NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1607, 15 April 1879, Page 4

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

THE BT/IGABIAN CONSTITUTION. The proposed Constitution for Bulgaria provides, it is stated in a Tirnova telegram, that the Prince shall confirm and promulgate the laws voted by the Assembly and be Com-.mander-in-Ohief of the military forces. He will call the Assembly together once a year, the time and period of its duration to be fixed by the Constituent Assembly. There will be two Assemblies, one of the ordinary kind, and one called the Grand National. The Budget will be submitted every year to the ordinary Assembly. There is to be complete freedom of debate in the Legislative Chamber. The Church of the State will be the Orthodox Greek, end only the first elected Prince may belong to any other religion. A large number of the deputies to the Assembly have arrived at Tirnova, and very warm discussions are said to bo going on between the different groups of parties. A " Times " telegram says that it is almost universally believed that the arrangements made by the Treaty of Berlin for Bulgaria and East Boumelia can only be maintained temporarily, even if fully carried into effect at the present time; and inconsequence of this belief, there is a strong feeling in favor of postponing indefinitely the election of a Prince and governing the country nerth of the Balkans by a Committee of Administration until Europe recognises the impolicy of longer maintaining the division of the Bulgarians. About twenty deputies from East Poumelia and half-a-dozen from Macedonia are present, and claim admission to the Assembly ; but it is stated that in " the more sober-minded circles " it is not believed that the leaders will permit these deputies to complicate the already difficult situation by acceding to their demands. The town of Tirnova is being decorated for the reception of Prince Dondoukoff-Korsakoff, who after opening the National Assembly will proceed at once to Bustohuk. CANADIAN AND PACIFIC BAILWAY. Periapt the most important passage in Lord Lome's speech on the oocasion of the opening of the Canadian Parliament at Ottawa is that which refers to the " vigorous prosecution of the Canadian and Pacific Railway, and to meet the reasonable expectations of British Columbia with due regard to the financial position of the country." Whatever may be urged by the small population of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island against the breach of the agreement under which they entered as part of the Dominion, there can be no doubt that in the first instance that agreement wbb contracted by Canada without " due regard to the financial position of the country;" and, in point of fact, the Dominion really had not the means to carry out the bargain to the letter. The various compromises suggested from time to timn unfortunately fell through, owing, as it scums to us, to faults on both sides ; and now, an we have been frequently told, the British Columbians tbroaten to appeal to the Imperial Government for permission to retire from the Dominion unless this transcontinental railroad is pushed on With all despatch. No one doubts that, thia enterprise must bo carried on at a dead loss —in the first instance, at any rate. It is a '-'political railway" in the widest sense of those words. But it does not follow that the temporary sacrifice will not be advantageous to the couttry as a whole. The spasmodic agitation in British Columbia for

