Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 41. (1990)

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

Kent D. Beveridge

pie, whom Camerloher styles as Shaykh of a Darvish lodge, is reported as having visited Bahá’u’lláh several times, whereas Bahá’u’lláh does not associate with other officials. Camerloher further reports that it is rumored in the city that Bahá’u’lláh brought great riches with him to Adrianople. „Gold, Edelsteine und andere Kostbarkeiten“, but that he

has had to sell many of them, „besonders prachtvolle Pferde, u. a

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inen Teppich um 80,000 Rial“. Camerloher closes by stating „er ist von allen überall aufs Höchste geehrt“. Although the details concerning Bahá’u’lláh’s age and wealth are erroneous, Camerloher’s report basically agrees with the accounts of Aqá Husayn-i-Ashchi and Aqá Muhammad-Ridáy-i-Qannád-i-Shírází, two of Bahá’u’lláh’s adherents who resided in Adrianople at that time38). In order to gather this information within the space of one or two days, Camerloher must have spoken with his contacts in the city. The reverence with which Bahá’u’lláh was generally viewed is obvious in that, although he was a Persian of ShPih background exiled amongst Sunnis, the report contains no negative information; in fact, Bahá’u’lláh is even attributed with Sunni tendencies, an apparent sign of the informants’ approbation. Prokesch-Osten wrote several letters to Europe regarding the Bahá’í religion: the letters to Sir Henry Bulwer39) and Alexander Freiherr von Warsberg40), for example, attest to his admiration for both Bahá’u’lláh and his teachings. It has been impossible, however, to ascertain whether he communicated further with Gobineau about the Bahá’ís, as their correspondence between October 1866 and May 1868 is missing41). Unfortunately, a comparison of the index of correspondence in Prokesch- Osten’s diary with the published Correspondance entre le Comte de

38) Cited in Balyuzi Bahá’u’lláh chapters 27-29. Camerloher writes of „gold, precious stones and other valuables“, and that „magnificent horses“ have had to be sold as well as „a carpet at a price of 80,000 rials“.

39) Contained in Korrespondenz mit ff. Bulwer Nachlaß Prokesch-Osten HffStA. Sir Henry Bulwer was the British minister to the Sublime Porte from 1858 to 1867. London and Vienna had mutual distrust fo Imperial Russian expansionism as a bond. Furthermore, it was Britain, with her industry and navy, that had the power to speak with a decisive voice in any Balkan crisis. This power, along with their similiar interests, lead to the common Anglo-Austrian front in questions concerning the Balkans, which lasted until the advent of the Anglo-German antagonism in the early twentieth century. Cf. Beaber Prokesch von Osten passim. However, it is obvious from their correspondence that Prokesch-Osten and Bulwer were bound by ties of friendship based on philosophical convictions as well as those of a common policy.

40) Contained in Korrespondenz mit Alexander von Warsberg Nachlaß Prokesch-Osten HHStA. Prokesch-Osten’s friend since childhood, Warsberg was regarded as one of the leading German-language poets of the period. He was a close friend of the Empress Elisabeth as well, and accompanied her on her trips to the Orient.

41) Correspondance 320n.

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