To the outside world the sudden fall of M. Witte is as unaccountable asit is extraordinary. It is not three weeks ago that he "sas truly described as "the greatest man in Russia, if not the greatest man on earth, the right hand of the Czar and the busi ness manager of the great Russian Empire." ER is now promoted into obscurity as President of the Council of Ministers. When the news of this promotion first came, there was much doubt whether it was really promotion or shelving; but there have been, we are informed, two incontrovertible indications that the latter is the correct interpretation. The first is. that the Imperial i ing M. Witte was. simply Nicholas," whereas it is the the Czar when he is conferring an honour on an official with whom he is pleased to add a commendatory word or two to the rescript in his own writing.
There was nothing but] i the Czar's name to the rescript promoting M. Witte, The second 1s, that, as* nsital. Witte issued notification to the stati of Finance, thanking his former subordinates for the loyal assistance they had always rendered h Now, it is usual when " promoted Minister issues a valedictory notiticasion of this kind for him te begin it with some remark on the great and unmerited honour that His Majesty the Czar has conferred upon hira, and so forth;''but M. Witte's notification contains nothing of the kind; and from these indications it is argued that both the Czar and M. Witte perfectly understood the real bearing of the great Minister's promotion.
It is not unreasonable to suppose that the recent appointment of Admiral Alexerett as Viceroy of the 2 mothing to lo with the jaotung Peninsula:
kept the Chinese Eastern ind the town of Dalny, which were especially his bantlings, his own hands, that there w: strip of territory in Admiral i district removed from his jurisdiction M. Witte from the stry has enabl: dl Admiral Alexeiefi's powers as Viceroy to be ed over the whole of the These powers are almost uni the new Viceroy commands Russian troops and the Ru forces in the Far East. The Russi Military Agents are placed under hi orders, whereas previously they took orders. only from is believed, too, that the Ministers to China. Japan, and Corea Messrs. Lessar, von Rosen. and Pavloft. are now under the orders of the pendent. Is there no statesman in Viceroy, not of the Foreign Office at England to ery "Hands Off!" and St, Petersburg, the Russian Consuls to insist that the Macedonians shall in the Far East probably following suit. be allowed their freedom if they What seems to be expected is that, a: succeed in achieving it? soon as Admiral Alexeieff' has fully organised his Viceroyalty, and started it working like a machine, he will be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.