Considering the fact that British officialdom was traditionally favourable to the Greek standpoint, even more striking are Captain Evans's observations on the national consciousness and patriotism of the Macedonians, the existence of which had been denied by the partitioning states whose views were embraced by many so-called experts in the West. He shows that without the benefit of a national intelligentsia, of any national institutions, of any sort of legal national work, and against overwhelming odds, this oppressed, largely peasant population had retained a clearly defined Macedonian identity. 'The inhabitants just as they are not Greeks, are not Bulgarians or Serbs or Croats. They are Macedonians', wrote Captain Evans. Their Macedonianism 'is not artificial; it is natural, a spontaneous and deep seated feeling which begins in childhood, like everyone's patriotism'. However, their Macedonian consciousness extended beyond this finely developed local patriotism. It aspires to a free and united Macedonia, 'regardless of present frontier-lines, which are looked upon [by them] as usurpation'. The fact that 'an independent Macedonian state does not exist today' was due to a lack of Macedonian patriotism; 'it is merely one of the mistakes or lapses of history, as it were ...', wrote Captain Evans. 'If a plebiscite were freely and fairly held, it is more than likely than not that free Macedonia would result.' ima 40 strani. ti pushtam malku da ne te zaboli glavata. ili vas doktorite ne ve boli?