le sort des habitants. || Les villages de Blatza et Madjoura incendiés et la plupart de leurs habitants massacrés.

IV. Caza de Vizé.

Le village de Pepenka a été bombardé et pillé, le bétail enlevé. Quelques femmes, cachées dans une maison pour éviter les viols, y ont été brûlées vives. Quinze jeunes filles ont été enlevées et conduites au camp. Les habitants qui s'étaient réfugiés dans la montagne ont été cernés et contraints de rentrer au village, où ils ont été massacrés. Dans la montagne, les soldats ont réussi à s'emparer de quinze hommes parmi lesquels un certain Shishmanoff, du même village. Rien que quatre familles ont pu se sauver. Le village Yatros également incendié et les habitants dispersés dans la montagne. || Le village Serghené incendié (sans distinction de maisons Grecques ou Bulgares). Les habitants sont dans la montagne. Les réfugiés sont au nombre de 10 000 à 11000 dans le district de Bourgas. || Dans leur fuite, beaucoup de femmes ont dû abandonner leurs enfants afin de ne pas se laisser découvrir en route à cause des cris et des pleurs de ces pauvres êtres. Les réfugiés sont dans le plus complet dénûment: il faut leur procurer de la farine.

Nr. 13297. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Minister des Ausw. an den Botschafter in Konstantinopel. Unterredung mit dem türkischen Botschafter über die Unterstützung der mazedonischen Flüchtlinge.

Foreign Office, September 30, 1903.

Sir, The Turkish Ambassador told me to-day that the Turkish Government had learned that His Britannic Majesty's Government intended to encourage the distribution of relief through private channels to those of the inhabitants of the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire, who had been persuaded or compelled by the Committees and bands to take refuge in Bulgaria. || As such assistance would, he said, encourage the Bulgarian agitators still more in their revolutionary proceedings, Musurus Pasha begged that His Majesty's Government would stop any such project if it existed. || I told his Excellency that it was perfectly true that funds were being collected by benevolent persons in this country for the relief of the widespread distress which now prevailed in parts of the Balkan Peninsula. || His Majesty's Government would certainly not discourage a movement of this kind, and I confessed that it

shocked me beyond measure to find that the Turkish Government apparently desired to deny such assistance to the thousands of homeless people who were now scattered throughout the country mainly in consequence of the conduct of the Turkish troops, upon the pretext that such assistance might encourage the promoters of the insurrection. || His Excellency answered that the Turkish Government had already taken the necessary steps for the distribution of relief among the victims of the occurrences in Roumelia, that, as regards the destruction of villages, it was mostly the result of the hand-to-hand fighting in the streets and houses, and many had also been destroyed by the armed Bulgarian bands themselves, that no reliable report had come to his knowledge confirming the stories of the excesses attributed to Turkish troops, and that the initial and therefore real authors of the present distress were the Bulgarian Committees, their confederates, and their deluded followers. || I said that I had no hesitation in saying that the ruin and destruction brought about by the Turkish soldiery were immeasurably greater than any which had resulted from the action of the Bulgarian bands. || Feeling, as I did, how largely the Turkish Government were responsible for the sufferings of these poor people, we should expect the Turkish authorities to afford every facility to those who might be engaged in the task of distributing relief. Lansdowne.

Nr. 13298. TÜRKEI. Denkschrift über die Lage in den europäischen Provinzen. Der englischen Regierung am 1. Oktober 1903 überreicht.

Memorandum.

Sa Majesté Impériale le Sultan, dans sa haute sollicitude pour le bien-être de tous ses sujets sans distinction de race ni de religion, avait ordonné à plusieurs reprises que, lors de la répression des actes de brigandage des bandes Bulgares, la vie, l'honneur et les biens des habitants paisibles soient absolument sauvegardés, que les infirmes, les vieillards les femmes et les enfants ne soient nullement molestés, même s'ils se trouvent auprès des brigands, que ceux qui font acte de soumission soient traités avec bienveillance, que toute agression de la part d'une classe de la population à l'égard de l'autre soit empêchée et qu'enfin, aucune négligence ne soit apportée à l'accomplissement des devoirs commandés par l'humanité. Des instructions, en conséquence, avaient été données aux autorités Impériales tant militaires que civiles des vilayets de la Turquie d'Europe. Les dites autorités se conforment strictement

