Lord Stratford de Redcliffe published on Thursday a letter to
the Times upon the terms of peace to be demanded by Russia. He writes temperately, but from a diplomatist's point of view, holding all manner of documents sacred which have been disre- garded by the Turks and torn up by the war. He believes that all the frontier provinces of Turkey must have autonomy, but would give North Bulgaria to Roumania, and allow South Bulgaria just sufficient autonomy to relieve it from Mussulman misgovern- ment. Servia and Montenegro also, he admits, must obtain territory, and an expression of blame or a passing remonstrance is the very utmost that a sense of justice could reasonably prescribe to Great Britain." He considers that Russia will claim compensa- tion, and as she cannot have money, that she may demand con- siderable territory in Armenia. He doubts if this acquisition would enable her to threaten the British route to India, but suggests that the Emperor could not reasonably or justly ask so much, because he is bound by treaty to respect the territorial integrity and independence of the Ottoman Empire. Surely that argument is feeble to the verge of absurdity. The very reason of the war is that the Ottoman Empire has become, or rather has remained, an evil to the world, which ought to cease, if possible utterly,—if not, as nearly utterly as it is practicable to arrange.
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