ADRIANOPLE has at last
fallen, and the victorious Bulgarians have made their triumphant
entry into the city. Whether its fall will hasten or delay the
negotiations for peace remains to be seen. That peace is within
sight Sir Edward Grey assured the House of Commons on Tuesday, as
also that the Powers are all agreed that there shall be no more
fighting, and that the siege of Scutari must be raised. The Foreign
Secretary also stated that the Powers had given warning to the
Allies in the sense that, if they made further demands respecting
Constantinople or Asia Minor, they would involve one or more of the
Powers in the dispute as interested parties, with consequences that
the Allies would find by no means to their liking. If, as Sir
Edward Grey assures us, the Powers are absolutely united in their
insistence on peace, it can scarcely be doubted that the Allies
will, though not without reluctance, agree to the terms which they
propose. Our own regret is that those terms leave Turkey with a
foothold in Europe. True, she is left with a bare minimum of
territory, just enough to give her the right to retain
Constantinople. But we would hope that, in the not distant future,
she will perceive that it is in her interest to be content with
being merely an Asiatic Power.