On the day of the Declaration of independence. Bulgaria's preparations for war against turkey. Drawn by H. W. Koekkoek from a sketch by Rook Carnegie. Our special correspondent in the near east. On the day of the declaration of independence: reservists of the Bulgarian army waiting at Braila station for the train that took them to their own country. No sooner had Bulgaria decided to declare her independence than she began to prepare for immediate war with Turkey. During the summer many Bulgarian peasants migrate to Roumania to work on the farms. A number of the reservists among them left Braila for their own country on the day of the declaration at Tirnovo. Service is universal and compulsory in Bulgaria. and liability, with the usual exemptions, begins at the completion of the eighteenth year and ends at the completion of the forty-sixth. Reserve service covers a period of eighteen years in the infantry, and sixteen years in the other arms. The peace strength of the Bulgarian army is about 52,500 of all ranks; the field army totals about 375,000 combatants.

Volume: 133 , Issue: 3626, page 537