CONSTANTINOPLE WITH SIR STRATFORD CANNING. 1841.
Sir Stratford Canning succeeded Lord Ponsonby as Ambassador in
1841. He arrived at Constantinople on board a Government steamer, and
all the members of the Embassy presented themselves on the arrival of
his Excellency. These were Charles Bankhead, Secretary of Embassy,
Percy Doyle, Charles Alison, and myself; Lord Napier and Ettrick,
William Maule, Mactavish, and Count Pisani, keeper of the archives,
besides the elder Pisani (Etienne). Robert Curzon, afterwards Lord
Zouche, accompanied his Excellency as private secretary.
The fame of Sir Stratford for severity towards his subordinates had
preceded him, and we all felt sad at the loss of our late chief,
the kind and courteous Lord Ponsonby, and at the prospect of being
ruled with an iron hand.
Sir Stratford inquired of Doyle as to the method employed in the
conduct of business at the Chancery. He replied that office hours
were from eleven till half-past three, but that Lord Ponsonby allowed
the gentlemen of the Embassy to attend at, or leave, the Chancery
when they pleased, so long as the work was done efficiently. Sir
Stratford said that such an irregular way of conducting business
would not suit him and that he should appoint one of the gentlemen to
hold the key of the archives, to receive the dispatches and letters
and come to him for orders every morning. Then, turning towards us,
he added, ‘I am not acquainted personally with any one of you,
and therefore have no ground for selection, but I choose Mr. Hay.’
Gladness flashed across the faces of the other attachés, and,
when out of hearing of the great Elchi, they chaffed me by saying,
‘You are the smallest, so his Excellency thinks he can get the
better of you if there is a row!’
When we arrived at the Embassy, which was at that time at Buyukdere,
I was summoned, and was directed by the Ambassador to take possession
of the key of the archives and not to allow any one to have access
to, or to see, the dispatches which might be received from, or
written to, the Secretary of State on political subjects, and that I
should be held responsible if anything of importance transpired. Sir
Stratford told me his reason for making this arrangement was that
an attaché, at one of the Missions he had held, had by foolish
indiscretion betrayed the contents of an important dispatch to a
member of a foreign Legation. He directed that I should myself copy
all dispatches of importance to the Secretary of State and give out
the rest of the work to the other attachés.
I made known to the Secretary of Embassy, Bankhead, and to the
attachés, the instructions I had received. They were indignant—it
appeared to me with good reason—that they were not to be trusted;
especially Bankhead, who remonstrated and said he considered he had
a right to see all the dispatches to and from the Foreign Office, and
therefore should pay no attention to the Ambassador’s directions. I
replied that, having told them the orders I had received, they
were free to act as they thought fit and that I was not going to
be a Cerberus, but suggested that they should remonstrate with Sir
Stratford and not with me.
Sir Stratford seems to have been satisfied with his selection of
Mr. Hay as his confidential attaché, for shortly after he writes
in a note dated from Buyukdere to Mr. Hay at the Embassy, ‘I
have welcomed your first communication to me in writing. All quite
clear. Everything necessary, nothing superfluous.’
In 1843, the British Consul at Broussa laid before the Ambassador
complaints against the Pasha of the district where he resided, and
the latter had also brought under the notice of the Porte grievances
of a serious character, alleged to have been suffered from the
proceedings of the Consul. Attempts were made by both the Porte and
the Ambassador to bring about a settlement of the differences but
without success. British subjects, Ionians, and Turks whose interests
were affected by this state of affairs, appealed to the Embassy and
to the Porte, urging that steps should be taken to secure the ends
of justice.
Sir Stratford Canning proposed to the Porte that an officer of
the Embassy should be sent to Broussa to make an inquiry into the
conduct of the two functionaries, and that he should be empowered
both by the Porte and the Ambassador to bring about a settlement
of these differences, which had been a constant source of vexatious
correspondence.
Sir Stratford selected me for this duty, and delivered to me
letters from the Porte to the Pasha and from himself to the Consul,
acquainting them respectively that I had been authorised to inquire
into the various questions at issue, and to endeavour to bring about
a settlement.
Accompanied by a Greek servant, who knew the country and could act
as guide, I embarked in a steamer which took us to a port where we
hired horses and proceeded to Broussa.
Both the Consul and Pasha, on my arrival, offered me hospitality,
which I declined under the peculiar circumstances in which I was
placed by my mission.
