THE BALKANS

Evening Star, Issue 15075, 6 January 1913, Page 6

THE BALKANS

NEGOTIATING FOR PEACE. THE ALLIES WANT ADRIANOPLE. TURKEY CLINGS TO IT. DEA DLOCIv THR EATENED. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. „.. • LONDON, Januarv 4. The representatives of the Allies ‘at the Peace conference demanded that the Turks should accept, by 4 o’clock on Monday afternoon, the f ollowing conditions ;—The relinquishment of Crete, the cession of the JEgean Islands, and a. delimitation of Thrace which would leave Adrianople in the Allies hands. Otherwise negotiations may be ruptured. The Turkish delegates proposed for the delimitation of Thrace a boundary starting near Adrianople, leaving that city to turkey, and thence following the river Arda westward to Lagos Bay and east-’ uaid to 1 hasos Island. Thev are prepared to renounce Crete on 'the Great PoM-ers undertaking that thev will not have to cede other islands. The Allies replied, regretting that Turney was ignoring (he results of the war. They \vere justified, they said, in ceasine negotiations forthwith, but to prove that they were conciliatory they had resolved to delay the decision until Monday. _ Rcshid Pasha thereupon stated that the Turkish delegates were prepared to reply on Saturday afternoon. . THE POWERS’ INFLUENCE EXERTED FOR PEACE. LONDON] January 5. (Received January 6, at 11.50 a.m.) Reuter advises that as a result of advice given by the Powers the peace negotiations will not be broken off on Monday. Turkey will probably propose a. new frontier line, but this will still be drawn so that Turkey retains Adrianople. CONFERENCE TO RESUME TO-DAY. LONDON. January 4. At the last moment the Conference was not held to-day, Rcshid Pasha having suggested that it should be postponed until Monday. The Turkish delegates state that the adjournment will give the Allies time for reflection regarding the Turkish instructions as to Adrianople and the ,-Egean Islands, which are quite definite. AN ULTIMATUM. LONDON. January 4. the Balkan delegates state that, unless the Turks comply with all their demands on Monday hostilities will be resumed four days later. ALLIES" INSISTENCE EXPLAINED. LONDON, January 4. The ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ asserts that the Allies have _received information to the effect that Nazim Pasha has informed the Grand Vizier that Turkey is unable to resume hostilities. TURKEY" S SHEET - A NCH OR. CONS lANJINOPLE, Januarv 4. Remarkable optimism in regard to the peace negotiations prevails here, and has produced an appreciable rise in stocks. LONDON, January 4. Most of the newspapers are convinced that the Powers are bound to intervene if the Peace Conference fails. BULGARIA IMPATIENT.

SOFIA, January 4. King Ferdinand, addressing a deputation from the Sobranje, sa.id that if a settlement was not reached he would not hesitate to resort to aims to compel an equitable _ satisfaction to the Allies for their sacrifices. RUMANIA PREPARING. BUCHAREST. Januarv 4. The officers of the reserve have been ordered to be prepared to join the colors. AX ARMISTICE OF SORTS. A! HENS, January 4. Since the armistice over 7,000 Greeks and Tmks have been killed or wounded. SHORT NAVAL ENGAGEMENT. ATHENS. January 5. (Received January 6. at noon.) The Medjidieh, Hamidieh, and six destroyers left the Dardanelles and exchanged shots with Greek destrovers. They 'retreated to tho strait directly they saw the remainder of the Greek squadron on the horizon. FIGHTING GENERALS. LONDON, January 5. (Received January 6. at noon.) Enver Bey, after reviewing the troops at Chatalja, sent the Grand Vizier a telegram signed by 25 generals demanding the resumption of hostilities. SERVIA’S PATIENCE EXHAUSTED. BELGRADE, January 5. (Received January 6, at noon.)

The ‘ Samonprava ’ says, sami-officially, referring to Austria and" Italy's demands,’ that Servia has made a painful sacrifice in allowing the creation of air autonomous Albania. Now the demarcation of Albania has begun, tho tendencies are on cverv side to wrest territories from the victorious Servians, and their patieneg is at an end. Servia may not bo niggardly in shedding blood, and it is dangerous to trifle with the agony of sick people. THEN AND NOW. The apparently poor display of the Turks against their foes contrasts strongly with the daring deeds of former days. In ‘ Under the Red Crescent ’ is told a story of a previous campaign against the Servians. It seemed that Abdul Kerim Pasha, the Turkish commander, while inspecting the troops one morning, casually expressed a wish that he could capture' a Servian prisoner from the Servian lines. Ahmed Bey, a handsome man of astounding physical strength, who overheard the remark, rode up, and, saluting, asked to be permitted to get the commander a prisoner. The army was then at Nish (already mentioned in connection with tiie present war), and Abdul Kerim wonderingly gave the required permission. Without another word Ahmed Bey wheeled his charger, dashed the spurs into his flanks, and galloped off in front of the astonished detachment straight for the nearest Servian outpost. As the brave man approached the hnes_ half a dozen rifles cracked, for the Servian vedettes opened fire on him, hoping to drop him on the wing. But Ahmed Bey galloped on unharmed, having deliberately marked out one sentry for his prey The sentry emptied bis rifle at the audacious horseman in vain, and, too late started to run. Ahmed Bey swooped down on him like a sparrowhawk upon a landrail, and bending clown, grasped the man by the collar in an iron grip and flung him without any eftort across the saddle in front ol him. Then he galloped back again, bending over his horse’s neck as the bullets whistled over Ills head, and dcliyored his bewildered prisoner to the Turkish commander amid the shouts of the ■whole detachment. "THE .MOST VIRILE PEOPLE IN EXISTENCE.” The Bulgarians (writes the ‘ Bystander’s ’ war correspondent) are one of' the most moral and virile people now in existence Drunkenness is rare among the men •" among the women it is unknown. And if drunkenness is rare among the men, so is immorality among the women, the Bulgarian woman having a verv high conception of her duties as wife and mother. Since the country was liberated from the black shadow of Turkish misrule, a wonderful change has taken place. Sofia, from being a collection -of squalid hovels, is now a fine city of 120,000 inhabitants, with every.convenience such a city, should'have.

