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 OPENING OF THE CONFEKENCE. 319 ible when undertaken by Nicholas, might be one c ha p. beyond the strength of his son. Madame Lieven — _ for instance pronounced that Alexander could not open his reign with an act of surrender or, as she fiercely worded it, cowardice. The new Czar began his State utterances by making two public statements which violently clashed with each other. In a high-flying, loud manifesto he told his people that he was going in the glorious steps of Peter and Catherine. In another and quite sober statement, meant rather for non-Eussian Europe, he through his Minister Nesselrode reminded mankind that his father had begun to negotiate for peace upon a basis then already accepted, and announced that he himself too would march in the path thus laid open before him. III. Pursuant to this declaration and to the con- The Peace Negotia- curring assent of France, England, Turkey, and tionsat Austria, a formal Conference was opened at Vienna on the 15th of March, under the presi- dency of Count Buol, the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and at its first meeting, there were present for Austria, Count de Buol and Baron Prokesch ; for France, Baron Bourqueny ; for England, Lord John Eussell and Lord West- moreland ; for Eussia, Prince Alexander Gortcha- koffand M. Titoff; for Turkey, Aarif Effendi. The Conference was afterwards joined by, for France, M. Drouyn de Lhuys, her Minister for