Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-08-22
SERIOUS OUTBREAK IN CONsraNr1No-
PIE.


PIE.
Protest Of the PrOtehsnnt Ambaanadors.
A correspondent Of the New York World. writing
from Constantinople under date Of July "a, says
most serious outbreak took place here last week
the particulars Of which will give you at length.
On Friday, July Is, ProttstanG Armenian died at
Baat one of the quarters of Constantnople proper.
On Saturday his friends proceeded to bury him in
the Armenian burial ground, where his wife owned
lot.
For ten years Protestants have buried in the old
Armenian burial places without molestation it hav
ing been decided by the Turkish government and the
church that these belonged TO the Armenians as
nation and not as religious sect Without any sus-
pcon of trouble the procession moved for the place
Of burial Suddenly mob Of the lowest class of Ar
menians rushed upon them with loud yells and fierce
threats, declaring that Protestant should be bur-
led in that ground.
The small police force at hand could not quel the
riot and it was at length decided TO send messen-
ger to the Armenian patriarch He soon returned
with large police force and an order from the pat
riarch 1.-THE head of the Armenian church in Con-
stantnope) for the immediate burial of the man in
the ground. Still the mob refused to permit the
burial and drove of tire officer of the PATRIARCH
beating him almost to death. Night now came on !;
the mob increased and the police took possession of
the body and of the clergyman who was 70 ofieiate
at the funeral The whole Of Sunday and Monday
were spent in running backward and forward be-
in fruitless negotiationsthe mob ali the time gath
ering strength and ereeness, and large police and
military force occupying the ground. After full
hearing of the ease the Porte decided thatthe right
of burial belonged the Protestants and the geneF
al commanding the troops at Constantinope was or
dered to clear the groCnd and allow the Pfotestants
| to bury their dead
On Tuesday the Porte became so much alarmed by
the extent of the mob and the protestatons OF the
patriarch, who had changed his ground and sided
w hat hoy
day before, and ordered that the body should be IN
TERED elsewhere. Very good said the Protestants
give us an honorable place anywhere, and we viii
bury our dead, and discuss our rights afterwards
At this juneture, Sir Henry Bulwer, the English
ambassador and Hon. James Williams, our minister
resident heard of the state of things. Unsolicited
by any oue they Immediately came toConstantinOple,
called upon the Armenian patriarch, and demanded
that he should give his consent to the burial In the
burial ground Immediately. Under the influence OF
| these gentlemen he consented. They also went to
the Porte and insisted there that proper military
force should be Immediately TO the ground and
| the Protestant honOrably buried. Here, too, they
| prevailed.
This was Tuesday afternoon. A force was sent,
| and after severe conflict with the mob--in which
the soldiers ordered to only the butts of
their musketsthe ground was cleared, about thirty
| of the mob being badly wounded. But 1t was
now evening, it was determined to postpone the
| burial until Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednes lay the minister of the war, Ria Pasha
the zabtieh pasha or commanding general-with
| several thousand troops-the Armenian PATRIARCH
| the Baroutj bashy-the head man OF the Arme-
mans there-the head Of the Protestant community,
a small number of Professionals and immense
mob of Armenians, were on the ground. place
for burial uin the cemetery was selected and agreed
upon by the pashas, the patriarch and the Protest
ants the grave was dug and the body ordered to be
| put in.
The mob now became furious and endeavored to
press forward to the spot. At this juncture Ria
Pasha's courage seemed to fail him, and he ordered
the grave filled up and another one dug in the mdd
| of nelghborng carriage road. In this most DIS
honorable place. the PrOtessants, previously ad-
ylsed by The ambassadors and missionaries refused
to bury their dead. The pasta would not yield, and
the PrOtestants retired leaving the body in the hands
| of the Turks. By this time it was buried in the
street, after which tine immense mob were allowed
TO rush over the grave each one tramplng and spit
| ting upon it.
After this, by way of palliating his disgraceful
conduct, the pasha ordered that the road should be
| turned aside and oblterated, and space enclosed
around the grave. This was done, and it has ever
since been guarded by a company of soldiers.
The excuse which the government offer for this COM
duct is that the mob really had nothing to do with
ProtestanisIn but WIS got up under Russian iIfu-
ences for the purpose of bringing about collision
between the Turkish soldiers and the christian pOpu-
lation of the city. They say we eROlo that If the
soldiers had been allowed to fire upon this mob, al
immediate insurreetion would have broken out all
over the city.
There is undoubtedly some truth in this statement
but no more unfortunate policy could have been de-
vised under the present circumstances than TO call
out large military force, and then allow 1t to be
overcome by the mob.
The result might have been easily foretold. The
experience of a single week has proved it expert
mentally. A mob has driven the Protestants-sinee
the trial last Wednesday-from their homes, not
only in BallaI but also from Samatia and Hasskney,
two other quarters of COnstantinople. In each in
al m bpli
Protestant concealed in certain house. In both
Balat and SamatIa Protestant worship has been sus
pended by the Zabtieh Pasha, To prevent outbreaks
In view of this state of things on Friday last
meeting was held at the English palace of all the
Protestant ambassadors. They sent most earnest
and decisive protest to the Porte and made import
ant demands, which l am not at liberty to repeat.
On Saturday last, the American residents here
received formal notice from their minister that the
greatest caution was necessary to be observed, as
affairs here were in a very troubled state, and
outbreak might occur at any time.
On Sunday, under the pressure Of outside iniu-
ence, the Armenian Patriarch went TO hasskley to
qulet the outbreak here He preached to the peo-
pie in the great Armenian church of the quarter,
and exhorted them to be quiet and go about their
business But the mob outside were SO violent that
he did not dare to leave the church withouta police
force to protect him. The mob cried out, You
stirred US up, you urged on, and now you say be
quiet and go home We won't be quiet or go home,
unless you pay for all the time we lave lost"
Since Sunday have heard of no serious outbreak
any where in the city but it cannot be denied that
all classes most excited state. You need
be surprised hear of still serious troubles
We believe that the foreign population who live in
Pera, and in the villages on the BOsphorus. have
but little to fear personally but beyond this every
thing there is in a state of great uncertainty.
The danger here is from outbreak among the
christians, howe er, more than from the Turks.
1t is generally believed here that the French will
insist upon occupying Syria Immediately and many
think that the last hours of the 'sick man" have
come.
am not inclined now to give my opinion to
the future farther than that if there should be any
serious outbreak it would result in the overthrow of
the present government, which now upheld only |
by the power of England.
One thing and that only thing is certain, Great |
changes of some kind are at hand in the East The
christian world will never allow repetition of those
horrors which are now to be witnessed in Syria
may add that the friends of American mission |
aries in Turkey have cause get to fear for their
personal safety.