New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-28
REFUGEES IN CONSTANTINOPLE.

| REFUGEES IN CONSTANTINOPLE.
THE HABITS OF THg PREDATORY CIRCAssIAN-soME
| THOUSANDS OF HIS RACE sent TO TRIPoLf--
| HUMANE PEOPLE TRYING TO MITIGATE DISTRESS
| THE GOVERNMENT PERPIExED.
IFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIbuNEi
| CoNsTANI1SOPLE, Feb. 1.-THE great question Of
| the day is still refugees and what to do with them
The vast rush of newcomers has mainly ceased, al
| though CircaSsians are still coming in. Multtudes
have been sent Off including some thousands of Cir
cassians dispatched to lrIpOli. in Africa for which
every body ia profoundly grateful to The Govern
ment. There is end to the villainy Of these Cir
casslans they steal everything. Fifteen Christian
children stolen by them in Bulgaria have been de-
tected and rescued here, and of course. numbers Of
Others may have escaped detection. | am credby
informed that when the police examined the bag
gage of party Of Circassans who on their way
from the railway station to the ship, they found IN
sack a Bulgarian priest who was about to be carried
Oft as a slave with the general baggage. The
Crcassans not Interesting class Of refugees,
they take the best of everything themselves and
leave the to get along well as they can.
In fact you often see Il Circassian riding horse
back followed by three or four women on foot who
are loaded with babies and bedding. All the women
of the refugees are much worse OF than the men,
and are somewhat beasts Of burden, reminding one
of the four-wlved men Of 0usbak, who openly de
clare that they practice poygamy In order thai
they may have the money earned by their wives at
carpet weaving Notwithstanding their hard lot,
the CIrcassian women whom | have seen under
shelter in the city, seemed to be contented enough,
placidly sewing like their Western sisters, and en-
tirely undisturbed by the curious eyes watching
them. You suffering, perhaps, among the
Turkish refugees than among the CircaSsians. The
ChrIstian refugees are so few in proportion to
the Turks that they are easily cared for.
An English gentleman was caring for some
destitute Bulgarians the other day when a Turkish
army officer rcbukcd him with partailty to Chris
tians. "show me Turks" said the EnglIshmau,
equally destitute, and will help them in the sane
way" I he officer gave him an address, and the Eng
lslman, after waiting day, 50 that there might
be no opportunity for deception went to the place
named and found eighteen men and women IN a stcn =
lOorrd room, sliyerng with cold and with b0th-
ing Ia cover them or 10 put between them and the
pavement. They had, like all refugees, the Govern
mcnt rations Of bread and perfectly overwhelmed
my English friend with gratJjufG or beds and some
so'C eo oao,s quits. The Turks doing many
filings for the relief of the sufferers. One Turk,
avowcdy with a view of procuring al en-
trance Ia Paradise by good works, - all
the time seeking ont among the refugees quar-
tered IN mosques AMI other public places
delicate women. and having found such he seeks ont
a place for them i'll houses of his Acquaintance
where they can have tribe moro comfort than the
common herd. or course there rascals who take
advantage of the uncomfortable numbers III which
these refugees have come in TO perperate outGaG's
on the poor creatures under prctencc of helping
them. The scarcity of fodder tells very much
aganot those who brought away horse or COW
l., 4ta
city il exhausted the Russians allow none to come
n and cattle are sold for the price Of the hide, in
great numbers. horse costs from 81 to 81, and an
OK about the same. donkey can be had to-day Tor
80 cents III specie.
The English Compassionate Fund has done n great
deal for the refugees. and is doing all tho time
Its agents have taken off their coats and have gone
To work in busincss-like style. There is Il refuge
for women and children sustained by them, near
the STEAMBOAT Railway Station, and another at Ak
Serai near the old JanisSary barracks. a very
grave difficulty in aiding the refugees is the cncr-
mons amount of imposture to which strangers who
try to and these people are exposed. The really
needy can only be found after an amount
of work in the way of investigation which few are
wiling to undertake. ClrcaSsIans come MO tL'
civ and leave their families to be cared fer by
charliv and 90 Out again to plilagc. Blsh-bJzO!kS
eat lhc bread of the refugee funds and sell silver
candles trhf lli,aItii lllN ~
wine 10 wash down the bread. Women apply for
ana rs widows and when yOu 90 10 Their homes y"r
find a lazy husband and other relatives Ivlng OH
the gifts Of beneyolencc.
The scarcity of money in this country is SO great
that every man seems 70 feel that he is justified in
hiding his own purse and living entirely on those
who ,rc now so willing to give. The people who
openly ask aims are often the very ones To whom
one ought not TO give anything. When You 40 u
their dismal quarters the refugees look so wretchcd
fat the inst impulse is TO empty ones pockets n
once. You enter the door of a long low stable.
The door is earth: Just inside stand one or two
donLeys privileged on account of the rain. squat
ting on the bare ground, or, i'll some cases of un-
usual luxury, SITTING on mats, are mon, womer.
bows. girls, grouped by families or inclna-
ton. some wIh n few Goals of fire on
tho ground i'll front of them, others with
ont that much comfort. Along the length
of the building ~ manager which y hlicu
with babies wrapped III coarse iiannclS. iou ie'l
that the people must be taken out at az azaidsDut
Won are assured they are no worse OF than III uic!r
native villages, excepting thai here the laniics are
n little less separate and that the women aaYc 10
wash clothes IA the soup kettle Instead of going -
the river. Hence great judgment - required III
order not to bcstOw aims iDludclOuSiy To the pr Ju-
dice of persons suffering from extreme want.
The lral of the General who lost ArlahGn, lluG-
SON Sabr Plsha, Il going on. Ii seems that he
supplied with Winchester ammunition and Peabody
Martini guns and that this caused the surrender!
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THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY FLOOD.
4 81.