TURKEY. 



753 



Russia and Austria, from the opposite stand- 

 points of their rival and antagonistic aims, 

 were both interested in re-establishing the 

 status quo ante pure and simple. This solution 

 would tend to restore Russian control in Bul- 

 garia. It would convince the Bulgarians that 

 the union could not be consummated except 

 under Russian auspices, at the hour and in the 

 manner ordained by the St. Petersburg au- 

 thorities, and would render it easy to dethrone 

 the Bulgarian prince, who had committed him- 

 self to independent national action and to coun- 

 teract the nationalist and anti-Russian influ- 

 ences. Austria- Hungary was pledged to Servia 

 to restore the status quo or to secure for her a 

 territorial indemnity. It was not a part ot 

 Austrian policy to aggrandize Servia at the 

 expense of Turkey, even if it could be accom- 

 plished without a general conflagration by the 

 united pressure of the powers upon the Porte. 

 The Servian war was a welcome event to the 

 St. Petersburg diplomatists, because the ex- 

 pected defeat of the Bulgarians would end the 

 dead-lock in the conference and bring about the 

 deposition of Prince Alexander and the resto- 

 ration of the status quo, or its confirmation 

 under conditions favorable to Russian influ- 

 ence. Germany, in the interests of peace, and 

 in order to preserve the league between the 

 three empires, seconded all the proposals of 

 Russia, and labored to keep Russian and Aus- 

 trian action from diverging. Italy supported 

 the views of the German Chancellor. England 

 was the only champion of the Bulgarian prince 

 and of the fait accompli. France supported 

 most of the British proposals. Russia and 

 Germany urged the Porte to interfere directly 

 in Eastern Roumelia. When the Bulgarians 

 pursued the Servian army over the border and 

 captured Pirot, Count Khevenh tiller, the Aus- 

 trian plenipotentiary, threatened military in- 

 tervention, not without a previous understand- 

 ing with Russia. 



The conference was resolved into a dispute 

 between M. de Nelidoff, the Russian, and Sir 

 William White, the English ambassador. The 

 proposals of the Russian representative were 

 backed up by the German, Austrian, and Italian 

 ambassadors, while the French ambassador 

 gave a partial support to the English views. 

 In the earlier sittings, M. de Nelidoff urged 

 that the restoration of the status quo should be 

 decreed by the powers in agreement, while Sir 

 W. White insisted that the initiative should be 

 taken by Turkey. The British ambassador 

 proposed that an international commission 

 should be sent to Philippopolis to consult the 

 wishes of the Roumeliots. 



A protocol was drawn up on Nov. 21, pro- 

 viding that a commissioner of the Turkish 

 Government should be sent to Eastern Roume- 

 lia, accompanied by delegates of the powers, 

 and subsequently an international commission, 

 charged with finding out the desires and griev- 

 ances of the Roumeliot people. The protocol 

 treated of the appointment of a governor- 

 VOL. xxv. 48 A 



general, in accordance with the provisions of 

 the Berlin Treaty. This protocol was discussed 

 again on Nov. 21, when Sir W. White declared 

 that England did not recognize the Berlin 

 Treaty as binding, because its individual stipu- 

 lations had been broken in many points. He 

 moved that the clause relating to the governor- 

 general should be left out, to provide for the 

 case of the Bulgarian union's being recognized 

 and no governor appointed. Baron Calice and 

 M. de Nelidoff, on behalf of the Continental 

 powers, insisted upon retaining the provision 

 for a governor-general, in accordance with 

 the Berlin Treaty, which had been accepted as 

 the basis of the conference. France, as well 

 as the three empires and Italy, was in favor 

 of signing the protocol in the form rejected by 

 England. A last sitting, which was merely 

 formal, was held Nov. 28. The empires then 

 united in a course of action independent of 

 England. Herr von Radowitz, the German 

 ambassador, presented, on their behalf, a note 

 to the Sultan, suggesting the sending of a com- 

 missioner and the dispatch of Ottoman troops 

 to Eastern Roumelia ; the absence of the Bul- 

 garian and Roumelian troops in the north af- 

 fording a favorable opportunity. The Turkish 

 Government, pursuing the non-committal pol- 

 icy it had followed from the beginning, de- 

 cided on a cautious and waiting course, inter- 

 mediate between the action urged by the three 

 emperors' league and that suggested by Eng- 

 land. Djevdet Pasha was appointed commis- 

 sioner to Eastern Roumelia, but instead of his 

 proceeding at once to Philippopolis, to assert 

 the authority of the Sultan, two deputy com- 

 missioners were sent on a mission of investiga- 

 tion. 



On Nov. 30 the Porte issued an appeal to 

 the people and the officials of Eastern Roume- 

 lia, calling upon them to repair the errors into 

 which they had been led by interested persons, 

 and return to their allegiance to their lawful 

 sovereign. The proclamation assured them of 

 the good- will of the Sultan, and promised a 

 general amnesty. At the time when the Turk- 

 ish deputies entered Roumelia, a formidable 

 military demonstration was made on the front- 

 ier by the massing of a large force at Mustafa 

 Pasha. The Roumeliots were intensely excited 

 over the action of the Porte, but were warned 

 by their leaders not to provoke the threatened 

 armed intervention by any show of violence or 

 hostility to the Sultan's commissioners. The 

 two delegates, Lebib Effendi and Gadban Ef- 

 fendi, were sent to Eastern Roumelia to sound 

 the population and ascertain what reception 

 would be given to an imperial commissioner. 

 Contrary to the reports circulated by the ene- 

 mies of Bulgarian union and accepted at Con- 

 stantinople, the revolution was found to be, 

 not the work of a few political adventurers, 

 without earnest popular support, but a genuine 

 national movement. Reports had been spread 

 telling of disaffection and insubordination in 

 the Roumelian militia. The Russian consular 



