The first exchange of diplomatic missions between the Ottoman Sultans and the Muslim rulers of the Indian sub-continent dates back to the years 148182. As the Turkish trade prospered throughout the 1580s, Elizabeth I continued to support the trade with Barbary and its ruler, Ahmad al-Mansur. All Events [Anglo-Turkish Society] Online presentation: 'The . While the great flowering of Elizabethan relations with the Islamic world came to an end, they left an indelible mark on English culture that remains with us today. by Jnos Boris[from Emperor Sigismund to Emperor Rudolph]. Much of the Moroccan elite fighting force was made up of soldiers with a Morisco heritage, which made them as much anti-Spanish as anti-Ottoman. 1, (January 2021), pp. A.J.P. %PDF-1.7 % The Ottoman Empire and Russia, with their weak industrial bases, could not keep up with the major powers, so they could no longer promote stability. ), Daniel-Joseph. [25] From them, he also adopted the tactic of using matchlocks and cannons in field (rather than only in sieges), which would give him an important advantage in India. William Harborne remained in Constantinople for eight years, working closely with the Ottoman court, who referred to him as Luteran elchisi the Lutheran ambassador. Greece came under Ottoman rule in the late 15th century. Serbian conditions also deteriorated. Russia received 4.5million rubles and two key seaports allowing the direct access to the Black Sea. Anglo-Ottoman Relations and the Question of the Aegean Islands 1912-14: A Reassessment by Gul Tokay This article re-assesses Anglo-Ottoman relations and the origins of World War I between 1912 and 1914, namely from the emergence of the Balkan Crisis until the Ottoman-German alliance of 2 August 1914. ", Lewitter, "The Russo-Polish Treaty of 1686 and Its Antecedents. [77] It proved quite difficult to reach Russian territory, and the Royal Navy could not defeat the Russian defences in the Baltic. Lord Palmerston in the 183065 period considered the Ottoman Empire an essential component in the balance of power and was the most favourable toward Constantinople. Managed Anglo American's public affairs and government relations functions relating to the Pebble Project and other US interests in Alaska, Washington DC, and Lower 48 I am Executive Director of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA) - Whare Tawhi-a-mahi i Aotearoa. London, shocked to discover that France was secretly negotiating with Russia to form a postwar alliance to dominate Europe, dropped its plans to attack St. Petersburg and instead signed a one-sided armistice with Russia that achieved almost none of its war aims. The Porte was neutral at first but leaned toward Germany. The change was apparent when two recently purchased ships of its navy, still manned by their German crews and commanded by their German admiral, carried out the Black Sea Raid, a surprise attack against Russian ports, on 29 October 1914. Selim I defeated the Mameluke army that controlled Egypt in 1517. Indeed, this was the case during the time of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. But Barbary and Turkey were much closer, and so in the late 1570s Elizabeth I and her advisers began to openly encourage the trade with the former and proposed a significant new initiative with the latter. [5] Britain and Turkey are both members of the G20, Answer (1 of 7): Short Answer Yes, the British Empire defeated the Ottomans in World War I. Russia returned control of Akhalkalaki, Poti, and Anapa. In October 1579 she wrote a letter that made the religious aspect of the alliance explicit, describing herself as the most invincible and most mighty defender of the Christian faith against all kind of idolatries, of all that live among the Christians, and falsely profess the name of Christ. In 1771, Egypt and Syria rebelled against the Ottoman rule, while the Russian fleet totally destroyed the Ottoman Navy at the battle of Chesma. Margaret M. Jefferson, "Lord Salisbury and the Eastern Question, 1890-1898. According to Similarweb data of monthly visits, angloamericanobogota.edu.co's top competitor in January 2023 is comunidadvirtualcaa.co with 92.2K visits. Ottoman Empire, although it did not become an issue until the nineteenth century. [16] After the Habsburgs inherited the Portuguese crown in 1580, Dutch forces attacked their Portuguese trading rivals while the Turks, supportive of the Dutch bid for independence, attacked the Habsburgs in Eastern Europe. The HR Coordinator - Operations role forms an integral part of the Operational Management team, with the responsibility of ensuring the effectiveness of the human resources within the operations. These discussions remained inconclusive and vague but contained the implied support from Britain of an independent Arab state in exchange for a successful Arab Revolt during World War I. Namely, how