TURKISH EMPIRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17078, 29 January 1916, Page 9

TURKISH EMPIRE.

SEEN FROM ?THE INSIDE. NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENT'S STORY. DESIGNS ON EGYPT. VIEWS ABOUT DARDANELLES. By Telegraph—Presi AetocUtioa—Conyriirht LONDON, January 27. The "Daily Mail's" correspondent who was present at the Royal banquet at Nish travelled from Sofia to Constantinople in the Germany-Balkan express, which ho describes as tho most handsome train in Europe, with the name blazoned on the carriage in threefoot letters, in order to impress the Bulgars ajjd Turks. The correspondent found an alarming dearth of necessities in Constantinople The prices were exorbitant. There was no coal, and nearly all the shops were closed. ' It is untrue that fifty thousand German troops had reached Constantinople, but there were ten thousand there, all first-rate troops.. The correspondent attended the celebrations of "Gallipoli Day." The town was gay with flags. Mobs paraded the streets waving banners, but it was evident that tho victory was dearly bought. He saw an endless procession of wounded men filling tramcars, motors and other vehicles. The correspondent had an interview with Halil Bey. tha Foreign Minister. Halil Bey said that Germany would make Turkey as wealthy, prosperous and enterprising as she had Rumania. . The "Daily Mail" man persuaded Halil to introduce him to Enver Pasha, who is a real dandy. He asked Enver if it was true, that Britain was prepared to make a separate peace with Turkey. Enver said it was too late. "The Entente may have had that design, and might have succeeded, but we learned that the Entente designed to give Constantinople to Russia." Enver Pasha added that if tho English had had the courage to rush more ships into the Dardanelles they could have reached Constantinople. The delay enabled Turkey to fortify Gallipoli. But if the English had reached Constantinople only, there would have been an impasse, because the Turks would have retired to Asia Minor, and the English would not have destroyed Constantinople. Enver concluded by saying: "With the Germans' help we can strike the British Empire through the Suez Canal. Our motto is, 'To Egypt.'" Tho correspondent learned that the Germans intend to destroy the canal from end to end and,to fill it up with sand. The Germans generally admit they have no chance of reachinc Paris, but having walled off the British and French armies, they feel they can operate freely in the East. The Turkish officers admire the fighting capacity of the British soldiers, and they said they wished thoy had tho British, Australian and Canadians to command. The Constantinople theatres, cafes, and kinema houses are closed. The only l means of light for journeying at night is small electric torches. xne money position is extraordinary. Gold and silver and official Turkisn paper money are very short. As a substitute •Turkish notes are i&sued, ostensibly at a face value of 17s 6d, but realising only 12s 6d.