396 War Begun in the Balkans f 191^ 



complains that Englishmen are now being appointed to supersede the 

 native doctors. 



" 2$th Sept. — General Marschall von Bieberstein is dead, a great 

 misfortune for Turkey, whose sincere friend he was. The shadows 

 are darkening over the East. 



" 2Qth Sept. (Sunday). — The Bellocs to dinner and Somers Cocks, 

 the latter just back from Berlin, where he says the Emperor William 

 directs all his own diplomacy himself. 



" yd Oct. — Another very lovely day. In the afternoon we made 

 a round, gathering crab apples and choke pears, of which there is 

 an immense abundance this year such as never before seen. The pears 

 are excellent, stewed with blackberries and clotted cream, better than 

 garden pears, and the crabs do well for the goats. The hips and 

 haws this year are astonishing, and every kind of berry. We filled 

 the American cart with our spoils — a real pleasure. 



"4th Oct. — It is all over I fear with Turkey and the Mohamme- 

 dan world. The long intrigue against it seems to have prevailed, and 

 the papers to-day announce that peace is made with Italy on the Italian 

 terms. The way in which the end has been obtained has been through 

 stirring up the Balkan States to the point of war. Until yesterday I 

 still hoped that the Turkish Government would elect to fight against 

 these rather than yield to threats, but the Ottoman citadel has already 

 been betrayed, and the Jew, Kiamil Pasha, has played into the joint 

 hands of the English and Russian Foreign Offices, and the disgraceful 

 terms have been agreed to. Nothing can now save Islam from its 

 doom of subjection to the will of Christendom and its ultimate 

 destruction. Egypt's cause too is lost, with that of the Ottoman Em- 

 pire. I shall trouble myself with Oriental futures no further, being 

 impotent either to advise or control, I ' roll up the map of Islam.' 



" 8th Oct. — Montenegro has declared war on Turkey. [This was 

 the first act of the Balkan War.] 



" 10th Oct. — The war news is confirmed and fighting has begun in 

 Albania. There seems no doubt now that Bulgaria and Servia will 

 join in the fray, though the Austrian Government is trying to stop 

 it. I am somewhat consoled by it, for though it may be the beginning 

 of the end for Turkey in Europe, it will be better for Islam that the 

 Empire should die sword in hand than that it should be cheated out 

 of existence by our diplomacy. War gives at least a chance. Not 

 that I have much hope of a victorious ending, for the concert of 

 Europe will prevent that ; still a chance there is. Abdul Ghaffar agrees 

 with me in this. He also announces an intention by our Government 

 to give a Constitutional Government to Egypt, a sham one, of course, 

 but it is to be called a Mejliss el Naivab. Abdul Ghaffar is an ex- 

 cellent fellow, with a closer understanding of English ideas than I 

 have found in any Egyptian, yet without loss to his patriotism. 