The day after my arrival the Pasha summoned a Divan of several local
notables, who were to give evidence, and the Consul was also requested
to attend.
When I entered the Divan, being then a youth of about twenty-six,
I was much shocked at seeing that the Pasha, Consul, and other
notables—upon whom I had, as it were, to sit in judgment—were
men with white and hoary beards and of a venerable appearance.
After pipes and coffee, the hearing of the various subjects in
dispute commenced. Though I refer to this scene, as it affects the
end of my tale, it is needless to relate what passed, further than
to mention that I found both Pasha and Consul were in the wrong, but
that neither had acted in a manner to require any severe censure on
the part of the Porte or Ambassador, and I drew up a report in that
sense. On my return journey to the port, having heard that game was
plentiful, I gave my horse to the Greek to lead and wandered over the
country. I had good sport; and the Greek frequently warned me that
unless we kept to the beaten path and rode on quickly, we should
not be able to reach the port before dark.
Continuing however to shoot, I wandered after game many miles from
the road, or rather track, until it became so dark that I could no
longer see the birds rise. On remounting, I told the Greek to lead
the way, but he declined; he knew not where we were, nor even what
direction to take. It was a bright clear night, and at a distance
of about two miles I espied a light; thither I decided to direct
our steps and to ask for shelter for the night, or for a guide.
We arrived at a large building, with lattice windows several feet
from the ground, surrounded by a high wall enclosing what appeared to
be farm-buildings, with a large double gate where carts and cattle
could pass. After knocking loudly, an old Turk appeared. Telling
him I was an English traveller and had lost my way, I begged to
have shelter for the night anywhere in the farm-yard; a feed for my
horses and some bread and coffee, if nothing else in the way of food
was procurable, for myself and servant, for we were very hungry.
The Turk replied that his master was ——— Bey, who had formerly
been in the service of the Porte; that he was a landed proprietor;
that as his family dwelt with him, no man could be admitted into the
house; but he offered to ask the Bey’s permission to allow us to
pass the night in one of the outhouses and to put up our horses.
The gate was again closed, and after waiting a few minutes, a Turkish
gentleman, dressed in a handsome fur pelisse and fez, appeared.
After the usual salutations, he said, ‘Are you an Englishman?’
I replied that I was, without making myself known as one of the
Secretaries of the British Embassy. He bade me welcome in a hearty
manner, and turning to the old man who had just opened the gate,
directed that my attendant should be lodged in a room in the
farm-buildings and given whatever he might require, and that the
horses should be stalled and fed.
Then taking me to the door of his house and opening it with a large
key, he stopped on the threshold and said, ‘You are an English
gentleman, and therefore a man of honour. I am about to do that
which no Mohammedan will or ought to do, and admit you to my harem
amongst my family. I have heard how English gentlemen visit the
houses of friends and live as men of honour with their families,
without restraint. I shall do the same, for I have special reasons
for my conduct, which I will relate when you have rested. It is my
earnest hope that you should feel as if you were with one of your
own countrymen; but I beg you to keep secret from every one your
visit to my house, and never to mention whom you may see within it.’
He then led me up a narrow staircase into a well-lighted room,
handsomely furnished with beautiful carpeting, comfortable divans,
mirrors, Turkish tables, arms hung on the wall, and a couch with
pretty embroidered cushions and silk quilt, which he said was to be
my bed.
Again and again he bade me welcome, adding, ‘I shall leave you to
repose—you must be hungry. Supper is ordered. A pipe and coffee
will be brought to you, order what you please;’ then as he withdrew
he repeated again in a kind manner, ‘An English Effendi is always
a man of honour.’
Whilst inspecting the room and wondering what all this meant, I heard
a gentle step, and a tall graceful figure of a girl about seventeen
entered. She was dressed handsomely in a jacket used by Turkish
ladies, with a bodice open in front, like the square dresses now worn
by English ladies of an evening. She had on yellow silk ‘shalvas’
fastened by a white muslin sash, the ends of which were prettily
embroidered. Her complexion was olive, with very large dark eyes and
long eyelashes; her nose aquiline, and her mouth like a ring set in
ruby lips. She looked grave and sad, but blushes diffused her cheeks
as she bowed gracefully, and with a sweet smile put a ‘chebúk’
to my mouth, and then retired. Her hair was braided in tresses around
her head and adorned with coins. Two long braids hung down her back.
This vision of a Turkish maiden seemed like a dream, and whilst
pondering over the pretty figure that had just left and wondering
whether she would return, another damsel appeared bearing a cup
of coffee in a ‘finjan’ studded with precious stones. Bending
before me, she put it on the little table.
