The position is considered so serious at St. Petersburg, that
Count Andrassy has been invited to meet Prince Gortschakoff and Prince Bismarck at Berlin, and discuss with them what is to be done. The invitation has been accepted, and is to come off immediately ; indeed, Monday next is said to be the day fixed. The object of the Czar, to whom the Conference is due, is to enable the Imperial Powers to decide on a common course of action, in the event either of the submission or the victory of the Insurgents, and it is believed the meeting will end in a decision to compel Turkey to create another vassal State, like Roumania or Servia. With this object, and to prevent an outbreak of either Christians or Mohammedans, Austrian troops are to occupy Bosnia and the Herzegovina.. That is, as we be- lieve, the wisest policy, and the one which must one day be adopted, but it is difficult to imagine that the Powers will agree to sustain it yet. The Sultan will dislike the project, the Austrians will wince at the useless expense, and the Russians will not see any compensation for the admission that Austria has the most direct interest in European Turkey. Prince Bismarck is much more likely to suggest some large and definite policy for the disposal of the Northern Turkish provinces, and so bring out strongly the incurable conflict of interests between Austria and Russia. They both want the same thing, the protectorate or government of the Southern Slays; while Germany wants, first of all, that they should not agree.
