New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-17
THE DEVIL A MONK WOULD BE
MOUNT ATIIOS SwARMING WITH COSSACK
CUT-TFIRoATS IN CoWLS.

both here and In the Unltcd States published
n brief sketch Of the extraordinary career Of the
Uetman On AshimoT, tho CossaclS General whose
record as knight-errant and leader Of freelanccs
is fer moro suited to figure in the chronicles Of
tho Middle Ages than in the history OF the prosac
nineteenth century. An account was likewise
ryen at the time of his public departure from
Moscow at the head of large band of Cossaolx
frcebootcrs, TO join the Negus of Abyssinia in
his war against the Italians and special mention
Was made of his intimate relations with the late
editor Katkoh. His adventures since then have
boen fully in keeping with his past, and the work
On which he is now engaged renders him one of
tho most prominent factors ia the present phase
Of the Eastern question.
On his arrival in Abyssinia last autumn, ON
Ashiron discovered. greatly to his disgust that
his friend King John was determined TO adopt
Fabian tactics in dealing with the Italian invaders
and 20 defer any open hostlitics at any rate until
tho hot season should have forced King Humbert
70 withdraw the major portion OF his army from
the pcstilential port of Massowah. Receiving IA
hint from his friends at Moscow TO the effect
chat there were better prospects Of adventure
nearer home. he turned over the command Of his
hand Of cutthroats 10 his lieutenant, Sastreb took
leave of his particular crony, Ras-al-Ula the well
known Abyssinian General and sailed for Odessa.
hoard the Costroma one of the fastest steamers Of
~. Inpcrial Russian volunteer feet, cargo Of
dynamite and pyroXylia addressed TO the Negus,
which reached the latter via the French Red Sea
mort of Obock From Odessa the Hetman pro-
coded TO Moscow. where he spent a couple OF
,reel,s in close and confidential intercourse with
the chiefs of the famous Slavouic Benevolent
Society" which under the mantle of charity is
fbe principal vehicle Of Panslavist agitation. b.
them he was entrusted with sum, which is stated
"a have amounted 10 over go 200 roublcs, for the
nurposc of fomenting instruction in Bulgaria.
Aided By Nabol1olT, who was not only an eX-cap-
tain OF the Russian headquarter staff, but also
pephew of the Cars Minister Of Justice, he led
the band Of adventures who IN February last made
an armed raid into Bulgaria and captured the
town Of Bourgas. 1t will be remembered that
after holding the place for about twenty-four
hours they were driven out by reinforccments OF
Government troups sent from Sophia and were to-
tally routed. Captain Nabolloff's body was found
dead in a ditch into which he had crlwlcd for
safety, and among the papers IN bis pockets were
several Of most compromising nature 10 the Rus
sian Government, and to II. Iluovo, the Cars
envoy az Bucharest in particular. For reasons
best known to the Slavonic Benevolent Society
il was made public in all directions that Hetman
On Ashimof was among the slain, and most people
imagined that they had heard the last Of the gentle
eyed and soft-voiccd CossacI cutthroat, who SO
completely upset the equanimity Of M-Deroulede
year ago ny inquiring the amount of money which,
in case OF a Franco-GoTman war, the French Gov
eminent would be prepared 10 pay for every head Oh
q Prussian officer brought into camp.
ON AshmOG. however, appears to bear charmed
life and has turned up again, very much alive and
more active than ever in executing the orders oil
his employers at Moscow. His latest incarnation
is that of a monk and his present residence Is the
celebrated monastery Of ST. PanteleimOn on
Mount Athos.
Mount Athos forms the extremity of the Promon-
tory of Chalcs in the province OF Saonica in Euro
pean Turkey. 1t is magnificent mountain, rising
from the very sea in the form OF q beautifully
wooded cone upward of 5000 feet high, and would
be an island were il not for a narrow isthnus about
1900 yards broad which attaches IL to the main
land Dotted about on its sides are about thirty
monasteries, some OF them Of great antiquity ana
dating back as far as the reign OF Constantine the
Great. The most important OF all is that Oh d.
Panteleimon. now inhabited exclusively by Russian
monks and which was restored and endowed by
the Czarine Catherine IL The remainder of the
monastercs were peoped until quite recently by
monks of the Greek Church, subject TO the Greek
patriarch at ConstantinOpe and recognized as sub
iects Of the Sublime Porte. Between the Russian
and the Greek monks fierce national controversy
has RACED for more than twenty years past Inc
Greek monks who formerly constituted the MAJOR
i,y Of the population of Mount Athos, refused TO
recognize the right of the Russians TO have sepa-
rate or national monastery, maintaining that all
the establishments on the mountain were the prop
ertv Of tine Greek Church subject TO the Greek IA
,ria,eh at Constantinope, and under the immediate
control Of the Council of the Holy Mountain"
consstino of delegates from all the monasteries,
who exercise an autonomous jurisdiction by virtue
Of a constitution granted by the Byzantine LIN
reror leo VI. A. d Oil and confirmed by Sultan
Mahomet IL The matter was brought TO crisis
in 1875 when a Russian monk named MacarloS
was elected abbot Of the Panteleimon. Inc creek
monks protested against his appointment Claiming
that the SUPERIOR must be n member OF the Ma
tonal Greek Church and an Ottoman subject Inc
matter was at length referred TO CohstahVihople'
where, Of course, the cause OF the RUSSIAN MONKS
was actively taken up and supported Dy the Nzars
Ambassador General Ignatef, the cleveres' dlpio-
mat in the Russian service and now the president
Of the Slavonic Benevolent Society already men
tonad The contest was a bitter one. The
Creeks sought to open the eyes Of the Ottoman
Government TO the peril Of permitting the estab-
khment of national Russian monastic establish
nnt on Turkish territory. aud several OF the
Greek Patrarchs in succession preferred to resign
their Office rather than submit 20 the Russian pre-
tensions Blind, however as they always are to
their own best interests the Turkish authorities at
length agreed 10 General IgnauefI's demands and
decided in favor of the recognition OF the Russian
Abbot OF St Panteleimon.
Since then Russian monks have little by little
taken the place Of the Greeks on Mount Athos, and
although the old regulations which prohibit the
presence Of any female being, even of the class of
domestic animals on the mountain are still strictly
observed yet the monastreS are at the present mo-
ment assuming military rather than an ecclesias-
teal aspect
During the mast few months immense bodies Of