er, while awaiting instructions, he reserves the
opinion of his Government. Without being discouraged M. Sazonof
has decided to propose this evening to Count Berchtold the
opening of direct conversations between Vienna and St. Petersburg
on the changes to be introduced into the ultimatum.

"This friendly and semiofficial interposition of Russia between
Austria and Serbia has the advantage of being expeditious. I
therefore believe it to be preferable to any other procedure and
likely to succeed."

M. Dumaine, French Ambassador at Vienna, reported to M.
Bienvenu-Martin that M. Schebeko, Russian Ambassador, had returned
in haste from Russia, whither he had gone on the assurance of Count
Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, that the
demands on Serbia would be acceptable. Other Austrian officials had
taken the same attitude, which is quite usual in Austro-Hungarian
diplomacy, and this procedure has greatly increased the irritation
of the Russian Government.

M. Schebeko, seizing advantage of the delay of mobilization, will
make a proposal calculated to test the value of the pacific
declarations of Germany. This is for a conference of the British,
French, Italian, and German Ambassadors, to refuse concurrence in
which the German Ambassador, M. Tschirsky, will almost certainly
have to plead the principle of "localizing the conflict."

"My impression is that the Austro-Hungarian Government, although
surprised and perhaps regretting the vigor with which they have
been inspired, will believe themselves obliged to commence
military action."

M. Bienvenu-Martin reported to M. Viviani on _La France_ and to the
ambassadors at London, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Vienna, and Rome the
rupture of diplomatic relations with Serbia made by Austria-Hungary.

"According to a telegram from M. Jules Cambon [at Berlin], the
British Ambassador [Sir Edward Goschen] thinks that there is a
slight yielding; when he observed to Herr von Jagow that Sir
Edward Grey did not ask him to intervene between Austria and
Serbia, but, as this question ceased to be localized, to
intervene with England, France, and Italy at Vienna and St.
Petersburg, the Secretary of State declared that he would do his
best to maintain peace."

M. Bienvenu-Martin also reported that Italy, not having been
consulted about the note to Serbia, felt herself reli