THE BALKANS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 5

THE BALKANS.

;EtNG;:pF::'BULGAEIA:' VISITSNTHE ■: Petersburg,.; February 2i."■ j \Thfr King and iQueenf of!. ißulgaria; have arrived^. at St.": Petersburg,, on , a 'visit to .;;'^>::v^DESliGNS^ON^SEftVl^.^;■■:.',; ; ' itSTECMJBEMM.: ■• v .: -!'!■:-,■ :i ■,:'; ■-'■■■ ■ •. ; :':Tne;simul&neous visit of Count Aeren- } thai,:.'Austro^Hungarian; '. Foreign ':■ Miiiis.tor,:to' BerHn, : ',and::of: 3£ing Ferdinand 'of ,Bulgaria , to"'the Tsar,.provide another inicident in' ,tho-eternal Balkan question. ■Early >in. January ' -"L'Opinion". '-(Paris) devoted several of'its "columns/; including .thesivhole- of (its. first'iage, ;to article .entitled' "An Austro-Gerinan.•':conspiracy /againgtstKe s : article': has 'Some; weight,'.'comingj from 6o ■well-known a'writer as'.'M.; , Jacques'Bar'-- . doux;., ■; who •'has. ihado 'some. little repu-> : tation';in;',FTance..for..'his..recent', studies of ;; British ■•• and' ,, British '• politiVcians,'>■-•■'■•■■.■"■•■■,."■■■■ ■•;■■■'■ ■:•'•■ ■■"• •■■ ■■',•■■.*■.• ■:.

;7\eraii^al/arid;S^vii:.;:" : '^.V.:V : ;.\''.'yi ; ::' _:. ■: Speaking. of .alarums of : ,German'.', hos- • tihty : towards England which, 'have' been .published; :M.'Bardpux"say's.:that..' these tears are' caused by a concurrence of facts in ■ recent .European : polity'. •■: It is' riot. : at. Berlin,- says W : Bardoiix/-that the'plan ■has 'been - drafted; and '• it is; in , , the -South of Europe .that; the first: trial of 'policy • : willi bo -made; for7there ;it can be at-' 'tempted with'the'.least danger.. :'? The act' of..AuaiTia'.which'l'bn.'v^larch; 31,• 1309, forced; Servia'- to ,(iease"military: preparations ;is v only :{■ part' of ' a' profound'' plan' developed : ; by-Count, Von yAustio-HungarianvMiniiter' l for.: Foreign Affairs; on ,'27, .1903..-, By'; means, -•or; a'. policy ■ involving' the : construction' of railways ;imd the., development,of : ariti-Serb-intrigues,.'' Salonika ■is ■ to~ ; .be' made an-Anstrian;.porti and' , the■Hapsburgs.are to. have.a -..triple.crown."; Servia is.to be conßtiained : ,)by: : force .to 'tiioye' -into , the .brbit.of ■the;Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and during the Inst summer these plans were ; prepared I .by.{Count , and -Dr.-- von' Bethmann-Hollweg; the '■.German j ; Imperial-:.Chancellor. iof Servia j are; numbe'red, : ;' "■ .M. '■; Bardpui i asiserts! that, .military,;' , precautions.,-have-been:, taken, and , that everything.has been done ralso by:, the; Diplomatic Headquarters' Staff:at;:Vienna.;;;He continuesr- \• : .Outf|ankin^ : ,Russia.' ; ; V :. : .j \i;' ■"■;'' .': ''ii's" ■

'Aerenthal,'" who studied -Enssia■ hiniself:;■.during'his .Embassy". at St;: Petersburg,,' does'-: riot -believe it, possible ; ;for',;.the; Slav,; Empire:. to intervene ■itt;:'.%ropermanu.;.miUteri;i-:-:f0.r...-Beyeral years:to.come!.'At:the same"time, lie has provided '|tteans ■ ,for "r'creating•• a useful : aiyerßion. , 'Hβ' has, sent tb : Japan as Austrian a personal friend", and eminent .diplomatist'in tho.person of Herr yon Calle. '. Each , .time that .a Japanese l yisits..yienna.br ; Budapest.he is received ivith-every cordiality; and the charm of .Austro-Hungarion'■'-hospitality''is 'swell known.; ■;■ All-- rumours concerning a . ten--sioniin. the -relations .betireen- Eussia and Japan come : from-. the : Ballplatz;. whose , press bureauveclipses. that, at the , Wilnelmsjiasse: by the wonderful working, of its .powerful ■ ramifications; v .Count von Aerenthal,knows that: Kussia is working feverishly.in .or'der.to, double the Trans. Siberian railway in the'mountairious regions, -and'is reinforcing:her-. army corps ..in■■.the., -Far.East, ■ ;He. takes every care ..that:;-Japan shall know.: all. -. this..-, The .mobilisation of Eussian ■ troops :in 'Asia, even .though partial, would suffice to give the .Balkans to. 'Austria.'-.' : As ■ for ..Great Britain, which is thinking of overhauling ani'ancient .Constitution andv modifying :the' divisions•'■ of landed- property,':thero is'only one way—if Austria is , to:be freo in; dealing ;with Servia—that is ■to push her along- the road towards social reform, and. to deceive her by protests \ of- 'pacificism.' •: Count .von ; Aerenthal has. profited by, the Hungarian ..crisis to settle the question of the -Anstrian ■ Dreadnoujlits and. to. adjourn' their construction;, .Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg. will, do what he can to blind ,the exbollent and naive , John Bull, with amicable words,-preparatory to paying himself : later on by the cession of 'an Austrian' Savoy."..■', -■ :■■-. - -..' '.;-.

France to be Busy-.in Morocco. ;: 11.. Bardonx.' saya.'.that"' Franco will he .disposed of by means.of. complications ; in: Horbccoi and ; he concludes:—"liittlo .by .littlb the Conspiracy has. leaked out. , The Gladstonian*. demonstrations of ;the. Serb Parliament and the naval demonstration at Antivari. are not to bo explained if one ■ does'. not s,ce in thorn a warning by the Triple Entente, and an appeal by Serbia, both due to the uneasiness caused by current rumour. "At the time. .when the' British nation is about to encage its future and that of Europe by-thavote ■which it is nbout to.Bive; it is important that it shall know , the whole truth. ,It is necessary".-that it should .know what, hopes are founded by its adversarica on the: diminution of England's combative forces. It is necessary, that the English should be acquainted with tho conspiracy evolved- by Austro-German : diplomacy against the equilibrium of Europe, which was, and is, tho masterpiece- of British diplomacy."' -- .; '''"..