ormation officially to M. Sazonof, Russian Minister for Foreign
Affairs.

"I have the honor to inform your excellency of this regrettable
act, which a great power had the courage to commit against a
small Slav country which only recently emerged from a long series
of heroic but exhausting battles, and I beg leave on this
occasion of deep gravity for my country to express the hope that
this act, which disturbs the peace of Europe and revolts her
conscience, will be condemned by the whole civilized world and
severely punished by Russia, the protector of Serbia.

"I beg your excellency to be so kind as to lay this petition from
the whole Serbian nation before the throne of his majesty."

_Austria-Hungary._ An official communication was given to the press
at Vienna summarizing the Government's criticism of the Serbian
reply to the Austro-Hungarian note.

"Inasmuch as the Austro-Hungarian demands constitute the minimum
regarded as necessary for the reestablishment of a permanent
peace in the southeast of the [Dual] Monarchy, the Serbian reply
is considered to be insufficient.

"That the Serbian Government is aware of this appears from the
fact that they contemplate the settlement of the dispute by
arbitration, and also from the fact that on the day on which
their reply was due, and before it was in fact submitted, they
gave orders for mobilization."

Count Szogyeny, Austro-Hungarian Ambassador at Berlin, telegraphed
to Count Berchtold that Germany had declined to take part in the
four power-conference

"on the ground that it is impossible for Germany to bring her
ally before a European court in her settlement with Serbia."

Baron von Mueller telegraphed to Count Berchtold from Tokyo, Japan,
that the semiofficial Japan "Times" concludes a leading article on
the Serbian question with the statement that Japan is on the best of
terms with the three great powers concerned, Austria-Hungary,
Germany, and Russia, while it is in no way interested in Serbia. He
infers that, in case of war, Japan would, as a matter of course,
maintain strict neutrality.

Count Berchtold telegraphed Count Szogyeny at Berlin the report made
by Count Mensdorff, Austro-Hungarian Ambassador at London, of his
interview on the 27th with Sir Edward Grey.

"I believe that I need not specially point out to your excellency
that Grey's pr