BULGARIA. 



The last article, 170, was rejected. It prohib- 

 it. <! any chango being made in tbe Constitu- 

 tion in 1, ss i him five years. The sessions of the 

 J ttli and 25th were almost entirely devoted to 

 the rending of the protocols of the sessions 

 in which the Constitution had been discussed. 

 Tbe chaise cm freedom of association was modi- 

 fied so as to exempt from its privileges all so- 

 rirtii-s aiming at the subversion of good man- 

 ners, religious observances, or the recognized 

 social decencies of lite. A paragraph was add- 

 ed to Article 74, providing that the religious 

 books used in the orthodox churches and 

 schools should be previously examined by the 

 Holy Synod. The former Exarch, the President 

 of the Assembly, and the bishops and their 

 friends, who hnd withdrawn after the rejection 

 of the intolerance clauses, now took their seats 

 again. On the 28th the session of the Constit- 

 uent Assembly was closed by Prince Dondou- 

 koff. In his closing speech he alluded to the 

 difficult conditions under which the Assembly 

 had been opened. He congratulated the House 

 upon the accomplishment of their task, and 

 said that the deputies had proved that they 

 possessed qualities hitherto unknown among 

 Bulgarians. The work they had accomplished 

 would be judged by its results; but he was 

 satisfied that the verdict of the future would 

 be a favorable one, and he rejoiced that the 

 labors of the Assembly had been so thoroughly 

 performed. 



The Assembly for the election of a Prince of 

 Bulgaria opened on April 29th. Prince Don- 

 doukoff opened the proceedings with a speech, 

 in which he stated that no Russian subject was 

 eligible. The protocol of the Constitution was 

 signed by Prince Dondoukoff and the foreign 

 delegates, with the exception of the Ottoman 

 representative, who refused to sign it. The 

 Assembly then proceeded with closed doors to 

 the election of a Prince. The Archbishop of 

 Tirnova addressed the Assembly, and said that 

 three princes had been prominently put for- 

 ward as candidates for the throne Prince 

 Waldemar of Denmark, Prince Reuss, and 

 Prince Alexander of Battenberg. He said that 

 the last was much the best known to them, 

 and was the best choice they could make. The 

 Assembly then elected Prince Battenberg with- 

 out opposition (see ALEXANDER I.), after which 

 the Assembly adjourned. Immediately upon 

 the election of the Prince, a delegation was 

 appointed to wait upon him. The deputation 

 Bent to him the following address: 



The representatives of the Bulgarian people, appre- 

 ciating your noble qualities, and certain that your 

 Highness will not only be imbued with the interests 

 of Bulgaria, hut will defend them to the utmost of 

 your power, as you have already defended them dur- 

 ing the war of liberation, have confided to your lofty 

 sentiments the future destinies of their country, toot- 

 he your Highness voluntarily and with unanimity 

 Prince of Bulgaria. A deputation will wait on your 

 Highness with the notification of your election, we 

 having learned tbrough the medium of the present 

 Government of our country that your Highness has 

 honored us with your acceptance. We offer you our 

 VOL. xix. 7 A 



humble congratulationa, and assure you of our sincere 

 devotion. We pray Goid to grant UK the happineM of 

 soon seeing you in a country which rejoice* at the 

 choice it law made. 



I 'riii rr Battenberg, after his election, made a 

 tour of the European courts, and on July 6th 

 arrived at Constantinople, where he received 

 the burnt of investiture, and on the same day 

 sailed for Varna. His visit to Constantinople 

 was at first opposed by the Turkish Govern- 

 ment, as it was feared that it might give rise 

 to excesses ; but, upon being informed of the 

 fact by the Turkish Ambassador in Rome, the 

 Prince stated that he would regret it exceed- 

 ingly if he were not permitted to present him- 

 self to his sovereign, and to receive the inves- 

 titure from his hands. It would be remarked 

 all the more in Europe, as he had visited all 

 the courts ; and, in order to avoid any hostile 

 demonstrations, he could make his stay a short 

 one. This proposition was accepted in Con- 

 stantinople. On July 6th he arrived in Varna, 

 and on the 8th in Tirnova. He was every- 

 where received with great demonstrations of 

 joy and enthusiasm, his progress through the 

 country being like a triumphal procession. On 

 the 14th he entered Sophia. After he had ta- 

 ken the oath of fidelity to the Constitution in 

 Tirnova, Prince Dondoukoff-Korsakoff imme- 

 diately departed for Russia. Considerable dis- 

 satisfaction made itself felt in Russia with the 

 course of Prince Alexander. Instead of using 

 a proclamation prepared for him by Prince 

 Dondoukoff, in which expression was given to 

 the everlasting gratitude the Bulgarians owed 

 their deliverers, he issued an address of his 

 own, short and having no reference to the 

 Russians an omission also characterizing his 

 replies to the addresses presented to him. The 

 Russian press bitterly complained that the 

 Prince had not a single word of thanks for the 

 Czar, Russia, or the Slavs in general. On July 

 18th the Prince appointed the following min- 

 istry: M. Bourmof, President and Interior; 

 M. Balabanoff, Foreign Affairs; M. Grecoff, 

 Justice; M. Natchovitch, Finance; and Gen- 

 eral Baronzoff, War. The ministry belonged 

 to that section of the Bulgarians which is less 

 opposed to foreign (i. e., Russian) influence 

 than the Nationalists, who had been in the ma- 

 jority in the Assembly, and who were led by 

 M. Zancoff, the Governor of Varna. The Rus- 

 sian evacuation of the country was completed 

 on August 3d, when the last Russian troops 

 left Sophia. The transport of war material, 

 however, took some time longer. 



Besides the Mohammedans, who continued 

 to disturb the peace of the country, and who 

 proved but unwilling subjects of Prince Alex- 

 ander, the Greeks, who live in considerable 

 numbers in the large cities, and form the more 

 intelligent and wealthy part of the population, 

 did not take kindly to the new order of things. 

 Thousands of the more wealthy and intelligent 

 at Varna, Shumla, Rustchuk, and other places 

 declared themselves subjects of the King of 



