Slike strani
PDF
ePub

WALVARE

JAN 201

Die mazedonische Frage.

1901-1903*).

Nr. 12764. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Minister des Ausw. an

den Gesandten in Konstantinopel. Griechenland

lenkt die Aufmerksamkeit der Mächte auf die Gewalttaten der Bulgaren in Mazedonien.

Foreign Office, December 31, 1900.

Sir, The Greek Chargé d'Affaires stated to Mr. Villiers on the 21st instant that his Government desired to call the very serious attention of the Great Powers to the state of affairs existing in Macedonia. || The Greeks in that province were suffering severely at the hands of the Bulgarians. Frequent outrages and crimes of violence occurred; recently, for instance, a murderous attack had been made on a Greek doctor. It was not only the duty, but the interest, of the Porte to repress these disorders and to establish proper government. || I have informed M. Métaxas that I will make his communication known to Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople.

Lansdowne.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

den Minister des Ausw. Maßregeln der bulgarischen Regierung gegen die Aufständischen.

Sophia, January 22, 1901. (January 28.**) My Lord, || During an interview with General Petroff, I took the opportunity of inquiring what measures were being adopted with regard to the Macedonian Committee. || General Petroff informed me, in reply, that he had lately repeated his orders to the provincial authorities, who had received instructions to arrest and prosecute any individual against whom complaints of extortion had been brought. Several fresh cases had,

*) Blaubücher Cd. 1403. 1467. 1532. Red.

**) Die eingeklammerten Daten geben das Datum des Empfanges an. Red. Staatsarchiv LXVIII.

1

[ocr errors]

in fact, occurred, but the severity of the measures employed was producing its effect, and he inquired whether any case of blackmail had been brought to my notice during the last fortnight a query which I answered in the negative || General Petroff went on to say that, if necessary, he would find means of suppressing the Committees entirely, and in any case he was determined to render them innocuous. He had already arrested and sent into the interior of the country a number of undesirable Macedonians who had assembled in the capital, and he would take measures to have the remainder dispersed. At the same time the General informed me that he could exercise no control over the Central Revolutionary Committee in Macedonia itself, as it was an organization entirely independent of the Committee in Bulgaria, and was, moreover, well supplied with arms. The Turkish Government was acquainted with its proceedings. I told General Petroff that I was glad to hear of his determination not to tolerate the excesses of the Macedonian Committee, and that a firm attitude on his part could not fail to have a salutary effect on the Revolutionary Society in Macedonia. James McGregor.

Nr. 12766. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Der Minister des Ausw. an die Geschäftsträger in Konstantinopel und Sofia. Schritte der französischen Regierung in Sofia.

Foreign Office, January 29, 1901.

Sir, The French Ambassador stated on the 21st instant that the Greek Government had called the attention of the French Government to the danger arising out of the proceedings of the Bulgarian Committee in Macedonia, and to the importance of measures being taken to repress the outrages which were being committed by agents of the Committee. M. Cambon said that instructions had been sent to the French Ambassador at Constantinople to call the attention of the Porte to the matter, and to urge that steps should be taken to secure a better state of public order, and that the French Representative at Sophia had also been instructed to represent to the Bulgarian Government the expediency of using any influence they possessed to discourage and check these lawless acts. His Excellency asked if His Majesty's Government had received a similar communication from the Greek Government, and whether they had taken any action in regard to it. You will find a record of the communication in my despatch to Sir E. Egerton of the 31st ultimo. || It would be advisable that you should take an opportunity of speaking to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in the same sense colleague.

as your French

Lansdowne.

Nr. 12767. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Bericht des Konsuls in Usküb über die Unruhen in Ischtib.

Uskub, January 20, 1901.

(Extract.) || I have the honour to submit the following report with reference to the recent disturbance at Ishtib. || On the 1st of this month a telegram was received by the Governor-General from Ishtib stating that in an attempt to arrest certain Bulgarians believed to be agents of the Macedonian Committee, bombs were thrown and shots fired from a house killing a Captain and two gendarmes and wounding several others. The Vali thereupon hastened to the telegraph office, where he remained the greater part of the night, telegraphing three times to the Palace for permission to proceed in person to Ishtib. || In reply to his third telegram the Vali received word that an Imperial Iradé had been issued instructing him to at once repair to Ishtib, and do what was necessary there. || The following morning the Governor-General, accompanied by the Colonel of Gendarmerie, the Chief of Police, a Juge d'Instruction, and some thirty gendarmes, left by train for Ishtib, leaving the Commandant, Moustafa Nouri Pasha, to replace him during his absence. || Upon arriving at Ishtib the Vali drew a cordon of troops and zaptiehs around the Bulgarian quarter, and instituted a house-to-house search for arms and incriminating papers. In one house where there were known to be a large quantity of cartridges and other explosives, four resolute Bulgarians had barricaded themselves, refusing to surrender at the authorities' summons. The house was consequently blockaded by a cordon of gendarmes and set on fire. | Two of the Bulgarians perished in the flames, the other two escaped by breaking through the cordon, and one gendarme was killed. The cartridges and other weapons were destroyed by the fire. || On the 3rd January a battalion of troops was ordered from Sienitza to Ishtib, although there was already a large force of cavalry and artillery in the latter town. The search for revolutionaries, arms, and papers continued, resulting finally in the arrest of some fifteen Bulgarians (since sent to Uskub), the discovery of five or six rifles and revolvers and a few papers of little relative value. The report set on foot by officials at Uskub that large supplies of arms of the latest system had been unearthed at Ishtib proved entirely unfounded. || A brush between zaptiehs and Bulgarians was said to have taken place at Malesh, but no arms or papers, I understand, were discovered there. Shortly before the disturbance at Ishtib, some twenty Bulgarians had been arrested at Kumanova under charge of having received a consignment of arms from the former town.

