M. Ribot, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Monday
made another speech upon Bulgaria. He maintained that the Capitulations, under which no foreigner can be punished in Turkey without the intervention of his Consul, were confirmed by the Treaty of Berlin, and that, Bulgaria being in Turkey, the expulsion of M. Chadourne was illegal. He had consequently addressed a note to the Turkish Government calling upon the Sultan, as suzerain of Bulgaria, to compel the observance of the treaties respecting foreigners. " The dignity of the French Govern- ment is concerned, and I must obtain satisfaction." It will be observed that M. Ribot begs the question of the dependence of the Bulgarian Government, which is purely nominal, as has been shown by the repeated expulsions of Russian and Macedonian intriguers, without remonstrance either from St. Petersburg or Constantinople. His appeal, moreover, is a little clumsy, for the Sultan is always pro- testing against the Capitulations as injurious to his dignity, and fatal to the good government of his States. To ask his Majesty, therefore, to compel Bulgaria to respect their pro- visions, is to ask him to strengthen the agreements which he is calling upon Europe to abandon. The Russian Govern- ment, it is stated, which does not love special correspondents, and does not wish to affirm that the expulsion of its own subjects was illegal, has quietlyrequested M. Ribot not to make too much of the affair ; and if M. Stambonloff is cautious, it will pro- bably be allowed to drop.
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