Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 41. (1990)

BEVERIDGE, Kent D.: „Worthy Representative of Europe“. Anton Graf Prokesch von Osten

Anton Graf Prokesch von Osten

they could receive it from the Russians, which would not be in Turkey’s best interests. Gobineau notes in closing that he feels he is doing something useful for the Porte when he intervenes for „ces pauvres Bábís“ and pleads for their protection57). In spite of his rather brusque reply to Camerloher’s dispatch, Prokesch-Osten records in his diary that he travelled to the Bosporus for another audience with Fu’ád Pasha on 24 August, „hauptsächlich aus Anlass des Adrianople Bann“58). The dispatch to Camerloher dated 12 August and the letter he wrote to Gobineau on 28 August, which describe his activities on behalf of Bahá’u’lláh and the Bahá’ís, are unavailable. However, Blunt, in his dispatch to Elliot dated 15 August, includes information which Camerloher had provided regarding statements made by Fu’ád Pasha during his audience59).

Prokesch-Osten was apparently acting on his own behalf - not in his official capacity as internuncio of the Austrian Empire - when he intervened in support of the persecuted Bahá’ís. This is substantiated by his inclusion of the entire correspondence with Camerloher concerning the Bahá’ís among his private papers, rather than in the official embassy files. In fact, no mention of the Bahá’ís has yet been found in Prokesch- Osten’s official dispatches to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is probable that he felt the Foreign Minister, Friedrich Freiherr von Beust - who considered the Near East to be of secondary importance - would neither understand the doctrines of Bahá’u’lláh nor be concerned about his persecution or that of his followers. Thus Prokesch-Osten was required as internuncio to issue instructions not to interfere in the matter to his subordinate in Adrianople, which must have been personally distasteful at the very least. „Je vous connais tout entier dans ce que vous venez de faire pour les [Bahá’ís]“, Gobineau responded on 31 August. „Je suis ravi d’apprendre qu’il y avait de l’exagération dans les récits [concerning the treatment of the Bahá’ís], mais cependant, je crois que Fu’ád ne sait pas tout.“ Gobineau further reports that the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are spreading rapidly amongst the 200,000 or 300,000 Persians living in the Ottoman Empire, and adds that the missionaries are „imbéciles“ if they

57) Gobineau to Prokesch-Osten, 25 August 1868 Correspondance 532: Gobineau writes that the Bahá’ís „have requested their [Ottoman] support and are willing to become their subjects“, and that the Bahá’ís in Persia could be a „strong force opposed to the very aggressive disposition of the Oájár dynasty“.

58) Diary entry, 24 August 1868: „mainly because of the Adrianople ban“. He further records in his diary that he visited ‘Ali Pasha on 16 August, and Elliot, the British minister, Bourée, the French minister, and Ignatief, the Russian minister on 24 August. Elliot visited Prokesch-Osten on 20 August. It is probable that the situation of the Bahá’ís was discussed during these meetings.

59) Momen Religions 192.

151