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situation and to the fact that the moderating influence of France was much wanted at St. Petersburgh , were invariably received withdistrust. They were looked upon as attempts to drive the wedgebetween France and Russia .

When, after presentation of the Austro-Hungarian note toServia, the German Ambassador at Paris correctly and loyallystated that the German Government regarded the affair as oneto be settled between Austria-Hungary and Servia alone, and thatGermany sincerely desired to localize the conflict, an interventionon the part of any single Power being bound to have incalculableconsequences, there appeared an inspired article in the "Echo deParis" whose intimate relations with the Quai d'Orsay are wellknown. The German Ambassador's step was called a "menaceallemande" (Yellow Book No. 36).

When two days later, on July 26 ,h , the German Am-bassador suggested to the French Government an intervention ina pacific sense at St. Petersburgh, adding that Austria-Hungary had already declared to Russia that she wanted neither territorialaggrandisement nor to encroach upon Servia's integrity, in factthat her sole wish was to secure her own safety, he received thereply that Russia had on her side done nothing to raise doubtsin her moderation. That it was for Germany to intervene atVienna (Yellow Book No. 56). And when at last the German Ambassador after his experiences with the "Echo de Paris",proposed to publish a notice stating that he had in a freshconversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs examined themeans of preserving peace in a most friendly spirit, the mere ideaof a public manifestation of «solidarité pacifique" with Germany created fear (Yellow Book No. 57). The notice proposedby the German Ambassador was subsequently communicated tothe Press without the suspicious expression of solidarity andfriendly spirit. — "Cette rédaction, volontairement terne, évitaitune solidarité avec l'Allemagne qui pourrait être mal interprétée."(Transi.: This purposely colourless wording avoided a solidaritywith Germany that could be misinterpreted.) So to read in aCircular note addressed by the French Foreign Office to its re-presentatives abroad on that not unimportant event. (Yellow Book