Ottoman Diplomats

Synopsis

Etienne Carathéodory Effendi reports that there were hostilities between French and Belgian fishermen on the one hand and English fishermen on the other. He informs Saïd Pacha about a particular incident that was set in motion by the Belgian fishermen, who did not permit English fishermen to disembark and sell their fish in Ostend. They even threw stones at English boats. The army had to intervene, which led to the death of two Belgian fishermen. In England, these events touched the public opinion and the parliament, fearing that these events would compromise the relations between both countries. Carathéodory notes that Belgium made a mistake, as the international treaties guaranteed complete liberty – of fishing in these common waters and selling fish at the respective ports – for the fishermen of the states concerned. He explains that the hostility against the English fishermen was completely unjustifiable, as the port of Ostend was Europe’s largest fishing market, where the Belgian fishermen did not have to fear the competition from the English and French fishermen. According to Carathéodory, the Belgian government acted wisely. After a personal intervention of the King, the conflict calmed down and everything went back to normal.

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