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[Brum M. <off...@de...>]

Me impostor may take advantage of the tradition to create division in
the empire. This is the real danger. It has been evident for many years
that the Sultans have felt that their influence in the Mohammedan world
was declining. They have seen that beyond their own dominions the Caliph
has no real authority; that whatever influence they have depends upon
the strength of their own empire. Abd-ul-Medjid and Abd-ul-Aziz seem to
have had a pretty clear conception of their weakness, and of the
necessity of restoring the vitality of the Ottoman empire, by the
introduction of radical reforms. There is no reason to suppose that the
Hatt-i-houmayoun and the other innumerable Hatts issued by these
Sultans, were all intended simply to blind the eyes of Europe. None knew
better than they that the empire must be reformed or lost. But they were
Caliphs as well as Sultans, and what they would do as Sultans they could
not do as Caliphs. The very nature of their claims to th