The Russian diplomatists are said to intend to hold a
kind of meeting at Berlin on December 2nd. The Czar arrives there on his way to Cannes, where the Empress is lying seriously ill; Prince Gortschakoff will be there, on his way home ; Count Schouvaloff has been summoned ; and M. d'Oubril, the Ambassador to Berlin, is on the spot. It is also be- lieved that M. Walujeff, who is named as a possible future Chancellor, will be present, and that the decisions taken may be of the greatest moment. The gossips, there- fore, are all alive, and no doubt such a meeting, if really arranged, is intended to deal with matters of importance. Its object must be to protect Russia from that isolation with which she is threatened, and enable her either to enter the Austro- German alliance, or to baffle that combination. It must be re- membered, however, that the interior difficulties of Russia are very great, that the moderate party of reform grows very strong, and that the Czar, personally, is undecided, Also, it is usual in Russia, when immediate decisions are to be taken, to call the Heir-Apparent into council, and the Grand Duke is not to be at Berlin. The meeting, therefore, will probably end in no- thing more than a slight increase of information.
