The Paris correspondent of the Times informs the world that
there was real danger of the Congress breaking up, even after the Bulgarian question had been settled. On July 8th the Anglo- Turkish Agreement reached Berlin, and the Russian Plenipoten- tiaries, who, though aware of part of the arrangement, thought it " platonic," and were entirely in the dark about Cyprus, were so irritated that they resolved to accept war, rather than give up the complete sovereignty of Batoum and the Lazes. Fortunately, Lord Odo Russell was aware of the true aspect of affairs; he informed the English Plenipotentiaries, and next day the whole question was given up, and Batoum fully surrendered to the Russian Govern- ment. The account is written as from fullness of knowledge, but Lord Beaconsfield would doubtless reply that he had already surrendered Batoum, under the Anglo-Russian Agreement, and " he must keep his word."
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