TURKEY. 



723 



vidnals in the hands of swindlers of the worst 

 kind, and, in addition, a corrupt press, which 

 lauded these shameless proceedings in un- 

 measured terms." 



In a report by Mr. Eugene Schuyler to the 

 State Department at Washington appears a 

 statement of the trade of Constantinople with 

 the United States, for the year ended June 30, 

 1876, showing that the total imports amounted 

 to $2,665,426, and that the total exports to 

 this country were valued at $154,248. The 

 articles imported were valued as follows : 



Rifles ... $1,515,888 



Carbines : 26, ! 86 



Ammunition 922,020 



1'etroleuin 187,5T1 



All others 8,811 



Total $2,655,426 



This was an increase of $940,637 as com- 

 pared with the preceding year. The principal 

 items of the exports to the United States were : 



Opium, about $52,000 



Attar of roses 48,000 



Rags 21,000 



Rugs 6,000 



And miscellaneous " bazaar articles " 17,000 



Total $139,000 



During the year only seven American vessels 

 cleared from the port of Constantinople, as 

 against no less than 2,134 British vessels, 1,732 

 of which were steamers. 



On January 31st the Eussian Government 

 issued a circular note to its representatives at 

 the courts of the other guaranteeing Powers. 

 After recapitulating the diplomatic efforts at 

 pacification, extending from the outbreak of 

 the insurrection in 1875 to the convening of 

 the Constantinople Conference, the note con- 

 tinues : 



This conference in its preliminary deliberations 

 arrived at a complete understanding, both respect- 

 ing the conditions of peace, and the reforms to be 

 introduced. It communicated the result to the 

 Porte as the firm and unanimous wish of Europe, but 

 met with an obstinate refusal. Thus, after more 

 than a year of diplomatic efforts, demonstrating the 

 value the Great Powers attach to the pacification 

 of the East, and the right they possess of insuring it, 

 because of the general interests involved, and their 

 firm desire to obtain it by means of a European un- 

 derstanding, the Cabinets again find themselves in 

 the same position as at the commencement of the 

 crisis, which is further aggravated by the blood that 

 has been shed, the passions that have been raised, 

 and the indefinite prolongation of the deplorable 

 state of things which weighs upon Europe, and 

 justly preoccupies public opinion and the Govern- 

 ments. 



. The Porte pays no regard to its former engage- 

 ments, to its duties as a member of the European 

 concert, or to the unanimous wishes of the Great 

 Powers. Far from having made a step toward a 

 satisfactory solution of the Eastern question, the 

 Ottoman Empire has been and remains a permanent 

 menace to the peace of Europe, as well us to the sen- 

 timents of humanity and the conscience of Christian 

 peoples. 



The conference became a failure, and the 

 embassadors departed, leaving the embassies in 

 care of charges d'affaires. 



In March, General Ignatieff set out on a 

 tour to the different capitals, in order to pro- 

 pose a protocol to the signatory Powers. The 

 proposal met with opposition from the British 

 Government only, as several parts of it were 

 considered derogatory to British interests. Af- 

 ter considerable negotiations the Protocol was 

 finally signed on March 31st. 



Previous to the signing of the Protocol a 

 meeting of the different embassadors was held 

 in the British Foreign Office. The minutes of 

 this meeting were as follows : 



Count Munster, Embassador of Germany : Count 

 Beust, Embassador of Austria-Hungary ; the Marquis 

 d'Harcourt, Embassador of France; the Earl of 

 Derby, her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary 

 of State for Foreign Affairs ; General Count de Mena- 

 brea, Embassador of Italy ; and Count Shuvaloff, 

 Embassador of Russia, met together this day at the 

 Foreign Office for the purpose of. signing the Proto- 

 col proposed by Bussia, relative to the affairs of the 

 East. 



. Count Shuvaloff made the following declaration, 

 placing at the same time a pro-memoria of it in the 

 hands of her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State : 



"If peace with Montenegro is concluded, and the 

 Porte accepts the advice of Europe, and shows itself 

 ready to replace its forces on a peace footing, and 

 seriously to undertake the reforms mentioned in the 

 Protocol, let it send to St. Petersburg a Special En- 

 voy to treat of disarmament, to which his Majesty 

 the Emperor would also on his part consent. 



"If massacres similar to those which have stained 

 Bulgaria with blood take place, this would neces- 

 sarily put a stop to the measures of demobiliza- 

 tion." 



The Earl of Derby read and delivered to each of 

 the other Plenipotentiaries a declaration, copy of 

 which is annexed to the present prods-verbal. 



General Count de Menabrea declared that Italy 

 is only bound by the signature of the Protocol of 

 this day's date, so long as the agreement happily 

 established between all the Powers by the Protocol 

 itself is maintained. 



The signature of the Protocol was then proceeded 

 with. 



The following declaration was made by Earl 

 Derby : 



The undersigned, her Britannic Majesty's Princi- 

 pal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, makes the 

 following declaration in regard to the Protocol 

 signed this day by the Plenipotentiaries of Greut 

 Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary. France, Italy, 

 and Russia: " Inasmuch as it is solely in the inter- 

 ests of European peace that her Britannic Mujesty's 

 Government have consented to sign the Protocol 

 proposed by that of Bussia, it is understood before- 

 hand that, in the event of the object proposed not 

 being attained namely, reciprocal disarmament on 

 the part of Russia and Turkey, and peace between 

 them the Protocol in question shall be regarded us 

 null and void. 



" LONDON, March 31, 1877. (Signed) DEBBY." 



It was manifest that a peaceful solution of 

 the Eastern troubles was still far from being 

 realized. Russia, by massing large b( 

 troops on the Roumanian border, wns 

 parently threatening Turkey, so that : 

 latter country a strong feeling existed apn.m 

 disarmament. The Protocol was fully <hj- 

 cussed in the Council of Ministers, and on 

 10th the Porte sent its reply to the 1 

 declining to receive it 



