On February 19 (March 3 - new style) 1878 in San Stefano, a preliminary treaty was signed between Russia and Turkey. In his art. 6 noted: “Bulgaria will form an autonomous, tributary principality, with a Christian government and a people's militia.” And in Art. 7 has been added: “The introduction of the new government in Bulgaria and the supervision of its implementation will be entrusted for two years to a Russian Imperial Commissioner.” The borders of the Bulgarian principality, specified in art. 7 with a map attached to it, were determined with a view to including the territories of the Balkan Peninsula, where the majority of the population is Bulgarian, recalls forumnauka.bg.
As early as February 1878, Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Dondukov-Korsakov was ready to become a Russian Imperial Commissioner. Participant in the military campaigns of Russia, conducted in 1848–1856, in 1869 he was promoted to the rank of adjutant-general and appointed governor-general of Kiev, Podolsk and Volhynia. At the beginning of 1877, during the mobilization of the Russian army for participation in the Russo-Turkish war of liberation, he was temporarily the commander of the Kiev Military District, and in September 1877 he arrived at the theater of hostilities in Bulgaria, where he was appointed commander of the 13th Army Corps in the Eastern Detachment (the so-called Ruse Detachment). On April 16, 1878, by order of Alexander II, he was promoted to the rank of cavalry general and officially appointed as the Imperial Russian Commissioner in Bulgaria.
On May 8, 1878, Prince Dondukov-Korsakov took office in San Stefano. In the general instruction of the State Chancellor of Russia dated April 10, 1878, by which the Imperial Commissioner was obliged to be guided in carrying out his activities in Bulgaria, it was emphasized that the Provisional Government should prepare the Bulgarian people for an independent political life and created a good state organization so that when the Russians leave the country, the Bulgarians can resist any hostile encroachments.
The additional instruction to Dondukov-Korsakov dated April 15, 1878 is covered for the most part with the one prepared by Prince Vl. Cherkaski “Project of the institutions in the administration of the Bulgarian principality”, which was presented to the commander-in-chief in San Stefano personally by the author. This happened on February 18, 1878, just a few hours before the death of the head of the Office of Civil Affairs. The similarity of what is included in the instruction with Prince Cherkassky's project means that the views and proposals of the latter, regarding the arrangement of the future civil administration in Bulgaria, were approved and used when giving the specific instructions to Prince Dondukov-Korsakov. In the instruction next to him, it is mentioned that he will be “only a continuation of the administrative system”, the introduction of which had already begun under his predecessor Prince Cherkassky.
Guided by the two instructions, Prince Dondukov-Korsakov created the Council of the Management of the Imperial Commissar, also called the Central Management of the Imperial Commissar. As members of the council, who were also heads of departments, the following were appointed: Major General Mihail A. Domontovich – manager of the office for general affairs and diplomacy, Major General Vasily G. Zolotaryov – head of the military department, Major General Peter A. Gresser – Head of the Department of Internal Affairs, Sergej Iv. Lukiyanov – manager of the judicial department, Senior Vice President Konstantin A. Buch – manager of the financial department, Prof. Marin Drinov – manager of the department of public education and spiritual affairs, Senior Sr. Alexander Tuholka – head of the central administration of the customs department. The council also included the exarch and all the Bulgarian exarchic bishops.
The seat of the Imperial Commissioner's Council of Administration was initially established in Plovdiv, where Prince Dondukov-Korsakov arrived on May 20, 1878.
The decisions of the Berlin Congress of July 1, 1878 imposed certain adjustments in the tasks of the Council. The Treaty of Berlin significantly reduced the territory of the liberated lands from those fixed in the Treaty of San Stefano. Southern Bulgaria was singled out as an administrative region called Eastern Rumelia and remained under the direct political authority of the Sultan. The stay of the Russian troops and administrators was shortened to nine months, which reduced the time for full-fledged activity for the final and complete establishment of the Bulgarian Principality.
On July 24, 1878, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a third instruction to Prince Al. Dondukov-Korsakov, in which the tasks of the Governing Council were updated, taking into account the decisions of the Great Powers in Berlin. The headquarters of the Provisional Russian Government had to be moved to Sofia, as Plovdiv became the center of Eastern Rumelia. Due to the shortened period of action, some of the tasks were dropped, others – such as the creation of a land army and police, had to be carried out quickly. The Imperial Commissioner received the right to single-handedly lead the work on the final construction of the Bulgarian administration and especially the important central departments and institutions. The representatives of the other Great Powers could not interfere directly in his activities.
source: forumnauka.bg