time limit extended. Secretary of
State said that he did not know what Austria-Hungary had
ready on the spot, _but he admitted quite freely that
Austro-Hungarian Government wished to give the Servians a
lesson, and that they meant to take military action. He also
admitted that Servian Government could not swallow certain
of the Austro-Hungarian demands...._

A like excuse is found in a conversation with the Russian Charge at
Berlin, in which Bethmann-Hollweg expressed the fear "that in
consequence of the absence of Berchtold at Ischl, and seeing the lack
of time, his (Bethmann-Hollweg's telegrams suggesting delay) will
remain without result."[17]

[Footnote 17: Russian _Orange Paper_, No. 14.]

These conversations are most illuminating. They refer to instructions
to the German Ambassador in Vienna, _which are not found in the German
White Paper_, although they would have thrown a searchlight upon the
sincerity with which Germany "passed on" the most important request of
England and Russia for a little time to save the peace of Europe, and
it strongly suggests the possibility that Count Berchtold's most
inopportune absence in Ischl was to be the excuse for the gross
discourtesy of refusing to give any extension of time.

Kudachef, the Russian Charge at Vienna, did not content himself with
submitting the request to the Acting Foreign Minister (Baron Macchio)
but to deprive Austria of the flimsy excuse of Berchtold's absence at
Ischl, the Russian Charge went over the head of the Austrian Acting
Foreign Minister and telegraphed the request for time to Count
Berchtold at Ischl. Let the record tell for itself how this most
reasonable request was made and refused.

The Russian Charge sent on July 25th the two following telegrams to
the Russian Foreign Minister:

Count Berchtold is at Ischl. Seeing the impossibility of
arriving there in time, I have telegraphed him our proposal
to extend the delay of the ultimatum, and I have repeated it
verbally to Baron Macchio. This latter promised me to
communicate it in time to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
_but added that he could predict with assurance a
categorical refusal_.[18]

[Footnote 18: Russian _Orange Paper_, No. 11.]

Sequel to my telegram of to-day. Have just received from
Macchio the negative reply of the Austro-Hungarian
Government to our proposal to prolong the delay of the
n