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Show WAR CLOUDS SHOWING ON EUROPEAN HORIZON Diplomatist See Signs That Incline to Belief That the War in the Orient May Involve Other Powers British and French Interests Involved. ST. PETERSBURG. Feb. 25. There ie a gTowlngr belief hero that an .understanding .under-standing exists between Russia and Germany relative to thc developments from the war and the diplomats arc giving more attention to thc likelihood of other powers becoming involved. France's enormous financial Investments Invest-ments in Russian funds and enterprises are estimated at close to 52,000.000,000, and It is feared that in case of Russian reveres, which might threaten the Empire, France may bo compelled to go lo the support of her ally. There are also suspicions of the motives mo-tives of Great Britain here of a character char-acter to cause complications in that direction. It is strongly Intimated that the return re-turn of thc Russian Embassador to Great Britain. Count Benckcndorfc", to St. Petersburg-, was not solely to bid. farewell to his son. previous to thc letter's let-ter's departure for the far East with his regiment, but that it was also to consult with the Russian Foreign ofllce I relative to the British expedition to I Tibet. The Government is angry at the I language used by Foreign Minister Lansdowne, as printed In the recent British bluebook on the subject of Tibet, and Embassador Bcnckendorff may receive Instructions to reply in kind if exchanges on the subject con- j tinue. Tho conditions in the Balkans arc also considered extremely critical and altogether thc diplomatic feeling that if the danger of a general conflagration conflagra-tion . is to be avoided every energy should be directed not only to limiting the sphere ot operations, but toward an attempt at mediation. They are discussing tho subject with great seriousness. It is not believed that Russia will be I disposed, while smarting under the humiliation hu-miliation of defeat, to accept interven-" tlon, but once a decisive victory Is achieved the diplomats are inclined to believe that owing to the Czar's sincere aversion to war he will welcome good offices. The Novoe Vreyma declares Great Britain's failure to protest against the violation of the neutrality of Korea, whose Inviolability was guaranteed by the Anglo-Japanese treaty, proves that the treaty was directed solely against Russia. Some old believers in the schmls-matlcs schmls-matlcs otJOO years ago. who are among the wealthiest Russians, show a disposition dispo-sition to place a vast sum at the disposal dis-posal of tho Government if the occasion occa-sion requires. Scores of millionaires are among them at Moscow, where they enjoy valuable concessions granted by Catherine the Great. As they are . not bellevors in banks the money would havo. to come out of their private strong boxes. A dispatch from Port Arthur says Peking and Tien Tsln report that there If? considerable dissatisfaction in certain cer-tain Chinese circles at the neutrality of China, and that the Japanese Minister, Minis-ter, M. Ouchida, Is trying to force China to side with Japan. It is asserted that Yuan Shi Kal, the Chinese Commander-in-Chief, is under Japanese influence and that he secretly recommended an alliance between China and Japan on the ground that if Japan gels Korea she would not take Manchuria. |