THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8927, 16 December 1887, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887.

Aβ may be iimagined, an intense sense of their danger is general in the little free States of South-Eastern Europe, or the Balkan Peninsula, socalled for want of a better name, and news comes of a project of confederacy pat forward by eome of their statesmen, and for whi<!h they believe they will have the support of Turkey, and among the great Powers, of England and Italy. Under present circumstances they expect to be swallowed up by their formidable neighbours, Russia and Austria, they one and all regard the loss of their independence as sooner or later inevitable. Russia's restless ambition about Constantinople, baffled in 1855 and in 1879, is energetically displayed again, and if that ambition were to be gratified, it would be the fate of Rouioania and Bulgaria, lying on the road south, to be first seized. So, too, Aueti'ia's well known aspirations about Salonica would involve the absorption by the way of Servia and Montenegro. And the little kingdom of Greece feels that its independence could not long continue if that of its neighbours were gone. Accordingly, the project of a confederacy was broached, it would appear, a couple of years ago by statesmen in Athens. We find that it has now been revived by leading men in Bulgaria, and it is said to have hearty approval also in the Roumanian capital. Of course the movement is not officially taken up as yet, the several Governments not liking to show their hand until they know what support can be reckoned on among the great Powers. The idea set forth is a confederacy of the five selfgoverning States, and the two provinces Albania and Macedonia, belonging to the Sultan, to which it is believed he would for the purpose accord a tributary or full independence, to be then united under a Mussulman ruler, a large proportion of the inhabitants being Mahotnedans. It is believed that the Sultan would thus help the formation of the confederacy as constituting a bulwark for the protection of his capital. It is also believed that England and Italy at once, and ultimately France and Germany, would heartily approve of the confederacy. Remembering that the sword has been drawn ere now to support the Turkish Empire with its capital, peculiarly important from its strategic and commercial position, the authors of the movement consider that such a league could not but be welcome in Western and Central Europe, although it would not suit the Governments in Paris or Berlin to say so at present. It is said that the five States cau furnish an army of half a million of men, without counting the large addition that would be made from Albania and Macedonia,

It is to be hoped that the confederacy may be established ; it seems to offer the only chance for those little States to preserve their independence. There are some conspicuous obstacles however. The promoters of the movement rely ou the conflict of interests between their potent neighbours Russia and Austria. But how could that variance ha relied on 1 Might they not pull together for the common object of breaking up the confederacy ? Again, the confederates would have the internal danger of disagreement. They would contain within their bounds -no less than four distinct race. 1 ), not long enough independent to be far advanced in civilisation, and the're would bo Mussulman as well as'Ohristian populations. Within that region there are the Hellenes, or Greeks ; the Skipetar, or Albanians, supposed to be the ancient Illyrians; the Routnans, or Wallacks, who claim to be descended from Trajan's Roman coWists, and who exhibit much of the Italian strain in features and language; and the Sclavs, who compose the population of three of the States—Servia. Bulgaria, and Montenegro. The province of Macedonia includes in its population all the races—Bulgarian Sclavs in the east, Greeks in the south, and Albanians, thought to be the ancient inhabitants, in the west. It is proposed, if the Confederacy be formed, to rearrange the internal frontiers of the different States, so that each may include as much as possible the outlying members of its own race; but as in some districts there is a great admixture, the alteration might be easily a cause of quarrel. Albania baa always had much local independence, and the strong hand is still the principal adjueter of disputes among its warlike population, great numbers of whom are to be found in the Turkish army. Every Bey or Paaha used to have his bodyguard of Albanian infantry, and in late years, since the great emigration from the Caucasus, of Circassian cavalry also. The Montenegrins and Mountaineeers of Greece, who always held out in their fastnesses against Turkish rule, still maintain their martial habits, and only in this generation have ihey begun to quie.t down. Indeed, the recent fierce war between Servia and Bulgaria shows how easily quarrels break out in this region. Then the Greeks have long cherished the ambition of restoring a Byzantine empire, in which they should rule, and this ambition of her subjects wsfe shared by the late Queen Amalia. Greece has a right to have her bounds enlarged to the natural Hellenic frbntier, but the Byzantine idea has done her much harm with the other populations. In past times the Fanariot Greeks of Constantinople, who used to transactbusinesafor the Turks, rendered the name of their people unpopular, and on that account the Byzantine ambition ehown in recent years was all the more fiercely resented by Sclav and Rouman. In a word, the various populations inhabiting what was not long since European Turkey, are still in the undeveloped stage, and therefore, hard to manage for large political ends. But they have without exception made remarkable progress since they obtained free institutions. They exhibit fine capabilities, and have an important future in proepect if they are allowed to hold on their present path. Confederation undoubtedly offers

the best chance of getting through their present dangers; but, as their immature condition would offer a great field for foreign intrigue, the league could not last long -without outside support.