The daily gazette., 1878-07-27
THE ANGLo-TURKIsH TREATY.
From the London Spectator July 10.

the responsibility which her Maiesty,s
Government, by the Secret Treaty of
| June 4, have accepted on their behalf. IL
is nothing less than the duty Of protect
ing, controlling, and in the last resort ad
ministering the whole of Asiatc Turkey
| that is, OF an empire larger than Aus
trla, France, and Spain taken together.
separated from their own country by q
o00 miles OF sea, occupied by 10000 600
OF half civilized and oppressed people.
surrounded by formidable enemies, and
at present sunk in hopeless anarchy and
confusion. If this treaty is ratified, Brit
ish nation pledge themselves to defend
Asiatic Turkey through all time against
all Toes from within and from without. If
Russia five years hence recommences her
secular march southwards, the British
people must drive 6n,0O0000 of Slavs
back upon their deserts. If France is ir
ritated with the loss of her influence i'm
Syria, or considers her clients in the Le-
Danon ill-treated. England must forbid
her interference, as an act of hostility to
herself. If Persia, under a war-lke Shah,
redemands her Holy Places and reoccu-
pies them, the Indian Government must
declare war on Teheran, in the interest
of Turkey. If the Arabs, weary at last
OF subjection to an equally Mohammedan
but Inferior tribe, attempt to yindlcate
their independence, British troops must
occupy Mecca, or stand prepared to de-
fend Damascus against the assaults of
the Desert tribes. If the Armenians of
Erzeroum rise on their secular oppressors
English soldiers must be landed at Ire
bizond, or if Syria once more casts out
the Tusk, Englishmen must replace him,
if the remainder of the world, irrtated
by massacre in the Holy Places appear
III arms to forbid.
ALI this however, Tremendous as the
work is ior Power without conscrip-
tion, aud liable to emeut+s, in every
| Corner OF tn, world, is notnIlg compared
with the further obligations imposed nv
the Secret 1r y. The Asialic EmI ir .
we are pledged 10 defend is so sliua.ed
that 1t cannot be defended withouI being
| first administered. 1t is so badly gov
| erned that 5 treasury is empty, that
| its cities are decaying, that It's psasan
| are in despair, that its fdirest Prov ces
are rava5ed by tribes half-brigands, half
pal riots, that iusurrectiOn, as Lord Sails
bury admits in his nlroduc ion to the
Treaty, even without foreign in, rigue,
L
prevent such insurrectiop, 10 restore Of
! der, 10 allow prOsperiety TO reccomence,
is imperative, if only for this reason
| that until this work is done the mali =
spIing OF admir- istaation, decent finance
cannot he rees abished. No treasury
| can be solvent while its officials plund-r,
while lis peasantry live in hourly ex-
pectation OF maraudcrs, while no man
ia it, all
his accumulations. Even if English
philantnropis' would bear such a silua-
tion, English financiers would no., aud
the common sense of business men will
stimulate the compassion never long
dead in Englishmen to bring dis ,rder TO
a close. Order must be restored at once
in AsIatic Turkey, ands here is no agen-
cy in existence thI ough which to restore
it. The Pashas, demoralIzed by CEN
turies of corruptiHg ascrndancy, will
not do work and the Christians, enfeeb-
led by centuries Of slavery, cannot yet
do ii. Withln three years the people OF
| England will be compelled either to re-
pudlate the Treaty, or sell their soldiers
10 support barbarlans in expressions re-
ported AS accurately AS if they occurred in
Cornwall, or govern through admins
/ traitors in whose CONSCIOUS aud cVmpe-
tence they can place some trnsr.
The permanent hostility of Russia, the
| sleepless jealousy of France, the angry
sIIspciousness ofall Mediterranean Pow
ers must all be defined, rather than any
change, beneficial or injurious should
| be made in the dominlons ola Mussul-
man family which has, by the consent of
| its friends, degenerated into dotage, and
| of caste with which Englishmen have
i l..
accord. Aud all this must be accomplish
| ed at all times, often the most uneXpect-
| ed and inconvenient times, by u nation
| which i'll peace keeps up an unSut1i cient
standing army, which Las 10 protect
| forty Colonies from which she does not
] draw n soldier, and which is already
| burdened with the protection, the gov
| ernment, and the evil zation of Il fifth
of the human race. Merely To lie ready
10 fulfil her duty, England, if sinceree in
| her formal guarantee, must he prepared
| TO maintain at least 10000 extra soldiers
| besides double that number of Indian
auXiliaries, TO keep an additional fleet
cruising IN Mediterranean water and to
undertake obliga ions which on the most
careful calculation, cannot be discharged
| for less, at first, than 10000, 900 year.
We all know which alternative they
will choose; they will administer to Asia
tic Turkey for themselves, will repiace
the Pashas by English magistrates, will
prohibit resistance by English armies,
and will directly rule aud administer
from Constantinople eastward to the
border of Siam, governing, protecting,
and taxing the whole of the Western
Asiatic world, all the countries on the
Eastern border OF the Mediterranean, on
he Southern border of the Black Sea,
and in the Valley of the Euprat-s, all In
dia, and as much of Indo-China as i,
drained by the Burrampooter and the
Irrawaddy. If they succeed, if their new
possessions revive-as they will revive
they will have made their Governm- mt
the early Providence OF at least 800 900,
900 of people, all aliens, all discontented
for British rule produces every good
result but loyalty-and all liable to huge,
aimless, meaningless movements, heaves,
as it were, of a sea of population, under
some impulse from below. Their militia
~ lianilities will be such as no empire
ever faced,-the garlsoning of third of
the Western world with 100000 men.
Their financial liabilities will be such as
even the chiefs of an English Treasury
may witness with dismay. Imagine, for
one item alone, their liabilities for the
RAILWAYS they must build, CONNIE cling