A RUDE AWAKENING.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43103, 11 June 1907, Page 4

A RUDE AWAKENING.

a the ooiirsfe. o£. Ri-m»nt debate.in’ a© British House of Lords regarding j to, .possibility of a sudden outbreak: f %ar ; ■vras -madei to a - amphlet published by Sir Frederick; laurice, the official historian, of the ioer War. The pamphlet is about to k> republished under theLtitl©,- Rude and it ) Leal of light on the possibility of war f mTsting on a community practically [ rithout notice. Sir Frederick pomt& >ut that in both the Frmco-Prussian War and the Turkodrtuissian.War, the ast big European wars, one side was saken entirely by .surprise. In ' IV he German fleet cruising at sea, was might 'by the euidden, opening of the L a r and escaped only by the most axItraordinarv carelessness of the French Kfeain, in 1871 the Barbeshi Bridge Lver the Danube was essential to the Russian invasion of Turkey. Russia duly issued a proclamation of war, tout took care that it should take some days in reaching Constantinople. Mem time she poured her troops over the frontier, and under the nose of a British Admiral, Hobart Pasha, then m command of the Turkish fleet domam atitlg the Danube, she seized the vital bridge. The construction of the shore batteries, which ultimately heat off the Turkish .flotilla, had 'been begun a week before the declaration of war left the Russian, headquarters. Sir Maurice contends that these and similar events directly contradict the statement made by Lord Portsmotub in the House of Lords that there was no fear of a fleet cruising in open seas being found unprepared at the outbreak of hostilities. In 1870 Lord Granville, taking up the seals of the Foreign Office, was told by his able and experienced’ 'Under-Secretary. that “be had; never in his long experience known so great a lull in foreign affairs." and yet the actual declaration of -war between Germany and France waß made eight days later. Precedent Counts for a- good deal in international affairs.