Washington sentinel., 1899-09-09

instantly dissolve the old one It's very
easy to talk, as Count Yorck Won War
tenburg does, OF Central Europe under
the hegemony Of Germany" but what
have Austria and Italy to get by aggran-
dizing Germany and France? They could
only lose Austria seeks no colonies, and
Italy, though she would like to possess
a section OF North Africa, would find IN
that colony no compensation for unfet.
tering her most deadly enemy, who
once free to act would reduce Italy once
more to cluster OF small States with
the PapacY for pivot. There is no prize
which Central Europe could offer Russia
which England could not more easily
secure to her, or which she is incurably
unable to secure. Who cares about
Constantinople while we have Cairo, or
seeks in China any thing but trader The
moment their designs were fully re-
vealed France and Germany would be
LETT alone to face England and America,
the latter knowing that the day England
was beaten she would have to defend the
one prize left that is worth a great war.
namely South America Brazil would
be worth the bones ofmany Pomeranian
GrenadIers. We can lot doubt theresult
OF such a contest, which, moreover, will
not come, for the statesmen OF the Con-
tinent arc able men, and would NOT risk
all they now possess upon a struggle the
chances of which would be so incalcu.
liable. 1t is true, dangerously true, that
If the two powers limited the mselyes to
the seizure Of Belgium and Holland,
they could bring to bear the full weight
OF their armies, with which neither
England nor America is competent to
contend. That is said to have been
Gambetta's idea, and Gambetta's ideas
still weigh IN France; while every Ger.
man thinks of Holland as naturally by
the laws OF geography an appendage of
the German Empire. Since
the Tudor Gays Englishmen have given
up even the wish to expand in Europe,
aud when Hanover was lost to the
dynasty scarcely noticed the fact, or
noticed it with pleasure. IL is not so
with either France or Germany, and
more especially with the latter. France
would greatly prefer to be surrounded
with ring OF small States which could
be annexed or threatened or ordered
about, but she has no pressure Of popu-
latIon on her resources to make the
question vital. Germany has. Yearby
year new crowd other people demand
food and cultivation and comfort, with
the understood menace that il these
things are not provided they will swell
the great army, the two millions of
ballots" who even now are athirst for
redistribution" ofliberty power, and
materials OF comfort. A population so
situated will look round for means OF
expansion, will hunger for new and
larger markets, and will feel from time
to time that, as a Spanish friend of the
writer once summed up the case, you
English are too dam happy" There is
danger in Continental envy OF British
prosperity, though the danger is not
near enough to affect ConsoIs.
THE PLAGUE AND THE TRANS SIBERIAN
RAILWAY.
A writer IN La .ScMafue BE<4fcaLs saws
that the plague, or a disease very like
IT. already exists in Siberia, and that the
approaching opening OF the Trans Biaka
section Of the Trans-SIberian Railroad
is a menace to Europe. He reminds us
that several years since, two Russian
physicians, Drs. BIl!iarsky and Rechet-
nikott. announced the existence in the
Akeha district, near the Chinese from
tier, Of a malady that bore a striking
resemblance to the bubonic plague,
This disease has recently been studied
closely by DR.. Fayre of Kharkof, who
finds the likeness still more striking.
The Literary DtgeSt gives a transla-
tion from and abstract in the RsyHs
SefeHtLfgHe, in which, after reciting the
points OF similarity in the symptoms,
the writer goes on to say:--"Besides
these elm cal points the malady resem-
bles the plague 10 the part that is played
in its propagation by a little animal Of
the family Of rodents, which is known
IN Siberia by the name Of 'sarbagan'
"a part analogous to that attributed to
rats with regard to the classic plague,
The disease OF which we are speaking
differs from the latter in never having
assumed a clearly epidemic character.
Small house epidemics' have taken
place since 1888, and although lack ol
meteorological data prevents US from
positively affirming the identity of the
two diseases, we must at least admit
that the malady observed in the Trans.
Baikal is nearly related to the true
plague. From what has just been said.
1t follows that on the day when the