BULGARIA. 



109 



tations and the counsels of Russian statesmen 

 deterred him from an attempt to subjugate the 

 .Bulgarians, whose ingratitude so incensed him. 

 After Russia had sacrificed many thousands of 

 her soldiers, had spent 8,000 francs for every 

 Bulgarian, and burdened herself with a vast 

 debt to liberate them, Alexander could not see 

 how they could weigh their prince, or their 

 Constitution, or their independence, against his 

 wishes and the demands of Russian policy. 

 The Porte through its agent at Sofia continual- 

 ly urged the regency to submit to the demands 

 of Russia, in order to avert the occupation of 

 the Roumelian seaports. It had been appealed 

 to for suggestions as to the choice of a prince, 

 but refrained from indicating a candidate, and 

 in all questions showed entire compliance with 

 the wishes of the Russian Government. 



Russia received a distinct warning from Aus- 

 tria at the opening of the Delegations, when 

 Count Kalnoky said that an occupation of Bul- 

 garia of any kind would be a grave injury to 

 the vital interests of the Hapsburg Empire, 

 which did not wish peace at any price, and in 

 the event of a conflict would not stand alone. 

 The alliance with Germany, he explained, did 

 not bind either empire to defend the separate 

 interests of the other ; yet mutual interests 

 constitute the base of the alliance, and the con- 

 tinuance of each country as a strong and inde- 

 pendent power forms for both an important 

 interest. This declaration followed Lord Salis- 

 bury's exposition of British policy at the Guild- 

 hall banquet, where the English premier said 

 that England had no isolated interests in main- 

 taining the freedom of Bulgaria, yet she had a 

 corporate interest, and would join the other 

 powers, or any considerable portion of the 

 powers of Europe, if an occasion should arise 

 for vindicating the Treaty of Berlin, and that 

 the opinion and judgment of Austria in this 

 matter would have enormous weight in the 

 counsels of the British Government. This 

 presage of a military and financial alliance be- 

 tween England and Austria- Hungary was ech- 

 oed by Count Kalnoky, who said, u England 

 will be on our side if it should become neces- 

 sary to defend the state of things created by 

 the Berlin Treaty." 



Attempted Insurrection at Burgas. The Eastern 

 Roumelian port of Burgas was the scene of an 

 attempt of Russian agents to raise a revolt 

 against the regency on Nov. 4. Capt. Nabo- 

 koff, a Russian officer who had been prominent 

 in the conspiracy against the prince, placed 

 himself at the head of a band of Russians and 

 Montenegrins, who were joined by Lieut. 

 Kisheneff and some of the soldiers of the gar- 

 rison. They seized the prefect, mastered the 

 Bulgarian soldiery, took possession of the pub- 

 lic buildings, and proclaimed the sovereignty 

 of the Czar. Bulgarian troops, from the neigh- 

 boring towns of Aitos and Karnobad, conduct- 

 ed by Capt. Karavanoff, the commander of the 

 Burgas garrison, who had made his escape, 

 quickly arrived on the spot, suppressed the 



revolt, put the raiders to flight, and reinstated 

 the authorities. A simultaneous plot at Philip- 

 popolis was checked before the occurrence of 

 any disturbance. The ringleader, a Russian 

 named Novitzki, was arrested with damaging 

 papers in his possession, implicating Kovand- 

 jieff, the dragoman of the Russian consulate, 

 and Popoif, who was formerly in the employ 

 of Aleko Pasha. Risings in other places were 

 put down without difficulty. Nabokoff was 

 arrested in the Aitos district, while collecting 

 a force to lead against Philippopolis. 



The Great Sobranje. The National Assembly 

 was opened on Oct. 31. Stambuloff and Col. 

 Mutkuroff were present, and the former read 

 the opening speech, which concluded with the 

 words, " Long live free and independent Bul- 

 garia!" Karaveloff, whom the deputies had 

 threatened to remove from the regency, re- 

 mained in Sofia, and was in confidential com- 

 munication with the Russians. Among 450 

 deputies there were 78 Zankoffists. In spite 

 of the protests of the Porte, deputies from 

 Eastern Roumalia sat and voted in the Assem- 

 bly. On Nov. 10 Prince Waldemar of Den- 

 mark was elected Prince of Bulgaria by accla- 

 mation. A deputation of five members of the 

 Sobranje started for Cannes, where the Danish 

 prince was, to formally offer him the crown. 

 The same day Karaveloff, after having protest- 

 ed against the election of a prince, sent his 

 resignation as regent. Prince Waldemar an- 

 nounced that he had referred the question as 

 to his acceptance of the proffered crown to the 

 decision of his father. The King of Denmark 

 telegraphed on Nov. 13 that he could not allow 

 his son to accept the election to the throne. 

 At a meeting of the Sobranje held after receiv- 

 ing this message the regents Stambuloff and 

 Mutkuroff offered their resignations. The 

 house refused to receive them, but accepted 

 Karaveloff 's by acclamation, and elected Ziv- 

 koff, the President of the Sobranje, in his stead. 

 Karaveloff, who had, when prime minister, en- 

 joyed unbounded popularity as the leader of 

 the movement for national independence, but. 

 who deserted the cause of the prince imme- 

 diately after, if not before, the latter's abduc- 

 tion, and now identified himself with the Rus- 

 sian party, was denounced as a traitor in a 

 resolution of the Assembly. After appointing 

 a deputation to visit the different European 

 courts, the Sobranje adjourned. 



The Russian Choice for Prince. The separation 

 of the Sobranje, and the refusal of the Czar's 

 brother-in-law to accept the Bulgarian throne, 

 brought the question again into the range of 

 diplomatic action. Germany and Austria in- 

 vited Russia to indicate a candidate whom she 

 would favor for the vacant throne. The Rus- 

 sian Government proposed Nicholas Davidovich 

 Dadian, Prince of Mingrelia, a descendant of a 

 distinguished Caucasian family, a Russian sub- 

 ject, and the son-in-law of Count Adlerberg, 

 the household minister and intimate of the late 

 Czar. Germany offered no opposition to this 



