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Page 5
On the 18th of May the Czar of Russia sent a letter to the Sultan,
asking him in very polite and friendly terms to grant a cessation of
hostilities.
The Sultan replied in the same friendly manner, and said that on receipt
of the Czar's letter he had ordered the Turkish generals to stop
fighting. He said that he was very willing that the Powers should
arrange a settlement of his difficulty with Greece.
The next day an Armistice was signed, which bound all the land and sea
forces of both nations to keep the peace for seventeen days.
A commission was appointed to decide on a strip of land between the two
armies, which should be regarded as neutral ground, and across which
neither army should be allowed to advance during the continuance of the
armistice.
The Armistice has not found favor with the Turks; they are grumbling
very much at it. They do not want to withdraw from Greece until they
have reached Athens itself.
The most open of these grumblers are being sent back to Turkey under
escort, and the priests who are with the army have been ordered to teach
the soldiers to be obedient, and to listen to the commands of the
Sultan.
In spite of the Armistice there is still some fighting going on. The
Greek Government has sent word to the Powers protesting against it, and
also against the way the Turks are destroying and robbing the villages
in Thessaly.
During the Armistice the Powers will do their best to arrange the terms
of peace, but, as we have already told you, the victorious Turk is going
to be a very difficult person to deal with, and the Powers find they now
have very little influence with him.
It is said that the Sultan is not willing to have the Powers interfere
at all, and has sent word to the Greeks that his general, Edhem Pasha,
can arrange the terms of peace with them.
The Greeks, however, replied that they had put the case in the hands of
the Powers, and therefore could not treat with Edhem Pasha.
The Powers are annoyed that Turkey should try to put them aside, but
this is probably but a foretaste of what the Sultan will do, now that he
feels himself of importance in Europe.
There was for a time some difficulty in getting all the Powers to agree
about the terms for peace, but word reaches us that Germany has at last
given her approval to the note of the Powers, and that it has been
despatched to the Sultan.
The exact wording of the note has not been made public, but it is said
that its tone is very mild and friendly.
The note is said to object to the Turkish demand for Thessaly, and while
it agrees that Greece should pay some money to Turkey for the expenses
of the war, it declares that the sum asked for is much too large.
It is impossible to guess what the Sultan's answer will be, and in truth
he appears to be in a very unpleasant position himself in regard to the
matter.
The victories of their army have so excited the Turkish people that they
are murmuring against the dictation of the Powers, and declare that the
Government showed weakness in granting an Armistice before the Greeks
had agreed to give up Thessaly and pay the sum demanded.
So threatening have the people become, that the Sultan has doubled the
patrols in Constantinople, and is taking great precautions to guard his
own palace.
He gives as his reason for doing so that the Armenian National Festival
is about to occur, and he is afraid of an outbreak that would cause
fresh Armenian troubles.
The Turks have, however, set their hearts on regaining Thessaly, and the
Sultan will have hard work to appease them if he agrees to the terms of
the Powers. If he refuses, the Powers may declare war upon him.
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