, 1880-05-26

our hopes are founded on the grain
which should be sent to US from Bitlis.
we beseech you to get it sent as quickly
as possible, so as to save the. life of the po-
pulation."
How far these expectations OF help from
Bltlis are likely to be realized we may see
from the following telegram sent by the
Archbishop of that town.
"Here the poor classes have hitherto
borne their privatiops without murmuring.
Completely exhausted, they now appeal
to public charity. Unless they receive
immediate help their life is in danger. All
suffer from the famine. A multitude of
children, abandoned by their parents in
despair, wander about the streets. Have
pity on u.s."
Both in Bitlis and in Van there seems
to nave been some hope that help might
be obtained from MooSh {; out here is what
a certain Ibrahim, delegate of the Nlussul-
man and non MusSulman inhabitants,
telegraphs from that town under date
March 24:-
"An of us poor and in want are dying
of hunger. For the love OfGod let us have
bread from the State granaries. Have
pity on us, and take the measures which
seem to you most etlicacious."
might multiply indefinitely these tele-
grams, for they come i'll almost daily from
the principal centres, and each day the
cry for help becomes more piercing and
desperate. Here, for example, is one OF
the last from the Syrian Archbishop OF
MORSSul:-
"Lamentable and Undesirable scenes,
The famished people collect from all sides
in the town. Not finding any barley,
they eat %carrion, and disease is the result.
Considerable numbers of persons, finding
nothing, die of starvation. In the name
of the sufferings endured we appeal to
your charity and beseech speedy help"
In the western provinces, bordering on
the Egean, the state of things, though not
quite so desperate, is bad enough to ca4se
serious apprehension. The Archbishop OF
Ismid for. example, telegraphs under date
March Pr
"The Armenian population of this pro-
vince is f~earfully tormented by the want OF
grain and by the rigOurS of the winter.
Great loss of animals; several cases OF
death from Starvation"
AN ElEllSlmdu WHO HIS .jtSU ICGuIllcu
from that region tells me that he found
everywhere a great scarcity OF grain, and
in SOM parts the country had been COM
pleteIy devastated by locusts. The chiefs
of the Circassians settled near Ada Bazaar,
some of whose exploits | have described III
previous letters, told him frankly that II
they did not soon receive grain from the
Government they would be compelled to
"help themselveS.n The unarmed peasants
who nave already suffered so much at
their hands know by experience what that
expression means. AS there are ll,0OO
CircaSSians in the district of Ada Bazaar
alone, and only about a score OF Zaptlehs
to keep them in order, we mpy expect to
near soon something more about "Clr-
cassian atrocities"
The way in which the Government has
acted with regard to this widespread
famine does not give good auguries for the
future. Until quite recently 1T adopted
the convenient plan of simply ignoring it,
and sent from time to time stringent orders
to the governors general that not only the
taxes for the current year, but also the
arrears of taxes should be collected with
out delay. To all appeals for assistance it
turned a deaf ear, and decided with short
sighted avarice that the fiscal wants of the
Treasury should be alone considered.
Indignant at this heartless and foolish
action on the part of the Government the
leading members of the Armenian commu-
nifty determined to assist their suffering
n1Inu- ant1o xu-xo, ~. o.N1 o. H.. $1,000