aux ordres de Sa Majesté Impériale le Sultan, et tout fait contraire aux intentions généreuses de Sa Majesté est sévèrement puni. Ainsi, Ibrahim Effendi, Commandant du Bataillon de Gheumuldjiné en garnison dans le village Grec de Hédié, ayant été dénoncé comme s'étant livré à des procédés répréhensibles à l'égard des habitants de ce village, a été envoyé sous escorte à Andrinople où il a été déféré à la cour martiale, et une Commission spéciale a été déléguée sur les lieux pour effectuer une enquête à ce sujet. Une autre Commission, composée du Général de Division Chukri Pacha, Commandant de la Place d'Andrinople; du Général de Division Chakir Pacha, Aide-de-camp de Sa Majesté Impériale le Sultan; et du Colonel Ahmed Bey, membre de la Haute Commission d'Inspection Militaire, a été instituée en la dite ville pour faire, de son côté, les constatations nécessaires à propos des actes imputés à Ibrahim Effendi. || Par suite de la destruction et de la dispersion de plusieurs bandes Bulgares, la plupart des villageois, qui, sous les menaces des brigands, s'étaient retirés dans les montagnes, sont retournés dans leurs foyers. Mais, comme il importe que les autres aussi rentrent au plus tôt chez eux, les Gouverneurs-Généraux, les Gouverneurs, et les Sous-Gouverneurs ont reçu l'ordre de faire des tournées dans leurs circonscriptions en compagnie de quelques membres Musulmans et Chrétiens des Conseils Administratifs et de Chefs religieux des communautés non-Musulmanes, pour leur donner les conseils nécessaires en vue d'assurer leur retour dans leurs foyers. Ils auront, en outre, à déployer tous leurs efforts de concert avec les autorités militaires pour obtenir, dans le plus bref délai, le rétablissement complet de l'ordre et de la sécurité publique dans ces parages. Des instructions dans le même sens ont été transmises aux Commandants-en-chef des 2e et 3° Corps d'Armée, au Commandant de la 9° division à Serrès, au Commandant ad interim du Corps de l'Armée Impériale à Monastir, et au Commandant des troupes Impériales à Tirnovadjik.

Nr. 13299. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Konsul in Philippopel an den Gesandten in Sofia. Pläne der Insurgenten.

Philippopolis, September 30, 1903. (October 6.)

Sir, I have the honour to report that to-day the 3rd battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment left here for Ouzoundjovo, near the frontier, where another battalion of the same regiment is already stationed, the other two being respectively at Tirnovo-Seimenli and Philippopolis Eighteen guns and three batteries of the 4th Artillery Regiment have

left for the frontier. The purchase of horses for the artillery, discontinued by order some days ago, has now been resumed. || On the 28th instant, two bands of Komitajis left here with intention to cross the Rhodope frontier. They consisted of about thirty to forty men each, and, in conversation with a resident in Philippopolis one of them remarked that the reason for their protracted abstention from aggressive action is that until they are quite certain that there will be no war they are anxious to keep in reserve all the means of destruction which they have accumulated. They hope that the disgust felt at Russia's attitude and the irritation caused by sight of the distress of the refugees now pouring into Bulgaria from the Turkish side will soon end by forcing on a crisis, failing which, however, they count on being able with the means now at their disposal to institute a worse reign of terror than Europe can imagine. They claim to have incredibly large stores of dynamite, especially near Adrianople, and electrical appliances so fitted as to render easy instantaneous explosions. The cold but determined tone in which these men almost invariably speak gives the impression of their being men well equipped and firmly resolved, should events fail to tally with their wishes, to do the worst havoc they can.

G. C. H. de J. du Vallon.

Nr. 13300. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Generalkonsul in Saloniki an den Botschafter in Konstantinopel. Erlaß einer türkischen Amnestie.

Salonica, September 26, 1903. (October 7.)

Sir, I have the honour to report that the Valis of the European provinces have received from the Sublime Porte a Proclamation addressed to the revolted populations, repeating the promises of amnesty and pardon to those who submit and lay down their arms, and threatening that those who fail to take advantage of this last chance of submission will be treated in the most rigorous fashion. || This Proclamation is being translated into Bulgarian, and will be communicated to the rural population through the local authorities. || It is possible that in the Vilayets of Salonica and Kossovo, where no general rising and subsequent massacre of villagers have taken place, this Proclamation may produce a satisfactory result if the local authorities are able and willing to give effect to it by protecting those insurgents who surrender. In Monastir, however, so many cases have occurred of the ill-treatment and slaughter, not only of surrendered members of insurgent bands, but of the non

combatant villagers who had returned to their homes on the faith of official promises of protection, that no good result can be expected from the promulgation of this Proclamation; while the facts of its being described as a „last appeal" and of more rigorous measures being threatened cause it to be interpreted locally as portending war to the death, rather than heralding peace and conciliation. R. W. Graves.

Nr. 13301. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Minister des Ausw. an

den Botschafter in Konstantinopel. Bedenken der Pforte gegen die Unterstützung der mazedonischen Flüchtlinge.

Foreign Office, October 7, 1903.

Sir, The Turkish Ambassador referred to-day to the conversation which we had had on the 30th ultimo (as recorded in my despatch of that date) with regard to the distribution of relief to Macedonian fugitives, and made a further statement to the following effect: — || The distribution of relief to the fugitives, even under the conditions indicated by me in our previous interview, could only result in encouraging the Revolutionary Committees in their seditious behaviour, and would thus be prejudicial to the interests of the Turkish Government, who regarded the matter at issue from this point of view with keen regret. || I again repeated, using very decided language, that His Majesty's Government strongly commended, and would on no account discourage, attempts to afford relief to these unfortunate people, and that we should, on the contrary, expect the Turkish Government to give facilities to the agents by whom the work of distribution would be undertaken. || His Excellency appeared to be under the impression that assistance was likely to be given only to fugitives who had taken refuge in Bulgaria. I said that, to the best of my belief, this was not the intention of the persons who were organizing the movement, and that I believed that the Committee which had been formed desired to give help without distinction of race or creed and within Macedonia itself. Lansdowne.

Nr. 13302. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Derselbe an Denselben. Das

selbe.

Foreign Office, October 14, 1903.

Sir, The Turkish Ambassador made to me to-day a further statement with regard to the question of the distribution of relief in Macedonia, to the following effect: - || The Turkish Agent at Sophia had