Abdul Aziz’ Death—The _Terdjumani Hakikat_—Attack on Midhat—Attitude of the French Consul—Midhat’s Arrest 196–206 CHAPTER XI THE TRIAL OF MIDHAT PASHA Mustapha the Wrestler—The Case for the Defence—Midhat’s Defence—A Parody of Justice—The Public Prosecutor—Before the Court of Appeal—Grand Council—The British Parliament—Questions in Parliament—Mr M’Coan—Mr Gladstone—Lord Stratheden and Campbell—England’s Intervention 207–233 CHAPTER XII EXILE OF MIDHAT PASHA Midhat in Prison—Attempt to Poison Midhat—Arrest of Shereef Abdul Mutalib—Haïroullah Effendi 234–241 CHAPTER XIII DETAILS OF THE ASSASSINATION OF MIDHAT PASHA, ACCORDING TO INFORMATION DERIVED FROM HAÏROULLAH EFFENDI Return of Bekir—Midhat and Bekir—Tampering with Food—Attempts to Poison—Preparations for the Murder—The Murder 242–256 APPENDIX A THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE BERLIN NOTE AND THE CONFERENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE Negotiations following the Berlin Note—The Conference at Reichstadt—Servian Diplomacy and Defeat—England Proposes Terms—An Ultimatum to the Porte—Disagreement among the Powers 257–270 APPENDIX B THE INSURRECTION OF HERZEGOVINA AND BOSNIA AND THE BERLIN NOTE Herzegovina and Bosnia—Lord Derby and Austria—Intentional Bad Faith—Austrian Diplomacy—The Berlin Note—Austria and Russia—Mr Monson’s Despatch 271–284 APPENDIX C BULGARIAN ATROCITIES A Bulgarian Insurrection—Revolutionary Agents at Work—Fictions and Ingenious Credulity 285–292 MIDHAT PASHA CHAPTER I EARLY HISTORY OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE It would be inconsistent with the general plan of this book to give more than a very summary and cursory view of the early history of the Ottoman Empire before the time of Midhat Pasha; but it will not be inappropriate, and may possibly aid in elucidating the history of his times, and throw light on his work of reform, if the main features of that history be here drawn in outline, and some of the phases traced through which the Turkish Empire passed during the four centuries that elapsed between the taking of Constantinople by Mehemet II. and the Crimean War.