THE BALKAN STATES

Otago Witness, Issue 2580, 26 August 1903, Page 21

THE BALKAN STATES

THE DESPATCH OF A RUSSIAN FLEET.

AUSTRIA BECOMING DOUBTFUL.

REPORTED MASSACRES.

THE TURKS REPULSED.

FURTHER RUSSIAN DEMANDS.

CONCEDED BY THE PORTE.

MORE RUSSIAN DEMANDS.

TURKEY AND GREECE.

THE RUSSIAN SQUADRON WITHDRAWN.

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE TURKS.

SOFIA, August 17. Colonel Zontcheff, a prominent rebel leader, recently arrested on the Bulgarian frontier, has escaped and left Bulgaria-. August 18. XJskub advices state that 600 BashiBazouks, under notoriously cruel Albanian chiefs, the Turkish authorities conniving, pillaged and destroyed the Christian villages in the Debra and Okrida. districts. Two divisions of Bulgarian reserves have been summoned to strengthen the frontier forces against the passage of revolutionary bands. August 20. Bulgarian official despatches state that a fear is prevalent in Salonica of a general massacre. The Consuls are afraid to leave their residences, and have asked for the despatch of a warship for' their protection. Two hundred women from the village of Bakovo, not spiritually to the ex-arch, but. to tho Greek patriarch, have arrived at Monastir, and petitioned for the protection of Russia and Austria and Hilmi Pasha, declaring that Bakovo had been burned and all the remaindei massacred. The revolutionists •in the Krushevo fight lost 60 killed and 12 wounded, and then left. The Turkish casualties totalled 250. Seventy insurgents near Kojie, in the TJskub district, fought the Turks for a whole day. The Bashi-Bazouks next day entered the village and slaughtered all the men aud women. Bulgaria has ordered 15,000,000 cartridges from Vienna, stipulating prompt delivery. August 22. A revolution ' has been commenced in the eastern part of the vilayet of Adrianople. The opinion is expressed at Sofia that the arrival of the Russian squadron encouraged the revolutionists at Monastir. . Advices state that the Turks massacred 200 surrenderee in a village* in that district. CONSTANTINOPLE, August 18. Halmi, the murderer of M. Rostovsky, the Russian Consul at Monastir, was an Albanian. The Sultan has summoned 52 fresh battalions of troops iv the European provinces, owing to the spread of the insurrection. The British Ambassador warned the Porte that the new excitement among the Moslems at Monastir would have disastrous consequences if there were i further attacks on consuls or foreign subjects. The Albanians who were recently dismissed from the Sultan's bodyguard are becoming a source of danger in Constantinople. About the date of M. JLostoyskv's

