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prison. || 17. Les armes des bandes appartiennent aux Comités, et alors quand une personne quittera la bande sans un motif légitime ses armes seront livrées aux Comités par le Président. || 18. Le Secrétaire dirige la correspondance entre les bandes et les Comités, mais toujours par ordre du Président. || 19. Le Secrétaire a aussi le droit d'inspecter les bandes avec le Président et s'occuper de donner au peuple une idée révolutionnaire et de leur fournir des armes. || 20. Les différends qui s'élèvent entre le peuple et les bandes seront réglés à l'amiable; il ne faut pas faire usage de mauvais procédés. || 21. Pour les fautes graves, telles que le refus de rester de garde à son poste, la désobéissance aux ordres reçus, l'insubordination envers les chefs, les peines sont différentes. Parfois on est condamné à une mission qui peut lui coûter la vie.

La condamnation à mort est prononcée dans les cas suivants: - || 1. Quand on divulgue les intentions du Comité ou que l'on a des velléités de trahison dans un but intéressé. || 2. Quand on déserte la bande pendant un combat. | Ces arrêts seront aussitôt exécutés. L'arrêt est prononcé par le Comité Régional et approuvé par le Comité Central. En cas d'urgence on peut exécuter le condamné sans attendre l'avis du Comité de Sophia.

Nr. 12782. GROSSBRITANNIEN Bericht des Generalkonsuls in Saloniki an den Botschafter in Konstantinopel über allerlei Exzesse.

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Salonica, July 7, 1901.

Sir, || I have the honour to report the following cases of brigandage and political crime which occurred in this vilayet during the past month of June: On the 12th ultimo the authorities of the Caza of Avret Hissar reported that a band of Bulgarians had had an encounter near the village of Isnafché with five gendarmes, under the orders of a corporal and a Police Commissary, and they had all been killed. || The Acting Vice-Consul at Serres reported to me that, on the information of a Vlach shepherd, a squad of Turkish soldiers came up with a band of seven Bulgarians on the Ali Boutoush Mountain, two hours from Serres. Two Bulgarians, including their Chief, Kotcho Krestenlitzali, were killed; the others escaped. || In the village of Fourka, Caza of Doïran, two Christians, Christo Ikmiji and Christo Yovan Arabaji, were murdered by Bulgarians on the 12th ultimo, together with a Moslem, Ali Pehlevan, the village guard. I was told that the two former, who were Orthodox, had been invited to dinner by the leader of the Exarchate party, and were mur

dered by Comitajis. Five Bulgarians of the village of Boganza and one of that of Fourka have been arrested on suspicion. || A well-known Greek brigand, called Georgi Dimopoulo, attacked, in the middle of last month, the farm of Mikhalaki Bey, formerly member of the Council of State. The farm, which is situated near Cassandra, was so stoutly held by the steward and a gendarme who took part in its defence, that the brigands had to set fire to it before the former surrendered. The steward was decapitated. The outrage is supposed to have been an act of vengeance. Soldiers and gendarmes sent by order of the Vali came in touch with them, three soldiers and one brigand being killed, while three others were wounded and subsequently murdered by their comrades to prevent their falling into the hands of the gendarmes. || A band of Bulgarians in the vicinity of Kilindir murdered two Christians in a mill some days ago. || In the same Mutessariflik, Caza of Melenico, at the village of Kalivia (or Loupovo), exclusively inhabited by Vlachs, the notorious Bulgarian brigand chief (and also, it is supposed, Comitaji) Dontcho, with a band of twenty-five followers, killed the Kahaya Stergio Bouloubashi and two others, burnt down his house, and carried off to the mountains four persons belonging to well-to-do local families. Their fate is unknown. This man is the same Dontcho who, at the head of twenty men, murdered four of Mr. Bizzo's men at Microvo. The murder of the Vlach by Dontcho may, I think, have been an act of revenge for the denunciation of the seven Bulgarians by the Vlach shepherd, as mentioned above. || I understand, too, that the Bulgarians have an old-standing grudge against the Vlachs of that district, the latter having a few years ago acted as guides to the Imperial troops, and having caused the capture and death of many Bulgarians. || The Acting Vice-Consul at Serres reports further that, on information given by a gendarme that brigands had been seen on the hills close to the town, a strong detachment of mounted police had been sent to look for them. | The Bulgarian Commercial Agent has informed me that on or about the 25th ultimo a Bulgarian named Dimitri Georghieff Tominoff, of the village of Gegovan, in the Caza of Langaza, was invited to a wedding in the neighbouring village of Klepalo, and went accompanied by a Turk. a Turk. Ten days after his body was discovered between these two villages.

Alfred Biliotti.

Nr. 12783. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

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Salonica, July 17, 1901.

Lage der bulgarischen Gefangenen in Saloniki.

