Omer Pacha--Survey of
Montenegro--Mostar--Bazaars--Mosques--Schools--Old Tower--Escape of
Prisoners--Roman Bridge--Capture by Venetians--Turkish
Officers--Pacha's Palace--European
Consulates--Clock-Tower--Emperor's Day--Warlike
Preparations--Christian Volunteers--Orders to March.
During the week which intervened between my arrival and the removal of
head-quarters to the seat of war, I had several interviews with Omer
Pacha. On these occasions he showed much kindness of disposition, and
took great trouble to explain to me the arrangements which he made for
the prosecution of the war against Montenegro in 1852, and to describe
the nature of campaigning in that province.
He expressed himself much pleased with a map of Montenegro which I had
presented to him, drawn by Major Cox, R.E., British Commissioner for
determining the new boundary line, but detected the absence of one or
two traversable paths, the existence of which I found to be correct when
I subsequently accompanied the army to those districts. The map,
however, I may observe, is very superior, both in accuracy and
minuteness of detail, to any other survey which has as yet appeared.
While awaiting the departure of the Generalissimo for the seat of war,
to which he had kindly invited me to accompany him, I employed myself in
wandering about those crooked byways, and studying the many phases of
Turco-European humanity. That my impressions of the town were very
favourable, I am not prepared to state; but I believe that in point of
cleanliness it is superior to many. It is situated on both banks of the
Narenta, in a gorge which opens out into two small plains, at its N. and
S. extremities. The eastern and larger part is built on an acclivity,
and contains the bazaar, government offices, and the houses of the
traders and the richer inhabitants. The western part is occupied by the
poorer classes, who are for the most part Catholics, and are employed in
agricultural pursuits. The gardens, which supply the town with
vegetables, are upon this side, and the soil is more fruitful, though
marshy and feverish. On the eastern side it is healthy, sandy, and dry.
The dwelling-houses are generally small and comfortless, indifferently
built, and roofed with stone. As in India, they are always surrounded
with a compound--for it cannot be called garden--which gives the town a
rambling and extended appearance.
The shops are small and ill-supplied, and the streets narrow and
tortuous, except the two main ones, which are tolerably broad, and run
parallel to each other in a nearly straight course N. and S. They have
raised footpaths, roughly constructed, and swarming with animal life, as
is to be expected in the luxurious East. There are no fewer than thirty
mosques in the town, whose minarets give it a beautiful and picturesque
appearance, albeit that the buildings themselves are imperfect, and
ungainly in architectural detail. The Mussulmans have a school in the
town, where Turkish and Slavish are taught. Girls are, however, debarred
this advantage, and indeed no institution of any kind exists throughout
the province for their training or instruction. The result is that the
female population is, if possible, in a lower state of degradation than
the male. The religious and secular education of the Christians is as
little considered as that of the Mussulmans. Thus the only place of
worship which the Greeks possess is a small chapel on the outskirts, to
which is attached a school for boys, which is attended by about two
hundred children. Since Omer Pacha's arrival during the past year, a
peal of bells has been placed in this chapel. The superstition which
prevails amongst Turks, 'that bells drive away good spirits from the
abodes of men,' renders this concession the more grateful, and it is
only another proof that the Mussulmans of the present day are not so
intolerant as they are represented. No restrictions, indeed, are placed
upon religious ceremonies or public processions of any kind. With
regard to church bells, I may add that their use has always been
considered tantamount to a recognition of Christianity as the
established religion of the place. In some towns, where Christians
predominated, the concession had been made long before their
introduction at Mostar.
The Roman Catholics have no church in Mostar. Service is performed at
the Austrian Consulate, and also at a convent, about two miles distant,
where the Bishop of Mostar resides. This circumstance has led to the
concentration of the Catholic community in that neighbourhood. The
Catholic school for boys adjoins the convent; it is, however, thinly
attended, and but indifferently conducted.
The British Consulate being closed in consequence of the absence of the
Vice-Consul, M. Zohrab, who was acting as temporary Consul at Bosna
Serai, I took up my abode at a khan overlooking the river. The situation
was pretty, and the house newly restored; but this did not deprive it of
some relics of animal life, which somewhat disturb the equanimity of the
new comer, but which he soon learns to regard with indifference.
Descending the stairs, and passing through the stable, which is, as is
usually the case, immediately beneath the lodging rooms, we must turn
sharply to the right; and, after clambering up some rough and broken
steps, we arrive at the main street, which runs for about a mile
through the centre of the town, varied only by arched gateways placed at
intervals along its course. Against the first of these a Turkish sentry
indolently leans, if he be not seated on the kerbstone at the corner.
Passing through this we come to a second gate, where the peaceful
traveller, unconscious of offence, is angrily accosted. The meaning of
all this is that he is requested to throw away and stamp upon his
cigarette, the old tower on the left being used as a magazine. Round it
a weak attempt at a _place d'armes_ is apparent, Omer Pacha having
ordered some of the neighbouring houses to be pulled down. Nor was this
done before it was necessary, a fire having broken out a short time
before in its vicinity. On that occasion the inhabitants destroyed a few
houses, and imagined the fire to be extinguished. The wind rose, and it
broke out again, taking the direction of the magazine. Upon this, the
whole population took to the country, and the prisoners, who were
located close by, escaped in the general confusion. Had it not been
providentially extinguished, the _place of Mostar would have known it no
more_. The prison is a plain white house, which does not look at all as
if it had ever been the sort of place to have long defied the ingenuity
of a Jack Sheppard, or even an accomplished London house-breaker of our
own day.
