ssia only mobilized in south, Germany would not
mobilize, but if she mobilized in north, Germany would have to do
so too, and Russian system of mobilization was so complicated
that it might be difficult exactly to locate her mobilization.
Germany would therefore have to be very careful not to be taken
by surprise.

"Finally, Secretary of State said that news from St. Petersburg
had caused him to take more hopeful view of the general
situation."

Sir George Buchanan, Ambassador at St. Petersburg, telegraphed Grey
an account of the interview between M. Sazonof, Russian Minister for
Foreign Affairs, and Count Szapary, the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador,
in which Sazonof had pointed out that Austria's demands entailed
entire revision of existing Serbian laws, and were moreover
incompatible with Serbia's dignity as an independent state; and that
it would be useless for Russia, being an object of suspicion in
Austria, to offer her good offices.

"In order, however, to put an end to the present tension, he
thought that England and Italy might be willing to collaborate
with Austria."

Sir George told M. Sazonof that Grey could do nothing more than he
had promised on the 24th inst., and that the Russian Minister was
mistaken if he believed that peace would be promoted by Great
Britain telling Germany it would have to deal with her as well as
with Russia and France if it supported Austria by force of arms.

"Their attitude would merely be stiffened by such a menace, and
we could only induce Germany to use her influence at Vienna to
avert war by approaching her in the capacity of a friend who was
anxious to preserve peace. His excellency must not, if our
efforts were to be successful, do anything to precipitate a
conflict. I trusted that the Russian Government would defer
mobilization ukase for as long as possible, and that troops would
not be allowed to cross the frontier even when it was issued.

"The Minister for Foreign Affairs replied that, until the issue
of the imperial ukase, no effective steps toward mobilization
could be taken, and the Austro-Hungarian Government would profit
by delay in order to complete her military preparations if it
were deferred too long."

In a supplementary telegram Buchanan reported that M. Sazonof had
proposed

"that the modifications to be introduced into Austrian