the Eastern Question came to bear on the ideational level and in practice in Anglo-Ottoman/Turkish relations. As a result, more than a quarter of the population of Cyprus were expelled from the occupied northern part of the island, where Greek Cypriots constituted 80% of the population. The Ajuran and Adal Sultanates both allied with the Ottomans against the Portuguese, as well as the Swahilis, while the Funj Sultanate saw the Ottomans as a threat. The British, under General Allenby during the Arab Revolt under the guidance of British intelligence officers, the most famous being T. E. Lawrence, contributed to the defeat of the Ottoman forces in 1917 in which British and French forces occupied the Sinai and the majority of Greater Syria. The caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924. They were a unique practice of Muslim diplomacy that was adopted by Ottoman rulers. However it had fewer than 10,000 soldiers in an era when Western armies were ten to fifty times larger. "Rvolutions De Constantinople: France and the Ottoman World in the Age of Revolutions". ", Sevket Pamuk, "The evolution of financial institutions in the Ottoman Empire, 16001914. The events in the north urged the Greeks in the Peloponnese (Morea) into action and on 17 March 1821, the Maniots were first to declare war. The book analyzes Anglo-Ottoman relations in a series of studies of five British ambassadors at Constantinople and one Foreign Secretary, George Canning. The French ambassador Jean de La Fort later arrived in 1535. ", Carter V. Findley, "The foundation of the Ottoman Foreign Ministry: the beginnings of bureaucratic reform under Selm III and Mahmd II. [56], The supply of Ottoman forces operating in Moldavia and Wallachia was a major challenge that required well organized logistics. ", Thomas Naff, "Reform and the Conduct of Ottoman Diplomacy in the Reign of Selim III, 1789-1807. A. One of the most colourful examples is that of Samson Rowlie, a merchant from Great Yarmouth. The old system depended on Janissaries, who had largely lost their military effectiveness. although the Ottoman Empire was the nominal owner, in practice Britain made all the decisions. As with her alliance with the Ottomans, common religious interests and opposition to Spanish Catholic aggression set the tone for the exchanges of letters and embassies. During the Classical Age of the Empire the law fell into disuse, as it was considered a privilege by non-Muslims to convert to Islam, and they did not attempt to convert back to their original religion. He adds, "All the rest were maneuvers which left the combatants at the close of the day exactly where they had started. He died in 1520 as he was preparing an invasion of the island of Rhodes. [4][7], Ambassadors to the Ottoman Empire began arriving shortly after the fall of Constantinople. A 1906 border incident between Egypt and Turkey marked turning points in Anglo-Ottoman relations and British intelligence efforts. Russia replied by declaring war on 1 November 1914 and Russia's allies, Britain and France, then declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 5 November 1914.[87]. With this purpose in mind, the Ottomans began to dig out a Volga-Don canal, but quickly stopped after realizing its infeasibility. The Inner Eurasian Muslim khanates of Kazan, Khwarazm, and Bukhara were wary of Russian expansion and looked to the Ottomans for the maintenance of Silk Road contacts. Later sultans considered replacing these tributary princes with Ottoman Muslim governors but did not do so for political, military, and financial reasons. [21] The Ottomans continue to expand, and on 28 July 1499 won their greatest naval victory over Venice, in the first battle of Lepanto. Anglo-Ottoman Relations Trade and travel in medieval Europe and the Mediterranean Early modern diplomacy Courts and Elites (History) Ottoman and Spanish empires compared Maritime History Trade Routes Mediterranean Ports Port cities Islands Insularity Seafarers History of Communication Early Modern History Islamic Cartography Book Review Letters and diplomatic documents]. Serbia gained considerable internal autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in two uprisings in 1804 (led by ore Petrovi Karaore) and 1815 (led by Milo Obrenovi). Despite memories of the terrible defeat at Mohcs in 1526, elite Hungarian attitudes were become strongly anti-Russian This led to active support for the Turks in the media, but only in a peaceful way, since the foreign policy of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy remained neutral.