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I am informed that his Excellency will act upon these instructions to-morrow.

Both Baron Calice and I have already acted on our instructions to counsel the Porte to view the Bulgarian wishes on this question in as favourable a light as possible.

(Telegraphic.)

The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. O'Conor.

Foreign Office, July 11, 1890. WE cannot support the application of the Bulgarian Government for the recognition of Prince Ferdinand. We think it unwise to put forward such a demand at the present time.

We are, however, doing what we can to prevail upon the Porte to redress ecclesiastical grievances of Sultan's Bulgarian subjects in Macedonia.

Inform Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs.

(Telegraphic.)

The Marquess of Salisbury to Mr. Fane.

Foreign Office, July 11, 1890.

ECCLESIASTICAL question in Macedonia.

Act in concert with your Austro-Hungarian and Italian colleagues in recommending Porte to consider favourably any proposal for redressing the ecclesiastical grievances of Bulgarian subjects of the Sultan in Macedonia.

Mr. Fane to the Marquess of Salisbury.*-(Received July 12.)

MY LORD,

Therapia, July 8, 1890.

I HAVE but just time to do myself the honour of forwarding to your Lordship by this afternoon's post the inclosed copy of a fresh communication from the Bulgarian Governinent to the Sublime Porte, signed by M. Stamboloff. This communication softens down the first note by declaring that the sense attributed to the latter, namely, that it aimed at forcing the hand of the Sublime Porte by intimidating the Imperial Government, is absolutely contrary to the truth, the real object of that note having been merely to explain to the Suzerain Government the situation of Bulgaria, and to solicit the aid and protection of the Imperial Government.

This new note is dated the 22nd June; it was sent by telegraph, and

4th July

* Substance received by telegraph.

was immediately (on Saturday, I think) presented to the Grand Vizier by Dr. Voulcovitch,

I am sending a copy of this despatch to Mr. O'Conor.

The Marquess of Salisbury.

I have, &c.,

EDMUND FANE.

(Inclosure.)-M. Stamboloff to Dr. Voulcovitch.

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JE vous autorise de déclarer en mou nom à son Altesse le Grand Vizir et à la Sublime Porte que le sens et la portée attribués à la lettre du Gouvernement en date du Juin courant, à savoir, qu'elle vise de forcer la main à la Subline Porte en intimidant le Gouvernement Impérial, sont absolument contraires à la vérité. Le but réel de la lettre en question est celui d'exposer au Gouvernement Suzerain la situation de la Bulgarie et de solliciter l'aide et la protection du Gouvernement Impérial de Sa Majesté le Sultan. Dr. Voulcovitch.

STAMBOLOFF.

Mr. Fane to the Marquess of Salisbury-(Received July 13.) (Telegraphic.)

Therapia, July 13, 1590. WITH reference to your Lordship's telegram of the 11th instant, Baron Blanc, the Italian Ambassador, informed the Sublime Porte yesterday that, in accordance with instructions received from his Government, his Excellency joined with his Austrian and British colleagues in counselling the Imperial Government to look upon the Bulgarian wishes in the question of the Bishops in Macedonia favourably.

Mr. Fane to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received July 13.) (Telegraphic.)

Therapia, July 13, 1890. WITH reference to my telegram of the 11th instant, I have the honour to state to your Lordship that M. de Radowitz informed me yesterday that he had told the Grand Vizier and Saïd Pasha, Minister for Foreign Affairs, that the German Government, although desirous of continuing in their attitude of reserve in matters connected with Bulgaria, feel themselves compelled in the general interests of peace to express their approval of the counsel given to the Sublime Porte by the Cabinets of Great Britain, Italy, and Austria, viz., that concessions ought to be made with respect to the position of the Bulgarian Bishops in Macedonia.

Mr. Baring to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received July 14.)

MY LORD,

Cettinjé, July 6, 1890.

In previous despatches I have had the honour to report to your Lordship on the subject of the rumoured distribution of arms to Rayahs who had come to Cettinjé. The Turkish Minister having lately received instructions to make official representations on the subject to the Montenegrin Government, called on M. Vucovitch and asked for explanations. That gentleman positively denied that the Government had distributed a single rifle, but said that possibly some Montenegrins who had old arms in their possession may have sold them to the refugees, though where the latter, who are supposed to have crossed the border in great destitution, got the money to pay for their purchases, he did not explain.

The Turkish allegation is that, altogether, 300 rifles have been distributed. Of course, it is impossible to fix the exact number, but I have very little doubt that arms have been distributed.

In my despatch of the 2nd instant I mentioned the complaints made by the Turkish authorities against the Montenegrins.

Tewfik Bey called on me yesterday and spoke to me at great length on these subjects, and, if all his information is correct, the frontier populations may be said to have been at open war with each other for the last month.

