von Gieslingen, Austro-Hungarian Minister at Belgrade,
telegraphed Count Berchtold that the Serbian Cabinet on the evening
of the 24th and morning of the 25th had been preparing its reply to
the note, and would deliver it before the time limit expired;
preparations were being made by the Serbian Government and army for
removal into the interior; foreign legations expected to have to
follow; the Russian Legation was already packing up; the
Austro-Hungarian Legation were ready to leave Belgrade by the 6.30
p. m. train.

Count Berchtold notified Count Szapary at St. Petersburg, on the
same day, that, in case of Russia reconsidering her position, and
refusing to be swept away by the bellicose elements, he, with the
support of his German colleague, Count Pourtales, a close
understanding with whom was presumed, should impress upon M.
Sazonof, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, that
Austria-Hungary, in event of war with Russia, would not stand alone.

"That we had striven up till now, so far as in us lay, to
preserve the peace which we considered to be the most precious
possession of nations, was shown by the course of events during
the last forty years, and by the historical fact that our
gracious emperor has won for himself the glorious title of
'Protector of the Peace.'

"We should, therefore, most sincerely deplore the disturbance of
the European peace, because we also were of the opinion that the
strengthening of the Balkan States in a position of political and
national independence would prove to the advantage of our
relations with Russia, and would also remove all possibility of
antagonism between us and Russia; also because we have always
been ready, in the shaping of our own policy, to take into
consideration the dominant political interests of Russia.

"Any further toleration of Serbian intrigues would undermine our
existence as a state and our position as a great power, thus also
threatening the balance of power in Europe. We are, however,
convinced that it is to Russia's own interests, as her peaceful
leaders will clearly see, that the existing European balance of
power which is of such importance for the peace of the world,
should be maintained. Our action against Serbia, whatever form it
takes, is conservative from first to last, and its object is the
necessary preservation of our positio