736 



TURKEY. 



The Porte, at the suggestion of Russia, or- 

 ganized in November the southern part of the 

 Herzegovina as a separate district, and ap- 

 pointed for its governor Constant Effendi, an 

 Armenian, who, however, was decidedly un- 

 popular among the Herzegovinians. The fight- 

 ing continued with varying success during the 

 whole of the negotiations, but upon the advent 

 of winter it generally ceased. In the begin- 

 ning of November the insurgents gained an 

 important victory at G-atchko, where they cap- 

 tured a pro vision -train, fifty tons of ammuni- 

 tion, and three hundred rifles, destined for 

 Govansko. 



On December 12th the Sultan issued a fir- 

 man ' which contained the following provi- 

 sions : 



All subjects of the Porte, without distinction, elect 

 the judges, the Mohammedan as well as the non- 

 Mohammedan members of the courts, and the mem- 

 bers of the provincial administration councils. The 

 lawsuits between Mohammedans and non-Moham- 

 medans will be turned over to the civil courts. No 

 one will be imprisoned without a trial. Bad treat- 

 ment of prisoners will not be permitted. 



The following measures are named to prevent 

 the arbitrary collection of taxes : Election of the 

 tax-collectors by the Mohammedans and non-Mo- 

 hammedans, and reform in the titles of real estate. 

 The rights of possession of all subjects shall be 

 secured, the gensdarmes shall be selected from the 

 best inhabitants of each town, socage shall be abol- 

 ished, and services for public works shall be kept 

 in distinct bounds. The firman confirmed the pow- 

 ers of the Patriarchs, and gave to all other reli- 

 gious heads the right of the free exercise of their 

 respective religions. At the same time all privileges 

 for the founding of churches and schools were guar- 

 anteed, and all public offices opened to non-Mo- 

 hammedan subjects. The amount for the exemp- 

 tion from military duty is adapted to the property 

 of the inhabitants, and for non-Mohammedans shall 

 be only one-half the amount for Mohammedans. 

 Those unfitted for service are released from this fee. 

 The right of holding real estate is secured to all non- 

 Mohammedan subjects of the provinces. Testamen- 

 tary provisions shall be respected. The firman fur- 

 thermore provided for bringing unhindered all just 

 complaints and wishes before the Porte. The pow- 

 ers of the governors and other high officials are cut 

 down. All the provisions in the firman are for the 

 benefit of loyal subjects only. The grand-vizier 

 will take the necessary measures to bring these re- 

 forms into execution, while a special commission 

 will watch over them. 



On December 20th a supreme commission 

 was appointed, consisting of all state ministers, 

 and several Mohammedans and Christians, who 

 were to see to the execution of the new re- 

 forms. Later two more commissions were ap- 

 pointed, one for commerce and agriculture, and 

 the other for public works. Toward the. close 

 of December, Count Andrassy, the Austrian 

 Chancellor, prepared, at the suggestion of Rus- 

 sia and Germany, a circular note to the great 

 powers of Europe, which read as follows : 



BITDA-PESTH, December 80, 1875. 



Since the beginning of the troubles in the Herze- 

 govina, the European cabiuets interested in the 

 general peace have directed their attention to the 

 events which have threatened it. 



The three courts of Austro-Hungary, Russia, and 

 Germany, after having exchanged their views OD 



this subject, have united their efforts in favor of 

 peace. 



This object seemed to conform to the general view 

 in such a degree, that the other cabinets, upon being 

 invited to take part in it through their represent- 

 atives in Constantinople, hastened to unite their ef- 

 forts with ours. 



The great powers have agreed to use all influence 

 at their disposal to localize and to diminish its dan- 

 gers and calamities, in preventing Servia and Mon- 

 tenegro from taking part in the movement. 



Their language has been all the more efficacious, 

 as it has been the same, and has thus expressed the 

 firm desire of Europe not to let the general peace be 

 endangered by any hasty actions. 



The cabinets have furthermore offered to the 

 Turkish Government the aid of their consular agents 

 in suppressing the outbreak. In this undertaking 

 they have taken care to avoid all interference, and 

 to respect the dignity, the rights, and the authority 

 of the sovereign. 



The delegates could not act as an investigating 

 committee, nor could they make themselves the ad- 

 vocates of the wishes of the insurgent population. 

 Their mission was to take from the latter all illusions 

 of foreign assistance, and to exhort them to dis- 

 perse, after having declared their wishes and their 

 griefs. The powers only reserved the right to press 

 those demands of the insurgents with the Turk- 

 ish Government which would be found legitimate. 

 This conciliating action of the cabinets proved suffi- 

 ciently the friendly intention which had prompted 

 the offer of their good offices. It showed that the 

 interests of Europe, the Porte, and the insurgents, 

 were identical, to put an end to a bloody and de- 

 structive war, and to prevent its return by serious 

 reforms and effective improvements, which would 

 reconcile the best interests of the country with the 

 legitimate demands of the authorities. This is in a 

 few words the action taken by the powers since the 

 outbreak of the insurrection. 



The cabinets have been guided up to the present 

 time by the desire to avoid, above all, everything 

 that might be interpreted as a premature interven- 

 tion of Europe. 



In accordance with these ideas, the cabinets have 

 restricted themselves to counsel the Government 

 of the Sultan not to confine itself to military meas- 

 ures only, but to make it an object to combat the 

 evil by moral means which are destined to prevent 

 future disorders. 



In acting thus, the cabinets had the intention of 

 giving to the Sublime Porte that moral assistance 

 which it needed, and on the other hand to give it 

 time to pacify the insurgent provinces, hoping that 

 thus all danger of future complications would be 

 avoided. Unfortunately, their hopes were not ful- 

 filled. On the one hand the reforms published by 

 the Porte do not seem to have had in view the paci- 

 fication of the population of the insurgent provinces, 

 nor do they seem to suffice for this ooject. On the 

 other hand, the Turkish arms have not succeeded in 

 putting an end to the insurrection. 



Under these circumstances we believe the moment 

 to have come for the powers to agree on a common 

 policy, by which they can prevent the insurrection 

 from endangering the peace of Europe, through its 

 further continuance. 



We have applauded ? the same as the other govern- 

 ments, the well-meaning intentions which have in- 

 spired the recent manifestoes of the Sultan. The 

 irade" of October 2d, and the firman of December 12th, 

 contain a series of principles destined to introduce 

 reforms in the organization of the Ottoman. Empire. 



There is reason to believe that if these principles 

 are embodied in wise legislative acts ; if, above all. 

 their execution is guided by the same enlightened 

 views which dictated them, they will produce real 

 improvements in the administration of Turkey. 



At the same time we cannot be blind to the fact 



