Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-11-20
THE "SICK MAN."
An Interesting and instructive Chat
with Sunset" Cox.
Specimen Turkish JoI<e-Age of the
"Oricntal Imbrogiio"-The "Ant-Ill"
of Dip!omates-Ihe Duties of the
American Legation.

Hon. S. S. Cox's diplomatic mission
to the Orient has given him a great ad
vantage over the regular United State
humorist. He can graft Turkisl
joke on one of his old Congrcssiona
rib-ticklcrs, and produce an article st
fresh and new that even the deaf viii
laugh. Although the high mouiiks il
Constantinople persisted in calling hin
Pasha Sunset" he never donned tn,
festive fez but three minutes and tha
was a trial experiment. While a re
porter was waiting in the parlor o
the Minister'S residence, No. Is East
Twelfth street, waiting for him to APP
pear, many fine views of the Bosphorus
and places of interest in Constantinople
were seen. The Sultan's palace and a
Turkish cemetery were attractive and
curious. When the popular orator and
Minister Plcnipotentiary appeared, he
was bareheaded, and had the Partisan
"grip, new name for cold, so bad
1y that he was somewhat hoarse. That
inimitable and breezy style so char
actcristic had rot departed, and when
asked for Turkish story he said:
81 have just received fresh one by
cable from the Golden Horn and it
goes: A Turk in Constantinople called
upon his neighbor and wanted to bor-
row his jackass.
"I have sent the ass to Scutari. my
friend, laconically replied the for
tunatc owner Of the long-eared ami
imal. Even now that ass is climbing
over the hill that brings him in view
of that city. If he were here, of course
would lend him to you.
"About this time the ass brayed loud
and long in his stall.
''Ihc neighbor spoke up. 'Ah, there
is your ass braying now; | thought he
was nearing Scutari?'
1.-The owner haughtily replied: MY
friend, which do you believe is lying,
the ass or myscf?'
''rhis is prime specimen of the
humor of the unspeakable Turk.
"My health? Well, l have improved
greatly. My summer in the island of
Prinkipos was very delightful, and
the AIR is very dry and bracing."
When questioned as to his sojourn at
Constantinople, the Minister talked
very freely in relation to the events
which are now transporting in the East.
He said that Constantnople had
unusual attractions for a diplomatic
In fact fifty years ago Miss Pardoe, in
her book called "The City of the Sui
tan, said that Pera, where the Am
bassadors lived most of the year, and
which is European city. opposite old
Stamboul, was like an ant hill. The
diplomates and dragomans are con-
stantly going and coming, carrying
little gossip in the shape of diplomatic
straws. They are forever alert, like
the Greeks OF old. fol some new thing.
"But," said Mr. Cox, the Oriental
imbroglio' is not a new thing. 1t is as
old as the selection of Constantinople
as the grand site of commerce in the
East. You can not open volume of
history, and especially the histories of
ByZantium and Greece, without finding
the antetype of the Eastern question.
1t has been continually recurring and
never settling. The pre-eminence of
the city as commercial emporium
standing between the East and the
West; with her magnificent waters of
the Mediterranean, the Dardanelles
and the Marmora (Propontis), Bos-
phorous and the Black Sea. make it
altogether peerless. not only in politio-
al, but in commercial prominence. So
that ever since its first settlement his
tory is full of Scythian, Bulgarian,
Saliurkian, Turk, Mongol. Greek. Ser
vian and Slavonic conflicts. These
races were ever on the move, either in
arms OF otherwise. to secure the ad-
vantage Of this remarkable port.
at is well known that from the time
of Peter The Great, Russia has had her
eve fixed upon this ancient capital.
Sho has been chcckmated by the con
cert of the European Powers. These
Powers are jealous OF the great land