onor in the most solemn manner that nowhere there had been a
mobilization, viz. calling in of a single man or horse up to the
present time, i.e. 3 o'clock in the afternoon. He could not assume a
guaranty for the future, but he could emphasize that in the fronts
directed towards our frontiers His Majesty desired no mobilization.

"As, however, I had received here many pieces of news concerning the
calling in of the reserves in different parts of the country also in
Warsaw and in Vilna, I told the general that his statements placed
me before a riddle. On his officers word of honor he replied that
such news was wrong, but that possibly here and there a false alarm
might have been given.

"I must consider this conversation as an attempt to mislead us as to
the extent of the measures hitherto taken in view of the abundant
and positive information about the calling in of reserves."

In reply to various inquiries concerning reasons for its threatening
attitude, the Russian Government repeatedly pointed out that
Austria-Hungary had commenced no conversation in St. Petersburg. The
Austro-Hungarian Ambassador in St. Petersburg was therefore instructed
on July 29th, at our suggestion, to enter into such conversation with
Sasonow. Count Szapary was empowered to explain to the Russian minister
the note to Servia though it had been overtaken by the state of war, and
to accept any suggestion on the part of Russia as well as to discuss
with Sasonow all questions touching directly upon the Austro-Russian
relations.

[Sidenote: see exhibit 19.]

Shoulder to shoulder with England we labored incessantly and supported
every proposal in Vienna from which we hoped to gain the possibility of
a peaceable solution of the conflict. We even as late as the 30th of
July forwarded the English proposal to Vienna, as basis for
negotiations, that Austria-Hungary should dictate her conditions in
Servia, i.e. after her march into Servia. We thought that Russia would
accept this basis.

During the interval from July 29th to July 31st there appeared renewed
and cumulative news concerning Russian measures of mobilization.
Accumulation of troops on the East Prussian frontier and the declaration
of the state of war over all important parts of the Russian west
frontier allowed no further doubt that the Russian mobilization was in
full swing against us, while simultaneously all such measures were
denied