Ambassador informed his Government that the Turkish Naval Minister had given to him his word of honour that no German sailors would be permitted to remain in the Turkish fleet, and that they would all be sent away within fortnight. He expressed his personal conviction that Turkey's partici in the war would bring about the downfall of the Turkish Empire, Negotiations concerning the abolition of capitulations and the guarantee of Turkey's integrity were interrupted by the arrival at Constantinople of seventy-five cars Inden with munitions of war, and active military preparations in the Dardanelles under the direction of ber 92 the Grand Vizier again assured the Russian, British and French Ambassadors that Turkey would do nothing hostile to Russia, the Goeben and the Breslau left for the Black Sea under orders from Enver Pasha. The Russian Ambassador in a despatch of this date speaks of the extraordinary pressure brought to bear on the Turkish Government by Germany.
Turkish Papers Bribed, He notes also that five of the most important Turkish newspapers were purchased by Germany and Austria, each newspaper receiving 2,500 Turkish pounds from Germany and 1,000 Turkish pounds from A la, and he adds that decisive action by Turkey was only delayed through Inck of funds.
On September 27 the German and Austrian Ambassadors renewed their attempts to compel Turkey to declare war. On the same day a Turkish torpedo-destroyer was st"pped by the British fleet near the Dardanelles, the—British squadron having received orders not to permit any man-of-war Leave the Dardanelles. The commander of the Dardanelles at once closed these waters to ships of the Allies, but his order was at once countermanded by the Council of Ministers on condition that the British squadron would retire to Lemnos.
By October 2 the attitude of the an and Austrian Ambassadors had become threatening, their insistence being that some measures should be taken against the Russian fleet in the Black Sea—they desired sudden attack to be made—and pointed out that, if the Russian fleet could be at once destroyed, ones tion of Bulgaria and a joining with Germany and and Turkey would be deand that would bring the war to a speedy end.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.