Evening star., 1923-04-13
BY THE MARaUIsE DE FONTENoY.

BY THE MARoUIsE DE FNONTENoY.
Among the extraordinary preten-
sions put forward by the government
OF Ansora, and which will engage the
Eattention of the congress at Lau-
Same next week. is its claim to the
tiny island of Ada-Kaleh, an island SO
small that It 10 ignored by most maps
and guide books, and which is situat-
ed in the Danube opposite Orsowa in
Rumanta, with Serbia on the other
bank.
Until the beginning Of the great
war it enjoyed complete extraterrito-
riality by virtue Of treaties. not with
either Rumania or Serbia, but on the
strength of ancient agreements dat
ing back hundreds OF years with the
Hapsburg empire, before either Ru-
mania or any OF the Danubian states
had secured their emancipation from
Ottoman rule. It was a bit Of purely
Ottoman territory. peopled exclusive
1y by Moslems. ruled over by a Turk
ish bey appointed by the sublime
porte, where the crescent was every
where in evidence in lieu of the cross,
and where a small Turkish garrison
was maintained, nomtnally for the
purpose Of defending the ruined Turk
ish fort, but in reality to emphasize
the sultan's sovereignty over the is
land.
In olden times the island had been
the scene Of much fighting, and was a
ha hol
his despotic rule over the various
Wallachian provinces and vassal
states and levied tribute on Danube
traffic. But its population and gar
rison were compelled by Austria to
maintain the strictest neutrality
throughout all the various Balkan
wars, both in the latter half of the
nineteenth century and during the
first fourteen years OF the present
century" until the beginning Of the
great world conflict, when first Of all
Serbia and then Rumania hoisted
their flags over the island and made
prisoners Of the garrison and Of the
governor. For neither Of these Balkan
powers. associated as they were with
the entente nations in their war
against Turkey, Germany and Aus
tria, wished to permit an enemy gar
rison, no matter how small, to remain
literally in their midst.
Since the restoration of peace, the
island has remained subject to the
crown of Rumania, which, however,
treats the population with the utmost
fiberality. and the people, still ex-
elusively Moslem, with all the wom-
en-. vigorously veiled, lead an entirely
oriental life of peace and ease, SELL
ing cigarettes, roses and Turkish
sweetmeats, without any interference
by the Rumanian authorities, not
even from the officials of the Ru-
manian state tobacco monopoly. Ru-
mania imposes upon the island no
taxation of any form, and its people
are exempt from military duty and
obliratioils, left to virtually govern
themselves, and are so well on under
present conditions that they would
resent any reversion to the rule Of
the sublime porte-that Ii TO say, OF
the Angora government.
It is curious that there should have
been no intermarriages In the past
with the islanders and the population
habitants are Of the pure Asiatic-
Turkey race, obviously the descend
ants Of the troops which were brought
fhither from Asia Minor to control
snS dominate the river trade on the
danube. AS far, as the retention Of
Old Turkish customs and methods Is
concerned, they are much more Otto
man than the people of CONSTANT
nople and of Angora-
Why on earth the Angora parlia-
ment should put forth a claim to the
Island, and to make>it a source of
trouble, 1t is dinicult to understand.
,,nless Il is to afford some satisfac-
tinn to those ultra fanatic Moslems
who from the remote regions Of Asia
Minor demand that Kemal Pasha
should not rest until he has restored
to the sovereignty Of the Ottoman
emuIre ALI the. countries in Europe,
ln n.nurthern Africa. and IN -Asfa~ that