es for the future that the anti-Austrian
intrigues will be put an end to. The German Government thinks
that Russia should be content with the official and formal
assurances given by Austria that she does not seek territorial
aggrandizement and that she will respect the integrity of Serbia;
in these circumstances the danger of war can come only from
Russia, if she seeks to intervene in a question which is well
defined. In these circumstances any action for the maintenance of
peace must take place at St. Petersburg alone.

"The attitude at Berlin, as at Vienna, is still dilatory. In the
former capital, while protesting that the Germans desire to
safeguard general peace by common action between the four powers,
the idea of a conference is rejected without any other expedient
being suggested, and while they refuse to take any positive
action at Vienna. In the Austrian capital they would like to keep
St. Petersburg in play with the illusion of an _entente_ which
might result from direct conversations, while they are taking
action against Serbia.

"In these circumstances it seems essential that the St.
Petersburg Cabinet, whose desire to unravel this crisis
peacefully is manifest, should immediately give their adherence
to the British proposal. This proposal must be strongly supported
at Berlin in order to decide [Secretary of State] Von Jagow to
take real action at Vienna capable of stopping Austria and
preventing her from supplementing her diplomatic advantage by
military successes. The Austro-Hungarian Government would,
indeed, not be slow to take advantage of it in order to impose on
Serbia, under the elastic expression of 'guaranties' conditions
which, in spite of all assurances that no territorial
aggrandizement was being sought, would in effect modify the
status of eastern Europe, and would run the risk of gravely
compromising the general peace either at once or in the near
future."

[Illustration: Vittorio Emanuele III, King of Italy.]

Ambassador Paleologue telegraphed from St. Petersburg that Russia
would acquiesce in any measures proposed by France and Great Britain
to maintain peace. Minister Klobukowski reported from Brussels that
the Belgian Government regarded Germany's attitude as enigmatical,
and justifying every apprehension.

"It seems im