THE BALKAN SITUATION

The proclamation of Bulgarian independence, made October 5, 1908, at Tirnovo, the ancient capital of Bulgaria; the simultaneous annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary; and the raising of the Grecian flag by Crete have made the Balkan Peninsula once again the storm center of Europe. The status established by the Treaty of Berlin of July 13, 1878, (for which see Supplement) is violated by each of these three events, for by the terms of the treaty Bulgaria is constituted an autonomous and tributary principality under the suzerainty of the Sultan (Article I); the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are to be occupied and administered by Austria-Hungary (Article XXV) and, although the status of Crete has been modified by subsequent agreement, Article XXIII of the treaty of Berlin recognizes the sovereignty of the Porte over the island. The annexation of Eastern Roumelia by Bulgaria in 1885 was a violation of the treaty, and incorporated as it is with Bulgaria, the recognition of the independence of Bulgaria will carry with it not only its loss but the loss of Eastern Roumelia, which by Article XIII of the treaty was to be and remain "under the direct political and military authority of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, under condition of administrative autonomy."

It can not be said, however, that the three events were unexpected or that they profoundly changed the actual relations of the various territories of Turkey; for as a matter of fact Bosnia and Herzegovina are occupied and administered by Austria-Hungary, and although Bulgaria is technically dependent upon Turkey, it is recognized and treated as an independent state, and as such took part in the proceedings of the Second Hague Conference. Crete, while acknowledging the suzerainty of Turkey, is autonomous, governed by a governor-general recommended by Greece, and who is, at the present time, a former prime minister of Greece. As a matter of fact the territories in question are independent of Turkey; from the legal standpoint a dependent relation exists. Should Turkey recognize the events which have taken place as faits accomplis the Porte would lose but a theoretical claim of right which it can not hope to make effective. Acquiescence would weaken the prestige of the reform movement; war might abrogate the constitution and postpone indefinitely the blessings of constitutional government.

As the signatory powers to the treaty of Paris declared in 1871 that "it is an essential principle of the law of nations that no power can liberate itself from the engagements of a treaty, nor modify the stipula

tions thereof, unless with the consent of the contracting powers by means of an amicable arrangement," it would seem that the various acts would need confirmation by the signatory powers of the treaty of Berlin in order to have the sanction of law. A conference of the powers would seem to be logical if not inevitable and it is to be hoped that the conference will meet in peace and not at the end of a war.

CHRONICLE OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

WITH BEFERENCES

Abbreviations: Ann. sc. pol., Annales des sciences politiques, Paris; Arch. dipl., Archives diplomatiques, Paris; B., boletín, bulletin, bollettino; B. A. R., Monthly bulletin of the International Bureau of American Republics, Washington; Doc. dipl., France: Documents diplomatiques; Dr., droit, diritto, derecho; For. rel., Foreign Relations of the United States; Ga., gazette, gaceta, gazzetta; Cd., Great Britain: Parliamentary Papers; Int., international, internacional, internazionale; J., journal; J. O., Journal Officiel, Paris; Mém. dipl., Mémorial diplomatique, Paris; Monit., Moniteur belge, Brussels; N. R. G., Nouveau recueil général de traités, Leipzig; Q. dipl., Questions diplomatiques et coloniales; R., review, revista, revue, rivista; Reichs-G., Reichs-Gesetzblatt, Berlin; Staatsb., Staatsblad, Gröningen; State Papers, British and Foreign State Papers, London; Stat. at L., United States Statutes at Large; Times, the Times (London); Treaty ser., Great Britain: Treaty Series.

December, 1907.

5 CHILE-PERSIA. Ratifications exchanged at Washington of treaty of friendship and commerce signed at Washington, March 30, 1903. B. di legislazione e statistica doganale e commerciale (Rome), 25:129.

March, 1908.

24 HONDURAS-MEXICO. Convention relative to parcels post signed at Mexico. La Gaceta, Tegucigalpa, June 20.

24

HONDURAS-MEXICO. Extradition treaty signed at Mexico. La
Gaceta, June 17.

24 HONDURAS-MEXICO. Treaty signed at Mexico. Friendship, commerce and navigation. La Gaceta, Tegucigalpa, June 12. Ratified by Honduras May 28.

April, 1908.

