470 



The Ruview of Reviews. 



Tripoli's Prospkcis. 

 Dr. Adolf Vischer, in the Geo^rapli'ual Journal for 

 November, writes on Tripoli and its resources. He 

 thinks Tripoli's prospects depend solely on agriculture, 

 not on mineral wealth, about which the best authori- 

 ties are far from hopeful. Immense capital would be 

 required to sink artesian wells or irrigate, and 

 Professor Gregory, who is quoted as knowing more of 

 Tripoli than anyone else, thinks the accounts of 

 ancient authors as to the fertility of Tripoli were 

 based more on imagination than on knowledge. 

 Some of Fessan and C)renaica is still unknown land. 

 Murzuk, the capital of the former, had a French 

 visitor this spring, but before that had had no 

 European visitor for forty years. The Turks have 

 practically forbidden travel in the interior, as they 

 would not face the friction which must arise with 

 foreign Powers if their subjects were injured or 

 perhaps killed while* travelling in Tripoli. There 

 cannot be at all a trustworthy map of the country, as, 

 only the coast has been surveyed, and the existing 

 maps are based on the route-sketches of a few 

 travellers. 



DR. DILLON ON THE SITUATION, 



In the Cotikmporary Rri'iao, Dr. Dillon's outlook 

 is as pessimistic as usual. He anticipated the out- 

 break of bitter contests among the great Powers for 

 a redistribution of colonies. War will more than ever 

 be one of the recognised means of carrying on the 

 struggle of life among the nations. He suggests that 

 the latter-day world has become too small for 

 humanity. Humanity should adjust itself to the 

 limited accommodation offered by the world. Of 

 Herr von Kiderlen Waechter's diplomacy, he speaks 

 with very rousing contempt. He has disclosed " a 

 degree of short-sightedness in policy, of clumsiness in 

 methods, and a wanton brusqueness in his dealings " 

 that have_blighted him and discredited him in Europe. 

 He has set Germany's two best friends by the ears. 

 Dr. Dillon maintains that Turkey lost Tripoli some 

 ten years ago, when France agreed not to overstep 

 the boundaries of Tripoli, and Italy not to thwart the 

 policy of France in Morocco. 



WHAT ITALY MIGHT HAVE DONli. 



Dr. Dillon thinks, however, that Italy in the present 

 iiiS'.ar.ce has grossly blundered. It need not have 

 had war formally declared : — 



According lo the first clau.se of the Convenlion de.Tlinj; with 

 ilie opening of hoslililics, no signatory I'oHer may go to war 

 with another Slate without having first presented either a 

 declaration of war, or else an ultimatum with a conditional 

 declaration of war appended. An ultimatum, in this case, 

 followed by the diseinbarking of Italian troops in Tripoli, 

 would not have connoted war, if there were no communication 

 on the .subject lo the Powers. What would then have 

 happened is this. Italian soldiers would have hoisted the flag 

 of their country over a few towns in 'I'ripoli, Barka, and 

 I'essan, and negotiations would have forthwith begun between 

 he two .States. The occupation would have been treated as 

 an international " misunderstanding," which would be ulti- 



mately removed by a diplomatic document ceding the territory 

 either on easy terms or unconditionally. Concrete cases in 

 point are the occupation of Kgypt by Great Britain while peace 

 with Turkey was undisturbed, the seizure of Manchuria by 

 Russia, and, at the present moment, the invasion of Persian 

 territory by Turkey. 



Between such a state of imdeclared warfare and regular 

 hostilities there is a vast difference. In the former case, peace 

 is unbroken, and the rupture can be healed more quickly. 

 The money losses, too, not only of the adversaries, but also of 

 nations that have nothing to do with them or their quarrel, are 

 reduced lo a minimum. In the latter case, everybody suffers. 

 The neutral Powers are obliged lo proclaim ihcir neutrality, 

 and ihen the seizure of contraband and of conditional contraband 

 of war begins. 



THE CHAOS IN TURKEY. 



Of Hakki Pasha Dr. Dillon speaks in terms of 

 unqualified contempt as an unrivalled bridge-player, 

 with the most tempting vanity. Yet Dr. Dillon 

 declares that Germany is the virtual Protectress of 

 Turkey, and Baron Marschall von Bieberstein the 

 resident appointed by the Suzerain, Kaiser Wilhelm. 

 Dr. Dillon sticks to his prophecy of three years ago, 

 that Constitutionalism in Turkey is an impossible 

 combination. " Turkey is a theocracy, in which the 

 holy will of Allah is revealed to the true believers by 

 unbelieving Jews and infidel Freemasons. The 

 general paralysis in Turkey is to be traced to Islam 

 and all that Islam in the twentieth century involves. 

 It is based on inequality. The true believers are the 

 full-fledged passengers, the unbelievers are mere 

 steerage passengers in the theocratic ship of State. 



A TORY PiEAN ON OUR NAVY. 



In the Oxford and Cambridi^e Rcvie^u Mr. Alan 

 H. Burgoyne, M.P., Editor of the '' Navy League 

 Annual," writes on the Dreadnought controversy, and 

 recites with rapture of our unrivalled position. He 

 says : — 



In the spring of this year and of next, hard fact shows that 

 not only have we the Two-Power Standard in its highest sense, 

 liut we even meet the wiser and more comprehensible ideal of 

 Two Keels to One of the next strongest Power. 



Number of Dreadnought Kra Units 

 complete by .ALuch 3i.st, in 



191I. 1912. 1913, 1914. 



British Empire ... ... 12 20 27 32 



(Jermany .. 5 9 15 19 



United Stales ... ... 4 6 8 10 



France ... ... ... .Nil 6 6 S 



Japan i 3 4 6 



Russia Nil .\'il Nil 4 (.') 



Italy Nil Nil 2 41?) 



.Austria 



.\il 



Nil 



(?) 



In this race of Ureadnoughls we are well ahead — ahead in 

 numbers, well ahead in design, leading by an amount past 

 computation in our f^crsofitul. 



For this, at least, I thank Heaven devoully ; the hegemony 

 of the wider seas is vested, as always, in ships-of-the-line, and 

 when I note our position lo-day (a greater latio of superiority 

 as against other nations than ever known before !), and review 

 our position in the future — why, I sleep right soundly in my 

 bed. 



Which, for a hardened Tory, an enthusiastic Navy I.eaguer, 

 and an ardent (if imperfect) advocate of an all-powerful and 

 ultra-efficient fleet, is a situation of not a little blessedness. 



