The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-02
NO EXCUSE
 FOR SCARE England's Excitement is Without Cause. NEGOTIATIONS PROGRESS St. Petersburg and London in
 Entire Accord. Most Serious Phase of Yesterday's Fright and Excitement Is the Brit
 fish wiliissne~s to ssspect
 Russian sincersty. n

London, Nov. 1.--Negotiations be- tween Great Britain and Russia look ing to a settlement of the North sea affair are progressing favorabiy and there Is not the slightest danger of any friction arising between the two governments. The constitution of the International Commission under The Hague convention Is on the verge of settlement.
 Tn spite of these pacific conditioRs. Great Britain today experienced war panic that only can be compared to the panic created on Sunday. October 2s. when the news of the sinking of the trawlers in the North sea was received.
 Not for years have so many alarmist reports and flaming extras flooded London. The most extraordinary fea- ture of this scare, which was serious while 1t lasted. is that there was not one single circumstance to justify 1t.
 Excitement starts Early.
 The excitement started early in the day, when the newspapers announced the departure of the Russian Baltic squadron from vigo.
 The public was not in possession of the information cabled by the Asso- ciated Press to the United States that only the officers concerned in the firing on the British trawIers would be de- tached, and jumped at the conclusion that Russia had broken faith by not detaining the vessels Involved in the affair.
 On top of this came the wild report of tremendous activity at Gibraltar. Hour by hour the news from Gibraltar became more serious. until at last the s.ff t,eA xrrff ha an a. mnet that the British fleet had cleared for action. Some even said that the fleet had sailed to meet Rojestvensky's $ squadron. In huge type. the papers made the parallel statements The British fleet has cleared for action The Russian fleet has sailed"
 No new spaper and no person sa&rned able to explain these events. The res assuring information nvalIable in the United states that the sailing of the Baltic squadron from Vigo was with the knowledge and agreeable to the British Government was not even hint ed at by the newspapers, 4ssts News Gets Worse.
 The news from Gibraltar became more and more alarming. and finally the Foreign once was overrun by re- porters, some of whom brought the ru- mor that Admiral Beresford had al- ready sunk the remnant of Admiral Rojestyensky's fleet.
 Ambassador Benckendorff at that moment was quietly discussing with Foreign Minister Lansdowne the per- sonnel of the International Commission, but 1t was popuiarly rumored that he was receiving an ultimatum. Premier BaIfour. Admiral Sir John Fisher, com mander-in- -chlef at Portsmouth: Lord 4 tS and Prince Louis of Battenburg, Direc- conference, and 1t was openly hinted that they were planning the first stroke of war.
 As a matter of fact. like Lord Lans- downe, they were engaged in consider ing the names that had been suggested for the international commission.
 When all London was in this state of mind and while anybody who might be supposed to know anything was being constantly asked. Has war been de- eiared?'' the Foreign Onice decided to adopt a course mo st unusual for 1t. and in order to allay public excitement. gave out tot he press statement cov- erinR the arrangements to detach the oflcian officers to remain for the court of inquiry and all other steps taken.
 Sure of War.
 AlthouRh 1t contained nothing that had not been published in the United States some hours earlier in the Asso- ciated Press dispatches from St. Pe- tersburg and London, 1t served to in- form the people here of the exact situ- ation. The general public, however. went to bed tonight firm in the convic- tion that 1t would wake up to hear that Admiral Rojestvensky was at the bot tom of the sea.
 rodav's furore would be ludicrous except for the striking instance it has afforded as to the willingness of the British to believe that almost any de- yeIopment is possible after the North Sea incident and for the enthusiasm produced by Gibraltar's war-like news. The foreign office is intensely irritated at the construction placed upon what they declare must have been mere fleet and garrison exercises.
 The Associated Press is authorized to state that no orders have been given the huge fleet now concentrated at Gibraltar to make any preparations in connection with the departure of Ad- miraI Rojestvensky's squadron.
 Amends Soon Made.
 Some annoyance was caused in Downing Street earlier in the day by
 
 fleet coming from the British consul at Vigo before the Russian Government officialIy informed the British Govern ment that the officers whose testimony is desired had been detached. Am bassador Benckendorff soon made amends for this omission, while Am bassador Hardinge confirmed the news from St. Petersburg.
 Both the Russian Embassy and the Foreign once affirm that the negotia- tions today were entirely confined to the selection of the International com mission, in which no hitch has occur red.
 Count Benckendorff. who twice saw Lord LansdOwne, in adition to visiting King Edward at Buckingham Palace. was perfectly amazed to see flaming war posters as he drove back from his later visit to the Foreign Office. In his two conversations with the British For eiRn Minister. the question of the sail ing of the Baltic Sqaudron had not even been raised except when the Ambas- sador informed Lord Lansdowne that four officers had been detached, the news of which had already unofficialiy reached Lord Lansdowne through the Associated Press St. Petersburg dis