.

"If Serbia were to give way only under the pressure of our
military preparations, we should indeed have to demand that she
should make good the expenses which we had incurred; as is well
known, we have already had twice (1908 and 1912) to mobilize
because of Serbia."

Count Berchtold telegraphed to Count Szapary, Austro-Hungarian
Ambassador at St. Petersburg, a report of his interview with Prince
Koudacheff, Russian Charge d'Affaires at Vienna. The prince had
stated that St. Petersburg was apprehensive that the _demarche_
might take the form of humiliating Serbia, and this would have an
echo in Russia.

"I explained ... the danger, not only to the integrity of the
[Dual] Monarchy, but also to the balance of power and the peace
of Europe, which would be involved in giving further scope to the
great Serbian propaganda, and how all the dynasties, and not
least the Russian, would apparently be threatened if the idea
took root that a movement which made use of murder as a national
weapon could be continued with impunity.

"I pointed out that we did not aim at any increase of territory,
but only at the maintenance of what we possess, a point of view
which could not fail to be understood by the Russian Government."

_Russia._ M. Sazonof, Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs,
telegraphed to Prince Koudacheff, Russian Charge d'Affaires at
Vienna, to ask Count Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian Minister for
Foreign Affairs, that the time limit in the note to Serbia be
extended, as it left to the powers insufficient time for
conciliation.

"Austria-Hungary, having declared her readiness to inform the
powers of the results of the inquiry upon which the Imperial and
Royal Government base their accusations, should equally allow
them sufficient time to study them.

"In this case, if the powers were convinced that certain of the
Austrian demands were well founded, they would be in a position
to offer advice to the Serbian Government.

"A refusal to prolong the term of the ultimatum would render
nugatory the proposals made by the Austro-Hungarian Government to
the powers, and would be in contradiction to the very bases of
international relations."

M. Sazonof communicated this message to London, Rome, Paris, and
Belgrade, with the request that in the three former cases similar
instructions be given t