The sun., 1897-06-13

Mohammed II. at Jajce in 1463. Bosnia then
passed into the possession Of the Turks In whose
hands 1t remained until 1878, when 1t was occu-
pied by Austria under the provisions Of the
Treaty Of Berlin.
With regard to the state Of things In Bosnia
less than twenty years ago, Mr.. Thomson says
that might apply to 1t the words OF the
Saxon chroniclers about tho condition OF Eng |
land in the reign Of King Stephen; every man
did not only that which was right in his own |
eyes, but that which, of his natural conscience.
he knew to be wrong. A little pamphlet, writ
ten in German and published in 1856. describes |
the condition of the Christian inhabitants Of |
Bosnia at that time. 1t begins with these |
words: THE misrule existing In the whole of
the Turkish empire is SO great and 80 universal
that it can be best characterized as state Of
chaotic anarchy. Ono PROVINCE however. and
that, perhaps, the least known Of all, has in
this respect, sad preeminence. 1t Is
province where one can travel only
with the greatest difficulty, and with not less
danger than in the wilds of Kurdistan; where
the intolerance and hate against the Christians
is more living and active than around fanatical
Damascus; where the insolenoe Of the Aghas is
more arrogant than ever that of the Egyp-
tian Mamelukes; and where the condition Of the
subject people Is more abject and hopeless than
that OF the fellaheen upon the Nile; that prov
ince is Bosnia" Miss Irby, who since 1871 had
been living In Serajevo, looking after the orphan
age for Serb children which had been started
there, through the efforts of Miss Muir Macken-
zie and herself, wrote as late as 1877 that 1.-The
devastation committed in Bosnia is unreported
and unknown. But have seen enough from
personal experience in quiet times in both
provinces to appreciate tho full truth
of DR.. Sandwith's assertion that the
al condition Of Bosnia Is far worse than
that OF Bulgaria" DR.. Sandwith, when dis
tributing relief to the Bosnian refugees in Ser
bia, told, among many terrible stories, one which
brings vvidly before tho mind the miserable
life of the Rayah lthe name by which the Chris
tian peasant is known throughout the Balkans)
with its daily possibilities OF unprovoked and
unpunished outrage: "One woman there was
who seemed to have been petrihed. She had
no tear to shed. and with difficulty was her
story told. She and her husband small
farmer, had but ono beautiful boy; he was
left in their cottage while the two went
to wor.; in the field: they returned at midday
| and found their beautiful child lying the
| floor. dead and frightfully mutilated. band
| of marauding Turks had passed by and left such
| traces OF their track. A few minutes afterward
| the husband had disappeared. In frenzy Of
WTdtn, ne nhu btheu dAc anu hdu BoHo "
! seek vengeance and death, and has not since
| been heard Of. Most OF the families had fed at
the first alarm and had. at all events. saved
| their lives. With such stories as the above
| could I'LL your pages. They had all horrible
sameness about them"
To any one travelling in Bosnia at the present
| time the descriptions OF the state of things
| isting down to 1873 must seem foolish cxag-
| gerations, great is the change which has been
| effected. Mr.. Thomson says that " as sit writ
| ing at Jabanica, in the very heart Of Bosnia, In
| district that was once one OF tho most fanat-
cal in the country, q line Of railway, with all
the comforts and most OF the luxuries of civili-
| Zaton around me. 1t is hard to realize that less
than twenty years ago the people whom now
see living in the most absolute tranquility were
| liable to the same sudden frenZies of madness
| that have devastated Crete and, at this very
| moment are devastating Armenia For Bosnia
is now practically n European country, with
network of excellent wagon roads and with q
railway connection between most OF the princi-
pal towns; my wanderings through 1t this
summer show that travelling there is not
only easy but perfectly safe" The author Of
this book has been in Turkey and was amazed
at the difference between the two countries.
Everywhere in the provinces still governed by
Osmanli officials trade Is discouraged and every
obstacle placed In the way Of strangers who may
be passing through. Moreover, the habitual
brigandage and tho occasional outbreaks of
fanatical violence render travelling perilous
as 1t is unpleasant. The officials would be glad
to keep out foreigners altogether, II they dared.
for they dread the feeling OF restless dissatisfac
ton which an increase of knowledge and OF
civilization IL sure to produce in the minds OF
the rayahs. In Bosnia and the Herzegovina, on
the other hand. Mr.. Thomson found everything
very different. All around him he saw com.
fort and energy and order. There was none
of the lstless unconcern, the Blipshod de.
cay that prevails throughout Turkey. where
no dwellings arc kept in repair or even in
decent cleanliness. Tho Turks are still
"baso and sluttsh In buildings." as Bacon
said Of them centuries ago; unchanged and un
changeable, In that as In everything ese.' The
towns have repulsve appearance Of squalor
with garbage lying about In the open street and
the buildings crumbling gradually to pieces In
Bosnia, on the contrary, the towns are now full
OF new and handsome houses and factories are
springing up, bringing with them wealth and ar
increase OF comfort. Tho streots. even thu
bazaars, are kept scrupulously clean by II sani
tRry department which inspects vigorously al
the sellers OF milk, fruit. and other perishabl,
l articles. In short, the country. externally, ha
r become civilized, and the people are correspond
l ingly happier and more prosperous. Tho mos
. convincing proof OF the tranquility that pre-
3 walls Is furnished by the statistics of the crime
a of violence committed In the two provinces dur
/; ing the last three years. 1t appears that II
y 1893 only six mon and ono woman were con
t demned to long terms Of imprisonment for muI
o der, and one man for highway robbery. In ls9
l. | one man was executed and four men and on
J, woman were sentenced to imprisonment 70
q murder, there being no cases OF robbery wit
o violence. In 1895 no one was executed bu
\. four men and two women were imprisoned 70
|, murder and four men for robbery. This In
8 country where formerly brigandage and hom
70 eide were crimes of daily occurrence. Which
n tho European States can show In proportion I