544 



MONTENEGRO. 



leges of natural right common to all as regards 

 their faith, their homes, and their lives? Will 

 not the line of the status quo which was pre- 

 viously fixed on the side of Podgoritza for the 

 surrender of Dulcigno receive, as it ought, the 

 adhesion of the powers?" On the iOth the 

 Porte was officially informed that the combined 

 fleet had assembled, and a letter from Admiral 

 Seymour was delivered to Riza Pasha, demand- 

 ing "a definite categorical reply" in regard to 

 the surrender of Dulcigno. The Sultan was 

 said to have declared on the same day that he 

 would not admit any cession of territory to 

 Montenegro, and, if the powers were deter- 

 mined it should be made, they must take the 

 territory themselves. A fresh communication 

 on the part of the powers informed the Porte 

 that, if Dulcigno and Magatosh were made over 

 to Montenegro within the next three or four 

 days, the demonstration would not take place. 

 The movement of the combined squadrons 

 against Dulcigno had been arranged to take 

 place in the last week of September. The 

 purpose was, by commanding the shore bat- 

 teries from the ships, to cover the Montene- 

 grin forces while they should advance to the 

 attack upon the town. On the 26th, however, 

 Admiral Seymour was informed by the Mon- 

 tenegrin Minister of War that Riza Pasha had 

 declared to Prince Nicholas that any attempt 

 to cross the Albanian frontier would be re- 

 garded by Turkey as a declaration of war, and 

 would be resisted by the whole strength of the 

 Ottoman force. In consequence of this decla- 

 ration, the Montenegrins hesitated to make the 

 attack, for they felt that they were unable to 

 cope with the -Albanians and the Ottoman reg- 

 ulars combined. The admirals accordingly 

 agreed to delay the attack while they awaited 

 new instructions from their several govern- 

 ments. On the 4th of October the Ottoman 

 Government presented a note to the powers, in 

 which it declared in regard to Montenegro it 

 would undertake to " cede Dulcigno and cause 

 it to be evacuated, while maintaining the line 

 of the status quo, as soon as the powers shall 

 have given the assurances it has demanded by 

 its last note, and which it now demands once 

 more. The imperial authorities will inform 

 the local population that they are free to re- 

 main in their homesteads, or to emigrate to 

 other parts of the empire. The imperial au- 

 thorities will give the said populations all the 

 advice and use the means of persuasion required 

 for that end. If these attempts should fail, the 

 troops and local authorities shall retire from 

 the frontier, and the Ottoman Government 

 shall not be held responsible for any complica- 

 tions that may arise on the spot from the fail- 

 ure of such attempt." These provisions it 

 would carry out only on condition that the 

 powers should forego the design of a naval 

 demonstration and all other means of pressure. 

 The effect of this note was to add strength and 

 persistency to the concert of the powers. A 

 plan was submitted by the British Government, 



and favorably received by the other govern- 

 ments, for suspending the direct proceedings 

 against Dulcigno and seizing several of the 

 chief ports of the ^Egean Sea. This plan 

 finally took the form of a determination to 

 seize the port of Smyrna and sequestrate its 

 revenues in case the Sultan's Government 

 should persist in trifling with the question of 

 the surrender. The harmonious and evident 

 resolution of the powers to act upon it brought 

 about the desired change in the mind and 

 bearing of the Turkish Government; and on 

 the 10th of October the ambassadors at Con- 

 stantinople were informed that it would direct 

 the immediate transfer of Dulcigno, and the 

 Sultan would issue an irade to that end. In 

 answer to a request for more definite explana- 

 tions of the intentions of the Porte, the Minis- 

 ter for Foreign Affairs informed the ambassa- 

 dors that the cession would comprise both the 

 town and district of Dulcigno, and that in- 

 structions had been given to arrange the most 

 satisfactory way of making it over to the prin- 

 cipality. Delay still ensued while the Turkish 

 and Montenegrin Governments could come to 

 an agreement relative to the terms of the trans- 

 fer, keeping alive the suspicion that Turkey 

 was only trying to gain time. The Ottoman 

 Government proposed a convention on the fol- 

 lowing terms: 1. The property and liberty of 

 the Mussulman inhabitants of the ceded district 

 to be guaranteed; 2. The maintenance of the 

 status quo to the east of Lake Scutari; 3. 

 Montenegro to assume a portion of the Turkish 

 debt corresponding to the importance of the 

 ceded district, and an arrangement to be made 

 respecting the vacoufs ; 4. Liberty of emigra- 

 tion for the inhabitants of Dulcigno; 5. Main- 

 tenance of the Ottoman flag on the trading- 

 vessels belonging to the inhabitants of Dulcig- 

 no ; 6. The property of the Ottoman Govern- 

 ment to be guaranteed ; 7. Maintenance of the 

 Turkish laws. The Montenegrins objected to 

 the second and fifth of these stipulations. New 

 conditions were offered, and the question was 

 finally referred to the commanders of troops. 

 The surrender was persistently opposed by the 

 Albanians. Riza Pasha summoned the chiefs 

 of the Albanian League to Scutari, where he 

 explained to them the absolute necessity of 

 making the surrender, and stated that, if they 

 refused to consent to it, they would probably 

 be the means of inflicting serious injury upon 

 Turkey. The chiefs still refused to give their 

 consent. A messenger, who was dispatched 

 by Riza Pasha with a proclamation addressed 

 to the inhabitants of Dulcigno in reference to 

 the surrender of the place, was murdered. 

 Dervish Pasha was appointed governor of Al- 

 bania late in October, and was charged with 

 the duty of effecting the surrender. He ar- 

 rived near Dulcigno, October 30th, with eigh- 

 teen battalions. A body of regular Turkish 

 troops marching from Scutari upon Dulcigno 

 was stopped by Albanians, November 3d, and 

 compelled to retire. Dervish Pasha sought to 



