There is little change to report in the situation in
the Balkans. According to the telegrams, it was expected that the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Ambassadors would begin on Tuesday their Conference with the Porte on the reorganisa- tion of the gendarmerie. It is supposed that the Conference will come to an end before Christmas, so that the reforms may be introduced early in the New Year. The original proposal was to appoint a German officer to command the gendarmerie; but Germany is chary of interfering in a matter where little credit can be gained, and much may be lost; so it is probable that the command will fall to an Italian general, who will be nominally an officer of the Turkish Service. The prospect of an Austro-Russian authority being installed in Macedonia has caused much excitement in Servia, but we may note that the Bulgarian Government has declined to support the Servian objections, in order that Turkey may have no cause to impugn its conduct and make it a ground for further breaches of faith.
Previous page
