My Lord, No. 98. Lord Bloomfield to Earl Granville.-(Received December 9.) Vienna, November 30, 1870. IN execution of the instructions contained in your Lordship's telegram of yesterday I have expressed to Baron Aldenburg, for transmission to Count Beust at Pesth, the acknowledgments of Her Majesty's Government for the prompt and cordial co-operation of the Imperial and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary in the present question with Russia. Baron Aldenburg mentioned to me, on receiving the communication, that he had just heard from Count Beust that he was fully prepared to assimilate the course of the Imperial Government to that which would be adopted by Her Majesty's Government. I have, &c. (Extract.) Lord Bloomfield to Earl Granville.-(Received December 9.) Vienna, December 1, 1870. I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith a list, furnished by the Austrian Admiralty, of the vessels which escorted the Emperor Francis Joseph in October 1869 from Varna to Constantinople, and your Lordship will observe that none of them can be called armed vessels of war. The screw corvette "Heligoland" had been especially disarmed before entering the Dardanelles, in order that no question might be raised as to her not coming under the category of permitted vessels; and I understand that, when the "Heligoland arrived at Constantinople, General Ignatieff remarked to Baron Prokesch as to her size, but, on learning that she had but two guns, made no further observation, and the question was completely dropped. Inclosure in No. 99. LIST of Vessels sent to the Black Sea in October 1869, to escort the Emperor of My Lord, Lord Bloomfield to Earl Granville.-(Received December 9.) Vienna, December 4, 1870. I CALLED on Count Beust to-day, but he was so engaged it was impossible for me to have any conversation with him, his whole disposable time having been occupied with the Russian Minister, who had just left him and delivered to him the answer of his Government to the last Austrian despatch on the question of the neutralization of the Black Sea. He said it was drawn up in very courteous language. (Signed) I have, &c. BLOOMFIELD. No. 101. (Extract.) Lord Bloomfield to Earl Granville.-(Received December 9.) Vienna, December 4, 1870. AUSTRIA, Count Beust said, is far from desiring to prevent a peaceful settlement of the question in dispute, and has not the slightest wish to encourage the Porte to take an energetic line. No. 102. My Lord, Lord Bloomfield to Earl Granville.-(Received December 9.) Vienna, December 6, 1870. IN pursuance of the authority conveyed to me by your Lordship's telegram of yesterday, I have delivered to Baron Aldenburg a copy of your Lordship's despatch to Sir Andrew Buchanan of the 28th ultimo, which forms the answer of Her Majesty's Government to Prince Gortchakoff's despatch to Baron Brunnow of theth ultimo. His Excellency said he was glad to be able thus early to forward this communication to Count Beust, who was now occupied at Pesth in preparing an answer to the Russian despatch, which had been delivered to him by M. Novikoff two days ago. I have, &c. FROM your Excellency's recent despatches it appears that the Government at Tours had not yet received the assent of the Members of the Government at Paris to participate in the proposed Conference on the subject of the Treaty of 1856. As soon as your Excellency learns that such assent has been received, I have to request that you will state to the Count de Chaudordy that Her Majesty's Government would be glad to be informed, confidentially, in what manner the renunciation by Russia of the claim put forward in the Circular to release herself, of her own free will, from obligations recorded by Treaty should, in the opinion of the French Government, be treated in the Protocols, and also whether they are of opinion that the existing arrangements for maintaining the neutralization of the Black Sea should be adhered to, or whether they should be altogether abandoned, or retained with certain modifications, and in either of the last two cases what equivalent might with justice be demanded of Russia for such concession, and might reasonably be considered as acceptable to the Porte. What Her Majesty's Government desire is an interchange of ideas with the French Government upon these points, on the understanding, however, that it involves no agreement between the two Governments previous to their entering into the Conference. VILI I am, &c. (Signed) GRANVILLE. No. 104. My Lord, Sir A. Buchanan to Earl Granville.