace Car. He had made
two previous attempts to induce Count
Muravieff to assent TO a general appeal
10 the Powers in the cause of peace,
but so long as Count Muravieff knew
that England would not go to war, he
put the Car off Directly, however,
that he learned the character Of Queen
Victoria's letter he knew that the anti
British game was up. The British min
istry's hands at last freed, they would
insist, if necessary, at the point of the
sword, upon their demands in China
while Russia was quite unprepared to
fight.
Had Urged Upon the Gar.
Meanwhile NJ. de Witte, the Car S
finance minister, had long urged upon
the Car. in opposition to Count Mura-