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gares qui, poursuivies par les troupes Impériales, ont dû retourner en Bulgarie, se prépareraient à franchir de nouveau la ligne de démarcation. || Le brigand Dontcho et ses acolytes qui, à leur retour de Kustendil, avaient été arrêtés par les autorités locales, viennent d'être remis en liberté. || D'autre part, le Lieutenant Bulgare Kurdoyef, préposé au poste de Tschernaeskala, sur la ligne de démarcation, accorde toute sorte de facilités aux brigands tant lors de leur passage dans les provinces limitrophes Ottomanes qu'à leur retour en Bulgarie. Il a même retenu les armes du dit Dontcho et de ses acolytes, pour les leur remettre au cas où ils feraient une nouvelle irruption, dans les vilayets de l'Empire. || Hamid Bey vient en conséquence prier sa Seigneurie le Marquis de Lansdowne de vouloir bien user de sa puissante influence auprès du Gouvernement Princier pour l'engager à sévir contre les brigands qui sont entrés dans la Principauté afin de les mettre dans l'impossibilité de renouveler leurs exploits.

Ambassade Impériale de Turquie, Londres, le 14 Novembre, 1902.

Nr. 12851. BULGARIEN.

Erklärung des Ministers des Ausw. in der Sobranje über die mazedonischen Unruhen.

It is true that the situation in Macedonia is difficult. The extent of the rising, however, is exaggerated. The population in general has not risen. The Bulgarian Government has done, and is still doing, its duty. All the European Powers appreciate the loyal attitude maintained by the Bulgarian Government in the Macedonian business. With a view to our own national interests, as well as to the interests of the population beyond the Rilo Mountains, the Bulgarian Government puts forth all its strength for the purpose of hindering the passage of bands into Macedonia. You know how difficult this is. The frontiers of that region are very exstensive, and it is consequently very difficult to guard them, especially against the passage of single individuals. At any rate, we are doing our best to guard the frontier well. If the Bulgarian Government did not take these measures to watch its frontiers, the European Powers would certainly assume that we are equipping the bands here and sending them across the frontier to foment and encourage insurrection, which is not true. In reality, the European Powers appreciate, with good reason, our loyal attitude, our efforts with regard to events in Macedonia; and all of them, with one exception, having convinced themselves that the rising in Macedonia is in consequence of the desperation to which the population is reduced by the administration of that province, are

interesting themselves in the matter, and endeavouring, by pressing demands for the indroduction of reforms, to obtain a settlement of this question.

Nr. 12852. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Gesandte in Sofia an den

Minister des Ausw. Berichtet eine Rede des bulgarischen Ministers des Ausw. über mazedonische Reformen.

Sophia, November 22, 1902. (November 27.)

My Lord, || I have the honour to report that, in closing the debate on the address, M. Daneff, the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, made a speech containing passages relating to the Macedonian question, of which the following is a summary: - The Macedonian question", he said, interests us in two aways: firstly, from the purely national point of view, and secondly, from the influence it exerts upon our internal and external policy. The second point especially gives us cause for reflection. A great emigration forces its way into the country, seeking shelter and means of livelihood; the relations and friends of the emigrants remain behind in Macedonia maintaining a lively interest in them; we are thereby infected, and our policy is influenced. This emigration must be stopped, and this can only be done by the romoval of the causes of it; if, therefore, we take steps to obtain the execution of the Treaty of Berlin, we do so in order to obtain relief for ourselves. from an uncomfortable position. This is the object which the Bulgarian Government must pursue. It must be declared urbi et orbi that the Bulgarian Government desires reforms in Macedonia in order to put an end at once to the want of confidence of other Governments, and to their error in supposing the Bulgarians to be a barbarous and unruly element. A similar result was aimed at by the visit of His Majesty the King of Roumania. The Government has nothing in common with the Committees. The bands commit a crime against international relations. No one is in a position absolutely to close the frontier. The Government itself can do nothing; the granting of reforms does not rest with it, but it goes on working and making demands. In order that Bulgarians and Macedonians may live quietly in peace, the Government will demand reforms once, twice, and even three times; if no reforms follow, then happen what God will!"

F. Elliot.

Nr. 12853. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Botschafter in Paris an den Minister des Ausw. Die französische Regierung

befürchtet für den Frühling große Unruhen in Mazedonien.

Paris, December 3, 1902. (December 4.)

My Lord M. Delcassé said to me this afternoon that although he believed that certain French papers had much exaggerated the amount of the fighting in Macedonia, which had really consisted of nothing but skirmishes, he found that there was a general apprehension, of no uncertain character, as to the prospect of serious disturbances in the spring. All the French Agents in South-Eastern Europe had reported in this sense; and he found that at the various great capitals the same impression prevailed. || I observed that I regretted to have to say that from every quarter I had heard the same story. One could only hope that, as every one appeared to be prepared for the worst, there would be a unanimity in taking such preliminary precautions as were possible for confining within the smallest possible circle the outburst of the dreaded disturbance. Edmund Monson.