[81]. The most decisive event emerged from the Anglo-Egyptian War, which resulted in the occupation of Egypt. The British defended the Ottoman Empire against Russia before 1914, most famously in the Crimean War of the 1860s. Looking East examines how English encounters with the Ottoman Empire helped shape . [62][63] Sultan Abdlmecid . The words sugar, candy, crimson (from the Turkish kirmiz); turquoise (or Turkey stone); tulip (from the Turkish pronunciation of Persian dulband, or turban) and even zero all entered the English language and took on their modern associations during this period, primarily thanks to the effects of Anglo-Islamic trade. Anglo American Steelmaking Coal. Queen Elizabeth's letter t Sultn Murad III of 25 October 1579 is in . War was declared on Russia on 27 December and on Britain in March 1807. Business-focused, driven, and highly adaptable HR professional whose journey has thus far ranged across Natural Resources, Consumer Goods, Education, Professional Services, and Manufacturing industries.<br><br>Always open to understanding different perspectives, I pride myself on my strong sense of ownership, ability to collaborate across teams, communicate effectively, learn on the fly, and . New York: Howard Fer-ting. Suleiman selected cooperative local leaders in the newly acquired Wallachian, Moldavian, and Transylvanian Christian territories. [86] Conquest of Constantinople was a main Russian war goal. Egypt was lost in 17981805. The Black Sea was demilitarized, and an international commission was set up to guarantee freedom of commerce and navigation on the Danube River. British Foreign policy 1660-1793, Wiltshire: Sutton, Black, J. [8] In 1583, the ambassadors from Venice and France would attempt unsuccessfully to block William Harborne of England from taking up residence in Istanbul. Greater St. Louis Area. [49] The issue was control of Central and Eastern Europe. [22], Ottoman policy towards Europe during the 16th century was one of disruption against the Habsburg dynasties. The Ottomans lost nearly all their European territory in the First Balkan War (19121913). The reasons for the Ottoman action were not immediately clear. Imprint Oxford ; New York : Published for the British Academy, London, by Oxford University Press, c1977. Christians from Central Europe launch the last Crusade in 14431444, pushing the Ottomans out of Serbia and Wallachia. Selim closely followed Western military forms. By 1290, Osman I established supremacy over neighboring Turkish tribes, forming the start of the Ottoman Empire. [2] The Porte relied on loans from merchants and tax farming, whereby local; elites collected taxes (and kept their share). After almost five centuries of Ottoman domination (13961878), a Bulgarian state re-emerged: the Principality of Bulgaria, covering the land between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains (except Northern Dobrudja which was given to Romania), as well as the region of Sofia, which became Bulgaria's capital. The relationship between Turkey and Britain shifted dramatically as Germany made a better bargain and in 1914 the Porte (Ottoman government) joined in World War I against Britain. I'm also a communications professional with leadership experience in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. to Mehmed II. Signed, but never ratified, the long-lasting impact of the . In July 1798, however, French forces under Napoleon landed in Egypt, and Selim declared war on France. Both countries currently maintain relations via the British Embassy in Ankara[1] and the Turkish Embassy in London. endstream endobj startxref The Ottoman Empire's diplomatic structure was unconventional and departed in many ways from its European counterparts. This went against long-standing papal edicts forbidding Christians from trading with Muslims on pain of excommunication. Near contemporary Ottoman capitulations to European powers such as Britain and Holland (1737), the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1740), Denmark (1756), and Prussia (1761) were to offset and balance the capitulations granted to France in 1740. As the Anglo-Ottoman case warns, alliances formed in response to an external threat between powers that view each other as cultural "others" may deteriorate after the threat diminishes.. by Duke University Press Article PDF first page preview [26] Babur referred to this method as the "Ottoman device" due to its previous use by the Ottomans during the Battle of Chaldiran. Gne Iksel, "Suleiman the Magnificent (14941566)." Even with the religious obstacles, resident embassies were established in London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna. The British had, in the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, previously been in discussions with the Hashemite family concerning the concept of an independent Arab state. When Murad died in 1595 his mother continued the correspondence with Elizabeth they exchanged various gifts including a carriage and a clockwork organ sent to Constantinople by Elizabeth in 1599. The Ottoman-French Treaty of 1740 marked the apogee of French influence in the Ottoman Empire in the eighteenth century. The