Page:Englishwomaninan00elli.pdf/251

 troubles within and without, but they have only strengthened the spirit of Nationalism, which the Pasha himself could not now destroy.

"Alas, poor Turkey! Abdul Hamid disposed of Turks with amazing dexterity: he lost them, killed them, or forgot them; and who cared? They were not Christians!

"Look what it cost us to depose the 'Red' Sultan, and then we had the 'Black' Sultan. When we got rid of him, Europe was not pleased. See how the English are defending him; though one of your charming countrymen told me they would not give him 'house-room' in your own country."

I suggested, and Halidé Hanoum agreed, we could not refuse to find a safe home for our vassal; although, certainly, his visit to Mecca could not be justified by our refusal to go on paying his board in Malta.

Ahmed Bey expressed his enthusiasm for Lord Curzon's books on the East. As a young student, he told me, he had written glowing appreciations of this brilliant statesman, in whom all the Moslems had once put their trust. From Malta, he wrote to Lord Curzon: "One of your greatest admirers, who has often expressed his eulogies in public, is now in prison, a prisoner of peace, taken out of his bed"

The names of Calthorpe and Milne will go down through the history of Turkey; but not to the credit of England.

Here is the charming message sent to me by Aga Oglou Ahmed Bey, Director of the Press of Angora:—

"I am, indeed, sorry that illness prevents my coming to tell you personally what your visit means to us, and the feelings of gratitude and respect that you inspire in the hearts of all the Turks by your courage and love of the truth"

I was particularly glad to hear that although, like most of his compatriots, Ahmed Bey holds that all propaganda is foreign to the character of the Turks, he has determined to open a "Bureau of Information" as soon as Peace is signed. I cannot doubt that this will be a great benefit to all Islam.