The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13
ADVENTURES ON AN EASTERN JOURNEY Sanjak of NOvibazar Is an
 Important Place BEAUTY OF THE LAND Men of the Country Are Giants in Size and Strength-Fighting
 Spirit of Abanians Is
 Remarkable
BEAUTY OF THE LAND

From the London Morning Post by Ken
 dim.
 The importance of the Sanjak of Novl- bazar is both fictitious and real, Tor as a dominion it is at present of little worth, while as a strategic and political asset it's value is difficult to exaggerate. The name covers that strip of territory which lies between Montenegro and Servia, to the west and east respectively, and which is bounded on the north by the annexed province of Bosnia. Two frontiers, the Austrian and the Servian, are generally held by the Turks to be inimical, though better understanding with Servia is in the air, and the third, the Montenegrin, is actively hostile. The prominent place which the Sanjak takes in politics is not due to the fact that it is the extreme ottoman outpost in Europe, but because it is a wedge driven into the enemies camp, and it's fate must affect the his tory of nations. For if tomorrow 1t were to be partitioned between the two smaa Kingdoms not only would it give the SiaVs a level frontier against the Turks but 1t would as effectively block Austria road 10 the sea as if it were occupied by Rus sia herself On the other hand if 1t were annexed by Austria it would end the dream of Savonic unity for ever, 1t would finish one of the undecided jealousies which have made the existence Of Iurkey possible in the past, and 1t would neralo the close of Ottoman rule in Macedonia So the vigilance of four governments sur rounds the province for an incident not serious in itself might produce one of these tremendous results. A jackdaw may steal the key of Kings treasury, and Servia alone, flinging herself into the breach and backed by the strong feeling of the Russian people might make of the Sanjal1 in moment permanent obstacle to the ambitions of the Dual Monarchy in the Mediterranean.
 At Saraievo advice was to be had on all sides, but no real information. was urged to go immediately, as the politicians were once brigands, put now the brigands had become politicians, and, therefore, all is safe;" Turks with whom l talked praised the province exceedingly, and spoke of 1t as being not only beautl- full and united, but as the true abode of tranquility, till I fancied l was listen- ing to the description of an Act by MT Lloyd George explained by himself upon a platform. There were gloomer fore bodings, and the official whose duty Il was to provide passengers with tickets advised so constantly, 'seien sic nur gut gewaffnet,' that I lost my first train. FIX cept for the kindness of my Austrian friends, 1 felt little sorrow in leaving Sarajevo. It is a good centre for fishing, but otherwise has not much to recom- mend it. Hotels jostle the Mosques. mod ern flats overshadow the grey, old Turk ish houses. and one received the impress sion of a blemished western Phoenix fls- ing from the ashes of an eastern city.
 The journey to the frontier IS, how ever. very beautiful, and as my servant
 ftox,a fiae scenic railway at the White City. The line skirts the edge of the precipice, flirt- ing with space, and whips in and out of tunnels as a bullet might cut It's way through a sheet of corrugated iron. Chasms in the hills widen into valleys, that narrow as abruptly into gorges. There are momentary views of woods, rivers, mountains, and great naked cliffs, broken by patches of scarlet earth, that seem to turn and totter above the traii An engineer would be more interested In the construction of the line than in the scenery, and in the extraordinary marrow gauge, which, under the circumstances, appealed to me very little. The Turkish customs had lost none of their weary familiarity My companions were pulled out with smuggled arms, which evaded search, but my weapons, a medicine chest, and box of paper fasteners were all con- fiscated, and only returned after couple of hours by the courtesy of the merelfui government A Turkish ex-M. P and 5ne of his chief constituents, whose politics were, from the candidates point of view, most unfortunate, slept at the same inn at the frontier village, where the Turkish officials met us.
 The next morning the rain fell in tor rents, and the hooded roofs shone and sang under it. As storm after storm swept by, the Christian innkeeper spoke of fba nf fI,oG Ca pialr xtrhip ipl, hse a was the quietest place in Turkey. In the middle of the talk of the somnolent quiet of the land news came that Djavid Pasha had gone to Berane, on the Montenegrin frontier. with eight regiments. making eleven in all, and that war was on the point of being declared. The most hard ended Turcophobe might have been soft ened by the discussion that followed, re- yealing the inner bitterness of failure which all classes feel. Turkey. they said had lost province after province under the old regime; Moslem and Christian had been equally oppressed, though what Great Power had ever spoken for the Moslem? The committee, which had be- gun well, had finished badly, not entirely through it's own fault. More dominions were taken. more affronts offered. When the new government seized the oppor- tunity to advocate the dismemberment of Turkey under another name. Montenegro found the moment opportune TOT burning fifteen guard houses and melting the Christians of forty villages across the Turkish frontier to revolt. War, they said, with the Black Mountain probably meant war with Bulgaria and Austria, but what other course was open to people that had any seif-respect? As the day cleared and we prepared to start Turk summed up the situation: "Yollumuz yok Hepsimiz euluruz '-''There is no way for us; we are all of us perishing together"
 The Turks and the Committee
 After writing as many names of the British cabinet as could remember for a local student of politics we rode off quickly, to make up for lost time. The soldier with me spoke his mind freely. The committee of union and progress. he said. had done good work. Before their coming people were robbed and beaten and killed. The land was full of man. nerless men. Now some few goats and sheep were taken occasionally, and there were only ten or twelve murderers round eienitza. When learnt that the Alban- ians few weeks ago had released over