internal administration of Servia have been of the same character, and had the same beneficial effects. Possibly some partial departure from the principle of the closing of the Straits to vessels of war may have occurred: but these exceptions have been only of a temporary character, and a protest by Russia would certainly have been sufficient to prevent their recurrence.

Our opinion is, therefore, that the spirit of the stipulations of 1856 has outlived the partial modifications which they have undergone It is desirable that the same sentiments of harmony should still animate the Powers which took part in those memorable transactions. We dwell, therefore, by preference on the formal declarations by which Prince Gortchakoff closes his despatch. We are glad to be assured that His Imperial Majesty entertains no thought of raising the Eastern Question, and that he fully adheres to the general principles of the Treaty of 1856, and is ready to come to an understanding with the Powers, signataries of that act, either to confirm its general provisions, or to renew them, or, finally, to replace them by any other arrangement calculated to insure the tranquillity of the East, and the European balance of power.

You are aware, M. le Marquis, of the ideas which guide the policy of Italy in the East. We look upon the agreement between the Powers, signataries of the stipulations of 1856, as the most efficient security for the independence of the Ottoman Empire. The greatest result of these transactions has been precisely to establish, at least on the main points, a conformity of views among all the interested States. A previous concert is, therefore, in our opinion, the necessary condition of any change that it may seem advisable to introduce, and for our part it would be impossible for us to sanction any step which, by its one-sided character, might tend to compromise the good understanding which has hitherto existed. We should be glad if the unquestionable impartiality of our views on these important questions, and the friendly dispositions which animate us might contribute to keep up a perfect harmony between Russia and the co-signatroy Powers to the Treaty of 1856.

You will read this despatch to Prince Gortchakoff, and leave a copy of it with him. I have, &c.

Count Bernstorff to Earl Granville.—(Received November 30.)

M. le Comte, Prussia House, le 27 Novembre, 1870. PAR suite des pourparlers avec M. Odo Russell, M. le Comte de Bismarck a été autorisé par Sa Majesté le Roi à me charger de soumettre au Gouvernement de Sa Majesté Britannique la proposition de se déclarer prêt à désigner des Plénipotentiaires pour se réunir en Conférence à Londres avec les Représentants des Puissances signataires du Traité de Paix de Paris du 30 Mars, 1856, afin de prendre en considération les questions qui se rattachent aux ouvertures faites par le Cabinet de St. Pétersbourg dans sa Circulaire du Octobre dernier.

AFTER conferring with Mr. Odo Russell, Count Bismarck has been authorized by His Majesty the King to charge me to submit to the Government of Her Britannic Majesty the proposal that they should declare themselves ready to name Plenipotentiaries to be assembled in Conference at London with the Representatives of the Powers signataries of the Treaty of Peace of Paris of March 30, 1856, in order to take into consideration the questions raised by the overtures made by the Cabinet of St. Petersburgh in its circular of the 19th October last.

31st

My Lord,

No. 55.

Earl Granville to Lord Lyons.

Foreign Office, November 30, 1870. I HAVE received your Excellency's telegram of yesterday, recording your communication with M. de Chaudordy in which you had exchanged explanations in regard to the origin of the proposal for the assembling of a Conference to consider the course pursued by Russia with reference to the Treaty of 1856; and I have to state to your Excellency that the proposal of the Prussian Government was limited to the meeting of a Conference at St. Petersburgh, but that Prussia has subsequently agreed to the conditions laid down by Her Majesty's Government, and which have already been communicated to your Excellency.

My Lord,

Foreign Office, November 30, 1870. WITH reference to previous correspondence I inclose, for your Excellency's information, a copy of the note from Prince Gortchakoff of the 20th instant, together with a copy of the answer which I have returned to it.*

I am, &c.

(Signed)

GRANVILLE.

No. 57.

Earl Granville to Mr. Odo Russell.

Sir,

Foreign Office, November 30, 1870.

THE explanations of Count Bismarck's views as regards the proposed Conference and the basis on which it is to meet, as reported in your telegrams, are perfectly satisfactory, and I shall be obliged by your so informing his Excellency on the part of Her Majesty's Government.

It is, however, most desirable to avoid any doubt as to the terms on which Russia accepts the Conference, and I have, therefore, requested you by telegraph to ascertain from Count Bismarck whether Her Majesty's Government are right in believing that Prince Gortchakoff's consent is given on the understanding that the Conference is to be unfettered by any assumption of a foregone conclusion as regards the demands of Russia.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

GRANVILLE.

