, 1891-03-25

simple. She has deliberately tried to head a
party. and with Nj. Garashanine and Gene
raj Gruitch on her side she appears to have
succeeded wonderfully in this ~factious
conduct. But there are not wanting signs
which point the other way. The Radicals
have taken the alarm, Pand the Radical club
at Belgrade has passed a resolution asking
for the Queens expulsion. Meantime, it is
generally expected that in a very short time
King Milan himself will go to Belgrade; and
if this is so, it need not be said that some
serious complications can hardly sbe avoid
ed. The efforts not only of Servian but OF
European craftsmanship should be directed
against anything like the outbreak of civil
war in Belgrade or indeed, against Sny
violent interference with order. Servia like
Bulgaria is q barrel OF powder; and there
cannot be fire in the neighbourhOod with
out the fear of an explosion.
The kingdom of Servia, it must be remem-
bered, is not an old established self govern
ing country. A generation ago it was still by
no means emancipated from barbarian rule
q Turkish garrison occupied the Castle OF
Belgrade, and now and again q massacre
took place, as though to remind Christendom
here was all outworn regime waiting to be
swept away. Complete freedom was only
secured by the Treaty of Berlin III 1873.
But even this has not attend the position
of Servia as re CARDS two OF her neighbours.
She is free and independent with a King OF
her own and yet, by the grim necessity
of her geographical position, she must IN
evitably for q long time to come, be more or
less under the influence of one or other.
But thanks in a large measure to the per-
yerSity of the Queen, the relations OF the
country and its rulers with Austria and Rus
sia nave become curiOuSly confused Of late.
M. Ristitch, the chief of the three Regents
who govern during the minority OF King
Alexander, was always regarded as the
earnest parts an of Russia, and it was sup
posed that his predominance in the coun.
ellis of the kingdom would mean the supre'
m acy Of Russian influence. But Queen Ma
talie was also RussOphil, partly from her
origin and partly out OF opposition to her hus-
band so that it might have been supposed
that she and M. Ristitch would form a pO-
litical alliance. On the contrary, she hates
him with an uncomprOmising hatred; her
friends are his opponents, the "PIogresslst"
G%aIashanine and General Gruitch. Austria
is friendly to her, as appears from the com
muniQuE forwarded to us last month by our
Vienna Correspondent, containing the Aus
TRAN semi official version Of the conduct Of
the Queen after the defeat Of SCrvia by the
Bulgarians. 1t is on this Austrian support,
80 far as external support counts at all with
her, that queen Nataile leans just now, ana
che relies upon the friendship Of AustriatO
aid her il Iegaining her rights" What
her view If those rights is appears at full
length in the M~emoraIdumS which we pub
lisled inst a month ago. The Skuptschina
would not receive or discuss it; the Queen
would not keep silence; she continued to
attack Nj. RiStitch, the official head Of the
Government Of the country. Hence the pre-
sent excitement, which has plead far be-
yOnd Belgrade and has now become a cause
of alarm throughout the county. No Co.
vernmen can allow its own existence to be
so long and seriously threatened as the Ser
Wan Regents have done, and it would GER
tainly not cause any surprise il the news
were to arrive that the demands of the
Radical clubs had been granted ard Her
Majesty had been conducted to the frontier.
1t must depend on whether the Govern
ment feels itself strong enough to oveIawe
any of those revolutionistS who might at
tempt to turn the occasion to their political
advantage.
AS to the ultimate right and wong of the
quarrel between King and Queen, nothing
important has latterly been added to what
we know already, The Queens MemOran.
dunn gave her own version Of the divorce
story and her own arguments in favour of
her being allowed to live in Belgrade and
see her son. She attacked the "wretched
R nv a III