Year: 1877

Girsassiahs iii Turkey.

 Tho Circassians in European Turkey are now estimated at 100000, and they are the terror of their neighbors, whether Turks or Christians. Their depredations go on unchecked, through fear of repri-

 sals. Their interest at high quarters, through the introduction of their beauti- full girls to the principal harems at Constantinople and elsewhere, is so great that it is found difficult to get convictions against them. They well

 know their own power, and unless strin- | gent measures are taken to stop further

 immigration, and to enforce the law

 strictly over those who are colonized,

 they will prove thorn in the side of Turkey for many year to come, and great bar to progress.

 A Circassian village impressed me with the fact that I had been among a set of men with remarkable fierce of charae- te+, but whether they possess a sufficient amount of selfcohtrol to

 enable them to become; as na. tion, civilized members of soci-

 ety, is doubtful question. One day, the chief of village ge-who had been

 absent during my visit-returned my call. He was dark man of middle height, dressed in the usual long, dark cloth frock-coat, with trowsers and long

 boots, the tops embroidered with silver, He wore fez for a cap, and l noticed

 that his feet and hands were remarkably

 small. His weapons consisted Of pair of beautiful silver-mounted flint and steel pistols, and silver hilted dagger.

 He was cheery, independent character,

 with sufficient amount of dignity, and

 he made himself quite at home. His sharp and somewhat fierce eyes ranged quickly over everything that was in the room, and there was an expression in them that bespoke but little respect for meum and tuum. He was, in fact, the

 very picture of robber chief. He was a man of great influence among his race, and from him I learned that the CiIcas- sians in Turkey have an organization by which they assemble number of armed horsemen on any point in an incredibly short space of time, and that by giving the signal he could in two days have one thousand at his own village.

 It so happened that at this very period a dispute was going on between the Turk ish authorities and his own village with regard to the slave question. A body of zaptiehs (native mounted police) had been sent to the village to enforce justice, upon which two of them were seized by the Circassians, tied up and fogged, and sent back to their government employers, with the message that worse fate would await any more of these troublesome officials who should think of intruding their officious persons within the sacred precincts of the village. This was rather too strong dose of rebellion for the Turkish governing Pasha, so body of two hundred and fifty Turkish cavalry were sent to the village to enforce order and the law; but the Circassians knew we'll that they were coming, and the Turks, on their arrival, found one thous- and Circassian irregular cavalry ranged up before the village. It would evidently be serious affair, and might cause trouble, so the Turkish force retired for "orders." The Circassians, reinforced, moved their ground to a strong position, and powerful force of Turkish troops, consisting of the three arms, was sent against them. The Turkish commander was 10th to fight, not from want of cour- age-far from it-but he knew what influence some of these Circassans had at court He therefore tried concilia- tion, and summoned them to surrender, otherwise he would be under the painful necessity of ordering charge. There was nothing the Circassians would like bet ter so they begged the Turks to "come on" and try it. There was no help for it, so the order was given to advance, and forty Turks were immediately placed hors de combat by volley fvom the Cir cassians. Another barley now ensued, and negotiations were prolonged until the Giro issians were allowed to disperse, and the affair was to be settled at Con- stantinople, but I afterward heard that the whole business had been hushed up. endeavored to be present at this melee, but there was so much difficulty and mystery in gaining information from either side as to time and locality that it was over on my arrival. The numbers concerned were probably much cxagger- ated, as they always are in Turkey Baker's Turkey.