EVENTS OF 1897 Cretan Insurgents Proclaim Union with Greece-Turkish Governor Resigns-Foreign Fleets Occupy Canea-They Fire on Insurgent Camp -Powers Submit to Porte and Greece Policy of Cretan Autonomy -Sultan_Accepts-Greece Refuses and Calls Out Reserves-Autonomy is Proclaimed in Crete-Moslems Attack Christians-Powers Blockade Crete and Shell Insurgents-Sultan Demands Evacuation of Crete by Greek Troops-Greeks Cross Their Frontier into Turkey -Turkey Declares War-Edhem Pasha Captures Maluna Pass and Occupies Thessaly-Greeks Fall Back to Larissa-Smolenskis Repulses Turks at Velestino, but Evacuates Position-Turks Force Greeks Back from Pharsalos to Vomokos, where they Defeat Them -Greece Begs Intervention of Powers-Greeks Evacuate CreteGreeks Best the Turks at Gribovo in Epirus-Treaty of Constantinople-Greece Pays Indemnity and Turkey Holds Thessaly Till it is Paid-Greece Resigns Finances to_International CommissionParliaments of Transvaal and Orange Free State Repeal Anti-Immigration Bill-British Storm Dhargai Pass on Indian Frontier-McKinley is Inaugurated President-Congress Passes High Tariff Dingley Bill-United States Annexes Hawaii-Discovery of Gold in Klondike Leads to Boundary Dispute with Canada-Greater New York is Organized-Four-Cornered Contest to be Its First Mayor-Death of Henry George Venezuela Boundary is Fixed by Arbitration-Germans Avenge Murder of Missionaries by Seizure of Chinese Province of Kiao-Chau-International Exhibition at Brussels-Diamond Jubilee of Victoria's Accession-Assassination of Castillo, Spanish Premier, and President Borda of Uruguay— Deaths of Brahms, Composer, and Daudet, French Novelist-Rostand, French Dramatist, Produces Masterpiece - Cuban Insurgents Take Victoria del las Tunas Blanco Supersedes Weyler, the "Butcher"-Blanco Sends Peace Envoy to Insurgents-He is Shot --Spaniards Hold Insurgents in Check by Trocha. T HE year opened with the release of the Armenian prisoners by the Porte, on the intervention of the Powers. More collisions between the Christians and Mussulmans occurred at Heraklion and other places in Crete, with much loss of life. Canea was set on fire at several places. Sailors from ships of the various Powers in the harbor eventually succeeded in quenching the flames. The Cretan insurgents having proclaimed union with Greece on February 8, orders were issued for all the available Greek torpedo vessels to be commissioned. Prince George sailed from the Piræus amid the greatest enthusiasm. 1897 BLOCKADE OF CRETE On February 13 Georgi Pasha Berovitch, the Turkish Governor of Crete, took refuge on board the flagship of the Russian Admiral, lying off Halepa, and subsequently telegraphed his resignation. In consequence of this, the Greek Consuls at the various towns of Crete, having placed their fellow citizens under British protection, hauled down their flag and left the island. Two days later, Canea was occupied by marines and sailors of the allied fleets. On the 21st the foreign warships fired upon the Cretan insurgents' camp near Canea. In the House of Commons, in the French Chamber, and in the German Reichstag, spirited debates ensued concerning this action. On March 2 a collective note of the six Powersindicating their policy toward Crete was presented simultaneously at Constantinople and Athens. The Sultan declared his readiness to adopt the recommendation of the Powers for the establishment of Cretan autonomy. Greece would not withdraw her forces from Crete and called out the reserves of 1890. In the meantime, the palace at Canea and other buildings were burned down by Mohammedan incendiaries. Fort Stavros was captured by the Cretan insurgents, with its Turkish garrison of 3,000 men. The Turkish Zaptiehs at Canea demanded arrears of a year's pay, mutinied against their officers, and shot their colonel. Pickets of sailors and marines were then despatched from the allied fleet, and after a slight resistance the mutineers surrendered. Eventually, on the 17th of March, autonomy was proclaimed in Crete. This was followed by Mohammedan attacks upon the Christians at Canea and Rhetimos. The aged Gladstone bitterly denounced the pro-Turkish policy of the European Powers. On the 21st, a