I murder Mr M'Gregor, the British Viceconsul at Monastir, noticing that a policeman who was guarding the police station neglected to salute him, summoned the captain, who tried to excuse his subordinate. Mr M'Gregor com- ' pelled the captain to take the police- , man's rifle and give the salute. August 19. Severe fighting has taken place in the Monastir district. Three battalions attacked 1000 insurgents, ami after six hours' fighting were repulsed, leaving 210 dead and wounded. Advices received at one of the embassies state that the insurgents in the vicinity of Monastir have massacred 800 Moslems. 'The railway bridge at Exschesaor has been dynamited, interrupting communication between Salonica and Monastir. - The Turkish troops who recently occupied Krushevo massacred all the Christians iv the town, including the employees of the Tobacco Company, which is under European control, It is reported that Michailovsky, the Bulgarian leader, was killed at Krushevo, 1 and that Sarafoff, the head of the Macedonian Committee, is surrounded at Prass, south of Monastir. Twenty-four battalions of Redifs in Anatolia have been summoned. August 20. 1 The Porte 'is aware the Russian squadron is intended to uphold Russian prestige, and is willing to concede the Russian demands, except as to tfie appointment of Christian, officers to the gendarmerie. Difficulties are urged upon that point. It is also feared the insurgents will interpret the despatch of the Russian squadron as the commencement of intervention. The telegraph lines have been cut between. Adriauople aud Constantinople. A bomb thrown into a merchant's shop in Philippopolis killed three persons. There are many signs of insubordination amongst the Turkish troops. Eight Macedonian workmen were proceeding to repair the railway at Zeleniktt when the soldiers shot three dead, and pursued the rest to the station, where they killed them in cold blood, notwithstanding the stationmaster's declaration that they were his employees. There are 170,000 Turkish troops of all arm> in Macedonia, costing £170,000 per mouth. August 21. The Ru.c&ian squadron has arrived at Iniador. The arrival produced a deep impression in Turkish official circles, although the demonstration is interpreted in some quarters in Vienna and elsewhere as directed equally against Bulgaria. Seventeen cases of explosives were seized at Dedeagatch, the terminus of one of the branches of the BelgradeConstantinople railway. Reuter's Agency reports that Count Zinovieff demanded, in addition to the recent demands, the reinstatement of officials unjustly dismissed, the liberation of Macedonians accused of furnishing the consuls with information in respect to the state of the country, and an exhaustive inquiry to determine whether the death of M. Rostkovsky (the Russian Consul at Monastir) was prearranged, inasmuch as his carriage was fired at when re-entering the town. It is also stated that Count Zinovieff explained that the despatch of a Russian squadron did not imply hostility to Turkey, but was as a demonstration intended to hasten acceptance and the application of Russian demand?. Tewfik Pasha (\iiuister for Foreign Affairs) accepted all the demands, and begged for the withdrawal of the squadron. The Turks captured a large insurgent baud at Fiorina, aud it is reported that the peasants in the district are laying j down their arms* I

Another band crossed the Bulgarian frontier towards Drama, where Ibrahim Pasha has had reinforcements sent to him. Greece has appealed to the Powers to terminate the excesses?* She complained that the Greek church and schools at Kutchero were dynamited, 322 Greek houses burned, and several Greeks killed. Tliere are indications that Greece is trying to conclude a military treaty with Turkey, in accordance with a clause (offensive and defensive) made in secret ; convention to enable Greece to annex Crete in return for her services. August 22. The insurgents burned Vaseliko, in Eastern Adrianople, and 12 villages. The officials of the places were cap- i tured and conveyed to Bulgaria, where j the captors were arrested and imprisoned. Severe fighting has taken place at Gevgele. Heavy losses were sustained by both sides. Tne Russian demands on Turkey include the concession of the cable in the Black Sea, heretofore the property of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. The Porte is engaging four Belgian officers for the gendarmerie in the hopes of a reform of the gendarmerie. These officers, together with two Swedish officers already appointed, will be entrusted with the task. Augu&t 23. Consular advices state that a body of Bulgarian Komitajis, on entering Kruslievo, killed 20 officials and two women. The Turks bombarded the place on the 12th and 13th, killing 41 Greeks. On the 14th the Turks entered the town and pillaged and burned the Greeks' houses, outraged the women, and conveyed 100 of the insurgents to Monastir, where tfyey were released. Twenty-two Christian villages in the Krushevo district have been burned. Eight thousand people were rendered homeless, ana are starving. The Porte is sending relief. Christian advices from Monastir declare that the Turks killed 300 local Bulgarians after the pillage of Krushevo, and massacred 60 innocent Greeks and Wallachians. The Turkish reservests forming part of the garrison at Vodens have deserted, owing to the sickness and privations endured by all the Ottoman forces. It h 'officially stated here that the Sultan has ordered the immediate fulfilment of Russia's demands. The Czar therefore orders the squadron to return to Sebastopol. Advices have been received that the Russian squadron has left. The Komitajis defeated a small detachment of Turks guarding a Imdge between Kupriedi and Zelniko. They were prepared to dynamite the bridge at the moment a train filled with soldiers was crossing. The drivers, suspecting something to be wrong, stopped the train. The Komitajis then threw a bomb, killing four soldiers. Advices from Bucharest assert that that Bulgarians and Greeks residing in Roumania have been recalled to thenhomes under mobilisation orders. The Porte has telegraphed strict injunction to commanders to avoid excesses. August 24. The coast villages between Bulgaria and Miada have been burning for threo days. Fourteen insurgents and 300 Turks were killed fighting in various part*> of the vilayet. The insurgents saluted the Ru&fciau warships passing Kuribirum. | It is reported at Salonica that 700 insurgents were killed at Flornia, in. the Okrida districts. - BUCHAREST, August 18. Roumania is actively manufacturing i/aiokeless powder.