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Sir, || I have the honour to inform jour Excellency that in an interview which I had with the Vali ten days ago, I left with him the Petition handed to the Consular Body by the Bulgarian prisoners, on his expressing a wish to know its exact contents. || In a subsequent interview which I have just had with his Excellency, he was good enough to give me the following particulars concerning the prison. On his arrival here the total number of prisoners was about 900. Of these 71, among whom a few Bulgarians, have been set at liberty on the 25th June, anniversary of the Prophet's birthday, and 120, mostly Bulgarians, are to be sent shortly to the prisons of Rhodes, Boudroun, and St. Jean d'Acre. But nearly 100 fresh prisoners having been incarcerated, the total is now about 800. || In the Petition handed to the Consuls, the Bulgarian prisoners especially complained of || 1. Overcrowding; || 2. The generally filthy condition of the prisons; || 3. The disgraceful state of the water-closets; || 4. That many sick prisoners were not duly attended to for motives of economy; and 5. That a number of Moslem prisoners were allowed to keep their knives, wich were a menace to the lives of the Christian prisoners. || The Vali confessed that the first three points are confirmed by facts. His Excellency ascertained that the prisons, which contain 800 inmates, have space for only half that number, at most for 500. He proposed that „Beyaz Koulé" or the "White Tower" where there is spacious accommodation, should be utilized as a prison. | Since, however, he is unable to take such a step on his own initiative, he has applied to Constantinople for permission to carry out his suggestion which he has not yet been authorized to do. || Meanwhile he has caused the prisons to be cleaned as far as the overcrowding permits at present. The water-closets have also to be transferred elsewhere. All these improvements will require some time, but his Excellency appears decided to carry them out as soon as circumstances allow him to do so. Tewfik Bey told me that there was no foundation whatever with regard to the fourth point; and that the truth about the fifth point is that, after a thorough search in the prison, two knives were discovered which had been concealed in the earth or beneath stones by the prisoners. || The number of Bulgarian prisoners condemned during the recent trials, which amounted to 114 (117 according to the list supplied me by a Bulgarian Notability -the discrepancy of three may be accounted for by the number of those tried by default), is now reduced to 112 in consequence of two deaths which have occurred

since their incarceration. The Bulgarians knew only of one death ten days ago, the second death having taken place since that date. Of the Bulgarian prisoners previous to the last trials there are 185, giving at the present moment a total of 297, about one-third of whom will be sent to other prisons (Rhodes, Boudroun, St. Jean d'Acre), leaving in round figures 200 in the Salonica prisons. From information received to-day I learn that the prisoners condemned to death (whose sentence was confirmed by the Court of Cassation) are to be all sent to some of the fortified places mentioned, away from Salonica. In view of the fact that the Imperial Iradé required for the execution of capital sentences has not yet been issued, and that such sentences must be executed on the spot where the trial and crime took place, it would appear that there is a certain possibility of reprieve for those condemned to death. || I suggested to the Vali that it would be interesting to find out the percentage of mortality in the present condition of the vilavet (which, he thought, was now about 2 per 1000 per month), in order to compare it with the mortality after the improvements which he is carrying out, and his Excellency appeared inclined to do so. || My impression is that Tewfik Bey has the best intentions with regard to sanitation and other improvements in the prisons at Salonica, and that unless hindered by circumstances beyond control, he has the determination necessary to carry out his resolve. Alfred Biliotti.

Nr. 12784. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Gesandte in Athen an den Minister des Ausw. Das albanische Komitee verteilt von Corfu aus Waffen.

Athens, August 19, 1901. (August 26.)

My Lord, I learn, from what I believe to be a good source, that an Albanian Revolutionary Committee has been in existence at Corfu for some time past, and is endeavouring to foment agitation and to distribute arms amongst the Albanian tribes. A consignment of rifles of a recent type, which had been dispatched by the Committee, was seized by the Turkish authorities at Porto Palermo last spring, and a further consignment has since been introduced into the country by way of Chimara. I am informed that the Committee has lately come to terms with the Epirote Revolutionary Society, and that these two bodies, if not actually fused into one, are now working together with the object of putting an end to Turkish rule in Albania. The movement is stated to be entirely unconnected with any real or pretended Italian intrigues, but to be sup

ported by certain ,,Young Turks", and amongst others by Mahmoud, the brother-in-law of the Sultan, who is now at Corfu. || I should add that I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the above information, though I consider that the source from which I have obtained it is sufficiently good to warrant my reporting it to your Lordship. || Whilst on this subject I may mention that, as far as I can ascertain, the Greek Government is most anxious to maintain a correct attitude towards Turkey in regard to the „Young Turkish" agitation, and to avoid any appearance of connivance at the proceedings of any members of that party who may have taken refuge in Greek territory. Francis Stronge.

Nr. 12785. GROSSBRITANNIEN. — Der Botschafter in Konstantinopel an den Minister des Ausw. Vorstellungen des russischen Botschafters wegen der Unruhen an der serbischen Grenze.

Therapia, September 9, 1901. (September 16.)

My Lord, || In my despatch of the 19th ultimo on the disturbed condition of the northwest frontier of Macedonia, I had the honour to report to your Lordship that the Russian Embassy was intervening to prevent the Servian population of Old Servia from being driven over the border by the persistent and premeditated persecution of the Albanian clans. Further representations were reported to have been made by M. Zinovieff on the 3rd instant, and I am now informed that, as a result of this action, an Iradé has been issued dismissing the Mutessarif of Prishtina, Djemal Bey, ordering the arrest and trial of a number of police agents and Albanian Beys, and granting permission to the Servian refugees to return. Similar demands had been in vain preferred by the Servian Minister, so that the success of the Russian Ambassador will, no doubt, be highly appreciated at Belgrade. Whether, however, they will be carried out in so far as the Albanian Beys are concerned may be doubted. N. R. O'conor.

Nr. 12786. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

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Der Gesandte in Sofia an den Minister des Ausw. Haltung der bulgarischen Regierung gegen das mazedonische Komitee. Rundschreiben an die bułgarischen Vertreter im Auslande.

Sophia, September 30, 1901. (October 14.)

(Extract.) || During a recent interview with M. Sarafoff, the Bulgarian Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, I inquired whether it was the case

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