CHAPTER XXII
AUGUST-OCTOBER, 1914

The British Ambassador, Sir Louis Mallet, whose appointment dated from June, 1913, laboured under a series of disadvantages to which his German colleague was not subjected. Baron von Wangenheim had extremely competent interpreters or Dragomans. Nine months before the outbreak of the war we had at the British Embassy a Dragoman, Mr. Fitzmaurice, whose general intelligence, knowledge of Turkey, of its Ministers and people, and especially of the Turkish language, was, to say the least, equal to that of the best Dragoman which Germany ever possessed. His health had run down, and he had been given a holiday but when, I think in the month of February, 1914, Sir Louis Mallet returned to Constantinople, Mr. Fitzmaurice did not return with him, and was never in Constantinople until after the outbreak of war with England. It is said that he did not return because the Turkish Ambassador in London made a request to that effect. I do not know whether the statement is true or not. I think it probable that if such a request were made it was because Mr. Fitzmaurice did not conceal his dislike of the policy which the Young Turks were pursuing. In this respect he and I often differed, and have spent hours in discussing the policy of the Young Turks. But as his ability and loyalty to his chief is beyond question, and as he possesses a quite exceptional knowledge of the Turkish Empire, and had proved himself a most useful public servant, both in his investigation of the massacres in Armenia, at Urfa and other places, and at a later period in acting with the representative of the Indian Government in settling the boundary of the Aden district, it was nothing short of a national misfortune that he did not return with Sir Louis Mallet.

Though differing in opinion from Mr. Fitzmaurice, I invariably found him reasonable and well-informed; I had formed the highest opinion of his value as a Dragoman. It goes without saying that he would carry out any instructions which his chief gave him. It was therefore a matter of profound regret to everyone in Constantinople who knew that he had recovered from his illness, to learn that he was not permitted to return. For now, what was the condition of our Embassy when it had to strive against Baron von Wangenheim with his superbly equipped staff ? Sir Louis Mallet, so far as I know, had never had experience in Turkey. He did not know a word of Turkish. He had under him three Secretaries. Mr. Beaumont, the Counsellor, especially during the days in August before his chief returned from a visit to England, was busy almost night and day on the shipping cases, many of which passed through my hands. He also knows nothing of Turkish and had never had experience in Turkey. Mr. Ovey, the First Secretary, also had never been in Turkey, and knew nothing of Turkish. Unfortunately also he was taken somewhat seriously ill. The next Secretary was Lord Gerald Wellesley, a young man who will probably be a brilliant and distinguished diplomatist twenty years hence, but, like his colleagues, had no experience in Turkey. The situation of our Embassy under the circumstances was lamentable. The ever active Germans, arming Turkey as rapidly as they could, bringing in munitions of war and distributing them throughout the empire, defying international rules and treating the Porte almost as a negligible quantity, refusing to land the crews of the two famous ships; all under a strenuous Ambassador and a fully equipped staff of Turkish scholars to help him. The contrast between the two Embassies was all too marked.

p.138
Next to the Ambassador the First Dragoman is the Englishman of most influence in Turkey. Abdul Hamid, like his predessor and successor, practically knew no language except Turkish. His flatterers, even in English newspapers, sometimes spoke of his excellent knowledge of French. That he had a smattering of the language is undoubtedly true, but he could no more keep up a conversation in that language than he could have done in Chinese. There are many messages which have to be given to His Majesty, may explanations, many conversations arising incidentally out of the written or verbal communications which render it absolutely necessary that the representative of our Government should speak Turkish as well as he does English.

Mr. G. Fitzmaurice, the present First Dragoman, fulfils these requirements, and in addition had an exceptional knowledge of men and affairs. I remember him in his student dragoman days. He differed from most of his colleagues by passing a considerable portion of his time in the really Turkish cafés, by which I mean cafés frequented almost exclusively by Turks or Turkish subjects. In that way he acquired a knowledge of colloquial speech which is generally recognised as unsurpassed, and which no man can acquire by reading Turkish books.

Sir Alfred Sandison possessed the same kind of fulness of knowledge of Turkish. The son of a Scotsman, he had been born in Turkey, lived generally amongst the Turks, and was, to say the least, quite as familiar with Turkish as he was with English. Great confidence had been reposed in him by Sir William White and Lord Dufferin, and the only fault that I ever heard found with him was that he assumed too much authority and occasionally softened down messages which he considered likely to be offensive. ...

p.373
My recollection of visitors and friends in Constantinople recalls the inevitable result that a large number of them have joined the majority. It is impossible that one should have lived forty-two years in a city like Constantinople, of many nationalities, without forming attachments that are very dear. The British families, some of which have been settled in Turkey and who constitute colonies which by virtue of the Capitulations have preserved to each member his national character, are communities of which England may well be proud. At the outbreak of the present war thirty-three men in Constantinople, nearly all of good families, volunteered to fight for the King. I should think that fully half of them have now acquired commissions. Some bright young fellows with promising careers have become victims of the war. George V. has no more loyal subjects than the Englishmen settled in Constantinople and other places in the Turkish empire. I am proud of them.