The quarrel between the United States and Turkey as to
the indemnity promised for outrages to American missionaries is by no means settled yet. The Sultan cannot bear to pay the i:20,000, and denies that he promised it ; but he did, and Mr. Hay holds him to his promise. The Porte, as a con- ciliatory measure, has allowed the missionaries to reconstruct their buildings, but as they are to pay for them, and not Turkey, Washington is by no means content. Finally, the Sultan has requested the Americans to submit their claim with other similar claims by European Powers, but as the similar claims are never paid Mr. Hay does not perceive the sufficiency of the redress afforded. There will, therefore, be further un- pleasantness, the American Government having made up its mind ; and the Sultan fearing that if he pays one creditor all the rest will come down on him. The dispute excites a curious amount of interest on the Continent, where diplo- matists point to it as evidence that America since the Spanish War has begun to interfere in European politics. She will interfere, we may be sure of that, as she becomes great, but the Continent forgets that fifty years ago America threatened Austria with war for seizing refugees protected by the American flag. There would have been war indeed but that Nicholas I. asked Austria to yield rather than intro- duce "an unknown factor into the public life of Europe."
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