Oct. 19. which is heinge waged Julians around Tripoli has been completely overshadowed during the past Few days by more stirring incidents nearer at hand, There is, in truth, some cause for atula~ tion that interest in Tripoli larly waned in Europe, where, as our London correspondent point lout yesterday, it threatened at one time to become dangerously intense. The war hus been confined to Tripoli, for the simple reason that nowhere else could the combatants conveniently meet each other without breaking certain definite pledges which they had given to the Powers: and there, according to the latest telegrams, the position ix rapidly approaching that of stalemate. The Italians are in possession of Tripoli and have indicated, in unmistakable terms, their intention of remaining there, Garrisons are being despatched to Marsan Tobruk and to other coast towns, The Turks, for once, appear to have little stomach for the fight. A number of their officers have surrendered, and the bulk of the men are expected to do likewise, sin spite of orders from Constan~ tinople." They are, no doubt, well aware that they can expect sistance from the capital and" in fave of the army of some 35,000 men by this time arrayed against them they must know their po tion to be hopeless. We may dismiss as the last splutter of a very damp firework the "dash upon the Exythrean coast" which a force now gathering at Mocha" is reported to be about to make. From the Turkish point of view the important fact rem that the troops around Tripoli are in want of Food and that local shel far more disposed to come in to poli and after their submission than to support any longer an obviously lost. ext Suggestions, however are not wanting that the trow frou th point of view of the Powers.
is by no means ave Almost all sections (on-not only the extreme wing of the Committee of Union and" Progress, are stid in favour of continuing the war. and Europe ix somewhat anxiously waiting to know in what form that determination is to be put into effect. Little satisfaction lo extracted from the news, telegraphed by the "Daily Mail" correspondent at Gallipoli, that) a Turkish fleet has left the Dardanelles "For an unknown engagement coald have only one result, one which would in no way restore that sovereignty in Tripoli upon which the Porte appears to such far more probable intention on the part of the Turkish is that making a privateering voyage around the Balkan peninsula, while the Ttalian fleet may he regarded out the way. That enterprise, it need hardly be said. would necessarily he regarded international nuisance, and the! mediation which the Powers, "in view of its hopelessness," are reported to declined to undertake, might be changed to active interver In that event, when the present temper of Europe is taken into consideration, a thing might happen, and it earnestly to he hoped that such dangerous intervention in the cause law and order may prove to be unnecessary. But it must not be forgotten that Turkey has before now turned European jealousies to good account, and while it is early as yet to describe this latest move asthe employment of a time-honoured device, there still remains the unpleasant possibility.
While the balance of might, it upbears, has for the present been struck, that of right remains, of course, susceptible of adjustment by future historians. At Tripoli, as at many other places that could be mentioned, trade hax not follow-' ed the flag but has brought the flag. The Ttalinn case is that, if those in possession of Tripoli will not further its civilizati they must make way for those who will, Regarded from this point view, Tripoli has long since become Italian in all but nan For the sake of legalizing wha all intents and purposes existing state of affairs, I offered substantial compen: lit may be suggested that the Porte, in pocketing alike ide and £2.500,000, would no means a bad bargain. The irated by its refusal has amply justified Tlaly in withdrawing her very fair offer and maintaining her hold on what she has now made her ow In the: light of subsequent events it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the attitude taken up by the Home papers at the outset] of the war. The Turkish account of the position, as published by The Times" reads like a very 137
Is feel apology for the Turkish refusal to accept the original Italian offer. While the prestige of the Committee of Union and. Progress is admittedly sinking to a very low ebb. the members may still be assumed to he sensitive to the opinions of the Powers, which were so favourably disposed—towards them a few short years ago, They are likely to find that public opinion, in Turkey itself, no less than abroad, will discredit, at no distant date, the present attempt to maintain a worthless suzerainty at the expense of the lest interests of their country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.