Berlin, February 12, Herr von Schoen, the Secretary of the Foreign Office, has declared, in addressing the budget committee of the Reichstag, that there is no intention in the agreement about the Baltic to make it mare clavsum. The North Sea States intended by their convention to establish the fact that no one considered it desirable to undermine the status quo. 'To abandon Kisochou, as has occasionally been suggested, would be a great political mistake. Admiral von Tirpitz, the Secretary of the Navy, also ex. pressed a warning gainst' such an idea and pointed out the economical development of the colony.
The Spanish Press is repeating its protest with regard to a joint action with France exceeding the Algeciras Act.
Baron Von Achrenthal, the Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Afisirs, has stated before the delegations that: there is " full agreement with Russia with regard to Macedonia.
King Manuel of Portugal has issued an amnesty for all deserters, February 14.
The German Emperor intends to cruise for some time next spring in the Mediterranean and to arrive at Corfu on April 1 for @ visit to the Achilleion, which he bought last year and on the repairing and extension of which work has been proceeding some time. All ramours are, therefore, disproved according to which the Emperor intended to be absent from the winter festivals at Court, which usually are extended up to the middle of March, and to leave the Crown Prince to represent him on these occasions.
The French Senate proposes to renew the competition with the German traffic by waterways, to enlarge the Simplon Railway and to render passable the Mont Blanc route.
Sir Edward Grey, the British Secretary of the Foreign Office, has declared in the House of Commons, that he is prepared, provided reciprocity is assured, to communicate every year to the other Powers the amount that, the British Governwent is intending'
[to spend on the building of new men-of-war daring the yeat.
'M. Giers, Minister in Bucarest, and General Wogach (late of Peking) are mentioned as candidates for the post of Rassian Ambassador in Tokio.
February 15.
Germany has ratified the Sugar Convention.
The Vice-President of the Russian Duma, M. von Meyendorff, has resigned his office owing to attache made on him because of his German origin.
The Spanish troops in Morocco have temporarily occupied Mancha near Melilla.
Sultan Mulsi Hafid has lodged protest with the Legations in Tangier against a further advance of the French into the interior of Morocco.
The Paris journal "Lo Temps" demands as a compensation for Russia ist the concession of the Salonika way, granted by Tarkey to Austria-Hungary, another railway concession through Tarkey, connecting Russia wit the ube and the Adriatic. Austris inclined to assent. The polemic of the Russian Press about the Salonike railway is also directed personally spies te Minister of Foreign Affairs Isvoleki, who is anxious to change his post for that of an Ambassador. In the meantime M. Techarikoff, the new associate of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is thoroughly conversant with Balkan affairs, is negotiating. about the granting of a concession for railway to the Adriatic.
The Vienna Press points out peremptorily that it is indispensable that Montenegro should comet sri nnderstanding with Avstria-Hungary, February 16.
An English group of financiers hes submitted in St. Petersburg " project, which is intended 'o bring about the connexion between Bnssian and Indian railways. The building of two lines, long planned, is involved in this project, the line from Merff to Quetta and that frow Samarkand to Peshawar, the former of which would establish a connexion for Russia with the Arabian Sea (Karachi) and the latter with the Bay of Bengal (Calcutta).
Rassian newspapers are publishing alarming rumours about Russian and Turkish mobilizations. These reports cannot be verified; they are considered here to be untrustworthy. The Turkish Embassy in St. Petersburg denies them.
Sultan Abdul Aziz of Morocco has received s loan of two million and a half francs from the Bank of Morocco.
February 17.
Sultan Abdal Aziz intends to use the two million and " half francs, lent to him by the Bank of Morocco, to reconquer the country.
Turkey officially denies that she is pursuing warlike plans against Russia. The Russian Government, on the other hand, admits that it has mobilized troops. owing to the fact that Turkey was previously sseembling " large number of troops on the frontier, which she has now stopped doing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.