736 



SOMALI-LAND. 



the revision of tlie Constitution. The address 

 of the Skupshtina in reply to the royal speed), 

 censured the foreign and domestic policy of 

 the late ministry, and demanded a general am- 

 nesty and greater freedom of the press. King 

 Milan refused to receive the address, declaring 

 that if he accepted it in that form, Austria- 

 Pi ungary would demand explanations, pointing 

 out that the granting of amnesties was a pre- 

 rogative of the crown, and asserting that the 

 press in Servia enjoyed an ample measure of 

 freedom. He admitted that the royal power 

 was disproportionate to that of the Legislature, 

 and said he would gladly see the Constitution 

 revised in a way that would divide the power 

 more equally between the King and the Skup- 

 shtina, but said that he would exercise the au- 

 thority that was his under the existing laws, 

 and threatened to call other ministers if the 

 address were not modified. 



Arrangement with Bulgaria. When a treaty of 

 peace with Servia was concluded, under press- 

 ure from the powers, in March, 1886, the Ser- 

 vian Government refused to resume friendly 

 relations until the Bregova matter and other 

 disputes were settled. After the expulsion of 

 Prince Alexander a common dread of Russia 

 engendered a sympathy between all the Bal- 

 kan nations. On Oct. 27, 1886, Dr. Stransky 

 was received by King Milan as the representa- 

 tive of the Bulgarian regency. An agreement 

 had previously been signed, October 13, where- 

 by Bregova was evacuated by the Bulgarians, 

 and remained in the hands of a mixed commis- 

 sion pending the decision on the claims of the 

 two states to the district. A treaty of com- 

 merce was to be concluded within six months; 

 Bulgaria promised to keep the Servian refugees 

 from settling within sixty kilometres of the 

 frontier ; also, to build the Vakarel-Sofia- 

 Zaribrod section of the international railway 

 by the time when the Servian section shall 

 have been completed. This latter stipulation 

 was not fulfilled owing to the financial difficul- 

 ties of the Bulgarian Government, and the 

 Servians felt much resentment in consequence, 

 because, in accordance with the decision of the 

 Conference d Quatre, their line, which had 

 made pecuniary sacrifices to build within the 

 stipulated time, could not be opened to traffic 

 until the Bulgarian branch of the International 

 Railroad was also ready for operation. 



The mixed Servian and Bulgarian commis- 

 sion to whom the frontier delimitation was re- 

 ferred, decided, in December, 1886, that the 

 district near Bregova belonged to Servia, and 

 that the old bed of the Timok river should at 

 this point mark the boundary. An act embody- 

 ing this decision was signed by the delegates of 

 the two governments on April 12, 1887. 



SOMALI-LAND. The fact, that in February, 

 1886, this country was formally taken under 

 the protection of Germany, the German Gov- 

 ernment declaring a protectorate over the 

 whole promontory, has brought this portion of 

 Africa under public notice. Somali-land is an 



extensive maritime tract in eastern Africa, 

 having the Gulf of Aden on the north, the In- 

 dian Ocean on the south, and the Jub river as 

 its southwestern boundary. From this latter 

 point to Cape Guardafui is about 900 miles, 

 and the entire area of the country is estimated 

 at 300,000 square miles, but a great portion 

 of the interior is unexplored, and its popula- 

 tion unknown. The land is elevated and 

 mountainous in the north, but slopes in ter- 

 races toward the south. The river Jub finds 

 its source in the mountains of southern Abys- 

 sinia, its mouth being on the northern frontier 

 of Zanzibar. This country was but little 

 known until explored by Mr. F. L. James, 

 whose report upon it was published in Lon- 

 don, in the " Proceedings of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society," in 1885. An English pro- 

 tectorate of the north coast was declared in 

 that year, and since then the ports of Zeilah 

 and Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden have been 

 occupied by British soldiers. The Somalis are 

 a Hamite race, akin to the ancient Egyptians, 

 and closely related to the Gallas, who live 

 south of Abyssinia, with whom, however, they 

 are at perpetual feud. They are a pastoral 

 people, but are none the less warlike on that 

 account. They are divided into tribes, each 

 tribe having its own sultan, and are not alto- 

 gether barbarous. About the center of the 

 promontory lies the country of Ogadayn, and 

 south of it is the rich valley of the Webbe 

 Shebeyli (*' Leopard river"). About 175 

 miles south of Zeilah, lies the town of Harar, 

 with about 35,000 inhabitants, protected by 

 walls, and surrounded by fields and orchards. 

 Burton visited it in 1856. It was the capital 

 of Hadiyeh, one of the seven provinces of the 

 Arab empire of Zeilah, founded in the seventh 

 century. In 1875 it was occupied by Egyptian 

 troops. It sends slaves, ivory, tobacco, gums, 

 tallow, and other produce to Berbera. The 

 Somali people breed enormous quantities of 

 camels, mainly for the sake of their flesh, and 

 the price of a camel in the markets is from 

 eighteen to twenty-five dollars. Off Cape 

 Guardafui, lies the island of Socotra, comprising 

 1.310 square miles, its capital, Tamarida. It is 

 mostly rocky and barren, but possesses fertile 

 valleys and plains. This island belongs to the 

 Sultan of Oman, but was taken under British 

 protection by treaty in 1876. The German 

 protectorate covers the territory to the north 

 beyond the land covered by British claims 

 (Berbera) and as f ar south as Warshoikh, where 

 the Zanzibar claims begin. Treaties have been 

 effected with the various Somali native rulers. 

 These natives have hitherto had very little 

 dealings with white traders, but a short time 

 since, an enterprising firm in Aden, undertook 

 to build up a regular communication and traf- 

 fic. They accordingly dispatched agents along 

 the coast to inform the natives that if they 

 would make their appearance at certain points 

 on the coast at specified periods, trade would 

 be opened with them. The Aden firm then 



