, 1880-06-09

mandatory Of Europe 10 tho l1aatysf,f but
would Austrian troops retire,Pwhenshswork
wasbdone, from the finest positioa son the
Adriatics Italy could despatch 2 force
across the Adriatic, but would Austria
agree to the proposed Italian reward-th the
election of an Italian Prince ofAlbania-
or would the fierce Arnauts obey such
| Prince, when his countrymen had defeated
them? A composite force is hard to form,
difficult to manages. and exposed to- the
danger of strife among the different nations
of which it is composed and the neutral
force, say of Swiss, so often talked about
in the discussions which preceded the war,
is unattainable. It is said, by writer's on
the spot, to be possible, by isolating Alba
n~ia-forbidding her, that is, all commuqnicer
ton with Epirotes, Montenegrins, Bulgari-
ans, and Turks-to reduce the clans to
reason; but that would be a lengthy pro-
cess, and would require, what is not TO Do
obtained, the hearty goodwill OF All the
States, including Turkey, engaged In
maintaining the Gordon S0aStaaYe.
What is really required is a Suzeraln az
~COnstantinople who could be fruS'ed,l anu
whose order as Commander-in-Chief would
move regiments belonging to all the States
of the Balkans. Thirty thousand Servlans,
Bosnians, Montenegrins, Bulgarlans, and
Greeks, would accomplish the task easily
enough, and could be trusted to retire on
receiving the order from COnstantlnOpie,
which, under the circumstances supposed,
would have no interest in crushing any
State, or in neglecting the special interests
or prejudices of any elan. 1t is a power
like that which the Indian Government
o-oxsooo o-oa 80 xooool D,srn,C which ~
needed to settle all such questions, ana
which it is vain to seek in the Sultan, VINO
nevertheless, is, both in theory and fact,
the universal referee. He has to carry
out arrangements of the last Importance
to millions who, in Tbessaly, Epirus, Ma
cedonia, fundamental. are now living under
q reign OF terror, kept up by lrregulars
nominally in his pay; and he is not only
unwilling TO carry out his agreements. but
unable to execute any provision requiring
q display of force. He will not do any
thing when obeycd, and cannot do anything
when de1ied. In Maced onia, he is required
to sanction the formation of q separate
Government, which at first will have no
troops at its disposal; and in Armenia. to
put down the KurdS and Circassians, who
torture the Christians as much III defiance
of him as of the ordinary rules of human
intercourse. Lie HIS UO mcdIlSp WHICH, rs
s~istaDce begins. of applying the needful
force; yet, as things are at present arrang-
ed, no working substitute for him can be
so much as suggested. The Powers are in
the position OF men compelled. 10 deliver
blows through a curtain which at once
obscures their vision and deadens the
impact of their strokes. Before they can
do anything e%ttectual, they must remove
the curtain. and the feat will demand all
the diplomatic skill at their disposal.
They have to place at Constantinople q
power, either overt or yelled, which both
will and can honestly and swiftly carry out
the Treaty and The creation of such a
power, with the Sultan still in Constantine
pie, seems, to human eyes, quite hopeless.
A Grand Vizier might conceivably be
found who would do it, and who would not
be assassinated; but where could such q
man find force, in a capital where no one
is now paid, and where the monarch has
the greatest difficulty in inducing the
butchers to supply sheep tor palace
consumption?