Mr. F. R. St. John to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received May 2.) (Extract.) Belgrade, April 28, 1890. GENERAL GRUITCH informed me to-day that he had received an intimation from the Bulgarian Government of their intention of appointing M. Dimitroff, the Prefect of Philippopoli, as their Agent at Belgrade. The Marquess of Salisbury. F. R. ST. JOHN. Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received May 2.) MY LORD, Sophia, April 26, 1890. WITH reference to my despatch of the 14th instant, I have the honour to report to your Lordship that M. Stransky informed me this morning that M. Petkovitch had called upon him on his returu from Belgrade yesterday afternoon, and had given him assurances, on the part of the Servian Minister for Foreign Affairs, of the desire of his Government to maintain friendly relations with Bulgaria, and to put an end to the discussions arising out of the proceedings of M. Minchovitch with regard to the Macedonian students. M. Stransky said that he was most anxious for an amicable settlement, and that he had accordingly requested M. Petkovitch to ask whether it would be agreeable to the Servian Government to receive M. Dimitroff, at present Prefect of Philippopoli, as Bulgarian Diplomatic Agent at Belgrade. In case of an affirmative answer, of which he had no reason to doubt, he would at once appoint M. Dimitroff to that post, and rest satisfied with the assurances of the Servian Government that they would at an early opportunity also appoint a titular Agent at Sophia. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., N. R. O'CONOR. Consul General Blunt to Sir W. White.-(Received at the Foreign Office, May 5.) SIR, Salonica, April 28, 1890. WITH reference to my despatch of the 21st instant, I have the honour to report to your Excellency that the presence at Uscup of the Bulgarian Bishop Theodosius appears to have produced some discontent and agitation in the Greco-Vlach community of that place. I inclose a translated extract from the Greek newspaper the "Pharos of Macedonia," as well as the copy of a letter from a Bulgarian correspondent at Uscup, on the subject. It is now rumoured here that the Bulgarian Exarch is trying to obtain the permission of the Porte to send Bishops to Kiuprulu (Velès), Monastir, and Ochrida, three important Bulgarian centres in Macedonia. I have, &c., Sir W. White. J. E. BLUNT. (Inclosure 1.)—Extract from the "Pharos of Macedonia" of April 23, (Traduction.) 1890. ON nous écrit bien des choses sur la conduite des Bulgares à l'arrivée de leur Évêque. Malgré que cet Évêque n'est pas muni d'un Bérat, et n'est pas par conséquent officiellement reconnu, tout de même les Bulgares ne peuvent pas dérober leur joie qu'ils manifestent; tout au contraire, publiquement d'une manière provoquante et scandaleuse à la fois, notre correspondant nous notifie les injures qui sont lancé en pleine rue contre l'Archevêque Païssios, et les Hellènes en général, injures que nous dédaignons d'énumérer, et que seul les dignes descendants de Kroum sont capables de prononcer. Nous n'aurions pas fait mention de ces actes du fanatisme sauvage des Bulgares si l'indignation avec laquelle notre correspondant parle de la façon d'agir de ces Bulgares vis-à-vis de leurs concitoyens Orthodoxes et leur Évêque ne nous permettait pas de les passer sous silence. (Inclosure 2.)-Letter from a Bulgarian Correspondent. Uscup, le 22 Avril, 1890. L'ÉVÊQUE Bulgare, Mgr. Theodosius, est arrivé à Uscup tout à fait tranquillement. Il s'est rendu immédiatement chez son Excellence le Vali, et lui a remis les lettres dont il était muni de la part de son Altesse le Grand Vézir. Sa réception a été cordiale. A la suite l'Évêque a été dans l'église Bulgare, où la population Bulgare l'attendait, et a fait des prières pour la conservation du Sultan, et un discours plein de bons conseils. Jeudi soir, quand l'Évêque a voulu officier dans l'église, le Vali l'interdit, ce qui a fort inquiété la population Bulgare; et la communauté Bulgare a adressée des plaintes télégraphiquement à Sa Majesté le Sultan, à son Altesse le Grand Vézir, et à sa Béatitude l'Exarque Bulgare. Samedi, la veille de Pâque, le Vali a fait savoir à la communauté que l'Évêque était libre de célébrer les offices, et qu'il devait se borner à exercer ses devoirs ecclésiastiques sans s'immiscer dans les affaires politiques et administratives du pays, vu qu'il ne pouvait le reconnaître comme Métropolitain, mais simplement comme Évêque. Dimanche, le jour de Pâque, l'Évêque s'est rendu à l'église, qui était remplie d'une foule énorme d'assistants, et a solennellement célébré la Messe de la Résurrection au milieu de la plus parfaite tranquillité. Le bruit court à Uscup que les Consuls de Grèce et de Serbie ont fait tout leur possible auprès du Vali, et ailleurs, afin que l'Évêque Bulgare ne soit pas reconnu par les autorités; et on dit même que le Métropolitain Grec Païssios a protesté par une lettre au Vali contre la présence d'un Évêque Bulgare dans son diocèse. Le Consul Serbe est parti pour Belgrade. Le jour de Pâque beaucoup de ceux des Bulgares qui reconnaissait le Patriarche Grec se sont rendus auprès de l'Évêque Bulgare pour lui exprimer leurs hommages, et le saluer avec "Christos Voskressé" ("Christ est ressuscité "). Le jour de Pâque un grande scandale a eu lieu dans l'église Grecque. Le Métropolitain Grec Païssios, pour cajoler quelques Bulgares-Grécomanes, a ordonné le prêtre de lire l'Evangile d'abord en Slave et puis en Grec; mais M. Chondrodimos, chef du partie Grecque, d'accord avec le Consul Hellénique, a poussé des cris dans l'église contre le Métropolitain Païssios et le prêtre, proférant même des menaces contre ce dernier; les assistants, dégoûtés de ce scandale, ont quitté l'église. Les Bulgares sont très heureux d'avoir un Évêque pour administrer les affaires de leurs églises, et qui les protégera par son appui moral contre les intrigues du Métropolitain Grec. Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received May 16.) MY LORD, Sophia, May 12, 1890. I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship that the trial of Major Panitza and his accomplices in a plot for the dethronement of Prince Ferdinand and the overthrow of the existing Government is announced to begin on the 15th instant before a special Military Tribunal. The indictment, published in the semi-official newspaper "Svoboda" of the 10th instant, states that the plot originated at an interview at Giurgevo in 1887 between a Secretary of the Russian Legation at Bucharest, named Viliamoff, and Major Panitza, and that the negotiations were subsequently continued by other officials of that Legation and the Russian subject Kalobkoff, who, together with nine officers and four civilians, is now in prison awaiting his trial. The Marquess of Salisbury. I have, &c., N. R. O'CONOR. Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received May 16.) MY LORD, Sophia, May 12, 1890. WITH reference to the information reported to your Lordship in my despatch of the 26th ultimo, that the Bulgarian Government had inquired at Belgrade whether the Servian Government would be willing to receive M. Dimitroff, at present holding the post of Prefect of Philippopoli, as Bulgarian Agent and Consul-General, I have the honour to state that M. Stransky informed me on the 10th instant that he had received a favourable answer from the Servian Government, and that the Princely Decree appointing M. Dimitroff to Belgrade had just been signed by His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand. M. Stransky added that he hoped this proof of friendly feeling on the part of the Bulgarian Government would be reciprocated as soon as possible by the appointment of a titular Servian Agent to Sophia, and that, for his own part, he would be glad to see the renewal of the negotiations for a Commercial Treaty between the two countries, which he was well aware would do much to cement their good relations. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. N. R. O'CONOR. Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received May 22.) Sophia, May 15, 1890. MY LORD, WITH reference to my despatch of the 12th instant, I have the honour to inform your Lordship that the continuation of the indictment in the Panitza case states that the letters and papers found prove conclusively that Kalobkoff was carrying on his plot for the overthrow of the present Government, not only with the full knowledge and countenance of the Russian Legation at Bucharest, but also that M. Zinovieff, the Head of the Asiatic Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, and even "higher officials" were privy to it; also, that M. Dragan Zankoff was, at the same time, carrying on similar intrigues. It appears that the return of Prince Ferdinand from Europe on the 3rd November last was to have been the occasion for carrying out the plot, but owing to the arrangement being changed at the last minute, and also to the absence of the Ministers of War and Finance, the plan failed. The design was to arrest the Prince and Ministers at the railway station (the guard of honour having been won over to the plot), confine them in some secret place, and form a Coalition Ministry, the country being meanwhile governed by the Russian General Domontovitch (who was awaiting the signal to leave for Sophia) until the election of a new Prince; this latter task had already been facilitated by Russia, by whom three candidates had been proposed. A second and determined attempt was made on the night of the 23rd-24th January last, when Panitza and Rizoff proceeded at midnight to the house of Lieutenant-Colonel Kissoff, the BrigadeCommandant, and offered him the supreme army command if he would join; but upon Colonel Kissoff's refusing, the conspirators retired with vague designs of an attempt to execute the plot on the occasion of a ball to be given at the Palace on the night of the 30th. The disclosure of the plot, however, by Colonel Kissoff, put an end to these plans. I have, &c., The Marquess of Salisbury. N. R. O'CONOR. Mr. O'Conor to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received May 22.) MY LORD, Sophia, May 15, 1890. WITH reference to my despatch immediately preceding, I have the honour to report to your Lordship that the trial of Major Panitza and his fourteen accomplices was begun to-day before a special Military Tribunal. The Court was presided over by Major Drandarevski, Commandant of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, and consisted of the following officers: Majors Marinoff, Commandant of the 1st Infantry Brigade; Petroff, Commandant of the 6th Infantry Brigade; Tsoncheff, commanding the 6th Infantry Regiment; and Andréëff, commanding the Pioneer Regiment. The Military Procureur, Major Markoff, appeared to prosecute; the prisoners were represented by civil counsel (with the exception of Stefan Matéëff, a barrister, who elected to carry on his defence himself); military counsel were also named by the Tribunal for each prisoner. After the Tribunal had taken the usual oath, the prisoners were interrogated as to their age, nationality, &c. Upon Kalobkoff's stating that he was a Russian subject, the Procureur requested the Court to invite the German Consulate-General (representing Russian interests) to cause the usual delegate to attend, whereupon the German Consular Dragoman, who was in Court, announced that he was delegated to represent the Consulate. The counsel for the defence having declared that the indictment had only been communicated to them on the day preceding, and |