She appeared to be about fifteen, dressed like the bearer of the
‘chebúk,’ but of a fairer complexion, with dark blue eyes,
her nose _retroussé_. She was not so demure in her looks or
manner, and standing before me blushing and smiling with a mirthful
expression, said in a very sweet voice, ‘My father bids me ask if
there is anything you wish for, and to say your supper will soon be
ready.’ After thanking her, I held my tongue, remembering I was
an ‘honourable man.’ She retired, turning at the threshold to
look at me, with a pretty smile of mischief. Shortly afterwards the
elder damsel reappeared, bringing sherbet. I thanked her, and she
bowed and withdrew.
Then the host followed to announce that supper was ready and inquiring
whether I had been properly attended to, led me to a lower room,
remarking that he thought I should be better able to enjoy my repast
without his presence, but that he hoped in the evening to converse
with me.
During the supper I was waited on by both the fair maidens, who
brought me in succession a number of savoury dishes, with fruit and
sweets of all kinds, for which the Turks are famous.
I partook of everything largely, to the evident amusement and pleasure
of the maidens. The elder was no longer so demure in her manner,
and the eyes of the younger sparkled with fun as she waited on me;
but I indulged in no conversation further than to thank them now
and then, saying ever to myself, ‘my host says I am an honourable
man;’ but I fear my looks betrayed my admiration.
After supper the Bey conducted me to my apartment, where coffee
was brought to us by the damsels, both of whom, I learnt, were
his daughters. I expressed to the Bey my warmest thanks for his
hospitality, and for the great confidence he had shown by admitting
me amongst his family. Upon this, he said he would relate why he had
broken through the Mohammedan custom and usages and bidden me welcome
in his harem. He was fulfilling a vow made years ago, that whenever he
had an opportunity, he would endeavour to give proof of his gratitude
for kindness received from the captain of a British merchant vessel.
‘When I was a young man,’ continued the Bey, ‘before I was
married, I went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. On my return I embarked
from Alexandria on a Turkish vessel bound to Constantinople. We
encountered a heavy gale; the vessel was old and rotten; leaks were
sprung, and the captain, crew, and myself who was the only passenger,
had barely time to get into the ship’s boat, when the vessel
sunk. I lost all my clothes and money, with the exception of a few
piastres. We expected every moment the boat would be swamped by the
heavy seas breaking around us, when a ship hove in sight. Signals
of distress were made, and she came to our assistance, and we were
all taken safely on board. She proved to be an English vessel bound
for Salonica. The captain, a kind-hearted but rough-looking sailor,
gave us dry clothes, dressed me in a warm suit of his own and supplied
us with food.
‘We arrived at Salonica and I was enabled through the pratique
master, who understood a little English, to express my gratitude. I
offered to pay for my passage and food. The captain was indignant,
and said he would not accept a farthing; but, on the contrary,
having learnt that I had no money to continue my voyage and had
no friends at Salonica, put a small sum into my hands which would
enable me to proceed to Constantinople.
‘You,’ he continued, ‘are the first Englishman to whom I have
had an opportunity of showing feelings of gratitude, long pent-up,
to your countryman who saved my life.’
I then told him that I was one of the Secretaries of the British
Embassy at Constantinople, and what had been the object of my visit
to Broussa. I said I should make known to the ‘great Elchi’
his hospitality and kindness. He again impressed upon me his
anxious wish that I should keep my reception in his household a
secret, and, above all, the fact that I had been waited on by his
daughters—for he said it would be a serious matter if this was
known to his co-religionists. He consented, however, to my telling
the Ambassador confidentially all that had happened; but to my
Turkish friends at Constantinople I was only to mention that I and
my servant had received shelter for the night. He also requested me
not to tell my Greek attendant that I had seen any women in the house.
At sunrise next day I was up, and going into the courtyard gave
directions to my servant to have the horses ready for a start as soon
as I had breakfasted. He informed me that he had been well taken care
of. I gave the Greek several gold piastres, which I directed should
be distributed amongst the dependants of the Bey. He informed me that
he had learnt from the old gatekeeper that the Bey had only one wife,
and no other inmates of the harem except his two daughters and some
black slaves.
A good breakfast was ready for me as I re-entered the house, and again
the pretty damsels waited on me without the presence of their father;
and though I had lost my heart (it was an easy matter in those days)
to the blue-eyed little maiden, I refrained from saying more than
expressions of thanks in the most polite Turkish, keeping steadfastly
in mind that an ‘English gentleman is an honourable man.’
