PRIOR TO THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1920, 1 December 1913, Page 7

PRIOR TO THE WAR.

SECRET AGREEMENT. KING FERDINAND'S AWKWARD POSITION Br Telegraph-?rc?o Assoelation-CDpyrtoM Vionna, November L'S. Tile Austrian .newspapers are irritated l>v the Paris journal "Le Alatin's" publication of an alleged secret agreement between Bulgaria and Servia_ against Austria prior to the war. Tiic newspapers savagely criticise King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, and demand his departure from Vienna. They accuse him of betraying Austria's confidence, and then coining to Vienna to exchange sallies with actresses behind the scenes when his country had lost one hundred thousand men and while another fifty thousand were going round on crutches. The Emperor Franz Josef gavo an awliouco to King Ferdinand, and the latter has uo.v left for Sofia. A high Bulgarian personage declares that tlio Bulgarian Government forced King Ferdinand to sign a sccret ScrboBulgariau treaty. Ferdinand 'hesitated for a long time, and when ho liad signed exclaimed, "God preserve Bulgaria." As a consequence, the personage adds, nil misunderstandings between King Ferdinand and tlio Emperor Fran?, Josef arising from the publication of the treaty have now been cleared up.

MURDER OF SHEVKET PASHA. ICAVALKY MUSTAPHA RE-TRIED. Constantinople, November 23. Kavalky Mustapha, who was sentenced to death in connection with tlio murder of Shevkct Pasha, Turkish Grand Vizier, some timo ago, was arrested oil board a Russian steamer, with tho cooperation of tho Russian Consul, who apparently was misled by representations that Kavalky was an ordinary criminal. Tho Russian Ambassador protested, and demanded the return of 'jtlio prisoner, and tho dismissal of Aynii P/oy, Prefect of • Police, for tlio deception. Kavalky Mustapha has not been returned to the Russian authorities, but a court-martial re-tried him and confirmed the death sentence.

It is believed the Porte refuses tho Russian Consul's demand for tho mail's release on tho ground that he also committed non-political murders Aymi Bey's appointment as Vali of Adana is interurctcd as forestalling a demand for his dismissal.

A PRECARIOUS FOUNDATION. FOR THE TREATY OF PEACE. "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. Constantinople, November 29. Five thousand Rcdifs have arri; cd at tho Dardanelles from that portion of Turkey known as Thrace. They are being sent to tho Greek villages oil tho western shores of tho Straits, where they will bo quartered for the winter. This is regarded as confirmatory of tho prevailing belief that tho recently-signed treaty of peace rests on a prccarious foundation, and that n renewal of tho war with Greece is probablo in tho spring. _