THE FALL OF MONASTIR. Reports which have been received from Servian headquarters give fuller details of the first day's fighting round Mon astir. A Servian division found itself opposed to a force of 20,000 Turks. The weather was very had, and the ground was almost impassable, the Servian troops being up to their knees in water. In' spite of those difficulties the Servians captured the two important heights of Oblakova and Ivochista, both about 3,600 ft high, by a bril-liantly-executed night' attack. At the same time the right wing swung round, and seized the Dolentze-Gia-war road, cutting into the Turkish lines of communication, and destroying the possibility of an unmolested retirement upon Ochrida. The Turks, being hemned in, fought desperately, aware that it was their last" chance, and the Servians suffered severely, losing 250 killed and wounded. It is not known how many the Turks lost. Several officers were among the Turkish prisoners, including a colonel and a major. A GREAT CAPTURE. All events at the seat’ of war were dwarfed by the capture of Mouastir and 40.000 Turks by the Servians and Greeks. Tliis is the greatest individual success scored by any of the Allies so fax. Apart from Constantinople itself, Monastir was the chief town in European Turkey. Its population is 60,000. and the vilayet of which it was the capital had a population of 850,000. It was the stronghold of Turkey in Macedonia, and with its downfall Macedonia may at last be said to have passed out of the hands of the Turks. The victory was not obtained without hard fighting. The delay of the Servians in following up the success at Knmanovo was no doubt useful to the Turks in enabling, them to complete the defences of Monastic, which was supposed to contain the best equipped troops in the Turkish army. The fighting, says the ‘ Standard’s’ representative, lasted two days. The Servians occupied all the high points north-west of the town, and brought up a great number of field batteries with 17 howitzers and other heavy guns, which were able to silence the Turkish artillery fire. A Servian division was ordered to take up position on the heights to the west of the town, in order to cut off the retreat of the Turks. The position was held by 20.000 Turks, with 17 guns. Despite the great difficulties caused by the flooded state of the, country, the Servian troops from the Moravia- district, led by Colonel Nedics. after wading through deep water, stormed the position. This prevented the Turkish garrison from retiring into Albania. The Servian attack was from the north and west, and the Greeks cut off the retreat to the south.

A SERVIAN COLONEL'S BRILLIANT MANCEUVRE. There was much excitement in Belgrade on the evening of November 18 on the occasion of the fall of Monastic. It was thought that the Servians would have to make considerable sacrifices in order to capture the town, as it was known that tire Turks were placed in an excellent fighting position. Colonel Nedica. however, as the result of a brilliant manoeuvre, succeeded in cutting into the Turkish line of retreat into Albania. Additional credit falls upon Colonel Nedics's column, as. it was only after terrible hardship that they attained their object. A great part of the ground to be crossed was flooded, and in tome places the soldiers were wading tip to their chests in water. Seeing his lines of communication broken into, the Turkish commander recognised the peril of his position and surrendered. AN ARTILLERY DUEL. A despatch from Constantinople dated November 18 said ; The battle continues to rage at Chatalja and to provide the “confused noise without” necessary to every well-ordered melodrama. Rumors of victories and disasters alternate every half-hour—the former baaed on the fact that the. Bulgarians have made no progress and that the cannonade is no nearer, and the latter on the arrival in town during the last 46 hours of a number of gun shy Anatolians, who have been wisely packed off by the. military authorities as mere encumbrances to the army. Foreigners report that the Bulgarians seem to be confining themselves to' the bombardment of the lines. The Bulgarian batteries had to bear the fire of the heavy guns of three warships. ■ This tire, directed by signals from (he hills, seemed to he very effective. The artillery combat ebbed and flowed till sundown. Just before nightfall the rapid battery fire was renewed with much more*energy on the part of the. Bulgarians against the Hamidieh works. The response of the Turkish gunners was as energetic. But with the setting sun all signs of the fight disappeared, save the flames of burning villages. Thus finished the first, day of the Bulgarian preparation to discover a. salient point in tho famous linos of Chatalja.