[Russian "Orange Paper," No. 45.]

On the same day, July 28, the German Imperial Chancellor sent for the
English Ambassador and excused his failure to accept the proposal of
conference of the neutral powers, on the ground that he did not think it
would be effective,

"because such a conference would in his opinion have the
appearance of an 'Areopagus' consisting of two powers of each
group sitting in judgment upon the two remaining powers."

After engaging in this pitiful and insincere quibble, and when reminded
of Servia's conciliatory reply, amounting to a virtual surrender,

"his Excellency said that he did not wish to discuss the
Servian note, but that Austria's standpoint, and in this he
agreed, was that her quarrel with Servia was a purely Austrian
concern, _with which Russia had nothing to do_."

[English "White Paper," No. 71.]

At this point the rules of the countries intervened in the dispute. The
Kaiser, having returned from Norway, telegraphed the Czar, under date of
July 28, that he was

"exerting all my influence to endeavor to make Austria-Hungary
come to an open and satisfying understanding with Russia,"

and invoked the Czar's aid.