No. 58.

Earl Granville to Sir H. Elliot.

Sir,

Foreign Office, November 30, 1870.

MUSURUS PASHA communicated to me to-day a telegram from Aali Pasha, dated the 29th instant, expressing his thanks for being made acquainted with my telegram to Mr. Odo Russell, which appeared satisfactory; but stating that the Porte made it a sine qua non condition of its assent to a Conference that the matter to be discussed in it was strictly confined to the question raised by Russia.

Aali Pasha said that he had expressed himself to the same effect to the Prussian Minister, who had been instructed to make to him a proposal for a Conference. He added, that he proposed London as the seat of Conference, and considered that the Representatives of the different Powers already accredited there would suffice for the business.

I replied to Musurus Pasha to the same effect as I telegraphed to your Excellency on the 28th instant, namely, that as Her Majesty's Government had made it a condition that

Nos. 36 and 48.

the Conference should meet with no foregone conclusion, we could not make any contrary proposal to Russia, or enter into any positive engagement with the Porte. Her Majesty's Government, however, entirely agreed with Aali Pasha that it would be expedient to confine the deliberations of the Conference to the neutralization of the Black Sea, and the questions arising out of it.

No. 59.

I am, &c.

My Lord,

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 16, 1870. THE Russian Chargé d'Affaires yesterday read to the Grand Vizier Prince Gortchakoff's Circular despatch, denouncing the neutralization clauses of the Treaty of 1856, but has not yet given him a copy of it.

His Highness confined himself to informing M. de Staal that the Treaty being an international act, he must not expect to receive any reply to the communication till the Porte had consulted the other Powers which had signed it.

(Extract.)

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 17, 1870. PRINCE GORTCHAKOFF'S Circular despatch announcing that the Emperor no longer considers himself bound by the arrangements of the Treaty of Paris for the neutralization of the Black Sea was yesterday officially communicated to the Grand Vizier by the Russian Chargé d'Affaires.

His Highness will take no step in the matter, and will return no answer to the communication, until he has fully ascertained the views and opinions of the other Parties to the Treaty so summarily set aside by the single act of one.

No. 61.

My Lord,

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.—(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 18, 1870. IT will not have escaped your Lordship's observation that in Prince Gortchakoff's Circular despatch there is a disposition to treat the neutralization of the Black Sea as if it were a matter of arrangement solely between the Emperor and the Sultan, and existing by virtue of the Separate Convention entered into by them.

In point of fact, the above Convention merely laid down the number of small ships which the two Riverain States were to maintain; but the deciaration of the neutralization of the Sea, and the abandonment of the right to have naval arsenals on its coast, were an integral part of the General Treaty signed by all the Powers.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

HENRY ELLIOT.

No. 62.

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

My Lord, Therapia, November 18, 1870. IN the conversation which I had with Aali Pasha yesterday he dwelt upon the extreme weakness of the arguments by which Prince Gortchakoff had endeavoured to justify the repudiation of the neutralization clauses of the Treaty of 1856.

The alleged infractions of the Treaty in regard to the Danubian Principalities had

been carried out in spite of the strongest remonstrances of the Porte, upon whom it was now sought to visit them.

It was equally startling to find the acts of courtesy by which, at certain rare intervals, the Porte had permitted ships-of-war carrying personages of high distinction to enter the Bosphorus, gravely alleged as an excuse for the denunciation of the most important clause of the whole Treaty; but it was the more strange that Prince Gortchakoff should allege this as a grievance, when it was remembered that the exceptional favour had, on more than one occasion, been granted to members of the Imperial Russian family, at the request of the Russian Ambassador.

The Russian Government would have done better to confine itself to the intimation contained in the last lines of the despatch, that the limitation of its naval forces was an arrangement to which Russia could not be expected permanently to adhere.

No. 63.

I have, &c.

My Lord,

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 20, 1870. GENERAL IGNATIEFF returned to Constantinople late last night and called upon the Grand Vizier this morning.

I saw his Highness immediately afterwards, when he informed me that the Ambassador had spared no pains to induce him to take a favourable view of the step that had just been resorted to by his Government.

The abrogration of the neutralization clause was the removal of the only impediment to the perfect understanding and cordiality of relations between Russia and Turkey, and after it there would no longer remain an "Eastern question" to threaten the repose of the world.

