The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-12-02
THE BRITISH BACKDOWN
In the Demand for Extra Guard
Ships at Oonstantinople.
TO PREVENT FURTHER ATROCITIES,

1t Was Feared the Action Might Provoke
the Turks to Deeds of Violence-The Sui
tan Believes the Powers Were Not in
Favor of the Demand.
CONsTANTINoPLE, Dec. at has not yet
been conclusively developed here what is
TO be the effect on the disordered state of
the empire of the REIMBURSEMENT, tenn
porarily at least, of the purpose of the
powers to introduce additional guard ships
into the Dardanelles for the protection Of
foreigners in the domains Of the sultan.
The ordering back to Salonica bay of
the British gunboat Dryad. which had
been ordered up to the Dardanelles at the
request of the British ambassador, Sir
Philip Currie, in anticipation of the prom
ised granting Of the flrmans by the sultan
for warships to pass through, is officially
explained on the ground that the proposed
action would do more harm than good by
inflaming the fanaticism of the Turks
against foreigners on account of the sup
posed atfront to the sultan of what would,
in effect, have amounted to naval dem
onstration against Constantinople.
The effect of the abandonment of it's
purpose by Great Britain on the situation
in Turkey is awaited with anxiety and
great interest. The question Of guard
ships seems at a standstill for the present,
though the threat of Sir Philip Currie to
renew his purpose unless foreigners should
be exempt from outrage is still open.
Undoubtedly one effect of the ordering
back of the Dryad to Salonica is that the
belief of the often alleged concert of the
powers in their attitude towards Turkey is
waning The sultan is known to have
been sceptical as to this concert for some
time past, and it is said, has based his
long continued opposition to Great Brit
aims demands upon belief that no such
concert existed, or that it could not endure
for any length of time. This belief can
not but have been in part confirmed by
Great Britain's withdrawal Of her demand
after it had been so strenuously pressed to
the very verge of a crisis
Whether Great Britain is influenced by
the alleged danger to foreigners from fa-
natic Turks which would ensue upon the
proposed demonstration, or whether she
has learned to doubt the approval of her
action which might be accorded by the
other powers, is therefore a question
which is discussed on both sides
United States Minister A w. Terrell
has received from Aintab, on the southern
slopes Of Mount Taurus, a dispatch which
states that the American missionaries
there are safe, and were unharmed in the
recent massacre, and have not required
the services of special guards.
Reports of fanatical outbreak in Cesa-
rea have created anxiety as to the safety of
the American mission there and Minister
Terrell has wired an inquiry, to which an
answer is still awaited The non-arrival
of private letters from Kharpot and Sivas
also has disquieting effect.
Official dispatches describe small con-
fiict in Zilca, in the vilayet of Sivas, in
which four Mussulmans and five Armen-
ians were killed, and another at Enderhin,
where Armenian rebels attacked the town,
burned the government buildings and pill
laged the Mussulman village in the vicin-
ity of Pias. Troops have been sent to re-
press the outbreak.
A letter from Alden, Arabia, dated Nov.
60 gives details of the Arabian revolt
against the sultan in Yemen, the coffee
growing district of southwestern Arabia.
The Importance of the outbreak lies in its
proximity to Mecca. The loss to the sui
tan of the Mussulman holy city would
probably mean his deposition. Hence the
strenuous official denials which have been
made of the existence of the rebellion.
So far the revolt has been confined to
the district around Khamer, two days
journey from Saana, the capital of Yemen
The rebels number $4,000 Arabs, armed
with Martini and Snyder rifles, and led by
Sayyid, pretender to the imaunship OF
the whole Yemen country, who wields a
great influence, and surreptitiously col
lects tribute or taxes from all Arab tribes
under Turkish rule.
Six Thousand Turkish troops recently
arrived at Saana from Constantinople,
and were distributed among the garrisons
in the Khamar district. The rebels had
already captured, after severe fighting and
great bloodshed, two Turkish forts al
Khamer and Balbuda In the latter 3OC
Turks were killed. The garrison fled tC
Masmer and begged the twenty-five sheik!
there to help to recapture Balbuda TIL,
sheiks refused and were taken to Saani
and imprisoned.
/ The telegraph is constantly cut, and
| Sayyid, the pretender burns the letters
and presents which the sultan sends.