690 



TURKEY. 



were expressed early in January, were realized 

 long before the summer. Great distress pre- 

 vailed in European Turkey, especially among 

 the refugees, in the winter. Dreadful accounts 

 began to be made in the spring of distress in 

 Armenia. The winter wheat had been frozen 

 out, the price of breadstuffs was advancing, 

 and the people were dying from the effects of 

 bad food, while their cattle and sheep were 

 also perishing. The distress grew as the sea- 

 son advanced, and was aggravated by the dep- 

 redations which were committed by the insur- 

 gent Kurds in Turkey and Persia. The writer 

 of a letter published in the London "Daily 

 News," in June, describing the scenes he wit- 

 nessed during a journey from Diarbekir to 

 Bagdad, said that people were continually dy- 

 ing in the streets at Mosul, and it was common 

 to see them lying there in the last stages of 

 weakness and destitution. On the 15th of 

 June about three thousand starving people pil- 

 laged the Government grain-depot and other 

 stores at Diarbekir. Order was restored in this 

 and a subsequent attack at the expense of several 

 persons killed and wounded. The ravages of 

 the famine continued to increase through July, 

 and the depredations of the Kurds were added to 

 them. The Bishop of Van asserted that all the 

 money in the world could not prevent the total 

 destruction of the Armenians if pillage and 

 murder under these fearful circumstances con- 

 tinued, and supplicated the Sultan for redress. 

 Dr. Parsons, an American missionary, and his 

 American servant, were murdered, August 1st, 

 a short distance from Ismidt, while on the 

 road to distribute relief to the famished popu- 

 lation. The murderers, who belonged to a 

 nomad tribe, were arrested and confessed the 

 crime on examination. The Government of 

 the United States instructed its charge d'affaires 

 to impress upon the Porte the necessity of 

 taking prompt and energetic steps to punish 

 the murderers; and Mr. Heap, the charge, de- 

 livered a note demanding that they be imme- 

 diately brought to Constantinople and put upon 

 their trial. The disturbances among the Kurds 

 assumed a more general character in Septem- 

 ber, when new troubles were reported in the 

 district south of New Bajazid in the sandjak 

 of Musch, and in other parts of the same region. 

 Incendiary proclamations were addressed to 

 the Armenians by the insurgent chiefs, and 

 the Governor- General of Van applied to Con- 

 stantinople for reinforcements, but was an- 

 swered that none could be spared. On the 20th 

 of September the Kurds had destroyed thirteen 

 Armenian villages. The British consul-general 

 at Bagdad reported, about the 1st of October, 



that the measures taken by the Turkish author- 

 ities, for the protection of life and property on 

 the Tigris, were wholly inadequate. The con- 

 sul in Kurdistan also commented on the inac- 

 tivity shown by the Governor, in face of the 

 lawless proceedings of the Kurds. 



A proposition was submitted by Midhat 

 Pasha, in September, for the suppression of 

 brigandage in the vilayet of Smyrna, by the 

 organization of a force of gendarmerie and the 

 institution of extraordinary commissions to try 

 criminals. 



Tribal disturbances broke out, in the latter 

 part of May, in the pashalik of Bassora. Four 

 battalions of Turkish troops, sent to Ilha, were 

 surrounded by Arabs, and telegraphic com- 

 munication was cut. Works were thrown up 

 along the course of the Tigris, preventing the 

 passage of the English steamers on that river. 



The Grand Shereef of Mecca was stabbed, 

 March 19th, as he was entering the town of 

 Jiddah, by a man in the dress of a dervish, 

 and died from the effects of his wound on the 

 following Sunday. An attempt was made in 

 June on the life of his successor, who, how- 

 ever, escaped unhurt. 



A fearful state of anarchy and brigandage 

 prevailed in Thessaly and Epirus in the latter 

 months of the year. Colonel Synge, who had 

 been sent by Sir Henry Layard to distribute re- 

 lief to the Mussulman refugees in Eastern Rou- 

 melia, was captured near Salonica, in February, 

 by the notorious Greek brigand Niko, who 

 demanded a heavy ransom for hi? release, and 

 threatened to kill him if any armed force was 

 sent to deliver him. The captured man sent a 

 message to the British consul-general, earnestly 

 requesting that no troops might be sent in pur- 

 suit; and the Turkish Government cautioned 

 its officers against adopting a course that might 

 exasperate the brigands to execute their threat. 

 A small guard was, however, sent in search of 

 the brigands, and this, it was said, had the 

 effect of delaying the negotiations for the pay- 

 ment of the ransom of twelve thousand lira 

 and various presents which they demanded, and 

 for the release of the prisoner. Their demands 

 were finally satisfied, and Colonel Synge was 

 set free, after having been held a prisoner for 

 about a month. He was kept, during the 

 whole period of his captivity, in a cave guard- 

 ed by five men. Ho had to put up with in- 

 different fare, but received no bad treatment. 

 Once, however, when the brigands heard that 

 another band had proposed to the British con- 

 sul to capture Niko and hold him in exchange 

 for Colonel Synge, they threatened to roast 

 him alive. 



