Chapter VII: Appendix: Article XVI of the Treaty of San Stefano

As the evacuation by the Russian troops of the territory which they occupy in Armenia, and which is to be restored to Turkey, might give rise to conflicts and complications detrimental to the maintenance of good relations between the two countries, the Sublime Porte engages to carry into effect, without further delay, the improvements and reforms demanded by local requirements in the provinces inhabited by Armenians, and to guarantee their security from Kurds and Circassians.

ARTICLE LXI OF THE TREATY OF BERLIN

The Sublime Porte undertakes to carry out, without further delay, the improvements and reforms demanded by local requirements in the provinces inhabited by the Armenians, and to guarantee their security against the Circassians and Kurds. It will periodically make known the steps taken to this effect to the Powers, who will superintend their application.

THE CYPRUS CONVENTION

TURKEY NO. 36 (1878)

Correspondence respecting the Convention between Great Britain and Turkey, of June 4, 1878.

Presented to the Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty 1878.

LIST OF PAPERS

No. 1. The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Layard, May 30, 1878.

No. 2. Sir A. H. Layard to the Marquis of Salisbury, one Inclosure
June 5, 1878.

No. 3. Sir A. H. Layard to the Marquis of Salisbury, one Inclosure
July 1, 1878.

No. 1 is the letter which conveys to Mr. Layard Lord Salisbury's instructions for entering into the Convention (as follows)--

THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY TO MR. LAYARD.

Foreign Office, May 30, 1878.

SIR,

The progress of the confidential negotiations which have for some
time past been in progress between Her Majesty's Government and the
Government of Russia make it probable that those Articles of the
Treaty of San Stefano which concern European Turkey will be
sufficiently modified to bring them into harmony with the interests
of the other European Powers, and of England in particular.

There is, however, no such prospect with respect to that portion of
the Treaty which concerns Turkey in Asia. It is sufficiently
manifest that, in respect to Batoum and the fortresses north of the
Araxes, the Government of Russia is not prepared to recede from the
stipulations to which the Porte has been led by the events of the
war to consent. Her Majesty's Government have consequently been
forced to consider the effect which these agreements, if they are
neither annulled nor counteracted, will have upon the future of the
Asiatic provinces of the Ottoman Empire and upon the interests of
England, which are closely affected by the condition of those
provinces.

It is impossible that Her Majesty's Government can look upon these
changes with indifference. Asiatic Turkey contains populations of
many different races and creeds, possessing no capacity for
self-government[34] and no aspirations for independence, but owing
their tranquillity and whatever prospect of political well-being
they possess entirely to the rule of the Sultan. But the Government
of the Ottoman Dynasty is that of an ancient but still alien
conqueror, resting more upon actual power than upon the sympathies
of common nationality. The defeat which the Turkish arms have
sustained and the known embarrassments of the Government will
produce a general belief in its decadence and an expectation of
speedy political change, which in the East are more dangerous than
actual discontent to the stability of a Government. If the
population of Syria, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia see that the Porte
has no guarantee for its continued existence but its own strength,
they will, after the evidence which recent events have furnished of
the frailty of that reliance, begin to calculate upon the speedy
fall of the Ottoman domination, and to turn their eyes towards its
successor.

Even if it be certain that Batoum and Ardahan and Kars will not
become the base from which emissaries of intrigue will issue forth,
to be in due time followed by invading armies, the mere retention
of them by Russia will exercise a powerful influence in
disintegrating the Asiatic dominion of the Porte. As a monument of
feeble defence on the one side, and successful aggression on the
other, they will be regarded by the Asiatic population as
foreboding the course of political history in the immediate future,
and will stimulate, by the combined action of hope and fear,
devotion to the Power which is in the ascendant, and desertion of
the Power which is thought to be falling into decay.

