The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 48, October 7, 1897 by Various
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Various >> The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 48, October 7, 1897
[Illustration: THE GREAT ROUND
WORLD
AND WHAT IS GOING ON IN IT.]
VOL. 1 OCTOBER 7, 1897. NO. 48
=Copyright, 1897, by THE GREAT ROUND WORLD Publishing Company.=
* * * * *
The peace negotiations are settled; that is to say, the plans suggested
by Lord Salisbury, and agreed to by the Powers, have also been accepted
by the Sultan.
On the 18th of September, after a conference of three hours, the
ambassadors and Tewfik Pasha signed their names to the treaty. As soon
as this was done, Tewfik carried the document to the palace and obtained
the Sultan's signature also.
According to the terms of the treaty, the troops are to be withdrawn
from Thessaly within one month after it goes into effect, and the Powers
are to control the income of Greece until the war indemnity of fifteen
million dollars shall be paid.
Nothing now remains but for Greece to agree and for King George to sign
his name beside that of the Sultan.
Though every one must feel glad that peace has been made between these
two warring nations, yet the terms are so hard for Greece that if she
signs the treaty she will practically be signing away her independence
as a nation.
There is a very shameful story behind the Greco-Turkish war. In the
histories that will be written about it, it will be recorded that Greece
was sacrificed by Europe for the sake of Turkish gold.
We have told you before of the money difficulties in Turkey, and that
the Sultan has been called the "Sick Man of Europe" because of the
unfortunate condition of his affairs, which were in such a deplorable
state that it seemed as though the kingdom of Turkey must soon be
swallowed up by the more powerful nations of Europe.
The Turkish nation has been on the verge of bankruptcy for many years.
To help the struggling Government along loans of money have been made at
different times, and all that was of value in the country pledged as
security for the repayment of the loans. Bonds were issued on these
securities, but owing to the impoverished condition of the country they
were of very little value, and at one time the Turkish bonds were the
joke of the stock market. Still, the bonds existed, and their holders
hoped at some time to get their money back.
Few governments are wealthy enough to support themselves without
borrowing money. In Europe most loans are arranged by the wealthy
bankers, who demand security in return. We explained this matter to you
in speaking of the quicksilver mines and the Rothschilds, on page 1023.
Transactions of a similar character to that of the quicksilver mines
have been entered into by almost all of the European countries, and the
consequence is that there is hardly a foreign nation that is not under
obligations to its moneyed men, or financiers, as they are called.
The power of the financiers has become so great that they are now able
to dictate the policy of Europe. Behind the will of kings and emperors
is the will of these financiers. If the moneyed men refuse to lend their
gold to a country, they may prevent its going to war, the erection of
fine buildings, or the doing of many things that are necessary to keep
up its proper position as a nation.
When Greece, enraged that her Christian brothers should be under the
thraldom of the heathen Turk, went to the rescue of Crete, all the brave
men of Europe applauded the gallant little country for her pluck. But
the brave men of Europe did not represent the money of Europe. The
financiers who were at the back of the various Powers distinctly
disapproved of the war. If Greece succeeded in whipping the Turks all
the money invested in Turkey might be lost.
In was well understood that Greece could not succeed in the struggle
with Turkey unless some of the Powers came to her aid, and so the
financiers warned the statesmen that Greece must not be helped; and
because of the power of the financiers, and for the sake of the money
involved, Greece was sacrificed, and Turkey permitted to be the victor.
The whole situation was thoroughly understood by the Sultan, who laughed
in his sleeve at the dilemma the Powers were in; and knowing that he was
perfectly safe, and that they dare not declare war against him, he
delayed the peace negotiations for months, and settled his army in
Thessaly, to destroy the prosperity of the country.
The position of Greece is now something deplorable. When she has given
her consent to the terms of the treaty she will no longer be a free and
independent nation, but a slave to the countries that control her
treasury. While she still has her King seated on the throne, his power
is no longer what it was. He can carry out no great schemes for his
country's good, for he can enter into no plans, that involve the
spending of money, without the consent of the Powers that are to manage
his affairs.
