Mohammedanism, therefore, will maintain itself
in Egypt intact, and its good-will will remain our necessity.[19]
A third interest lies in Asiatic Turkey. This we have guaranteed by
treaty against foreign invasion; and though our pledge is nominally to
the Sultan, not to the people of the Empire, and though that pledge is
contingent upon an impossibility, administrative reform, and is
therefore not strictly binding, it is impossible to escape the
admission that we have a moral obligation towards the Mussulmans of
Asia Minor and Syria. How far we may be disposed or able to fulfil it
remains to be seen. I do not myself anticipate any further intervention
on the part of England in defence of the Turkish-speaking lands. These,
from their geographical position, lie outside our effective military
control, and, dishonourable as a retreat from our engagements will be to
us, it may be a necessity.
It is difficult to understand how an English army could effectively
protect either Asia Minor or Mesopotamia from Russian invasion. The
occupation of Kars has given Russia the command of the Tigris and
Euphrates, and with them of Armenia, Kurdistan and Irak, so that our
protection could hardly be extended beyond the sea-coast of Asia Minor
and the Persian Gulf.
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