It is impossible for Her Majesty's Government to accept, without
making an effort to avert it, the effect which such a state of
feeling would produce upon regions whose political condition deeply
concerns the Oriental interests of Great Britain. They do not
propose to attempt the accomplishment of this object by taking
military measures for the purpose of replacing the conquered
districts in the possession of the Porte. Such an undertaking would
be arduous and costly, and would involve great calamities, and it
would not be effective for the object which Her Majesty's
Government have in view, unless subsequently strengthened by
precautions which can be taken almost as effectually without
incurring the miseries of a preliminary war. The only provision
which can furnish a substantial security for the stability of
Ottoman rule in Asiatic Turkey, and which would be as essential
after the re-conquest of the Russian annexations as it is now, is
an engagement on the part of a Power strong enough to fulfil it,
that any further encroachments by Russia upon Turkish territory in
Asia will be prevented by force of arms. Such an undertaking, if
given fully and unreservedly, will prevent the occurrence of the
contingency which would bring it into operation, and will, at the
same time, give to the populations of the Asiatic provinces the
requisite confidence that Turkish rule in Asia is not destined to a
speedy fall.

There are, however, two conditions which it would be necessary for
the Porte to subscribe before England could give such assurance.

Her Majesty's Government intimated to the Porte, on the occasion of
the Conference at Constantinople, that they were not prepared to
sanction misgovernment and oppression, and it will be requisite,
before they can enter into any agreement for the defence of the
Asiatic territories of the Porte in certain eventualities, that
they should be formally assured of the intention of the Porte to
introduce the necessary reforms into the government of the
Christian and other subjects of the Porte in these regions. It is
not desirable to require more than an engagement in general terms;
for the specific measures to be taken could only be defined after a
more careful inquiry and deliberation than could be secured at the
present juncture.

It is not impossible that a careful selection and a faithful
support of the individual officers to whom power is to be entrusted
in those countries would be a more important element in the
improvement of the condition of the people than even legislative
changes; but the assurances required to give England a right to
insist on satisfactory arrangements for these purposes will be an
indispensable part of any agreement to which Her Majesty's
Government could consent. It will further be necessary, in order to
enable Her Majesty's Government efficiently to execute the
engagements now proposed, that they should occupy a position near
the coast of Asia Minor and Syria. The proximity of British
officers, and, if necessary, British troops, will be the best
security that all the objects of this agreement shall be attained.
The Island of Cyprus appears to them to be in all respects the most
available for this object. Her Majesty's Government do not wish to
ask the Sultan to alienate territory from his sovereignty or to
diminish the receipts which now pass into his Treasury. They will,
therefore, propose that, while the administration and occupation of
the island shall be assigned to Her Majesty, the territory shall
still continue to be part of the Ottoman Empire, and that the
excess of the revenue over the expenditure, whatever it at present
may be, shall be paid over annually by the British Government to
the Treasury of the Sultan.

Inasmuch as the whole of this proposal is due to the annexations
which Russia has made in Asiatic Turkey, and the consequences which
it is apprehended will flow therefrom, it must be fully understood
that, if the cause of the danger should cease, the precautionary
agreement will cease at the same time. If the Government of Russia
should at any time surrender to the Porte the territory it has
acquired in Asia by the recent war, the stipulations in the
proposed agreements will cease to operate, and the island will be
immediately evacuated.

I request, therefore, your Excellency to propose to the Porte to
agree to a Convention to the following effect, and I have to convey
to you full authority to conclude the same on behalf of the Queen
and of Her Majesty's Government--

"If Batoum, Ardahan, Kars, or any of them shall be retained by
Russia, and if any attempt shall be made at any future time by
Russia to take possession of any further portion of the Asiatic
territories of the Sultan, as fixed by the definitive Treaty of
Peace, England engages to join the Sultan in defending them by
force of arms. In return, the Sultan promises to England to
introduce necessary reforms (to be agreed upon later between the
two Powers) into the government of the Christian and other subjects
of the Porte in these territories; and, in order to enable England
to make necessary provision for executing her engagement the Sultan
further consents to assign the Island of Cyprus to be occupied and
administered by England."

I am, etc.,
(Signed) SALISBURY.

No. 2 is the Convention itself, as follows--

ARTICLE I

If Batoum, Ardahan, Kars, or any of them shall be retained by Russia, and if any attempt shall be made at any future time by Russia to take possession of any further territories of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan in Asia, as fixed by the definitive Treaty of Peace, England engages to join His Imperial Majesty the Sultan in defending them by force of arms.