9 GREAT BRITAIN SPAIN. Agreement signed at Madrid amending Article 5 of the agreement of November 25, 1875, respecting the postal service between Gibraltar and Spain. Treaty ser., 1908, No. 16.

April, 1908.

13

15

.

1 GENEVA RED CROSS CONVENTION of 1864 has by this date been ratified or adhered to by: Argentine Republic, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Kongo, Korea, Luxemburg, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Persia, Peru, Portugal, Panama, Paraguay, Roumania, Russia, Salvador, Servia, Siam, Spain, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Sweden, and Switzerland. Staatsb., 1908, No. 120. GREAT BRITAIN-PANAMA. Parcel post agreement signed at Panama. Treaty ser., 1908, No. 15. FRANCE SPAIN. Second additional protocol signed at Paris to arend articles 4 and 5 of the convention signed August 18, 1904, respecting trans-Pyrenean railways. Ga. de Madrid, June 23. CHINA-GREAT BRITAIN. Treaty signed at Calcutta. Trade relations with Tibet. The arrangements are based generally on the regulations of 1893. The principle of extraterritoriality is introduced. Article V:." The Tibetan authorities, in obedience to the instructions of the Pekin Government, having a strong desire to reform the judicial system of Tibet and to bring it into accord with that of Western nations, Great Britain agrees to relinquish her rights of extra-territoriality in Tibet whenever such. rights are relinquished in China, and when she is satisfied that the state of the Tibetan laws and the arrangements for their administration and other considerations warrant her in so doing." Times, June 9, 12; North China Herald, 87:757; Gazette of India, May 20; Mém. dipl., August 16. See April 27, 1906.

20

30

SPAIN. Royal decree putting into force provisional regulations for the application of the emigration law of December 21, 1907. Ga. de Madrid, May 6 and 11.

May, 1908.

BELGIUM-ITALY. Declaration signed at Rome relative to reciprocal admission of medicinal products and pharmaceutical remedies. B. Usuel, 10:228; Monit., May 27. 4 GREAT BRITAIN-NORWAY, SWEDEN.

Exchange of notes at Christiania and Stockholm relative to the agreement of July 12, 1881,

May, 1908.

for the mutual relief of distressed seamen. Treaty ser., 1908, No. 19.

5 DENMARK. New customs tariff signed. Goes into effect January 1, 1909, with the exception of the duties on alcoholic beverages and tobacco which went into effect May 6. The tariff has been reduced on the whole. Duties on raw materials and articles required in manufactures have been considerably reduced, and in a number of cases abolished. The duty on coal has been reduced from 24 cents to 8 cents per ton and is to be entirely removed in four years. Cd., 4267.

7 SALVADOR. Legislative decree sanctioning executive decree of April 13, 1908, establishing the basic principles on which should rest the treaties with foreign nations. Compilación de leyes, decretos y otras disposiciones dictados en el ramo de relaciones exteriores, 1908, San Salvador.

14 BRAZIL. Decree No. 6948 regulating the naturalization of aliens. B. A. R., August.

14 VENEZUELA. Decree requiring transshipment of all goods from and to Maracaibo and other ports in Western Venezuela at Puerto Cabello instead of at Willemstad, as formerly. Netherlands, in view of the effect of this decree on the trade of Curaçao, insists that it be revoked by November 1, 1908.

14 CHINA-JAPAN. Yalu forestry agreement signed at Peking. Text, North China Herald, 87:624. Regulations of the Chino-Japanese Timber Co., in accordance with Article X of the protocol annexed to the agreement respecting Manchuria.

22 BELGIUM-GREECE. Ratifications exchanged at Athens of declaration signed at Athens April 9, 1908. B. Usuel, 10:235; Monit, June 1, 2. Additional to the extradition treaty signed July 9, 1901. Extends list of extraditable offenses.

24 COLOMBIA-ECUADOR. Boundary treaty signed at Bogotá. Approved by Colombia August 10. Diario oficial (Bogota), August 13. See June 5, 1907. Informe....Min. rel. ext (Quito) 1908. 25 COLOMBIA-JAPAN. Treaty of friendship, commerce and navigation signed at Washington. Ratified by Colombia, August 18. Diario oficial, August 22.

26 SIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PUBLISHERS, at Madrid. Adjourned May 30. Previous congresses were held in Leipzig, 1901; Milan, 1906. For proceedings, Dr. d'auteur, 21:69.