On going away, the Bey accompanied me to the door, and whilst I
reiterated my warmest thanks, he put into my hand a little sealed
packet, observing, ‘You will pardon me for returning the handsome
“bakshish” you had directed the Greek to distribute amongst my
dependants. The latter have made known and returned to me what they
had received; I shall reward them, but I cannot allow that you should
do so. It would have given me,’ he added, ‘great pain if they had
retained the money, and it would have deprived me of the pleasure and
satisfaction I have felt in welcoming an Englishman to my house.’
I said not a word, and put the money into my pocket. As I left the
house I could not help looking back as long as the lattice windows
were in sight, and thought I espied bright eyes peering out at the
parting guest; but I refrained from waving hand or handkerchief.
Sir Stratford Canning, to whom I related this adventure confidentially
on my arrival, made known to the Porte that I had received hospitality
and great kindness from this Bey when benighted on my return from
Broussa, and expressed a hope that the Porte would in some suitable
form mark approval of such kindness shown to a member of the Embassy.
The Turkish Government announced their satisfaction and thanks
for the report I had presented, through the Ambassador, giving the
result of my inquiry into the conduct of Pasha and Consul, and sent
to H.E. a Sultan’s ‘berat’ or edict, placing the Bey under
the special protection of the Porte and of His Imperial Majesty, and
recommending him to the good offices of the Pasha and other officials.
This ‘berat’ I forwarded in a letter to the Bey; but, alas! I
could not send the messages I should have wished to have done to
Fatima and the ‘dil bere’ (heart-robber) Aisha.
That year Sir Stratford Canning, accompanied by all his family and
all the members of the Embassy except myself, who was left in charge
for a few days, made an excursion to Broussa and were received with
great attention and hospitality by the Pasha. In 1844 the latter
was removed from his government and returned to Constantinople,
where he resided in a large kiosk on the Bosphorus.
In the summer of 1844, having obtained leave of absence from Her
Majesty’s Government, I made arrangements to embark in a French
steamer bound for Marseilles.
On taking leave of the Ambassador, he told me he had ordered his
‘kaik’ to convey me from Buyukdere, where his Excellency
then resided, to the steamer in Pera harbour, but that he was
anxious I should call on the ex-Pasha of Broussa and present to
him a gold chronometer, worth about £60, as a token of his—Sir
Stratford’s—friendship, and acknowledgement of the hospitality
shown to himself and family on his visit.
His Excellency added, ‘I am especially anxious you should present
this gift, and renew your acquaintance with the Pasha, and thus
remove any feeling that might possibly exist in his mind regarding
the inquiry made by you into his and the Consul’s conduct, and the
decision that was come to by the Porte in consequence of your report;
for the Pasha will probably be employed again by the Government,
and when you return to the Embassy it is desirable that you should
both be on friendly terms.’ In pursuance of these instructions I
called on the Pasha, who received me very kindly and told me he had
a lively recollection of my visit to Broussa, and of my statement
in the report that both he and the Consul were in the wrong and had
been quarrelling upon trivial matters.
He laughed and added, ‘You were quite right; the Consul and I
made it up and became good friends, so I feel indebted to you for
not having unduly taken the part of your Consul.’
I presented the chronometer, with a suitable message from the
Ambassador, and then told the Pasha I could not wait for the usual
pipes and coffee, as I had to embark in a steamer which was about
to start. He replied that he should only detain me for a moment,
and left the room. He returned immediately, bringing a small green
leathern case, suspended in a little muslin kerchief, which he put
into my hands, saying, ‘You are going to your own country and you
may not return, so I beg you to keep this as a little souvenir of
my friendship.’
Though I knew not what were the contents of the leathern case,
I thought by the shape it was a ‘finjan’ or Turkish saucer for
holding a small cup; but as it is against the established regulations
for a diplomatic officer to accept presents from a foreign official,
I told the Pasha my scruples, and that it would affect me injuriously
if I accepted even the smallest gift.
