New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-08

dy of his antagonist aud so fell into the palpable
snar, that was laid Tor him. 1t Is mdeed pitifni
tale of confidence BETRAYED. of Aslatic dupiictty
aud barbarty. OF fair weather friends deserving
the fallen fsmily, of disaster following upon disas-
ter M til the cnce powerful cneftan lay in chains
at TehIan, aud his wife and family were depend
ent on charity for shelter and food.
the chief of another tribe did indeed show hos
p;tality TO Mehenst Taxi when he was a fugitive
from the MatamaL Bat THIS chief inhabited n re-
gi0D which could be made inpenctrable by cutting
the dykes ard having converted his territory into
marsh. he was able 10 te:y all the military power
of Persia. Dut what force could not ell, CT was
cOmpasscd By fraud. Given the most solemn as
suranccs ard the most formal written safeguards.
Mehemet Taxi LEI himself be induced to visit the
sIatamars camp. Once there every pledge was
promptly violated. he was seizod and flung into
chains. An. exciting nigh, attack upon the Mat
amaps camp was made by Mehemct 1akfs friends
ard followers, with the object Of rescuing him. but
It failed. tie Matomal having changed his prison
ers quarters at he beginning Of the fighting. 40
that he could not be found. though the camp WIS
penetrated 10 IRIS centre. Nor did the unfortunate
chief ever regain hrs freedom. Mr.. Lavard maiy
years subsequently ascertaineh the end of the
traeic story and found that his old friend had died
at Tchran. in prison and in chains, while his fam
lily had almost entirely persisted.
Tho physical training Cained by the traveller
during his nomadic life was OF great value to him
afterward. He had learned 20 endure the iorrid
OF the desert, to subSst upon the most mcagro
rations. to Withstand sharp climatic changes. to
sleep anywhere. His ability to sleep under almost
any conceivable circumsi apces III fact proved
to himself in a CHASTITY way. Coming la.e to an
Arab cncam pmcnt where more than caravan hal
halted for the night, he threw himself upon bale
of goods. as he supposed. and slept soundly until
morning 1t was only then that the nature OF his
bed appeared. TIE caravan was one of those which
convey the uncofined bodies of true believers for
intcrment in holy ground, and though usually tho
odor of this horrid freight is perceptblc within
considerable radius. lie had actually taken cnfin
wrapped in felt for his mattress. and had sum-
bered peacefully upon it, There was danger of the
plague in the act, but Mr.. Layard seems to have
adopted the fatalism of his Asiate neighb1rs, and
wasted no time in anticipation of evil In travors
ing Persia, Susawa and BabvlonIa he became ac
qnainted with the people, their language and
condition and lie also mai liked tho points where ex-
pluration might be hopefully conducted at some
future time under more favorable circumstances.
On returning to COnsiantinOple he became known
to SIR Stratford Canning, hen British Ambassador
to the Porte, and was employed by that envoy for
some time in an unofficial way, first in connection
with tie Bulgarian question. which was already
coming TO the front. and afterward among the Al
bauians, some Of whom were revolt against
Turkish rule While on this second expedition
no was a witness of Turkish perfdy. Pacha
having decoycd the Albanian insurrcctiOuary
leaders to an ostensible conference BY mixing the
most solemn pledges and then coofly seizing them
all az prisoners and sending them to STEAMBOAT
1t was while working at COustnntnople that the
arrangements made which resulted in the
famous Nneveh explorations.
A generation after Nh Layard had worked so
hard to obtain position In the British Embassy at
Constantinople. he sent there himself as the
representative of his sovereign and found
ample profit in the stock of knowledge
no had acquired many years previously.
BY this time too he had been disIlusiOnized as to
the possibilities of Ottoman reform. Constitutional
methods had proved an absurd travesty; the old
corruption flourisaed ranEly as ever; plainly
what the country needed was honest men more
than adj vanced institutions. The last chapters of
these interesting volumes are occupied with the
authOr's ConsantiDOpe experiences Ill his you II,
and he next stage in his active career has become
familiar to all the world He seems to have hest
tated long about publishing this narrative. and
finally to have yielded TO the persuasion of friends.
Certainly tine record is well worth preserving. nor
does the lapse of time since the occurrence of tho
events themselves at all detract from the interest
of the account. The East changes LITTLE and
shnns reform so steadily. that 1T is questionable
whether single criticism of Persian or Turkish
governmental corruption made forty five wears ago
would have 10 be modified upon comparison with
tho existing state of affairs in either of those
countries.