The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-09 00:00:00

THE CIRCASSIAN EXODUS,

(From the Times Correspondent.)
CONsTANTINOPLE, April 28.
Official intimation has been received here of the
capitulation of Vardar, the last stronghold of the
Circassians, and of the consequent submission of
all the tribes. I had occasion in a pre` sous letter
to refer to the flood of immigration which was pour-
ing into the Turkish dominions from the Caucasus,
and to the defeats which had been experienced by
these gallant mountaineers; and although there
could be no doubt at that time that the cause of
the Circassians was hopeless, there was not sufficient
ground for anticipating the extraordinary move-
ment which has since developed itself, and which
threatens, unless immediate relief and succour be
obtained, to degenerate, as regards these poor
people, into an awful disaster. Whether this
movement is to be attributed to a panic con-
sequent on defeat, or to the hatred inspired by
the Russians, it is rather difficult to determine; but
there is no doubt that the three tribes known as the
" Shabsoukhs," " Obukhs," and " A.bazehs" have
determined to abandon their country to a man and
take refuge on Turkish territory. Already the
out flowing tide of emigrants is so great as to place
the Turkish Government in the greatest embar-
rassment, 27,000 of these nnfortuate creatures, in
the most utter destitution, have poured into Trebi-
zonde, The privations of the voyage in a most in-
clement season have produced disease of the very
worst kind among them, which is not only commit-
ting fearful ravages in their own famished ranks,
but is extending to the local population. Typhus
and smallpox are raging at Trebizonde, and the place
is threatened with a famine. The Turkish Govern-
ment is willing and anxious to receive the fugitives,
and incorporate them into their own population, but
the movement has been so sudden and so extensive
that,it has been impossible to make provision for the
hosts that are daily pouring in. It is calculated
that no less than 300,000 will within the next two or
three months seek shelter in this country, and half
that number are now seeking the means of transport.
ing themselves to the Turkish coast of the Black
Sea. Unfortunately, it is found most difficult to
obtain transports for this purpose. The Turkish
Gevernment has offered every pecuniary inducement
for obtaining it, without avail. It is now their in-
tention to disarm some of their men-of-war, and
employ them for this service, but even this resource
will not be sufficient to meet the difficulty. Some
idea may be formed of the mortality raging among
them when it is known that out of 600 Circassians
who took passage in a steam transport, after a voy-
age of three or four days, 370 only arrived at their
destination. The accounts that are received of the
helpless and destitute state of these unhappy beings
surpass in misery and horror anything I have ever
seen recorded in connexion with suffering humanity.
Women in childbirth exposed to the inclemericies
of a Black Sea journey, without assistance or the
bare necessaries of life, enveloping their new born
in a corner of their own ragged garment ; sturdy
warriors who had achieved many a gallant deed
lying prostrate in the agonies of a horrible death,
decks swarming with the dead and dying. These
are things now of everyday occurrence on the
waters of the Euxine. Ido not wish to excite un-
necessary horror by a faithful description of the
awful visitation which has fallen upon the Circas-
sian race; indeed, no description, however
minute and accurate, could convey a sense of the
fearful sufferings of this now proscribed people ;
but I should be failing in public duty if I did not
put upon record the dreadful calamity of which I
have such abundant evidence. I have been ap-
pealed to, moreover, from every quarter to give
publicity to this a erful state of things as a means of
concentrating attention on a subject the present and
future importance of which is great, and in the hope
also that it may elicit some manifestation of public
sympathy.
Justice must be done to the Government and to
the people of Turkey for good and charitable in-
tentions in this emergency. Unfortunately, these
intentions cannot be carried out effectively. Orga-
nisation is not the peculiar attribute of Oriental
institutions. When the ultimate defeat and sur-
render of the Circae4ians became apparent the
Russian Government made overtures to the Porte,
in view of ascertaining whether the Sultan would
receive into his dominions such proportion of
the Circassian tribes as would desire to leave
their country. The Turkish Government con-
sented to receive them on the condition that the
emigration should be gradual and blaould not com-
mence before the fine season. It was then believed
that 40,000 or 50,000 would avail themselves of this
refuge. The progress of events, however, has been
so rapid that these stipulations have been totally
disregarded, and the successive victories of the
Russian army in the Caucasus produced the panic
and the flight which have been recorded above.
Such arrangements have been made as could be
devised in the exigency of the moment for procuring
shelter and nourishment, but they are so inadequte
to actual requirements that considerable alarm is
felt for the fnture. It is proposed to provide for a
certain number of the emigrants by quartering them
upon the population in the proportion of 10 families
to every Turkish village of 100 families. The wis-
dom of such a measure is, I think, doubtful. It will
impose upon the people an obligation which they
are hardly in a position to assume—that of partially
providing for a helpless and destitute class, who,
for a time at least, must prey upon the limited re-
sources of the local inhabitants. It will lead more-
over to the propagation of disease, the infection of
which has, to a certain extent, reached even the
capital. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the des
cision may be modified. It a proper system of suc-
cour could be established, the Turkish Government
might make considerable capital of this movement.
There are vast fertile plains and tracts of land it
Asia Minor and other parte of the Empire, c
paratively denuded of population, to wb'
eca the
Circassians may be draughted with advae
Jape. The
rapid development of the growth of e.otton, which
only requires hands for its further extension, could
bring into immediate requisi *.:ion and profit the
•
employment of a vast nureh
•
der of the people
' bu
4
something must be done .mmediately, and the mos-,
practical and useful ne'lide of proceeding is to pro-
vide abundant means of transport. Dissatisfaction
and mutiny make rapid strides among a large num-
ber of /Den messed together in one particular spot,
when they find themselves the prey of misery
rand destitution ; and there have already been
threatening indications of such a spirit among
those who have taken ground at Trebizonde and
other localities. All these considerations have
krced themselves upon the Government, and
there is no question of political import which at
this moment engrosses so much their attention.
Negctiations are in progress with the Russian
fovernment to induce them to open their ports in
the Black Sea, so as to give a regular and syste-
matic course to the movement, instead of driving
the unfortunate emigrants to the unprotected beach
in search of small coastin?, vessels which are crowded
to excess and soon become the scenes of death and
desolation.

There is a project also of draughting some
420,000 of these men into the Turkish army ;
the
Grand Vizier and Minister of War, Farid Pasha, has
sent a military commission to the Black Sea, with
this object, headed by Ali Pasha, a general officer of
Circassian origin, who is said to have weight and
authority with them. The execution of this mea-
sure will enable the War Department to relax con-
siderably the system of recruiting, which would be
an incalculable boon to
,the country at large; and
jadgin by the past exploits of the Circassian race,
neither the army nor the general population of the
Empire will suffer by the infusion of this new blood
into their ranks. This is certainly an excellent idea,
and one that may work well in time, but the urgent,
the most imperative want of the moment is to obtain
immediate relief, and by the adoption of stringen:,
sanitary measures to oheck the progress of the dis-
ewse which is destroying these unfortunate creatures
in the proportion of 20 per cent., and is spreading
itself among the indigenous population. A commis-
sion for this special object, under the auspices of the
Government, is in existence. Private contributions
have not been wanting. The Sultan's Ministers
have contributed to the limit of their means. The
Susan himself, to his honour be it recorded, has