Show statesmanship IN RUSSIA in the present grouping ot of the powers from the militant standpoint france Is chiefly important as the purse bearer and the squire of russia nothing that has been said by any french politician has attracted as much attention as the statements made by prince lobanoff Loban ofT during his recent visit to paris the prince was interviewed by M 1 I de blowitz and in the course of his remarks managed to say many things filings of great interest none of his observations was more noticeable than his declaration that france absorbed in the preparations for the great exhibition of 1900 was intent on works of peace that Is no doubt as russia desires it to be prince lobanoff loba Loban orf oft after leaving paris went to berlin and there are those who ho profess to see a change in the attitude of germany toward england as the result of the ri inces visit it is well however to receive all such stories with healthy health y skepticism no small pa part rt of the strength of great britain in the world depends on the fact that she has never concerned herself greatly upon the extent to which her preeminent pre eminent virtues were recognized by her neighbors russia according to prince lobanoff lebanon was absorbed with one subject a and nd one alone the expected accouchement of the empress it was intensely desired that the heir should be a boy but this hope was not to be realized A little litt le girl who was at once named olga was born on november the czars azars brother is sinking rapidly but his death will make less change in the situation than the tact fact that the minister of the interior M durnovo of whom little was known in europe has been succeeded by another official of whom nothing is known prince lobanoff and de witte watte continue to monopolize no the stage to such an extent that people are beginning to say that russia is administered by a the activity of de witte Is feverish v and incessant in his own way he I 1 Is a as great a scourge to his department as peter the great to the old boyaris no Bo yards the russian official does not like to be hurried anything for a quiet life 19 his motto and to such a man de witte must appear little better than a demon meanwhile everything seems to be going dussias Rus sias way de witte at the same time that he Is credited with the arranging of a secret treaty securing an outlet for the siberian railway in the extreme east of asia Is reported to be not less intent upon running a trunk line of railway through lapland to a port in norwegian territory of this we shall hear more anon in the balkans there seems every reason to believe that tha t tile the longstanding long standing feud with bulgaria Is to be patched up and that the principality will once more become the faithful ally of the empire to whose sacrifices it owes its existence from the progress of the world in the december review of reviews |