(proceeding)
for removing any danger to general peace, and telegraphed his
Government to that effect. M. Sazonof has instructed Count
Benckendorff, Russian Ambassador at London, to secure such
cooperation. M. Paul Cambon, French Ambassador at London, should be
instructed to back him up. M. Bienvenu-Martin sent to M. Viviani,
returning from Russia on _La France_, and to the French Ambassadors
at London, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and Rome, and the French
Minister at Belgrade, the contents of the Austrian note to Serbia,
and an account of the circumstances of the delivery of the copy to
the French Government by Count Szecsen, the Austro-Hungarian
Ambassador. M. Berthelot, French Political Director, in obedience to
M. Bienvenu-Martin's instructions, had confined himself to stating
to the ambassador that painful feeling would be aroused in French
public opinion by the categorical nature of the note, and its short
time limit, and its presentation to Serbia at a time when the
President and Prime Minister of France were at sea, and could not
exert, in cooperation with statesmen of other powers not directly
interested, that soothing influence on Serbia and Austria which was
so desirable in the interest of general peace.

In a letter to these ambassadors and minister, and to the French
Minister at Stockholm (M. Thiebaut), M. Bienvenu-Martin said that M.
Berthelot, French Political Director, had advised M. Vesnitch,
Serbian Minister at Paris, that Serbia should play for delay by
asking that she be allowed time to verify the evidence, presumably
one sided, adduced by Austria in support of her note to Serbia, and,
above all, that Serbia should declare herself ready to submit to the
arbitration of Europe.

Italy had not been consulted by Austria in regard to the note, nor
even informed of it. M. Bienvenu-Martin informed these same
representatives at foreign courts (with exception of the Ambassador
at Vienna), that M. Dumaine, French Ambassador at Vienna had
reported that the chief fear of the Austro-Hungarian military party
was that Serbia would accede to the demands of Austria-Hungary; and
that M. Yov. Yovanovitch, Serbian Minister at Vienna thought his
Government would give way on all points save the order to the army
dictated to King Peter, dismissal of officers suspected by Austria,
and interference by foreign officials in Serbia. M. Yovanovitch
hoped that a discussion on these points might be started which would
lead t