Greeks won widespread support from elite opinion in Europe, and were aided militarily and diplomatically by Great Britain, France and Russia. The metal came from the roofs and bells stripped from deconsecrated Catholic churches and monasteries. In 1836, a Foreign Ministry was created. Conversion also (infrequently) went the other way. Intelligence began to focus on railways that threatened Britain's commercial position, on the disposition of Arab tribes who might revolt against Turkish authority, on the state of the Turkish army, and on the extent [38][39] However, these envoys were most likely just Central and Western Asian merchants trying to conduct trade in China, since pretending to be envoys was the only way to enter the Chinese border pass. Elizabeth already had a context for Anglo-Islamic contact: in 1553, an English textiles merchant named Anthony Jenkinson was trading in Aleppo the terminus of the Silk Road, where any ambitious merchant interested in cloth and silk needed to be and met with the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Annual incentive program. The Motives, Pattern and Form of Anglo-Ottoman Diplomatic Relations c. 1580-1661- Liane Saunders, 1993 Salonica. In June 1580 came the first capitulatory agreement with England. Further negotiations in 1832 led to the London Conference and the Treaty of Constantinople; these defined the final borders of the new state and established Prince Otto of Bavaria as the first king of Greece. Tensions soon developed among different Greek factions, leading to two consecutive civil wars. Peabody Energy. These include some of the most influential plays of the period: Marlowes Tamburlaine (158788), which burns the Koran onstage; The Jew of Malta (1589); Kyds Spanish Tragedy (1587); and Peeles Battel of Alcazar (1589). [6] The first resident Ottoman ambassador was not seen until Yusuf Agah Efendi was sent to London in 1793. The war began with Russian demands to protect Christian sites in the Holy Land. The results included Russian victory, Treaty of Adrianople, Russian occupation of Danubian Principalities, Greek victory and independence from the Ottoman Empire, Britain planned bases in the Persian Gulf region to protect India. Previous to this I completed a PhD in international history at the LSE, with research publications, higher education teaching and online course design experience. Elizabethan Englands relations took a different direction under the new King James VI and I, whose Treaty of London in 1604 made peace with Spain and curtailed the need for close commercial and diplomatic ties with the Muslim world. As a result, Russia succeeded in claiming provinces in the Caucasus (Kars and Batum). The first stories of the Islamic faith as well as its imperial power entered England with the Crusades. "Agent of empire? La Turquie est aussi somme de livrer sa flotte, de rduire son arme 15 000 hommes et 35 000 gendarmes. The land was administered by the British for the remainder of the war. But his highly visible presence in London appears to have influenced Shakespeare in his portrayal of Othello a charismatic, sophisticated individual with a divided heritage but who was prepared to take on the spectre of either Ottoman or Spanish imperialism. 2. The battle was waged as a final part of the Caucasus campaign, but as the beginning of the Armenian-Azerbaijani war. After losing the siege at Plevna, the Ottomans gave up and signed the punitive Treaty of San Stefano. The "Open Doors" Policy of the Anglo-American Establishment Anglo-American elites also made it clear that they wanted a global policy of "open doors" through the 1941 Atlantic Charter, which was a joint British and American declaration about what post-war international relations would be like. A. Thanks to the trade of arms for pepper, the Ottomans gained a foothold in Southeast Asia. Origins and expansion of the Ottoman state, c. 1300-1402 In their initial stages of expansion, the Ottomans were leaders of the Turkish warriors for the faith of Islam, known by the honorific title ghz (Arabic: "raider"), who fought against the shrinking Christian Byzantine state. BIBO from Mackay and Rockhampton. At the end of the war, two Ottoman armies had been annihilated, two more armies were left in no condition for further operations. One of the most striking instances of such relations which has a particular resonance today is Englands longstanding encounter with the Islamic world. The Spanish were outraged. Between 1579 and 1624 there were 62 plays featuring Islamic characters, themes or settings. From the north Russia had taken the Black Sea through the Treaty of Kk Kaynarca in 1774. An innovative thinker with strong policy analysis, outcomes, managed care services and leadership acumen. Walsingham did not succeed in this bold attempt, mainly because the Ottomans were uninterested in fighting the Spanish