Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16
Advanced
Bastion.

and maintained during
ooseA'H' four centuries their domi-
nation. In the beginning of, the eight
zenith century Prince Eugene closed ac-
cess to Austria to the Turks. Belgrade.
perched on it's hills high above the
continents of lower Hungary. was the
supreme observatory of the sultans-
Until then the commercial exchanges
between Europe and the Levant went
only by sea from Vienna and Mar
seille through the intermediary of the
gated to local trade under the regime
Turk which took no heed of the ne
cessity of extending their communica-
tons.
The political emancipation of the
Balkans in the nineteenth century
opened economical perspectives en-
tirely new: the commercial notions of
the occident sought out these unex-
plotted lands: Rumania's Danubian
provinces participated in the aspira
lions OF the inhabitants Of the Russian
plains. her black soil was admirable
for wheat her steppes were good for
cattle raising. the delta was equal in
its fisheries to those OF the Don and
the VolEa. Further south the Bulgars
and Serbs planted rose and fruit trees;
the ravines of Montenegro were plant
ed with laurel: the peop1e ate corn
cakes. boiled beans. fresh and smoked
flesh Of sheep. goat and hog: they
drank brandy made of prunes. None
suspected a commerce of expectation:
the first piano imported at Philfppopoli.
in 1880. was an unceasing object of
wonder and amaZement.
Economical emancipation followed po-
litical independence after the congress
of Berlin Gs7s) Saloniki and Con-
stantinople had no direct railway COM
munication with central Europe. The
Danube itself was barred by the oh
- I, Nov
merce with the occident was almost ex-
clusively maritime. ENGLAND and
France multiplied their transactions
through their steamship companies My
ing between Marseiile, SMYRNA. CON
stantinople and Odessa. The morning
after the war in the Crimea. the inter
national commission of the Danube was
given an order. the main object of
which was to develop the river naviga-
ton. It was found however. that the
service was insufficient, and then for
the first time the English took to Tur-
key the great modern novelty. the
steam railroad.
The English constructed for the sui
tan GS62-1s63). first. a small line of
tI1irty-seven miles. which connected
Tchernavoda. on the Danube. with Con-
stantsa. on the Black sea (this line is
actually Rumaniau, and possesses an
admirabl bridge at Bucharest of
French construction): second. line
al miles from Ronstahouk to Narna.
A renaissance was begun after the
liberia ton.
These innovations of railroad lines
caused the Turkish proprietors of lands
to emigrate, leaving
AgricuIture Christians in their place.
regaining thus the lands
anu 4faue. taken from their ances-
new laws encouraged agriculture, and
these countries now produce cereals for
exportation; steamers of 5000 tons as
cended the Danube without breaking
cargo as far as Galatz and Braila. Con-
stantsa, Rumanian port, but a summer
resort for the ultra-fashionable of
Bucharest, was slowly converted into
an important commercial city.
From 1869 the Turkish government
had accorded concessions to construct
railways for its own account. and in
J s72 notably to a company finally
d. Fer-Orientaux." This group was
al most entirely Austrian, its capital hav-
ing been subscribed principally in Aus
tria, Germany and eastern Switzerland:
a few French, English and Belgians
held some stock: it contracted that
1000 francs per kilometer should be
accorded government, and that under
no conditions was this sum to be less
than 1900 francs: thus it was not the
state that guaranteed revenue to the
company. but the company to the state.
And this arrangement was equitable
because government had conveyed a
branch road for the service of the
company. The total lines in that con-
cession reached 1900 kilometers. the
revenue annual from which was $780, |
900: the porte effected a loan in 1894
on the basis Of its revenue Of ss.000.000
The principal branches of the "Orien- |
taux" leaving Constantinople and Sa-
loniki were assumed. by the govern
ment Turk to serve as military roads |
as well as for economical exploitation. |
One of these left ConStantinople for |
Philippopli and stopped at
Bellova frontier Of what was then the |
province of Bulgaria |
launched two embranchments, |