INTERVIEW WITH THE SULTAN. 



261 



cruelty and injustice that might be com- 

 mitted by Turkish troops because they 

 were wrong in themselves, but also be- 

 cause they were committed in flagrant 

 disobedience of His Alajesty's com- 

 mands. 



" I hope that you will not have occa- 

 sion to do any such thnig," said the 

 Sultan. 



" I also hope so," I replied ; " but 

 \our Majesty cannot be in every part of 

 }"our dominions at the same time, and 

 my experience is that generals and 

 troops usually act with inhumanity. As 

 1 have dealt faithfully with our own 

 generals, so I shall feel it my duty to 

 deal as faithfully with your Majesty's 

 generals should they act in opposition 

 to those sentiments of humanity and 

 justice which animate your Majesty." 



" Well, I hope you will not have any 

 need to do that," said the Sultan. 



There was a pause, and I awaited 

 dismissal But there was no sign. 



" Ma_\- I go on?" I said to Sir Louth. 



" Certainl)'," he replied. 



" May I assure His Majesty," I said, 

 " that I have one great wish for him in 

 my heart, and that is that he may be 

 recognised with love and gratitude by 

 everyone of the twenty-four millions of 

 his subjects as the impartial father who 

 cares for ail the twenty-four millions, 

 and not merely for the eight millions 

 or the twelve millions, but for all the 

 twenty- four millions, and who does not 

 desire that any section of his family 

 should be favoured more than the other 

 section, for that would be unjust." 



" That is my desire also," said the 

 Sultan. " I thank you for \'our good 

 wish." 



Then somehow the conversation got 

 shunted on to the foreign relations of 

 Turkey. 



The Sultan said that he always de- 

 sired CO be on the most friendly terms 

 with England. 



I thanked him, and said that I was 

 very glad also to know that he was on 

 very friendly terms with Germany. 

 Baron Marschall von Bieberstein was a 

 very great man. 



The Sultan assented, and remarked 

 that he wished to be friends with all 

 the Powers. 



I said I had particularly mentioned 

 Germany because I wanted him to un- 

 derstand that I had no feeling of ani- 

 mositv towards Germany. 1 thought 

 that, in the common interests of human- 

 ity in the great experiment of establish- 

 ing Constitutional liberty in Turkey, all 

 the ambassadors of all the great Powers 

 should work together as a band of bro- 

 thers to help His Majesty to overcome 

 the difhtulties that confronted him. 



" That shows you are a man of good 

 conscience," said the Sultan, with un- 

 wonted animation. 



" We want an exclusive alliance," I 

 said. " I sometimes say that all nations 

 in their international relations should 

 be polygamist, not monogamous." 



" I see," said the Sultan laughing ; 

 " but in pol}-gamous households there 

 is usually a favourite wife." 



" I am against favouritism," I said. 

 " It breeds jealousy. It is best to treat 

 them all with equal impartiality." 



" Yes," said the Sultan, " that is what 

 we try to do. We are not making 

 favourites, and we try to avoid 

 jealousy." 



" By the by," I remarked, " talking 

 about favourites, I am glad to know 

 that your relations with Russia are now 

 so friendly." 



" Yes,' said the Sultan. 



"Well," I replied, "I have had long 

 and intimate relations with the Rus- 

 sians, and I am glad to be able to assure 

 your Majesty that I know of no Power 

 in Europe at this moment which is 

 animated by more friendly feelings to- 

 wards your Majesty than is Russia." 



The .Sultan replied : " I have already 

 been informed of this through official 

 channels, and it gives me great satisfac- 

 tion to have it conhrmed from }'our 

 lips." 



By this time we had been talking for 

 an hour, and I was not surprised to see 

 the Sultan slowh' rise to his feet. 



" Ma)- I say one last word?" I asked. 

 " In the British Empire we have found 

 by bitter experience that the Chauvinists 

 who seek to enforce uniformity upon 

 our different peoples are the worst 

 enemies of the Empire. To keep theiTt 



