The Telegram. — 1896-07-21 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

THE ARMENIAN DISTRESS. To the Editor.  Sm,—The distress among the Armenians continues to be very great. In the recent massacres the greater proportion of the men were killed, and the remainder were so mutilated that those who survived their wounds ant tortures are hardly fit to (many work. The women and children and old mess are in the must miserable and most pitiable condition. For the last 18 years the Sultan has encouraged the Kurds to murder and rob the Christians, and to plunder and burn their villages. Bemuse of this, and because of the very severe taxation, the Armenians have been reduced to a state of poverty and misery, which we can hardly realise. But the Kurds are alinust merciful compared to the Turkish soldiers and oflicials who, besides plundering and murdering, torture the Chri,tiatus with fiendish cruelty, and treat the women in a way that cannot be described. The Sultan has thus been taking two means of exterminating his Christian subjects :—(1), by periodical maiiiicres lie , disposes of the able-bodied and most intelligent, 111,11; I and (2) by poverty, outrages, and systematic degripiation ! he grinds the rest in a less sensational way ouzo( calm' [mice. But we must remember that tne Sultan would not he in a position to do this but for the action of our own country during the last hundred years. The Turkish Empire would ' not exist to-day if we had not been con.stantly inter' tering to protect it. Let us come to facts—lts 17da Russia arid Austria agreed to divide the Turkish Empire between them. England made an alliance with two other Powers to prevent this. In 1833, 1240, and 1841, treaties were made for the protection of the Sultan, in which England had a lartre share. Then in 18.53 Russia wanted to constitute herself Protector of the Greek Church in Turkey. The Sultan, being backed up by England, felt strong enough to refuse this. tun' accordingly war was declared. Thus the Crimean War was begun, in which England fought fur the independence and integrity of the Turkish Emirpire. Russia, if let alone, would either have entirely broken up that empire or would have placed it in a position quite subordinate to herself. Even if her rule had not proved to be altogether good, the Christians might, at all events, have had life and property and honour secured to them. In 1877-9 all this was repeated, only that Mule we did our work without a war. By the Treaty of Berlin in 1979 the Christians in Tarkey were put under the protection of the European Powers, and the Sultan promised to carry out reforms. We had already in that year concluded a private treaty with Turkey, by which we bound ourselves to defend her from Ressia, Co rAe Areeenien frontier (specially. We received Cyprus as the means of executing this. The Turk made the same promises as in the Treaty of Bedin.  ..... Our responsibility for the horrors in Armenia is only too clear. ‘Vhat can we do now! We cannot undo the Past, but we can make the present more bearable for the poor survivors. Till lately we have been hindered front giving money by the danger of the Turks getting hold of it. But an Englivlnuan—a member of the Society of Friends—and his wife have gone to Armenia to sec what can be done, and they ante home that the relief work " is splendidly managed, and you need not have any fear that the help given here will go into wrong or doubtful hands. It is all being used to set the people on their feet again ; but this is no slight  The expenses of these travellers are already paid for, so that any money sent to them will fp) direct to the sufferers. The Society of Friends is sending out appeals for help, and it is on behalf of the Society that this letter hiur been written, hoping that sonic in this neighbourhood will be able to give something—however little—to this brave, martyred people. I shall be very glad indeed to receive and forward any contributrons.-1 remain, yours very truly,