close blockade of Crete was formally declared. The Cretan insurgents, having driven the Turkish troops out of the Akrotiri block-houses and occupied them, were in turn shelled out by the guns of the fleet. The Crown Prince TURKS OCCUPY THESSALY 1897 of Greece left Athens for the frontier. The Porte at once issued a circular to the Ottoman representatives abroad demanding the evacuation of Crete by the Greek troops and protesting against the appointment of a governor of Crete by the Powers. On the following day several bands of irregulars, under the direction of the Ethnike Hetairia, crossed the frontier, invading Turkish territory. They were met by the Turkish troops who surrounded and captured several of the invading detachments. Turkish gunners at Privisa sank a Greek merchantman in the Gulf of Arta. Turkey declared war on April 17. Fighting began in the mountain passes of Thessaly. The mobilization of the Turkish army, as planned by Von der Golz, was effected in four weeks. The first conspicuous skirmish in the pass of Nezeros was to the advantage of the Greeks. The Turks bore themselves well under heavy losses. Under Edhem Pasha the Turkish main column advanced from Elassona and succeeded in conveying their heavy siege guns over the mountains along a new military road prepared weeks in advance. The important pass of Maluna was captured. The Greek vanguard forfeited their best positions. Nearly 200,000 strong, the Turkish forces poured down into the plain of Thessaly. Crown Prince Constantine's retreat from Mati had a depressing effect on the Greeks, and was taken to indicate a lack of serious warlike purpose on the part of the royal house of Greece. The comparative inactivity of the Greek naval squadrons on the coast of Epirus and Macedonia confirmed this impression, for they contented themselves merely with bombarding several Turkish seaports, where depots of provisions and arms had been established. Large quantities of grain were destroyed. In Thessaly, the Greek forces were ordered to fall back on Larissa. The town was evacuated by Prince Constantine amid a panic of the terror-stricken Greek country people. On receipt of this news at Athens, a revolution 1897 BATTLE OF VOMOKOS nearly broke out. The gunsmiths' shops were plundered and wild threats were made against the king and princes. Deleyanis, the Prime Minister responsible for the war, had to resign in favor of Demetrios Rhallis, the leader of the Radicals. The Greek troops under Smolenskis, contrary to orders from headquarters, made a determined stand at Velestino, between Larissa and Volo, and not only succeeded in arresting the advance of the Turks, but threw their Circassian cavalry back with severe loss. After a victorious fight of three days the Greeks, to the surprise of the Turks, evacuated the position. Smolenskis's subsequent retreat to Almiros near Ther mopylæ resulted in a division of the Greek forces. The army of Thessaly was cut in two. On May 3 the Rhallis Ministry decided to continue the war and to recall Colonel Vassos from Crete, appointing him to command on the frontier of Epirus. Smolenskis was appointed to general command. On May 6 the Turks attacked the Greeks in great force, so that the latter were forced to abandon Pharsalos and fall back on Vomokos. The resulting battle was largely an artillery engagement. The Greeks were badly beaten. The Foreign Legion only, under the Italian leaders Cipriani and Garibaldi's son, acquitted themselves with credit. Two days later the Greek forces withdrew from Velestino and Volo, and the Turkish troops occupied these two strong places without opposition from the Greek warships in the harbor. Finally, on May 11, Greece besought the intervention of the great Powers. The embarkation of Greek troops serving in Crete commenced at once at Canea under the supervision of the representatives of the Powers. On the 14th the Greek forces again invaded the Epirus, to defend the population from the fanaticism of the Turks: on the heights of Gribovo a fierce battle was fought, in which the advantage remained with the Greeks. The following day the Porte notified the Powers of the terms which must precede an armistice an indemnity |