-(Received December 10.) St. Petersburgh, December 3, 1870. PRINCE GORTCHAKOFF, I regret to say, is confined to bed with a severe attack of gout, but his Excellency was nevertheless good enough to receive me this morning, in order that I might read to him your Lordship's despatch of the 28th ultimo. Having read the despatch, I gave him a copy of it. Prince Gortchakoff said that it afforded him much satisfaction to learn that the friendly assurances of the Government of the Emperor to that of Her Majesty, conveyed in his despatch to Baron Brunnow of the 20th ultimo, had been met by your Lordship and Her Majesty's Government in the spirit which he had expected; and he had no doubt, considering the courteous and conciliatory character of your Lordship, and the mutual desire of the two Governments to promote, through their cordial and friendly relations, the tranquillity of the East and the welfare of Europe, that the question at issue between them will be amicably arranged. With respect to the Conference, he said, it is of course understood that the Plenipotentiaries taking part in it will support the views of their respective Governments on the subject to be brought before it, and that there could be no objection to any opinion being recorded in a Protocol which the Conference may think it right to express on the question of principle raised by Her Majesty's Government in your Lordship's despatch of the 10th November. His Excellency also said, he had every reason to hope, from the assurances he had received, that an understanding, satisfactory to all parties, would be come to with respect to the revision of the Treaty of 1856. Sir A. Buchanan to Earl Granville.-(Received December 10.) My Lord, I have, &c. (Extract.) No. 106. Sir A. Buchanan to Earl Granville.-(Received December 10.) St. Petersburgh, December 5, 1870. PRINCE GORTCHAK OFF said that Russia had never made proposals to Great Britain for the revision of the Treaty; but he nevertheless contended that his statement was equally so, as to the unwillingness of Great Britain to consent to the question being taken into consideration, as when overtures have been made for Conferences with a view to the removal of questions likely to create complications in Europe, the English Government always opposed them from an apprehension that the Eastern question would be brought before the consideration of such Conferences or Congresses. I said, it appeared, however, from his Circular that he himself considered the question of the neutralization of the Black Sea and the Eastern question to be distinct, and he rejoined, by the Eastern question he meant the Treaty of 1856. I asked him, therefore, to tell me when England had declined, for the reason he now stated, to take part in a Conference, and he answered it was the motive for her discouraging the meeting of a Conference (" c'était sa pensée "); on which I observed that it was unusual to hold persons responsible for their thoughts until they were expressed. No. 107. My Lord, Sir A. Buchanan to Earl Granville.-(Received December 10.) St. Petersburgh, December 5, 1870. PRINCE GORTCHAKOFF will forward to Baron Brunnow a full power and instructions for his guidance in the Conference about to meet in London to consider the expediency of revising the Treaty of 1856, as soon as he has received despatches from Baron Brunnow, now on their way from London. My Lord, No. 108. Earl Granville to Lord Lyons. Foreign Office, December 10, 1870. I HAVE received your Excellency's despatch of the 1st instant, reporting the various communications which you have had with the Count de Chaudordy respecting the proposed Conference to be assembled to discuss the question of the position of Russia under the Treaty of 1856, and in which your Excellency has endeavoured to overcome the scruples felt by the Government at Tours to taking part in the Conference; and I have to convey to your Excellency my entire approval of your proceedings in this Foreign Office, December 12, 1870. I HAVE received your telegram inquiring, on behalf of Count Bismarck, whether Her Majesty's Government would be disposed to allow the Prince of Roumania to submit to the forthcoming Conference his memorandum of grievances. I have informed you in reply that I see great objections to extending the deliberations of the Conference to other subjects beyond the neutralization of the Black Sea, and the questions immediately arising out of it. I am, &c. (Signed) GRANVILLE. No. 110. Earl Granville to Sir A. Buchanan. Foreign Office, December 13, 1870. Sir, I HAVE to acquaint your Excellency that I approve the language which you held to Prince Gortchakoff as reported in your despatch of the 5th instant, on the subject of the alleged refusal of England to take into consideration former overtures by Russia for the revision of the Treaty of 1856. I am, (Signed) No. 111. &c. GRANVILLE. Sir A. Paget to Earl Granville.