Page:The European Concert in the Eastern Question.djvu/298

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THE BALKAN PENINSULA, ETC. : TEXTS.

towards the west the crest of the Balkans by Ciprovec Balkan and Stara Planina up to the former eastern frontier of the Principality of Servia, near to the Kula Smiljova Cuka, and thence that former frontier as far as the Danube, which it rejoins at Rakovitza.

This delimitation shall he fixed on the spot by the European Commission, on which the Signatory Powers shall be represented[1]. It is understood--

1. That this Commission will take into consideration the necessity for His Imperial Majesty the Sultan to be able to defend the Balkan frontiers of Eastern Roumelia.

2. That no fortifications may be erected within a radius of 10 kilom. from Samakow.

Constitution Art. III. The Prince of Bulgaria shall be freely elected by the population[2] and confirmed by the Sublime Porte[3], with the assent of the Powers. No member of the Reigning Dynasties of the Great European Powers may be elected Prince of Bulgaria.

In case of a vacancy in the princely dignity, the election of the new Prince shall take place under the same conditions and with the same forms.

Art. IV. An Assembly of Notables of Bulgaria[4], convoked at Tirnovo[5], shall, before the election of the Prince, draw up the Organic Law of the Principality[6].
  1. No other Delimitation Commission is provided for by the Treaty, but in August, 1878, Russia urged the appointment of three such Commissions in Europe and one in Asia. Lord Salisbury thought that the appointment of a Commission for Asia must be postponed, on account of the unsettled state of the country, but concurred in the appointment of Commissions for Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Servia. The regular course would have been that the work of the Commissions should be sanctioned by the Porte and then confirmed by the Powers. The long delay of the Porte to sanction the acts of the Commissions was given as a reason for the delay on the part of the Powers to calculate the amount of the tribute payable by Bulgaria, or the proportion of the Ottoman debt to be borne by the liberated Principalities in respect of newly acquired territory.
  2. Prince Alexander of Battenberg was elected hereditary Prince of Bulgaria by the Assembly on 29th April, 1879, and swore to observe the constitution on 9th July following.
  3. The election was confirmed by a Firman of investiture of 25th July, 1879; N. R. G. 2me Série, v. 506.
  4. The Assembly was elected on 31st December, 1878.
  5. It met there on 26th February, 1879.
  6. This was adopted on 28th April, 1879. It consisted of 170 Articles