The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

THE EAS TERN QUESTION.

1. A Year with the Turks ; or, Sketches of
Travel in the European and Asiatic Dominions
of the Sultan. By Warington W. Smyth,
M.A. London :J. W. Parker and Son.
2. The Russo-Turkish Campaigns of 1828 and
1829: with aView of the Present State of Affairs
in the East. By Colonel Chesney. London :
Smith, Elder, and Co.
3. The Knout and the Russian ; or, the Muscovite
Empire, the Czar, and his People. By Ger-
main de Lagny. London : Bogue.
1. WE look with great suspicion on any work
professing to describe either the Turkish or
the Russian empires, partly because the popu-
larity of the subject has brought out a shoal
of worthless books, of which the only merit
is an attractive titlepage—partly because
Turkey has become a party question, and the
literal, unexaggerated truth concerning it is
harder to come at than ever. Mr. Wariugton
Smyth, however, is neither a bookmaker nor a
partisan. He has seen much ; his journey
was not made in haste, nor did he travel as a
great man, two things fatal to the English
tourist in general ; he spoke the language of
the country, mixed freely with the people, re-
mained long enough in one place to get
acquainted with the interior of their lives and
hear their real sentiments ; nor does he affect
either to depreciate or extravagantly to pa-
negyriae the Government of that vast and
strangely-constituted empire of which Western
Europe has become the champion. There is
even an apparent uncertainty in his judgment,
arising out of the scrupulous care with which
he weighs words and his anxiety to avoid
exaggeration. His style is plain, mostly pleas
ing, not wholly free from the conventional
slang of travel-writers—such as " discussing,"
or " doing justice to," a meal, and the like—
but in this respect rather less faulty than

SATURDAY,

usual, while his matter is valuable and much
of it new. We have our doubts whether a
personal memoir or journal of wayfaring—
except in the case of exploring expeditions
and journeys of discovery, where the perils
undergone enhance the merit of success—be
the best form in which the results of a tour
can be given ; but Mr. Smyth only follows the
common practice, and there is no egotism in
his narrative. _ _

The quasi-civilisation of Constantinople has
not pervaded more remote provinces, as wit-
ness the following scene on the borders of
Koordistan :
The kemala, with his vast conical turban of many
colours, was always at hand, and, seeing him to be a man
of vigour and enterprise, I was led to inquire why it was
that his people should not cultivate larger tracts of
ground, which would evidently well repay their labours.
Beg," said he, " it is true that there is waste land in
plenty, and that we might till it, and I might profit greatly
by it. But, supposing I were to do as you propose, is not
this source of gain too open to all eyes? Nu sooner
should I have reaped the crops and stored my granaries
than my enemies (for all in authority have such) would
step forward to the Pacha of Diarbekir, the musheer, and
say, This man has committed such and such an offence,
but being a rich man, and having gained so and so
much this year by his crops, he can pay a handsome fine ; '
and then the pacha would exclaim, Mashallah! you
speak the truth ; I will send for him, and inshallah ! force
him to pay well for his misdeeds.' And thus the fruits of
the year's labour would be swallowed by the musheer and
the informers." _ _ _

Such is the language to be heard on all sides, such
the distrust and fear of all higher officials; and as the
chief fears the cupidity of the musheer, so the rustic fears
that of the petty governor. The hope of honest gain,
without which all industry must expire, is thus unable to
obtain a footing in the breast of the people, who know
that so long as they have barely sufficient to clothe and
feed themselves withal, so long only are they safe from
grasping avarice.
The regeneration of Turkey must remain only an empty
sound, until the important point of provincial government
is totally remodelled. That the pachas are nominated for
an undetermined period, which may be only a few weeks or
months, is the first great evil, for it acts as an incitement
to commence their career by a system of exaction and
pillage, intended, in the shortest possible time, to secure
themselves a fortune. _ _

Secondly, the mode of levying the taxes, by which they
chiefly enrich themselves, is one which it is only wonder-
ful does not lead to more frequent disturbances and in-
surrections. The amount is arbitrary on the part of the
Government, and the people never know how much they
must expect to pay. Ft gain, the mode of gathering them
is so corrupt and unjust, that, whilst every one employed
pockets a share of the spoil, the peasant is obliged to pay
twice or thrice the sum which is received by Government
as the tax. _ _ _

-To see a paths, whose coffers are filled with gold,
surrounded by crowds of attendants, who pass their time
in utter idleness, and who, not receiving any wages from
him, exact all they can from their inferiors, is to look upon
a specimen of the mode in which the great bulk of the
labouring class is oppressed. Nor is it a marvel that the
free Koords, when they see this system still in action,
should prefer a vagabond life, and occasional marauding
excursions, to the partial civilisation they might acquire bC
a settled life in villages.
Punishments are still rough. Near Tocat
Mr. Smyth saw " a species of gallows, gar-
" niched on the crossbeam with long iron
" spikes, ou which highway robbers are im-
" paled." To these a wretched Koord, lately
caught in the act, had been fixed, " and,
" though much lacerated and hanging from
" the rusty irons, lingered for three days." As
might be expected, the vices of Europe spread
faster than its virtues. Drunkenness is on
the increase; and Mr. Smyth, pushing in-
genuity to the verge of paradox, excuses it as
being a means of promoting intercourse with
Christians, and breaking down fanatical pre-
judices ! He forgets that the visible debase-
ment and demoralisation thus caused afford
to fanatics the strongest argument against
European habits which they can well employ.
The old Mahometan character has fine points :
the story here told illustrates one :
Only one little trait of Turkish honesty may I intro-
duce, as it happened to fall under my own observation.
A friend of mine, wanderingthrough the bazars, wished to
buy an embroidered handkerchief of a Turkish shop-
keeper. He asked the price ; " Seventy-five piastres."
" No," said he, aware that it is usual among all the
traders, whatever their creed, to ask at first more than the
value, " that is too much ; I will give you seventy ; " and as
the dealer seemed to nod assent, he counted out the
money. But his surprise was great when the bearded
Osmanli, gravely pushing back to him twenty piastres, ob-
served, " This is more than the just price : it is always the
custom here to bargain over a thing down to its fair
value ; and as fifty piastres is my proper price, those twenty
belong to you." Verily, not a few among our professing
Christians might take a lesson from the believer in the
Koran ! . _

