The ambassador informed the Sultan that, in case of refusal, he should
leave Constantinople, and sever all diplomatic relations with Turkey,
and that warships should proceed to Mersina and bombard it.
The Sultan did not like to be treated in this way, and took time to
decide what he should do.
The ambassador sent a second letter, when he had waited as long as he
thought right for an answer to his first, with the added demand that
Turkey should also pay the claims of the Oriental Railroad Company, and
that the matter should be decided inside of eight days.
The claim of this railroad company was for carrying troops during the
war, and the bill for this service had not been paid.
Now the Oriental Railroad Company is not owned by Austria, but by
Austrian citizens, and it was an unheard-of thing for a government to
seek to collect the private debts of her citizens at the cannon's mouth.
Europe has, however, been doing remarkable things to Turkey for many
years past.
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