The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-02
Few Countries So Remote or I'm
important That Existence
Is Forgotten.
BY Ia MARaUIsE DE FoNrENoY.


BY LA MARQUIsE DE FoNTENoY.
G. ONE countries are either SO remote
4, or else 80 unimportant that they
are apt TO be forgotten Thus.
when in 1914 the plenipotentiaries of
the European powers assembled in con-
gress at Vienna for tho purpose of re-
the downfall OF Napoleon they had
forgotten all about the existence OF
Iceland. If. indeed. they had ever heard
Of this island. which is twice the size
of Scotland, and about three times as
large as Denmark. Tho latter kingdom
had incurred their wrath by It's es-
pousal of the cause OF tho great EN-
peror. and accordingly the congress de-
prived 1t Of Norway, which they added
to the dominions OF King Charles of
Sweden. the eX-French Marshal Bcrna-
dotte, who had assisted them to defeat
Bonaparte. But Iceland escaped their
attention. and was left to Denmark,
merely because no one happened to
think about il. In fact. no mention
OF Iceland is to be found in the records
or discussions of the congress-
AT the close of the war OF 1866 be-
tween Prussia and Austria, the latter's
allies comprising most OF the non
Prussian Independent states of Ger
many. Bismarck took pains to conclude
treaties of peace with all the various
powers that had fought against Prus-
STA. Only one was forgotten. namely,
the principally OF Lichtenstein Its
sovereign had dispatched his army,
consisting OF about a hundred officers
and men, to the assistance of Austria
and OF her other allies. But in tho
negotiations for peace Lichtenstein was
completed overlooked. and 1t was not
until moro than twenty years later,
that lis to say. almost on the eve of
the accession of the present Kaiser.
M
of the Iron Chancellor to the fact that
since Prussia and Lichtenstein had
never concluded peace with one another
in 1856. the two countries must still
be considered as officially at war. Bis
Inarck affected TO take the matter very
seriously. and promptly dispatched a
special envoy to Lchtenstein to con-
ciude treaty of amity and peace with
It's sovereign. and mt the same time
to present his own apologies and those
OF old Emperor William. that the mat
ter should have escaped their attcn-
ton for so long.
In the peace congress at Berlin in
| 1878. which brought to n close the war
between Russia and her Balkan allies.
on the one hand, and Turkey on the
other, a Turkish island situated at
that particular portion of the Danube
where Hungary. Servla and Rumania
| meet. was clean forgotten by the
plenipotentiaries, and II was not until
3,
and It's members dispersed. that Austria
suddenly remembered this Danube
| island. the Turkish name of which is
Ada Kaleh, which figures in the Hun
ga rha c author Jokai.s play and novel:
The treaty of Berlin, it may be
remembered rendered Servia. Rumania
and Bulgaria independent. thus de-
priving Turkey of all territory border
ing on the Danube, the lower reaches
of which had up TO that time consti-
tuted her sphere. Naturally. the Island
of Ada Kaleh ought to have gone either
| to Runania or to Servia.
But when the matter was brought
to the attention OF Count Andrassy,
the Austrian Chancellor, he. being un-
willing to raise any controversy with
either of these two Balkan states, or
to publicly acknowledge his oversight
Mt the congress quietly arranged with
the Sublime Porte that the island should
| quietly retain its Turkish sovereignty,
should continue under a Turkish gov
ernor and Turkish law. but that 1t
should be considered under the protec-
| ton of Austria. and that in order to
emphasize this n few Austrian SOL
diers should be maintained on the
| Island. This Austrian garrison has
never consisted OF more than half n
dozen infantrymen. under the orders
of noncommi ssioned officer, who
were virtually subordinate to the Turk
| ish governor; and 1t was the Ottoman
flag which flew from the ruined fortress,
from the governors palace" and
from the two mosques that constituted
the sole places of worship on the
island.
1t was a queer condition of things.
| this little forgotten piece OF Turkish
territory, so very remote from INV
| other portion of the Ottoman Empire
When the other day the Balkan
allies. under the auspices OF the great
powers, concluded in London peace
! with Turkey, by which the latter UNI
dertook TO surrender to the victors all
her territory west of the Tchataldagh
teen miles from Constantinople. Count
Berchtold. the Austro Hungarian For
cign Minister. at once bethought him
self Of tho Island Of Ada Kaleh. He
realized that Servia might claim It,
under the terms Of the London treaty
From an Austro- Hungarian point of
view 1T would never do to have the
island, which commands the entire
channel OF the Danube just above the
Iron Gates. in the hands Of a kingdom
as bitterly hostile, and so subject to
the anti Austrian sway OF Russia, as
Servia. So the count, after comforting
with the Turkish ambassador at
Vienna, Immediately dispatched a COM
missioner OF Francis Joseph to as
sumo actual possession OF the island.
III .io MANS VI Ills hungarian crown,
at the same time strengthening the
Austro Hungarian garrison. This has
saved the island from seizure by tho
Servians or Runianians, and from now
on 1t forms. with the consent of Tur-
key, definitely. part OF the kingdom
of Hungary. Since the laws Of tho lat
ter strictly prohibit polygamy, as
felony. 1t remains to be seen what ar
rangements the Hungarian government
will make for dealing with the almost
exclusively Turkish population of Ada
Kaleh, whore a multiplicity of wives
is not the exception. but the rule.
The thousandth performance at the
Partisan theatre Of La Porte ST. Martin
of Edmond Rostand's well known play