Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-02-07
Vafrl,nfan G NunrnaL
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1877.
The Eastern Questionable. @.
BY MRS. NJ. A. CURTIN.

robbery that It is difficult for person living in
America so far away from the sad and gloomy
scenes Of violence, to realize that such hellish
deeds are performed every day and every hour;
that they are not the exception but the every
day rule. The Turkish government in old times
was one of violence and blood. II ruled by the
sword, but in those days it made no pretence of
doing anything else. If it was tyannical and
blood-thirsty, il had at least the honesty of ac-
knowledging its principles and acting up to Them
| The world knew with what it had to deal, and
acted accordingly. This is all changed now.
England, blinded by an insane jealousy of Russia,
has been the instrument Of bringing Turkey into
the European concert, as 1t is called in diplomatic
language. That is, barbarous Mohammedan Tur-
key was admitted into complete fellowship with
the Christian nations of Europe, and by the treaty
of Paris was guaranteed the right of dealing with
her wretched Christian subjects in the most ap-
proved Mussulmau manner without any fear of
interference Previous to the Crimean war, Russia
exerted direct influence in favor of the Chris
tians and succeeded in placing Roumania and
Serbia in the position which they now occupy of
tributary states They pay a yearly sum of
money to the Porte, but in all else they are free
On the eve of the Crimean war things had come
|
Nicholas had a conversation with the English Am
bassador, Sir Hamilton seymour, which was very
frank and outspoken in character and in which
the condition of Turkey was described with pho
| tographic exactness In this onversation the
Emperor spoke of Turkey as " the sick man,
| phrase which has become historical; the whole
world uses it now and will continue to use it till
that leprous individual, the Turk, is driven out
of power. The conversation of the Emperor was
of such u character and foreshadowed such
| policy that genuine understanding might have
| taken place between Russia and England had the
| latter wished It, She wished otherwise and hav-
| ing Napoleon III. in tow at that time she induced
| him to Join in against Russia Previous to
| the war congress was held at Vienna. At this
| congress conditions were formulated by Austria
| and presented for European approval They were
| satisfactory to the Western powers, and when
| laid before the Emperor Nicholas were adopted
| by him satisfactory basis for arrangement
| with Turkey Peace seemed secured. All the
| powers, England included, advised Turkey to
| accept the conditions since they were of such a
character as to guard her honor and ensure peace.
| All at once Turkey became beligerent and would
| hear of no terms. This attitude of Turkey is eX-
planned by the fact that when the conditions were
recommended by the powers the English ambas-
sador, in private interview with the Sultan, ad-
| vised him. in accordance with instructions re-
| ceived from London, to accept nothing, and
| England would support him. Nothing was then
| left but war, and war came. John Bright, in a
speech from his seat in Parliament, said You
| have made war upon Russia after the Emperor
| Nicholas accepted the conditions which you your
| self proposed to him." This, in very short
SKETCH isan account of what preceded the Crimean
war Russia wanted then what she wants now,
to improve the condition of the Christians in Tur-
key. England wanted simply to weaken Russia
and destroy her fleet in the Black Sea, which at
that time was very considerable. England knew
then, as she knows now. that the existence of
Turkey is disgrace to Europe, which calls itself
| Christian and civilized Turkey was then what
she is now, and what she will continue to be till
| reformed ont of existence.
give here the sketch of a celebrated character
| in Bosnia-Ali Pasha a Turkish -Vizier who
died in 1851. The account is of undoubted verac-
ity and gives a vivid idea of the order of things of
which the English government is the champion
and the apologst g If Ali Pasha had weakness,
| it was for mpaled heads of Christians that
when these Uskol hunters were disappointed of
| legitimate game, they used to resort to rough
and ready way of securing the Pasha's approba-
ton Thus in 1S49, Ali Pasha sent Ibrahm, his
| Cavass Bashi, to collect his Uskoks christian
subjects who had fled from their homes in Herze-
| govina to the Prince of Montenegro for protection
and afterward presumed to revisit their homes.
| Ibrahim, says our native historian, tarried in
Drobnali till October, but found no work there
wherewith to keep his hands warm. Therefore
| he betook himself to the village Cerna Cora and
after he had passed the night there, he gave or
ders to the villagers that one out of every house
| should come forth and accompany him to Pva.
| The poor villagers came forth as he bade them,
| but when they had gone with him an hours dis
tance from their dwellings, their hands were
| bound and here on the plain, near Lysina the
| Cavass Bashi lbrahim shot them dead, one after
| the other. And thus slain fifteen men,
Christians ALL miserable indeed, in their lifetime,
| but guiltless before the All-IIigh God. And
| wherefore were they slain? For naught but that
there should be fewer Christians The greatest
delight of the Vizier was to look upon Christians
heads impaled From his palace in Mostar, he
could not see the fortress walls, and therefore
he had them made higher that he might see
them when he lay at meals, and round about
oak-staves which he topped with Christians
heads At these, then, looked he from his win
dow and his heart leapt thereat with joy. If he
would oppress any man, he straightway spoke and
said: Wilt thou never cease to trouble me till
such a time as hew thy head from thy body and
bid them stick it on the palisades? Then thalt
thou give me peace at last Upon this fortress there
were one hundred and fifty slaves, and upon each
l.n l.a ~,
when his murderous bands brought fresh head
and there wanting room for it, then All
pasha bade them take one or more of the dried
heads down and throw them into the street where
the children wont to kick them about fol
sport, and no man burst take them away" A
beautiful education for children. Believing as W,
do in the Biblical saying" Train child in thu
way he should go, and when he is old he will no
depart from it," we can imagine what the con
duct of men will be who have passed their boy
hood in playing football with the heads Of muir
9 dered Christians. The historian mentions tina
Overcome thousand Christians were executed il
Herzegovina under Ali Pasha's government, ant
during the same space of time only three Ma
. hometans.
. Such were the horrors of Turkey before til
y Crimean war; they have not lessened since then
The recent massacre in bulgaria. of at least twelv
thousand persons, mostly old men, women an
- children, is sufficient proof of that After tn
treaty of Paris, Russia drew back for time /
order that the position should explain itse
What Is the result after more than twenty yeaI
waiting? quote here from an English travel,
t, who has been in Turkey during the past veal
"The truth Is that outside of Seraievo and
few of the larger town, where there are consu
or resident Europeans, neither the honor, prol
erty nor lives of Christians are safe. Gro
r outages against the person-murder self--ca
az be committed in the rural districts with imp
10 nifty. The authorities are blind and it is qu
a common thing for the gendarmes to let Il
perpetritor of the grossest outrage If a Nh
r suman, escape before their eyes. But why
Id may be asked, do not the Christians appeal
= the consuls for protection? In the first place.
ng q mountainous country like Bosnia, with lit
efi means of communication to do so would in mo-
cases be physical impossbty, In the secou
ID. place, If such complaint Is made to consul,
st surely is the complaining Christian more cruel
he oppressed than before nor is consular author
so omnpresent as to save him and his iami
ed from ruin Cases which have occurred since Il
nv Crimean war might be adduced indefinitely, ga,
one exceeding the other In atrocous eruet