TURKEY. 



689 



sent to the cession to Montenegro, but disa- 

 vowing all complications that might arise from 

 the failure of the attempt; declaring it impos- 

 sible to give to Greece the territory designated 

 by the conference, and suggesting an other boun- 

 dary which it would establish within a hun- 

 dred days; promising certain reforms in dis- 

 tricts inhabited by Armenians, which should be 

 made effective within three months ; demand- 

 ing that all means of pressure " be both now 

 and for the future absolutely and finally re- 

 nounced," and claiming the rights reverting to 

 it under the Treaty of Berlin in relation to the 

 demolition of the Danubian fortresses and the 

 occupation of the Balkans by Ottoman troops. 

 The powers presented their ultimatum on the 

 next day, and on the llth the Porte made a 

 positive agreement to deliver Dulcigno to Mon- 

 tenegro. The fleets of the powers separated 

 after the surrender was effected, November 

 26th. The debates respecting the territory 

 to be ceded to Greece were protracted into 

 1881. 



The Porte, at the beginning of July, had pre- 

 pared a scheme for the government of Armenia, 

 the principal points of which were a Christian 

 governor ; the division of the provinces into 

 small districts, the governors of which should 

 be Christian or Moslem according to the faith 

 of the majority of the population ; the gov- 

 ernor to be assisted by two Moslems if a 

 Christian, by two Christians if a Mussulman ; 

 stringent courts of law for the several districts, 

 and a police force in each district, to consist of 

 six men, four of whom should be Christians if 

 a majority of the population were Christian 

 four Moslem if the majority were Mussul- 

 mans. 



The Governor of Beyrout came to Constan- 

 tinople at about tfre same time with a scheme 

 of reforms proposed for Asia Minor by Midhat 

 Pasha, asking that the latter should be given 

 the same power over the army that he had 

 when Governor of Bagdad and Bulgaria, when 

 he had entire command ; that he have the sole 

 right to appoint the caimalcans and mutasa- 

 riejfs to superintend the law courts, to suspend 

 the judges, and stop the execution of judg- 

 ments; that the gendarmerie be put at his 

 service exclusively ; that he be authorized to 

 raise the salaries of the public officers, to the 

 old rates, and to guarantee their payment on 

 certain revenues ; that he be allowed to col- 

 lect the tithes and other taxes in any way he 

 might think best, and through officers of his 

 own choice; that he might divide Syria for 

 purposes of government as he should think 

 best; that he should be permitted to control 

 municipal matters through his agents, and the 

 functions of the municipal councils be limited 

 to a consultative voice ; and that he be au- 

 thorized to suppress the allowance of fifty 

 thousand pounds from Syria for the annual 

 expenses on account of the pilgrimages to 

 Mecca. 



A collective note on the Armenian question 

 VOL. xx. 44 A 



was presented by Mr. Goschen in September. 

 It refuted the statement of Abeddin Pasha that 

 the Government had already begun the work 

 of reform, and, after criticising the projected 

 reforms, declared that they were inadequate 

 to the object in view, and that a much greater 

 development of the principles of decentraliza- 

 tion and religious equality, the organization of 

 a better police force, more energetic protection 

 against the Kurds, and more definite provisions 

 concerning the functions of governors-general 

 could alone satisfy the rights and expectations 

 created by the sixty-first article of the Treaty 

 of Berlin. 



The British vice-consul at Van in December 

 reported that the working of the new arron- 

 dissements created in Armenia had greatly 

 disappointed the Armenians, inasmuch as the 

 districts were divided in such a manner as to 

 give the Mussulmans a majority. He added, in 

 his report, that European supervision was an 

 indispensable condition for carrying out the 

 desired reforms. 



The International Commission for Reform 

 in the European provinces completed its work, 

 and signed the organic law for those provinces, 

 August 24th. It was considered a very com- 

 plete code, containing, it was said, everything 

 essential for good government. It is modeled 

 upon the organic law of Crete, defines the 

 attributes of the Wali, principal officers, and 

 general council, makes provision for the ap- 

 pointment in each province of a director of 

 education and agriculture, stipulates for the 

 assignment of a portion of the surplus revenue 

 to public works, and gives the councils power 

 to raise taxes for expenditure upon local ob- 

 jects. 



Reports were published in August of a con- 

 dition of general uneasiness among the Mo- 

 hammedan people. A movement was believed 

 to be on foot to excite discontent among 

 the Indian Mohammedans, which was to be 

 aroused by publications showing that the Brit- 

 ish Government was pursuing an unfriendly 

 policy toward the Sultan, the representative 

 of the Caliphs. Great agitation at Damascus 

 and Diarbekir, which had the appearance of 

 being of a political character and not a mere 

 outbreak of fanaticism, excited the anxiety of 

 the Porte. The Sultan was represented as be- 

 ing unpopular with his people, in consequence 

 of the ills which had befallen Turkey ever 

 since his accession to the throne. A prince, 

 who conveyed an order to the Bey of Tunis, 

 was said to have instruction to confer with 

 prominent Arabs in Algeria in the interest of 

 his sovereign. The Sultan, however, denied 

 that any pamphlets had been sent to India, 

 with his knowledge, with the object of stirring 

 up the Mohammedan population against Eng- 

 land. 



Suffering from scarcity of food prevailed in 

 many parts of the empire from the beginning 

 of the year. Apprehensions that a famine 

 would be general on the eastern frontier, which 



