401 ] FROM THE MIDDLE 02 THE IQTH CENTURY IO3 



Moldavia and they failed to bring about a solution of the 

 question at the final Conference of Paris.^^ It was at the 

 suggestion and through the influence of the French Gov- 

 ernment, which owed its existing form to the notorious 

 plebiscite of 1851, that the Paris Conference decided to 

 leave the solution of this vexing question to the wishes of 

 the people concerned.^* In Article 24 of the Peace Treaty 

 of March 30, 1856, "His Majesty, the Sultan promises to 

 convoke immediately in each of the two Provinces a Divan 

 ad hoc [a Parliament], composed in such a manner as to 

 represent most closely the interests of all classes of society. 

 These Divans shall be called upon to express the wishes of 

 the people in regard to the definite organization of the Prin- 

 cipalities. "^° Strangely enough, the suggestion to submit the 

 issue to a plebiscite was supported by Austria and Turkey, 

 who desired nothing less than to have a vote of the people 

 show their wishes for union. In fact, they hoped to in- 

 fluence, and for a time succeeded in controlling, the vote to 

 such an extent as to present to the Powers a decision favor- 

 able to their, the Austro-Turkish, view, which was then 

 also supported by England.-^ Austrian influence in the 

 coming elections was enhanced by the fact that the Viennese 

 Government had refused to withdraw its troops until the 

 Bessarabian boundary question found a settlement. ^^ 



A Commission of the Powers was charged to inquire into 

 the actual conditions of the Principalities and to propose a 

 basis for their organization.^® The elections were to be held 

 under provisional governments appointed by the Sultan,-" 

 and while the outcome of the elections was to be considered 

 by the Commission and the result of its own labor was to 

 be reported without delay for ratification to a new cou- 



28 Jorga, p. 30s ; Mano, pp. 81-83. 

 2* Mano, pp. 83-84. 



25 Hertslet, vol. ii, pp. 1250-1264. Articles concerning Roumania 

 given as Appendix to Mano's work. 

 2" Mano, p. 85. 



2^ JofRa, p. 3(j6 : Mano, pp. 89, 96. 

 ^'^ Article 23 of the Treaty. 

 2® Mano, p. 89. 