Later the number of arrests was increased to about fifty, but, so far, no arms would appear to have been discovered in Bulgarian possession at Kumanova. The Vali returned with his suite to Uskub on the 12 th instant.

Nr. 12768. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Der Botschafter in Konstantinopel an den Minister des Ausw. - Unterredung mit dem türkischen Minister des Aus w. über Mazedonien.

Constantinople, February 19, 1901. (February 25.) My Lord, || In accordance with the instructions contained in your Lordship's despatch of the 29 th ultimo, I took an opportunity yesterday of an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs to draw his Excellency's attention to the reports which were received from various quarters respecting the outrages committed and general condition of insecurity in Macedonia. || Tewfik Pasha replied that this state of affairs was mainly caused by armed bands of Bulgarians crossing the frontier, and by the activity of the Bulgarian Committees throughout the provinces. He had recently caused representations to be made at Sophia, but he had received an evasive reply. The Ottoman Government were most anxious to maintain order and to prevent excesses of any sort, and if disturbances occurred, he quite agreed that the mode of suppression should be both humane and legal. || I had previously arranged with M. Bapst, the French Chargé d'Affaires, to speak to Tewfik Pasha in much the same sense as he had already done, and I understand that my German and Austrian colleagues have used similar language, and I believe also the Italian Ambassador. I hear that the Ottoman Government is rather uneasy lest the insurrectionary Bulgarian Committees succeed in provoking serious disturbances; but I do not think that there is more ground for this anxiety than is usual at this time of year. N. R. O'conor.

Nr. 12769. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Botschafter in Petersburg an den Minister des Ausw. Schritte Rußlands in Sofia gegen die mazedonischen Komitees. St. Petersburgh, February 21, 1901. (February 25.) (Extract.) || Talking of the state of affairs in the Balkan States yesterday, Count Lamsdorff said that the press had somewhat exaggerated the real facts as to the action taken by Russia, with a view to neutralizing

the dangerous activity of the Macedonian Committee. || He had, he said, never ceased to urge on the Bulgarian Government advice in this sense, and his representations had, he was happy to believe, greatly strengthened the hands of the Prince of Bulgaria, whose position was a difficult one, but who seemed to have now realized the true character of the Secret Committee, which had lost all claim to be regarded as patriotic, and had degenerated into anarchical propaganda, whose chief aim was to extort money by intimidation. || As regarded the press report of strong representations made by the Russian Government on the same subject at Constantinople, his Excellency knew nothing, but he had certainly discussed the whole question of the Macedonian agitation very thoroughly with M. Zinovieff during the last visit of the latter to Russia, and M. Zinovieff was thoroughly conversant with his views on the subject. || Count Lamsdorff did not seem apprehensive of any serious trouble in that part of the world at present.

Nr. 12770. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Botschafter in Wien an den Minister des Ausw. Graf Goluchowski fürchtet keine ernstlichen Unruhen.

Vienna, February 23, 1901. (February 25.) (Extract.) | From a short conversation I had with Count Goluchowski on the 19th instant, I gathered that his Excellency considers there is very little real danger of serious trouble breaking out in the Balkans at present. || His Excellency evidently believed that the warnings given both at Sophia and Constantinople would be listened to, and he considered that the action apparently lately taken by Russia would check any further developments, at all events for the present, of the Macedonian Committee intrigues.

Nr. 12771. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Gesandte in Sofia an den Minister des Ausw. Unterredung mit dem bulgarischen Minister des Ausw. über die mazedonischen Komitees. Note Bulgariens an die Türkei über Mazedonien. (18. Februar.)

Sophia, February 27, 1901. (March 4.)

(Extract.) || With reference to my despatch of the 21st instant, I have the honour to report that on the 25th instant I saw General Petroff,

« PrejšnjaNaprej »