“All sorts of misleading fabrications have lately been issued to the world by the Austrian Press for the purpose of compromising the political situation in Servia, the latest report being that of an alleged plot to exile the Karageorgevitch dynasty. Gradually and systematically the Viennese newspapers have been communicating to the foreign Press alarming news, injurious to Servia’s good name, and certain quarters in Vienna consider it necessary to reserve the fabrication regarding the exile of the Karageorgevitch dynasty as the final stroke on the eve of the conclusion of the Servian loan. The Austrian Press has even gone so far as to make use of prevarications in order to succeed in giving credence to its report regarding the exile of the royal dynasty, alleging they had obtained news from the Russian Agency created at Odessa by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs for special political service in the Balkans. According to our information, _such an agency does not even exist_.” Again, an ingenious gentleman representing the Vienna _Zeit_, who lives opposite Belgrade, at Semlin, in Hungary, and fears to cross into Servia, sent the other day, not only to the _Zeit_ but to the _Daily Mail_, an extraordinary telegram declaring the Servian Crown Prince to be slightly demented, and casting all sorts of insinuations as to what was happening in the palace. I chanced to be in Belgrade at the time, and showed the Crown Prince the ridiculous concoction, and we both laughed over it. “Bah!” he said, “it is really too silly to require contradiction.” The true fact is that the young Crown Prince, who gave me the signed portrait that appears in these pages, is a particularly smart young man, and not only do his tutors, but also the Cabinet Ministers of Servia, speak in the highest terms of his tact and intelligence. But to Austria no method is too mean or too unscrupulous by which to circulate false news to the detriment of Servia. Ask any Servian, and he will tell you of Austria’s machinations in every quarter. Quite recently a Servian author wrote some libellous and untrue articles regarding the present dynasty, and was consequently arrested and condemned to imprisonment. Whereupon the Austrian Minister in Belgrade, without asking permission of the Minister of Justice, went to the prison and prevailed upon the Governor to be allowed to see the prisoner privately. Such action surely speaks louder than words! The Austrian attitude was well exhibited on the occasion of the accession of King Peter. His Majesty received two telegrams. The first was from the Tzar, who said, “I hope you may be able to bring happiness to the Servian people, and by doing so you will receive my friendship.” The other was from the Emperor Francis Josef, and was certainly in the spirit of dividing King and people, for His Majesty merely expressed a hope that the evils existing would be remedied.