The release of the Bulgarian, Shishmanoff, accused of the murder
of M. Vulkovitch, Bulgarian Agent in Constanti- nople, and his safe retreat to Odessa, have greatly irritated Sofia. M. Stambouloff has consequently addressed a note to the Porte, obviously intended for publication, in which he recounts the proofs of Bulgarian good conduct, and requires the Sultan to demand the extradition of Shishmanoff and his alleged accomplices. If this request is refused, the con- sequences, it is hinted, may be grave, the Bulgarians being tired of dependence on the Porte, which, whenever a dispute arises with Russia, plays into Russian hands. As Shish- manoff was in the hands of the Turkish police, and was liable to be tried as a Turkish subject, M. Stambouloff has clearly right on his side ; but right unsupported by force is of little consequence in the East. The Sultan will certainly not demand the extradition of Shishmanoff, and the Bul- garians will hardly break with their Austrian friends, who are willing that they should be independent, but desire delay for fear of precipitating the great war. In our time only two things seem to be really strong,—force and sentimentality.
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