simply to please the English. Complete independence arrived in 1878. Even so, whereas back then 32,968 people died during the natural disaster in Erzincan and about 100,000 more were injured, today the death toll already exceeds 43.5 thousand people. Russia obtained trading rights on the Danube. The foreign relations of the Ottoman Empire were characterized by competition with the Persian Empire to the east, Russia to the north, and Austria to the west. He also appointed English consuls across the Ottoman empire in Cairo, Alexandria, Damascus, Tripoli, Jerusalem and Aleppo. By the 1580s he was known as Hassan Aga, chief eunuch and treasurer of Algiers under its Ottoman governor, responsible for corresponding with Harborne and with no interest in returning to England, which was under immediate threat of invasion by Catholic Spain. In the early 20th century Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bulgarian Declaration of Independence soon followed. The result was the Porte now had an efficient, European-trained army equipped with modern weapons. Steelmaking coal is an essential ingredient in blast-furnace steel manufacture, producing steel used for critical building and infrastructure around the world. One by one the Porte lost nominal authority. Such interactions continued during t. | Learn . [54], Naval operations of the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Mediterranean yielded victories under the command of Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlov. Capcoal Surface Operation, Middlemount QLD. This treaty became the basis for future Russo-Ottoman relations. British Policy and the Turkish reform movement: A study in Anglo-Turkish relations 1826.-1853. The British Royal Navy sank the French fleet at Battle of the Nile. [24], Babur's early relations with the Ottomans were poor because the Selim I provided Babur's rival Ubaydullah Khan with powerful matchlocks and cannons. [18][19], The United Kingdom has been the strongest supporter for the Accession of Turkey to the European Union. Day to day marine operation for assigned vessels. [31] Suleiman's successes frightened the Europeans, but he failed to move north of the Danube, failed to take Vienna, failed to conquer Rome, and was unable to gain a foothold in Italy. 0 The European powers rejected that solution and met at the Congress of Berlin. ", Subhi Labib, "The era of Suleyman the magnificent: crisis of orientation. The phenomenon reached its zenith in the 1590s, when more than 20 plays featuring Turks or Moors were performed. For decades a sultan's word had had no power in outlying provinces, prompting Selim's reforms of the military in order to reimpose central control. The Battle of Baku, also known as the Liberation of Baku, was a World War I battle that took place between August and September 1918 between the Ottoman-Azerbaijani coalition forces led by Nuri Pasha and the later Soviet forces between Bolshevik and Dashnak Baku, which the British later succeeded -Armenian-Belarusian forces, led by Lionel The control over European minorities began to collapse after 1800, with Greece being the first to break free, followed by Serbia. The Venetians had been turning a blind eye to such injunctions in their trade with Muslim kingdoms for centuries. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom paid state visits to Turkey in October 1971 and May 2008. %%EOF Twenty-two years later in Hong Kong, as I witnessed the closing moments of the British Empire, a Royal Guards band struck up the perfect hymn: "The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended." ): HungarianOttoman Military and Diplomatic Relations in the Age of Sleyman the Magnificent (ELTE, Budapest, 1994), Geyikda, Necla. The Ottomans spread the use of firearms into Morocco and Bornu, but Bornu and Morocco later allied against the Ottomans. The Treaty of Paris signed 30 March 1856, ended the war. ", Salin, Ibrahm . If it would be second hand, or built in Turkey with UK workers and experts, has not been confirmed. ", Frank E. Bailey, "The Economics of British Foreign Policy, 182550. [46] Maritime links between the Ottoman Empire and the Toungoo Empire of Burma were established as late as 1545, and persisted well into the 1580s.