112 



BULGARIA. 



BURMAH. 



to Turkey from Eastern Roumelia without re- 

 duction. 



When Servia threatened to begin a war of 

 annexation in the north, the Porte formed a 

 secret understanding with Greece, and was 

 thereby relieved of apprehensions of an inva- 

 sion of Macedonia from the opposite quarter. 

 This agreement was based on the restoration of 

 the status quo ante. The new ministers, like 

 those they had displaced, were not entirely 

 agreed as to the policy to be pursued. In itself 

 the recognition of thsfait accompliiu Roumelia 

 presented advantages to counterbalance the 

 impairment of Turkish prestige and the loss of 

 the strategic frontier of the Balkans, to pre- 

 serve which was the ostensible ground for 

 originally dividing Bulgaria; yet the menaces 

 of the other Balkan states, and the fear that 

 some of the great powers aimed at ulterior 

 combinations, convinced the Turkish statesmen 

 that the safest course would be to insist on the 

 restoration of the status quo. Montenegro put 

 her army in a state of preparation also. At a 

 late moment Roumania advanced her claim for 

 compensation, demanding that her frontier 

 should be shifted south of the Danube, so as to 

 inclose Silistria, Batdajek, and Baltschuk. 



In the note of the powers to the Bulgarian 

 Government they invited the leaders of the 

 Bulgarian forces to avoid all concentration of 

 troops on the Roumelian frontier, and to sus- 

 pend their armaments. 



The collective note of the ambassadors 

 reached Prince Alexander at the time when 

 Servia threatened the defenseless frontier of 

 Bulgaria, and when signs of insubordination 

 and discontent appeared among his troops on 

 the Roumelian frontier, who, deprived of their 

 Russian commanders, were subject to disorgan- 

 izing influences. He dispatched a supplemental 

 note to the powers, saying that he would defer 

 to their advice, and then ordered the with- 

 drawal of the Bulgarian forces in Eastern Rou- 

 melia. The menacing attitude of Servia was 

 assigned as another reason for their recall. 



When the inconclusive memorandum was 

 drawn up as the only result of the informal 

 conference, Russia proposed a conference on 

 the basis of the Treaty of Berlin, and was sup- 

 ported in the proposal by Austria and Ger- 

 many. Great Britain objected to the form of 

 invitation proposed. When an agreement was 

 obtained in this regard, the Porte issued a call 

 for the conference on Oct. 20. The first meet- 

 ing of the plenipotentiaries took place Nov. 5. 

 (See ROUMELIA, EASTERN, and TURKEY.) 



Servian Military Movements. On the 15th of 

 October the Servian troops advanced to the 

 Bulgarian frontier near Sharkhoi. It was 

 feared that the Bulgarian capital would be 

 taken by a coup de main, as there were few 

 troops and no heavy artillery near. Four bat- 

 talions were sent to hold the Dragoman Pass. 

 Prince Alexander issued a decree calling out 

 all the reserves. The Austrian Government 

 admonished the Servian King that it would be 



useless for him to expect support from Austria. 

 At the same time the transportation companies 

 of Austria and Hungary were directed to pre- 

 pare for the conveyance of troops. A large 

 body of Turkish troops was moved to the Ser- 

 vian frontier. 



On the 18th, Servian troops occupied the 

 Kosiak Pass on the Jerma River, situated on 

 the Macedonian frontier, partly in Bulgaria 

 and partly in Turkish territory. On the 24th 

 they crossed over into Bulgarian territory near 

 Widdin, but afterward withdrew. Skirmish- 

 ing between pickets took place. The defen- 

 sive positions were strongly held by Bulgarian 

 troops when the Servians advanced to the 

 frontier. Servia's supposed plan was to seize 

 the Widdin district and the territory inhabited 

 mainly by Serbs, extending to the Isker river, 

 which debouches into the Danube twelve miles 

 west of Nokopolis. The second ban of re- 

 serves was called out on Nov. 3. While King 

 Milan held his headquarters at Pirot, threat- 

 ening a blow at Sofia, another column was 

 formed under the command of the Prime Min- 

 ister, M. Garachanin, ready to cross the Timok 

 and occupy the Widdin district. The Bulga- 

 rian Government concentrated a large body of 

 troops and its Danubian fleet near Widdin. 

 Notwithstanding her menacing declarations 

 and warlike movements, Servia did not suffer 

 any serious results to grow out of her military 

 demonstration pending the decision of the 

 powers, while the Bulgarian authorities were 

 equally studious to avoid a collision. (See SER- 

 VIA and ROUMELIA, EASTERN.) 



BURMiH, a kingdom in Farther India. Pre- 

 vious to 1825 it was a large and powerful em- 

 pire, but the annexation of the seaboard prov- 

 inces and the mouth of the Irrawaddy by 

 Great Britain, and the encroachments of the 

 semi-independent Shan states, have left the 

 kings of Burmah but a small fragment of their 

 former dominions. Most of the tributary states 

 that remained in the last reign have declared 

 themselves independent since the accession of 

 the present King. Burmah has an area of 

 about 67,000 square miles, including the de- 

 pendent Shan states. The population of Bur- 

 mah proper is estimated at 1,075,000, that of 

 the northern Shan states at 600,000. The 

 eastern Shan states are more populous. The 

 population is composed mainly of Burmese and 

 Shans, but with them are mingled a great" 

 variety of other races, such as Khyens, Ka- 

 khyens, Kathays, Yinnees, Yinnets, Yinbans, 

 Karennees, Paloungs, and Chinese and Hindus 

 settled in the towns. The soil is very pro- 

 ductive, and the people are happy and comfort- 

 able, extremes of poverty and wealth being 

 unknown ; but they are burdened with a sys- 

 tem of government that makes every man 

 the slave of the monarch, liable to be called 

 upon for any service, and also with the sup- 

 port of a host of mendicant Buddhist monks. 

 There is a large class of slaves, outcasts, and 

 debtor bondsmen. The Government is an ab- 