The plan that the Powers should control the treasury of Greece was not
agreed upon until Germany, prompted by the financiers, insisted that
Greece must lay money by to take care of her old debts, as well as of
the new war payment.
This is the story of the Greco-Turkish war. The great Powers stood
quietly by and let Greece be sacrificed, and then insisted upon a
shameful treaty, that will bring ruin and distress to a sister country,
because the financiers were unwilling to lose money they had invested.
The Powers are, however, by no means satisfied with the result of their
fifteen weeks of deliberation and discussion. They feel that the Sultan
has got much the best of them at every point, and even though he has
agreed to do so, they are uncertain whether he intends to keep faith
with them about either Crete or Thessaly.
It is said that as soon as the first five million dollars is paid he
will invent some fresh excuse for keeping his soldiers in Thessaly a
little longer, and that he will lengthen the time little by little,
until, in the end, he will retain possession of Thessaly altogether.
He has already hinted that he does not mean to keep faith about Crete.
He told the Italian ambassador the other day that in return for the good
terms he had made with Greece he expected the Powers to be very lenient
in regard to Crete.
The ambassador, much surprised at this remark, ventured to remind the
Sultan that Home Rule for Crete had already been agreed on.
The crafty Sultan smiled and shrugged his shoulders, and intimated to
the ambassador that the settlement of affairs in Crete was not quite so
sure as he seemed to think.
The conclusion of the peace has left every one weary and annoyed. The
Powers evidently feel ashamed of the part they have taken in the affair,
and are seeking to find an excuse for their own wrongdoings by blaming
their representatives. It is therefore rumored that all the ambassadors
at Constantinople are to be changed, because the Powers feel that they
have been outwitted by the Sultan, and can no longer have any influence
with him.
It must not be supposed that the Greeks are taking the matter quietly.
A feeling of intense indignation prevails throughout Greece.
Mass-meetings have been held protesting against the treaty, bonfires
have been built at which the people have eased their feelings by burning
copies of the hated peace document. It is even thought that the Greek
Congress, the Boule, may refuse to accept the treaty as it stands.
Some of the Greeks declare that the signing of the treaty will mean that
Greece will cease to be a nation and become nothing more than a name.
Were Greece a little stronger than she is, it is certain that she would
reject the terms of peace, and continue the war with Turkey, but
unfortunately she is in such a feeble condition that it looks as if she
would have to do just as the Powers dictate.
In spite of the anger and indignation of her people, Greece has very
little choice but to accept the treaty as it stands.
* * * * *
Some excitement was caused last week by the rumor that General Woodford
had informed the Spanish minister of foreign affairs that unless the war
with Cuba was brought to a close in October, the United States would
interfere.
As you may suppose, this report caused a good deal of surprise. If it
were true it could only mean that war was about to be declared with
Spain.
The rumor came from Paris, and there was much telegraphing back and
forth to Washington, and interviewing persons in high positions, to know
if this report was really true.
It was a relief to everybody when word came from the Duke of Tetuan that
his talk with General Woodford had been a very pleasant one, and that
nothing but kind and friendly words had passed between them.
It seems that General Woodford told the Duke that the United States
considered the present state of affairs in Cuba most pitiable, and
offered her good offices to bring the war to an end.
The Duke of Tetuan, in repeating what our minister had said to him,
stated that the whole conversation was most satisfactory, and that he
was ready to talk further on the subject with General Woodford whenever
he was prepared to do so.
He absolutely denied that there was any talk of war, and General
Woodford, on his part, declared that war would not be thought of until
every other means had been tried.
Spain's troubles are increasing daily, and it seems more than likely
that she will be willing to accept our friendly intervention, and allow
the cruel and expensive war in Cuba to cease.
The report that more troops are to be sent to the island has been
confirmed, but it is now said that only 6,000 will be sent, instead of
the 27,000 promised.
The reason for this is that Spain is having trouble in raising money.
Money she must have, as her treasury is empty, and the enormous expenses
of the war still continue.
The new government that was formed after the death of Canovas does not
seem to have the strength to deal with the situation. It is constantly
rumored that it is about to resign, and that Senor Sagasta, who has such
liberal views about Cuba, is to be called to form a new government.