The Emperor had felt that clause to be a blot upon his reign which he could not leave to his successor to wipe out, and the Porte ought to be sensible of his having abrogated it in the manner the least calculated to produce inconvenience.

His Majesty might have demanded its repeal under a menace of extreme proceedings if it was refused, but he had abstained from placing the Porte in the embarrassing position which such a proceeding would have given rise to, and had confined himself to a simple declaration that he had resumed the natural sovereign rights which, in 1856, he had consented to limit.

His honour being satisfied by this step His Majesty had, General Ignatieff said, no intention at present of proceeding further by the creation of a fleet in the Black Sea.

His language appears to have been very explicit as to there being positively no other subject connected with Turkey or with the Treaty of 1856 which Russia wished to agitate, and he expressed some surprise the Porte had not at once intimated its satisfaction at the announcement which had been made.

Aali Pasha replied that he could not admit that any justification had been made out for a proceeding showing an entire disregard for the rights of all the parties to the Treaty of Paris, and which, apart from its own importance, formed a precedent most injurious to the prospects of future harmony, which depended so largely upon the faith which could be put in international engagements.

Upon General Ignatieff protesting that it would certainly not be looked upon as a precedent by his Government, his Highness remarked that though he was, of course, glad to receive this assurance, he was not able to see how Russia could give him any security that other countries might not think themselves just as well entitled to repudiate the engagements which they had taken by the Treaty, and justify themselves by the example now set.

More than this he could not say till he had time to consult the other Powers which, equally with the Porte, were parties to the Treaty thus summarily infringed.

I have, &c.

(Signed) HENRY ELLIOT.

My Lord,

No. 64.

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 21, 1870. THE language of Prince Gortchakoff recorded in Sir A. Buchanan's telegram to your Lordship of the 17th instant is not of a nature to be read literally, if we would understand its true signification.

The Chancellor seems to have said that, if the Porte should resist the declaration, all the Christian populations hitherto kept quiet by the influence of Russia would avail themselves of the opportunity to rise against the Turks.

The manner in which the influence of Russia is persistently employed in the Christian Provinces is far too well known here for the threat of its withdrawal to have any terrors for the Porte; and to have any signification at all, Prince Gortchakoff's warning must be received as an intimation that the Russian influence would be used for exciting the Christian populations to rise, the risk of this being very small if they were left to themselves.

My Lord,

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville. -(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 21, 1870. PRINCE GORTCHAKOFF'S Circular will have been in your Lordship's hands so long before this despatch can reach you, and will have received such careful consideration, that there is certainly no occasion for me to point out how extremely futile are the arguments by which he attempts to justify the arbitrary repudiation of an international Act.

The first of the infractions of the Treaty of 1856 which Prince Gortchakoff cites as justifying the proceedings about to be adopted is the union of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, and their being placed under a foreign Prince, which, far from being the acts of the Porte, were carried out in spite of her strenuous resistance; but it may possibly have escaped the remembrance of Her Majesty's Government that it was Count Kisseleff, the Russian Plenipotentiary at the Conference of Paris, who at the meetings of the 22nd of May and 5th of June, 1858, stated that the almost unanimous desire of the Principalities for a union under a foreign Prince was rational and legitimate, and who appealed to the Treaty of Paris itself in support of their right to have their demand taken into consideration.

My Lord,

Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 1.)

Therapia, November 21, 1870. IN Prince Gortchakoff's Circular the Emperor of Russia is stated to be ready to renew and confirm the general stipulations of the Treaty of 1856, or to substitute for it any other equitable arrangement calculated to secure the tranquillity of the East.

An effectual substitute for the neutralization of the Black Sea will certainly not be found; but if it is come to an end, some fresh security might, perhaps, be found for Turkey by a slight modification of the engagements relative to the closing of the Straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles against ships of war of all nations.

The maintenance of the rule for keeping them closed is of the utmost importance, and the proposal that has sometimes been made, and which would have the cheerful acquiescence of Russia, for throwing the Black Sea entirely open, has little to recommend it, and would find no favour with Aali Pasha.

By the Treaty of Paris, as by that of 1841, the Sultan took upon himself an engagement, which all the Powers agreed to respect, to keep the Straits closed against foreign ships of war "so long as the Porte was at peace.