[45]. Britain had declared its intention to support the creation of a Jewish homeland in the Balfour Declaration, 1917. Similarly, the Ottomans allied with the Sultanate of Demak to help mitigate Persian and Portuguese influence in Java. Self-directed Public Health and Wellness practitioner with a comprehensive background leading care management, compliance, program administration and diverse teams to ensure success and achieve goals. The Ottoman entry into World War I began when two recently purchased ships of its navy, still manned by their German crews and commanded by their German admiral, carried out the Black Sea Raid, a surprise attack against Russian ports, on 29 October 1914. [46] Relations with Java continued into the 17th century, even after the Sultanate of Demak was succeeded by the Sultanate of Mataram. [52][53], The Polish opposition was defeated by Alexander Suvorov. From trading initiatives to foreign policy, historian Jerry Brotton investigates. [66], French influence with the Sublime Porte led the Sultan into defying both St. Petersburg and London, and instead joined Napoleon's Continental System. Instead Suleiman's empire while large, failed to keep pace with the rapid advances taking place in Europe. The churches quickly settled that problem, but it escalated out of hand as Russia put continuous pressure on the Ottomans. Get 6 issues for 19.99 and receive a 10 gift card* PLUS free access to HistoryExtra.com, Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com, Elizabethan Englands relationship with the Islamic world. [4] Anglo-Ottoman trade relations were strengthened by the work of the first British diplomatic mission, led by Harborne between 1583-1588, and by the British consulates founded in Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Chios and Patras (Skilliter, 1984, p. 10-25). To secure its gains in these regions, Britain persuaded the Ottoman Turks to sign the Anglo-Ottoman Convention, effectively renouncing any Ottoman influence over Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. Yaycioglu, Ali. [14] The UK is a signatory to the Treaty of Guarantee, together with Greece and Turkey concerning the independence and status of Cyprus. The new army was dissolved by reactionary elements with the overthrow of Selim in 1807, but it became the model of the new Ottoman Army created later in the 19th century. (2007). British-Ottoman relations, 1661-1807 : commerce and diplomatic practice in eighteenth-century Istanbul / The British Embassy in Istanbul was unique among other diplomatic missions in the long eighteenth century in being financed by a private commercial monopoly, the Levant Company. During his time there he signed the first English alliance with Murad called the Capitulations, which remained in place until 1923 when the Ottoman Empire finally fell. Black, J. You can unsubscribe at any time. Join us as a Head of Programme and Partnership Development - Southern Africa.. This vision sparked border disputes such as the Taba Crisis over the frontier between British-ruled Egypt and Ottoman Syria. 3-10. Additional factors included Russian goals of recovering territorial losses endured during the Crimean War of 185356, re-establishing itself in the Black Sea and supporting the political movement attempting to free Balkan nations from the Ottoman Empire. [80], A surprising consequence came in Hungary (part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). An army of 60,000 soldiers and 40,000 horses required a half-million kilograms of food per day. Moldavia and Wallachia remained under nominal Ottoman rule, but would be granted independent constitutions and national assemblies. [61] Selim, a cultured poet and musician, carried on an extended correspondence with Louis XVI of France. By 1800 the Porte permitted the creation of British trading stations in Mocha, Yemen. The war was a defeat for the Ottoman Empire, which for the first time lost large amounts of territory. In legal and technical terms, they were unilateral agreements made by the Sultan to a nation's merchants. ", M. Abir, "Modernisation, Reaction and Muhammad Ali's 'Empire'", F. Ismail, "The making of the treaty of Bucharest, 18111812,", Harry N. Howard, "The Balkan Wars in perspective: their significance for Turkey. Beginning in the late 11th century, the crusades were a series of military expeditions mounted by western European Christians in a bid to conquer the Holy Land. Council of Europe, and NATO. The 1840s were a decade of high imperial romance between the Ottomans and their British allies on the European stage. ", Ali Balci, et al. The British had played a major role in politically supporting the Ottoman Empire once it came under threat from Russia and also helped negotiate the end of Mehmed Ali's brief occupation of Syria. The decisive Ottoman victory came at the Battle of Mohcs in 1526. [45] In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Uzbeks and Ottomans launched semi-coordinated military offensives against Iran. Anglo-Turkish relations prior to and in the aftermath of World War I (WWI). Bailey, Frank Edgar, British Policy and the Turkish Reform Movement: A Study in Anglo-Turkish Relations, 1826-1853 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1942), p. 79 Google Scholar. Trade, empire and British Foreign Policy, 1689-1815: The politics of a commercial state. It was a leathery old aficionado of Anglo-Saxon, sitting in a darkened room many leagues below the Equator, who lovingly drew this to my attention.