Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/99

Rh telegraphs to the Ambassador in St. Petersburg the question:

""At what o'clock on Thursday is the departure of the President from Kronstadt arranged for?""

On the 22nd Jagow telegraphed to Vienna:

""Had inquired of Count Pourtales as to the programme of Poincaré's visit. He says that the President leaves Kronstadt at eleven o'clock at night. By Central European time this would be nine-thirty. If steps are taken in Belgrade tomorrow afternoon at five, they would thus become known in St. Petersburg while Poincaré is still there.""

To this Tschirschky replied on the 23rd :

""Austrian Government thanks you for the information. Baron Giesl has been instructed to delay by one hour the presentation of the Note.""

Thus it was that the Note was presented on the 23rd at six o'clock in the evening.

We see from all this the nature of the anxieties that troubled the Austrian and German Ministers on the verge of the outbreak of the World-War.

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A FALSE CALCULATION
}} It had been intended to make swiftly a surprise attack, so as to confront Europe, before she was properly conscious of how things stood, with a fait accompli, to which its submission would be most speedily