The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-10-04
The Turkish Minister of War.

Inc TURKISH Minister Oh war.
The Pasha of Bagdad is the despotic
ruler of the largest and most important
province in Turkey. He. has the COM
mand of large army which is stationed
at Bagdad and other towns within his
pashalic, which is bounded on the east
and south by the Persian frontier and the
Gulf. More than once ambitious men
holding this position, so remote from the
home government, have been suspected
of designs to render themselves indepen-
dent sovereigns-a design which was sue
cessfully accomplished in 1880, by
Mohammed Ali, Pasha of Egypt. At
the time of my visit to Bagdad, the gov
ernor was the present Turkish Minister
of War, Redif Pasha, a successful gen.
eral and a man of unquestioned energy
and ability. Once, while was in Bag
dad, he had an opportunity to show his
power as despotic ruler, and he acted
with nerve and energy worthy of all
praise. The Tigris, which had been on
the rampage for two months, at last
broke through the dikes some ten miles
above the city, and the torrent sweeping
down with irresistible force, did great
damage to the crops, and in single day
turned the broad plain back of the CITY
into an immense lake. The water was
only kept from flowing into the city by
an embankment outside the walls, which
in many places was out of repair. Great
fear was felt of such an inundation as
occurred in 1S31-the year of the plague
when seven thousand houses fell in a
single day. Here was an emergency call
so<r for ~
an order closing all the bazaars and
shops, and for four days impressed the
whole male population foreigners ex-
cepted) to work on the dikes. Half the
force was sent up the river, and the bal
ance set to work to repair the embank-
ments around the city. l rode out in
that direction one morning, and witnessed
a lively scene. Several thousand men
were at work, and the pasha himself was
on the spot, surrounded by a brilliantly
uniformed staff, experimenting the oper-
ations. These energetic measures saved
the city. The break in the dixie up the
river was stopped, and the water gradu-
ally subsidized.
AS there are no American ministers or
consular agents in this part of the world,
before leaving Cairo had inclosed let
ter of introduction to our minister at
Constantinople, with the request that he
would forward to me at Bagdad such
credentials to the pasta as might be of
service in any excursion desired to make
to Babylon or other places of interest in
Mesopotamia. Upon reaching Bagdad
found awaiting me frmdn from the
Turkish government address to the
pasha, and commenting the American
traveller in the strongest terms to his
hospitality and protection. Upon my
entrance to the audience room of the
pasha found him seated at the further
end of the apartment near a large table
covered with papers, and as entered he
rose and advanced toward me, shook
hands, and courteously motioned me to
seat beside him. He is a large man,
tall and quite portly, parhaps forty-ive
years old, with full face, brown beard,
and eyes sharp and piercing. His dress
was entirely European, except the fez,
without even button to indicate his
rank. His countenance indicates energy
and firmness, and his manners are court
eous and pleasing. Several officers of
rank standing near were presented to me,
but no one was seated except the pasha
and myself. AS he spoke only Turkish
and Arabic, Mr.. Stanno, a Levantine in
the service of the government, was sum
moned to act as interpreter. Our CONVEX
sation was necessarily slow, but the
questions and replies were very readily
translated, and l felt quite at my ease.
l found the pashs very intelligent as to
the geography and government of foreign
countries, and he seemed fully to com
prehend that England and America were
two distinct and separate countries. He
offered me every facility for seeing Bag
dad, and said that, as l was the only
American who had ever visited him, he
hoped l would receive favorable i'm
preston of the country.-W. p. Fogg, IN
Scri5ner.