GREECE AND THE BALKAN STATES 1027 



In Thessaly, where a system of land tenure based on Turkish feudal institutions had 

 not yet disappeared, a serious agitation broke out among the peasant cultivators in 

 March 1910; the troops were called out and bloodshed took place at Larissa 

 Thessajy." an< ^ Karditza. After the annexation of the province to Greece in 1881 

 many of the Turkish proprietors, who as a rule were easy-going and indulgent 

 to their serfs, had parted with their estates, which the new landlords, for the most part 

 wealthy speculators, endeavoured to administer on business principles. After the 

 outbreak of the military revolution at Athens the cause of the Thessalian peasants was 

 taken up by political agitators, who, with the support of the League, introduced a meas- 

 ure into the Greek Chamber for the compulsory expropriation of the landlords. This 

 led to the despatch of a sharply worded Turkish Note reminding the Greek Government 

 that the rights of the Moslem proprietors were safe-guarded by the Convention of Con- 

 stantinople of July 2, 1881. The proposed measure was resisted by M. Dragoumis, 

 and satisfactory assurances were tendered to Turkey. 



The relations between Bulgaria and Turkey had once more become strained owing 

 to the severities practised by the Young Turks in Madeconia, and on January 2, 1910, 

 Bi/fe-arfa- a S rea t meeting of protest was held at Sofia. On January 6th Dr. Daneff, 

 relations ex-prime minister, was sent to Constantinople with the object of bringing 

 5^ rt * about an understanding, and his mission resulted in a temporary mitigation 



y ' of the repressive measures carried out by the Turkish authorities. On 



March 2ist King Ferdinand and Queen Eleonore, who had already paid a visit to St. 

 Petersburg (Feb. 23rd), arrived at Constantinople accompanied by the Prime Minister 

 and two other members of the Cabinet, and were cordially welcomed by the Sultan, 

 who gave a banquet in their honour. The Greeks of Constantinople, however, showed 

 ill humour at the visit, and its political effects were marred by the refusal of the Turkish 

 Government to allow the King and Queen to return to Sofia via Mount Athos and Salon- 

 ika. On June i2th Prince Yusuf Izz-ed-Din, the Turkish heir-apparent, who had 

 previously visited Belgrade, arrived at Sofia, where he spent some days. Some con- 

 ferences took place between Rifaat Pasha, who accompanied the prince, and Bulgarian 

 statesmen, but no political results of any importance were attained. 



The friendly relations existing between Servia and Turkey were strengthened by the 

 visit of King Peter to Constantinople (April 3rd), a few days after the departure of King 

 Ferdinand. The Servian sovereign was received with great honours and 

 Turkey*. ' met w ^^ an effusive welcome from the Greek clergy and population. He 

 was permitted to visit Mount Athos and to return to Servia through Mace- 

 donia. The policy of the Young Turks at this period was to play off the Servians 

 against- the Bulgarians in Macedonia and against the Albanians of Kossovo, who had 

 risen in revolt against the imposition of an octroi tax and other vexatious measures of 

 the Turkish authorities. Servia was bound to keep on good terms with Turkey, which 

 dominated her only commercial outlet at Salonika, her Austrian frontier being closed by 

 a tariff war. Hopes, which proved illusory, were held out to Servia that she would be 

 allowed to construct a railway to San Giovanni di Medua on the Adriatic. 



On the opening of the Cretan Assembly (May 9, 1910) all the Christian deputies 

 took an oath of allegiance to King George of Greece. A protest was handed in by Nairn 

 ., , Bey, a Moslem deputy, but he was assaulted by one of his Christian col- 



leagues while another tore up the document. In reply to the remonstrances 

 of the Porte against these proceedings the Protecting Powers declared that nothing had 

 occurred to change the status quo. The Assembly, however; p'roceeded to vote the 

 exclusion of the Moslem deputies, while steps were taken throughout the island to 

 hinder Moslem officials from exercising their duties. Eventually, after an ultimatum 

 from the Powers, which threatened to land troops and seize the customs, the Assembly 

 revoked its decision (July gth) and interference with the Moslem functionaries was 

 abarfdoned. The proceedings of the Cretan Christians and the sympathy expressed 

 for them in Greece entailed much suffering on the Greeks in Turkey. The " boycott " 

 of Greek commerce, initiated by the Committee of Union and Progress in the previous 



