"... The painful relations created by the measures of your Ministers cannot alter my affectionate interest and friendship for you. I regret having been obliged to indicate the measures which their course of action may eventually force me to adopt. You cannot doubt how pleased I should be to be able to avoid this, for it is not in such a light that I should care to see our traditionally amicable relations placed, cemented as they are by our brotherhood in arms; and I am certain that you yourself share my sentiments. I understand the desire of your Government to regulate by a special arrangement the relations which an extension of the stay of my army on the Danube will necessitate. But the peace is not yet finally concluded, and our conventions have therefore not ceased to hold good. You certainly understand, moreover, that it is impossible for me to allow the least uncertainty to hover over the communications and supplies of my troops. A friendly arrangement between our two Governments might easily regulate matters in view of the new situation, which would follow a definite peace. I am quite willing to lend myself to this measure, and I have therefore ordered a special official to proceed to Bucharest, who will be instructed to discuss the same with your Ministers. I shall be delighted to see an _entente_ established, and I believe that this will be more in the interests of Roumania than the existing tension of our relations. I hope that you will bring your support to bear upon the issue, and you may rest assured of mine.... "ALEXANDER." Prince Charles thus describes the situation in a letter to his father: "The East is confronted by a new crisis from which, thanks to its energetic attitude, my country will not emerge the loser. The Treaty of San Stefano is the work of Ignatieff.... I rejoice at the resolute attitude of England.... I asked several Russian Generals, who paid their respects to me to-day, what was the meaning of the movements of the troops in the country, and they told me that several Divisions were preparing to return to Russia: the army was longing for peace, and was thoroughly tired of the war."... Nevertheless, the disquiet caused by the movements of the Russian troops did not disappear, although they were declared to be only directed against Austria.