While things are in this state of uncertainty and public confidence is
thus shaken, it is but natural that the financiers should be unwilling
to loan Spain more money, lest they should not get it back.
To add to the uncertainty it is rumored abroad that there is to be an
immediate attempt by the Carlists to overthrow the Government and seize
the throne of Spain.
The poor Queen Regent is much worried with all this trouble. The loss of
Canovas at the most critical moment of the Cuban war seems to have taken
away all her courage, and it is said that she is very unhappy, and is
constantly weeping over her boy, the young King Alphonso, for the poor
mother fears she may not be strong enough to hold the crown of Spain for
him.
There is a story that in her distress the Queen Regent has sent a
personal message to Don Carlos, begging him not to begin a civil war at
a moment when Spain has so many other enemies to fight.
A civil war is a war carried on between citizens of the same country.
It is said that Don Carlos sent a very unkind reply to the Queen, and
said that he should come forward just as soon as he felt that the
country needed him.
It is stated that he believes that war with the United States cannot be
avoided, and that he intends to wait till war is declared, and then
offer to save Spain if he is made king.
His friends are all gathering at Lucerne to hold the council of which we
spoke last week. The unhappy Queen Christine is waiting with much
anxiety to learn what they decide to do.
* * * * *
In Cuba, the insurgents continue to be victorious. The Spaniards are
being driven out of the inland towns, and their real strength is now
only on the seaboard.
Several unsuccessful attempts have been made by the Spaniards to
recapture Victoria de las Tunas, and to break the power of the
insurgents in Santiago de Cuba. The Cubans have, however, gained victory
after victory, and have at last driven the Spaniards over the trocha,
and utterly destroyed the town of Las Tunas. They were not strong enough
to fortify and hold it, so they decided to burn it to the ground.
In one of the engagements to recapture the town, General Luque, the
Spanish commander, again exchanged prisoners with the Cubans, and in a
letter to General Garcia, in reference to the matter, addressed him as
the _Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban forces in the East_. The Cubans
have sent this letter on to their representatives in Washington with
instructions to bring it to the notice of our Government, to convince
them that the Spaniards have really acknowledged the belligerent rights
of the Cubans.
The indignation in Spain over the loss of Las Tunas gave rise to such
very severe comment on Weyler's bad generalship that he made up his mind
to offer his resignation to his Government.
The Prime Minister, General Azcarraga, however, replied to Weyler's
message that he had perfect confidence in him and in his ability to
bring the war to a speedy close, and would not permit him to resign.
Weyler, gratified at this, at once sent one of his boastful and
untruthful replies.
He said that the war was all but over. He had still a little work to do
before he could consider the West of the island entirely pacified, but
that so soon as this was accomplished he would set out for Eastern Cuba
and subdue that.
The Government appeared to be perfectly satisfied with this statement,
but it is strange that this should be the case.
Months ago General Weyler said that Eastern Cuba was all but pacified,
and that he was just about to finish his work there, and proceed to
subdue Western Cuba. After a little while he declared Eastern Cuba
pacified, and started off for his work in the West.
Now he tells the same story about the West, and seems to forget that
according to his own statement Eastern Cuba is subdued.
If the great Spanish general keeps on at his present rate of progress,
it will be a long time before he gets both ends of Cuba pacified at the
same time.
Weyler complains bitterly about the filibustering expeditions. He
declares that the war could have been long since terminated if the
United States had not given so much aid to the insurgents by allowing
these expeditions to be fitted out in her ports.
The _Dauntless_ has been successful in carrying three expeditions to
Cuba lately.
One of them was landed only a few miles from Havana, and passed within
gunshot of the great fortress Morro Castle without being seen by any of
the gunboats which are supposed to guard the shores.
Weyler was furious that such a daring act should have been safely
accomplished, and has written a severe letter to the Admiral in charge
of the fleet, upbraiding him for his carelessness.
In the last of her three expeditious the saucy little _Dauntless_ ran
short of coal and water, and to the annoyance of the Spaniards the
keeper of a lighthouse situated on one of the West Indian keys that
belong to England gave the men the supplies they needed, and enabled
them to make their third trip in safety.
