106 



BULGAKIA. 



store the Constitution, in order to check Eussian 

 encroachments. Prince Alexander broke away 

 from Russian influences and re-established con- 

 stitutional government. Gen. Soboleff and his 

 colleagues attempted to incite the army to re- 

 bel ; but, failing of the support of the troops, 

 they were dismissed, and the constitutional con- 

 trol of the army was resumed by Prince Alex- 

 ander. The coalition between the two politi- 

 cal parties broke down after its specific pur- 

 pose was accomplished. In 1884 the rivalries 

 between the Conservatives and Radicals result- 

 ed in violent acts in the Assembly and the for- 

 cible expulsion of the Conservative members. 



The ministry, constituted July 13, 1884, was 

 composed as follows: President and Minister 

 of Finance, and Minister ad interim of Public 

 Works and of Commerce, P. Karaveloff ; Min- 

 ister of the Interior, P. R. Slavickoff ; Minister 

 of Foreign Affairs and of Worship and of Posts 

 and Telegraphs, J. Tzanoff ; Minister of Jus- 

 tice, V. Radoslavoff ; Minister of Public Instruc- 

 tion, R. M. Karoleff ; Minister of War, Maj.- 

 Gen. Prince M. Cantacuzene. 



The amount of the annual tribute to Turkey 

 and of the Bulgarian share in the Turkish debt 

 is to be fixed according to a stipulation of the 

 Treaty of Berlin, by the signatory powers, 

 which have not yet settled upon the amount. 



The budget of expenditure for 1885 amounts 

 to 37,000,000 francs, showing a deficit of 1,500,- 

 000 francs, to be covered by taxation. 



Area and Population. The area of the princi- 

 pality is estimated to be 24,360 square miles. 

 The population was ascertained by a census 

 taken Jan. 13, 1881, to be 2,007,919, of which 

 number 1,027,803 were males and 980,116 fe- 

 males. The capital, Sofia, has 20,501 inhabit- 

 ants. The great majority of the people are 

 engaged in agriculture and grazing. In re- 

 spect to religion 70 per cent, of the population 

 are Christians of the Greek Orthodox confes- 

 sion, 28-79 per cent. Mohammedans, and 0'72 

 per cent. Jews. According to the language re- 

 turns, 67 per cent, are of Bulgarian race, 26-26 

 per cent. Turks, 2'44 per cent. Wallachians, 

 1-87 per cent. Gypsies, and the rest Greeks, 

 Jews, and Tartars. 



Commerce. The principal export is wheat, of 

 which 1,500,000 tons are shipped abroad an- 

 nually. Other export articles are wool, tallow, 

 cheese, butter, hides, flax, and timber. The 

 leading imports are textiles, iron, and coal. The 

 iron and coal mines of the country are unde- 

 veloped. The value of the exports in 1882 

 amounted to 34,221,984 francs, and the imports 

 to 41,563,505 francs. 



Railroads and Telegraphs. There is one line ot 

 railroad, extending from Rustchuk to Varna, 

 on the Black Sea, 140 miles in length. In 1883 

 there were 1,325 miles of telegraph lines. The 

 number of messages was 311,185 ; the number 

 of letters, journals, etc., that went through the 

 post-office was 2,533,172. 



Edneation. The majority of the public men 

 and leaders of opinion hi Bulgaria were edu- 



cated in the Robert College of Constantinople, 

 founded by a N"ew York merchant, and pro- 

 vided with a corps of American instructors. 

 Under the influence of this training a demand 

 for a liberal Constitution was developed when 

 the principality was founded in 1878. The 

 existence of a class of men qualified to fill the 

 public posts, educated in American conceptions 

 of constitutional liberty, prevented the govern- 

 ment from falling into the hands of Russians, 

 as did the army, and from being molded into 

 a form that would prepare the people for Rus- 

 sian annexation. The Government supported 

 students at Robert College until recently, when 

 schools were established in Bulgaria. The peo- 

 ple display an eager spirit for education and 

 progress. 



The Army and Nary. Military service is ob- 

 ligatory. The peace effective in 1884 was 17,- 

 670 men ; the war effective, 52,000, of whom 

 36,000 constitute the field-army. Immediately 

 after the Turkish War, while the Russians still 

 occupied the country, the army was organized 

 on the Russian system by Russian officers. The 

 high pay three times as high as they received 

 in Russia, and twice that of the Bulgarian offi- 

 cers attracted a class of broken-down spend- 

 thrifts, enjoying court patronage. Many of 

 the Russian officers were capable soldiers ; but 

 looseness and dissipation among them were ob- 

 jectionable to the steady Bulgarian farmers, 

 and their characteristic arrogance of demeanor 

 and the influence they pretended to exercise in 

 political affairs, in addition to the costliness of 

 the arrangement, afforded strong motives to 

 the democratic and independence-loving Bul- 

 garians to free themselves from the dangerous 

 tutelage of their liberators. 



Bulgaria was divided, by a decree for the 

 reorganization of the army, issued in October, 

 1884, into 4 districts, each with its brigade of 

 6 battalions of infantry, armed with the Ber- 

 dan rifle of the Russian army. The artillery 

 consists of 6 batteries of 4 guns, a mountain- 

 battery, and a battalion of fortress artillery at 

 Rustchuk. A corps of engineers was organ- 

 ized, consisting of railroad troops, sappers, and 

 pontoniers. The cavalry consists of 2 regi- 

 ments armed with Berdan rifles. The strength 

 of each duchina, or battalion of infantry, is 700 

 men in peace and 1,000 on the war footing. 

 Each cavalry regiment contains 4 sotnias of 600 

 horses; there is besides the Prince's body- 

 guard of 200 sabers. The period of service is 

 two years for the infantry, and three years for 

 the cavalry and artillery. When the reserves 

 are called out, the number of battalions is 

 doubled. Under the tuition of the Russian 

 officers the troops acquired the Russian tactics 

 and discipline to perfection. At first the only 

 native officers were such as had been educated 

 in Russia and had served in the Russian army. 

 A military academy was established in Sofia, 

 and the young Bulgarians trained to replace 

 the Russian officers are scarcely inferior to 

 them in attainments and efficiency. In July, 



