THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, NOVEMBER 2, 1914. 463
That this neutral power meant deliberately and intentionally to provoke Great Britain to war is shewn by instructions issued not later than October 18th to the Turkish com- mandant at Jaffa by the Turkish Minister of War, which already allude to His Majesty's Government as the enemy, give detailed orders as to resisting attack by warships and include an order to break the Consulate flagstaff and remove the insignia.
The Mosul Damascus Army Corps have since their mobilization been constantly send- ing troops South preparatory to an invasion of Egypt and the Suez Canal from Akaba and Gaza. A large body of Bedouin Arabs have been called out and armed to assist in this venture. Transport has been collected and the roads have been prepared up to the frontier of Egypt. Mines have been despatched to be laid in the Gulf of Akaba to protect the force from naval attack and the notorious Sheikh Aziz Shawish who has been so well-known as a fire-brand in raising Moslem feeling against Christians has published and disseminated through Syria and probably India an inflammatory document urging Mahomedans to rise against Great Britain. Doctor Prueller who was so long engaged in intrigues in Cairo against British occupation and is now attached to the German Embassy in Constantinople has been busily occupied in Syria trying to incite the people to take part in this conflict.
Aggressive action was certain to be the result of the activity of the numerous German officers employed in the Turkish Army and acting under the orders of the German Government who thus have succeeded in forcing the Advisers of the Sultan.
German intrigue cannot influence the loyalty to Great Britain of the 70,000,000 of Mahomedans in India and the feeling of the Mahomedan inhabitants of Egpyt or of the millions of Moslems in Africa and in Malaya and elsewhere under His Majesty's protection. They must look with detestation on misguided action under foreign influence at Constantino- ple which would inevitably lead to the disintegration of the Turkish Empire and which shows such forgetfulness of the many occasions on which Great Britain has shown friendship to Turkey. They must feel bitterly the degeneration of their co-religionists who can thus be dominated against their will by German influences and many of them realise that when . Turkey is pushed into war by Germany they must dissociate themselves from a course of
action that is so prejudicial to the position of Turkey itself.
The Turkish Government summarily and without notice on Friday shut off telegraphic communication with the British Embassy at Constantinople. This is no doubt the prelude to further acts of aggression on their part and the British Government must take whatever action is required to protect British interests, British territory and also Egypt from attacks that have been made and are threatened.
Printed and Published by NORONHA & Co., Printers to the Hongkong Government.
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