annexation to the United States may be overlooked ; for, whatever happens, we could not permit the British possessions in North America to be shut out from tho Pacific ; but the railway would at any rate put an end to it. Aud we can scarcely doubt that the set of emigration would bo towards the newly opened up country, even from the Western States of the Union. [From the " Times."] TREATY OP PEACE BETWEEN BT/SSIA AND TOBKEY. The Vienna correspondent telegraphs on February 21st:—It was not quite easy to prosent the conclusion of the definitive peace with Turkey in a form agreeable to Russia, and which would satisfy the people of that country that the n suits obtained were in proportion to the sacrifices they had made. The Russian Government in this respect labored under the signal disadvantage that the main settlement of tho Eastern Question was taken out of its hands and determined by the Treaty of Berlin, leaving only some of tho subordinate questions for the definitive treaty botween Russia and Turkoy, and thus giving to the great military and political enterprise of the former country a tardy and, apparently at least, poor conclusion. The rather difficult task of reconciling public opinion with this result seems, nevertheless, to have been tolerably well accomplished by tho manifesto of tho Czar. According to accounts from St. Petersburg, it has made a good impression. There seems, indeed, no disposition on the part of tho people of Russia to make orations or indulge in public rejoicings over the event. There is, however, a general fesling of relief at the close of the great political and military undertaking, which, besides entailing such heavy direct sacrifices, has for the last three years interrupted and disorganised the whole internal economy of the country. A sense of weariness at the long suspense and uncertainty had for some time past taken possession of all classes of the Russian population, manifesting itself plainly enough in almost the entire lack of interest in the affairs of the East. Tho subject, so long tho all-absorbing topic, had almost disappeared from conversation ; while the organs of public opinion were satisfied to follow tardily and languidly the history of events connected with it. Tho agitation and excitement had run their course and become exhausted. The conclusion of the definitive treaty with Turkey was, therefore, only the official record of this state of apathy, felt, with few exceptions, all over Russia. It may be presumed that the feeling of the country was no secret to the Government, and influenced in no small measure its line of policy. This encourages the hope that in the questions still pending the influence from the same source will make itßelf felt. ENGLAND, FBANCE, AND EGYPT. The Paris correspondent writes on February 23rd : —France has ordered the despatch boat Renard to Egypt, and an English ship is going in the same direction. Tho apparent object of this demonstration is to be on the spot in case of disturbances, but tho real object is to let the Viceroy see the united colors of France and England, who, without being hostile to tho Viceroy, will nevertheless inspire him with salutary reflections. I understand, moreover, that tho two Governments hastened to communicate their perfectly reassuring views on this subject to the signatory Powers of the Treaty of Berlin, to whom these communications have forthwith been transmitted by their representatives in Paris and London. Interested financiers, indeed, are trying to attach a much greater significance to the attitude of the two countries, which, were they to be believed, are contemplating an actual joint seizure of Egypt j but this is quite a mistake. The financial question is merely secondary in the resolutions of the two Governments. They will certainly insist on the Khedive not resuming his prodigalities and on his adhering to the economical course on which he has been constrained to enter. On this head tho Egyptian Ministers remaining in office will be energetically supported. But this support, which mainly aims at maintaining good order in an independent Egypt, will turn out otherwise than many are pleased to say. My information on this subject is precise. Neither England nor France holds herself bound to guarantee tho ordinary creditors in any respect against the vicissitudes to which they are exposed, but both are of opinion that by wise treatment of the expenditure, and by reducing the present rate of interest one-half Egypt may succeed in making two ends meet, and may thereby save herself from becoming a source of uneasiness to foreign Governments. She may thus also reassure her creditors, who though they onlv received half the present interest would at least be certain of getting that. Nubar Pasha's fall, moreover, seems to have satisfied the Khedive, and, however much the retirement of so able a man is to be regretted, it is merely a personal question in no way warranting the perilous projects attributed to France and England. Their promptly concerted attitude will have shown the Khedive that he has ceased to be the autocrat of Egypt, and it only remains for Mr Rivers Wilson to proceed vigorously with the reduction of the interest and Civil List and the economic measures necessary to prevent fresh disquietude. THB PLAGITB. The Paris correspondent telegraphs, on February 26th: —M. Fauvel, at the meeting of the Academy of Medicine yesterday, expressed an opinion that the Astrakhan epidemic had been imported from Persia, where it recently prevailed at Resht, a port on the Caspian, but created little ravages among the scattered population. There were doubts as to its being the plague, which the French delegate, M. Zuber, would soon clear up; but he was inclined to think it was. The plague was nowhtre endemic, but would revive in spots where it had disappeared forty years previously, as at Bengazi, in Tunis. The cold weather had furthered the efforts of the Russian authorities, but in spring it would probably assume greater force. The invasion of Zarizin would be the first warning for Western Europe, for Germany and Austria would be menaced via Moscow, and the Mediterranean via Taganrog; but the danger would not be very serious unless it attacked Bulgaria and Roumelia. Pestilential epidemics, however, tended rather to quarter themselves in a fixed spot than to extend, like cholera. Typhus was everywhere endemics—at Berlin, in Ireland, and in Brittany ; but it was absurd to fear that it would be transformed into the plague. Nothing of the kind occurred during the Crimean war, though we then, expected to see typhus followed by plague. The latter did not exist anywhere in Turkey, though there were small centres of typhus there. The precautions taken in the Mediterranean were excessive, for the moment had not come for acting so energetically. THE AFGHAN WAB. The following telegram has been received from the London office of the " New York Herald" .—" Tashkend, February 23rd, 7.40 p.m.—There is a conflict of evidence here regarding the condition of Shere Ali. The Afghan Ambassadors pretend that they have received since their arrival at Tashkend a letter from the Ameer, dated three days later than the letter from the Russian military surgeon, the substance of which I telegraphed you yesterday. The communication to the Ambassadors informs them, so they allege, that the abscess in the Ameer's leg had been opened and that cure would be complete and speedy. On hearing this, General Kaufmann immediately assembled a council of doctors, who, after reading the letter of their Russian colleague from Tashkurgan and the technical report accompanying it, declared that the diagnosis was exceptionally clear and categorical, and that, therefore, full confidence should be placed in it. General Kaufmann has consequently decided to await a fresh communication from the Russian doctor at Tashkurgan, and also to get further instructions from St. Petersburg, before receiving the Ambassadors, as, in the event of Shere Ali's death, they lose all quality until tho re-confirmation of their powers by his successor."