TURKEY. 



791 



toman army shall no longer remain there, except at 

 certain points to be settled by mutual agreement. 



2. The independence of Montenegro shall be rec- 

 ognized. An increase of territory, equal to that 

 which the fortune of war has placed in its hands, 

 shall be secured to it. The definite frontier shall be 

 arranged hereafter. 



3. The independence of Roumania and Servia 

 shall be recognized. An adequate territorial indem- 

 nity shall be secured to the first, and a rectification 

 of frontier to the second. 



4. Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be granted an 

 autonomous administration, with adequate guaran- 

 tees. Analogous reforms shall be introduced into 

 the other Christian provinces of Turkey in Europe. 



5. The Porte shall undertake to indemnify Russia 

 for the expenses of the war and the losses which 

 she has had to bear. The nature of this indemnity, 

 whether pecuniary, territorial, or otherwise, shall be 

 settled hereafter. His Majesty the^ Sultan shall 

 come to an understanding with his Majesty the Em- 

 peror of Russia for the protection of the rights and 

 interests of Russia in the Straits of the Bosporus 

 and the Dardanelles. 



As a proof of the acceptance of these essential 

 bases, Ottoman plenipotentiaries shall proceed im- 

 mediately to Odessa or Sebastopol, to negotiate there 

 preliminaries of peace with the Russian plenipoten- 

 tiaries. As soon as the acceptance of these prelim- 

 inary conditions shall be officially notified to the 

 commanders-in-chief of the imperial armies, armis- 

 tice conditions shall be negotiated at the two theatres 

 of war, and hostilities may be provisionally sus- 

 pended. The two commanders-in-chief shall have 

 power to complete the above conditions by indicating 

 certain strategical points and fortresses as a material 

 guarantee of the acceptance of our armistice condi- 

 tions by the Sublime Porte and of its entrance on 

 the path of peace negotiations. 



These conditions of peace had been drawn 

 up before the advance of the Russians in Rou- 

 melia, and the negotiations of peace, instead 

 of being conducted at Odessa or Sebastopol, 

 now took place at Adrianople. The conditions 

 of the armistice, however, seemed to be bind- 

 ing on the Turks only, for the Russians contin- 

 ued to advance steadily, until they had reached 

 Buyukdere on the Bosporus, and San Stefano, 

 a suburb of Constantinople, on the Sea of 

 Marmora, establishing their headquarters at 

 the latter place. They then pushed along the 

 shores of the Sea of Marmora as far as Eregli 

 and Rodosto. Under these circumstances it 

 was unnecessary for the Turkish plenipoten- 

 tiaries to go to Odessa or Sebastopol, and the 

 peace negotiations were begun in Adrianople, 

 and concluded in San Stefano, where the treaty 

 of peace was signed on March 2d. It con- 

 tained twenty-nine articles, whose principal 

 provisions are as follows: 



1. Montenegro is declared independent, and re- 

 ceives Antivari, Spuz, Podgoritza, Gatchko, and Nic- 



2. Its relations to Turkey are to be settled by an- 

 other agreement. Differences between these two 

 countries are to be adjusted by Austria and Russia. 



3. Servia is declared independent, and receives 

 Nissa, the valley of the Drina, and Little Zvornik. 



4. The Mohammedans may retain their personal 

 property. A Turkish-Servian Commission shall de- 

 cide within two years all questions respecting the 

 real estate, and within three years those respecting 

 the property of the state and of the church (vdkuf). 



5. Roumania is declared independent. The ques- 

 tion of a war indemnity shall be settled by a special 



treaty between Roumania and Turkey. Roumanian 

 subjects shall have the same rights in Turkey an tho 

 subjects of other powern. 



6. The final boundary of Bulgaria is to be deter- 

 mined by a Russo-Turkish Commission previous to 

 the evacuation of Roumelio. Tho boundary passes 

 from Vranya over tho Karadagh, the Karadriua 

 River, the Grammes Mountains, passes by Kaatoria 

 and around Salonica, and follows the river Karasu 

 as far as Yenidje on the .dEgean Sea. Southwest of 

 Kavala the boundary runs along the coast to Dedea- 

 gatch, thence northward as far as Tchirraen. It 

 winds around Adrianople at a distance of two and a 

 half hours' march, passes through Kirk Kilissa, 

 joins Luleh Burgas, and reaches in a straight line to 

 Hekim Tabiasso, on the Black Sea. It runs along 

 the coast as far as Mangalia, bears off to the west, 

 and terminates at Rassova on the Danube. 



7. The Prince of Bulgaria shall be chosen by a 

 free vote of the people, confirmed by the Porte, and 

 approved by the Powers. No member of any dyn- 

 asty of the Great Powers shall be eligible. The 

 National Assembly shall be convoked at Tirnova or 

 Philippopoli, to consider the future organization of 

 the country, which shall be analogous to that of the 

 Danubian Principalities as established in 1830, and 

 shall be arranged before the choice of a Prince, under 

 the superintendence of a Russian and in the pres- 

 ence of a Turkish commissioner. The introduction 

 of the new government shall be intrusted for two 

 years to a Russian commissioner. At the end of the 

 first year the plenipotentiaries of other Powers may 

 participate if it is considered necessary. 



8* The Turkish army having left Bulgaria, a 1 ,! the 

 fortresses shall be razed at the cost of the communi- 

 ties. Until a national militia can be formed, Bul- 

 garia shall be occupied for two years by the Russians, 

 with six divisions of infantry and two divisions of 

 cavalry, in all 50,000 men, which shall be maintained 

 at the expense of the Bulgarians. 



9. The amount of tribute to be paid by Bulgaria 

 shall be settled by Turkey, Russia, and the other 

 Powers. Bulgaria shall assume the obligations of 

 Turkey in reference to the Rustchuk-Varna Railroad 

 Company, after an agreement has been reached be- 

 tween the Porte, Bulgaria, and the Company. Ar- 

 rangements concerning the other linevS are reserved. 



10. The Porte shall have the right to construct a 

 road for the transport of troops and war material to 

 the provinces lying beyond Bulgaria. This road 

 will go from Salonica up the valley of the Vardar 

 and to Prishtina. The regulation of postal and tele- 

 graphic connections shall be intrusted to a special 

 commission. 



11. The same provisions are made in respect to 

 the rights of Mohammedans possessing property in 

 Bulgaria as are applied to Servia. 



12. The Danubian fortresses shall be razed ; the 

 building of forts on the Danube and its navigation 

 by vessels of war are forbidden. Only customs and 

 police vessels are permitted. The pivileges of the 

 International Danube Commission are continued in 



13.' The Porte shall reestablish the navigation of 

 the Sulina mouth, and allow indemnification for pri- 

 vate losses. 



14. Reforms shall be immediately introduced into 

 Bosnia and Herzegovina, the same as were demand- 

 ed at the first sitting of the Conference of Constanti- 

 nople, with the assent of Austria and Russia. Ar- 

 rears of taxes are not to be claimed. The revenue 

 until 1880 is to be applied to indemnify the sufferers 

 by the insurrection. 



15. The application of the ordinance of 1 

 Crete is renewed. Similar ordinances shall be made 

 for Epirus, Thessaly, and the other parts of Euro- 

 pean Turkey. A special commission shall arrange 

 the particulars of this ordinance, which shall be sub- 

 mitted to the approval of the Porte, and applied un- 

 der the supervision of Russia. 



