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7 R0MAN1AN SERBIAN RELATIONS _liS30—1&66J 213

Bucharest, which had first been set up in 1836 ²⁸ — only as a personal and officious agency representing the ruling prince and not as a diplo-matic Office representing the State, gradually assumed new functions after the consolidation of the autonomy of this State in Yirtue of the Paris Treaty (1856); (d) the activity of the United Principalities agency in Belgrade, whose competence had not yet been defined, was complemented by the Romanian agency in Constantinople. The reports of this agency reflect the activity of the Great powers (including Turkey) as well as the policy adopted by the Serbian government in its struggle for wider autonomy. ²⁷

The interest for the political problems of Serbia was expressed both by the government of the Principalities and by the Romanian progressive public opinion, in keeping with the common aims of Romania and Serbia in acąuiring their State independence. ²⁸

The main reason which led to the establishing of the diplomatic agency of the United Principalities in Belgrade and the transformation of the Serbian agency in Bucharest (February — March 1863) consisted in the necessity of having adeąuate organs to ensure morę active mutual diplomatic support, such as that granted on the occasion of the Serbian weapons incident. ²⁹ The new, specifically diplomatic character of these agencies represented the achievement and the recognition of a new attri-bute of sovereignty reflecting another stage in the progressive emancipa-tion of the two States, by the removal of restrictions stipulated in conven-tions to which the countries had not been contracting parties. ³⁰

On March 1863, the Prince of the United Principalities gave his agree-ment accrediting the Serbian diplomatic agent, and the Prince of Serbia, at the same time, accepted the Romanian diplomatic agent in Belgrade³¹: “Les m§mes sentiments qui ont inspirć a Y.A.S. un aete si propre a resserrer nos liens de bon voisinage — declared Cuza — m’avaient dóterminć de-puis longtemps a accrćditer un agent officiel aupres de son gouvernement. En consóąuence, j’ai fait choiz de M. Thóodore Callimaki, premier secró-

²¹ See Documente Hurmuzaki, (Hurmuzaki Collection of Documents), vol no. XXI, pp. 642 — 643 ; 645-647.

²⁷    See Library of the Academy, MS Section, Cuza Archwes, vol. I, slieet 301^r, 305^r, 307^r ; 316^r —316^Y, 326?, 334^r-337^r, 353^r-353^Y; idcm,\ol.no VII, sheet 165^r-165^Y, 178^r,170^r-171^r ; MAE, vol. no. 277, sheet 77^r —77^Y, 119^r;see also G. G. Florcscu, Rolul §i actwitatea agcnficiPnn-cipatclor-Umtc la Constantmopol (1859—1866) (Role and activity of the United Principalities’ agency m Constantinople) m “Studnęi articole delstorle^,’ (Studies and articles of History), vol.V, Bucharest, 1963, pp. 281 — 282.

²¹ See Istona Romdnici (History of Romania) vol IV, Ed Acad. R P R , Bucharest, 1964, p. 348

²⁸    See p. 184 infra.

³⁰    Cf. Paris Treaty of March 30, 1856, Paris Convention of August 19, 1856, Protocols of September 1859 and September 1862, sec p supra.

³¹    Tlirough the Official Notification of February 16/28, 1863