to mean the declaration of war against Turkey.
It is said that two bands of Thessalians have invaded Macedonia.
Thessaly is that part of Greece which borders on Turkey, and Macedonia is a part of the Turkish Empire bordering on Greece, that at one time formed part of the Greek Empire.
There are many Greeks in Macedonia, and if war is declared it is expected that they will rise and go to the aid of their mother country.
The invasion of Turkey by the Thessalians does not mean that war is declared. It is merely a rising of the border peoples against their neighbors, and has nothing to do with the Greek Government.
The Crown Prince of Greece, Constantino, Duke of Sparta, is leaving Athens, to take command of the Greek forces in Thessaly, and be ready to lead them if war is declared.
The news that the Greek ports are to be blockaded has made the Greeks hasten their preparations. The troops are being hurried off to Thessaly with all possible despatch.
[Illustration: CRETAN SOLDIERS RETREATING INTO THE MOUNTAINS.]
There are reports that the Greeks are so enraged against the Emperor of Germany for his behavior over Crete, that the priests have openly said in the churches that it is a great misfortune that the future King of Greece is married to the sister of Greece's worst enemy.
In 1889 the Crown Prince married the Princess Sophia of Germany, sister of the young German Emperor.
The Greek statesmen are openly urging the Prince to divorce his wife, because of her relationship to the German Emperor.
Does not this seem terrible!
The Crown Prince and Princess have three children, the youngest a baby not yet a year old. For the sake of politics the Greeks would like to have the Crown Prince send his wife back to her own country, and separate her from her children.
It cannot be a happy thing to come of a race of kings, and be such a great personage, that even the happiness of home must be sacrificed for the interests of State.
* * * * *
Our friend Weyler is in a heap of trouble.
It seems that affairs in the Philippines look worse for Spain than was at first supposed.
The Spanish troops have been very severely beaten lately near Manilla, and the rebellion is so strong and so well organized that unless fresh troops can be sent immediately, the Philippines will be lost to Spain.
The insurgents are so successful that they are even venturing to offer pardons to all Spaniards, except the Captain-General, who will lay down their arms and peacefully obey the new government.
Spain does not, however, intend to give up the Philippines yet a while, and as she is not in a position to spare more men from home, for fear of the Carlists rising, she has sent to Weyler, and ordered him to dispatch 20,000 men to the Philippines without delay.
This is what is troubling Weyler.
Some months ago word was sent to the Spanish Government that Weyler was robbing the treasury by drawing full pay for numbers of men who had been killed by the Cubans, but whose names were still on the pay-rolls.
The matter was inquired into, but before it could get very far Weyler made such indignant denials, and protested his innocence so strongly, that the Prime Minister cabled a message assuring him of his confidence in him, and the matter was allowed to drop.
At the time of these accusations Weyler assured the Government that he had 160,000 men in his army.
When the Carlist and Philippine troubles began to be serious, the Spanish Government decided to take 20,000 men from Cuba, and send them on to the Philippines, at the same time issuing a call to the loyal Spaniards in Cuba to take up arms and fill the places of the men drafted to the other war.
The plan was a good one, and would have worked well enough, if Weyler had spoken the truth about the number of men under his command.
The fact was that his statement was altogether false.
His force in Cuba consisted of but 100,000 men. The other 60,000 had either been killed by the Cubans, or were lying sick in hospitals.
Weyler had no 20,000 men to spare, but he did not dare tell the truth lest the facts of his knavery might come out.
He made up his mind to send the troops, and then if things went wrong in Cuba, to declare that the withdrawal of the soldiers had paralyzed him, and cost him Cuba.
Some one, however, sent word to Se?or Canovas of the true state of affairs, and some very plain messages have been passing between Spain and Cuba.
The men are to go anyhow; but with only a force of 80,000 men left behind, Spain has little hope of pacifying Cuba.
The insurgents have, or will have when the
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