The tower to which allusion has been made is built on the eastern side,
and immediately above the beautiful bridge which spans the Narenta, and
for which Mostar[K] has ever been famous. The Turks attribute its
erection to Suleyman the Magnificent, but it was probably built by the
Emperor Trajan or Adrian, since the very name of the town would imply
the existence of a bridge in very early days. The Turkish inscriptions,
which may be traced upon the abutments at the E. end of the bridge,
probably refer to some subsequent repairs. At any rate too much reliance
must not be placed in them, as the Turks have been frequently convicted
of removing Roman inscriptions and substituting Turkish ones in their
place. The beauty of the bridge itself is heightened by the glimpse to
be obtained of the mosques and minarets of Mostar, washed by the turbid
waters of the Narenta, and backed by the rugged hills which hem it in.
'It is of a single arch, 95 ft. 3 in. in span, and when the Narenta is
low, about 70 feet from the water, or, to the top of the parapet, 76
feet.'[L]
There is a second tower at the extremity of the bridge on the left bank,
which is said to be of more modern construction.
Mostar is not a fortified city, nor is it important in a strategical
point of view. The only traces of defensive works which exist are
portions of a crenellated wall of insignificant construction. This
accounts for the ease with which the Venetians were enabled to take
possession of and burn its suburbs by a sudden raid in 1717. 'The town
was built,' says Luccari, 'in 1440, by Radigost, Major-Domo of Stefano
Cosaccia;' but in asserting this, he overlooks the existence of the
Roman road to Trebigné, which is very superior to anything built by
either Slaves or Turks, and places its Roman origin beyond a doubt. Some
suppose it to be the ancient Sarsenterum. That it was selected by the
Turks as the capital of the province immediately after the conquest, and
considerably enlarged, appears very probable, and the towers which flank
the bridge were probably built at that period or a little earlier,
though the eastern one is said to be raised upon a Roman basement.
Continuing our ramble we pass through another gate, and come to an
uncomfortable looking hill. We have not to mount far, however, before we
approach an archway, with two sentries, rather more alert than the
others whom we have seen. Officers are passing backwards and forwards,
looking fussy and important, as Turks always do when they get rid of
their habitual apathy. In their small waisted coats _à la Française_,
surmounted by the _inevitable fez_, they present a strange combination
of the Eastern and Western soldier.
The house in the interior of the court-yard is the palace, usually
occupied by the Mulisarif, but devoted, during his stay in these parts,
to Omer Pacha, the Serdar Ekrem and Rumili Valessi, or Governor-General
of European Turkey. In the vicinity of the palace may be seen the
flagstaffs of the Prussian and Austrian Consulates, while that of Great
Britain appears at no great distance, and in the rear of the
clock-tower, which distinguishes Mostar from most other Turkish towns.
Let us now return to the main street, which continues in unbroken
monotony for something less than half a mile. If gifted with sufficient
patience to continue our stroll out of the town, we come upon the
principal burial-ground. On the E. high hills hem us in, while the tiny
stream of the Narenta comes winding from the N.
During my stay at Mostar the town was enlivened by the occurrence of the
Emperor Alexander's birthday, or the 'Emperor's day,' as it is called.
In celebration of this auspicious event, the Russian Consul kept open
house, everyone who could muster decent apparel being admitted. After
the ceremony of blessing the Muscovite flag had been performed by the
Greek Bishop, a select few sat down to a kind of breakfast, which did
credit to the hospitality of his Imperial Majesty's representative.
Thither I accompanied Omer Pacha, who was attended by a small suite.
This was the only occasion on which I ever observed anything like
display in the Turkish General. His gold-embroidered dress resembled
that of a Marshal of France; his breast was literally covered with
decorations, in the centre of which was the Grand Cross of the Bath, and
he carried a magnificently-jewelled sword, the gift of the late Sultan,
Abdul Medjid. He did not, however, remain long, and on emerging I could
not help contrasting the festivities within with the signs of warlike
preparation which jostled one at every turn, the first fruits, in great
measure, of Russian imperial policy. Strings of ponies laden with
forage, and provisions for the army on the frontier, passed
continuously, and the streets presented a more than usually gay and
variegated appearance. Omer Pacha was throughout indefatigable.
Detachments of irregulars arrived daily, some of which were immediately
pushed up to the scene of operations; others were retained at Mostar;
but whether they went, or stayed behind, he inspected them alike, and
was always received with marked enthusiasm. I must not omit to mention
that amongst these reinforcements was a body of 1,000 Christians, who,
however, were never sent to the frontier. Fine fellows they were, all
armed with rifles of native construction. These arms of precision are
mostly made in Bosnia, where there are two or three establishments for
that purpose.
Thus the days wore on; and, having provided myself with horses, and such
few things as are deemed indispensable for campaigning, I was delighted
to receive a message from the Generalissimo, on the night of the 13th,
intimating his intention of leaving Mostar at 8 (_à la Franca_) on the
following morning.
But before I enter upon my personal experiences in the camp of the
Osmanlis, I would fain give some account of the previous history of this
agitated province; passing in brief review those causes which combined
to foster a revolutionary spirit in the country, and dwelling more
especially on the events of the last four years, during which that
spirit has so culminated as to convince even the Porte of the necessity
which exists for the immediate employment of coercive measures.
[Footnote K: Mostar, from 'Most Star' Old Bridge.]
[Footnote L: Sir G. Wilkinson.]