The Portland daily press., 1896-01-04
ROBERT COLLEGE.
Admiral Farragut Aided Dr. Hamlin
to Start 1t.


ing of the Institution.
81 should like to ask your excellency a
question. I should like to know why
that American college can't be built"
This question Admiral Farragut, when
in Constantinople on his tour around the
world shortly after the war, asked of
avery Turkish official be met, and he met
all who held important positions in the
government.
The question when first asked created
no particular attention, but when it
was noticed that he persisted in asking
1t and that when an attempt was made
TO answer it in an evasiye way he said
nothing, the Turks suspected that he
must be in Constantinople for some other
purpose than to simply pay his respects
to the Sultan and see the sights of the
beautiful city. What other object could
he haye2 1t must be connected with
thai question he asked every official he
met. whether at a mplimentary din
ner or in private.
Evidently he had been sent by the
OutebCo fOIoh2iO1Ao w hOdAh WY
the American college was not permitted
to erect the buildings on the land it had
bought and paid for and if satisfactory
answer were not given to declare war
upon Turkey. The admiral's 81 lence to
the answers to his question showed plain
" that he was not satisfied. The Turks
became alarmed. They were then ocou-
pied with the instruction in Crete, and
they could not afford to quarrel with the
United States at that time, if they could
at any time. There was only one thing
to be DONE They must permit the college
buildings to be erected. They would do
even more than that. The Sultan would
give an trade, the most sacred title to
real estate given in Turkey, and emanat-
ing from the Sultan personally in his
character of infallibiliuy. Still more. the
college, in the trade, was placed under
the protection of the United States, and
consequently has the right TO carry and
disoarry the American flag. To attack it
is to attack the American flag.
Robert college-or, AS it is frequently
called, The American colleges siJuat-
cd on the bluffs overlooking the Bosphor-
us and is the only foreign institution
permitted upon any prominent point
along the straihgts. For a number of
years every possible influence had been
used to prevent the erection of the col
lege buildings. Before the college was
protected in 1859 Cyrus Hamlin, it's first
president, had in his mind selected the
ground on which it now stands as a site
oided upon Mr.. Hamlin, through the
American secretary of legation, offered
the owner, Ahmed Vefyk Pasha. then
Ottoman ambassador at Paris $4,000 for
the tract Ahmed Vefyk replied, "Tell
Mr.. Hamlin if he has land to sell will
listen to him if he is only purchaser I
have nothing to say and no terms to
offer"
MIR. Hamlin accepted this decision as
final and purchased land elsewhere; but
when he began to make preparations to
build he was forbidden to do SO. Soon
after, to his great surprise, Ahmed
Vefyk proposed to sell him the tract on
the Bosphorus at the price he had offered.
Mr.. Hamlin bought it and learned that
the death of Sultan Abdul Medjid had SO
seriously emtarrats Ahmed Vefyk fnan-
oially that he found himself in debt about
$3.50. 600 for the elegant dinners he gave
in Paris, for which the new government
refused to pay, and he was obliged to
sacrifice some of his property.
Mr.. Ham1in had barely begun prepara-
tions for building when an officer pre-
sented himself and said: "Some fo1mali.
ties are still not completed and you must
wait until they are" Chow long?" he
asked. Perhaps a couple of weeks -
But he waited seven years.
During these seven years, however, Mr.
Hamlin was not idle. He endeavored to
enlist the interest of diplo mats and other
influential persons, sand so annoyed the
Turkish officials that the Grand Vizier
once said: "Will this Mr.. Hamlin never
die and let me alone on this college ques-
tion2" Through Mr.. Morgan, the New
York banker, the matter was brought to
the attention Of Mr.. Seward, Secretary
of State, who forwarded to the United
States Minister at Constantinople a mes
sage which Mr.. Hamlin had prepared,
and which, at his suggestion was ordered
to be read to Aali Pasha. The result of
this action was that the Turkish Minis
ter at Washington wrote to Aali Pasha
that sit would be we'll to settle that COL
lego question favorably to the Americans,
or by and by it would become thorny
question. ~ At one time Mr. Hamlin
thought he was about to secure the de-
sired permission to build Sir Henry
Bulwer, the English ambassador, had
taken up the matter and had promised
success A few days later. however, he
was told that the English embassy could
do nothing for him. The reason for this
Mr., Hamlin learned when Sir Henry was
recalled in disgrace for having acc opted
$4,000 from the Khedive of Egypt to set
tie a quarrel with the Sultan, the Sulta n
agreeing to do SO on condition that Sir
Henry would abandon three questions
The Bulgarian, the Servian and the
American college-to which he consented