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allowed by law, be deducted from his pay by the Commandant, who shall pay over all sums so deducted to the proper officer for the use of the possession.

18. Every member of the force shall have the same protection and indemnities in the discharge of his duty as any constable or police officer in Queensland has by the law of that Colony.

19. The Administrator may grant rewards and gratuities to any member of the force whom he may deem deserving of the same, and any money so granted shall be paid out of the funds of the possession.

20. The members of the force shall execute all process and serve all summonses and warrants that may be sent to them to be executed or served by any Court of the possession. The members of the force shall also be bound to perform within the possession all the duties and functions that police officers and constables in the Colony of Queensland are liable and bound, as such police officers or constables, to perform in that Colony; but no member of the force shall be responsible for any irregularity in the issuing of any process, warrant, or summons, or for want of jurisdiction in the Court or person issuing the same.

21. Any person that shall assault, obstruct, or interfere with any member of the force in the execution of his duty, or that shall not assist any member of the force in the execution of his duty when called upon by such member so to do, and any person that shall induce or attempt to induce any member of the force to neglect or omit to perform any duty, shall, on conviction in a summary mauner, be liable to a penalty not exceeding 207., and, in default of payment, to be imprisoned, with or without hard labour, for any period not exceeding three months.

22. Any person, not being a member of the force, that shall, without a proper excuse, have in his possession any arm, accoutrement, badge, or any uniform or part of a uniform of any member of the force, or that shall assume the description or designation of, or falsely pretend or represent himself to be, a member of the force, shall, on conviction in a summary manner, be liable to a penalty not exceeding 201., and, in default of payment, to be imprisoned for any period not exceeding three months with or without hard labour.

23. In the event of the number of men fixed by resolution of the Legislative Council as that of the number of the force not being obtained by voluntary engagement, every male aboriginal native of the possession who is of sound bodily constitution, and who is, so far as can be ascertained by the person appointed to enrol such native a member of the force, between the ages of 17 and 40, both ages inclusive, and unmarried, shall be liable to be

enrolled as a member of the force. Due regard shall, in compelling enrolment as aforesaid, be had that not more than a reasonable proportion of men be enrolled from any one district. Provided always that the Administrator may from time to time exempt the inhabitants of any specified portion of the possession, or any person engaged in any specified occupation or specified calling, from the operation of this section.

24. Every person enrolled in the force under the last preceding section shall be enrolled for not more than three years, nor for less than one year, and shall, unless legally discharged or dismissed from the force, be obliged to serve as a member of the force for the period for which he has been enrolled, and no person so enrolled shall be liable to a second term of service.

25. Every enrolment, whether voluntary or compulsory, shall be conducted in such manner as the Administrator may from time to time direct.

26. A book to be called the "Roll Book of the Armed Constabulary" shall be provided and kept in the custody of the Commandant. The name of every member of the force, and such other particulars as the Administrator shall from time to time direct, shall be inserted in such book, and each member of the force shall be bound to sign, by signature or mark, his name in such book in that place in the book in which he shall be required to do so, and every such signature or mark shall be witnessed by some person that can read and write English. The production of such book, or an extract therefrom certified under the hand of a resident Magistrate, shall be primâ facie evidence of the truth of the contents of such book or extract, as the case may be.

27. A badge or other distinguishing mark or article may be provided for members of the force; and any person that shall wear or bear about him such distinguishing badge, mark, or article shall, until the contrary be proved, be deemed a member of the force, and be treated and obeyed by all persons accordingly.

28. Nothing in this Ordinance contained shall be deemed as preventing the Commandant from being suspended or dismissed in the same way that any other officer in the service of the possession may be suspended or dismissed, or as absolving the Commandant from the duty of obeying any proper order that he may receive from any superior officer in the service of the possession.

29. All offences against this Ordinance, and all matters to be decided by conviction in a summary mauner, may be heard and determined by the Commandant in his capacity as a resident Magistrate, if he has been appointed as such, or by any resident Magistrate having jurisdiction, or by any two or more Justices of the Peace having jurisdiction: Provided always that where there are difficulties

in the way of bringing members of the force before a resident Magistrate or Justices of the Peace, the Administrator may appoint any person or persons to hear and determine offences against the provisions of this Ordinance by any member of the force; and for the purpose of hearing and determining such offence, and of carrying any sentence imposed therefor into execution, such person or persons so appointed shall, by virtue of such appointment, and without taking any oath of allegiance or of office, be clothed with all the powers and authority of a resident Magistrate in offences punishable on summary conviction.

30. This Ordinance may be cited for all purposes as Armed Constabulary Ordinance of 1890."

Passed in Council, this 20th day of May, 1890.

66 The

CORRESPONDENCE respecting Affairs in the East (SerboBulgarian Relations; Montenegrin Immigration to Servia; Ex-Queen Nathalie of Servia; Prince Ferdinand's action; Bulgarian Loan; Major Panitza's Conspiracy: Bulgarian Debt to Russia; Brigands on Greek Frontier; Alleged Massacres of Christians; Ecclesiastical Grievances in Macedonia, &c.; Bulgarian Bishops; Berats; Greek Church; &c.).*-1889, 1890.

