The Progress of the World. 



465 



The Unveiling of King Edward VI I. 's Statue at Cannes. 



nowledge and appreciation, to set up tictwcen tliiiii enduring 

 austs of reciprocal sympathy, and to establish hctwcen tlic two 

 lovirnments iclatioiu of cordial sincerity and scrupulous 

 syally. 



The Russian Minister for Foreign 



Russia's .\ffiiirs has made his long expected 



Foreiffn Policy, statement, and it must 1)C admitted 



that M. Sazonoff well, covered the 

 rhole world. No less an authority than Dr. E. J. 

 )ill(m .states that, in his personal opinion, the 

 linister's speech constitutes a complete political pro- 

 rammc. It must, therefore, be taken seriously. After 

 flirniing the solidity of the Franco-Russian Allianic, 

 inglo-Russian friendship was next mentioned, a strong 

 oint being made that this rapprochement was national 

 s well as ofTicial. M. .SazonolT hinted at the possibility 

 f Russia being the friendly link between lirilain and 

 Icrmany, and made it (|uite clear that Anglo-dernian 

 ■iendship would not injure either nation in .St. I'eters- 

 urg, a fairly evident fn<t, since Anglo-Clcrman friend- 

 tip nieatis absolute domination of the Fiiropean sittia- 

 on. Nothing could have been stronger than the words 

 scd to indicate Russia's friendship for Italy. There 



are, indeed, those who believe that this friendship^ 

 linked up by the chain of Southern Slav races from the 

 Adriatic to the Volga, is the keynote to the present 

 international situation. M. SazonofT found the Balkan 

 situation " unsatisfactory." Albania may revolt again, 

 endangering the interests of neighbouring countries. 

 Macedonia shows chronic revolutioi>ary symptoms. He 

 considered that Bulgaria and Servia will remain quite 

 tranquil, but advised Turkey to satisfy the educational 

 and economic needs of the Christian population. 

 Concerning Persia there is the announcement that the 

 Russian troops will return home when no longer 

 needed, and that Turkish occupation of Persian terri- 

 tory is a strategic menace to Russia. But it is M. 

 Sazonoff's views on Ru.ssia and China, e.specitilly 

 China's frontier provinces, which arc of .supreme 

 importance. He dealt with great frankness with the 

 action of the Peking Government in endeavouring to 

 draw Mongolia towards China. The Ru.ssian Minister 

 dc< land that " we see no reason to alter the aim we 

 ha\e set ourselves, as conducive alike to our interests 

 atid those of the Mongolians." Having deprecated 



