, 1877-03-03

fish Consul, who gave a report of the
scene, was on his way back to Mostar
after the failure of his efforts, when he
met a body of Turkish troops going to
attack the insurgents whom he had left
and who had been assured that they might
assemble in safety. He and his colleagues
were very indignant at a breach of trust
which might have seemed to cast doubt
on the good faith of the Consuls themselves.
Soon afterwards the rebels formally stated
their grievances and demands. They
complained that the 30 called 1.-THE had
been advanced to 123 per cent. that the
taxes had been collected with gross un-
fairness that Christians were made to
undergo forced labor on the public roads;
that their horses were used for the service
of the army that the Agas were tyranni-
cal, the Courts corrupt, and property,
life, and honour insecure. AS an instance
of the way in which they were treated,
they stated that some Christians had been
killed for going to see the Emperor Of
Austria on the occasion Of his famous
journey through DaImatia-a journey
supposed at that time to be an evidence
of peculiar goodwill for the Turkish as
we'll as the Austrian Slavs. The Chris
tians added that they would die rather
than suffer such slavery. They begged
either that some Christian Power would
give them a corner of land to which they
might al emigrate /; so that Bosnia and
Herzegovina might be formed into an au-
tonomous state, tributary to the Sultan /;
or, finally, that the European Cabinets
would send a strong body Of troops to
protect them until good laws could be es-
tablished.
Meanwhile, Server Pasha, the Commits
sioner whom the Porte had sent to the
scene of the disturbance, had made many
cheering promises. So long ago as the Cd
of September, 1875, he gave a pledge that
the officials should be guilty of no more
arbitrary or vexatious acts that an ex.
traordinary tribunal should be established
to do Justice to persons who had been
wronged and that those who had been
u|niustly imprisoned should be set free.
A benignant HIATT gave these fair promises
the emphasis of the Sultan's own word.
AS the insurgents would not listen to those
offers, the Porte declared on the 4th Octo-
Der, that the 1.-THE would be lowered to
the old rate of 10 per cent. that all ar
rears of taxes would be abandoned that
the several religious communities should
be represented in the Administrative
Councils ; and that agents should be APP
pointed to insure the equitable collection
of the taxes. A few days later-on the
18th Of October-Server Pasha gave a
further list Of the reforms which the Porte
intended to execute. The Medilis, or Lo-
cal Councils, should be re-organized the
tithes should be levied on the land instead
Of on the growing crops the taxes on ami
mails should be reformed; administrative
DEGREES aud legal judgments should be
translated into the Slav language, the re-
QUESTION for horses should be abolished,
and a committee of Turks, Greeks, and
Catholics should be appointed to see that
the new rules were put in force. On the
18th December all the principles of these
reforms were set forth in an Imperial Fir
man. Thus. as Musurus Pasha declared
to Lord Derby, {" the edihce of which the
foundation was laid by the Firman of
Gulhan6 in 1889, and the body completed
by the Haiti umayoun of 1866 was now
crowned and made perfect by the second
Firman." But the rebels would not
listen to these promises. Acting-Consul
Freeman wrote to Lord Derby on the 18th