744 



TURKEY. 



public offices to be bestowed upon Christians and 

 Mohammedans in proportion to their numbers, du- 

 plicate appointments being abolished as far as pos- 

 sible ; the Assembly to meet every second year, 

 frame a budget for two years, and decide on any 

 proposals made by the Governor General by an ab- 

 solute majority instead of a two-third majority ; 

 no increase in the expenditure to be proposed by 

 the Governor General ; the Administrative Council 

 to have the right of nominating commissions for 

 special purposes, and its members to have seats in 

 the Assembly without the right to vote ; a sum 

 equal to half "the net produce of the customs, cal- 

 culated on the returns for the last five years, to be 

 paid to the Porte, the other half and all the taxes, 

 direct and indirect, to revert to the local adminis- 

 tration ; the gendarmerie to be recruited from the 

 population of the island, but all the superior officers 

 to be Europeans ; the army to be confined to the 

 fortified towns on the coast, but to be employed, if 

 necessary, in the event of disturbances by the Gov- 

 ernor General with the advice of the Administrative 

 Council ; the judicial system to be simplified, the 

 jurisdiction of the Constantinople Court of Cassa- 

 tion abolished, and European jurists placed at the 

 head of the Cretan Court of Appeals; all laws not 

 voted by the Assembly to be annulled and the defi- 

 cits incurred since 1889 to be made good by the 

 imperial treasury, the budgets not having been 

 voted by the Assembly ; the Governor General to 

 exercise the right of sanctioning the publication of 

 books and newspapers and the formation of literary 

 and scientific societies : the Benghazis, African im- 

 migrants from among whom bashi-bazouks had en- 

 rolled that committed depredations and outrages 

 on the Christians, to be banished from the island ; 

 and, finally, the application of the organic statute 

 of the Ilalepa Convention and the reforms now pro- 

 posed to be guaranteed by the Sultan and the sig- 

 natory powers of the Berlin Treaty. The Moham- 

 medan Deputies protested against the alteration of 

 the Constitution at the desire of the Christian Depu- 

 ties, insisting that the pact of Halepa prescribed the 

 constitutional method, which was by a two-third 

 majority after a free discussion in the Assembly. 

 They denounced the specific proposals as tending 

 to subvert the imperial authority, extinguish the 

 rights of the Mohammedan minority, and bring 

 about fresh troubles on the island. 



Notwithstanding the armistice, the insurgents 

 and the Turkish commanders endeavored to im- 

 prove their strategic positions. A boat's crew were 

 killed at Plaka while attempting to intercept the 

 landing of a Greek boat supposed to contain am- 

 munition, and a Turkish war vessel consequently 

 fired on the armed Christians on shore who did the 

 shooting. A Turkish force advanced from Kaly- 

 ves on hearing the cannonade, and this was at- 

 tacked by the insurgents. Compelled to retreat, the 

 Turkish force resumed the advance with artillery 

 and shelled inhabited places. The powers made 

 representations to the Porte, demanding a cessation 

 of military operations, and at the same time the 

 consuls admonished the Christian Deputies to re- 

 sume their deliberations. The Turkish troops were 

 withdrawn from Apokorona. The breach of the 

 armistice called out a fresh note from the Hellenic 

 Government. When the consuls invited the Chris- 

 tian Deputies to continue their work in the Assem- 

 bly these answered that nothing would be done 

 until they received a reply from the Porte to their 

 demands. After a brief intermission the fighting 

 was resumed in the western district. The object of 

 the Turkish commander was to capture the heights 

 on the road between Kissamo and Selinon, and thus 

 cut off western Crete from the rest of the island. 

 The losses of the Turks were already 200 killed and 



600 wounded, while the Cretans, who fought in 

 guerrilla fashion from behind bowlders and from 

 crags, lost only 26 killed and 60 wounded. Riots 

 and murders occurred in Candia (Hcrakleion) and 

 other places. At the suggestion of the powers, 

 Abdullah Pasha, who had been raised to the rank 

 of marshal and in whose military ability the Turks 

 had great confidence, was removed from his com- 

 mand. The Cretan Assembly, yielding to the rep- 

 resentations of the consuls, resumed its delibera- 

 tions on July 21. A committee of Christians and 

 Mohammedans was appointed to draw up a pro- 

 gramme of discussion consisting of practical re- 

 forms not of a contentious nature. On the next 

 day and the one following the insurgent forces 

 made a determined but unsuccessful attack at 

 Armenus, on the Turkish line of communication 

 established between Retimo and the garrison at 

 Koxaris. near the southern coast. At this time 

 preparations were made for organizing a revolt in 

 the eastern end of the island, and arms were landed 

 on the Candia coast. On July 25 a force of 1,500 

 insurgents attacked the Turkish troops in the 

 province of Apokorona, and the latter merely de- 

 t'ended themselves. In view of the interruption of 

 business caused by the political situation, the As- 

 sembly passed a law staying for three months the 

 collection of debts and foreclosure of mortgages. 

 On the discussion of reforms the two parties could 

 not agree. The Turkish Foreign Minister informed 

 the ambassador that the Porte looked to the powers 

 to secure the acceptance by the Cretans of the con- 

 ditions obtained by the powers in their behalf. To 

 the Greek Government the Porte addressed a note, 

 approved by the ambassadors, complaining of ship- 

 ments of arms, declaring that the Porte could not 

 go beyond the concessions offered, and pointing out 

 that the continuance of such a state of affairs might 

 lead to serious complications, endangering the peace 

 of Europe, for which Greece would be held respon- 

 sible. 



The landing of filibusters and arms in the 'eastern 

 district rendered the situation more grave. The 

 Mohammedan inhabitants of Abadia, on hearing 

 that volunteers from Greece had landed on the 

 northern coast, abandoned their homes and pro- 

 ceeded toward Myres, being joined by the Moham- 

 medans who dwelt in the villages on the route after 

 they had set fire to their property to prevent it from 

 falling into the hands of the Christians. The land- 

 ing of 250 armed men from Greece on the southern 

 coast spread terror through the whole region and 

 quickened the flight of the Mohammedans, who did 

 not stop till they reached Candia, where thousands 

 were crowded at the gates. Butchery of Moham- 

 medans was reported from the country districts. 

 The population here was mixed. There were 18,- 

 000 hungry and shelterless Mohammedan refugees 

 at Candia. They finally were admitted to the city 

 to sleep in the mosques and public buildings. Ex- 

 cited at times by hearing of the murder of their 

 coreligionists in the country, they frightened the 

 Christians, half of whom emigrated, leaving only 

 3,000 among 40,000 Mohammedans. In the entire 

 province at least 30,000 Mohammedan peasants 

 were driven from their homes. Hassan Pasha 

 finally lost control of the starving multitude in 

 Candia, and could not prevent armed bands from 

 sacking the villages of Anopoles and Games, where 

 32 Christians were murdered. The Greek Govern- 

 ment, yielding to the admonitions of the powers. 

 took measures to prevent the sailing of fresh expe- 

 ditions that were so stringent as to rouse the indig- 

 nation of the Greek people, whose wrath against the 

 Turks was inflamed by the arrival at the Piraeus of 

 refugees from Crete in a pitiable condition. The 

 patrolling of the coasts with cavalry and the 



