probably that the Powers who had planned Albania's destruction knew
him to be a man of little ability, and therefore the more easily to
be got rid of. France and Russia were combined to overthrow him,
even while agreeing to his election.

When Greece and Bulgaria were respectively liberated and put under a
foreign Prince, he was given in each case sufficient military force
to maintain order till a native army should be organized. In the
case of Albania it was arranged that he should be provided with no
armed force--otherwise he would be difficult to evict. The
International forces in Scutari were to squat there and look on.
Essad Pasha was the agent of the Italians, Serbs, and French, and
intrigued, so soon as the Prince was appointed, to obtain power over
him. He bargained to be one of those who went to invite the Prince
to Albania, and, accompanied by a party of Albanians, many of them
better men than himself, he went to Neu Wied. How he contrived to
worm himself into the Prince's confidence is a mystery. But he did,
and in a luckless moment for the Prince, induced him to make Durazzo
his capital. There he would be completely in the hands of Essad. He
was welcomed at Durazzo by rejoicing Albanians, who knew nothing of
the sinister plots of the Powers. But his fate was already sealed.
The tale of William of Wied is among the most sordid that the Powers
have woven.

Only an extremely able man could have forced his way through the
mesh of intrigue which surrounded him. Already, in February, he had
been warned in Austria to have no dealings with Essad. The "end soon
began."

A Prince having been appointed, the Powers notified the Greeks they
must evacuate South Albania within the limits drawn by the Frontier
Commission. Members of this Commission told of the amazing series of
tricks by which Greek agents had tried to hoodwink them. Wherever
the Greeks had a school they dragged out a cartload of little
children bidden to sing or shout in Greek. They tried to steer the
Commission away from places which knew no Greek, and in one place
actually shut up the women in a house for they could speak nothing
but Albanian. Greek soldiers, while pretending to tell people not to
make a noise, threatened them with punishment if they did not shout
for Greece. They even imported Greeks, and dumped them on the path
of the Commission. And ordered people, under threat of flogging, to
paint their houses blue and white--the Greek colours