would otherwise be excessive attention.

Let us consider the frontier which the Ambassadors' Conference in
November 1921 assigned to Yugoslavia and the Albanians. We have already
mentioned some of the previous points of contact between those Balkan
neighbours who for centuries have been acquiring knowledge of each other
and who, therefore, as Berati Bey, the Albanian delegate in Paris, very
wisely said, should have been left to manage their own frontier
question. A number of Western Europeans will exclaim that this could not
be accomplished without the shedding of blood; but it is rather more
than probable that the interference of Western Europe--partly
philanthropic and partly otherwise--will be responsible for greater loss
of life. If it could not be permitted that two of the less powerful
peoples should attempt to settle their own affairs, then, at any rate,
the most competent of alien judges should have sat on the tribunal. A
frontier in that part of Europe should primarily take the peculiarities
of the people into account, and I believe that if Sir Charles Eliot and
Baron Nopsca with their unrivalled knowledge of the Albanians had been
consulted it is probable they would, for some years to come, have
thought desirable the frontier which is preferred by General Franchet
d'Esperey, by a majority of the local Albanians, and by those who hope
for peace in the Balkans.

2. THE AUDIENCE RUSH THE STAGE

A battle which took place near Tuzi, not far from Podgorica, in December
1919, may assist the study of the difficult Albanian question. At the
first attack about 150 Montenegrins, mostly young recruits, were killed
or wounded; but in the counter-attack the Albanian losses were much
greater, 167 of them being made prisoners. On all of these were found
Italian rifles, ammunition, money and army rations. On the other hand, a
few Montenegrins, with three officers, were also captured and were
stripped and handed over, naked, to the Italians. But these declined to
have them, saying that the conflict had been no concern of theirs, and
the unfortunate men--with the exception of one who escaped--remained
among the Albanians. The fact that Tuzi would be of no value to the
Italians neither weakens nor strengthens the supposition that they were
privy to the Albanian attack; but it may very well be that the natives
had taken their Italian equipment by force of arms. It would, anyhow,
seem that the Italians have little understandin