Turkish Memories

IN the spring of 1896, at a time when public attention centred on the Armenian troubles, the Sultan of Turkey sent a confidential emissary to London for the purpose of sounding...

MUCH that I shall have to say in the course of the next few chapters might be unintelligible, or at least liable to be misunderstood, if I were not to explain the circumstances...

IN the winter of 1896–97 I had been acting as Special Correspondent for the _New York Herald_ in Vienna, when, towards the end of February, things began to wear a sinister aspec...

IN the beginning of September 1897 I was taking a “rest cure” at Marienbad when I received a telegram from the proprietor of the _New York Herald_ asking me to join him on his y...

My mother Earth! And thou, fresh breaking Day, and you, ye Mountains, Why are ye beautiful? I cannot love ye. And thou, the bright eye of the Universe, That openest over all, an...

Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven, It was my hint to speak—such was the process; And of the cannibals that each other eat, The Anthropophagi, and men whos...

Our party had already obtained the Jerusalemic stage of uncleanliness, and consequent ungodliness, a few days after leaving Erzeroum. We passed through close upon eight hundred...

THE circumstances already related under which I went to Constantinople made me a frequent visitor at the Imperial Palace of Yildiz. The so-called Palace (recently dismantled) co...

SO much has been said and written to the detriment of the ex-Sultan Abdul Hamid that it would seem to be an almost hopeless task to break a lance in his favour; and yet to do so...

I HAVE already mentioned that the Turk is accustomed to the vagaries of despots, to the flatteries and servility which they breed. But to be more exact, it should be stated—inde...

YOU come across a queer medley of races, languages, and nationalities in the narrow streets of Pera, somewhat trying to the nerves in its promiscuous incongruity. Almost with a...

Love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee Corruption wins not more than honesty. Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace To silence envious tongues. Be just, and...

THERE would seem to be two distinct strains of character influencing principle and conduct in the Turks. The one is that of the Turanian, the conquering Asiatic as typified, eve...

THE conditions of life under an autocracy naturally tend towards a sense of loyalty degenerating into adulation and servility on the part of public servants, as well as towards...

ENGLISHMEN who are old enough to remember the Crimean war might well rub their eyes on coming to Constantinople to-day, where the stranger, after being shown the public fountain...