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i io
i io THE BALKAN WAR, 1912 [chap. ix.
concession. Having had, with a heavy heart, to give
up the conquest of Constantinople, he began from
December, 1912, obstinately to demand the extension of
the new Bulgarian territory to the shores of the
Marmara, the inclusion of the town of Rodosto, and the
annexation by Bulgaria of two islands in the ^Egean
Sea: Samothrace and Thasos. The island of
Samo-thrace, close to the exit from the Dardanelles, evidently
tempted Ferdinand by the divine classic lines of its
pearl-grey rocks rising out of the blue sea; thus it
met his gaze from Dedeagatch, but at the same time
this island is so near the Straits that if necessary it
could command the entry. The large island of Thasos,
separated from Kavala only by a narrow arm of the sea,
forms a natural complement of the Macedonian coast
where Bulgaria was going to establish herself; as it
possesses vast forests this island could be very useful
to its new owners. Unfortunately nearly the whole of
it is the private property of the family of the Khedives
of Egypt, direct descendants of the luck}’’ native, the
celebrated Mehmed Ali. Hence the annexation of
Thasos could only be effected by virtue of a special
arrangementwith the reigning Khedive and consequently
with England ; and the latter appeared in no way
disposed to deliver into the unscrupulous hands of the
Bulgarians the beautiful forests of Thasos and the
mineral riches with which the island was credited.
Ferdinand’s entreaties on the subject of Rodosto
assumed an acute character during the last months of
the war. The King repeatedly sent his confidants to
me, to persuade me to lend my help to the arranging of
the affair; but each time I absolutely refused to touch
it. Then Ferdinand wished to profit by a journey which
the Minister of Finance, Todorov, was going to take to
St. Petersburg—on business connected with his
department—and he gave him a statement, which he hoped
would be passed on to M. Sazonoff, and which showed
the absolute necessity for Bulgaria to possess the town
of Rodosto as an outlet on the Marmara. The King
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