388 



The Review of Reviews. 



AyrU 



AUSTRIA, SERVIA, AND BULGARIA. 



Mr. Alfred Stead deals in the Fortnightly with 

 the Serbo-Bulgarian Convention and its results. In 

 July, 1905, he says, Servia and Bulgaria signed a 

 Customs Convention, creating a customs union and 

 breaking down the tariff barriers between the two 

 countries. They have sought to weld themselves 

 into an economic entity on the model of the United 

 States of America. Its chief importance is said to 

 be in its forming the first step from the old standard 

 of hatred and mistrust towards the new ideas of clear 

 understanding and union so essential for the perma- 

 nent welfare of the State. Mr. Stead has no mercy, 

 however, on the efforts which Austria has made to 

 destroy this Conventioti. He says: — 



By her unjust attempt at coercion, plain and undisguised, 

 Austria brought into being a political bond between Bul- 

 garia and Servia whicli was not in existence at the time 

 of the signature of the CJustoms ConTention, And in so 

 doing the politicians at Vienna absolutely ruined Austria's 

 hopes iu the Balkans. 



Only in the bewilderment produced by the Hun- 

 garian crisis and anger at the defiance of a small 

 State like Senia, can he find an explanation of " the 

 temporarv insanity which may well cause a full- 

 blown B.ilkan Confederation to develop from the 

 ptiny and badly drawn-up Customs Convention." 



•DIPLOMATIC SWIXE FEVER.' 



Austria tried to coerce Servia by threatening to 

 break off negotiations for a commercial treaty, and 

 10 close the frontiers against Servian imports, if the 

 Serbo-Bulgarian Convention were not abandoned: — 



Furious at the Servian refusal, the Viennese authorities 

 ordered the closing of the frontiers to Servian cattle, 

 pis?, and even fowls. This last restriction was contrary 

 t'l existing treaty of commerce between the two 



countries, wbich does not expire till March 1st. 1906. The 

 cattle and pigs were excluded under the arbitrary veteri- 

 nary convention, it having been found that a pig had died 

 of '" diplomatic swine fever," a contagious disease, pre- 

 valent wlien Servia opposes Austrian desires. The cool 

 indifference with which Austria ignored her treaty obliga- 

 tions with Servia led to a profound feeling that it was 

 hardly worth making sacrifices in order to obtain a new 

 commercial treaty, which could be as equally well ig- 

 nored. 



The Serbs never forgot that trade relations with 

 Austria were vita!, nor apparently did the Austrians, 

 Mr. Stead severely remarks: — 



■Wlien it is possible for a leading Austrian paper to de- 

 clare that " in order to avoid defeat, it is not necessary 

 for Austria to be a great Power; it is only necessary for 

 her to be a great market for pigs " — the tme note of 

 Austrian greatness Is struck. It is poetic justice that 

 Austria's action will bring upon her its own punishment, 

 and that from the day when she endeavoured to dict.ate to 

 the two independent Balkan States her sway over tliem 

 was over for ever. 



ITALY AND THE BALKAXS. 



Mr. Stead calls attention to the fact that the sup- 

 port of the Balkans is at present in the hands of 

 Italy, who finds here a valuable weapon in her own 

 struggle with Austria : — 



In diplomatic circles in Vienna it is held that the 

 Customs Union forms part of a deep-laid plan on the part 

 of Italy to destroy Austrian Influence in the Balkans and 

 to deprive her of her nosition in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

 They see in the establishment of a wireless telegraph sta- 



tion in Montenegro and the gift of guns to Prince Xlcholaa 

 by King Victor Emmanuel other signs of the preparation 

 of a Balkan alliance led by Italy. The disunion in the 

 Dual Kingdom causes what would otherwise have been a 

 comparatively innocuons danger to assume in their eyes a 

 most ominous aspect. Be that as it may. there is no 

 doubt that the Servians look to Italy above all others aa 

 their supporter and friend. Russia, which used to be 

 omnipotent in the Balkans, is now laid on the shelf for 

 an indefinite period, and has ceased to act as the counter- 

 poise to Austria. 



WHY SHOULD BRITAIN EFFACE HERSELF? 



Mr. Stead presses for the resumption of diploma- 

 tic relations betwen Great Britain and Servia: — 



The great asset of Great Britain in the Balkans is that 

 she does not wish to incorporate any of the small StateB 

 into her Empire; her financiers are not amateur Treasury 

 officials or her merchants disguised armies of occupation. 



He draws a parallel with the Napoleon coup 

 d'etat, which is pungent and forcible: — 



How soon did the British Government receive a represen- 

 tative from revolutionary France, after a cold-blooded 

 orgie of assassination. Instead of the relief of an in- 

 tolerable strain by midnight's deed of blood? We must 

 not let our horror of a crime grow in Inverse proportion 

 to the size of the countr.y where it is committed. In one 

 case some sixty officers out of 20O0 were implicated — in the 

 case of France It was the nation. And yet the blood- 

 stained nation was recognised, while the Servian nation, 

 comparatively innocent, is punished indefinitely. Is this 

 just? 



He concludes by urging that a British Minister at 

 Belgrade, sent without condonation of the conf 

 d'etat, would be the most powerful positive factor 

 for progress and reform. 



Mammon in Modern London. 



Sir Roliert Anderson, asked in the Quiver to make 

 comments on a sermon by Canon Hay Aitken dealing 

 with commercial morality, rather severely remarks 

 that the god of modern London is money, not merely 

 in the City, but also in the Church. The test of a 

 successful ministry is the letting value of the pews. 

 ^^^len the X.Ttional Church, he adds, has decided 

 whether it is Protestant and whether the clergy are 

 required to fulfil their ordination pledges, it may 

 speak with commanding voice about the want of 

 principle in commercial life. The prevailing stan- 

 dard is expressed by the American epigram, " Get 

 on ; get honour : get honest." The worst offenders, 

 he says, are women, whose ostentatious displav of 

 wealth is the most powerful incentive to the illicit 

 greed for gold. 



The Scandinavian magazine Varia (Jan.) caters 

 for many tastes. The Baroness von Suttner, her 

 life, literary work and endeavours in the cause of 

 peace, is the subject of an article by I. A. Davids- 

 son, illustrated with some pleasing portraits. There 

 are two translated serials, " Unmasked," by Headon 

 Hill, and " The Tsar's Betrayers," a romance of the 

 St. Petersburg revolution of 1905 ; and the mem- 

 bers of the big scattered army of Esperantists -will 

 be glad to know that the language of their brother- 

 hood is the subject of an encouraging article, which 

 is illustrated with portraits of leading Esperantists. 



