NEWS OF THE WEEK.
GLOOM and anxiety as regards the Balkan situation marked the earlier part of the week, but writing on Friday we are able to record that there seems a reason- able prospect of peace. We shall not attempt to disentangle the rumours and official statements, alleged telegrams from the front, and obvious war bulletins from the rear, as to this or that incident in the great seven days' battle, or as to the numbers of killed and wounded—put by some statements as high as seventy thousand. All we can say for certain is that for the past seven days there has been heavy fighting all along the very long line of disputed frontier, that is to say, almost from the /Egean up the valley of the Vardar river, till it reaches Novi Bazar and the Servian frontier. The object of the Bulgarians, who struck suddenly and struck hard, was to drive a wedge between Belgrade and the Servian and Greek armies, and by the instrument of the fait accompli to make the final negotia- tions, which all the disputants have admitted must take place, the better for Bulgaria. Accordingly Bulgaria attempted to invade Servia and that part of Macedonia in the possession of Servia in no fewer than five places, while at the same time a smaller Bulgarian army endeavoured to bold the Greeks in check in the neighbourhood of Seres.
