New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-16

at croauet lawn tennis or. in fact, at anything
sooner than at statecraft
well recall the amused contempt with which
when 1 in Japan the British Envoy. Sir
Harry Parkes. who had been warned about
him. wont to comment on the frvolity of
his Russian colleague Sir Harry was com
petely thrown off his guard. and almost had
fit when one day he received a dispatch from
London stating that information had been re-
Ceived fr, St Petersburg to the effect that
M de Strive had succeeded in persuading the
Japanese to exchange their half of the Sagha-
lien Islands for the barren Kurlle Islands pre-
viOusly belonging to Russia. The islands Of
Saghalen had until then been divided into
two distinct parts, the northern and absolutely
barren portion being owned by Russia, while
the southern part. with its magniiiCen coal
fields. its vast mineral wealth and fine natural
barbors belonged 10 Japan. Considering the
enormous trade Of Great Britain in the Pacific
II is difficult to overestimate the effect OF this
little piece OF diplomacy the part OF NJ. de
Struve.
That diplomat Of his Importance should be
accredited to the Court OF second-rate a
Power as Holland is due to the designs which
Germany VIGOROUSLY entertains with regard to
an eventual absorption OF the Netherlands. AS
Teutonic statesmen and newspapers openly dis
cuss the transformation of Amsterdam into a
German Kronstadt ii is Of the utmost i'm
portance that Russia should have some capable
man on the spot to keep track of German plans
al The Hague. and 10 counteract them as far
possible. VI. de Strive, by the by is indirectly
connected with the regnng house of Russia
To PRESIDE OVER HE CONGRESS.
The nomination of Baron de staa may be
ascribed to a desire the part of Russia to
dispe the very serious doubts that prevail with
regard to her sincerity. The Baron is not only
the most amiable of old men. but also the
soul Of rcspectability and has by some means
or another achieved a reputation for truthful
ness and for honesty in official dealing that Is
unique in Russian diplomacy. Following Count
ShuvalOff that past master in the art Of genial
and unDlEshing mendacity. and the equally IN
reliable Baron Mohrenheim, who was justly
nicknamed "Borenheim." ne has managed TO be-
Come the most popular and trusted or all the
Foreign Ambassadors accredited TO the Court of
St. James. and. in spite of the often strained
pslations between the Cabinets of St. Petersburg
and OF London nothing has ever occurred 10
impair the high regard in which he is held by
English people in general, and by Lords Salis-
bury and Rosebery in particular. The Baron is
Il
koff who was Russian Ambassador at Constan-
tinople just before the Crmean War, and IS
therefore. a nephew by marriage of the famous
Chancellor Prince Alexander Gortchakor TO
my mind Baron de Stalls success in Ii ndon is
chiefly due to MS extre ordinary faculty OF con-
veying to thore with whom he is conversing
the impression that he holds them in the very
highest estimation. an art all the more merl-
torious in his case. since he is martyr 10
lurlhago He is nearly eighty years old, and 1t
is expected that ne will be invited 70 preside
over the congress.
Professor Martens the third Russian dele
gate is a rather pompous and pedantc old man
OF profound learning and of sufficient impair
TALLY and independence to have decided sew
eraI international cases in favor of foreign coun-
tries and against Russia He will be occupied
at the congress with the purely doctrinal ana
theoretical questions submitted 10 ii.