Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-10-31
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kIeheuct ALI.

Mehemct All.
II just five years since the Berlin
Com -ess assembled, yet its resolutions
have pot TO this day been fully carried
out, AMI the effects of its decisions ara
scarcely beginning TO be felt. Some
of its members, however, arc already
undergoing the Judgment of history,
while others, thrown into The back
ground and almost forgotten, may Bit
| terly contrast the solemnty Of that
moment at Berlin with the obscurity of
the present, and with the ingratitude Of
| human memory.
Out of the twenty plenipotentiaric
| five are dead-Mehemct Ali. Herr Won
Bulow, Lord Beaconsiicld Baron Hay
merle and Prince Gortchakof. Me-
hemet Ais death, in the course of an
expedition TO Albania, surprised none
who had closely observed him at Berlin.
Turks are not long-lived when they are
so witty. When he chose to reveal his
inmost sentiments nobody ridiculed
Turkey more amusingly. After din
ner given at an embassy, l had tho
good fortune of seeing the unvarnished
Mehemet Ali. He had drunk copious-
ly, concealing his glass with kind of
Mussulman shame, in both hands, and
emptying it every time at one draught.
The weather was hot and the burgundy
entered his head. After dinner he, q
member of the English Embassy and
myself, entered small saloon. He
sank on sofa, and, with gesture of a
man feeling relieved, threw off his fez
and burst out laughing. Reforms to be
carried out in Turkey had just been
mentioned. Said he:
at always makes me laugh to hear
of reforms in Turkey. 1t is like telling
man to walk on his head. / once
commanded at Serajevo. A peasant of
the neighborhood came with three
horses, laden with oats for the use of tho
cavalry. The oats were taken and q
warrant was given to him. The pea
SAINT took It, and in order TO get paid
sooner gave backsheesh, first to the clerk
who was to order payment, next TO the
one who should countersign the
order, and lastly to the one
who should exchange the provisional
warrant for n definitive one. Three
days later lie was brought in gagged,
because he had had an attack of madness
and had threatened an official who had
asked him for backsheesh. With back
sheesh after backsheesh he had sold his
three horses, sacrificed by degrees the
price of his oats, and if he had fit of
lviolencei ii was because he was still asked
for backsheesh when neither horses,
oats or anything else had been left him.
l gave him assistance, so that he might
return home. Yet you want to intro
duce reforms into such country"
Once in the humor, he told us q host
OF anecdotes, sparing neither men nor
things. He said to me:
"Did you know Ali Pasha, who was
famous during the Empire. an whom
the Porte sent as Ambassador to Paris
Mt the most critical moment of It's his
tory. He was so addicted to drink that,
by the Sultan's orders. only settler
water was given him when he dined
at the palace. One day we amused
ourselves with filling the siphons with
champagne. At the end of the dinner
he was too drunk to stand. 'You
see, said the Sultan, who imagined
he had been drinking settler, the
prophet is furnishing you for your in
temperance, so that now whatever YOU
drink makes you tipsy.' Next day he
drank settler again, but il only made
him feel little uncomfortable. What
pity, remarked the Sultan, that the
prophets punishment lasted only for
one meal.
Poor Mehemet Ali was ono of the
amusements of the congress. He read
poems, told anecdotes, and recoye cred
all his European wit and exuberance,
and it cost even Prince Bismarck an
| effort to keep his distance from this
merry Mussulman.
cit would amuse me-" he said to mo
one day, ''to talk with Mehemet Ali.
He must be q subtle fellow ('Das ist
doch in feiner Keel) to have attained
his position. But really | cannot.
must uphold the dignity of the
Emperor, who must have felt hurt at
the choice of this plenipotentiary. 1
can perfectly understand his having es-
capped, at twelve years Of age, from
ship. i think that in his place / should
have done the same. But really, when
one reflects that he has turned renegade;
that, after having been French and Ger
man, he has become Turk, and that as
Turk he has passed through career
which conforms so little to Mccklenberg
traditions, l cannot help thinking it was
my duty 10 assume the attitude toward
him have assumed, and which | shall
maintain to the end. Berth Cor. Lon
don Times.