“The Balkan Peninsula”, by E. de Laveleye, 1887

in Modern Historians, Modern Macedonian History / by Admin / on May 1, 2008 at 8:52 am /

“The Balkan Peninsula”, by E. de Laveleye was published in N. York and London in 1887Page 289

Quote:

Greeks are ready to sacrifice everything rather than give up Macedonia, where they believe themselves to be the most numerous, and where, certainly, they have been the civilizing element. This province is indispensable to the realization of “the great Hellenic idea,” that is, the re-constitution of Byzantine Greece

Page 290

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The Servians, in their turn, wish to annex the north of the
provinces, because it is inhabited by their brethren, and on account of its having been the ancient centre of the Empire of Dushan. They wish for the south as well, because it would give them an access to the Mediterranean.

Quote:

The Greeks are convinced that they form the majority of the population. Some years ago M. Saripolos, a learned professor at Athens, correspondent of the French Institute, gave the following figures as certain. Greeks, 500,000; Slavs, 100,000; and 40,000 Jews. Recently, in Salonica, some influential inhabitants of Hellenic race sent an address to the Patriarch and to the Porte, in the name of 800,000 Greeks living in the province; and according to M. H. Houssaye, there are 600,000 Hellenes and 90,000 Bulgarians.

Page 251

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Those of the vilayets of Adrianople and ← Macedonia → , where, at the recent census, two-thirds of the inhabitants were found to be Bulgarians

Page 293

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The frontier of Greece should start from the mouth of the Apsos (Semeni), it should follow the course of this river to the northern shore of the lake of Ochrisa, then run a little to the north of Bitolia (Monastir), crossing the Axios (Vardar), opposite Strommitya, then the Strymon (Struma), to the north of Melenikon, and going on to Nevrokop on the Mestos, which river would then become the frontier line. Melenikon is certainly a Greek city, as is Stanimaka in Roumelia

Quote:

Europe does not sufficiently understand that at the present time there is not a single Christian woman in Turkey whose honour is not at the mercy of the first Mussulman whom she has the misfortune to please! Europe does not know that the Turks enter a Christian’s house whenever they like and take whatever pleases them; that complaint is more dangerous than resistance

Page 305

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The unfortunate Armenians are at the present time most piteously oppressed and pillaged by the Kurds, the Circassians, and more especially by Turkish functionaries. ‘Their condition is very similar to that of the Bulgarians in Macedonia