The most serious news from Turkey comes from Macedonia, where
it is said that a party of Christian insurgents have destroyed a Turkish village, killing all the inhabitants, and have then fled to the hills. It is certain that the Macedonians are excessively irritated by the European failure to include their grievances among those for which immediate redress was demanded, and it is quite possible that they intend to force the Ambassadors' bands. If they do, and begin massacring Turks, the fierce soldiery encamped in Macedonia, aided by Albanian brigands, will undoubtedly break loose, and scenes will be enacted which neither the Greeks nor the Bulgarians nor the Austrians will be able to bear, and it may be necessary to compel the Sultan to give up Macedonia. Then the match will be in the gunpowder, for Greece. Bulgaria, and Austria all alike intend to have the province ; and Russia intends that if Austria has it, there shall be an equable partition of the Balkans. The Mace- donians are nearly desperate with horror at the present position, lying as they do at the mercy of a barbarian soldiery, and a real rising in Macedonia may be announced on any day in the next three months. If it occurs, war will be almost certain, for though the Sultan will sell the province, there will be bidders with bayonets in their hands.
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