AUSTRIA'S PROPOSALS TO GERMANY

PLEAS FOR PEACE AN AMBASSADORIAL VISIT The Copenhagen correspondent of the "Daily Mail" recently sent to his paper a long message purporting to give in detail "from a most trustworthy and well-,iiiformed source in Berlin," an account of tho proposals <made by Baron Burian, the new Austro-Hungarian. Foreign Minister, on his recent- visit to the German Imperial Chancellor and the Kaiser. The "Daily Mail's" correspondent says: Baron Burian, whose sole object is to save what can be saved" of the Dual Monarchy, represented to the Germans that the situation iii Austria is precarious, and that if tho Russian advance on Budapest is not stopped the effect may very probably be the downfall of Austria, aud more particularly the complete collapse of Hungary, which must later entail as its logical sequence also the downfall of' Germany. Therefore, Baron Burian urged, the Russians must at all cost be repulsed, and Germany must send large reinforcements to Hungary to prevent a catastrophe. In any case, he said, it was doubtful .if it would be possible for them to resist the Russians and the Serbians, and perhaps also the Rumanians, and therefore it was necessary seriously to examine the question of peace. Debacle for Austria. A definite defeat would mean a debacle for Austria-Hungary and would mean the partition of the Empire. His advice to Germany was to consider most seriously the possibilities of a tolerable peace. He would not conceal the fact that no doubt a condition sine qua non of the Allies would be a partial disarmament of Europe, which would, of course, include Germany, because a peace that was nothing but a truce for a term of years would not be acceptablo to the Allies, however ardently they might wish for peace. He advised Germany not to reject fundamentally the thought of peace on the grounds of the probable disarmament of Europe. If Germany were disused to treat on such terms, he believed that the other conditions would bo tolerable. Perhaps it would be necessary to leave the French part of Alsace to France and give up some Polish provinces to a new Poland, but if Russia would relinquish a Russian provice and Austria a part of Galicia to Poland, no real sacrifice for Germany would be entailed. Austria would then leave the rest of Galicia to Russia and the Bukovina. to Rumania, and, if necessary, a part of Bosnia-Herzegovina to Serbia and Montenegro. "A Ruinous Pcaoe," "Tho leading German Statesmen," the message continues,- "admitted that Baron Burian's intentions were "excellent," but "declared that such a peace would bo more ruinous for Germany than total defeat." The message continues: "The disarmament of Europe, they contended, would only mean that the armies were disarmed, but that tho British Navy would be able for all time to rule the seas. As a consequence Great Britain would then be able to tyrannise the whole world, and Germany wculd have lost all chance of safeguarding her commercial, industrial, and economic interests." Tho other terms suggested by Baron Rurian, says the message, "were, with tho exception of the relinquishment ol France of French Alsace and of the Polish provinces to Poland, no absolute hindrance to pence." For these reasons the German statesmen declared that negotiations for peace are hopeless, and that, therefore, it would be madness to take any step revealing a disposition for pence <m the part of Germany and Austria-Hungary, as this would only ' weaken their case. Baron liurian is reported to have thereupon admitted "that there was no other way than to continue the war" in the hope that something undreamt of might occur to save them. The Germans agreed that it was necessary to dispatch reinforcements to Hungary, and promised to transfer troops up to the number of one million to Hungary by the spring. One and a half million soldiers would lie sent to France as a last attempt to crush tho Allies ami to force peace.

Under an Act of King Charles 11, F.nniblers lobiim tnoro than £100 at one j,iw« were not compelled to paj.