In return, His Imperial Majesty the Sultan promises to England to introduce necessary reforms, to be agreed upon later by the two Powers, into the government and for the protection of the Christian and other subjects of the Porte in these territories; and in order to enable England to make necessary provision for executing her engagement His Imperial Majesty the Sultan further consents to assign the Island of Cyprus to be occupied and administered by England.

ARTICLE II

The present Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications thereof shall be exchanged, within the space of one month, or sooner if possible.

In Witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seal of their arms.

Done at Constantinople, the fourth day of June, in the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.

(L.S.) A. H. LAYARD. (L.S.) SAFVET.

No. 3 is the Annex to the above Convention, consisting of Six Articles, signed at Constantinople on July 1, 1878, by A. H. Layard and Safvet respectively. The first five Articles deal with the manner in which the Island of Cyprus would be governed, whilst under British occupation. The final Article, viz. Article VI, is as follows--

"That if Russia restores to Turkey Kars and the other Conquests
made by her in Armenia during the last war, the Island of Cyprus
will be evacuated by England; and the Convention of June 4, 1878,
will be at an end."

NOTE

(p. 29.)

"The Turanian movement is not the spasmodic effort of a few enthusiasts. It represents a carefully matured plan most elaborately studied in its philosophical and practical aspects, and carried out on a vast and ambitious scale. The spirit of its teaching has been made to permeate all classes of the purely Turkish population, including women; while, in the army, it has been taught in the shape of a patriotic creed, and the force of military discipline has been laid at the service of its promoters. The movement, therefore, no longer expresses the creed of a limited number of nationalist fanatics, represented by the Central Committee of Union and Progress, or the extremist section of it, but of practically the whole of the Turkish people, backed by the formidable power of the army. Thus, the view that would represent the Turkish people as unwitting or unwilling tools in the hands of the Unionist Government can no longer be accepted. The Turkish race as a whole, with but few exceptions, stands convicted of indulging in a wanton political dream, for the realization of which it seized the opportunity of the world-war to commit most atrocious crimes. It is true that the initial responsibility lies with the C.U.P., but the whole of the Turkish nation has since shared the responsibility by its ready response. This is borne out by the easy success attained by the Unionist Government in modifying--with hardly a dissentient voice--the system of State education, embracing even the elementary schools, and in misappropriating the _Wakfs_ funds.

"Military officers of the higher grades were instructed to pay periodical visits to the barracks and there deliver lectures of a mixed religious and racial character, prepared by the Government. Were not the Turkish heart a ready soil, such sowings would not have yielded such an early and abundant harvest. In spite of successive admixtures of blood, the Turks have retained the original instincts of the wild men of the Steppes, and a creed aiming at conquest and domination through destruction and bloodshed found eager response in their souls. Islam, sympathetic as it is, despite its militant character, was sacrificed for the realization of this widest of human dreams. There was not enough of 'iron and blood' in its teaching. The Turanian creed, framed on the Prussian pattern of militarism, appealed a thousand times more to the Turks' savage nature; and the proof is that, without any compulsion being employed, it quickly supplanted the religious heritage of centuries. The troops took up readily the heroic Turanian songs in place of the usual prayers which had, until lately, been compulsory, but are so no more. The simplest of Anatolians willingly accepted the idea that the prophet of later days is Enver! The fundamental rules of Islam became, for them, the Testimony (for the unity of God), Reason, Character, and the Collection of contributions for the Government and the War under the Turkish banner."

(From an article entitled "Turanian and Moslem" in _The Near East_, April 20, 1917.)

FOOTNOTE:

[34] By a curious irony of events, at the time these lines were written by the great English statesman, Egypt was governed by an Armenian Prime Minister, Nubar Pasha, while the victorious Russian Army in the Caucasus was under the command of the Armenian General Loris Melikoff, the victor of Kars, who later became Minister of the Interior and one of the most trusted advisers of the Czar Liberator. It is interesting to note that Egypt had an Armenian Prime Minister during the reign of the Khalif Al-Mustansir (1036-94) by the name of Badr-el-Gamali (probably a variation of Bedros Gamalian), "who governed wisely and well for twenty years (1073-94)."--_See_ ADRIAN FORTESCUE: _The Lesser Eastern Churches_, p. 237.

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