66 



RUSSIA, TURKEY, AND BULGARIA. 



a pacific solution, the Servians and Montenegrins (incited, no doubt, 

 by Russian Panslavists, and supported by Russian gold and Russian 

 officers), soon afterwards declared war against Turkey, which banished 

 all hopes of peace in the East being maintained. 



Towards the end of April the insurrection, fomented by foreign 

 emissaries, spread to Bulgaria ; but it was characterised by such 

 barbarous atrocities that naturally aroused a storm of public 

 indignation in England against Turkey, and a strong demand was 

 made that England should separate herself from a nation which 

 perpetrated such cruelties; that a stop should be put to Turkish 

 rule in Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Herzegovina ; a demand which com- 

 pelled the Porte to take vigorous measures to stamp out the rebellion. 

 At this crisis, an important declaration was made by Lord Derby, 

 the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to a large and influential deputation, 

 organised by Messrs. Richard, O'Neill, and Appleton, which waited 

 upon him at the Foreign Office, introduced by Mr. Bright, when 

 the views and policy of the Government were clearly set forth in 

 the following terms : — 



"The policy of Her Majesty's Government will be a policy of 

 strict neutrality, except where it may be able to interpose its 

 friendly offices to hasten the close of the war. » * * 

 " We have done what was in our power to prevent this war breaking 

 out. In that we failed. We shall now do what is in our power to 

 keep it within certain limits * * * We shall not intervene, we 

 shall do our utmost, if necessary, to discourage others from inter- 

 vening. 

 " If an opportunity of mediation should offer itself, we shall gladly 

 avail ourselves of it; while we retain, as we are bound to do, our 

 own freedom, and our own independence of action and of judg- 

 ment, we attach quite as much importance as those others with 

 whom we have acted to that general understanding among the 

 great European States, which is the best and surest guarantee of 

 peace." 

 Turkey had now entered on a struggle with Servia and Monte- 

 negro, which threatened the very existence of her Empire ; and the 

 progress of her arms (especially in Servia where the Turkish Army 

 was everywhere victorious) looked favourable for its preservation. 



But unfortunately for Turkey, in this hour of her victory over her 

 enemies in Servia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, the Russian Ambas- 

 sador, General Ignatieff, presented an ultimatum to the Porte, 

 demanding an immediate armistice, with a view to a Conference for 



