Huntsville gazette., 1886-03-27
THE EASTERN SITUATION.

Affairs Again Wearing Serious Aspect--
Russia Apparently Preparing for a Tus-
sic With Turkey--The Proposed Imperial
Pleasure Trip and Its Significance--The
"Extreme Pressure" Under Which the
King of Greece Submits to the VIII of the
Powers. E a
LONDON, March 22.-The situation in
he East is again becoming serious. This
ime it is not the Balkan states that are
threatening trouble for the belligerent Or
4 Ter of Seryia and Bulgaria and the aspl-
ations of Greece have alike been tbrot-
led by the powers. The disturbing fac
or now is the captious and bullying atti-
ude of Russia regarding the Turco-Bul
sarian treaty. A few days ago she OBJ
ected to the designation of the ruler of
Eastern Roumelia, as "Prince Alexander
If Bulgaria." and insisted upon "the
Prince of Bulgaria" This demand
,eing conceded, she now demands that
he term of the Princes rulership, in
stead of being for life shall be limited
o five years. If this concession be also
granted she will formulate a new condi-
ion tomorrow, and thus prolong the
crisis. The cause of this stubborn re-
/ tusal by Russia to accept the Bulgarian
Union as an accomplished fact, is sub
ject of much anxious speculation. 1t is
well known that the Gar has a candidate
for the throne of Bulgaria in the per
son of his brother-n-law, Prince Walde
mar, of Denmark, and one theory
is that the former is seek
ing to accomplish by obstructive
tactics what he failed to do by more d.
rect diplomacy for the deposition OF
Prince Alexander as punishment for his
\ coup d'etat of last September. But this
theory is not broad enough to cover all
the circumstances of the case, and the
general belief is that much deeper game
is being played. News received to-day
from st. Petersburg throws new light up
on the situation, but does not wholly elu-
cidate the difficulty. The conscription is
being enforced this year with unusual
zeal and thoroughness. AS fast as small
squads of conscriptS are obtained they are
sent to the small interior fortresses or
| garrison towns, while a correspond
ing number of veterans are draft
ed off to the great depOts to be sent to
Join the force now being concentrated on
the frontier of Roumania. Thus the army
which is being formed in the South in
| apparent preparation for tussle with
Turkey is getting some of the best ma
terial in Russia, which indicates tile
| Importance attached to its mission. The
| Gar, Czarina and Czarovitch are soon to
start on tour through the southwestern
portion of their domain. The projected
expedition is spoken of in the
official paper as pleasure trip,
but it is believed to have deeper signi-
/ fcance The route of the Imperial party
includes Sebastopol, Kherson, Nikoli and
/ off al
nounces that review of troops will b.
made at each of these places, and the
general opinion is that the main object OF
the Journey is to enable the Car to per-
sonally inspect the vast armv he is as
sembling, and judge of its fitness fol
the important work before it. The visit
to Sebastopol also doubtless means
an inspection of the large dockyard and
arsenal at that port, where warlike pre-
parations have lately been resumed with
great vigor. Russian troops are also be-
| ing massed at Batoum and other points
| in trans Caucasia, which fact seems to
point to Russian invasion of Turkey vi;
| Armenia as an alternative or a support tc
an invasion by way of the Balkans. These
extensive war preparations seem to mean
| that Russia is at last prepared for and de-
termined upon final and decisive CRAP
pie with the Porte. This determination
would be quite sufficient to explain Rus
/ sia's search in the Bulgaria imbroglio
for a pretext for invasion. An in
| teresting side rumor bearing on
this point is that Prince Alexander, though
| ostensiby an object of aversion to his
imperial namesake, is really the latter's
! subsidized tool, and will not oppose the
| passage of any number of Russian troops
/ ic mir hnin1 landed
at Varna from Russian transports.
curious story is told as to the terms
4 on which King George of Greece finally
submitted to the mandate of the powers
/ that there should be no Turco-Grecian
\ war The King has for months been will.
! ing enough to consent to peace and tC
| discontinue his ruinOus war preparations,
but has been afraid of losing his throne
| through the desperate eagerness of
the war party among his sub
! jects. The honest broker Of
Berlin after time saw where
/ the shoe pinched, and offered
guarantee the safety of the
Kings dynasty if he would disarm and
renounce all idea OF war. The young
King timorously hestated for long
| time, but finally replied to Bismarck that
he would obey his wishes if the Powers
would make some vigorous demOnStra-
ton to show the Greek people he only
submitted under extreme pressure.
This was agreed to, and
in pursuance of this agreement
it is said the allied feet is now steaming
from Suda bay to blockade the port of
Athens, not to coerce the King, but with
his connivance to coerce the subjects.
This story, if true, explains many intrica-
ccs in recent occurrences in Greece, and
the Willingness of the young King to save
himself, no matter at whose expense, re-
veals very unkingly Characteristic.
Petroleum in Upper Egypt.
LONDON, March 23.-The discovery in
Upper Egypt of petroleum in paying guam
titles has developed an oil fever in Lon
don, and renewed attention in favor of the
reoccupation of the Soudan by British