WaybackWire

LONDON, Thursday.—The House of Commons has put its party quarrels aside. Mr Asquith to-day postponed the second reading of the Home Rule Amending Bill, telling the House: “We meet to-day under conditions of gravity which are almost unparalleled in the experience of any one of us.”

It was vital, he said, that Britain, which has no interests of her own directly at stake, should present a united front. Mr Bonar Law shares his views, and there was not a murmur of dissent.

Sir Edward Grey told the House: “I regret I cannot say that the situation is less grave than it was yesterday.” Austria has begun war against Servia, he said, and Russia’s partial mobilisation has not so far led to corresponding steps by the other Powers. It has not been possible for the Powers to join in the diplomatic action he proposed on Monday.

The Labour members have passed a resolution of confidence in Sir Edward Grey. Later the party leaders met in urgent conference at his residence to try to find an Irish settlement.

LONDON, Thursday.—The First Fleet, held together at Portland since Monday, has put to sea under sealed orders, bands playing ‘Hearts of Oak’ and the crews cheering.

It is officially stated that no British mobilisation has been ordered. “Military and naval measures that have been taken are merely precautionary and defensive.”

Anti-aircraft guns have been mounted near the oil tanks. Nearly the whole of the Mediterranean fleet is concentrated at Malta, with all leave cancelled, and Malta says the precautionary stage of mobilisation has been ordered.

The War Office declares there is no truth in a report published in the United States that the Territorial troops have been ordered to mobilise.

SINGAPORE, Thursday.—The crisis has come to Eastern waters. The British China squadron is reported to be mobilising at Wei-hai-wei, on the north coast of Shantung, and the German squadron at Tsingtau, about 200 miles to the south. The German force is led by the armoured cruiser Scharnhorst, flagship of Vice-Admiral Count von Spee; the British squadron includes the battleship Triumph.

At Colombo the Russian Consul has received a cable from St Petersburg to detain all vessels of the Russian Volunteer fleet. Business there is stagnant and the stockbrokers are idle.

In Singapore the war is the sole topic of conversation among the German residents. They had not feared war after the Archduke’s murder, expecting at most a strong Austrian demand that the assassins be punished. “Though many of them drink ‘To the Day,’ the Austrian action has left them almost bewildered.”

It is not believed they will be called home. Should Germany arm, the Far Eastern reservists will probably be gathered at Tsingtau, where the young Germans east of Suez do their training.

SINGAPORE, Thursday.—London and Singapore read the crisis differently. The Times this morning warns that Britain cannot afford to see France crushed: “We can no more afford to see France crushed by Germany or the balance of power upset against France than Germany can afford to see Austria-Hungary crushed by Russia.”

The Straits Times sees no cause for alarm in Austria punishing Servia. “If the millions of Austria go in and punish the thousands of Servia for their complicity in a hideous crime, and their encouragement of criminal conspiracies, we see no reason whatever for general lamentation.”

It doubts that Germany wishes for war at all, and holds that the Kaiser has shown himself a friend of peace. Its verdict: “It seems to us that neither Austria nor Germany is responsible for the situation which has arisen. The responsibility lies mainly with Russia.”