acrossasiaminoro00chiluoft

ALEXANDRETTA AS A GERMAN PORT 453
the Gulf, as the better and more natural site. The
Bay of Ayas is a harbour, but like Alexandretta it
requires some artificial protection ; it has, further, the
great disadvantage of being on the wrong side of the
gulf, for the greater territory to be served lies to
the east. The Germans investigated the claims of
Ayas, and decided for Alexandretta, and one supposes
that now this matter is as good as settled. For the
time being, until the political side of the German
Asiatic Scheme should be cleared up, they were content
to connect Alexandretta to the Bagdad Railway
with a branch line from Toprak Kale at the head of
the Gulf
" In time to come," said his Excellency at Baghche,
who had these matters so much in mind, " no
doubt the railway will go through Beilan Pass." He
was speaking without boasting—looking ahead to the
completed scheme and a network of railways. He
had no doubt about the future of Alexandretta. It
was to be a very great port indeed—always well in
the future. He spoke of it, too, as being by situation
the western port of Mesopotamia.
Still looking ahead we may count upon a railway
to India ; we may hope to entrain at Charing Cross
and travel by rail the whole distance to Calcutta.
That railway will pass along the head of the Gulf
of Alexandretta. To this extent, and for whatever
value the line may have, the power which holds
the Port of Alexandretta will control also the
Mediterranean end of the line, and will control rail
transit between Illurope and India. If at the present
time the Gulf of Alexandretta is the most vital spot
in the Turkish Empire outside the capital, not less
but more so will it be a vital point in any conceivable
new order of things which shall follow the war.
And its importance will increase with every year.
What that importance will become eventually cannot
well be overestimated, if commercial and other developments
likely to take place in the future between
the j^gean and the Persian Gulf are carefully con-
2 F 2