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BULGARIA. 



Eastern Ronmelia. The Bulgarian districts 

 south of the Balkans were constituted by the 

 Treaty of Berlin into an autonomous province 

 of Turkey, having a Christian Governor-Gen- 

 eral, nominated by the Porte, and confirmed 

 by the agreement of the powers, for the term 

 of five years. The legislative authority was 

 vested in a single chamber, called the Provin- 

 cial Assembly, consisting of 36 members, elected 

 by universal suffrage, 10 nominated by the 

 governor, and 10 of the principal judicial and 

 ecclesiastical functionaries holding their seats 

 ex oflicio. Tha Sultan retained direct political 

 and military authority over the province, and 

 reserved the right of providing for the defense 

 of the land by erecting fortifications and main- 

 taining garrisons on the land and sea frontiers. 

 This right he has not exercised. A native 

 gendarmerie and local bodies of militia were 

 organized for the purpose of preserving inter- 

 nal order. The officers were named by the 

 Sultan, having regard to the religion prevailing 

 in the various localities. 



Area and Population. The province has an ex- 

 tent of about 13,500 square miles. The popu- 

 lation, which was returned in 1880 as 815,946 

 souls, is over 976,100, according to the census 

 of Jan. 13, 1885. There are 682,756 Christian 

 Bulgarians, 200,499 Mohammedans, 53,045 

 Greeks, 27,201 gypsies, 6,993 Jews, 1,867 Ar- 

 menians, and 3.738 foreigners. The population 

 of Philippopolis, the capital, is 33,442. 



Finance. The organic statute of 1879 pro- 

 vides that an annual sum must be paid into the 

 Turkish treasury equal to three tenths of the 

 public revenue. The amount was fixed by the 

 European Commission that framed the organic 

 statute at 240,000 Turkish pounds, or about 

 $1,000,000. Owing to the destruction of prop- 

 erty and disturbance of industry during the 

 war of 1877, and the subsequent emigration of 

 a large part of the Moslem population to Tur- 

 key, and of many of the Bulgarians into Bul- 

 garia, the revenue fell short of the estimated 

 normal amount by 25 per cent. The payment 

 of the Turkish tribute ceased in a few years. 

 In 1882 the Provincial Assembly passed a law 

 fixing the annual amount of the tribute at 

 180,000 Turkish liras. 



The budget estimates of the revenue for 

 1885-'86 was 672,550 Turkish pounds, that of 

 the expenditure 676,650 pounds. Two thirds 

 of the revenue is derived from direct taxes. 



Commerce and Industry. The people are chief- 

 ly engaged in agriculture, which is in a back- 

 ward condition. Besides cereals, there is a 

 considerable production of wine. Woolen cloth 

 and braid are exported to Turkey, and timber in 

 large quantities to Asia Minor. The total value 

 of the imports in 1883 was $2,400,000 ; of the 

 exports, $2,820,000, of which sum $1,320,000 

 represents the cereal exports. The trade with 

 Bulgaria constituted 27 per cent, of the total 

 foreign trade. 



Union with Bulgaria, By the revolution of 

 Sept. 17, 1885, the government was over- 



thrown, the Governor-General expelled, and the 

 union with Bulgaria proclaimed. Prince Alex- 

 ander of Bulgaria was invited by the revolu- 

 tionary leaders to place himself at the head of 

 the movement, and take over the government 

 of the province. With the approval of his 

 ministers he accepted the responsibility, and 

 appointed his representatives to administer the 

 government. Servia, on the ground that the 

 aggrandizement of Bulgaria disturbed the equi- 

 librium of the Balkan states, mobilized her 

 army with the intention of seizing upon an 

 equivalent addition of territory in Macedonia, 

 or of forcing Bulgaria to restore the status quo 

 ante. The rapid mobilization of the Turkish 

 army frustrated the Servian and Greek schemes 

 of annexation. The Servian troops then in- 

 vaded Bulgaria at various points. The main 

 force was defeated at Slivnitza, but the Bul- 

 garians were restrained from marching into 

 Servia by the threats of Austria. An armistice 

 till March 1, 1886, was arranged at the close of 

 1885, the position of the troops and the results 

 of the campaign being referred to an interna- 

 tional commission of military experts. Russia 

 exerted her influence to induce the Turkish 

 Government to intervene in Eastern Koumelia. 

 In agreeing to the division of Bulgaria into 

 two parts by the Treaty of Berlin, the Russians 

 had counted on dominating and eventually ab- 

 sorbing the principality. The educated Bul- 

 garians, who in the American College in Con- 

 stantinople were trained in the theory and 

 spirit of constitutional liberty, and the German 

 prince, who at first showed small respect for 

 the principles of Slavic democracy and western 

 liberalism, at length found a common motive 

 and bond of sympathy in resisting the Russian 

 diplomatic and military agents, who treated 

 Bulgaria as a Russian province, and the prince 

 as a satrap of the Czar. In his attitude of in- 

 dependence Alexander was encouraged by Eng- 

 lish diplomacy. In Constantinople, the British 

 representative, Sir William White, and the 

 Russian ambassador, pursued an active rivalry 

 in endeavoring to persuade the Porte to adopt 

 their opposite counsels. In sending a Turkish 

 commissary into Eastern Ronmelia the Sultan 

 yielded to Russian advice, but after the success 

 of Bulgarian arms, and the confirmation of the 

 spirit of independence in Eastern Ronmelia, 

 English counsels prevailed. Sir Frank Las- 

 celles, the British consul-general at Sofia, who 

 was knighted for his diplomatic success, en- 

 couraged Prince Alexander to embrace the 

 national cause. The Czar ordered home the 

 Russian officers, leaving the Bulgarians with 

 only captains and lieutenants to lead them 

 against the Servian invaders. Alexander was 

 treated as a rebellious vassal and ignominiously 

 dismissed from the Russian army. After the 

 Bulgarian victory, the Czar directed his ani- 

 mosity against the person of the prince only. 

 Though long resisting the decision of the pow- 

 ers, Russia was at last constrained to agree 

 to the personal union of Bulgaria and Eastern 