Eastern simplicity of manners still prevails ;
and, as community of tastes creates sympathy

••••,•'

MATtco 4, 1854.

between classes, a habit of kindly and familiar
intercourse is kept up. This is also a result
of the absolute power of the superior, who
runs no risk of losing authority by condescen-
sion :

The injunction to " do unto others as you would they
should do unto you " is not considered an idle form of
words by the Turks, but is carried into practice. The
most wealthy does not disdain to converse with the
poorest; the strong man in a mob will yield to the old, or
to women and children ; sons exhibit a respect amounting
to reverence towards their parents; and the stranger amid
a crowd meets with those attentions which prove that the
people possess, in a kindly heart and manner, one of the
most agreeable elements of true civilisation.

That Turkish government is mild, equitable,
or well organised, Mr. Smyth does not assert;
but he dwells forcibly on what is, after all, the
best proof that, with all its defects, it suits the
people well—the patriotic resistance of all
classes and religious to Russian aggression.
The latter point merits special notice as
proving the defensive movement to be not
fanatical but national. Large voluntary sub-
sidies for the war have poured in from all
quarters, Christians being contributors :

According to the testimony of an old English traveller,
the Christian subjects of the Porte, even 2(X) years ago,
wished for no interference on the part of Roman Catholic
Governments:

" In the European• Turkish dominions which I passed, I
eould not but take notice of the great number of Chris.
tians ; for, excepting great cities, or where the souldiery
reside, they are generally all Christians; whereof the great
body is of the Greek Church, who live patiently under the
Turkish toleration. If there should happen any con•
siderable commotion among the Turkish powers, it is
highly probable they would sit still. and be little active ;
and if any forces of the Latine Church should attempt the
conquests of these parts, in all probability they would find
very little assistance from them, and I fear they would
rather adhere unto their Turkish masters." .

Late events appear to show that the interference of the
great Greek-church power is not much more palatable ; for
in spite of some little leaning towards Russia, which has
now and then been brought to light, the strenuous oppo-
sition or the discontent of the Wallachians, the sturdy
neutrality of the Servians, and the voluntary offers of aid
to the Sultan by Bulgarians and Armenians, are a
sufficient proof of improved social condition and increased
loyalty.
It would form an endless list if we could review the
recent contributions of various communities throughout
the empire. Take a few at random :—On the 7th
November last, the inhabitants of Smyrna, and among
them many Christians, subscribed 100,000 piastres
towards the expense of the war, and on the same day the
town of Philippopoli collected 150 horses ; on the 20th,
the officials of the Quarantine united in preparing 1,850
suits of clothes for the army ; on the 10th December, when
it was found that the Turkish cavalry were deficient in
number, the inhabitants of the capital, from the Pacha to
the street porter, and with them many Christians, formed
a subscription to send 1,200 horses to the seat of war.
The village of Karnabat, near Bourgas, subscribed, soon
after, 10,000 measures (of twenty-four oka) of wheat, for
the use of the army. Nor have the wealthier individuals
lagged behind—a merchant of Trebizond placed ten of
his ships, manned by Mohammedans, at the disposal of
the Sultan ; and even a lady, of Sayda, gave 2,000 piastres
each, and a complete outfit to two men, to start them for
the scene of action.
Nothing can be more fully disproved than the equanimity
with which it was said that the people awaited the arrival
of the Russians.
Treating this subject at length, Mr. Smyth
contends that Turkey, though far from civilised,
is making progress, and that to such progress
the chief obstacle has hitherto lain, not in
popular prejudice, but in administrative mis-
management. Passing no judgment on his
conclusions, we would observe only that the
merits or demerits of Ottoman rule have
nothing to do with the cause in which Eng-
land is arming. We fight, not to exalt Turkey
or destroy Russia, but to maintain the rights
of treaties, the police of nations, and the peace
of the world ; to save Europe from that catas-
trophe to which peace societies would bring
us—that of being governed by the law of the
strongest and most unscrupulous.

2. Colonel Chesney's volume is one of
higher pretension, and at the present time of
peculiar interest. A soldier, a traveller of
long experience, and a practised writer, he is
well qualified for the work he has taken in
hand, which includes a history of the cam
paigns of 1828 9, a summary of the late diplo
matic quarrel, and a valuable comparative ana
lysis of Russian and Turkish resources.
The narrative of the former Russian attack
on Turkey throws new light on the present
causes of hostility. In each case we find the
same tricks practised with the same success—
trivial complaints magnified, exorbitant de-