ST. PETERSBURG, August 18. Rear-admiral Krueger commands the Russian squadron proceeding to Turkey, consisting of four battleships, four torpedo destroyers, and six J;orpedo boats. "" August 20. The newspaper Vcxlomosti states that the Emperor of Austria and King Charles of Roumania conferred at Ischul, and agreed that iv the event of war between Turkey and Bulgaria King Charles should occupy the Rustchuk, Varna, and Silistria triangle, and maintain the balance of power, because otherwise, if Macedonia was made autonomous, Bulgaria's influence would be too preponder- | ating. The Vodomosti adds that Russia ! does not trust Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria, who is absent at a critical moment. Tne Germans sympathise with the Slavs. /' '\ VIENNA, August 18. It is officially stated here that Austria is confident Russia will do nothing opposed to the Austro-Russia agreement, nor anything to impair the present good confidential relations. Austria was not consulted nor in-, formed officially regarding the despatch of a Russian squadron. The news is received iv Vienna with doubt and dissatisfaction. Austria is now trying to dissuade the Czar from making a demonstration, inasmuch as the Sultan has begun reparation for the murder of M. Rostovsky. August 19. The newspaper Xieue Free Presse scolds Russia for sending a squadron to Turkish waters, and adds that Count Lamsdorff's new path is not calculated to suppress the rising or to preserve the^, peace of Europe. August 24. Austria interprets the withdrawal of the Russian fleet as maintaining the Aii&tro-Russian understanding. ROME, August 19. The Italian squadron has been ordered to be held in readiness to proceed to Turkey. ' August 20. The Italian Government has -decided to act iv common accord with the other Powers, and send a squadron to Turkish waters if the others do so. ; ATHENS, August 20. I The Greek Government, the Meti-o-politan, and the people are showing active sympathy with tin Turks. ' BERLIN, August 20. The Cologne Gazette and other German newspapers betray irritation at the despatch of a Russian squadron, which is expected to rendezvous in the Gulf of Iriaxla. BRUSSELS, August 21. The newspaper Independence Beige states that the Powers have agreed to «uppre=s the revolt and apply reforms through Russia and Austria, operating respectively on sea and land; Italy exercising surveillance in Albania. After peace is restored the Powers will withdraw, j LONDON, August 19. .Turkish advices state that the Macedonians are intent upon embittering the Mahommedans with a view to provoking wholesale massacres, and thus securing European intervention. The Porte has warned the military and provincial authorities accordingly. August 20. The Daily Chronicle states that British warships have been ordered to rendezvous in the neighbourhood of Salonica. The Times says that Great Britain is firmly supporting Austria and Russia in reference to Turkey, and adds that Sir Roderick O'Conor (British Ambassador) has been instructed to warn the Porte. Mr Balfour's recent " balance of criminality " speech was purely parliamentary, and designed for purposes of esoteric debate. The Daily Chronicle's Vienna correspondent reports that Count Ziuovieff's

(Russian Ambassador) note to the Poi'fie demanded a strong official censure of Hilmi Pasha's laxity in permitting Turkish excesses. The correspondent adds that Austria and Britain are supporting Russia. Sir R. O'Conor also produced the British Consul's telegrams ' showing that the situation in Armenia was almost desperate. August 22. The Standard's correspondent - afi Odessa reports that after the Russian Admiral (Kraeger) left Odessa with tho squadron Admiral Syrydloff was instructed to hold the remainder of tho Euxine squadron in instant readiness in case of need. In addition to the movements of the navy, the Russian military commands in, the south and south-western military districts are 'again under provisional mobilisation orders. The Times says that the Sultan has promised to employ Russian, Austrian, and Hungarian officials to reorganise his methods of 'government in the disaffected districts.