He said all he could to induce me to waive my objection; but finding
me resolute, he became very grave, took the little muslin kerchief
containing the case from me, as I held it towards him, and handed me
back at the same time the case containing the watch, saying that ‘if
a Secretary of the Embassy cannot receive a little token of friendship
on going away, from a man who no longer holds any appointment,
neither can I, a retired Governor, accept this chronometer from the
Ambassador; have the goodness to make this known to his Excellency,
with my best thanks and excuses.’ As I felt that Sir Stratford
would be excessively annoyed if the gift were returned, and might
think I had not managed to present the gift in a proper manner,
I came (after some parley) to a compromise with the Pasha, that he
should retain the chronometer and I his gift; that I should write
a note at once to the Ambassador explaining all that had happened,
and dispatch it to his Excellency by the ‘kaik’ that brought
me; that if the Ambassador disapproved of my accepting the gift
I should be allowed to return it to the Pasha, with a letter of
explanation, and in such case he would retain the chronometer;
but if his Excellency approved, there was an end of the matter,
and under any circumstances, I told the Pasha, I was much pleased
and most grateful for his kind intention.
I sent off the ‘kaik’ to the Embassy, and proceeded in another
to the French steamer, which was about to leave. On getting into the
‘kaik,’ I opened the little leather case. It contained a small
gold ‘finjan’ encrusted with rose diamonds, worth about £70.
Just as the steamer was on the point of leaving, the Ambassador’s
‘kaik’ came alongside, with a messenger bringing a note
from Lady Stratford Canning. The note stated that the Ambassador
entirely approved all I had done, and directed that I should keep
the Pasha’s gift.
On my way to England I stopped at Paris for a few days to make the
acquaintance of Admiral Lalande, who had commanded the French fleet
which had been sent to Besika Bay during the Egyptian question in
1840. He was married to the sister of my brother-in-law, the late
M. Mauboussin.
The Admiral received me very cordially. He was looking ill, and
told me it was probable that he would be in his grave before the
end of three weeks, as he was suffering from an internal disease
and lived entirely upon milk. He was not confined to his couch but
walked about the room whilst conversing, as if full of vigour both
in mind and body. He asked me if I should see, whilst in London, Lord
Ponsonby; saying he was very anxious to send him ‘the message of a
dying man.’ I replied that I should make a point of calling on his
Lordship, from whom I had received much kindness. The Admiral then
observed that he entertained the highest opinion of Lord Ponsonby,
though he was aware that he had successfully opposed French views
and projects in Egypt, and had assumed an ascendency over the minds
of the Sultan and his advisers which redounded to his credit as a
diplomatist, though antagonistic to France.
‘From the fact,’ said the Admiral, ‘of my having such a high
opinion of the character of your Ambassador, it has been very painful
to me to have learnt, from communications which have been imparted
to me by my Government, that Lord Ponsonby is under the impression
that I took a prominent part in inducing the Turkish Admiral to be
a traitor to his sovereign and deliver over the Turkish fleet to
Mehemet Ali. It was of course,’ he said, ‘an event to which much
importance was attached by those who had desired to support Mehemet
Ali’s independence; but,’ he added, ‘no possible advantage to
French interests would ever have induced me to advise or encourage any
man to turn traitor to his sovereign, and I hold the Turkish Admiral
in utter contempt for that act of infamy. I am now,’ he continued,
‘as I have told you, a dying man; in a few days you will hear I have
passed away, and I desire that you should convey to Lord Ponsonby
the following message:—“I swear, as a dying man, that whatever
may have been done by other French officials, I took no part in the
matter, nor indeed was I aware, until the Turkish fleet was delivered
over to Mehemet Ali, of the intention of the Turkish Admiral.”
‘It is my anxious desire, as I have the highest opinion of Lord
Ponsonby as an honourable man, that any erroneous impression on
this subject should be removed from his mind before I die, and
that he should give me credit also for being an honourable man,
and incapable of counselling any one to turn traitor to his sovereign.
‘Take his Lordship,’ he added, ‘this message, and let me know
before I die whether he gives credence to my declaration.’ This
I promised to do.
Admiral Lalande related to me that, during the time the French and
British fleet lay together in Besika Bay, he had become very intimate
with Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, that they dined frequently together
and had become fast friends.
He observed that I was no doubt aware that it was then expected,
at any moment, that a declaration of war would take place, and that
an engagement would follow between the two fleets. ‘It is all
settled now,’ he said, ‘and we are at peace, so I can tell you
confidentially that we two old men talked over the probability of a
sudden declaration of war one evening after dinner, and as we each
expressed a sincere desire that no undue advantage should be taken by
either through receiving earlier tidings of a rupture, we concerted
that a private signal should be hoisted on our respective flagships,
the object of which should be unknown to the officers of our fleets,
when either of us received tidings that war was declared, so that each
might be prepared, without undue advantage, to take measures for a
fair fight. Every morning and evening we were wont to look for this
signal. At that time,’ the admiral continued, ‘the French fleet
was in first-rate order, and we had one vessel more than the English
at anchor, as the latter had a vessel or two on the coast of Egypt.