-(Received December 14.) My Lord, Florence, November 30, 1870. IN obedience to the instructions conveyed in your Lordship's telegram of yesterday's date I have expressed to M. Visconti Venosta the acknowledgments of Her Majesty's Government for the prompt and cordial co-operation of the Italian Government in the question recently raised by Russia. His Excellency expressed his gratification at this communication, and the satisfaction which it afforded him when the interests and policy of Italy enabled her Government to unite their action with that of the Government of Great Britain. I have, &c. (Signed) A. PAGET. My Lord, No. 112. Sir H. Elliot to Earl Granville.-(Received December 14.) Therapia, November 30, 1870. GENERAL IGNATIEFF stated to me to-day that he had received the intimation that a Conference having been agreed to by his Government and that of Her Majesty, the proposal would be made by Prussia to the Governments of Turkey, Austria, and Italy, and to that of France by your Lordship. In reply to my inquiry whether he was aware of a basis having been fixed for its deliberations, he said that the basis must of course be that of the late declaration of his Government, that the neutralization of the Black Sea was now at an end. He added that, in point of fact, the Russian Government considered that the neutralization had actually ceased from the day on which Her Majesty's ship "Gannet" had entered the waters of the Black Sea, six years ago. I said that nothing which I had received from your Lordship led me to understand that Her Majesty's Government admitted that the neutralization of the Black Sea, or any other part of the Treaty of Paris, could be abrogated by the simple declaration of one Power, and I believed also that they would learn with surprise that the Russian Government had, as he now asserted, considered the neutralization clauses as having been already annulled so many years before Prince Gortchakoff's notification. Count Beust to Count Chotek.-(Communicated to Earl Granville by Count Apponyi, December 16.) Bude, le 7 Décembre, 1870. M. L'ENVOYE DE RUSSIE s'est acquitté envers moi des ordres de son Gouvernement en me donnant connaissance des deux dépêches, ci-jointes en copie, destinées à servir de réponse à celles que j'ai adressées à votre Excellence le 16 du mois dernier, au sujet de l'incident soulevé par la Circulaire Russe du 1 Octobre. J'ai accueilli la communication de ces pièces avec tout l'intérêt qu'elles méritent. Les matières qu'elles ont pour objet y sont traitées dans des termes tels à me laisser l'impression qu'à St. Petersbourg on éprouve autant que nous-mêmes le désir de leur donner une solution satisfaisante pour toutes les parties intéressées. A la veille d'une Conférence où la question dont il s'agit devra être soumise à de mûres delibérations, je crois inutile d'entrer en discussion sur le fond des répliques de M. le Prince Gortchakoff. Il est pourtant un point que, dès à présent, je ne saurais passer sous silence. Je veux parler de l'opinion émise dans la première de ces dépêches, et d'après laquelle il faudrait attribuer à tous les Traités contemporains une cohésion telle qu'aucun deux ne saurait être infirmé sans altérer la valeur de tous les autres et sans donner à chacune des Puissances intervenantes dans ces derniers le droit de déclarer caduques celles de leurs stipulations qu'il ne lui conviendrait plus de laisser subsister. Nous croyons qu'une théorie pareille, si elle venait à prévaloir, porterait la plus grave atteinte à la foi des Traités et aurait pour résultat de détendre tous les liens qui, jusqu'à ce jour, ont uni les nations. Nous n'avons jamais prétendu que les transactions internationales fussent à l'abri des injures du temps, et qu'elles dussent être maintenues intactes à tout jamais. Si ferme que puisse être, au moment de la signature d'un Traité, la résolution des Contractants de lui assurer une durée perpétuelle, il est incontestable, ainsi que le fait remarquer M. le Chancelier Russe, qu'à la longue il peut survenir tels événements qui changent la situation de sorte à faire désirer aux signataires une modification de toute ou partie de la Convention. Mais dans ce Mais dans ce cas le droit des gens indique la voie à suivre: c'est celle d'un recours fait par l'Etat qui y a intérêt aux autres Puissances intervenantes, dans le but de s'entendre sur les modifications à apporter au Traité. En ce qui concerne les clauses du Traité de Paris relatives à la neutralité de la Mer Noire, le Gouvernement Impérial et Royal avait lui-même, il y a près de quatre ans, reconnu l'opportunité d'une révision; mais comme je l'ai rappelé dans ma dépêche du 16 Novembre, ce qu'il a eu en vue, c'est une révision qui, s'opérant par l'accord des Parties Contractantes, tendit à raffermir, au lieu de l'ébranler, le respect dû au droit public de l'Europe. |