THE ELECTION OF PRINCE FERDINAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8036, 25 August 1887, Page 5

THE ELECTION OF PRINCE FERDINAND.

The Tirnova correspondent of the London Times, writing on July 7, gives the following account of the election of the new Prince of Bulgaria :—" Prince Ferdinand of Coburg was elected Prince of Bulgaria this morning by acclamation. The Sobranje met at nine o'clock. The proceedings were brief. After the calling over of the names, the President, M. Tontcheff, ascended the tribune, and proposed the Prince in a few words, reading out his Highness'a name and lineage from a manuscript. All the members, including the Opposition, stood up shouting and clapping their hands. M. Tontcheff returned to the chair, and put the Prince's election formally to the vote. Again the deputies rose, applauded, and cheered. The j galleries were crowded with spectators of j both sexes, but these made no demonstration, it was raining bard outside, and the hall was bo dark that lighted candles were placed on the table of the president and secretaries. Before the election a large, fullface cabinet photograph of the Prince was handed round among the deputies, and ♦■•here was much scrambling to see it. The resolution to propose the Coburg Prince was not definitively adopted by the Government till last night. At eight o'clock there was a council of Regents and Ministers, after which a private sitting of the Sobranje in committee took place. M. Stoiloff gave an account of the steps taken in the last eight months to obtain the choice of a Prince by the Great Powers, and concluded by saying that Prince Ferdinand of Coburg would accept the Crown, subject to ratification by the Powers. ' If, however,' added M. Stoiloff, 'the Powers fail to agree in approving the I choice of a Prince, nothing is left for us but to proclaim the independence of Bulgaria.' M. Stambouloff said the same thing to me yesterday, remarking that the Powers had duties towards Bulgaria as well as rights. 'They are bound,' ho said, 'to provide us with a Prince ; if not, we must act for ourselves.' After M. Stoiloff had spoken, the Opposition declared they would support the Prince's election, and this morning a telegram was received from the Zankoffists at Constantinople saying that they also would be loyal to the new Prince."