‘Your fleet,’ he said, ‘was also in admirable order, but we
were quite your match; and I tell you frankly that though I have
no unfriendly feeling towards your nation, I die a disappointed man
in that I lost the opportunity of a fight; for I had hoped, if not
victorious, to have been able to wage such a battle as would have
wiped out the defeats our squadrons and ships had almost always
experienced in the last great war.’
Lord Ponsonby was in town when I arrived; he took the greatest
interest in the message I brought him, and requested me to inform
Admiral Lalande it was perfectly correct that he had been led to
believe he had induced, or secretly encouraged, the Turkish Admiral
to deliver up the fleet to Mehemet Ali; but that Admiral Lalande’s
declaration was sufficient to convince him that he was mistaken,
and that he greatly regretted having joined with others in putting
forward such an accusation. He requested me also to say that he was
much pleased and gratified that the Admiral should have desired to
have this matter cleared up, and told me to thank him and to express
a hope that he would yet live for many years to serve his country.
I wrote to Admiral Lalande and made known Lord Ponsonby’s reply. My
letter reached him a few days before his death, which occurred within
the three weeks, as he had prognosticated.
In the same year I was directed, by order of Her Majesty’s
Government, to accompany Colonel Barnett to Egypt, on his appointment
as Political Agent and Consul-General, and remained there several
months. After a few weeks’ residence at Cairo, I was offered by
Lord Palmerston, through Colonel Barnett, the post of Consul at
Alexandria, which the latter endeavoured to persuade me to accept
as he urged it would lead to my being appointed his successor;
but the climate of Egypt did not agree with me and I declined,
preferring to return to the Embassy at Constantinople.
Commodore Porter was at this time Minister of the United States
at Constantinople.
He was a distinguished officer, who had rendered important services
during the war with Great Britain. The commodore was very eccentric,
a type of the rough sailor of by-gone days, but pleasant and amusing,
and, when spinning yarns about actions between British and United
States ships, always careful to avoid—even when the story related
regarded the capture by himself of one of our ships—any expression
which he thought might wound my susceptibilities as a ‘Britisher.’
He lived at San Stefano, a village about ten miles from
Constantinople. I had made the acquaintance of his nephew,
Mr. George Porter, the Secretary of the United States Legation,
who frequently invited me—when there was a passage of quail—to
a day’s shooting and to dinner with his uncle; but I was the only
member of the Diplomatic Corps at Constantinople thus favoured.
Since he had presented his credentials to the Sultan, and made the
usual formal visits to his colleagues, he called upon no one—not
even upon the Vizir or any member of the Turkish Government.
One day, after dinner, I happened to relate to the Commodore a
political event that had recently occurred, in which he appeared
to take great interest; so, finding him in good humour, I took the
liberty of observing that, as he had mentioned he never visited or
received visits from members of the Turkish Government or of the
Diplomatic Corps, I thought he must find it a difficult matter to
keep his Government properly and correctly informed upon passing
events, which were at that time of the greatest importance to the
political world.
The Commodore replied, his eyes twinkling with humour, ‘I am very
careful to keep my Government fully informed of all that takes place,
and I receive replies expressing satisfaction with my interesting
reports and the foresight they declare I show in predicting events
which are likely to happen.’
‘Now,’ said the Commodore, ‘I will make known to you, in the
greatest confidence, how I acquire the information which enables me
to draw up those very able reports. I take _Galignani’s Messenger_,
which reaches me regularly, and this paper—as you know—contains
extracts from the English and foreign journals, with reports
from their correspondents at Constantinople, regarding the various
questions which are taking place and other occurrences of a political
character. I have all these under my careful consideration, and,
assisted by the local knowledge of my nephew, draw my conclusions
and transmit, with some slight alteration in language, copies of
the articles which appear in the _Galignani_. I may be sometimes
three or four days later than my colleagues in forwarding reports of
passing events to our respective Governments, but I flatter myself
that the digest of the views entertained by the able reporters at
Constantinople is preferable to, and less likely to mislead the
United States Government than the reports which many of my excellent
colleagues, carried away sometimes by personal motives, may transmit
to their Governments.’