The Ambassadors went to the Austrian embassy to talk the matter over and decide what course they should pursue. They had hardly reached the place before the Pasha appeared. He said that the Sultan, his master, had detained him and the military commission, discussing the situation, and added that the Sultan had decided to appoint two of the military delegates to discuss the peace negotiations in his (Tewfik's) place.
Believing this to be but an excuse for further delay, the Ambassadors one and all refused to have any dealings with any one but Tewfik Pasha.
The Turkish Minister then withdrew, to acquaint His Majesty with the decision of the Ambassadors—and so the matter stands for the present.
No one knows what the Sultan's next move will be.
England does not believe that he really intends to give up Thessaly, but the other Powers think that he will do so as soon as he is absolutely sure that a refusal will mean war.
The most interesting news in regard to Cuba this week is the renewal of the report that Spain and Japan have entered into an alliance against the United States.
A correspondent at Paris, France, telegraphs that the understanding between the two countries is to the effect that should the United States take any active measures to secure the freedom of Cuba, or persist in the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, Spain and Japan shall declare war on her at the same moment. The plan is that Spain shall send vessels to attack our Atlantic seaboard, and Japan shall simultaneously make war on the Pacific coast.
Inquiries at the Japanese embassy only elicited a denial of the report. The Japanese insist that it is absurd to think of an alliance between Japan and Spain, because there is an unfriendly feeling between the two countries on account of the war in the Philippine Islands. Spain, as you may remember, accused Japan of assisting the rebels in Manila with the hope of securing the Philippines for herself.
Inquiries were also made of the Secretary of State, but the department denied the truth of the rumors as firmly as the Japanese had done.