The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-11
EUROPEAN POLITICS.
sBE ISOLATION or eRrAr nRIr11n.

Hand, huy Mou,ent May Brinr wnr-Aad
wben Pence Il Made a RsRdJustnsnt Of
Boundaries Nigh: Give Gibraltar to Spain.
Malta 10 Itaiv, and EGYPT Rack 10 tho
sultan, WHO woud ne Fisi OF the Czar.
ZunrcH nov 2i-The very i'm rortant uior-
nation which | sent you several months ago
aa to tho deliberate change NJ front for which
The Sultan has long been preparing in his atti-
tudo toward Europe is Mt last begin ming to
make its way Into the press Of western Eu-
rope. Before this letter can roach you per-
haps even the English journals may wake up
TO see that tile iutdrS OF the British empire
has not rcen secured by tho hestatlng. halt
hearted and shunlng support. II support II
can be called. which tho British Government
promised at the ontset OF tho ',ripls Alliance
60 give to TINT energetic attempt of Prince Bis
marck TO chcck. ct ono and The same time
Russin In the east and France in tho west
With the.excuson Of Prince Bismarck from
power this attempt necessarily broke down.
The Triple Alliance from that moment was
foredoomed to collapse and 10 IL nm open
secret now that for AL offensive purposes 1t
has virtually come to an end. For all defen-
sive purposes II will he made superfuous whom
the tact is proclaimed from 81 Petersburg
and from Constantnoue that the ottoman
empire has practically become . Russian pro-
Electorate. For with the proclamation Of that
fact It Str be soon that tho objective point OF
France and OF Russia in the steadily APP
preaching gteat war Is to be not Germany at
all. but England.
The Sultan Of Turkey. ns have more than
once hal occasion IN my letters to you to say.
"a admitted ~ all capable diplonatists who
have had anything to do with him to be the
longest headed OF living politicians. or ifyou
prefer, statesmen. call him politician, be-
cause it is an old maxim that politicians
neither love nor hate In this sense also. and
with no Gsrespect Leo MI Is also admittedly
o politician, and YER" able politician. 10
proved this IN his treatment o! the monarchi-
cal party in France. whom. in open contrndic-
ton 10 their most cherish al convictions. he
called upon them to acIuiesco in tho
republican form OF government. ns a
means of conciliatinR the republican rul-
ers vi France and drawing thcm over
from ennty into good Will toward tho
Church But critics oi the Pope as politi-
clan have to admit that his tactics on this
point wcrN vitiRtod uy glow. not OF hate
but o. hostility t. tn" Italian Government,
against which he sought 70 ncentrats the an
tagunlsm ui France.
No such critic i'm can be made upnn
The Sultan ~ politician. Being the
Caliph ~ "Topo" of Islam. the Sui
tan OF course. IL not u politician, ought to |
"hate the WHIT" Gar and the l:rssians OF
The orthodox Creek Chunh. As the ruler OF
much blood and treasure have been expended |
against Russia in the past by England, the sui !
tan. II not Politician, might be expected per-
haps to love" tie English in spite OF the sim |
gular way in which they have sho own their afTec-
tion for him. by Professionally keeping him out |
OF his own dominion in Egypt at the expense |
Of his own treasury. But tho Sultan. being a !
politician. neither loves" the English nor |
hates" the White Car and the russians. Ho |
Wfahaa n hp
Caliph OF the Faithful at Constantinople. as |
long ms he possibly can, and to Keep together |
under tho Ottoman standard what remains to |
him OF the great empire OF the Mahmou and |
tho Soymans long ns he possibly can for |
himself and his sucrsssors.
The course Of European events since the |
war OF 1870 has shown him that no Turkish |
monarch can evcr again expect from an ALL |
ance OF England with France the salvation |
which came with tho Crimean war against
Nicholas l. The history OF Beaco nsde cid treaty
with Berlin. made POSSIBLE only w tho attitude |
ri Prince Bismarck in 1875. has satisfied him
chat England. standing alone. is powerless to
Serve any Turkish monarch in any hour OF
need. No naval support. even were England
able to concentrate on the Mediterranean her |
whole available ma va strength. would be worth |
anything to Turkey now that l0umania and |
Berva are both virtually armed protectorates |
Of Russia. that Greece IA to all intents and |
purposes q Russian state. and that Persia Is |
substantially in the grasp OF the Gar. But. of |
course. II will be impossible for England to |
concentrate even half OF her available naval |
strength on the Mediterranean. either |
IN defence OF Turkey CT in her own de- |
fence. II she provokes or accepts single |
handed conflict with the combined strength |
on land and sea OF Russia and France: and |
Turkey. therefore, with England as her only |
ally. will simply be overwhelmed by the Mus
eovite millions
At the moment It Is Officially declared that |
France and Russia have ready for war IS |
battle ships against ~ only held by Eng
land. while 1t Is the estimate OF the British !
Admiralty that England cannot safely go to |
war mt sea unless her battle ships outnumber |
by one-third the combined strength In battle |
ships OF Russia and of France In cruisers |
England has 123 OF all classes against 90 Of |
France and Russia, SO that on this point |
the Admiralty estimates are met; but |
IS tho mercantile marine OF England |
far outnumbers the combined mercantile |
marines OF France and OF Russia the |
English cruisers will have work enough 10 do /
as the police OF the seas, and cannot ade-
auAtsly support the baltic ships for a decisive
naval struggle. As the whole question. too. OF |
the valuo OF tho modern battle ships for hght-
ing purposes is still open question. and
may be settled either way at any time By q
slight change in tho condition OF the eternal |
duel between armor and artillery, the chances
OF great naval struggle must. in the opinion
Of all wel!-inlormed persons. depend as much.
perhaps, On no relative strength Of the
eombStants In torpedo vessels as on thelrrela-
tive strength in battle ships.
Here the outlook is anything but salts
factory for England. or for any power
like Turkey, which may be asked to stake
Its fortunes on English support The
French have to-day Tor In April OF this year
hadl 242 torpedo boats, the Russians l35,
the English ~! That is to say. France and
Russia together outnumber the torpedo
boats Of England four to one. And observe
that the whole French coast of the English
Channel is lined with torpedo stations, while
the orpedo boat force OF the French on the
nj sditrrIanean can 10 transferred By rail-
way 20 The Channel or that nf the Cham
mel 20 the Mediterranean, at very short
notice and with great speed. IL has lust been