The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-10-02 00:00:00

GENERAL KAULBARS AND BULGARIAN

MINISTERS.

The Times correspondent at Sofia, in a despatch
published on Wednesday, says: General Kaulbars,
the new Diplomatic Agent of Russia, intends to lose
no time. He will not negotiate, but, as it is asserted
in Russophile circles here, submit his terms to the
Regency. Should Bulgaria not accept the conditions
of Russia diplomatic relations will be broken off—so
at least say the Russians here.
General Kaulbars has formulated his conditions in
a Note and has presented it. According to this Note,
the Rassian Government is of opinion that the sum-
moning of the Grand Sobranje without an electoral
period of some duration would be illegal, and there-
fore all the decisions which it might come to would
be considered null and void. Then General Kaulbars
advised the Bulgarian Government to postpone the
elections as long as possible to enable the country to
emerge from its present state of confusion and to give
sufficient duration to the electoral period, without
which the electors could not express their views
freely. He further recommended that the state of
siege should be raised forthwith and that the prisoners
should be released.
Still more surprise than this Note occasioned has
been created by the verbal declarations of General
Kaulbars to the members of the Regency. These
declarations admit of justification only if the Note really
is an ultimatum. "Hitherto," said the General, "the
Bulgarian Government has only used fine words towards
Russia; but now the Czar demands facts, and by this
means alone can confidence be re-established." He
referred to the contradiction existing between the
submissive despatch of the Sobranje to the Czar and
the address to the Regency, and then said, "The Bul
garians must at last learn to see that the return of
Prince Alexander can never be possible." lie next
turned the conversation to the elections, saying
that they ought to take place at least two
months after the state of siege had been raised, in
order that the population might be instructed with
regard to their significance. To secure free elections
the 20 officers now in custody who had taken part in
the conspiracy against Prinoe Alexander must be re-
leased. The General also blamed the burning of the
(lags of the mutinous regiments, which as symbols of
military honour and glory ought not to have been
destroyed, any more than an image of Christ in pre-
sence of which a priest had committed a crime. The
Russian then said that the Bulgarian Government
was playing a dangerous game, for it allowed itself
to be biased by arrieres pensees. There was but one
line of action for Bulgaria—subjection to the will
of Russia.
Immediately after receiving the Note the Bul-
garian Ministerial Council met for consultation.
Although as vet no decision has been arrived at, it
may be predicted that the Government will give a
conciliatory answer, without, however, accepting all
the Russian conditions. Bulgaria will declare her
readiness to postpone the meeting of the Scbranje, but
add that she cannot consent to put off the elections.
General Kaulbars has placed himself in communica-
tion with M. Karaveloff, who for several hours a day
negotiates at the Russian Consulate. M. Karaveloil
and M. Zankoff are the Russian favourites for thi
Regency. They will occupy the places of M. Siam-
bouloff and Colonel Mutkuroff, when these men, who
are now ruling Bulgaria, have been overthrown.
One of the first acts of Baron Kaulbars was to re-
place the Consul, M. Nekliudoff, who had occupied
his post scarcely 14 days, by M. UgelstrOm, late Cons&
at Philippopolis. The reasons for the dismissal art
said to be that M. Nekliudoff accepted the rnadifiee
note of the Bulgarian Ministry respecting the post-
ponement of the trial of the conspirators and mutineer:
instead of demanding their release; and that ha die
not protest against the burning of the flags.
At Sofia and everywhere in Bulgaria there is a ver
great want of money, which causes the G-overnmen,
serious concern and embarrassment. Should the
endeavours to raise a loan from English or German
sources fail, the oppressive financial distress svil
further Russian interests more materially than all
the notes of General Kaulbars, for the Russians inti-
mate that in return for adequate compliance on the
part of the Russian Government they are willing to
give the country financial assistance.
The following is the text of the Note addressed
by General Kaulbars to the Bulgarian Minister, M.
Nacevics
f To complete what I said to you at our interyiew

yesterday, by order of the Imperial GovernmYnt,
have the honour to inform you that in the view of
that Government the convocation of the Grand
Sobranje in the present condition of the country
cannot be considered lawful, and that the decisions
of such an assembly would not possess any meaning
in our eyes. The Bulgarian Government is advised
to put off the elections to a date as distant as pos-
sible, so as to extricate the country from its over-
excited condition; and, in order that the elections
may have a chance of being conducted without
pressure and in a regular manner, to raise the state
of siege immediately, and to release those arrested in
consequence of the events of the 9th of August (0.5.)
" BARON KAULBARS."