TURKEY. 



735 



the necessity of keeping open, uninjured and un- 

 interrupted, the communication between Europe 

 and the East by the Suez Canal. An attempt to 

 blockade or otherwise to interfere with the Canal or 

 its approaches would be regarded by them as a men- 

 ace to India and as a grave injury to the commerce 

 of the world. On both these grounds any such step 

 which they hope and fully believe there is 110 in- 

 tention on the part of either belligerent to take 

 would be inconsistent with the maintenance by 

 them of passive neutrality. The mercantile and 

 financial interests of European nations are also so 

 largely involved in Egypt that an attack on that 

 country, or its occupation, even temporarily, for 

 purposes of war, could scarcely be regarded with 

 unconcern by the neutral Powers, certainly not by 

 England. The vast importance of Constantinople, 

 whether in a military, a political, or a commercial 

 point of view, is too well understood to require ex- 

 planation. It is, therefore, scarcely necessary to 

 point out that her Majesty's Government are not 

 prepared to witness with indifference the passing 

 into other hands than those of its present possessors 

 of a capital holding so peculiar and commanding a 

 position. The existing arrangements, made under 

 European sanction, wliich regulate the navigation 

 of the Bosporus and Dardanelles, appear to them 

 wise and salutary, and there would be, in their 

 judgment^ serious objections to their alteration in 

 any material particular. Her Majesty's Government 

 have thought it right thus frankly to indicate their 

 views. 



In answer to this communication, Prince 

 Gortchakoff, the Russian Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, wrote to Count Shuvaloff on the 18th 

 of May, saying : 



The Imperi.il Cabinet will neither blockade, nor 

 interrupt, nor in any way menace the navigation of 

 the Suez Canal. They consider the Canal as an in- 

 ternational work, in which the commerce of the 

 world is interested, and which should be kept free 

 from any attack. Egypt is a part of the Ottoman Em- 

 pire, and its contingents figure in the Turkish army. 

 Kussia might, therefore, consider herself as at war 

 with Egypt. Nevertheless, the Imperial Cabinet 

 does not overlook either the European interests en- 

 gaged in the country or those of England in partic- 

 ular. They will not bring Egypt within the radius 

 of their military operations. As far as concerns 

 Constantinople, without being able to prejudge the 

 course or issue of the war, the Imperial Cabinet re- 

 peats that the acquisition of that capital is excluded 

 from the views of his Majesty the Emperor. They 

 recognize that in any case the future of Constanti- 

 nople is a question of common interest, which can- 

 not be settled otherwise than by a general under- 

 standing, and that if the possession of that city were 

 to be put in question, it could not be allowed to be- 

 long to any of the European Powers. As regards 

 the Straits, although their two shores belong to the 

 same sovereign, they form the only outlet of two 

 great seas in which all the world has interests. It 

 is, therefore, important, in tlie interests of peace 

 and of the general balance of power, that this ques- 

 tion should be settled by a common agreement on 

 equitable and efficiently guaranteed bases. Lord 

 Derby has alluded to other British interests which 

 might be affected by the eventual extension of the 

 war, such as the Persian Gulf and the route to India. 

 The Imperial Cabinet declares that it will not ex- 

 tend the war beyond what is required for the loudly 

 and clearly declared object for which his Majesty 

 the Emperor was obliged to take up arms. They 

 will respect the British interests mentioned by Lord 

 Derby as long as England remains neutral. They 

 have a right to expect that the English Government 

 will, on their side, in like manner take into fair 

 consideration the particular interests which Kussia 



has at stake in this war, and in view of which she 

 has imposed such great sacrifices on herself. These 

 consist in the absolute necessity of putting an end 

 to the deplorable condition of the Christians under 

 Turkish rule and to the chronic state of disturbance 

 provoked by it. This state of things, and the acts 

 of violence resulting from it, excite in Kussia an 

 agitation caused by the Christian feeling BO profound 

 in the Russian people, and by the ties of faith and 

 race which unite them to a great part of the Christian 

 population of Turkey. The Imperial Government 

 is the more obliged to take account of this, since it 

 reacts both on the internal und external situation 

 of the Empire. 



The situation in Constantinople during this 

 period was of a very critical character. Dis- 

 sensions arose between the Parliament and the 

 Ministry. Early in May the impeachment of 

 Redif Pasha was threatened, and dissolution 

 was significantly hinted at on the one side, and 

 threats of revolution were heard on the other. 

 On May 24th a demonstration of the Softas 

 occasioned considerable alarm. A body of 

 them, numbering about 2,000, followed by a 

 rabble, probably again as large, proceeded to 

 the Chamber of Deputies to demand the dis- 

 missal of the ministers. The Chamber received 

 a deputation of five Softas and discussed their 

 petition. The debate became so stormy that 

 the President was obliged to suspend the sit- 

 ting. The Softas then marched to the Palace. 

 The Sultan, however, had fled to his Asiatic 

 castle across the Bosporus. Feeling some- 

 what reassured by the reports of his ministers, 

 he returned to the city the following morning, 

 protected by a strong military escort. Five of 

 the leaders were exiled. The immediate result 

 of the demonstration was the creation of a 

 Council of War, under the presidency of the 

 Minister of War, Redif Pasha, or, in his ab- 

 sence, Rauf Pasha. Among the members were 

 Mehemed Rushdi, a former Grand-Vizier ; the 

 Minister of Marine, Senator Uamik Pasha ; Ha- 

 lim Pasha ; Said Pasha, aide-de-camp to the 

 Sultan ; Mahmoud Damad, Grand-Master of the 

 Artillery ; Uazif Pasha, and other high officials. 



The passage of the Danube took place on 

 June 22d at Galatz and Braila. The Russian 

 troops crossed early, meeting with no opposi- 

 tion until they reached the village of Zatoca, 

 which, after a brief contest, was abandoned by 

 the Turks. Another body of troops having 

 crossed from Braila, the Turks abandoned Ma- 

 tchin, Tultcha, and Hirsova, which were then 

 occupied by the Russians. On the morning of 

 June 27th, after several days' continuous firing 

 between the opposing batteries on either bank, 

 the Russians crossed in force at Simnitza. 1 he 

 passage was opposed by the Turks, and after 

 several hours' severe fighting they were driven 

 back with considerable loss. An attempt at 

 crossing made at Nicopolis was unsuccessful. 

 During the passage of the Danube firing was 

 kept up along the whole line of the river be- 

 tween the opposite batteries. It was particu- 

 larly terrible between Rustchuk and Giurgevo. 

 Rustchuk was almost completely destroyed by 

 the Russian fire, while Giurgevo also suffered 



