Századok – 1937

Pótfüzet - HEGEDÜS LORÁNT: Lord Beaconsfield politikai ügynökének jelentései gróf Andrássy Gyula és Tisza Kálmán politikájáról a keleti válság idejében 576–616

90 HEGEDŰS bORÁNT. [62] The only actual military movement of a decisive kind yet made by the troops on the Hungarian Frontier has been the occupation of the Island of Oida Kaleh, by a detachment from the garrison at Orsova. The details of this occupation will doubtless have been officially reported to Your Excellency by the Military Attaché of the Embassy. The measure has provoked but little comment here, where it is regarded as a simple military necessity. I have the honour, etc. No. 48. Buda Pesth, May 30, 1878. ( Confidential.) Sir, The telegraphic reports of the success of Count Schuvaloff's mission to St. Petersburgh, in inducing the Czar to make such concessions as will facilitate an understanding between England and Russia, have not, I am bound to declare, been received with enthusiasm by any portion of the public here. The Government Organs in the Press profess nearly as much dissatisfaction at the present situation as do the Journals of the Opposition. It will be perfectly useless for Count Andrassy to claim any credit for his diplomacy. Even if the Congress meets, and its deliberations have a pacific result, no one here will be in the least deceived as to the value of Austro-Hungarian cooperation in securing such a consummation. It is true that the supporters of the Government are always inclined to make some excuse for the impotency of Count Andrassy's policy, on the score of the difficulties of his position as affected originally by the Court and the Slav influences, and latterly by the opposition raised at Vienna to the granting of the sixty millions. But these excuses are not plenary, and those who make them are clearly convinced that the Minister has not displayed that energy, foresight, and consistency of purpose which could have maintained for the Empire the credit of having contributed all the weight of her influence to the realisation of a diplomatic arrangement. Further than this, it must be noted that all the organs of the Press are careful to argue that no assurance has yet been given that interests exclusively Austro-Hungarian will be protected either by the concessions already made by Russia, or by the projects which the Congress may entertain. Count Andrassy's new explanations to the Delegations are not regarded as encouraging upon this head. His Excellency's intimation, that the result of the deliberations of the Congress may necessitate material action on the part of the Empire, is taken as a proof, either of his own apprehensions that he will be unable to secure the interests of the Country by Treaty, or of his determination that the outcome of the Congress with regard to Bosnia and the Herzegovina shall be, in one way or another, the annexation of those Provinces to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Count Andrassy, however, is so far lucky that the preliminary negotiations for the meeting of the Plenipotentiaries of the Great Powers next month will save him from a bitter attack which was threatened by some of the members of the Hungarian Delegation ; and he will undoubtedly make such capital as he can out of the fact that, after all, his original idea of a Congress is to be realised. As for the public at large, I am constrained to say that, as far as I can judge by general conversation, there is profound disappointment at the notion that the Czar has made large concessions. It would