And no doubt the Russians at Berlin were put out
of fear by the engagement they had in their pocket that the talk about Batoum and so forth meant nothing ; but in the House of Lords Lord Salisbury was kindled into anger by Lord Rosebery's ex- position of the matter. He contended that it was quite fair to describe the first summary of the Anglo-Russian Agreement as unauthentic and unworthy of the confidence of the House of Lords, because it left out the stipulation which was the centre and keystone of the British policy,—that Great Britain would insist in Congress on the Sultan being left at complete liberty to defend the frontiers of Eastern Roumelia at his own discretion. Lord Salisbury further maintained that the secret agreement was nothing more than one of those confidential com- munications to which all Governments must resort, as part of their diplomacy ; to which Lord Carnarvon replied conclusively, that such confidential communications did not usually prejudge and forestall the decisions to be come to by any Power at a Con- gress held for the purpose of deliberating fully on these very issues. Lord Carnarvon and the Marquis of Bath both joined in condemning the underhanded policy of aggrandisement pursued by the Government ; and Lord Granville concluded the discus- sion, by remarking that but for the surreptitious report in the Globe, we should have been simply dupes as to the policy of the Government, and as to the real nnmeaningness of the histrionic display which they had gone through. Lord Rosebery's discharge was not murderous, but his slugs entered, and seem to rankle.
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