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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



turies have held sway should be governed by 

 those who yesterday were obeying them, when 

 the latter are their inferiors in intelligence, is 

 clearly to seek to create in the Balkan peninsula 

 a state of things such as would disturb Europe 

 for another generation ; for the Bulgarian Mus- 

 sulmans, before quitting their country and yield- 

 ing up their lands and goods, will plunge into a 

 bloody contest, which has already begun and 

 which will still continue ; but which, were it sti- 

 fled, would spring up anew out of its ashes to dis- 

 turb Europe and Asia. 



The Christians, and notably the Greeks, will 

 fight in the ranks of the Mussulmans in order to 

 be delivered from the Bulgarian yoke, which 

 they detest ; moreover, Turks and Greeks will be 

 obliged henceforth to act in concert against Pan- 

 slavism. No ; it would be impossible, without 

 great danger to the peace of the world, to expel 

 a million Bulgarians from their country, on the 

 ground of their being Mussulmans, or to convert 

 the servants of yesterday into the masters of to- 

 day. 



If it be inferred from what I have said that 

 we desire no change to be made in the old state 

 of things, our answer will be that such is not at 

 all our view. We would only desire that regard 

 should be had at the same time for the condition 

 of the Christians and for that of the non-Chris- 

 tians, that the gradual transformation of the East 

 should be wrought out to the advantage of both, 

 and that the improvements with which it is 

 wished to endow one section of the population 

 should not constitute the unhappiness and the 

 misfortune of the other. This involves, as it 

 seems to me, a question of justice and fair deal- 

 ing from which there is no escape without incur- 

 ring the reproach of being behind the time and 

 the age. It would be truly lamentable for hu- 

 manity to witness in times of civilization the oc- 

 currence of events which barbarous ages would 

 repudiate. 



But what means can be found to escape these 

 difficulties ? 



I do not presume, as I have said before, to 

 have found one ; but it seems to me that a more 

 reasonable delimitation of Bulgaria might fairly 

 be regarded as doing justice, in reasonable meas- 

 ure, to all interests ; I am speaking, be it under- 

 stood, of those which touch the people, and I 

 care not to trouble myself with political inter- 

 ests which have their own champions and de- 

 fenders. 



A Bulgaria which, starting from the Danube 

 at the point where the passage of the Russian 



army was effected, and, extending to Sistova, 

 should follow the course of the Jantra, pass be- 

 tween Osman Bazar and Tirnova, cross the Bal- 

 kans between Gabrova and the Shipka Pass, and, 

 following the crests of the mountains, should 

 reach first Ihtiman, then Samakof and Kustendie, 

 and finally Lescovitza, and from this point should 

 extend to the Servian frontier, passing between 

 Urkul and Kourchounlou, would be such, I im- 

 agine, as to satisfy many an ambition. 



This huge province, inhabited by about two 

 millions of souls, would be bounded on the north 

 by the Danube, on the west by Servia, on the 

 south by the vilayet of Roumelia and a part of 

 the Balkans, and on the east by the Jantra. It 

 will comprise the following districts : 



Sistova, Nikopoli, Rahova, Lorn, Widin, Adlie, 

 Belgradjik, Berkovitza, Vratcha, Loftcha, Plevna, 

 Selvi, Tirnova, Gabrova, Ihtiman, Samakof, Isla- 

 di, Orkhanie, Sofia, Dubnitza, Radomir, Kusten- 

 die, Lescovitza, Nissa, Izneboe, and Pirot. 



In the twenty-six districts which I have just 

 enumerated the Christian Bulgarians are in a 

 great majority ; the proportion varies from sixty 

 to eighty per cent., according to the locality. The 

 reverse is the case in the districts situated beyond 

 the Jantra, such as Rustchuck, Rasgrad, Osman 

 Bazar, Choumla, Totrakan, Djouma, Silistria, and 

 the districts of Toulcha and Varna; there the 

 proportion is about eighty per cent., and may be 

 analyzed thus : seventy per cent, of Mussulmans, 

 and the remainder Greeks, Armenians, Germans, 

 Lipovans, Kozaks, Wallachs, Bulgarians, and 

 others. Several localities are, indeed, inhabited 

 exclusively by Mussulmans, as may be seen be- 

 tween Dely Orman and Silistria, from Guerlova to 

 Choumla, from Tozlouk to Osman Bazar, etc. 



Moreover, the formation of a Bulgaria thus 

 defined would powerfully contribute, if not to 

 satisfy all interests, at least to avoid fresh con- 

 flicts for a long while to come ; those Mussulmans 

 who might not wish to remain in the new princi- 

 pality would be able to exchange their properties 

 against those of such Christian Bulgarians as 

 might entertain the wish of settling there. A 

 mixed commission might be appointed to decide 

 these questions of local arrangement. 



The new Bulgaria would constitute a " self- 

 government " tributary to the Porte. The Gov- 

 ernment, while giving a formal undertaking not 

 to interfere with the internal administration of 

 this principality, would at the same time reserve 

 to itself the right of occupying the fortresses of 

 Widin and Nisch for the purpose of the external 

 defense of the country. 