He had first complained of a gathering of armed Montenegrins near Andrijevitza. The Prince and M. Vucovitch gave some explanations and assurances, but said that reliable information could not be got at once, as the telegraph to Andrijevitza was interrupted (see my despatch of the 26th ultimo). After several days' delay M. Vucovitch gave further explanations which were rather of a contradictory nature. He first said that the Rugova people had been firing a "feu de joie," and that the Montenegrins had assembled, thinking they were going to be attacked, but that there had been no fighting; and again, on a subsequent occasion, he said that there had been a skirmish, and that lives had been lost.

After this came the attacks on Rugova and on the villages in the valley of the Lim.

Tewfik Bey said that no less than seventeen Mussulmans bad been murdered by Montenegrins during the last four weeks, the cases of the two merchants of Sjenitza being peculiarly atrocious. These men, who were totally unconnected with the country, presented themselves at the Montenegrin frontier near the Lim and asked if they could pass in safety. They were assured no harm would befall them, but when they had ridden inland for an hour or so they were attacked and murdered.

Tewfik Bey has naturally made strong representations respecting these outrages, and has received the most friendly assurances. He was told that the murderers of the two merchants had been arrested, and that the Captain of Andrijevitza, who was a good deal to blame for all these disturbances, had been put under arrest, and would be brought to Cettinjé.

Tewfik Bey went on to say that there was much excitement among the Albanians, but that they were kept in check by the strong force posted along the froutier at Gusinjé, Ipek, and other places, and he thought that the Albanians thus being restrained had emboldened the Montenegrins to make these attacks.

With regard to the dispute between the Kutchi and the Klementi respecting Velipolje, to which I have referred in my despatch of the 26th ultimo, Tewfik Bey told me that the Prince had now consented to have the Montenegrin claim adjudicated on by the Scutari Tribunals. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury.

WALTER BARING.

P.S.-I omitted to state that another "Captain" has actually been appointed for the district of Andrijevitza, and has already left for his post.

W. B.

M. Yovitchich to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received July 15.)

M. YOVITCHICH presents his compliments to his Excellency the Marquess of Salisbury, and begs to call the attention of his Excellency, according to the instructions received from the Servian Government, to the assassination of the Servian Vice-Consul in Pristina, M. Luka Marinkovich, which took place in that town, as his Excellency is already aware, on the 19th ultimo (o. s.), about 8:30 P.M., when there were still people in the streets, and many shops open, and hardly about 150 yards from the Governor's residence.

The news of the murder only reached Belgrade next morning about 3 o'clock, although the widow of M. Marinkovich sent the telegram about 10 the night before. According to the information received from her and the Servian Consul in Uscup-Skoplje, M. Karich, who has been ordered to proceed at once to Pristia to assume the duties of the Servian Consulate there, and make the strictest inquiries as to the circumstances under which M. Marinkovich was shot, the probability is that the murder has been com mitted by an organized conspiracy of some fanatical Turks and Albanians of Pristina. As yet it has not been ascertained how far the local authorities may be implicated in the affair, but it is

certain that they were not ignorant of the fanatical hate some inhabitants entertained against the Servian Vice-Consul, as the Mutessarif of Pristina, through the Turkish Minister at Belgrade, had asked General Grouich, not long ago, to transfer M. Marinkovich to another post, as it was thought that he had legalized some papers which were not authentic. Although such reasons would not be sufficient for the removal of an official, even if proved true, stil, for the sake of the maintenance of friendly relations with Turkey, and in the interest of avoiding any possible disagreement or friction between the Servian Agents and the Turkish authorities, General Grouich promised to move M. Marinkovich from Pristina as soon as he could find a suitable person to replace him; at the same time, the impression this little incident left was that the Mutessarif's dissatisfaction was directed more against the institution of the Servian Consulate in Pristina than the person of M. Marinkovich.

The local authorities seem to have been wanting in patience. From the information received it transpires that about ten to fifteen days before the murder, a gipsy began coming frequently in front of the Servian Consulate, and, under the pretence of being drunk, made great disturbance and all sorts of annoyance. Such repeated boldness from a gipsy could hardly be understood unless he was instigated by others. On the very evening of the assassination the gipsy came twice, and caused such disorder before the Consulate that M. Marinkovich, when the gipsy came for the second time, found himself forced to order his " gavas to take the man to the police, and afterwards himself left the Consulate to go to the Governor's house to complain of the offence, when the murderer's hand stayed him on the way. It can hardly be doubted that the gipsy in question played the rôle of a provocateur in order to bring M. Marinkovich out on the street, where his murderer awaited him.

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The incident which preceded this horrible crime, and the circumstances under which it was committed, are of such a nature that it must be regarded as the consequence of incited fanaticism, in the face of which the Turkish authorities, either being powerless, or from some other reason, seem standing with folded arms. The Vilayet of Cossova is the scene of constant violence and crime. Not a day almost passes but that the news does not reach the Servian Government of some murder, robbery, and of violent breaking-up of homes of the whole of the Christian communities. The Servian Government has been obliged twice already to make friendly representations to the Sublime Porte asking that serious measures might be taken at last to prevent illegalities, which forced hundreds of poor Christian families, almost naked and barefooted, to the Servian territory, thereby exciting the people on the frontier, and

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