New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-03-22
TURKISH vAGARIES.
POI pr.CAI, GOssIP--A PLUMRER'S PAnA-
DIsE-sHAPIRA REDIYIVUs.


xtoN. i>tst'Lt, to1f'...J ~" |
Turkey is always o land of burning queS'o"S' n
letter writer is constantly tempted 10 ehg'Roonoo
another of these various fiery problems III al oHois
TO set forth its recuIiarities and the ourioS''' "
log;c and argument to which 1t gives birth among
r.;u,s,ors aud neone Every correspondent is met, |
viewer Mt the outset of his ENTERPRISE by inc pro-
hhtio, ~ IL itls not desired to converse
ON t,e Eqyutian question, the reply awaysis' luis
forbidden TO speak abont this IL the PROGRESS u"u
welfare of the Arme mans IN Turkey see "s W "o on
interesting topic he deveopedln conhec'ioi WIN
the recent election of new Patriarch no hiu' vi
auy idea on the subject can be found IN any Rows
rarer. discussion Of it is prohibited uhdc"s e'e0
nenalties If coeehouse gossip news, that can be
"a ,,bouch coffee house newsdeaers viii not
'wb,sper their mysterious secrets to stranger who
NAV he a spy The ouy recourse of one seeking TO
work up such subject is to use as INF rmation the
uriyate remarks of personal friends among the we'll
informed and to run the risk O. being imposed upon
through the lack OF data for comparison.
IL il currently believed among tie people that the
Turkish Government is actually going to SEND
froops to cooperate with the English In soudan
The story goes that tne English Government has
oaked for aid from the Sultaa AM the theory Is
eidespreal that the sultan is going to take pity
unon the miseries into which the English have
fallen through dsreg lrd OF the Caliphs rights over
the Soudau. Old frien ishiD on the part OF ihe
Turks is to be proved true friendship. and 1T Is
fondly hoped that when Turkey shall have saved
from destruction the army OF Lord Woseiey'
England will ever be in grateful frame OF mnd.
By this means many good things, such as English
guarantees of Turkish territories Turkish railways
and Turkish loans are dreamed OF as delightful
nossblities In the popular mind the Turkish expo
ai,;on is to be comm anded BY Ahmed Muhtar Pacha,
who held Erzroom during the Russian war; la the
same misty realm of dreams Lord VOL seley is sup
posed to be lying HELPLESS at some remote Village
on the Nile waiting for the Ottoman aid that Is TO
awe him These ideas have nothing to do with
facts The little circumstance that no troops are
being assembled, that no ships exist to carry the
troops to Egypt; that no money Is available TO pay
for sunnlies or for transportall these small con-
alterations never into the heads OF the people
Aud when London paper arrives with news from
Feyut that shows Lord Woseey to be beating the
The Arabs in fresh encounters tho impression pro-
tnced is that of breach OF covenant on the part oil
the En- ylish What night have thew to beat of the
Arabs before the arrival of the Turkish forces wnioh
are TO win the eternal friendship OF ENGLAND by |
saving from destruction her choicest troopsf |
such ia the idea of the present. condition of the
Auglo-Egyptian question That prevails among a |
large number Of the better informed people and the
lower functicnaries in Turkey Even in Tho higher |
minds there are traces Of similar ideas, ana the |
theory OF gain by help to ENGLAND in distress was
not entirely foreign to the decision which sent the
Turkish Minister Of Justice ON special mission TO
London. |
Another mart of the people-espec,a'lv the theo- |
logical and legal big-wigs-s full of disgust at the
nan that would send Turkish troops to fight the |
soudauesc "Those people," say the white turbaned |
gentry are stark naked. No decent Mosem should |
be compelled to expose himself TO the danger OF sec
ing them! Talk about Turkish soldiers fighting |
such peoplel What arc they gong TO tglt aboutf
WHAT are they going to fight With Those people
are lot of dancing savages without 80 mnch rs
pair of trousers for Uniform; for equipment, sword
IN each hani aud ayeln un Ger each arml You
can't ask your soldiers to put themselves in the
primitive condition for tne sake of fighting. Ii
would be disgrace TO attack such poor creatures
with rides and GatisDs Eans The English may do \
such things II they wish, but do not ask Turks to
stoop so far"
Tbeae,ual fact wonld seem to be that dispateh |
of Turkish troops to the Red Sea would gnite accord
with Turkis, policy. provided that England would
nay the bills an refrain from interfering with tho
,novemeuts of the frce after 1t reaches the Soudan
The Porte certainly has wish 10 let the Mahdi
gain too much Roadway although suppose there
were not q dozen fuuctionaries in the Empire who
did not return devout thanks TO the Most High on
learning that the Mahdi had killed General Gordon
Although the Mahd has remained 20 long IN OBJ
scarty there are still manv Turks who believe IN
ID.
with au army OF naked warriors armed with spears
and clubs By the simple power of faith In God
this man has ovorcone--bronqnt TO nangat and
forced to retire-the choicest troops Of Erglan1.
He must be an iasplred leader who can do tais.
The s,sculations of these people to the future re
eaueIly we,l-groundel: The Maali Is even no on
the march to purge Egypt Of the foreigner. After
having assumed the government Of Egypt he VIII
receive the allegiance of Mecca. Medina and the
rest Of Arabia When he has consolidated bis power
m this way he will give his attention to the res of
the world. He will first take in hand the case oil
England and he has sworn the most invioable of
oatns to leave one English nan alive in AL the
United Kingdom who refuses to accept Islam"
These curious notions discussed not only
among the common poople, but In the houses OF
men who ought kno better. For this reason
the Government has laid strict embargo Oh the
publication OF news from Egypt and the Soudn,and
we are not allo aei any kilograms FROM Eutope on
the forbidden subjects Such policy naturally
gives the cham pions of the Mahii in this city
limited scope for their imaginative functions, and
tie idea gains ground that this great man OF Con-
trail Africa is truly the forerunner oil the Great
Judge OF all the Garth.
There are some Turks, however, who regard with
much uneasinsss the present POLITICAL situation
One of these gentlemen said tbs other day. In con-
noctIon with a shrewd forecast of the results OF
Russian advance into Afghanistan: 1T is very
evident that the European pot is boiling. What is
in it we do not know We do not understand the
intrcacies of European lutrgues. What w'il hap
pen in Europe when tho pot blows up we do not
know That Is of tho docrees fore-ordained from
the beginning. But this we do know: When that
pot blows up. whether any one in Europe is hurt
or not IL Ia matter of course that the cover will
49, n. kbo< ;o hat aa1