General Weyler has ordered an investigation of the matter, and intends
to make a formal complaint to England about the action of the lighthouse
keeper.
The way the _Dauntless_ managed her three expeditions without being
caught was very clever. All the stores, ammunition, arms, and men that
were to be conveyed to Cuba were gradually gathered on one of the
Florida keys. There are a great number of these little banks and islands
stretching along the coast of Florida, and some of them are so difficult
to reach, for any steamer that draws much water, that they make good
hiding-places.
When everything was in readiness the _Dauntless_ went down to the key,
and one after the other took off her three loads. The hiding-place was
so well chosen that no one knows exactly where it is, and if the Cubans
keep their secret they will be able to send other expeditions in the
same way.
General Weyler has other anxieties on his mind just now. He is expecting
the arrival of a new floating dock which has been built for him in
England, at a cost of $900,000.
This great dock is intended to be used as a dry-dock; that is to say, it
is so made that ships can be lifted clear out of the water by it, so
that they can be repaired, cleaned, or painted.
There is no dry-dock in Cuban harbors, and it is very necessary to have
one. Ships that cruise long in tropical waters are very apt to get their
hulls covered with barnacles and sea-weed. These growths after a while
prevent the ship from cutting easily through the water, and decrease her
speed. All ships that are long in these southern seas have to have their
hulls scraped every now and then. Many of the war-vessels that are now
in Cuban waters have been a year without this necessary cleaning, and to
make it possible to do the work in Cuba, without the loss of time
necessary to go back to the Spanish navy yards, the Government has gone
to the expense of building the floating dock.
There have been no end of difficulties about the dock. When it was
finished it was so big and heavy that it was very doubtful if any ship
could safely tow it across the Atlantic. The shipbuilders added a false
bow and stem to the dock, to make it cut its way through the water a
little, and in this fashion it is now being brought to Cuba; but the
gravest doubts are entertained as to the possibility of its ever
reaching its destination. It is feared that in case of a severe storm
the hawser, or strong rope by which it is towed, will part, and the
costly floating dock be left drifting about the ocean, a danger to
mariners.
But this is not the half of the trouble over the dock.
The greatest annoyance in regard to it is that it was built without
properly considering the amount of water it would draw; that is to say,
the depth of water necessary to float it.
Now that the dock is on its way to Cuba, it is found that it draws too
much water for the bay of Havana, and cannot be brought in and used
there.
When this unpleasant news was communicated to General Weyler, he cabled
to his agent in New York, asking him to send a dredging-machine over to
Havana immediately. To the General's mind the whole affair was simple
enough: he would get a dredging-machine, scoop out a channel, and have
the dock in place in no time.
He was therefore much angered to receive a reply that there were several
kinds of dredging-machines, and that to send him a machine that would do
the work properly it would be necessary to know the nature of the soil
of the bottom of the bay.
Now no one has ever dredged Havana Bay since the city was first founded
in the sixteenth century, and there are no means at hand of obtaining
the desired information. There will therefore be some delay before the
required investigation can be made.
Added to this, the New York firm sent him word that a special machine
will have to be constructed to dredge to the depth required by the
floating-dock, that it will take six months to build such a machine, and
another six months to dredge the bay. This makes one year before the
$900,000 floating dock now on its way to Cuba can be of any use to
Spain.
It seems a cruel waste of money at an hour when Spain is so poor.
* * * * *
The election of Senor Domingo Mendez Capote as President of the Republic
of Cuba has been confirmed. Bartolome Maso was made Vice-President, and
Cisneros, the ex-president, was made leader of the Congress.
General Gomez was appointed Minister of War, and General Garcia
Commander-in-Chief of the army.
The report says that at the commencement of the election it seemed as if
there would be some trouble between the various candidates for office.
Realizing that it would be fatal to the cause to have any bad feeling
among the leaders, General Gomez proposed Senor Capote as a man who
would be acceptable to all parties. Every one saw the wisdom of Gomez's
suggestion, and Capote was elected.
