, 1881-09-28

Ell the doom oil Mldhats COustiC uti0n.
How very real that danger was may be
illustrated by a very suggestive incident,
which we give 90 the authority OF one who
was present on the occasion, and with
which we may close our observations on
Midha,ism. Before the publication of
Midhats Constitution, he invited q few OF
the leading men 10 Constantinople 10 dis
cuss it at a private party. The Young
Turkey members OF the party praised the
Constitution Unfortunately. Presently
Mi,lhat turned to a grave old Turk, who
had been listening patiently, but rsid no.
thing, aud asked him for his opinion. Tsup-
pore" replied the old Turk, "that all this is
setious3" "Quite serious" answered Mid.
hat, somewhat tartlv. "Tteu too serious,'s
reioined the other. 6 for your Chamber,
with its Mussuiman majority, or even fit
should not have q single Ghiaour, will
speedily become the tomb Of the Ottoman
Empire" The circle closed round the
speaker with eager curiosity, mingled with
alarm. This was 100 much for Mldhat,
who cried out lmpatisntly,-
S~irkoshmesen You are drunk. mo,
l arm not drunk was the quiet answer. Il
speak with the full exeicise of that share Of
reason which God has given me and with the
full knowledge thai VIZ all have OF The venality
of our judges, of the greed Of our governors, !
of the barbariiy Of cur z~aptiehs. and the
rapaCity of our IAx-colleotOrs, la q word, OF
the corr upton Of our whole Administration,
from the highest to the loves, from the D&-
Dube 10 ths Euphrates. What our people
suffer, bear, and endure without murmuring 10
hardly conceivable, and wa pay no heed, ex.'
cept when the excess of the evil breaks Out
10 acts Of open resistance. Our Mug.ulman
PROVINCES ara generally patient and docile,
either from the resignation imposed npon then,
by r-ligi0n, or not to create difficulties for the
Kbalif which would turn to the advantage OF
his enemies. Besides, foreign antiques have
to the present time been so kind as not TO car.
~ on their dissolving aoti'n in our Asiatia
province, whore our Mpssulmaus, more
ancient adhererGs of lha Piophet than our.
selves, vegetats in a condi'i9h worse than
We have made for our rayOhs OF Eurcpe.
Amongst these last. Upen rrvOlts have he~n
frequent against The authority Of the Sublims
Porte. Here the rxhortaliohs aud The en-
cOuragpment of the foreix ner End more Easy
access but the mutual rival y Of races and
Of The different scots Of OhriStisns has ever
prevented them raising the stSndatd Of revolt
ut one and the same time amongst the OrthO-
dcx Church and the Roman CAtholies,-
amongst Greeks and Saws. Thus i~nsuirec-
lions have ever been local, and even such
local ONES only partial. They have, more.
over. only broken out at times; for, befurs
exposing himself to ruin by fire and sword,
the Christian peasant must have suffered from
more than an ordin airy amount of oppression
and arbitrary conduct on the part OF the agents
Of authority, anil must have some exterior
encouragement, In the shape of weapons,
ammunition and money. and a promise Of nefp.
These elements are not a Eays found at the
same time. in the same place ; and when all
tends to favour insurrection, our brave Asistio.
Mussulmans fly to our help i'll The name OF
Islam, which we point to as threatened. But
with delegates from each province united In
one circle, the spirit Of insurreo,ion will come
forth without Russian encouragement, without
arms. It's only weapon will be the Word:
let one deputy With comncn.sense come and
tell In the assembly the stAts OF oppression
under which his ptnvinos lives, the iniquiiss
that are committed there with impuniiy, The
arbitrary rule which there f '~usishef, and the
accumulated run. and every other deputy will
recognise 10 such q picture The condition OF
his own province. / ask you how the Sublime
Porte and the Khslifat wilt be upheld from
the day en- whi,h oar Asiatio M%assulmans
learn and know thai the Ghiaours have re-
volted. not against Islam, as We have made
them believe, hut against tbs evils which
are the common lot Of all the Empire, and
particularly Of thu Mussalmap provinces.
Let IA r.f-c! we'll before we, with our own