Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/168

164 This became clear at once after the publication of the Austrian ultimatum. By the 24th July Lichnowsky reports:

"Sir Edward Grey has just requested me to come to him. The Minister was obviously deeply affected by the Austrian Note, which, in his view, surpassed anything he had ever seen of this kind. He said he had so far no news from St. Petersburg, and therefore did not know how the matter was being regarded there. He doubted very much, however, whether it would be possible for the Russian Government to recommend the Serbian Government to accept unconditionally the Austrian demands. A state which accepted such proposals would really cease to count as an independent state. [This would be very desirable. It is not a state in the European sense, but a band of robbers.—W.] It was difficult for him, Sir E. Grey, also to give any advice in St. Petersburg at this moment. He could only hope that a mild [!!—W.] and calm interpretation of the situation would hold the field there. So long as it was a question of a ... localized struggle between Austria and Serbia, the matter did not concern him (Sir E. Grey) [Right!—W.]; but the situation would at once be different if public opinion in Russia forced the Government to proceed against Austria.

"To my observation that one cannot judge the Balkan States by the same standard as the more advanced European nations [Right, that they are certainly not.—W.] and that, therefore, a different kind of language must be used towards them—the barbaric style of their warfare had already