Nr. 12854. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

My Lord,

Der Botschafter in Konstantinopel an den Minister des Ausw. Vorstellungen des russischen Botschafters an die Pforte. Reformplan der Pforte.

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Constantinople, December 1, 1902. (December 8.)

I learnt this morning from the Minister for Foreign Affairs that at a recent audience with the Sultan the Russian Ambassador alluded to the Macedonian question, and that his language was to the following effect: M. Zinovieff began by calling His Imperial Majesty's attention to the disorder prevailing in Albania, and dwelt on the necessity of taking measures to put an end to a condition of affairs which threatened the peace of the province. The situation in Macedonia also was most unsatisfactory; revolutionary bands roaming about the country harassed the inhabitants, and kept them in such a state of unrest that unless the Imperial Government removed the grounds of discontent and complaint, it was to be feared that this undesirable condition would be indefinitely prolonged. It was, therefore, of imperative necessity that the general administration in these provinces should be improved, that the gendarmerie, troops, and civil servants should be regularly paid, and that various reforms should be introduced, and among such ameliorations he

thought that the representation in the gendarmerie of the Christian element should be included. || M. Zinovieff went on to say that if measures to redress the legitimate grievances of the popolation were not now taken, the insurrectionary movement would certainly break out again in the spring with renewed force, and a situation would be created that would call for the interference of foreign Powers, and might possibly lead to an international Conference. Such a result, his Excellency said, would be to the interests neither of Turkey nor of Russia, and to assist His Imperial Majesty to avert such an eventuality he offered to prepare, in concert with the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador, and submit to the Sultan a paper which, without pretending to make any definite proposals, might serve as an aide-mémoire of the measures which the present situation appeared to demand. The Ambassador observed, however, that, even if the abuses in the administration were formed, he could not guarantee that the agitation and revolutionary bands would disappear from Macedonia; but at any rate, the removal of the grounds of legitimate complaint would diminish their raison d'être, and they would no longer receive the support and encouragement of the population, while the Imperial Government would be able to take measures for the preservation of public order and general tranquillity in this part of His Majesty's dominions. || In reply, the Sultan said that it was unnecessary for his Excellency to go to the trouble of drawing up the Memorandum suggested, as there was already under consideration a scheme of administrative improvement which he felt sure would meet the political and economical requirements of the situation, and His Majesty's Ministers would be at once instructed to elaborate the projected reforms. || The Russian Ambassador's language seems to me particularly satisfactory, as giving evidence of a desire on the part of his Government to consult and act in concert with Austria in the Macedonian question, as stipulated in the Agreement made between the two Powers in 1897.

Just at present, owing to the difficulty of carrying on operations in the mountains during the winter, the condition of the Balkan Peninsula is relatively peaceful; but the Revolutionary Committees are active in organizing the inhabitants and urging them to join in the nationalist and anti-Turkish movement, and arms are being collected and imported for use whenever the opportune moment arrives. These and other indications point unmistakably to a more serious revolutionary outbreak in the spring, and it is highly desirable that all the Great Powers and particularly the two which are more directly concerned by their geographical position and political interests should urge on the Sultan

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the pressing necessity for removing the main grounds of the inhabitants' discontent by the introduction of real and important reforms into the general administration. || That His Imperial Majesty realizes the danger of allowing the present state of things to continue appears evident from the fact that Tewfik Pasha informed me to-day, when I questioned him on the subject, that already the scheme of which His Imperial Majesty spoke to M. Zinovieff had actually taken shape. It was discussed on the 27th, at a meeting of high officials which lasted late into the night, and the proposals then elaborated have been submitted to, and approved by, the Council of Ministers. A Commission, under the presidency of Ferid Pasha (an able and respectable official, and lately Vali of Koniah), is to sit permanently at the Porte throughout the winter to supervise the carrying out of the reforms; and two Inspectors one of whom will be Hussein Hilmi Pasha, ex-Governor of Yemen, while the other is to be selected from the members of the Military Commission of Yildiz will be sent to Macedonia, and will furnish Reports to the Commission in Constantinople. The chances of satisfactory results following on the labours of this Commission, supported as it will be by the pressure of the Powers, must be estimated rather by the Sultan's apprehension of the danger of allowing the existing state of affairs to continue in the Balkans than by the success which has attended previous similar Commissions. His Imperial Majesty is no doubt aware that a general insurrection so close to his capital would imperil not only his European territory, but even his personal security, and that in certain given eventualities Bulgaria will be behind the Macedonian revolutionists. There is in this a certain assurance that reforms of some value will be proposed and introduced, which will tend to stay the revolutionary moveat all events for a time. N. R. O'Conor.

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Article 1er. Les Valis devront veiller à l'application de toutes les mesures propres à assurer le progrès des travaux publics, du commerce, de l'agriculture, et des institutions industrielles, ainsi que le développement de l'instruction publique. Des postes de Directeur des Travaux Publics seront nouvelle

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