The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-01-08 00:00:00

THE BULGARIAN DELEGATES AT
THE MANSION HOUSE.

The Lord Mayor entertained a select company at
luncheon in the Long Parlour of the Mansion House
to meet the Bulgarian Delegates. There were
present M. Grecoff, M. Stoiloff, M. Kalt4cheff, Sir F.
Lascelles, K.C.M.G., Mr. W. T. Marriott, M.P., the
Hon. Eric Barrington, the Hon. the Master of
Napier, Alderman Sir T. Gabriel, Alderman Sir
Andrew Lusk, Sir C. Rivers Wilson, Sir Philip Currie,
Sir A. Rollit, M.P., Alderman Sir T. Dakin, Alder-
man Sir W. M'Arthur, Mr. Howard Vincent, M.P.,
Sir John Ellis, M.P., Alderman Sir F. W. Truscott,
Sir Thomas Chambers, Q.C. (Recorder of London),
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Isaacs, Mr. Sheriff Kirby,
and about 40 other gentlemen. M. Constantine
Kaltscheff, in returning thanks to the Lord Mayor,
who had proposed the health of the Bulgarian Dele-
gates, said: I thank you, my Lord Mayor, on the
part of myself and colleagues as the representatives of
our nation, for the kind hospitality, affectionate friend-
ship, and sympathy shown by Tour lordship, and
through you, by the citizens of this immense city, which
is the home and mother of liberty. Certainly it is
not to us personally that this honour is due, but to
the nation we have the honour to represent in the
cause of defence. We seize this opportunity of ex-
pressing our heartfelt gratitude for the warm sym-
pathy shown to us by the generous British people.
Those sympathies were mi nifested ten years ago,
when this immense city and the other cities of Eng-
land raised their voices in our behalf. We can as-
sure you my lord, that we are deeply sensible of the
services rendered to us by public opinion, and the
English press at the time. Their services have saved
many an innocent life and averted many an impend-
ing dishonour, and have wiped away many a mother's
and a wife's tears. Our nation will never forget that
the noble country of Wilberforce and Byron has
defended us in the direst moments of our national
existence. We have established the fact that since
our arrival we have been the object of the warmest
sympathy of the British people. We have had
weeks and months of trial: but our Regency and
our Government, based on the patriotic support
of ihe Bulgarian nation, have proved to the civi-
lised world that we deserve to be independent and
self-governed. We have not created the present
critical situation in Bulgaria, and therefore we are
not responsible for it. Our struggle is legitimate,
because all struggles for independence are legitimate.
We protest with all the force of our hearts against
the insinuations of ingratitude. We are grateful to
the nations who have contributed to our independence.
It is this sentiment of independence that imposes on
us the duty of watching for our independence. We
will persevere in the path we have hitherto followed,
until we have an aesurance of sufficient parantees
for our national independence and our national in-
dividuality. In the name of the nation we represent,
permit me to express our heartfelt gratitude for the
sympathies we have received from the English people.
Be good enough, my Lord Mayor, to interpret these
feelings towards your Fellow citizens, and to convey to
them the hope that their mighty voice may continue
to be raised in favour of such matters as shall ensure
the national independence of Bulgaria. Thanking
pm once more for your kind hospitality, we express
our wishes for the prosperity and welfare of the
great, noble, and generous British people.