The Duke of Marlborough had an interview with M. Giers and an audience of the Czar to-day.
It is hardly necessary to draw attention to the gravity of the telegram which we publish to-day. We gather from it thas General Schweinitz, the German Ambassador at St. Petersburgh, and Count Wolkenstein, the Austrian Ambassador, have been directed to ask for explanations of the recent massing of Russian troops on the Austrian frontier, and that Russia has refused to give assurances. Count Hatzfelt, the German Ambassador at London, has apparently been ordered to ascertain and report personally to Berlin what assistance Great Britain will give in the event of war. The message itself is so concise, that we have to conjecture how the gaps invit are to be filled, and we have little doubt that our surmises will be found to be correct. The Marquis of Salisbury's recent statement that war might break out at any moment without warning seems to have been more ominous than was thought at the time, The visit of the Duke of Marlborough to St. Petersburgh is not likely to have any political importance.
The letter from the Taotai to the Senior Consul, which we publish to-day, advances the dredging of the Woosung Bar one step, but what the practical value of that step is, is not yet evident. The information that we received from Colonel Denby, the U.S. Minister, more than a year ago, that the Tsung-li Yamen had decided that the bar should be dredged, is confirmed; but the Yamen has taken avery long time to communicate its decision to the Superintendent of Southern Trade, the Viceroy Tsing. The Viceroy has passed the decision on to the Shanghai Taotai, Kung, and asked him, to put it concisely, where the funds necessary are to come from, 'The 'Taotai mentions that he has sent a detailed reply to the Viceroy, but does not mention what his recommendations were. It would be interesting to know whether the Foreign Board and the Viceroy had in their minds Mr, Forbes' proposal, adopted unanimously at a public meeting called here to discuss the subject, that the necessary funds should be raised by the re-imposition of Wharfage Dues; unfortunately our municipal necessities have dictated the re-imposition of part of those dues but possibly the community would sent to their full: e-imposition for the purpose of dredging the Bar, and conserving the river generally, if we were allowed a voice, as Mr. Forbes proposed, in the application of the funds so raised" Until we know what scheme the Taotai has suggested to the Viceroy, it would be premature to congratulate ourselves on the proximate removal of this long-standing grievance; but the question has at last come within the range of practical polities, and that is something gained. To have had two of the oldest pieces de resistance of the Chamber of Commerce, the Woosung Bar and Bonded Warehouses, taken up in one year, shews that even the Tsungli Yamen and the Foreign Ministers do move; perhaps now the latter will have moment to devote to our New Land Regulations. Meanwhile we wait with eagerness to know how and how far and how soon the Taotai proposes to carry out the 'S Tsungli Yamén's desire to meet the views of the mercantile body.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.