TURKEY AND MACEDONIA. RECENT ARRESTS AT SOFIA.

Evening Post, Volume LXI, Issue 87, 15 April 1901, Page 5

TURKEY AND MACEDONIA. RECENT ARRESTS AT SOFIA.

[PRESS ASSOCIATION.J (Received April 15, 8.48 a.m.) LONDON, 14th April. The arrest of the Central Macedonian,'' Committee is attributed to Turkish and Russian pressure on the Bulgarian Government. The Macedonians we frantically indignant, and accuse the Bulgarian Government of shameful treachery. The lives of the Bulgarian Ministers are in dancer, and Prince Ferdinand has also been denounced. On Ist February, Infoßmatitta, a par- 1 ticularly well-infornwd news-sheet pubHshed in Vienna, printed the following Mrtei&gence from Uskub, in Macedonia: " Domiciliary searches are being actively continued at the residences of the^ noiable Bulgarian inhabitants. The autnOTifeies are endeavouring to seize all arms, ti^gdiber whb copies of a proclamation distributed by th& committee at Sofia. It-is stated in this proclamation that everything has been arranged for a rising in the spriag, that armed bandswill come across the Bulgarian frontier, giving the signal for a general insurrection, and that Montenegro witt energetically support the Macedoniafi dCthand for autonomy. In this connection it is alleged" that Prince' Battentrerg^ who, as is known, married a daughter of the Prince: of Montenegro, has been chosen as Governor of the new autonomous province, his cßtadidaturd being also supported hf Rttssia. The success of the revolt de- , pends entirely on its being kept up until European diplomacy shall intervene. In ! the presence of the existing situation this would not be long delayed. In Bulgaria circles at Uskob it is said that Prince Battenberg, brother, of the late Prince ctf Bulgaria, will himself be catted upon to -rule the principality, as the Bulgarian people are much dissatisfied with the government of Pfince Ferdinand. The Macedonian Committee is understood to be working actively in that, direction. To judge by the intense activity of the Turkish police authorities, the state of things in Macedonia must by this time bo very serious indeed. There have never been so many domiciliary searches and arrests as at present. Whole batches of Bulgarian agents, or of persons' held to be such, are sent under escort to Salonika. This only serves, however, to" increase the popular e*citemerife Tfee 1 indignation at the violent proceedings" oi the police is general." The Prince of Battenberg, to whom the above refers, is Prince Francis Joseph, now in his 40th year, who was married four years ago Id Princess Anne of Montenegro.