grins. His Majesty also was in favor of this solution on dynastic grounds." 1

From this short paragraph, which is produced here verbatim, one may form an opinion for oneself relative to the knowledge of Prince Lichnowski about Albanian affairs. Of all these confused and incoherent phrases the one which goes to the point is that “His Majesty also was in favor of this solution on dynastic grounds." This is the only clear statement Prince Lichnowski advances as an argument for the dismemberment of Albania among her neighbors; all the rest is sheer nonsense. In the clouded mind of the Prince Albania is Greek and Greece is Albania. Yet the most sagacious argument in favor of the annexation of Albania to Greece seems to be that "the so-called Greek national dress itself is of Albanian origin," and that "in Greece there are still Albanian groups." One has to thank him, however, for recognizing that Albania is inhabited by Orthodox Albanians and by Moslems, although the Prince is in doubt whether the Moslems

1 This part is quoted from pamphlet No. 127 of International Conciliation, entitled "Prince Lichnowski's Revelations," as they have been translated from the German by Professor Munroe Smith of Columbia University.

2 The impression made by Prince Lichnowski's knowledge of the Albanian question on the official representative of the Provisional Albanian Government, Mehmed Bey Konitsa, is thus described by himself:

"In January of that year (1913), I and my colleagues went to visit Prince Lichnowski in order to explain Albania's just claims to him. He gave me the impression that he knew much more about the planet Mars than he did of Albania. Later on, Greece sent a group of its agents to Sir Edward Grey and the Conference to say that they were delegates of South Albania and desired its annexation to Greece. Among the members of the Conference, the only one who took this grotesque comedy seriously was Prince Lichnowski. But even he does not appear to have been able to grasp the argument of these so-called delegates and he has reproduced it in the bizarre phrases quoted above." The Adriatic Review, Sept., 1918.

or the Christians are in majority, and although he superimposes on Albania the Greek civilization. Still one naturally fails to see why "The incorporation of the Albanians, of whom the majority is either Orthodox Christian or Moslem, in the Greek State, is the best solution" or "that it was also most natural, if, let us say, Skutari and the northern part had been assigned to the Serbs and Montenegrins."

As to the deputations from the larger towns of Southern Albania, who went to the Conference for the purpose of securing annexation to Greece, one has to admit that there are in Southern Albania enough Greeks to make up not only one deputation or two but half a dozen deputations, if the Greek military authorities had only set their hearts upon creating such agencies of annexation.

REFERENCES

DURHAM, M. E., The Struggle for Scutari, Chapters XIV-XVI. LAMOUCHE, LÉON, La naissance de l'Etat albanais, Révue Politique et Parlementaire, Vol. 80, pp. 220-239 (the most remarkable article on Albania in the French language; a conscientious discussion of the question of the frontiers).

LUMO, SKENDO, La Population de l'Epire, Sophia, 1915.

LYDE, PROF. L. W., Types of Political Frontiers in Europe (with sketch map, Albania), Geographical Journal, February, 1915. PEACOCK, WADHAM, Albania, the Foundling State of Europe, Appleton, 1914, Ch. XV.

YOUNG, GEORGE, Nationalism and War in the Near East, Ch. VII.

CHAPTER X

THE NEW STATE

I. THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT

By virtue of the proclamation of independence, which took place at Valona on November 28, 1912, as has already been said, the country became independent of its former sovereign, the Sultan of Turkey, under whose nominal control she had been for nearly four hundred and fifty years. But the recognition of the independent status was not completed till December 20, when the Conference of Ambassadors officially took cognizance of the fact.

On the day of the proclamation of independence, the National Convention, which was composed of representatives from all the free as well as the invaded parts of Albania, proceeded to form a central government. The Provisional Albanian Government -this was its official title-was placed under the presidency of Ismail Kemal Bey, and the vice-presidency was given to the Catholic Prelate of Durazzo, Monsignor Nicholas Kachori. The Cabinet was made up of seven Ministers, Christian and Moslem, all of whom had been named by the National Convention.

Although the area of the territory over which the jurisdiction of the Provisional government extended was only a small part, just within cannon range around the city of Valona, owing to the fact that the

rest of the territory was in the occupation either of the Balkan allies or the Turkish troops, the questions which confronted the government were entirely out of proportion with the means at its disposal. The only sources of revenue the new government could rely upon were the customs duties of the export and import trade of the seaport of Valona. But the port was blockaded by the Greek monitors, and the blockade was not lifted till the month of April, 1913. To make matters still worse, the Greeks cut the cable connecting Valona, and through it Albania, with Europe. The provisional capital and its government were thus cut entirely off from the rest of the world, and disheartening gloom now reigned within and around Valona.

The principal function of the government was to defend the rights of the Albanian nationality in the eyes of the world which knew almost nothing about them and which was being bombarded by the memoranda and propaganda leaflets of the Balkan allies asserting their "incontestable" titles to the Albanian territories which they occupied or intended to occupy. But the luckless government was virtually a prisoner within the walls of Valona, and the field was free for the customary machinations and intrigues of the Balkan States. North of the provisional cap-. ital were the Serbian armies, in the south were the Greeks, and in the east there was camping at Farkolla, barely 20 miles away, the army of Djavid Pasha, the devastator of Albania; the sea was blockaded by the Greek squadron. The Provisional Government was a government in name only. The gloomy tensity of Valona was only partially relieved late in December, when the yacht of the Duke of

Montpensier, Ferdinand François, of the House Bourbon-Orléans, ran the blockade and entered the port of Valona. The Duke was willing to figure as a candidate for the throne of Albania; but he was speedily forgotten, his candidacy being distasteful to the Powers, which were mainly interested in Albanian affairs. Yet, the Duke did contribute something to the cause of Albania, for a few days later, his yacht eluded again the vigilance of the blockading ships, and safely landed on Italian soil Ismail Kemal Bey, together with Louis Gurakuki, Minister of Public Instruction, and Isa Bolatin, the foremost chief of the Albanian insurrection of 1912 against the Turks, who had barely escaped assassination at the hands of the Serbians with whom he had been coöperating against the Turks at the beginning of the Balkan war.1 All three Albanian leaders proceeded to visit the various capitals of Europe in the effort to win the sympathies of the European governments and peoples in favor of Albanian independence. Their mission was, however, a failure, for public opinion in Europe had been already incensed by the scandalous attitude of Austria, and the indignation felt towards the latter power was transferred in equal degree to the cause of Albania herself.

II. INTERNAL REFORMS

While the Conference of London was merely wast1 The brave, but utterly unfortunate, military leader was later assassinated by the Montenegrins, in April, 1916, when the latter were hastily evacuating Scutari in view of the approaching Austrian army. Up to the time of his death, Isa Bolatin was being held a prisoner by the Montenegrins as a result of the invasion of Northern Albania the King of Montenegro and the Serbians had foolishly undertaken during the Spring of 1916.