Mr. F. R. St. John to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received

(Extract.)

September 6.)

Belgrade, August 31, 1889. THE present unusual activity in the Servian War Department, to which the public seemed to attach exaggerated importance, and which I endeavoured to explain in my despatch to your Lordship of the 5th instant to be only a measure resorted to by every continental country, though neglected during the past three years, has not unnaturally, after their experiences of 1885, caused the Bulgarians to take alarm, and induced them to adopt such countermeasures as are deemed necessary to guard against another surprise.

These precautions in Bulgaria have, in turn, had for effect so to alarm the Servians that it is difficult now to tell which Government is most afraid of the other, while each, I verily believe, is unaffectedly anxious to remain at peace with its neighbour.

*This correspondence is extracted from Parliamentary Papers, Turkey,

No. 2 and No. 3 of 1891.

It is doubtless, therefore, with a view to allay this feeling of alarm, and in order to avoid injury to Servian credit in foreign money markets (a danger which I have never ceased on every suitable occasion from pointing out to Servian statesmen), that the Minister of the Interior recently addressed to every Prefect a copy of the inclosed Circular, purporting to show that the steps now taken by the War Department, with regard to the reserve forces, are strictly in accordance with an existing law, and that, therefore, all rumour to the contrary and of their alleged bellicose character is invented and propagated by political opponents. The Marquess of Salisbury.

F. R. ST. JOHN.

(Inclosure 1.)—Circular of the Minister of the Interior to the Prefects -Belgrade, August 12, 1889.

(Traduction.)

M. LE PRÉFET,

La loi sur l'organisation militaire prescrit que les soldats de tous les appels (bans) soient convoqués tous les ans pour une certaine période d'exercice déterminée par la loi. Mais cette prescription de la loi, qui est non seulement très nécessaire mais encore très utile, n'a pas été exécuté dans les trois dernières années, de sorte que les milices nationales n'ont pas été convoquées pour l'exercice.

Afin que cette prescription de la loi puisse être exécutée conformément à la loi sur l'organisation de l'armée, et pour que les anciennes listes tombées en désuétude à la suite de la longue nonconvocation et de l'inobservation régulière de leur contenu puissent être corrigées et complétées, le Ministre de la Guerre se conformant à la loi sur l'organisation de l'armée a ordonné que tous ceux qui sont obligés au service militaire soient convoqués devant les autorités compétentes, que les listes militaires soient corrigées et complétées, et que l'on détermine, à tous, les services qu'ils doivent remplir suivant la loi.

Des gens inconscients et des spéculateurs politiques ont essayé au détriment de la paix et de la tranquillité publique à exploiter dans un but inavouable l'exécution de ces prescriptions de la loi, en colportant dans les peuples la nouvelle mensongère d'une guerre imaginaire, troublant et ébranlant ainsi la population dans ses travaux réguliers comme dans ses devoirs envers l'État.

Appelé à me préoccuper de la tranquillité publique et de démentir tous les bruits qui seraient de nature à troubler cette tranquillité, tout en produisant une influence préjudiciable sur les affaires sociales et celles de l'État, je vous recommande, M. le Préfet, d'agir immédiatement avec toute la sévérité de la loi envers

ces inconscients et ces spéculateurs politiques, et d'exposer aux habitants de votre circonscription que dans le colportage de ces nouvelles il n'y a pas la moindre vérité.

Belgrade, le 2 Août, 1889.

K. S. TAUSCHANOVITCH, Ministre de l'Intérieur.

(Inclosure 2.)-Servian Army Organization Law.

(Traduction.)

ARTICLE 93. Les réservistes doivent être répartis pour l'exercice militaire avec leurs cadres permanents en unités de formation séparés, et ils doivent subir une période d'exercice, chaque année, pendant tronte jours au plus. La seconde levée doit être convoquées chaque année pour une période d'exercice de quinze jours au plus.

Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received September 6.)
MY LORD,
Sophia, September 2, 1859.
I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordship the following
items of military news:-

In accordance with the new military Law on recruitment, which will be submitted to the approval of the Sobranjé next October, the Bulgarian Government have called up the recruits, who usually only join the ranks at the end of December or beginning of January, for the 6th proximo. They amount to about 18,000.

By the adoption of this measure these recruits will have had six months' military training by the beginning of next spring, instead of being a raw and almost worthless body of men.

It is also proposed to retain the time-expired soldiers in the ranks, who are usually discharged next month, till the end of the year, thus raising the existing military force to about 50,000.

The Government have ordered 33,000 Berdan rifles aud 10,000,000 cartridges. The rifles are to be delivered by the 1st November, and the contract has been taken by a Bulgarian, a Frenchman, and a Belgian. They declare they can procure the rifles in Russia through the intermediary of a Belgian house.

Preparations are being made for mobilization in as short a time as possible in case of necessity; but no branch of the army has been actually mobilized, nor have troops been moved to the Servian frontier, as stated in the papers.

The Marquess of Salisbury.

I have, &c.,

N. R. O'CONOR.

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