The Speech is strangely interesting from its mixture of the
new and the old spirit. It begins with a statement as to why the first Parliament was temporarily dissolved over thirty years ago,—the ground alleged being the necessity of waiting till the education of the people had been brought to a sufficiently high level! That, of course, is a statement entirely at variance with the facts. Now, the Sultan proceeds, a Constitution has been promulgated without hesitation or doubt. Despite opposition from certain quarters, he issued orders for the elections. The Sultan goes on in quite the old Turkish manner to describe how "the Prince of Bulgaria and the Vali of Eastern Rumelia, unexpectedly abandoned his allegiance to the Empire," and how the Austro-Hungarian Government had annexed the provinces "which it provision- ally occupied." "These were two surprising events which caused us most profound regret." The task of the Council of Ministers and of the Parliament was to safeguard the rights of the nation. The Speech ends with some excellent sentiments as to finding a satisfactory solution of international relations with the aid of the Great Powers, and as to the necessity of reorganising, the national finances and developing the resources of the country. "Our
POSTAGZ ABROAD 1 D. resolution to govern the country in conformity with the law of the Constitution is irrevocable." After the Sultan hid withdrawn, the Deputies took the oath and swore fidelity to the Constitution and the Sultan "as long as he should maintain the Constitution." it is an unpleasant task to suggest diffieulties in the way of Turkish Constitutional progress. We have, however, felt bound in another column to point out some of the dangers ahead, for there is nothing more foolish than to tell the helmsman of a vessel that there is no obstacle in the ship's path when it is well known that the water is sown with sunken rocks.