It is said that the new President has done a great deal to get the laws
of Cuba in proper shape.
All the Cubans seem to be satisfied with the result of the election.
* * * * *
The British have met with serious reverses in their frontier war.
They were successful in relieving the forts in the Samana Hills that
were attacked by the tribesmen, but two days after this work had been
done they were forced to retreat.
They were attacked by a large body of natives, who surrounded them, and
but for a timely charge of cavalry would have routed them. As it was,
the British retreat was orderly, and they lost none of their guns or
baggage.
The natives are delighted at their success, and especially because the
troops they attacked were a portion of the force sent out to punish them
for their rebellion.
The Government in England is much distressed that the check should have
occurred. For the sake of England's position in India it is necessary
that the British should sweep all before them, and show the tribes that
they are not to be trifled with. That the punishing expedition should
have been beaten and forced to retreat will make the work England has to
do in India still harder for her.
The tribesmen are alive to the value of their victory, and have
continued to attack the troops with the utmost persistence.
The Haddah Mullah, the priest who has been so active in raising the
rebellion, is again leading the tribes, and has roused his followers to
such a pitch of enthusiasm that they do not show the slightest fear, and
perform the most daring feats.
On one occasion the British were drawn up in battle array, and had
formed into the square, which is considered an invincible method of
receiving an enemy. The Haddah Mullah and his followers attacked three
sides of the square at the same time. The rebels were repulsed, but
their wonderful courage was commented on by the British, who, after the
engagement was over, found their bodies within a few yards of the
muzzles of the guns. Such people are hard to defeat.
It may interest you to know something about the square.
This formation of troops is considered the strongest. It is used
principally to repel cavalry or to resist a larger force. It has been in
use since the sixteenth century.
To form a square the troops are drawn up into a quadrangle, or square,
the soldiers all standing so that they face outward. By this means each
side of the square presents a solid front to the enemy, and it is
wellnigh impossible for an attacking force to break through.
In the sixteenth century the square was composed of a solid body of men;
at the present time it is a hollow formation. The soldiers stand in
ranks four or five deep, the officers, colors, and baggage being in the
centre.
The English are particularly partial to this formation, and it has long
been the boast of the commanders that a British square has never been
broken.
The force of insurgents led by the Haddah Mullah attacked the English
camp soon after nightfall. The soldiers were at once formed into a
square around their baggage, and though, as we have said, the attack was
fiercely made on three sides at once, the famous square stood firm, and
the tribesmen were forced to retire.
Ten batteries of artillery and eight regiments of cavalry have been
ordered out from England to help suppress the insurrection in India.
* * * * *
It is reported from the Soudan that a treaty of peace is about to be
made between the Mahdi and Great Britain.
The terms of the treaty are said to be that the Mahdi will not oppose
the British forces advancing as far as Khartoum, and that they may
station troops to keep possession of the land they have gained, but that
they must not attempt to go a step farther. The Mahdi is to remain King
of Khartoum.
It is not yet known whether the terms of peace will be accepted by
England.
An interesting find was made at Berber. When the British troops entered
the town they found on one of the boats in the river a uniform-case
marked Gordon Pasha.
The English officers to whom it was brought were much moved at the sight
of an article that had once been the property of the unfortunate General
Gordon, who was killed by the Mahdists at Khartoum on January 26, 1885.
* * * * *
There is news of Professor Andree.
You remember that he started from Spitzbergen in a balloon, hoping to
sail across the North Pole.
A report from Arctic Russia says that on the night of September 14th the
inhabitants of a little village saw a balloon which was believed to be
that of Andree's.
A day or two after this a carrier-pigeon brought a despatch from the
traveller.
The tidings brought by this bird were that Andree was making a good
voyage to the eastward, and that all was going well.
There is no doubt that this message is a genuine one from the explorer.
The pigeon bore on its wings the same markings as on those which the
adventurer carried with him. Scientists have, however, expressed their
opinion that Andree has failed to reach the Pole. The message of the
bird and the direction in which the balloon was seen to be going have
convinced them that Andree has been carried eastward, and not across the
Pole, as he had hoped.