The Penn's Grove record., 1904-10-28
| delay in the matter of explanation and

"The Foreign Office has been in com.
munication with representatives of the
fishing industry at Hull and Grimsby.
and has obtained a full statement OF
the facts connected with the attack
during the night by the Russian second
Pacific squadron upon the part of the
Hull ira wiling fleet.
Urgent representations based on
this information have been addressed
to the Russian Government, and it has
been explained that the situation is one
whichss.in the opinion of His ,Majesty's
Government, does not admit of delay"
Lord Lahsdowne is expected, i'll nd
dition to making the usual claim for
indemnity &c the vessels sunk. or.
p%ensation for the wounded and pen'
Sions for the widows of those killed, to
demand n most ample apology and as.
surances that other British shipping
which may fall i'll with the Russian
squadron shall not be submitted TO SIM
liar treatment.
Farther than this Lord Lansdowne
apparently is unable to go. Had any
British official, however. minor, been
concerned, Lord Lansdowne might
have demanded n public salute of the
British flag as we'll as an apology, but
such a curse in the present case would
be unprecedented.
1t is quite possible, however, that in
order to accelerate matters Vice-Ad-
miral Lord Charles Beresford. who is
with the Channel Fleet near Gibraltar,
almost in the path of the Russian
squadron, may be ordered 10 detach II
| Qi.lyic0r n md pirlafft1t0 IN with AdVripn I
Ro~jestyensky. as was done in the cas-
of the Russian Volunteer Fleet steam
ers Smofensk and Petersburg.
Every where there is evidence of the
very positive opinion that this is no
time for the usual diplomatic dii!ydal-
lying; that there must be no delay and
10 limit set by Russia to her apology
or the extent of compensation for suf-
ferers by what King Edward himself.
| in a message Of sympathy to the Mayor
of Hull, terms "the unwarrantable ac-
tom Of the lite squadron command
erS. 49,
1t is but justice TO the English peo-
| pie to say that 10 other great country
would have manifested the seif-re-
stralnt which has been shown here i'll
the face of Russia's wanton outrage.
In the case Of almost any other great
Power fleets would have been moving
and armies would have been mobiliZ-
ing within twrnty-four hours of the
news of the sinking of t. Z North Sea
trawlers.
England stays her hand-perlaps
wisely. A bold and far-seeing Govern
ment might adopt a different policy
for the ultimate good, not only Of the
British Empire, but of the world at
large.
Let there be no question about the
feeling Of the British people. Their
anger is deep, grim and lasting. No
apology will wipe it out; no reparation
will assuage it. No suLden National
emotion i'll this generation has
equaled it III intensity.
Bat John Bull is least demonstratiye
when he is most deeply moved. No.
body detests war with Il Latred more
genuine than his has been during the
last few years. Yet lie woulC have ap-
plauded his Government if he had
been told that q British feet had been
sent out with orders to capture or de-
stroy the Russian Baltic squadron.
The Admiralty showed that il appre-
ciates the necessity Of proving that it
is prepared actively to support the po-
sition of the people of Great Britain
and fulfill the expectations Of the world
on accounted the North Sea affair. 1t
issued the following statement:
ION receipt Of the news of the North
Sea tragedy preliminary orders for mu-
tual support and cooperation were is
| CI1pd OS n m 90 c1Yro IF nrnn011ffnn from
the Admiralty to the Channel, Ned
terranean and Home fleets"
The Home Fleet, consisting of nine
battleships and three cruisers. which
had been stationed at Cromarty, Scot
land, left for the south to be in readi-
ness for any necessary concentration.
All leaves have been stopped in the
navy, and, in the unlikely event Of the
situation becoming so serious MS to
need it, a very strong naval force could
quickly be concentrated.
That a possibility of dangerous de-
velopments turks in the p~rotraction of
the crisis is seen in the fact that Rus
sian correspondents of British papers
are beginning to send rather in1amma-
Bile dispatches. For example. the
Daily Telegraph's st. Petersburg cor
respondent says:
I'm military circles among the less
responsible officers, and in marine cir
cles of almost all grades. the conviction
prevails that sooner or later war with
England is inevitable, and that the
present moment is as suspicious as any
other"
The Standards Moscow correspond
ent asserts that 'the majority of the
Russian people find more or less salts
faction in the insult offered to Eng
land"
King Edward, however, has received
from Emperor Nicholas a telegram ex-
pressing the deepest regret and a
practical acknowledgment that Great
Britain's peremptory note will meet
with a reply c%onceding every demand
apology for the act Of aggression
against the British flag, compensation
for the sufferers, and punishment for
the officers responsible for what is
everywhere conceded to have been a
Gigantic blunder. Moreover, the Rus
sian Ambassador 10 the Court of st.
James has expressed to Lord Lans.
L 49, 3