All this week his Majesties' Ministers have been falling lower and lower in the motion of the public in respect of their management of the North Sea crisis. Of course the public does not Imow all the circumstances of the case and it may be that they judge Mr. Balfour and his colleagues unjustly; but, however that may be, it is certain that while the Jingoes have been incensed ever since Mr. Balfour's speech at Southampton was reported, the more Moderate Imperinlists who at first hailed that speech with delight have since considerably modified their enthusiasm. When Admiral Rozhdiestvensky and his fleet Jeff Vigo, leaving only four subordinate Yhind for the purpose of the [International Commission, the whole world outside Russia was taken by surprise, We are assured that our Government saw no reason for complaint in the Russian action—that they never dreamt of demanding the detention of the fleet at Vigo, ordictating whater how many witnesses Russia should call in her Goterce, nor did they expect the Admiral to remain behind. That, so far as it goes, is no doubt true. Serious as the outrage was, it did not give us a right to ignore our obligations as neutrals and interfere with Russia's forlorn hope for the relief of Port Arthur. But it is certainly very Gificult to square the events of the week with the Prime Minister's flaming speech at Southampton, or with his account of the Russian concessions which Count Benckendorff had authorised him to announce. One cannot indeed blame the German Press for describing our policy as one of bluster followed by ignominious Hitches in the Nezotsations.
have, however, the highest authority for saying that what is put forward as the view of our Government on the Vigo incident is not the whole truth. Regarding Russia as the defendant, it is quite true that we have no right to dictate to her about the witnesses she should call in her defence. But it was not only witnesses that the fleet was to leave behind. Mr. Balfour told us that "the Russian Government have ordered the detention at Vigo of that part of the fleet concerned in the incident in order that the naval authorities may ascertain what, officers were responsible for it. TheseJofficers will not proceed with the fleet." Now I know positively}.that up to twenty-four hours ago. (the British Government had failed to obtain any assurance from the Russian Government that any of the four officers detained were detained on the ground that they were responsible for the incident. Indeed we know that three of them are lieutenants, while the fourth, Captain Klado, is the trusted bearer of the Admiral's report to the Czar, and will certainly not be treated as a defendant. Moreover, there is a great difficulty in coming to terms with Russia as to the details of the reference to, the Into national Commission, The points in dispute, I am told, are seemingly small but in the opinion of the British Government they would just make the Uifferonce between a real inquiry and a sham, Fortunately, although the Baltic fleet are beyond Vigo, the Admiral's ships are still shadowed by our cruisers, and if Russia persists in trying to shuffle out of her engagements we shall not be without the means of bringing her to her senses.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.