personal influence to prevail on Nicholas. This time he succeeded, and the two sovereigns signed a secret treaty of alliance, which contained four articles to the following effect :
- If any European state shall attack either
of the empires the allied party engages itself to aid with all its forces on land and sea.
- The contracting parties will not conclude a
separate peace.
- The present agreement comes in force at
the moment of conclusion of peace between Rus- sia and Japan, and may be denounced with one year's notice.
- When the treaty has come into force Rus-
sia will take the necessary steps to inform France and to propose to her to adhere to it as an ally.
On this occasion the Emperor was accompanied by Von Tschirsky, who soon after became German Foreign Minister and who countersigned the agreement. The Russian Foreign Minister was not present but Admiral Birileff, the Minister of the Navy, was called in to countersign the Czar's signature. After his return to St. Petersburg, the Czar allowed fifteen days to pass before informing Count Lamsdorff. When informed, the Czar's advisers took a very strong position against the agreement, with the result that notwithstanding
