"England has at last gauged the situation correctly: Lord Derby's declaration in the Upper House, maintaining that the Treaty of Paris only guarantees the integrity of Turkey from attacks from abroad, but that none of the signatory Powers can intervene between the Porte and the Tributary States, is most significant. If all the Great Powers were to adopt this—the only correct point of view—the Oriental conflict would be localised, and we should thus avoid serious complications. The vassal States and the various Provinces must be allowed to break their horns. If they succeed in emerging victorious from the struggle with their suzerain, tant mieux! If not, they do not deserve to be independent countries.
"The Servians will not wait for the 'green-table' decisions of diplomacy: they will decide their fate themselves. Bulgaria is in a state of great agitation; revolutionary committees have been formed everywhere to incite the populace to throw off the Turkish yoke. We are saddled with the thankless task of impeding the communications of the committees here with those in Bulgaria, and with preventing the invasion of Turkey by armed bands. We had repeatedly to act with energy, and arrest the leaders with their troops; they were, of course, liberated in a couple of days, but their weapons were seized.
"... Servia is ready for war, and inquiring what will be the attitude of Roumania in the event of Turkish warships steaming up the Danube? The Servians, moreover, are not on the best of terms with Roumania owing to our strictly neutral attitude. Germany, on the other hand, is convinced that the Turks, in spite of the condition of their finances, are still capable of considerable military efforts, and will annihilate the Servians in a war; and she has, through the medium of her agent, congratulated the Roumanian Government on its attitude...."
The insurgents in Herzegowina proclaimed the Prince of Montenegro as their ruler, whilst the Bosnians placed themselves under Prince Milan, who now forwarded a quasi-ultimatum to the Porte, demanding the incorporation of Bosnia in the Principality of Servia under the suzerainty of Turkey. Roumania seized the opportunity of reminding the Sublime Porte of certain disputes which still remained unsettled, in spite of the loyalty shown by the Prince's Government to the conventions. The following seven points were then submitted to the Porte:
(1) The recognition of Roumania's individuality as a State.
(2) The addition of the Roumanian Agent to the Diplomatic Corps in Constantinople.
(3) The regulation of the position of Roumanians in Turkey, and the recognition of Roumanian consular jurisdiction over them.
(4) The recognition of the inviolability of Roumanian territory.
(5) The conclusion of extradition, commercial, and postal conventions between Turkey and Roumania.